Ticket 2 Ride

I wasn’t sure that I’d indulge in buying either of these two greatest hits collections. How many copies of these songs does a boy need? To be fair, the only copy of the “blue album” I own is a vinyl copy from the early 1970s. I do not own a CD version of the blue album, until now. The various remastering and remixes of Beatles recordings in recent years means that I own, most if not all, of the song versions on this set on other CDs. I think, I’m not a 100 percent. I do not own any versions of the new “Now and Then.”

First released back in 1973, these two, two-LP vinyl sets divided the single hits and popular Beatles albums into the “red album” 1962-1966, and the “blue album” 1967-1970 sets. If you were a Beatles fan and you didn’t own the albums and singles, the albums were still in print, but good finding the singles.

The Beatles had been disbanded since 1970, comfortably in their solo careers and distancing themselves from their former lives, so the constant furor over a reunion was a dream rather than a possibility. The release of these two sets proved that the Beatles were still a big thing and their music was enduring.

The question of purchasing these sets in 2023 was much different than in 1973, or even when the red and blue sets first appeared on CD. As I said, the latest version of these song are available from other sources, even “Now and Then,” which can be purchased in just about any physical or digital format. Does a fan really need these 2023 expanded sets, especially in a physical format? Need, is such a harsh and judgmental term. I’m not the completist that I used to be, so acquiring this set is not required, but getting the blue set with “Now and Then” was desired.

Both the red and blue sets have been expanded, as there is much more digital space on a CD than a vinyl disc, plus the appetite for deeper cuts all but guaranteed that each set would pack more songs. Instead of two disc vinyl sets, the red and blue sets are expanded to three vinyl discs. Vinyl is popular again, even more popular than CDs.

The biggest questions were what songs would not be included on each set, given the additional space available. I can quibble that certain songs did not make the cut or that a song was chosen over another song – but those arguments have no value for me.

The first time I listened to the blue set from beginning to end, it was as if I was hearing these songs for the first time since the 1960s. The sound is incredibly clean and revealing, there are nuances I do not remember, and mixes that bring vocals or instruments into their own space. The songs are the songs, but the experience is different.

“Now and Then fits comfortably as the last song on the blue set.

CD1

1: Strawberry Fields Forever (2015 Stereo Mix / 2023 Dolby Atmos Mix)

2: Penny Lane (2017 Mix)

3: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (2017 Mix)

4: With a Little Help From My Friends (2017 Mix)

5: Lucy in The Sky With Diamonds (2017 Mix)

6: Within You Without You (2017 Mix) *

7: A Day In The Life (2017 Mix)

8: All You Need Is Love (2015 Stereo Mix / 2023 Dolby Atmos Mix)

9: I Am The Walrus (2023 Mix)

10: Hello, Goodbye (2015 Stereo Mix / 2023 Dolby Atmos Mix)

11: The Fool On The Hill (2023 Mix)

12: Magical Mystery Tour (2023 Mix)

13: Lady Madonna (2015 Stereo Mix / 2023 Dolby Atmos Mix)

14: Hey Jude (2015 Stereo Mix / 2023 Dolby Atmos Mix)

15: Revolution (2023 Mix)

CD2

1: Back In The U.S.S.R. (2018 Mix)

2: Dear Prudence (2018 Mix) *

3: While My Guitar Gently Weeps (2018 Mix)

4: Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (2018 Mix)

5: Glass Onion (2018 Mix) *

6: Blackbird (2018 Mix) *

7: Hey Bulldog (2023 Mix) *

8: Get Back (2015 Stereo Mix / 2023 Dolby Atmos Mix)

9: Don’t Let Me Down (2021 Mix)

10: The Ballad Of John And Yoko (2015 Stereo Mix / 2023 Dolby Atmos Mix)

11: Old Brown Shoe (2023 Mix)

12: Here Comes The Sun (2019 Mix)

13: Come Together (2019 Mix)

14: Something (2019 Mix)

15: Octopus’s Garden (2019 Mix)

16: Oh! Darling (2019 Mix) *

17: I Want You (She’s So Heavy) (2019 Mix) *

18: Let It Be (2021 Mix)

19: Across The Universe (2021 Mix)

20: I Me Mine (2021 Mix) *

21: The Long And Winding Road (2021 Mix)

22: Now And Then

* newly added track not on the 1973 version

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