The Beatles 1967 – 1970 (3LP, Half-speed Mastering, Blue Vinyl, Japanese edition)
ORDER LIMITED TO ONE ITEM PER CUSTOMER
COMPILATION
The Beatles [click here to see more vinyl featuring The Beatles]:
- John Lennon – vocals, guitars, keyboards, harmonica, bass
- Paul McCartney – vocals, bass, guitars, keyboards, drums
- George Harrison – guitars, vocals, sitar, keyboards, bass [click here to see more vinyl featuring George Harrison]
- Ringo Starr – drums, percussion, vocals [click here to see more vinyl featuring Ringo Starr]
Written by John Lennon (A1 to C1, C3-6, D2, D5-7, E1-4, F1, F2, F4), Paul McCartney (A1 to C1, C3-6, D2, D5-7, E1-4, F1, F2, F4), George Harrison (C2, C7, D1, D3, E1, E5, F3), Richard Starkey (D4), Ringo Starr (E1)
3 LP, gatefold jacket with B2 poster
Limited edition
Original analog Master tape : YES
Half-speed Mastering
Heavy Press : 180g
Record color : blue
Speed : 33 RPM
Size : 12'’
Stereo
Studio
Record Press : unspecified (Japan)
Label : Universal Music Japan
Original Label : EMI
Recorded on 28 November 1966 – 1 April 1970 at EMI, Olympic, Apple and Trident Studios, London
Engineered by Barry Sheffield, Geoff Emerick, Glyn Johns, Jeff Jarratt, Ken Scott, Martin Benge, Peter Bown, Phillip McDonald
Produced by George Martin (A1 to D5), Phil Spector (D6-7)
Compiled by Allen Klein
Remastered by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios
Liner Notes by Bill Flanagan
Photography by Bruce McBroom
Originally released in April 1973
Reissued in January 2024
Tracks:
Side A:
- Strawberry Fields Forever
- Penny Lane
- Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
- With A Little Help Fr My Friends
- Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
- A Day In The Life
- All You Need Is Love
Side B:
- I Am The Walrus
- Hello, Goodbye
- The Fool On The Hill
- Magical Mystery Tour
- Lady Madonna
- Hey Jude
- Revolution
Side C:
- Back In The U.S.S.R
- While My Guitar Gently Weeps
- Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
- Get Back [2021 Mix
- Don’t Let Me Down
- The Ballad Of John And Yoko
- Old Brown Shoe
Side D:
- Here Comes The Sun
- Come Together
- Something
- Octopus's Garden
- Let It Be
- Across The Universe [2021 Mix]
- The Long And Winding Road [2021 Mix]
Side E:
- Now And Then
- Blackbird
- Dear Prudence
- Glass Onion
- Within You Without You
Side F:
- Hey Bulldog
- Oh! Darling
- I Me Mine [2021 Mix]
- I Want You (She's So Heavy)
Reviews :
"Picking up where 1962-1966 left off, the double-album compilation 1967-1970, commonly called The Blue Album, covers the Beatles' later records, from Sgt. Pepper's through Let It Be. Like The Red Album, The Blue Album was released in the wake of a pair of widely advertised quadruple-LP bootlegs, Alpha Omega, Vols. 1-2: The Story of the Beatles, which had appeared early in 1973. And like its companion volume, this set contains a mixture of hits, including singles like "Lady Madonna," "Hey Jude," and "Revolution" -- which had originally appeared only as 45s -- plus important album tracks like "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," "A Day in the Life," "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," and "Come Together," as well as orphaned tracks such as the single versions of "Let It Be" and "Get Back," which had never been on any LP before. The first two sides of the original double-LP edition carry listeners through the highlights of the psychedelic era, starting with "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Penny Lane" and up through "Magical Mystery Tour," before returning to rock & roll territory on "Lady Madonna," "Hey Jude," and "Revolution." The second LP skims three of the more popular tracks off of the sprawling White Album (aka The Beatles) and moves into the late singles ("The Ballad of John and Yoko," "Old Brown Shoe," "Let It Be"), plus single and album highlights from Abbey Road and Let It Be. As a précis of the group's final 36 months, it's all mightily impressive, even if 1967-1970 misses several great songs. But like its predecessor, this set does capture the essence (if not the full range) of the Beatles' later recordings." All Music Review by Bruce Eder.
"In 1973, The Beatles and their record label, Apple Records, released two double album sets, The Beatles 1962 – 1966 and The Beatles 1967 – 1970 to compete with a pirate box set at the time that was popping up in record stores (The Beatles Alpha Omega). These two sets became known as The Red and The Blue albums for their respective covers: 1962 – 1966 was red and 1967 – 1970 was blue. They were very faithful greatest hits packages with a few album cuts added. They included all of their singles which were presented in a chronological order. For many years these two sets served as an excellent overview of The Beatles career, from their first single, “Love Me Do” until their last single, “The Long And Winding Road”. Both were massive hits and both made number one around the world. Fifty years later these albums are being reissued with added songs and new configurations. Of course, the sets coincide with the release of the new Beatles single “Now And Then”.
It does feel a little like a Beatlemania redux. “Now And Then” has topped the charts worldwide and newer fans will find these two sets an excellent introduction to The Beatles. The albums in this set are best listened to in order, just to see the progression this band made from a simple pop band in 1962/1963 to world changing, music defining icons. Just compare “From Me To You” to “Tomorrow Never Knows” which are separated by a mere three years. Therefore, listening to the progression in music is extremely important. Ending with “Now And Then” is a brilliant decision.
Most, if not all of these songs, are part of our collective Beatles DNA. “I Want To Hold Your Hand”, “A Hard Day’s Night”, “We Can Work It Out”, “Eleanor Rigby” and so many more are all number one hits. However, the first set, 1962-1966 is very different from the original versions you may have in your collection. A great many album cuts have been added to further demonstrate their growth, talent, and sheer brilliance as artists. Some of their early covers, which were hits, have been added, such as “Roll Over Beethoven”, “Twist And Shout” and “You Really Got A Hold On Me” all join the Red album along with songs like “Got To Get You Into My Life” (a hit in North America in 1976) and the aforementioned “Tomorrow Never Knows”. This set now gives a much fuller look at The Beatles’ early days.There are additions to the Blue album as well. It still begins with the classic single “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “Penny Lane”. This makes sense as the set is arranged chronologically, and this single was the first thing they released in 1967. The set moves on to several numbers from Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, with the addition of “Within You, Without You”. The extra album cuts do paint a much fuller picture of the era represented on the album. It ends with the new Beatles single, which is a nice addition.
The other big news is that it is available in Dolby Atmos surround sound. This is streaming only, as none of the Beatle music mixed for this format has been released on a physical format, but the songs are there for fans of streaming.
A lot of the songs have been mixed for 2023 (“If I Needed Someone” is a great example), but the new mixes are subtle and don’t change from the original all that much. Not everything on the sets has been remixed, but the songs do benefit from a bit of updating in the studio.
The Beatles 1962-1966 and 1967 – 1970 have never been out of print and they have never really changed over time. Fans will note that a few years ago the North American opening of “Help!” (the James Bond type of opening) was removed but these new additions to the collection mark the first time the sets have been updated. While this makes them more encompassing of The Beatles, it is still recommended to go to their original albums and listen to each of them. But for casual and new fans these sets are a brilliant introductions and overviews. Also, perhaps best compilation sleeve design of all time." Spill Magazine Review by Aaron Badgley.
Half-speed mastering. In half-speed mastering, the whole process is slowed down to half of the original speed. A typical 33 1/3 rpm record is cut at 16 2/3 rpm. The source material is also slowed down (reducing the pitch in the process) meaning the final record will still sound normal when played back. Slowing the whole process down allows more time, which means the end result sounds better and is more efficient — allowing engineering to minimize the effects of inherent limitations within the vinyl format. The result is a more accurate and more open high-frequency response in the half speed vinyl when compared with a normal speed recording.
Ratings :
Discogs : 4.69 / 5 ; AllMusic : 4.5 / 5 ; Blender : 4 / 5 ; The Encyclopedia of Popular Music : 5 / 5 ; The Rolling Stone Album Guide : 4.5 / 5