Topic: A Collection Of Beatles Oldies... (Read 4468 times)

BlueMeanie · « **on:** May 27, 2008, 02:57:00 PM »

This was the first, and only Beatles album not to make it to No.1 (with the exception of Yellow Submarine) A surprise, considering that it contained a track not previously issued in the UK - 'Bad Boy'. Given the record buying publics' thirst for Greatest Hits packages since then, I've always found it baffling that it didn't do better. Should they have stuck to a straight 'hits' package, or do you think it would have fared better with the inclusion of a few more album tracks?

Side one

1. "She Loves You"
2. "From Me to You"
3. "We Can Work It Out"
4. "Help!"- Help!
5. "Michelle"- Rubber Soul
6. "Yesterday"- Help!
7. "I Feel Fine"
8. "Yellow Submarine"- Revolver

Side two

1. "Can't Buy Me Love"- Hard Day's Night
2. "Bad Boy" (Larry Williams). Recorded on Williams' birthday May 10 1965
3. "Day Tripper"
4. "A Hard Day's Night"- Hard Day's Night
5. "Ticket to Ride"- Help!
6. "Paperback Writer"
7. "Eleanor Rigby"- Revolver
8. "I Want to Hold Your Hand"

harihead · « **Reply #1 on:** May 27, 2008, 07:33:32 PM »

Hmm, I have nothing to offer above Wiki: "perhaps because most fans already owned most of the tracks on other releases."

Although perhaps the musical tastes were changing, and people were looking for "new" sounds. "Ugh, that track is so 1963" they might have said.

Geoff · « **Reply #2 on:** May 27, 2008, 09:04:31 PM »

Quote from: 551

Although perhaps the musical tastes were changing, and people were looking for "new" sounds. "Ugh, that track is so 1963" they might have said.

Didn't George say something about "She Loves You" and other early Beatles songs sounding like a big drag to him around this time? Maybe record buyers were as interested in moving on as The Beatles themselves were, and weren't that interested in a look back.

HeatherBoo · « **Reply #3 on:** May 27, 2008, 11:57:55 PM »

What year did that come out in? Perhaps it was to soon for a greatest hits type album? Just a thought... I would buy! I like every song on it!

harihead · « **Reply #4 on:** May 28, 2008, 03:40:14 AM »

According to Wiki, the end of 1966: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Collection_of_Beatles_Oldies

The Beatles were enjoying their first time off in years, and didn't have a new studio album ready. They were only starting work on Pepper in December.

BlueMeanie · « **Reply #5 on:** May 28, 2008, 08:50:08 AM »

Quote from: 1161

Didn't George say something about "She Loves You" and other early Beatles songs sounding like a big drag to him around this time? Maybe record buyers were as interested in moving on as The Beatles themselves were, and weren't that interested in a look back.

I think pop music was continually evolving at that time. The difference between 'Love Me Do' and 'Paperback Writer' for instance, is immense. Today, something from fifteen years ago sounds contemporary. So it's possible that the old stuff was beginning to sound like something your parents would listen to. If you take the lifespan of the average girl/boy band, or teenybop band from the 70's, by '66 The Beatles had reached that stage, and their fans were that much older.

Geoff · « **Reply #6 on:** May 28, 2008, 03:50:07 PM »

Quote from: 483

I think pop music was continually evolving at that time. The difference between 'Love Me Do' and 'Paperback Writer' for instance, is immense.

One of the great pleasures of sixties pop / rock for me is that it's essentially forward looking; those people were more interested in what might be done next than what had already been finished. Think of those NEMS acts that followed The Beatles onto the charts in '63 and '64 but disappeared in a year or so because they didn't have a similar capacity to grow.

zipp · « **Reply #7 on:** May 28, 2008, 09:26:31 PM »

It was probably a bad idea to include Yellow Submarine and Eleanor Rigby since in the very same year these had already been released on Revolver and as a single.Three times in the same year was a bit much.
A Christmas EP with Bad Boy and three other songs may have had more impact.
The sleeve was also maybe not that hot with no Beatles on the front cover and the insistance on OLDIES.

Mairi · « **Reply #8 on:** June 02, 2008, 08:42:45 PM »

I don't think fans would be too interested in buying an album from which they already had most of the songs. And even if they didn't, they could just buy 45s of the ones they really liked. I agree with BlueMeanie, a few album tracks would have helped.
The use of the word "oldies" was probably a turn-off for buyers as well since as so many have already stated, music was so forward looking at the time.

Cool cover, though!

Andy Smith · « **Reply #9 on:** June 04, 2008, 08:53:05 PM »

yep, such a great cover!

DaveRam · « **Reply #10 on:** June 05, 2008, 11:15:45 AM »

It's a rubbish album title , think that did'nt help ? should have called it " The Dogs Bollocks " instead, it worked for the Sex Pistols , and the brown paper bags they would have had to sell it in would be worth a fortune now .

wingsman · « **Reply #11 on:** June 05, 2008, 01:41:35 PM »

Should have called "The Beatles' Greatest Hits". Simple as that, in my opinion. Or "The Singles 1962-1966". Isn't better like this?:

SIDE 1
1. Love Me Do
2. Please Please Me
3. From Me To You
4. She Loves You
5. I Want To Hold Your Hand
6. Can't Buy Me Love
7. A Hard Day's Night
8. I Feel Fine

SIDE 2
1. Ticket To Ride
2. Help!
3. Day Tripper
4. We Can Work It Out
5. Paperback Writer
6. Eleanor Rigby
7. Yellow Submarine

Just the singles...
How this album reached only #7 in the UK charts when all of the Beatles album spent at least 7 weeks at #1, I doin't know...

Out Of Me Head · « **Reply #12 on:** June 06, 2008, 12:41:06 AM »

It was this album that made me a Beatles fan. I used to listen to it on 8 Track when I was a nipper.

Kevin · « **Reply #13 on:** June 06, 2008, 01:56:09 PM »

1966 had not been a good year for The Beatles (measured against their own high standards.) Revolver had been their worst performing album ever, "only" holding number one for 7 weeks. (Please Please Me had managed 30, With The Beatler 21 etc.)
Singles weren't doing much better. Paperback Writer was the first single since 63 not to go straight to the top, and when it got there stayed only for two weeks. Combined with being forced off the road by paranoia and exhaustion it's not too suprising that this motley package failed to make an impact.
Rumours were rife that the band was splitting. It must have seemed at the time the end was nigh. Next single was the first since Love Me Do not to go to number one. And then Paul invented Pepper and the band and the world was saved. Had he not had that brain wave I'm not sure the band would have made it past 67.

Geoff · « **Reply #14 on:** June 06, 2008, 06:32:05 PM »

Quote from: 1313

It was this album that made me a Beatles fan. I used to listen to it on 8 Track when I was a nipper.

This and "Hey Jude" are easily my favorite Beatles' compilation albums.

Ged · « **Reply #15 on:** October 08, 2008, 03:03:46 PM »

I remember being baby sat as a 6 year old in 1968 and my brother and his mate continually played the Oldies and the newer release, Pepper and so in later years with this firmly planted in my sub-conscious, when hearing them again I was a Beatles fan reborn.

Yes, although as mentioned above Penny Lane/SFF only made it to No.2, it is believed (certainly by George Martin) that this was more down to the mistake of releasing it as a double A side meaning both got equal amount of radio air time and so neither made the in your face (or in your ears as it were) impact that making one or the other side the definitive A would have done.

The Swine · « **Reply #16 on:** December 09, 2008, 10:36:22 AM »

i think they had passed this station some time ago and maybe so did their fans. imagine, while the beatles were recording strawberry fields, their fans had to listen to from me to you under the xmas tree.

retrocool73 · « **Reply #17 on:** December 12, 2008, 02:17:32 PM »

In hindsight, it was a good time for a backwards glance - however bear in mind how many people owned their singles and the fact that, in those days when things weren't so disposable, very few people consumed albums in the manner they did in the 70's, 80's & 90's.
As for the 'oldies' line, in 'them days' a record a couple of years old was viewed as pop 'oldie' - they had only a few years of pop music to look back on unlike now we have 50. I have heard a DLT Radio 1 show from 1970 were he gleefully refers to Tom Jones' It's Not Unusual as an 'oldie' - it was 5 years old!

Gary910 · « **Reply #18 on:** February 13, 2009, 08:44:10 PM »

There are a few more things about this album that has been forgotten. If you bought the stereo version, it was the first time a couple of tracks appeared in stereo.

From Me To You
I Feel Fine
Day Tripper
Paperback Writer

And of course Bad Boy

Would have been enough to entice me to buy it.

Bobber · « **Reply #19 on:** February 13, 2009, 08:53:14 PM »

Quote from: 1916

There are a few more things about this album that has been forgotten. If you bought the stereo version, it was the first time a couple of tracks appeared in stereo.

From Me To You
I Feel Fine
Day Tripper
Paperback Writer

And of course Bad Boy

Would have been enough to entice me to buy it.

Didn't know that. But were these reasons enough for people in 1966 to buy an expensive album?

News:

Author Topic: A Collection Of Beatles Oldies... (Read 4468 times)

BlueMeanie

BlueMeanie

Bobber