Fifty years ago, two Beatles compilations were released under Apple Records, those being 1962-1966 and 1967-1970, otherwise known as The Red and Blue Albums, respectively. Spanning the entirety of the Beatles' career across four records, their track listings have always been debated by many Beatles fans, The Red Album especially. Earlier this year, they've been re-released with an extra record each to coincide with the "Now and Then"/"Love Me Do" single, and even though more songs were included, there's once again been debate as to what should and shouldn't have been included.
Therefore, I've decided to throw my own hat into the ring and share how I think The Red and Blue Albums should've gone. In order to do this, I've decided to not only use the 2023 CD track listing as a basis, but another Beatles compilation - The Beatles Box from 1980! That was an eight record box set that covers so much ground in spanning the band's career (and even contains some exclusive mixes like the hi-hat intro to "All My Loving"), although that might be a little much depending on who you ask. My take on The Red and Blue Albums splits the difference between the two compilations, with each having three records (or two CDs) of roughly equal length, covering the Beatles' career in just short of four and a half hours.
I'll be discussing each side individually as we go along, explaining the choices I made and why I did things a certain way. I should state, of course, that this is all purely subjective; your results may differ.
Side A (18:37)
1. Love Me Do - 2:24
2. P.S. I Love You - 2:02
3. Please Please Me - 2:00
4. I Saw Her Standing There - 2:52
5. Twist and Shout - 2:33
6. From Me to You - 1:58
7. She Loves You - 2:21
8. I Want to Hold Your Hand - 2:27
One of the first changes I did for The Red Album was that all six sides have eight tracks each, mainly because so many of the songs were quite short. On the original release, two sides contained six tracks, while the other two contained seven, which always puzzled me as The Blue Album had no such issue with seven tracks per side. Anyway, the track listing for this side is the same as that of the first seven tracks on the 2023 CD, with the addition of "P.S. I Love You", which was included on The Beatles Box. Said box set also included "I Saw Her Standing There" and "Twist and Shout".
Side B (19:08)
9. This Boy - 2:16
10. It Won't Be Long - 2:13
11. All My Loving - 2:07
12. Roll Over Beethoven - 2:45
13. You've Really Got a Hold on Me - 3:01
14. I Wanna Be Your Man - 1:59
15. Can't Buy Me Love - 2:12
16. You Can't Do That - 2:35
Tracks 8-13 of the 2023 CD serve as the basis for the second vinyl side, with the inclusion of "It Won't Be Long" and "I Wanna Be Your Man". The former was included on The Beatles Box, whereas the latter wasn't. I threw in "I Wanna Be Your Man" as I wanted to give Ringo a vocal spot much earlier on. "This Boy", "Roll Over Beethoven" and "You Can't Do That" were also included on The Beatles Box. Record one of The Red Album covers the time period of October 1962 to March 1964.
Side C (18:52)
17. A Hard Day's Night - 2:34
18. And I Love Her - 2:30
19. Long Tall Sally - 2:03
20. I Feel Fine - 2:20
21. Eight Days a Week - 2:43
22. No Reply - 2:15
23. I'll Follow the Sun - 1:49
24. Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey - 2:38
Now this is where things get a little more interesting. Beatles for Sale, the unfavorite of the early albums, only got one track to represent it - "Eight Days a Week" is a great song, but it's not the only great song the album has. Therefore, I threw in "No Reply", "I'll Follow the Sun" and "Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey", all featured on The Beatles Box. I even included "Long Tall Sally", also featured on The Beatles Box, so that the EP of the same name got represented, and it's one of the best covers the Beatles did, even ending many of their shows with it.
In total, the first CD runs at 56:37, and covers 1962-1964.
Side D (19:24)
25. Ticket to Ride - 3:09
26. I'm Down - 2:32
27. Help! - 2:18
28. I've Just Seen a Face - 2:05
29. Yesterday - 2:05
30. You've Got to Hide Your Love Away - 2:09
31. We Can Work It Out - 2:16
32. Day Tripper - 2:50
"Ticket to Ride" and "Yesterday" were both featured on the first CD, but I wanted that to focus entirely on 1962-1964. So, the fourth side is based around the Help! period, with the inclusion of "I'm Down" and "I've Just Seen a Face", both included on The Beatles Box, which featured every song from Help! except "Dizzy Miss Lizzy". Record two covers the period of July 1964 to December 1965.
Side E (19:23)
33. Drive My Car - 2:25
34. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) - 2:05
35. Nowhere Man - 2:40
36. Michelle - 2:40
37. In My Life - 2:24
38. If I Needed Someone - 2:20
39. Girl - 2:30
40. Paperback Writer - 2:19
Tracks 5-12 on the second CD of the 2023 reissue without any changes to the order. Not much else to talk about here.
Side F (20:31)
41. Rain - 3:02
42. Eleanor Rigby - 2:11
43. Yellow Submarine - 2:40
44. Taxman - 2:36
45. Got to Get You into My Life - 2:31
46. And Your Bird Can Sing - 2:02
47. Here, There and Everywhere - 2:29
48. Tomorrow Never Knows - 3:00
Tracks 13-19 on the second CD of the 2023 reissue with the inclusion of "Rain" and swapping out "I'm Only Sleeping" for "And Your Bird Can Sing". Personally, I've always preferred the latter over the former, and I don't think a personal Beatles playlist would be complete without it. "Rain" definitely should've been on the 2023 reissue as it's one of the Beatles best ever B-sides; the fact that it wasn't is borderline criminal. Both new additions were also included on The Beatles Box. Record three covers half each of Rubber Soul and Revolver, as well as the "Paperback Writer" single, from December 1965 to August 1966.
The second CD runs at 59:18, nearly an hour, and covers 1965 and 1966.
Side A (25:28)
1. Strawberry Fields Forever - 4:05
2. Penny Lane - 3:00
3. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - 2:00
4. With a Little Help from My Friends - 2:42
5. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds - 3:28
6. Within You Without You - 5:05
7. A Day in the Life - 5:08
For The Blue Album, there's still seven songs per side, and three of them go over 25 minutes in length; this is the first one. Besides swapping out "All You Need is Love" for "Within You Without You", not much has changed from the official first side. In fact, it's exactly the same order as the 2023 CD!
Side B (23:35)
8. All You Need is Love - 3:47
9. Hello, Goodbye - 3:24
10. I am the Walrus - 4:35
11. Magical Mystery Tour - 2:48
12. Lady Madonna - 2:18
13. Hey Bulldog - 3:12
14. Across the Universe - 3:31
The second side of both the original and 2023 track listings felt too Paul-heavy in my opinion. To balance things out, I've dropped "The Fool on the Hill" and replaced it with "All You Need is Love", which is now the side opener. Besides, Magical Mystery Tour (the US album) already has six tracks to represent it, so let's move on. In addition to this, I've moved "Hey Bulldog" and "Across the Universe" up to close out Side B, as both songs have their origins going back to the same timeframe as "Lady Madonna". "Across the Universe" is the Glyn Johns mix as found on the 2021 Let It Be remix. Record one of The Blue Album now covers the period of February 1967 to March 1968, including the two songs recorded during that time period, but not released until much later.
Side C (25:37)
15. Hey Jude - 5:05
16. Revolution - 3:25
17. Back in the U.S.S.R. - 2:46
18. Dear Prudence - 4:00
19. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da - 2:49
20. While My Guitar Gently Weeps - 4:45
21. Happiness is a Warm Gun - 2:47
"Hey Jude" has now been moved to a side opener, and due to its length, I've imagined it being cut down to five minutes in order to fit on the record, similar to the American release of the 1982 compilation 20 Greatest Hits. "Glass Onion" was also swapped in favor of "Happiness is a Warm Gun", which made an appearance on The Beatles Box, and "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" is the alternate version originally released on Anthology 3. "Back in the U.S.S.R." and "Dear Prudence" are also separate per the 2023 reissue.
The first CD runs at a staggering 74:33, covering all of 1967 and most of 1968.
Side D (23:35)
22. Blackbird - 2:18
23. Don't Pass Me By - 3:51
24. Sexy Sadie - 3:15
25. Helter Skelter - 4:30
26. Julia - 2:57
27. Get Back - 3:09
28. Don't Let Me Down - 3:35
"Blackbird" kicks off the second CD on a gentle note, followed up by four more White Album tracks. "Don't Pass Me By" and "Julia" were both featured on The Beatles Box, whereas "Sexy Sadie" and "Helter Skelter" were not. I included those two tracks to give the second disc of The White Album some representation; why they were left off of The Beatles Box, I'll never understand. Side D concludes with "Get Back" and "Don't Let Me Down", the former being the album version that features John's "I hope we passed the audition" quip at the end. Record two covers The White Album as well as the "Hey Jude" and "Get Back" singles, the time period between August 1968 and April 1969.
Side E (22:53)
29. For You Blue - 2:27
30. I've Got a Feeling - 3:37
31. One After 909 - 2:54
32. The Long and Winding Road - 3:34
33. Let It Be - 4:03
34. The Ballad of John and Yoko - 3:00
35. Old Brown Shoe - 3:18
The Beatles Box presented the Let It Be tracks before Abbey Road, so I've decided to follow that mindset here. "The Long and Winding Road" is the Naked version, and "Let It Be" is the Spector-produced album version; being perfectly honest, I prefer that to the single version. I cut "I Me Mine" in favor of "For You Blue", which showed up on The Beatles Box, also using the Naked version that features more prominent guitar. I also threw in "I've Got a Feeling" and "One After 909", both using the album versions. Side E concludes with "The Ballad of John and Yoko" and "Old Brown Shoe", much like Side C of the original Blue Album track listing.
Side F (25:04)
36. Come Together - 4:19
37. Something - 3:02
38. Oh! Darling - 3:27
39. Octopus's Garden - 2:51
40. Here Comes the Sun - 3:05
41. Because - 2:45
42. Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End/Her Majesty - 5:35
The final side of The Blue Album is the best of Abbey Road, following that of The Beatles Box, but swapping "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" in favor of "Oh! Darling", per the 2023 reissue. Unlike the 2023 reissue, however, "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" was dropped as it's too freaking long. The "Golden Slumbers" medley plays as one single track, with a five-second gap between "The End" and "Her Majesty", much like The Beatles Box. Record three covers the initial Let It Be sessions and the best of Abbey Road, a time frame of January to September 1969.
The second CD runs at a length of 71:32, covering the rest of 1968 and all of 1969.
Inevitably, there will be those commenting the likes of, "you should've picked that song in favor of this song!" So, much like the 2023 reissue, I've created a pair of bonus discs for each album, but of course, you're not going to please everybody.
Bonus disc for The Red Album
Side G (14:45)
49. Ask Me Why - 2:24
50. Do You Want to Know a Secret - 1:56
51. I Should Have Known Better - 2:43
52. Things We Said Today - 2:35
53. She's a Woman - 3:03
54. Every Little Thing - 2:04
Side H (13:41)
55. Act Naturally - 2:30
56. It's Only Love - 1:56
57. What Goes On - 2:47
58. I'm Looking Through You - 2:23
59. I'm Only Sleeping - 3:02
60. For No One - 2:03
Every bonus track for The Red Album, with the exception of "Ask Me Why" and "What Goes On", have been included on The Beatles Box, and yet there's still enough room to fit everything across two CDs! Please Please Me, A Hard Day's Night, Help!, Rubber Soul and Revolver each get two extra tracks, and Beatles for Sale one extra, as well as an extra B-side, "She's a Woman"; I feel like With the Beatles is already represented as it stands. Disc one would now run at 71:22, and disc two at 72:59.
Bonus disc for The Blue Album
Side G (15:09)
43. When I'm Sixty-Four - 2:37
44. It's All Too Much - 6:26
45. Baby, You're a Rich Man - 3:07
46. The Fool on the Hill - 2:59
Side H (16:02)
47. Glass Onion - 2:18
48. Two of Us - 3:36
49. I Want You (She's So Heavy) - 7:47
50. I Me Mine - 2:21
On the other hand, it wouldn't be possible to include all bonus tracks across two CDs for The Blue Album. "The Fool on The Hill" would have to turn up on disc one, adding just under three minutes to the runtime (77:32), and "Glass Onion" and "I Me Mine" (the Naked version) on disc two (76:11), leaving the remaining five tracks on the cutting room floor. "When I'm Sixty-Four", "Baby, You're a Rich Man" and "Two of Us" all appeared on The Beatles Box, and "It's All Too Much" is a new addition, being recorded in 1967.
The combined length for both bonus discs is 59:37.
In total, excluding the bonus tracks, that's 90 songs covering the entire Beatles' recording history (93 if you consider the medley four separate tracks), which is a bit less than half of their recorded output (213 songs total, excluding alternate versions and Anthology tracks), but still pretty representative overall. But what other songs didn't make the cut? Excluding the tracks that appear on the bonus disc(s), 32 songs that showed up on The Beatles Box were cut. A whole compilation's worth of songs, if you can believe it! They are: (by era)
- Please Please Me: "Misery", "A Taste of Honey", "Thank You Girl" (B-side)
- With the Beatles: "Please Mr. Postman", "Money (That's What I Want)"
- A Hard Day's Night: "If I Fell", "I'll Be Back", "Slow Down" (EP track), "Matchbox" (EP track)
- Beatles for Sale: "I'm a Loser", "Mr. Moonlight", "I Don't Want to Spoil the Party"
- Help!: "The Night Before", "I Need You", "Another Girl", "You're Going to Lose That Girl", "You Like Me Too Much", "Tell Me What You See"
- Rubber Soul: "You Won't See Me"
- Revolver: "Good Day Sunshine", "Doctor Robert"
- Sgt. Pepper: "Fixing a Hole", "She's Leaving Home", "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!", "Lovely Rita", "All Together Now" (later released on Yellow Submarine)
- Magical Mystery Tour: "Your Mother Should Know"
- The White Album: "The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill", "Martha My Dear", "I'm So Tired", "Piggies"
- Abbey Road: "Maxwell's Silver Hammer"
Perhaps I should make a third compilation album to supplement The Red and Blue Albums? Of course, that all depends on which songs I think are worthy enough to be included. Maybe I could call it The Purple Album and throw in the Anthology trilogy of songs at the end?
