Past Masters - Volumes One & Two

Past Masters 1 - CD Cover	Past Masters 2 - CD Cover
Past Masters - LP Front Cover	Past Masters - LP Rear Cover
Past Masters - LP Inside Cover

Label	Parlophone
Catalogue No.'s	CDBPM 1 (C.D. Vol.1) CDBPM 2 (C.D. Vol.2) BPM 1 (Vinyl Double Album)
Release dates	8th March 1988     (C.D. volumes) 24th October 1988 (Vinyl - Double Album)
Total time	Volume 1 - 42:30 Volume 2 - 51:03
U.K. Album Chart Detail :	Entry Date : 19th March 1988 (Both C.D. Volumes) Highest Position : Vol.1 - 49 Vol.2 - 46 Weeks in Chart : + Just 1 week for each volume !!         2 from 13th September 2009 (combined volume reached no. 31 !)        ==         3 weeks in total        ==
Detail :	From The Sleeve. Twenty-two singles, an E.P. with exclusive song material, 13 albums (one a double set). By no means a bad haul for just seven years of recording activity. But to gather together a complete collection of their output is no easy task, the prospective purchaser has to gather up veritable armfuls of small and large sized vinyl, tape or C.D.'s. This double album simplifies matters considerably. If you have the other 13 albums, and this one, you have everything that the Beatles commercially issued during their remarkable reign as the most successful artists in the history of recorded sound. These two Past Master volumes gather together A and B-sides of singles, special E.P. tracks, oddities like the German language recordings, a song primarily recorded for the American market and one donated to a charity album. JPGR Comments Unlike other E.M.I. random compilation releases of the 70's and 80's, I have to agree with the above, in that this is an essential purchase (so much so, that I have 2 copies of each C.D., AND the double album !) We had the "Red" album and the "Blue" album, now we have the "Black" and "White" albums. And I must say that Past Masters Volume Two is my personal favourite Beatles compilation album. Oddly though, the rest of the U.K. public did not seem to agree, and both volumes scraped into the bottom of the L.P. chart for just one week on it's initial release. Oddly it fared better in the chart on the 2009 re-release as noted below. For the first time too, the C.D. was released SEVEN months before the vinyl, so for this release, I will list the tracks as per the C.D. discs. The double album does have the tracks in the same order, with the same 18 on vinyl disc 1, and 15 on the second, with side 1 and side 2 having 9 tracks apiece, side 3 having 8, and side 4 the remaining 7 (comprenez-vous ?). The C.D.'s also have these catalogue numbers quoted: CDP 7 90043 2 CDP 7 90044 2 The compilation and sleeve notes were by Mark Lewisohn (hence, the professionalism !) The day after the offical C.D. release, the record shop H.M.V. produced two special 12" numbered CD Box Sets each Comprising: A C.D. of "Past Masters", one of Vol.1 and one of Vol.2 + A badge + A booklet of b/w photos + Extended notes about the L.P. + The usual colour Beatle shots These sets had catalogue numbers of BEA CD 25/9 (Vol.1) and BEA CD 25/10 (vol.2), and each was in a limited edition. 09/09/09 (Number Nine, Number Nine, Number Nine) - the album was re-released as part of the Beatles In Stereo Remasters collection. This issue was the only significant change in any of the re-releases as it was now combined onto ONE c.d. ! 13th September 2009 it re-entered the chart again at number 31 in the eighth highest position of SEVENTEEN chart positions The Beatles captured in one amazing week.          (see the box set detail for the chart position of all 17 titles together) 20th September 2009 - dropped twelve places down to number 43. 27th September 2009 - dropped forty-nine places down to number 92 (which is outside the chart for longevity purposes). 4th October 2009 - No longer listed in the Top 100.

Past Masters - Volume One

Past Masters - Volume Two