# Best of the Beatles: Past Masters, Volume Two **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 21, 2014, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-beatles-past-masters-volume-two/686577 "2014-04-21T01:49:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-beatles-past-masters-volume-two/686577/21 "2014-04-22T01:04:46Z")
> [@Octarine](#): > > I think the whole point of the _Past Masters_ project was to round up all the non-studio stuff, so by virtue of being in the collection, it’s an alternate take. I could be wrong, though - some of them sound almost identical. In the _UK Parlophone/Apple_ release sequence, which we have been using for the purposes of these polls, _Day Tripper_ was the lead single that went with _Rubber Soul_, released on the same date. The US Capitol release sequence until _Rubber Soul_ was not as concerned with segregating the singles, which were all expected to make it to an album eventually. Between UK standalone singles, B-sides and EPs, alternate takes, material they lost and recovered the rights to, soundtrack score tracks, and tracks that were excluded from the US versions of the UK albums, Capitol assembled another half dozen studio albums. That’s really maximizing your market take. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-beatles-past-masters-volume-two/686577/22 "2014-04-22T01:54:01Z")
> [@Octarine](#): > > I think the whole point of the _Past Masters_ project was to round up all the non-studio stuff, so by virtue of being in the collection, it’s an alternate take. I could be wrong, though - some of them sound almost identical. “Studio” is an odd way to put it. “Non-studio” generally means “live in concert,” like the _Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl_ LP released in the 70s (recorded in '64 and '65). The _Past Masters_ songs were all recorded in a studio, it’s just that most were never released on a (canonical) UK **album** – rather, as **singles**. For these, if you happened to have it on a (non-canonical) US album, you already had the song, and now you have two copies – end of story. Only a few _Past Masters_ tracks appeared on a UK album, but were included because their single version was notably different. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-beatles-past-masters-volume-two/686577/23 "2014-04-22T02:59:50Z")
So many songs here that it really hurts not to vote for! ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-beatles-past-masters-volume-two/686577/24 "2014-04-22T03:27:53Z")
I’ll give You Know My Name (Look Up the Number) an extra vote…one last bit of off-the wall humor from the guys before it all ended. _eta_: Macca once told Mark Lewisohn it was his favorite Beatles track. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-beatles-past-masters-volume-two/686577/25 "2014-04-22T03:29:35Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > I’ll give You Know My Name (Look Up the Number) an extra vote…one last bit of off-the wall humor from the guys before it all ended. Sax solo by doomed Rolling Stones multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones! ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-beatles-past-masters-volume-two/686577/26 "2014-04-22T03:41:48Z")
This was a tough one even after eliminating the quasi-duplicates. “Paperback Writer” and “We Can Work It Out” are both very strong contenders. “Day Tripper” is a bit more conventional, but still pretty good. “The Ballad of John and Yoko”, “Revolution”, and “Lady Madonna”, they are pretty good too. “Old Brown Shoe” is fun and melodic. In the end, though, my vote goes, reluctantly deciding, to “Don’t Let Me Down”, a masterpiece of stripped-down musical and lyrical simplicit,y and raw emotion, and something that foreshadows and overshadows the best of what John would do in his uneven solo career. I have never understood why so many people seem to love (or perhaps it is really more, admire) “Rain” so much. To me it is a dull dirge concealing a nasty sneer. There is some musical innovation there, I guess, but no more than in many other tracks even on this platter (or the other side of the same single), let alone the band’s oeuvre as a whole. I think I do understand why people love “Hey Jude”, and its facile attempt at life coaching from a superstar, but I do not share their view. And how come “You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)” is getting votes? More than “Don’t Let Me Down” at the minute! I mean, OK, its a fun bit of goofy, light relief, but no way is it a great song, and there are plenty of truly great songs here. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-beatles-past-masters-volume-two/686577/27 "2014-04-22T03:55:36Z")
Two of my most tenacious ear worms are in this collection: _Lady Madonna_ (especially the bass line) and _Let It Be._ And I associate a couple of others (_We Can Work It Out_ and _Hey Jude_ with fond memories from the time they came out. For whatever reasons I finally settled on _Let It Be._ ---
**Author:** ![Vashbul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Vashbul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vashbul)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-beatles-past-masters-volume-two/686577/28 "2014-04-22T04:02:15Z")
Those who like that “Lady Madonna” piano need to hear “Bad Penny Blues”, an obvious prototype that I bet was on Paul’s dad’s gramophone a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Vashbul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Vashbul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vashbul)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-beatles-past-masters-volume-two/686577/29 "2014-04-22T04:09:50Z")
I personally picked “Old Brown Shoe”(though I’d have to admit Day Tripper is better) because it’s a George song and has a very George riff that’s irresistible. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-beatles-past-masters-volume-two/686577/30 "2014-04-22T05:07:44Z")
> [@Vashbul](#): > > Those who like that “Lady Madonna” piano need to hear “Bad Penny Blues”, an obvious prototype that I bet was on Paul’s dad’s gramophone a lot. Pretty sweet! Never heard that one before, but it definitely has a very similar vibe. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-beatles-past-masters-volume-two/686577/31 "2014-04-22T05:52:05Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > Sax solo by doomed Rolling Stones multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones! Who was invited to the session, was expected to bring a guitar but showed up with his saxophone. His first instrument was in fact the sax. > [@njtt](#): > > And how come “You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)” is getting votes? More than “Don’t Let Me Down” at the minute! I mean, OK, its a fun bit of goofy, light relief, but no way is it a great song, and there are plenty of truly great songs here. The votes are for “favorite” song, not “best”, and there’s no accounting for taste. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-beatles-past-masters-volume-two/686577/32 "2014-04-22T06:04:26Z")
Very, very surprised “Rain” is leading the poll… ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-beatles-past-masters-volume-two/686577/33 "2014-04-22T06:42:18Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > The votes are for “favorite” song, not “best” Are you sure about that? I thought that **Octarine** ’s wider project, when we get to the second round and vote amongst the winners of each collection, was indeed to find the best Beatles song (by popular acclamation). Anyway, some people seem to be using their own idiosyncratic criteria, like “most innovative”\* or the fact that one single came from the sessions associated with a better album than another did. \*I mean, seriously! The fact that “I Feel Fine” innovated by using feedback makes it a better, or, indeed, more likeable, song than "She Loves You " or “I Want to Hold Your Hand”? Give me a break! > [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Very, very surprised “Rain” is leading the poll… I am not surprised at all, but I don’t approve. “Rain” is one of the very few Beatle songs I actively dislike, but it is very hip to say you like it. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-beatles-past-masters-volume-two/686577/34 "2014-04-22T11:23:00Z")
Njtt, I loved “Rain” from the moment I heard it, listening to my friend’s “Hey Jude” LP (I was about nine years old). I didn’t know it was from the Revolver sessions at the time, but it made sense when I found that out later (Revolver had been my first Beatles love, at age four), so that’s why I mentioned the connection. Nothing hip about it, for me. Just awesome drum fills, simple arpeggiated chords to contrast the not-so-simple blow-away bass lines, a hint of psychedelia but mainly a straightforward rock song that would work well on stage. Obviously akin to “She Said She Said,” which I picked as my fave from “Revolver.” Trust me, I was the unhippest nine-year-old around. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-beatles-past-masters-volume-two/686577/35 "2014-04-22T11:39:46Z")
To continue my “Rain” story…when I was nine years old, I had been actively creating a planet – mapping it, figuring out the history of its cultures and languages, etc. (I warned you – _not hip_). Naturally, I invented rock groups, each with lineups, albums, songs, concert tours… Some songs I made up (usually just the title, occasionally the entire song), others I borrowed from Earth’s musical acts. When I heard “Rain,” I loved it so much I decided to make it the signature hit of one of the rock groups on my planet. It was the biggest bit of their career. They weren’t exactly one-hit-wonders, those guys, but they would always be associated with that song, and had to trot it out at all their shows lest the fans go home disappointed. Did I mention how unhip I was? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-beatles-past-masters-volume-two/686577/36 "2014-04-22T12:09:10Z")
> [@Octarine](#): > > a collection of pieces never put on the studio albums spanning from 1965 to 1970. I can’t help but wonder why ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE didn’t make the cut. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-beatles-past-masters-volume-two/686577/37 "2014-04-22T12:44:12Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > I can’t help but wonder why ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE didn’t make the cut. It’s on \*Magical Mystery Tour \*-- the British “double EP” which was released around the same time as the TV show and the American LP with extra tracks. Most consider MMT a canonical “project”…though you’re right that AYNIL doesn’t fit as well with “Walrus,” “Hello Goodbye,” etc., because it was recorded several months before those. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-beatles-past-masters-volume-two/686577/38 "2014-04-22T13:01:10Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > It’s on \*Magical Mystery Tour \*-- the British “double EP” which was released around the same time as the TV show and the American LP with extra tracks. It was not on the double EP. However, since the American LP version of MMT was included in the original CD reissue campaign in 1987, the “side two” songs were covered and thereby not included on _Past Masters_. (Anyway, it was also already on _Yellow Submarine_.) ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-beatles-past-masters-volume-two/686577/39 "2014-04-22T13:06:13Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > It was not on the double EP. However, since the American LP version of MMT was included in the original CD reissue campaign in 1987, the “side two” songs were covered and thereby not included on _Past Masters_. (Anyway, it was also already on _Yellow Submarine_.) Ah, right. Thanks for the correction. ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-beatles-past-masters-volume-two/686577/40 "2014-04-22T14:51:42Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > I am not surprised at all, but I don’t approve. “Rain” is one of the very few Beatle songs I actively dislike, but it is very hip to say you like it. Though deservedly a B-side, “Rain” is a good song and a stellar production. I think if it suffers in any way it’s because “She Said She Said” covers similar sonic terrain to better effect. (SSSS being Lennon’s best song on Revolver, in my not at all humble opinion.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-beatles-past-masters-volume-two/686577.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-beatles-past-masters-volume-two/686577.md?page=3)