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Past Masters
Beatlespastmastersremastered
Released 7 March 1988
Recorded 1962-1970
Studio Abbey Road Studios, London
Genre Rock and roll, Merseybeat, folk rock, psychedelic rock, experimental rock, pop rock, blues rock, R&B, boogie-woogie, gospel, avant-garde
Length 1:33:29
Label Parlophone
Producer George Martin
Album Guide
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Live at the BBC

Past Masters is a two disc compilation album set by the Beatles which was released in 1988 as part of the first issue of the band's entire catalogue on compact disc.[1] Compiled by the noted Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn, this collection of many of the band's biggest hits as well as rarities includes every song released commercially by the band that was not available on the Beatles’ twelve original UK albums or the Magical Mystery Tour LP.[1][2]

The majority of the Past Masters set consists of A- and B-sides from the band's singles, including single versions of songs that appeared in a different form on the band's albums. Also included are the full contents of the UK-only Long Tall Sally EP, two German-language tracks, a song recorded for the American market, and a track released on a charity compilation album.[1]

Release history[]

Past Masters was originally issued as two separate CDs Past Masters, Volume One and Past Masters, Volume Two, on 7 March 1988. The two volumes were included in The Beatles Box Set.

A double LP set Past Masters, Volumes One & Two was subsequently released in the United States on 24 October 1988 and in the United Kingdom on 10 November 1988.

A two-CD set, Past Masters, containing both volumes, was issued on 9 September 2009, as part of the remastering of the original Beatles' catalogue, and was included in The Beatles: Stereo Box.[3] This release includes stereo mixes of both "From Me to You" and "Thank You Girl". The original 1988 issue contained mono versions of these two tracks. In the Beatles in Mono box set, the album Mono Masters took the place of Past Masters, containing a similar track list of dedicated mono mixes.

The remastered-for-vinyl version of the Past Masters double LP set was released on 12 November 2012.[4]

Past Masters track listings[]

Tracks are in stereo unless indicated as mono. Dates provided are the dates when the tracks were originally released, not recorded.

All songs written and composed by Lennon–McCartney except where noted.

Past Masters, Volume One[]

The Beatles - Past Masters - Volume One

Past Masters, Volume One album cover

Contains recordings originally released between 1962 and 1965:

No. TitleLead vocals Length
1. "Love Me Do" (from 5 October 1962 A-side, the original single version on Parlophone, catalogue number 45-R4949; recorded on 4 September 1962, featuring Ringo Starr on drums; mono)Paul McCartney with John Lennon 2:24
2. "From Me to You" (from 11 April 1963 A-side; mono, stereo on 2009 remasters)Lennon 1:58
3. "Thank You Girl" (from 11 April 1963 B-side; mono, stereo on 2009 remasters)Lennon 2:04
4. "She Loves You" (from 23 August 1963 A-side; mono)Lennon and McCartney 2:21
5. "I'll Get You" (from 23 August 1963 B-side; mono)Lennon and McCartney 2:06
6. "I Want to Hold Your Hand" (from 29 November 1963 A-side)Lennon 2:27
7. "This Boy" (from 29 November 1963 B-side)Lennon 2:16
8. "Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand" (Lennon/McCartney/Nicolas/Hellmer) (from 5 March 1964 German single; very narrow stereo, wider stereo on 2009 remasters)Lennon 2:27
9. "Sie Liebt Dich" (Lennon/McCartney/Nicolas/Montague) (from 5 March 1964 German single; very narrow stereo, wider stereo on 2009 remasters)Lennon and McCartney 2:20
10. "Long Tall Sally" (Enotris Johnson, Robert Blackwell, Richard Penniman) (from 19 June 1964 Long Tall Sally EP)McCartney 2:03
11. "I Call Your Name" (from Long Tall Sally EP)Lennon 2:09
12. "Slow Down" (Larry Williams) (from Long Tall Sally EP)Lennon 2:56
13. "Matchbox" (Carl Perkins) (from Long Tall Sally EP)Ringo Starr 1:59
14. "I Feel Fine" (from 27 November 1964 A-side)Lennon 2:20
15. "She's a Woman" (from 27 November 1964 B-side)McCartney 3:03
16. "Bad Boy" (Williams) (from 14 June 1965 US album Beatles VI, 10 December 1966 UK album A Collection of Beatles Oldies)Lennon 2:21
17. "Yes It Is" (from 9 April 1965 B-side of "Ticket to Ride")Lennon 2:43
18. "I'm Down" (from 23 July 1965 B-side of "Help!")McCartney 2:32
Total length:
42:28

Past Masters, Volume Two[]

The Beatles - Past Masters - Volume Two

Past Masters, Volume Two album cover

Contains recordings originally released between 1965 and 1970:

No. TitleLead vocals Length
1. "Day Tripper" (from 3 December 1965 double A-side)Lennon and McCartney 2:50
2. "We Can Work It Out" (from 3 December 1965 double A-side)McCartney 2:16
3. "Paperback Writer" (from 10 June 1966 A-side)McCartney 2:19
4. "Rain" (from 10 June 1966 B-side)Lennon 3:02
5. "Lady Madonna" (from 15 March 1968 A-side)McCartney 2:18
6. "The Inner Light" (George Harrison) (15 March 1968 B-side)Harrison 2:37
7. "Hey Jude" (from 30 August 1968 A-side)McCartney 7:08
8. "Revolution" (from 30 August 1968 single version B-side)Lennon 3:25
9. "Get Back" (from 11 April 1969 single version A-side)McCartney 3:15
10. "Don't Let Me Down" (from 11 April 1969 B-side)Lennon 3:35
11. "The Ballad of John and Yoko" (from 30 May 1969 A-side)Lennon 3:00
12. "Old Brown Shoe" (Harrison) (30 May 1969 B-side)Harrison 3:18
13. "Across the Universe" (12 December 1969 "Wildlife" version from the charity album No One's Gonna Change Our World)Lennon 3:49
14. "Let It Be" (from 6 March 1970 single version A-side)McCartney 3:51
15. "You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)" (from 6 March 1970 B-side; mono)Lennon and McCartney 4:19
Total length:
51:01

Mono Masters[]

Mono Masters
The Beatles - Mono Masters
Released 9 September 2009 (as part of The Beatles in Mono boxed set)
Genre Rock
Length 99:02
Label Parlophone, Capitol, Apple
Producer George Martin
Album Guide
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An all-mono compilation titled Mono Masters was included as part of the Beatles in Mono box set.[5] The premise of this box set was to compile only Beatles material that was released or prepared for release with a dedicated mono mix (the set excludes later material mixed and issued only in stereo, and material whose mono version was simply created as an equal mix of the two channels of the stereo version). As a result, the tracklisting for Mono Masters differs from Past Masters on the second half of disc two, omitting three songs that never had a true mono mix ("Old Brown Shoe", "The Ballad of John and Yoko" and "Let It Be"), and adding five songs which had previously unreleased true mono mixes. "Only a Northern Song, "All Together Now", "Hey Bulldog", "It's All Too Much" and "Across the Universe" were prepared in March 1969 for release as a 7" mono Yellow Submarine EP, but due to mixed reception of the full album, the project was scrapped, though the EP had been mastered. Subsequently, the tracks were only released in stereo (and in an electronically produced mono mixdown, or "fold-down", of the stereo mix), while the true mono mixes remained unreleased. "Get Back" (with B-side "Don't Let Me Down") was the final Beatles single mixed for mono format. It was released in the UK in mono, although the US release was in stereo. Thus, the songs that were originally released on stereo singles in the UK are omitted on this release.

Mono Masters track listing[]

All songs written and composed by Lennon/McCartney except where noted.

Disc one
No. TitleLead vocals Length
1. "Love Me Do" (from 5 October 1962 A-side, the original single version on Parlophone, catalogue number 45-R4949; recorded on 4 September 1962, featuring Ringo Starr on drums)McCartney with Lennon 2:25
2. "From Me to You" (from 11 April 1963 A-side)Lennon and McCartney 1:57
3. "Thank You Girl" (from 11 April 1963 B-side)Lennon and McCartney 2:04
4. "She Loves You" (from 23 August 1963 A-side)Lennon and McCartney 2:21
5. "I'll Get You" (from 23 August 1963 B-side)Lennon with McCartney 2:06
6. "I Want to Hold Your Hand" (from 29 November 1963 A-side)Lennon and McCartney 2:26
7. "This Boy" (from 29 November 1963 B-side)Lennon with Harrison and McCartney 2:16
8. "Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand" (Lennon/McCartney/Nicolas/Hellmer) (from 5 March 1964 German single)Lennon and McCartney 2:26
9. "Sie Liebt Dich" (Lennon/McCartney/Nicolas/Montague) (from 5 March 1964 German single)Lennon and McCartney 2:19
10. "Long Tall Sally" (Enotris Johnson, Robert Blackwell, Richard Penniman) (from 19 June 1964 Long Tall Sally EP)McCartney 2:03
11. "I Call Your Name" (from Long Tall Sally EP)Lennon 2:11
12. "Slow Down" (Larry Williams) (from Long Tall Sally EP)Lennon 2:57
13. "Matchbox" (Carl Perkins) (from Long Tall Sally EP)Starr 1:59
14. "I Feel Fine" (from 27 November 1964 A-side)Lennon 2:23
15. "She's a Woman" (from 27 November 1964 B-side)McCartney 3:04
16. "Bad Boy" (Williams) (from 14 June 1965 US album Beatles VI, 10 December 1966 UK album A Collection of Beatles Oldies)Lennon 2:20
17. "Yes It Is" (from 9 April 1965 B-side of "Ticket to Ride")Lennon, McCartney and Harrison 2:42
18. "I'm Down" (from 23 July 1965 B-side of "Help!")McCartney 2:38
Total length:
42:37
Disc two
No. TitleLead vocals Length
1. "Day Tripper" (from 3 December 1965 double A-side)Lennon and McCartney 2:52
2. "We Can Work It Out" (from 3 December 1965 double A-side)McCartney with Lennon 2:15
3. "Paperback Writer" (from 10 June 1966 A-side)McCartney 2:26
4. "Rain" (from 10 June 1966 B-side)Lennon 3:01
5. "Lady Madonna" (from 15 March 1968 A-side)McCartney 2:17
6. "The Inner Light" (Harrison) (from 15 March 1968 B-side)Harrison 2:36
7. "Hey Jude" (from 30 August 1968 A-side)McCartney 7:09
8. "Revolution" (from 30 August 1968 single version B-side)Lennon 3:25
9. "Only a Northern Song" (Harrison) (previously unreleased April 1967[6] mono mix)Harrison 3:26
10. "All Together Now" (previously unreleased May 1967[6] mono mix)McCartney 2:11
11. "Hey Bulldog" (previously unreleased February 1968[6] mono mix)Lennon with McCartney 3:14
12. "It's All Too Much" (Harrison) (previously unreleased October 1968[6] mono mix)Harrison 6:28
13. "Get Back" (from 11 April 1969 single version A-side)McCartney 3:11
14. "Don't Let Me Down" (from 11 April 1969 B-side)Lennon with McCartney 3:33
15. "Across the Universe" (previously unreleased 1969 mono mix of the "Wildlife" version)Lennon 3:50
16. "You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)" (from 6 March 1970 B-side)Lennon and McCartney 4:24
Total length:
56:25

References[]

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