''Past Masters'' is a two-disc
compilation album
A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...
set by the English rock band
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
. It was originally released as two separate volumes on 7 March 1988, as part of the first issue of the band's catalogue on
compact disc
The compact disc (CD) is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. In August 1982, the first compact disc was manufactured. It was then rele ...
.
The set compiles every song released commercially by the band that was not available on the Beatles' 12 original UK albums or the US ''
Magical Mystery Tour
''Magical Mystery Tour'' is a record by the English rock band the Beatles that was released as a double EP in the United Kingdom and an LP in the United States. It includes the soundtrack to the 1967 television film of the same name. The EP ...
''
LP.
It includes liner notes by Beatles historian
Mark Lewisohn
Mark Lewisohn (born 16 June 1958) is an English historian and biographer. Since the 1980s, he has written many reference books about the Beatles and has worked for EMI, MPL Communications and Apple Corps. . The majority of the ''Past Masters'' set consists of
A- and B-sides from the band's
singles
Singles are people not in a committed relationship.
Singles may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series
* ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe
* ''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
"Long Tall Sally", also known as "Long Tall Sally (The Thing)", is a rock and roll song written by Robert "Bumps" Blackwell, Enotris Johnson, and Little Richard. Richard recorded it for Specialty Records, which released it as a single in March ...
''
EP, two German-language tracks, a song recorded for the American market, and a track released on a charity compilation album.
Although ''Past Masters'' is not a studio album and is instead a compilation, it is considered to be the Beatles' 14th (and final) major release. This occurred when the Beatles' core catalog was standardized in 1987, followed by the official re-releases in 2009.
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
''The Beatles Box Set'' is a sixteen-disc box set compiling the entire recorded works of the Beatles as issued by the band between 1962 and 1970. It was released on 15 November 1988 in Britain and America, with the same catalogue number (Apple ...
''. A double LP set, titled ''Past Masters, Volumes One & Two'' (also titled simply ''Past Masters''), was subsequently released in the US on 24 October 1988 and in the UK on 10 November 1988. Both volumes were also released as a double cassette bundle on 7 March 1988.
The double set was re-released on CD, titled simply ''Past Masters'', on 9 September 2009, as part of the remastering of the original Beatles catalogue, and was included in ''
The Beatles (The Original Studio Recordings)
''The Beatles (The Original Studio Recordings)'', also known as ''The Beatles: Stereo Box Set'', is a box set compilation comprising all remastered recordings by English rock band the Beatles. The set was issued on 9 September 2009, along with ...
'' box set.
This release includes
stereo
Stereophonic sound, or more commonly stereo, is a method of sound reproduction that recreates a multi-directional, 3-dimensional audible perspective. This is usually achieved by using two independent audio channels through a configuration ...
mixes of both "
From Me to You
"From Me to You" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles that was released in April 1963 as their third single. It was written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon. The song was the Beatles' first number 1 hit on what became the official U ...
" and "
Thank You Girl
"Thank You Girl" is a song recorded by the English rock band the Beatles, written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. It was issued as the B-side of the single "From Me to You", which was recorded on the same day (5 March 1963). While not rele ...
", whereas the original 1988 issue contained the two tracks in
mono
Mono may refer to:
Common meanings
* Infectious mononucleosis, "the kissing disease"
* Monaural, monophonic sound reproduction, often shortened to mono
* Mono-, a numerical prefix representing anything single
Music Performers
* Mono (Japanese b ...
. Mark Lewisohn's name was removed from this reissue. ''
The Beatles in Mono
''The Beatles in Mono'' is a boxed set compilation comprising the remastered monaural recordings by the Beatles. The set was released on compact disc on 9 September 2009, the same day the remastered stereo recordings and companion '' The Beat ...
'' box set, released at the same time, includes the album ''
Mono Masters
''Mono Masters'' is a compilation album by the Beatles, and is an alternate, all-mono version of the album ''Past Masters''. ''Mono Masters'' was originally a two-CD set included as part of ''The Beatles in Mono
''The Beatles in Mono'' is a ...
'', which contains a similar track list of dedicated mono mixes.
A remastered-for-vinyl version of the ''Past Masters'' double LP set was released on 12 November 2012.
Track listings
The dates provided are the dates when the tracks were originally released, not recorded.
All songs written and composed by
Lennon–McCartney
Lennon–McCartney was the songwriting partnership between English musicians John Lennon (1940–1980) and Paul McCartney (born 1942) of the Beatles. It is the best-known and most successful musical collaboration ever by records sold, with the ...
, except where noted. Tracks are in stereo, except where noted.
''Past Masters, Volume One''
Contains recordings originally released between 1962 and 1965:
*Eleven tracks from British singles (including B-sides)
*Both tracks from the German single
"Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand" / "Sie Liebt Dich"
*All four tracks from the ''
Long Tall Sally
"Long Tall Sally", also known as "Long Tall Sally (The Thing)", is a rock and roll song written by Robert "Bumps" Blackwell, Enotris Johnson, and Little Richard. Richard recorded it for Specialty Records, which released it as a single in March ...
'' EP
*The US-only track "
Bad Boy", from the album ''
Beatles VI
''Beatles VI'' is the seventh Capitol Records studio album by the English rock band the Beatles in the United States and Canada (including ''The Beatles' Story''). It was the ninth album released into that market in less than one and a half ye ...
'' (although the song was also on the 1966 ''
A Collection of Beatles Oldies
''A Collection of Beatles Oldies'' (subtitled ''But Goldies!'') is a compilation album by the English rock band the Beatles. Released in the United Kingdom in December 1966, it features hit singles and other songs issued by the group between 1 ...
'' album released by
Parlophone
Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a German–British record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 192 ...
)
''Past Masters, Volume Two''
Contains recordings originally released between 1965 and 1970:
*Fourteen tracks from British singles (including B-sides)
*The "
Wildlife
Wildlife refers to domestication, undomesticated animal species (biology), species, but has come to include all organisms that grow or live wilderness, wild in an area without being species, introduced by humans. Wildlife was also synonymous ...
" version of "
Across the Universe" from the charity album ''
No One's Gonna Change Our World
''No One's Gonna Change Our World'' is a charity album released in the United Kingdom on 12 December 1969 for the benefit of the World Wildlife Fund.
The compilation, assembled by comedian Spike Milligan, includes two tracks from Milligan and on ...
''
* The 1970 stereo mix of "
The Inner Light" had only been previously available on a limited edition 1981 EP.
''Past Masters, Volumes One & Two''
Charts and certifications
''Past Masters: Volume 1''
Charts
Certifications
''Past Masters: Volume 2''
Charts
Certifications
''Past Masters''
Charts
Certifications
References
{{Authority control
1988 compilation albums
Albums produced by George Martin
Albums recorded at Trident Studios
Apple Records compilation albums
B-side compilation albums
The Beatles compilation albums
Capitol Records compilation albums
Compilation album series
Compilation albums published posthumously
German-language compilation albums
Parlophone compilation albums
Albums recorded at Apple Studios