Past Masters
Past Masters is a two-disc compilation album set by the English rock band the Beatles. 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 album contains all songs released commercially by the band that were not available on the Beatles' 12 original UK albums or the US Magical Mystery Tour LP. It was compiled by Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn, who also wrote the liner notes. 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.
Past Masters | ||||
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The 2009 Past Masters album cover | ||||
Compilation album by | ||||
Released | 7 March 1988 | |||
Recorded | 4 September 1962 – 4 January 1970 | |||
Studio | EMI, Trident, Olympic and Apple, London
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Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 93:29 | |||
Language | English, German ("Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand" / "Sie Liebt Dich") | |||
Label | Parlophone, Capitol, Apple | |||
Producer | George Martin | |||
Compiler | Mark Lewisohn | |||
The Beatles chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | (Vol. 1) (Vol. 2) (Vol. 1 & 2) |
BBC | (favourable) |
Consequence | |
The Daily Telegraph | |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | |
One Thirty BPM | 100% |
Pitchfork | 9.2/10 |
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.