While not my first Beatles albums the Red & Blue were my first proper introduction to their music. Spanning their career with single releases and a scattering of popular hits it has proved to be a gateway for a generation of fans. As such these LP’s with their iconic packaging has and always will have a special place in my heart.

It is fair to say as 2023 came around it was not the re-release we either expected or necessarily wanted to see … but here they are! To be fair, had this release followed those of the remaining studio LP’s yet to be remastered would there have been as much interest? Probably not. The remastering of the early tracks has whetted our appetite for what is to follow and that is now; thanks to Peter Jackson’s MAL technology; an even more exciting prospect.

As with every re-release we have seen there are points of difference for most fans, and the Red & Blue are no exception. So let’s start with the Red. Both sets have an expanded track listing and there will never be consensus amongst fans as to what should be included but I understand ‘I Saw Her Standing There’ and ‘Twist And Shout’ having a place particularly as both are great tracks and were staples of their live set. ‘You Really Got A Hold On Me’, ’This Boy’ and ‘You Can’t Do That’ are not so deserving of inclusion, in my view, but the remixed/remastered treatments are complimentary and they simply sound great. ‘If I Needed Someone’ is a nice addition but as importantly for those that compiled the track listing it balances the missing Harrison song conundrum from the originals. In respect of ‘Got To Get You Into My Life’, ‘I’m Only Sleeping’ and ‘Here There and Everywhere’ they do tip the scales too far in favour of ‘Revolver’.  It was a an under represented album previously but I think that I would prefer to have the inclusion of ‘Rain’ and another ‘Beatles For Sale’ song instead.

The remix/remastering by Giles Martin has massively improved the sonic delivery of most tracks but not all. The simply awful stereo channel separation that we have had to endure for decades can now be kicked into the long grass. As other commentators have also highlighted the treatment to ‘She Loves You’, with admittedly a poor source to work with still does not capture the punch and immediacy of the original mono version. I did notice, however, that the LP version does deliver a little more oomph than its CD counterpart. Of the new stereo versions I’d like to give special mention to ‘All My Loving’, ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ [so what about the bongo’s!] , ’Yesterday’, ’Day Tripper’ and ‘Nowhere Man’ which just blew me away.

The nine additional tracks on the Blue collection have also sparked much debate too. Personally I love the placement of ‘Within You Without You’ in the collection and it represents a significant influence for the period. The White album was always going to be difficult to represent and I’m still not convinced that adding ‘Dear Prudence’, ’Glass Onion’ and ‘Blackbird’ fulfils that objective. I’d liked to have seen ‘Happiness Is A Warm Gun’ for my two penniesworth. ’Hey Bulldog’ does seem like a logical and welcome component and it sounds sooo good! The ‘Abbey Road’ contingent also have ‘Oh! Darling’ and ‘I Want You [She’s So Heavy]’ bolstering the later period selection and I can’t argue with that. George’s ‘I Me Mine’ slots in just nicely too and the remaining track that has been added is ‘Now And Then’ of which much has been said including does it belong here [1967-1970] at all? Surely, there has to be a better home to be found for this ‘Free As A Bird’ and ‘Real Love’ at some point in the future. Perhaps Anthology v2.

Of all the tracks that have received the new treatment from Giles it is ‘I Am Walrus’ that has garnered the greatest ire from fans for the song’s ending. It does indeed have a ‘Revolution 9’ vibe which is not representative of the song we all know. Certainly a misstep in my view, but one of only very view in the scheme of things. What’s done is done but perhaps, a Magical Mystery Tour deluxe package could redress this anomaly. Time will tell.

There are a few other considerations that are worthy of note. Firstly, the variations in running order that have been applied to the vinyl and CD versions is something that I don’t like at all. Please let us have a standard track listing and stick to it. Secondly, the packaging. These are expensive collections and the vinyl version in particular deserves a fully gloss laminated cover and revised format that accommodates the extra disc, not just squeezed into the existing right hand sleeve. The format of the CD scaled up for the vinyl release with accompanying booklet would have been preferable. Universal / Apple could do better!

The Red & Blue are now placed as the definitive compilation collection representing the Beatles career. They are iconic and I hope that, in whichever format they are consumed, they act as a trigger for their music to be enjoyed by future generations. If so, I hope they get as much enjoyment as I have out of my originals.

By Gwyn Jenkins.