Page 118 - Hi-Fi World (January 2020)

VINYL SECTION

Single Hits

The Beatles hit singles – twenty two of them – will arrive in shops just before Christmas.
Here's what to expect, Noel Keywood explains.

atch Abbey Road's a bonus). authenticity in this set, expecting
webcam to see the Hearing these singles again – one replica dark-green Parlophone
constant flow of after the other – took me back to sleeves. Instead, with this collection,
visitors, day and night my early teens, when the radiogram you get a melange of overseas covers,
– even at Christmas would be playing Forces Favourites a few with no English on them at
W– that flock in from on Sunday morning – and it was a all, even on the labels. So you’ll be
around the world to cross that Beatles song that was the reverential looking for ‘Quiero Tomar Tu Mano’
crossing. The Beatles early high ener- high point, a song everyone enjoyed, when you want to listen to ‘I want To
gy but easily accessible songs remain young or old. So if you were there Hold Your Hand’, from Los Beatles.
globally popular to this day, fame at the time this box set will trigger The recordings are the originals
being forged by strings of hit singles instant and powerful memories. – but the covers are not. There’s
long ago, starting in 1963 with Please As the accompanying small book a confusion of provenance here
Please Me that rocketed to No1 in explains, The Beatles singles were that historical completists may not
the UK charts. After that, their next crafted, at John Lennon’s insistence, appreciate, even though it makes
12 singles were chart toppers. Not to be fast and vivacious. He didn’t some sense. If original
only did The Beatles wheedle their want album tracks used; the singles Parlophone covers had been
way into the British public’s con- went onto the albums – not the used these singles would
sciousness, they also became wildly other way around. At least, in the UK. look alike; with various
loved in America and around the America released singles from album and differing overseas
world. Explaining why Abbey Road tracks that were a success all the covers they are visually
told us they have had to press a mil- same. separated, if by covers that
lion singles to meet demand for the Now to the singles in this box are – by today’s design
November 22nd release date of this set, which we list in chronological and typographic standards
latest addition to the Beatles tome: order. My instant disappointment was – inelegant.
the singles, twenty-two of them (plus the sleeves. I was expecting deep Since The Beatles had

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