The (1962-1966) Red and (1967-1970) Blue albums were compiled and released in the spring of 1973, a year when the legend of The Beatles was even bigger than it had been when the group was together. Less greatest hits collections than surveys of The Beatles' high points, the two double albums became essential introductions for fans who came aboard after The Beatles broke up. For millions of music lovers born after the mid-50s, these have been and always will be where The Beatles experience begins.

By 1973 it was becoming clear that the breakup of The Beatles was not going to be, as many had believed, a temporary thing. There was still widespread hope that they would reunite at some point, but their continued success as solo artists made it apparent that the four former Beatles were serious about going their separate ways. The Beatles had never had a career spanning Best-Of or Greatest Hits - in a very real senses all of their LPs were Greatest Hits albums. They had more hit singles that could fit on even a double album, and to complicate things, some of the group's most important songs - "A Day In The Life," "The Fool On The Hill" and in England even "Yesterday" - were not released as singles.

The Red and Blue albums had to tell The Beatles' story in limited time, necessarily leaving out many big songs while conveying a sense of the whole history of the group. The collections do a superb job of condensing a rich and complicated musical journey into four discs that move easily through a range of styles. The Blue album picks up right where the Red leaves off covering the years 1967-1970 and latter day material from records Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band through to Let It Be. 

LP1

1.  Strawberry Fields Forever

2.  Penny Lane

3.  Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

4.  With a Little Help From My Friends

5.  Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds

6.  A Day In the Life

7.  All You Need Is Love

8.  I Am the Walrus

9.  Hello, Goodbye

10. The Fool On the Hill

11. Magical Mystery Tour

12. Lady Madonna

13. Hey Jude

14. Revolution

LP2

1.  Back In the U.S.S.R.

2.  While My Guitar Gently Weeps

3.  Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

4.  Get Back

5.  Don't Let Me Down

6.  The Ballad of John & Yoko

7.  Old Brown Shoe

8.  Here Comes the Sun

9.  Come Together

10. Something

11. Octopus's Garden

12. Let It Be

13. Across the Universe

14. The Long and Winding Road