During the 1990s, The Beatles had somewhat of a resurgence in popularity, owing to their re-releases and 1990s bands such as Oasis, who openly acknowledged them as their primary musical influence. The Anthology series of album releases had been very successful for The Beatles around this time. This album was released as an accompaniment to the re-release of the original Yellow Submarine film that was originally released way back in 1968. Notably, this album does not contain the half-baked instrumentals from the original Yellow Submarine album release. Instead, this is a release that should have been originally put out instead of the mishmash of songs and instrumentals back in 1969. Some of the original songs have been edited for this re-release and sound different as a result. Regardless of whether you think that is a great idea or not, let’s take a listen to this album and we can hope it is a good album to hear.

Yellow Submarine begins the album with the iconic childlike song. Drummer Ringo Starr sings this one, and there is clanging acoustic guitar, pounding drums and keyboards galore. This is a great song for children to enjoy, and it sounds pleasant, joyful and listenable, to this very day. There is an interesting interlude near the midsection with clanking glasses and chatting, before Ringo’s singing initiates the brass here. You can easily tell how awesome this compilation is, straight up. Soon enough, there is a brilliant interlude of a submarine in action. This is a fantastic listening experience and something that sounds great and amazing to this very day. A great song by The Beatles that will last forever. It fades out after two and a half minutes in length.

Hey Bulldog begins with quirky piano and launches into an excellent song with matching guitars and basslines. John Lennon sings this one very well, and this is a very Psychedelic and Surrealistic listening experience. A really fine, fantastic and fresh listening experience that sounds amazing, fun and great to this very day. There is some loud and raunchy guitar soloing throughout, which makes this tune come alive very well. The music present is like a painting by The Beatles themselves. Towards the end is a great extended soloing and musical section that sounds amazing. There is an awesome and hilarious conclusion to this song, which one must hear, which is a laugh. A brilliant listening experience from start to finish.

Eleanor Rigby begins as the famous ballad sung by Paul McCartney and is from the Revolver album. This is just Paul singing away with a gorgeous string section that sounds really fantastic. This is a case of The Beatles breaking down musical barriers that had existed before this song release in 1966. This is a sad lament lyrically about death and passing on, likely based on real-life circumstances of events. A very sad tune, but something worthwhile to hear regardless. Great song.

Love You To is also from the Revolver album. George Harrison takes the lead vocal here. It begins with great Sitar work that is mesmerising and wonderful. This could easily be regarded as Hippie Music, but it is much better than that. Tabla drums kick in, and this tune gets powering along. George sings wonderfully here, and the man sounds really spiritual and positive throughout. A great song for those of you who dig Indian Music and The Beatles. A great set of Sitar soloing is present in the second half of this song, with George Harrison sounding marvellous with his playing and singing. Towards the end, this speeds up and gradually fades out at the end. Sweet.

All Together Now begins with some chugging, palm-muted acoustic guitar and launches into a fantastic and loveable tune sung by Paul McCartney. John Lennon sings as well here, alternating between him and Paul throughout on lead vocal. This is a very underrated and joyous song by The Beatles, and the whole thing is a simple and great piece of Pop/Rock from the 1960s that is very underrated. It speeds up to a very quick pace at the end, before concluding with some great singing and clapping. A simple yet enjoyable tune.

Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds is of course, about LSD. It begins with a super spacey keyboard/organ and has John Lennon singing a very tripped-out song indeed. The lyrics present are amongst some of the most Psychedelic that have been penned by anyone in the history of music. The song has a great chorus, and the whole thing sounds extremely imaginative. Nonetheless, this amazing song is a real stand-out by The Beatles from the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Band album from 1967. All in all, this sounds very, very good. A very soulful and refreshing listening experience, and a highlight of John Lennon’s career in music. A fantastically imaginative, Psychedelic, Surreal and loveable tune from start to finish.

Think For Yourself has some great fuzz bass guitar on it from the start. The Beatles vocals on this tune, despite being layered and multitracked, are really fantastic to listen to in terms of raw delivery. This one is from the 1965 Rubber Soul release, and regardless, it sounds amazing on its own. A song about rejecting a lover due to their foolishness, this is a great and amazing song. A great musical statement from The Beatles, and one that is barely over two minutes in length. Fantastic.

Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is the theme of the concept album by The Beatles by the same name. Some interesting sound samples are at the beginning of a crowd gathering, followed by some excellent guitar work and simple drumming. Paul McCartney sings an era-defining and wonderful song here. If you have not yet heard the Sgt Pepper album from start to finish now, you really should. Some great singing is here, along with crunchy guitars and other additional sounds that are very much Psychedelic based. A great piece of music, period. The Beatles were masters of their craft. This segues into the next song ahead.

With A Little Help From My Friends begins with some interesting keyboards and lyrics about cheese. Ringo Starr begins singing very well on this tune, especially since he was their drummer, not a primary vocalist. Trivia aside, this is a fantastic song about getting high and enjoying life throughout time. Nonetheless, this is another solid cut from Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album. The recording of sounds and intricate musicianship throughout are spot-on and marvellous throughout. This is an absolute gem in the back catalogue of gems by The Beatles. The sounds present are completely different to anything today and this is a case of quality over quantity in terms of musicianship. The song ends with great harmony vocals and a Psychedelic keyboard conclusion. Excellent.

Baby You’re A Rich Man begins with piano and muted electric guitar and bass guitar. This quickly launches into a hugely tripped-out and Psychedelic tune that sounds really fine. The song shows some good singing by John Lennon, and he delivers a fine and fantastic listening experience vocally. This is a great listening experience with layers of ear candy and exciting sounds. The chorus is fantastic: “Baby, you’re a rich man, too. You keep all your money in a big brown bag, inside a zoo, what a thing to do!” and this is far better music and lyrics than anything on the radio today. A great piece with some piano, keyboards, handclaps and some excellent singing throughout. On a musical level (at least in Pop/Rock terms), nobody could reach the heights of The Beatles. This is a stunning listen, and still sounds great nearly six decades later, at the time of writing. A mastercraft.

Only A Northern Song begins with some interesting organ playing, with drum rolls entering quickly and John Lennon singing nicely about the mystery of this song itself. The music is very spacey and Psychedelic, indeed, more so than anything on Magical Mystery Tour, which was very Psychedelic as well. A great and mysterious tune to listen to. The instrumentation and playing here are really marvellously good. An awesome listen with some great instrumental parts throughout. This fades out quickly.

All You Need Is Love is likely the most overrated piece of music that The Beatles ever made. It is a song about the bond that love creates. Pretty soppy, to be fair. Still, this song is well sung by John Lennon and the layers of production and instrumentation are very good indeed. This tune has many layers of detail and performance that are really awesome, and this sounds top-notch and fantastic in that sense. A melodramatic piece that is a 1960s Pop/Rock staple musically, and something that has been covered by musicians frequently since its release. The outro is quite lengthy as well, with trumpets galore and a grooving rhythmic backbeat. This isn’t the greatest that The Beatles ever did. It does sample their earlier hit She Loves You in an original way right at the end, however.

When I’m Sixty Four is a song written by Paul McCartney back in the early days of The Beatles. It is a piece of music sung by Paul about the ways of ageing as one gets older. This song has a lot of Jazz old-style clarinets and other wind instrumentation throughout. A really great and different tune, this is a sensational piece of music that still sounds very great to this day. It does really pose a good question throughout this song, being where will we be in life when much older? A great listening experience from start to finish.

Nowhere Man begins with multitracked vocals and singing that is fantastic by The Beatles. This song was the first non-romantic song to be on an LP by The Beatles. It has some simple acoustic guitar strumming, deep bass guitar work and some brilliant harmonies. There is a very nice guitar solo throughout, and this still sounds really fantastic and awesome to this day. A song about a guy who is lonely and in despair, hence the name of the song title and the lyrics throughout. This is a thoroughly excellent, interesting and awesome listen from the Rubber Soul era. A great song and worth repeated listens throughout. Nice tune.

It’s All Too Much is the final song on this collection, and is over six minutes in length. It begins with a vocal lead, and some of the wackiest, feedback-laden guitar present. Soon enough, handclaps enter and this song gets going. This song has George Harrison singing. This is a different version from the original, and it is a guitar-based jam. Regardless, this is a very great and inspired tune. To be fair, the original was a bit more consistent than this version. In any case, this tune sounds interesting, Psychedelic and full of quirkiness throughout. The song eventually leads into a trumpet based jam that sounds really glorious. The verses are fantastic, and they build up to a great chorus throughout. This song is very long by The Beatles own standards, so bear that in mind when listening to this track. The second half is a jam session with many layers of singing, horns, driven bass guitar, drums and harmony-styled singing. A good long jam that shows a side of The Beatles rarely heard by the mainstream of music. There are looped vocals and other pieces of instrumentation present here, with a load of crashing drums to conclude. This sounds chaotic at the end, and the album finishes with a lengthy fade-out. Great.

Believe it or not, this is better than the original 1969 Yellow Submarine album in many ways and is an interesting listen the whole way through. This album should have been the release that occurred back then. Sadly, it was not, but history can be changed here by listening to this album rather than the original Yellow Submarine album. This is a great album for children in particular to get into The Beatles, so also bear that in mind as well. Should you listen to this album? Sure you should, but try the main albums from other parts of The Beatles career first before reaching this album.

Quality tunes.

8/10