Beatle Odds 'n Ends--Part I

Released in 1988, Past Masters-Volume I (released simultaneously with Past Masters-Volume II), was intended to give the Beatle collector who had the-then thirteen album Beatle catalogue a complete collection of every song recorded during their years together. Both volumes compile A and B sides of singles, and various other Beatle oddities. This review will deal only with Volume I--Volume II will be the subject of another review--watch for it!!

A list of the tracks on Volume I and my comments about each is as follows:

1. Love Me Do--I reviewed this song earlier as a single, but here goes again. The song features a bluesy harmonica played by John Lennon, and the Everly Brothers-influenced harmonies that appeared so often in Beatles' vocals. The musical arrangement is simple--acoustic guitar, harmonica, bass guitar and drums. A version of this song was recorded with Ringo playing tambourine and sessions drummer Andy White playing drums, but eventually the version featuring Ringo on the drums was released as the official version.

2. From Me To You--Some more Everly harmonies are featured, with a solo vocal by John Lennon in the bridge. John plays harmonica on this one also, but his solo is tracked by the guitar and has none of the blues feel of the harmonica on Love Me Do--this harmonica line has a "pop" feel.

3. Thank You Girl--This was the B side of From Me To You, and again features the harmonica that was used a lot in the early Beatle recording. John provides the lead vocal, with some excellent high harmonies by Paul McCartney. The song begins with a rave up and ends the same way, with a pretty bouncy tempo in the middle.

4. She Loves You--This song captures everything that was Beatlemania. A tumbling drum fill kicks the song off, and George Harrison tosses in a ratty little guitar lick that's just right. The vocals are almost breathless, and you can feel the pure energy being projected here. The harmonies again reveal the influence of the Everly Brothers. This is where the Beatle trademark "yeah, yeah, yeah" got it's beginning.

5. I'll Get You--This song features a breathy, almost guttral vocal line. A harmonica is present, mainly as a rhythm instrument, and a raw electric guitar pushes the beat. The bridge has some of the most beautiful Beatle harmonies you'll ever hear.

6. I Want To Hold Your Hand--What can I say, this song has a very special meaning to me--the first American Beatles hit, it displaced Bruce Chanel's Hey Baby at the top of the charts and stayed there for a while. It also inspired a twelve-year old boy (that's ME) to pick up a guitar and try to emulate these guys. My career in music has been good to me, and this is where it all began. Enough about me--a raw electric guitar starts this one off, and the beat is primitive and intense. The bridge is really pretty and gives the listener a feeling of relief, which is just what a good bridge is supposed to do. Needless to say, the vocal performance is impeccable, and the Beatles use simple tools (handclaps, in this case) to adorn their tune.

7. This Boy--Really beautiful three-part harmonies dominate this song, which is a very good imitation of the 1950's style of slow songs. The chord structure is exactly the same as the tunes of that genre. John Lennon's vocal solo in the bridge is urgent, fervent, soulful, emotional, oops, ran out of adjectives! Seriously, this is one of his finest early vocal performances.

8. Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand--This one's easy--it's I Want To Hold Your Hand in German. 'Nuff said.

9. Sie Liebt Dich--Another easy one--She Loves You in German. These German language tunes were recorded because of the Beatles' Hamburg Star Club connections and the immense amount of fans they had in Germany.

10. Long Tall Sally--This is an energized version of Paul McCartney imitating Richard Penniman (Little Richard). In fact, Little Richard had a hand in composing it, and it was a huge hit for him, even though the hidden message was about a transvestite. The Beatles aren't worried about the message--this is just a good rock n' roll frolic and Paul's vocals do Little Richard proud.

11. I Call Your Name--This song was originally written for Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, but their version wasn't satisfactory enoughh for John, so the Beatles "covered" it. It features George's twelve-string guitar, and has a very interesting double-time tempo change. Lennon's lead vocal is exhilarating.

12. Slow Down--This a a cover of a tune written and performed by the manic Larry Williams, one of John's heroes. John delivers the lead vocal in true Williams style, and the song works well as a guitar driven rock n' roll tune.

13. Matchbox--Another cover tune, this time by that most revered of Beatle heroes, Carl Perkins, who lived just around the corner from me. We're treated to a Ringo Starr lead vocal, complete with straightforward delivery. This song shows the Perkins influence which would later surface in Honey Don't and Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby.

14. I Feel Fine--John Lennon often said that this song featured the first recorded "feedback" in rock n' roll music, and he was probably right. A neat guitar riff is the basis of this song, moved along by some fine drumming by Ringo. Paul's high harmonies perfectly complement John's lead vocal, and George's guitar solo is cute.

15. She's A Woman--Paul delivers a stirring high-range lead vocal on this one. Musically, the song features a chopped guitar lick and some rambling piano. George's solo is almost pure rockabilly and provides a nice contrast to the rock n' roll feel of this song.

16. Bad Boy--Another Larry Williams cover. This one is about the original rock n' roll rebel, the kid with the ducktail haircut who didn't want to go to school, he just wanted to listen to rock n' roll music. The music is good hard rock n' roll and it's almost attacking in nature. John's vocals are superb and in the best Larry Williams tradition.

17. Yes It Is--Beautiful three-part harmonies dominate in this song--it's really a very lovely ballad, with another strong vocal solo by John, just like in This Boy. This is one of the first hints of John's jealousy--"red" is his code word for jealousy. The way he spits out "it's my pride" in the bridge is done so quickly that you get the impression that he didn't want to admit it. A pretty revealing tune.

18. I'm Down--Another song where Paul McCartney is imitating Little Richard, only Paul wrote this one. The background singers are mocking him, and the effect is pretty cutting. This is pure rock n' roll, featuring a wild solo by George and some good organ work by John.

Whew, that was long!! Draw your own conclusions, but I think this a must- own for the avid Beatles fan.