Agreed

That's pretty damned hard to argue. I will fight any man who says the Beatles are not the greatest rock & roll band of all time!

The choice of the Anthology version of "Across The Universe" is inspired. I'm slightly troubled by the absence of "Something", though...

Definite Lennon bias, especially with the focus on mid-period Beatles, but I've got the same prejudices. Not a song I'd change. Glad I see the other volumes, though. I'd worry about your sanity otherwise.

I guess I could see where you would say that I have a "Lennon bias", but it's not the case--McCartney is definitely my favorite Beatle. In many cases with the songs above, the thing I like best about them is his contribution to either the song or recording...

i think i'd like to settle down with this mix, should it come into being as a human by some fantastic stroke of luck. i couldn't wish for a mix to make me happier.

Perhaps it would be more fitting to say it's the best band that could ever have an 80 minute mix, rather than the best 80 minutes of music that will ever be assembled. For as you might have guessed, my track listing would be very different. :-) This is something I've wanted to try for a long time, but I don't think I could narrow it down to one disc. You had a lot of great, great choices though. Almost any Beatles song is a classic.

I didn't narrow it to one disc. And to *me*, it's the best 80 minutes of music ever assembled... I didn't misspeak. ;-)

A-ha! :-) Hey, I noticed you have an interesting "strategerie" (to quote Will Ferrell as George W. Bush) for these mixes...having one volume go all the way chronologically through the artist's career, then having another volume do the same, as opposed to having a multi-volume set that goes chrono throughout. I suppose that makes it easier to compile though.

Well, I want each disc to stand on its own, even if other volumes follow. So the first volume is my favorite 80 minutes, the second is my second-favorite 80 minutes, and so on...

Good idea. I might have to give that a whack.

Still an amazing comp. Do you really hate Clapton so much that his presence has completely ruined the "White Album" version of "...Guitar...Weeps" for you?

I never understood the apparent consensus that take 1 is the definitive version of WMGGW. I heard take 1 several years before the Anthologies came out, and while I do *love* it, I prefer the raw power of the studio take...the tasteful piano parts...the warbly organ...the awesome guitar work. Ah well...to each his own. On another note, I wish they wouldn't have edited the end of WMGGW for Anthology 3.

Wow. With the edits you've made, you've pretty much got all my main favorites on this first volume ('cept for "It's Only Love"). And "Face" is a much better opener than "Yes It Is." Very well done Rob.

Well, I have tried and tried for months, Rob, but I just can't do it...I can't come up with the "best 80 minutes" of the Beatles. I find it physically impossible. My first volume would have to be two discs (at least...LOL!).

Hey, just so you know, I wish this series could be *two* discs--one double-length disc that incorporates the first two, and one double-length disc that incorporates the third and fourth. :-) That's kind of how I look at them.

Ahhh, this is the closest thing to paradise, despite the fact that there are a few too many Paul songs for my taste. Luckily they are the ones i like. A lot of my favorites are missing, like 'Don't Let Me Down' & 'Baby You're a Rich Man' and 'Dig A Pony'. But let's face it, any Beatles mix is better than just about everything else in existence. I'm so glad you included Hey Bulldog & Rain. Ringo's drumming in that song is so amazing.

I concur that the Beatles are the greatest thing that ever happened to rock & roll, and however much I will extoll the virtues of Big Star, the Who, the Velvets, the Clash, R.E.M., the Kinks, the Byrds, the Stones... well, they're all just runners up. Maybe for that reason I've never even attempted a Beatles single artist mix. Maybe I should reconsider... as mine would look quite different. While you hit some of my faves here (TNK, Rain, Bird, Strawberry Fields, Day In The Life), many of my favorites are missing... most notably the last 2/3 of Abbey Road side 2, for my money the finest 20 minutes of music ever recorded.
Just thinking off the cuff, my own mix would have to include (in addition to the songs noted above): She Said She Said; Hello Goodbye; It's All Too Much (George's finest Beatles song); Revolution; You Never Give Me Your Money; She Came In Through The Bathroom Window/Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End; I've Got A Feeling; and Hey Jude.