PAST MASTERS VOLUME TWO - side one

As great as Past Masters Volume One is, many feel that Volume Two is even better, probably because it features more hit singles and less deep cuts.  In The Mammoth Book of the Beatles, Sean Egan goes so far as to state: "For this listener, Past Masters Volume Two constitutes the greatest collection of music ever assembled." 

Day Tripper -This stellar album kicks off with both sides of the double A-sided single from December of 1965.  This side went to number one in the UK...

We Can Work It Out - ...while this side was a US number one.  Both of these great songs were recorded during sessions for Rubber Soul. 

Paperback Writer - This single was recorded in April of 1966 during the Revolver sessions.

Rain - The amazing B-side of that single.

Lady Madonna - We jump 1967 entirely and pick up with this rocking single from March, 1968.  It was recorded during a series of sessions specifically designed to create a single for release while the group was in India studying transcendental meditation.

The Inner Light - The B-side features George Harrison's first song to appear on a Beatles single.  The Indian instruments were recorded at EMI's Bombay studio during sessions for Harrison's soundtrack for the film Wonderwall.  Vocals were added a month or so later at Abbey Road.

Hey Jude - The monster single from August 1968 was recorded during sessions for The Beatles, aka the "White Album."

Revolution - The B-side of that single.  Lennon had pushed hard for this to be an A-side, but once McCartney brought in Hey Jude, John acquiesced.  This could easily have been another double A-sided single, though.  Few acts have ever had the ability to produce two such widely different songs, each strong enough to be a hit, let alone put them back-to-back on the same record.