20 Greatest Hits (Dr. Ebbett DBM-024)
She Loves You, Love Me Do, I Want To Hold Your Hand, Can’t Buy Me Love, A Hard Day’s Night, I Feel Fine, Eight Days A Week, Ticket To Ride, Help!, Yesterday, We Can Work It Out, Paperback Writer, Penny Lane, All You Need Is Love, Hello Goodbye
20 Greatest Hits was released on October 11th, 1982 in the US and on October 18th, 1982 in the UK. Meant to coincide with the twentieth anniversary of the release of The Beatles’ first single “Love Me Do,” it collects together all the number one A-sides in chronological order. “Love Me Do” was also included, even though it only reached seventeen in the UK (but did reach one in the US two years afterwards), since it was being re-released at this time. The original intention was to release twenty-six tracks over two LPs, but it was thought it would conflict with the “Red” and “Blue” albums released less than a decade earlier so it was paired down to a single album.
This would be the last Beatles album released with differences between the US and UK pressings since because some Beatle hits in the US weren’t released as singles in the UK, such as “Eight Days a Week” and “Yesterday.” This release features the five minute version of “Hey Jude” for time constraints. This edit was done in 1968 when it was created for use by Capitol Records on the 4-inch flexi “Pocket Discs” that were sold in vending machines during the period. This transfer of the US stereo is perfect. There are no defects in the manufacture and sounds excellent and comes in a standard jewel case with obi strip.
N.B. Although called Dr. Ebbett, these releases are silver pressed and only appropriate the name of the well known audiophile needle-drop CDR label. In fact they have nothing to do with the real Dr. Ebbett. However, it is good to have these releases on silver pressed commercially produced titles to make this elitist label available to all.
