Makes me laugh when I read bad reviews about any Beatles album.

Although the original Soundtrack to "Yellow Submarine" may not rank at the top of my fave Beatles albums list, it is more representative of the original movie than the more recent re-release that came out with the DVD release.

True, the title track and "All You Need Is Love" WERE previously available on other albums. But the four new tracks were fantastic additions to The Beatles' catalog.... with the exception of MAYBE Paul's silly "Altogether Now". But, as the official review stated, "Beatles throw-aways are any other band's greatest hits!" (paraphrased).

George gets to shine on the Yellow Sub soundtrack. "Only A Northern Song" has a similar melody line and structure as his song from two years prior, "If I Needed Someone", but with a much more psychadelic flavor. "It's All Too Much" is one of Harrison's best tracks ever - with The Beatles or solo. On this track, you can detect the influence his buddy Eric Clapton was having on him by 1968.

John's "Hey, Bulldog" is another one of those Lennon masterpieces that somehow got over-looked, much like "Across The Universe" has always been. It contains one of the most recognizable and iconic guitar/piano/bass licks ever recorded. It also features some of Paul McCartney's best bass work.

"Altogether Now" is a fun song. Not the best Beatles track, but one that is such a part of the whole "Yellow Sub" vibe that it's shortfalls are more than forgiven. As a some-time songwriter myself, I'd have been proud to be able to say that I wrote it!

The instrumentals are just that - instrumentals used as background music for the movie. They are classic George Martin and, just as he worked so well with The Beatles, they work well along side The Beatles' songs.

No Beatles record collection is complete without "Yellow Submarine".

this one has always been the pinackle off their rechording carrier, such fine and no-bull songs all one after thee other,

bravo bravissimo!!!!!!!!!!!!!

cefry

I can think of few people that really stick up for this album, but I would definitely stick my neck out for it. True, "Yellow Submarine" and "All You Need is Love" can be found elsewhere, but does it really hurt to hear these songs again? They rank 2 of my favorites. The instrumental score also totally get ripped on, which is beyond me. George Martin again shows what a genius he is with some very beautiful pieces, which are both nice to listen to but also show a great sense of humor on his part (oblique references to other songs, odd sounds not usually found in classical music, etc.). And the four originals are great. Depriving yrself of "Hey Bulldog" is almost criminal - very few Beatles songs sound this rocking and raw. "Hey Bulldog" is one of my top five favorite Beatles songs ever, and given their vast incredible catalog, that is quite the distinction.

The main point - get the record that The Beatles and George Martin made, flaws and all, as opposed to the reissue, which was cooked up by some suit in a cubicle somewhere.

If you're after Beatle songs, this is definitely NOT the album to start with. There are only four Beatles songs that don't appear on other albums ("Yellow Submarine" and "All You Need Is Love" were borrowed from other LPs), although two of the original songs ("Hey Bulldog" and "All Together Now") are really great. The other two are interesting for their production values, although lyrically "Only a Northern Song" doesn't really go anywhere.
The bulk of the album is given over to George Martin's film score, which is enjoyable if you take it on its own terms. If you're a first-time Beatle buyer, get a few other albums under your belt before you come back to this one.

This is one of my favorite Beatles albums, although I must admit I rarely listen to the George Martin orchestral music on the second side. Hey Bulldog is one of the greatest riff-based songs of all time (much better than any of the Jimmy Page metal riffs). Only a Northern Song just keeps getting better each time I hear it. The Beatles acknowledged the crazy chords and avant-garde instrumentation in the lyrics: "If you're listening to this song
You might think the chords are going wrong
But they're not; we just wrote them like that
When you're listening late at might
You may think the band are not quite right
But they are, they just play it like that". Who wouldn't love that kind of self-referntial fun? I admit that you have to be a real Paul fan to love All Together Now, but I am, and I do.