Woah, woah, woah... for all of those who dismiss this CD because these songs are already available elsewhere, or because it doesn't contain certain tracks let me explain something here. The purpose of realeasing this disc the way they did was to showcase, in chronological order mind you, all of the Beatles singles that went to #1 in either the UK or the US. Also, you can't ignore the fact that these tracks have been digitally remastered (spectacularly I might add... especially the earlier tracks!) In my opinion, this CD is worth purchasing merely for the marvelous remastering job of "Love Me Do" alone! In addition, the obvious dropouts towards the end of "Day Tripper" have been edited back into proper audibility. However, I do have one caveat with "She Loves You." In the original version, there is a nasty edit where the phrase "pride can hurt you too, apologize to her" is dropped in (apparently from a 45, due to a mangled or missing tape.) The engineers attempted to fix this in the remaster, and they succeeded in bringing that section back down to the same level volume-wise, but right before that phrase they've created an unintentional drop-out that, all in all, almost makes the new edit worse than the original!! Regardless, as an avid Beatles fan/collector, I deem this CD an essential purchase. And that's my two cents. Peace.

I bought this yesterday and as a life long Beatles fan who has all the albums its brillant. Sure it's more Paul than John but that doesnt detract. Its excellent to have all the songs on one CD.

As for the guy from Washington who says the quality is crap, get a new CD player man! The quality is excellent. In particular all the old tracks like I feel fine, I want to hold your hand etc. all the hissing from the original CDs (The black and White singles collection) is gone. Tracks like cant buy me love have bits I never heard before. All I can say is put it on, crank up the volume and enjoy the greatest rock n roll band of the twentieth and the twenty first century in clear sweet digital for the first time.

One hundred years from now when historians are discussing the merits of 20th Century pop music, they won't be debating the necessity of "Beatles One", they will merely focus on the greatness of these 27 songs(and MANY other Beatle tunes). Sure, this CD is a marketing coup for Capitol Records, but it's also the most enjoyable 79 minutes of music ever assembled on a single disc. The remastering job is first-rate. Many tunes -- "Can't Buy Me Love", "Eight Days A Week", and "Day Tripper" to name a few -- receive a much needed sonic facelift. The rhythm guitars on these tracks come shining through like never before. I was blown away by the sharpness of Ringo's snare and Paul's punchy bass on "Help". (Listen with headphones and see if you don't agree...) I've heard "Yesterday" thousands of times, but never has it sounded so crisp and so alive! The clarity of the string quartet (left channel)is stunning. For the first time, a distinction can be made between the violins, the viola and the cello and the result is breathtaking. Best of all is "Penny Lane", which can now be heard as the true pocket symphony that it is. Layer upon layer of pianos, flutes, and horns fill a soundscape that is nothing short of magical. Paul's double-tracked vocal really leaps out and the bass and drums are absolutely remarkable. In fact, most of the tracks sound better than ever -- the only exceptions, in my opinion, being "From Me to You" and "All You Need is Love" which seem to be lacking a little punch. The packaging is also top-notch. The glossy mini-booklet includes photos of the original picture sleeves for each song. Other than a short introduction by George Martin, no written text is included, but the photos more than make up for this omission. Overall, "Beatles One" is a quality package. Yes, it's repetitive. No, it's not essential, especially not for those who own every disc in the Beatles catalogue. However, it would provide a marvelous introduction for younger fans who may not be familar with the Beatles'work. But most of all, the merit of the songs can not be debated. These 27 songs are, quite simply, some of the greatest songs of the 20th Century. Enjoy them all!

There's been quite a great deal of dismay listed below from people who clearly Beatles devotees, who are dissatisfied with the limitations of this cd (so many fine songs which weren't number one hits have been left off), or with the cd's remastering of old mono classics. Given the enormous number of great songs the Beatles put out, however, it would be impossible to produce an affordable cd that covered their full career without leaving several hits off of it, and of course this album isn't really designed for hardcore Beatles devotees anyway (who presumably have all the albums already). Nor does this cd pretend to give us "the best" of the Beatles, which would send fans screaming in disagreement no matter what was chosen.

Rather, it's an affordable collection of their #1 hits, which allows the buyer 27 of the greatest rock songs ever written, covering almost the full span of an astonishingly varied and sophisticated career. And for what it is, it's terrific. Many of us who love the Beatles greatly--but who didn't want to invest in all their cd's--are extraordinarily grateful for this collection.

I have all the Beatles' albums on CD AND vinyl. And I've read several of the reviews here containing complaints about "1" not being the "true album experience" or folks saying "the original 'mono' format sounds better." Although the former criticism has merit, the latter criticism is, in my opinion, totally lacking merit. These songs sounds MUCH better remasterd on this new CD. For example, anyone who ever heard the original version of "Daytripper" knows that you could never hear the guitar and vocals together. It was always one or the other. "Daytripper" sounds GREAT on this CD. The remastered version of "Let it be," likewise, is terrific. It truly has the "church-like" quality that was intended. Yes, its true, if you want the Beatles' "album experience" you need to go buy Abbey Road or Sgt. Peppers and listen to it from start to finish, but "1" is a great CD with great remastering and stereo quality.