Today it was announced that remastered versions of The Beatles 1973 “best of” compilations (known as “The Red Album” & “The Blue Album“) are set to be released on October 18th (in most of the world, and the 19th in the US & Canada.)

While this was not The Beatles news I was hoping to hear about (see Remastered Vinyl LPs) it does have some nostalgic value for me as it was actually The Blue Album compilation (featuring songs released from ’67 through ’70) that first got me into The Beatles.

Still, since this is a “best of” collection, all of these remastered songs can be heard in The Beatles in Stereo Box Set which is what I most strongly recommend buying for any Beatles fan.

When it comes to The Beatles you might as well just buy all of the albums (and they are all included in the Stereo & Mono box sets) because any sort of “best of” compilation is going to leave out far too many excellent songs. And it’s only in hearing their albums as they were originally sequenced that you really get the full experience.

The “Red Album” includes 26 songs released from 1962 through 1966 such as “She Loves You,” “I Want To Hold Your Hand” “I Feel Fine,” “Yesterday,” “Help!,” “Nowhere Man,” “In My Life,” and “Eleanor Rigby.” The “Blue Album” includes 28 songs released from 1967 through 1970 including “Strawberry Fields Forever,” “With A Little Help From My Friends,” “A Day In The Life,” “I Am The Walrus,” “Get Back,” “Hey Jude,” “Old Brown Shoe,” and “Let It Be.”