Purists have and will continue to argue this particular release into the ground with a host of complaints that range from "The audio mix is bad!" to "Lady Madonna was never number one on the charts!" But while it may come as deep shock to them, not every one approaches The Beatles as if they were holy relics, not everyone considers them "essential," and not every one feels it necessary to purchase every album the band made.

Quite obviously I tend to fall into this category. I like quite a few of The Beatles' recordings, but they never spoke me in a gotta-have-it way, and although I like "Come Together" I'm not going to buy ABBEY ROAD in order to obtain it. But while this compilation doesn't include every one of my favorites, it does include enough of them to make me willing to put a few of my hard-earned dollars on the table.

It is true that #1 is open to "number one according to who?" arguments, but even so the collection does gather twenty-seven of the band's best known and most popular releases--and also offers a fairly good overview of their style as they moved from mop-top-pop to psychedelia with plenty of innovation and serious musicianship along the way. It may be true that some of the songs sound better in original monoaural; it may be true that every selection could stand a meticulous remastering--but I personally had no complaints about sound quality.

This is really a recording for two classes of listeners: novices who know little about the band and would like to test the waters and old hands who like certain songs but don't like them well enough to go to the expense of replacing scratched up albums with CDs. You'll still have to do that if you want the likes of "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds," "Strawberry Fields Forever," and "Octopus Garden"--but this collection really does hit most of the obvious notes.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

It's hard to find a reason to buy this CD for a long time Beatles fan like me, who owns all their entire catalog. I admit that I would never buy such a compilation, but finally I did because I've found a reason: the remastered sound. The songs sounds better than ever and certainly the sound of this CD has no comparison with the released official albums. If Apple or EMI someday decide to update the sound of all Beatles CD's the way they did with this one, I would no doubt to replace mi collection.

It's pretty hard to beat the Beatles if you're into the oldies. The best part of this title is it's so complete and it brings back so many memories.

I've had this album for over seven years and I never get tired of it. And if you're someone who appreciates good music, neither will you. Whether you're a casual fan, a die hard fan or even just recently a new fan, this will be a very worthy addition. For the new fan, it's the perfect introduction to one of the most influential bands in music. You can actually hear them grow with each track. Yet as superb as this album is, it only scratches the surface. The albums "With The Beatles", "Sgt. Pepper" and The White Album are not covered because there were no singles off those albums. "Nowhere Man" from "Rubber Soul" was released as a single in the U.S. but only went to #3. This undermines the fact that some of their most popular songs didn't top the charts or were not released as singles. For the long time or die hard fan this is worth getting for the packaging. The liner notes feature different picture sleeves for all the singles as well as release dates. Finally, all the tracks except the first three are in stereo.

John, Paul, George and Ringo have definitely left their mark on the world. This collection is proof of that.

Total Time-79:08

There are certainly better qualified Beatles fans to get a review from, however, I must say I am enjoying this CD. The time I've spent listening to it is no longer markable in hours. We are looking at days here now. I am not entirely sure that all the #1 hits are on here but enough are for me to enjoy the whole thing.

It is also filling some gaps I have in my newly forming Beatles collection. Some of their songs it seems aren't on the albums and this CD got them in my hands and ears. That shows the value of the CD right there.

Very enjoyable and highly recommended.