Yellow Submarine Songtrack by the Beatles

The original Yellow Submarine album released in January of 1969 is considered by most Beatles fans to be the worst album the band ever released as it included only six actual Beatles songs (the other tracks were rather boring instrumentals created by producer George Martin) and only four of those six songs were new. Two of the six were the previously released songs "Yellow Submarine" from 1966 and "All You Need Is Love" from 1967.

In 1999 a new album was released to coincide with a new release of the Yellow Submarine movie on DVD. This new release included all six of the songs on the original 1969 album and nine other songs. The album was titled Yellow Submarine Songtrack. It's titled "songtrack" rather than "soundtrack" as it features the songs played in the movie rather than the instrumental music that was featured in the original release.

What was most noteworthy about the "Songtrack" released in 1999 was that each of the songs included were remixed and remastered from the original tapes which is something that wasn't done for the CD releases of their album (other than Rubber Soul & Help!) This gives the songs a significantly different sound than is heard on other versions which is why I recommend that Beatles fanatics purchase this album even if they already have all 15 of the songs.

The Yellow Submarine Songtrack is actually one of the most psychedelic listening experiences one can have with The Beatles music due not only to the sparkling new mixes but also because for the most part the songs featured on this album are among The Beatles most psychedelic work.

The album includes the four new songs (new at the time, of course) "It's All Too Much," "Only a Northern Song," "All Together Now," and "Hey Bulldog" along with songs from Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt Pepper, and Magical Mystery Tour. The greatest thing about this album is that it rescues the four new songs that were released on the original Yellow Submarine album (where they have been mostly ignored.) In particular it's nice that "Hey Bulldog" and "It's All Too Much" are featured on this album as they are two of The Beatles best songs that many Beatles fans have never heard.

From 1965's Rubber Soul this album features "Nowhere Man" & "Think for Yourself."

From 1966's Revolver this album features "Yellow Submarine" (no surprise there!), "Eleanor Rigby," & "Love You To."

From 1967's Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band this album features "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," "When I'm 64," "With a Little Help from My Friends," and the title track, "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" which sounds particularly different from the version we're used to. All of the songs on this album were remixed and remastered from the original tapes so they sound quite a bit different from the versions found on the other Beatles albums.

From 1967's Magical Mystery Tour this album features "Baby You're a Rich Man" (what a great weird song that is) along with "All You Need Is Love."

So there's a few reasons to get the Yellow Submarine Songtrack. One of them is that the album really is enjoyable to listen to because it's filled with great songs. Another is that it rescues "Hey Bulldog," "Only a Northern Song" & "It's All Too Much" from the mostly ignored original Yellow Submarine album. And another is the fact that the songs included here are remixed and remastered from the original tapes and they sound significantly different (and in most cases better) than the versions found on their official studio albums.

About the Author:

Marvin J. Markus recommends buying The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour CD and The White Album Double CD online. Marvin considers The White Album to be the greatest album of all time.