Re: The "Hey Jude" album

On 09 Jun 2025, super70s <super70s@super70s.invalid> wrote in
rec.music.beatles:

I was just reading a Billboard article about the 50th anniversary
of Elton John's 1975 "Captain Fantastic" album which has the
distinction of being the first album to enter the Billboard Hot
200 album chart at No. 1. It noted prior to that the highest any
album had entered the chart was a Van Cliburn classical LP at No.
2, and the highest any contemporary pop or rock album was the
Beatles' 1970 "Hey Jude" album (aka "The Beatles Again") at No. 3,
along with a couple of Led Zeppelin albums ("III" and "Physical
Graffiti") also at No. 3.
 
I remember buying the "Hey Jude" album when it came out but I
wouldn't have guessed it was their highest debut on the chart up
to that point, out of all the great albums they put out. The album
wasn't released in the UK until 1979. I presume it's been released
on CD (so Capitol can make a few more bucks) but other than
sentimental value there's no real point in owning it on CD since
all the songs (with the exception of the early "Hard Day's Night"
tracks "Can't Buy Me Love" and "I Should Have Known Better") are
included on Vol. 2 of the "Past Masters" discs.

I'm pretty sure it's never been released on CD. Other compilations have
made it functionally unnecessary, although I think some of the mixes
are unique to that release, which might make it attractive to
collectors.

I bought it when it first released, too. Its main value to me was so I
had stereo versions of some songs that I only had on mono before that,
but otherwise I never thought it made for a very satisfying listening
experience. Even to my naive teenage ears it smelled like a contractual
obligation, haphazard and not well-sequenced. Even the title, "Hey
Jude" seemed thoughtless. "The Beatles Again" would have been better,
though not very exciting.

I guess I understand that it was intended to bring together tracks that
had never appeared on LP before (the Hard Day's Night tracks were the
true stereo versions that were in fake stereo on the UA soundtrack
album), but they even missed a few that might have improved it, like
"I'm Down" and "The Inner Light".

Also, I find the cover photo disturbing. They all look stoned and
depressed, and like they'd rather be anywhere but there. There's no
joy. And I believe it was their last group photo session, so I guess
what I sensed may have been real.