20 Greatest Hits

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2010)

20 Greatest Hits
Greatest hits album by The Beatles
Released	11 October 1982
Recorded	1962–1970, EMI, Trident and Apple studios, London and Pathé Marconi Studio, Paris
Genre	Rock
Length	56:08
Language	English
Label	Capitol (US)/Parlophone (UK)
Producer	George Martin and Phil Spector
The Beatles chronology
The Beatles Mono Collection (1982) 20 Greatest Hits (1982) Past Masters (1988)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

20 Greatest Hits was a compilation album featuring a selection of songs by The Beatles that were number ones in the UK and US. It was released on 11 October 1982 in the United States and 18 October in the United Kingdom.

Release

20 Greatest Hits was released to mark the 20th anniversary of The Beatles' first record release, "Love Me Do," in the UK in 1962; it was the last Beatles album to be released with variations in the US and UK versions (some Beatles hits in the US were not released as singles in the UK, such as "Eight Days a Week" and "Yesterday").

Songs

For the US album, catalogue number SV 12245, a five-minute edited version of "Hey Jude" was used due to time constraints; this edited version dates from 1968 when it was created for use by Capitol Records on the four-inch flexi "Pocket Discs" that were sold in vending machines at that time. The US cassette release, not constrained by the limits of LPs, contains the normal seven-minute version.

The American version of this LP was released in Canada, although the track list does not reflect the number ones from that country, as "Can't Buy Me Love" only reached #3 on the CHUM singles charts, and omits the Canadian #1 hits "All My Loving" and "This Boy."

The New Zealand version was the same as the American one although originally EMI(NZ) was going to issue the UK version. The covers were printed in New Zealand but the inner sleeve was imported from the U.S.

The original issues of this album accidentally indicates the running time of "Yesterday" as being 1:04 in length. Later issues have the correct 2:04 running time.

Other albums

In Australia, a 23-track alternate version of this album with bonus EP was issued titled The Number Ones.

This single-disc compilation was supplanted by the later single-CD album 1 with 27 Beatles songs that were number one on either side of the Atlantic.

Unique mixes

The album featured the first US appearance of "I Want To Hold Your Hand" and "I Feel Fine" in true stereo mixes.

Track listing

All songs written by Lennon–McCartney.

UK edition

Side one

1. "Love Me Do"
2. "From Me to You"
3. "She Loves You"
4. "I Want to Hold Your Hand"
5. "Can't Buy Me Love"
6. "A Hard Day's Night"
7. "I Feel Fine"
8. "Ticket to Ride"
9. "Help!"
10. "Day Tripper"
11. "We Can Work It Out"

Side two

12. "Paperback Writer"
13. "Yellow Submarine"
14. "Eleanor Rigby"
15. "All You Need Is Love"
16. "Hello, Goodbye"
17. "Lady Madonna"
18. "Hey Jude"
19. "Get Back"
20. "The Ballad of John and Yoko"

US edition

Side one

1. "She Loves You"
2. "Love Me Do"
3. "I Want to Hold Your Hand"
4. "Can't Buy Me Love"
5. "A Hard Day's Night"
6. "I Feel Fine"
7. "Eight Days a Week"
8. "Ticket to Ride"
9. "Help!"
10. "Yesterday"
11. "We Can Work It Out"
12. "Paperback Writer"

Side two

13. "Penny Lane"
14. "All You Need Is Love"
15. "Hello, Goodbye"
16. "Hey Jude" (edited 5:05 version on LP)
17. "Get Back"
18. "Come Together"
19. "Let It Be"
20. "The Long and Winding Road"

Europe

Side one

1. "Love Me Do"
2. "From Me to You"
3. "The Fool on the Hill"
4. "I Want to Hold Your Hand"
5. "Can't Buy Me Love"
6. "A Hard Day's Night"
7. "Eight Days a Week"
8. "Day Tripper"
9. "We Can Work It Out"

Side two

10. "Paperback Writer"
11. "Yellow Submarine"
12. "Eleanor Rigby"
13. "All You Need Is Love"
14. "Help!"
15. "Yesterday"
16. "Hey Jude" (edited 5:05 version on LP)
17. "Don't Let Me Down"
18. "She Loves You"
19. "Let It Be"
20. "The Long and Winding Road"

Charts

See also

• The Number Ones

References