It may be three decades since they broke up, but it looks like the world still can't get enough of the Beatles. EMI believes this new compilation may even become the biggest selling CD of all time, containing as it does the 27 Fab Four singles which topped the charts in either Britain or America. Is it beyond criticism then? Not quite. Most of the original Beatles albums are so good that a collection of singles alone is in no sense a 'Best Of' and limiting itself to number 1's has meant the omission of 'Strawberry Fields Forever', possibly their finest moment. Of course the songs that are there, from the chirpy debut 'Love Me Do' to the winsome farewell 'The Long And Winding Road', are almost all brilliant, if a bit over-familiar by this stage. But there are better Beatles compilations out there and for all the hype this one can't help but feel like a slightly unnecessary cash-in.
