The Beatles 1962-66 1967-70 and Alpha Omega

It's 9/9!  The Beatles' favorite date, apparently.

The well-known “red” and “blue” compilation albums (1962-66 and 1967-70) were essentially a response to a 4-LP boxed set titled “AlphaOmega,” which was advertised heavily on TV in 1972.  The set was a grey-market release, featuring terrible sound quality (for reasons explained here), and included group and solo recordings.  Some have seen it as an attempt to challenge the then-new copyright laws (also discussed in the linked article), and it was successful enough to warrant two more volumes (at least).

Apple/Capitol/EMI responded with the red and blue disks, and here’s a commercial for the set:

I have read that at one point, the red and blue albums were also going to include solo cuts, but that idea was dropped.  Here, now, is my suggestion for solo cuts to add, in case you want to make your own “green” album at home.  I don’t know what you’d call it, since the band’s solo releases stretch back to 1969, and they had released almost nothing in 1973 prior to the March/April issue of the red and blue albums…

John:

Give Peace a Chance

Cold Turkey

Instant Karma

Power to the People

Mother

Love

Imagine

Oh Yoko! (I’m sure he would have wanted this; it was almost the lead single from “Imagine”)

Woman Is the N*gger of the World (not a great song, but again – John would have wanted it back then)

Paul:

Maybe I’m Amazed

Every Night

Another Day

Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey

Back Seat of My Car (not a hit in America, and it struggled to #39 in the UK; but since Paul chose it as the lead single for his homeland, he probably would have wanted it included)

Love Is Strange (slated to be the single from “Wild Life,” this was canceled when that album underperformed)

Hi, Hi, Hi

C Moon (a so-so song that Paul likely would have requested)

Mary Had a Little Lamb (a so-so song that Paul likely would have requested)

Give Ireland Back to the Irish (a so-so song that Paul likely would have requested)

George:

All Things Must Pass

What Is Life?

My Sweet Lord

Apple Scruffs

Isn’t It A Pity

Bangladesh

Wah Wah (live)

NOTE: This was tough since George had only released the double-LP "All Things Must Pass" and one non-album 45 (Bangladesh/Deep Blue) through spring, 1973.  So his contribution almost looks like a condensation of that album.  The ATMP set included a third disk of jams (not useful here), while the live "Concert for Bangladesh" triple-LP only features George singing on eight of its tracks... and three of those are Beatles tunes (and would likely have been vetoed by the rest of the group).

Ringo (he had released about as much music as George by this point, but the highlights clearly presented themselves):

Sentimental Journey (a so-so song that Ringo likely would have requested; he chose it as the potential single from the LP of the same name, and even shot a promo video which looks like a parody by Monty Python)

Blue Turning Grey Over You (the best tune on the “Sentimental Journey” album)

Beaucoups of Blues (a so-so song that Ringo likely would have requested; he chose it as the single from the LP of the same name, but it only made it to #88)

$15 Draw (the best tune on the “Beaucoups” album)

It Don’t Come Easy

Early 1970

Back Off Boogaloo

Blindman (a so-so song that Ringo likely would have requested)