The Beatles-Reel Music (1982)

 

Artist: The Beatles

Title: Reel Music

Label: Capitol 

Format: LP

Cat #: SV-12199

Year of Release: 1982

Country and Year of Edition Issue: US 1992 Promo, Yellow Vinyl

Sold Price: $49.99

Listed Condition: VG+/NM

Sell Date: 8/27/20

Discogs Last Sold: 8/27/20

Low: $30.00

Median: $47.48

High: $81.71

Current low price: $49.99

Current Number on Sale at Discogs: 12

Have/Want: 178/38

Where Sold: Anaheim, CA

Time it took to sell: 4 years

Where and When Bought: 1982 or 3 at a Beatles convention in Central MA brand new, probably under $10

Gwiz-gau Letter Grade: B+

Sad To See It Go?: No

After John Lennon was murdered I became a Beatles completist as best as my paper route money would allow.  This meant the world of original Apples, bootlegs and conventions.  I would say this dominated my pre and early teen collection mentality from 1981-1984, but would get whatever was interesting well into the 90's.  

Reel Music continued the thematic compilations that began after the Red and Blue albums with Rock n Roll Music which I got for Christmas 1976 based on a TV ad.  It was also noted for it's contents spawning the medley craze that started with Stars on 45's #1 hit.  Reel Music did not contain the hit medley. At the time, I dutifully opened it, played it once and filed it away, probably having all the tracks by that point on other records.  All the film songs in one place, but that was really never how the Beatles were associated except maybe with Yellow Submarine which my dad took me to at the Paris Cinema in Worcester when I was 3, around the same time I got the record as a gift.  I had to choose between that and Help!, he would not sit through a double bill, and I was bitter about this for most of the 70's until I finally saw it on videotape sometime in the 80's.  

For chuckles I gave Reel Music a spin before it went out the door, hearing a close to pristine early 80's mastering of all the movie hits that I've heard a million times in other formats.  My complete focus of this spin was interrupted by a phone call, but the music played out as subliminally as these tracks have infinitely in my life many many times before.  As far as Beatle thematic comps go, I'd say this is diminished--the R&R Music and even Love Songs served a better purpose.  Still it's probably better than 20 Greatest Hits which crammed everything on two sides before the CD era made 70 minutes the single disc norm.

Seeing the original high price going over $80 made me a little sad that it had dropped down to $50 over it's 4 years of being listed, but the fact of the matter is it could have sat up there for another decade even at half the price.  It's very rare that I give a NM grade, even if it deserves it I prefer to stay in the VG+ realm to avoid the magnifying glass crowd.  It was still in the shrink with the sales sticker and the original booklet all included.  All it takes is one Beatle fanatic to throw down, and this one did at $49.99 plus $5.99 to ship plus CA tax.  Case closed.