1973 compilation 1967–1970 and, following the standardisation of the Beatles' catalogue for compact disc in 1987, Past Masters, Volume Two. Critical reception and legacy Ian MacDonald admires "Old Brown Shoe" as one of its author's "most forceful pieces" and "an archetypal B-side from an era when B-sides were worth flipping a single for". Walter Everett says the voice leading and harmony on "Old Brown Shoe" are "far more subtle and interesting" than such qualities in "The Ballad of John and Yoko", and views its dualistic theme as "more interesting" than McCartney's lyrics in "Hello, Goodbye". Tim Riley deems the song "at least as good a rocker as 'Savoy Truffle'" and, like "The Inner Light", an example of the Beatles continuing their tradition of offering high-quality and musically diverse B-sides. He describes Harrison's guitar solo as "daring" and a performance that "rises and falls with astonishing fluidity and control". Despite its inclusion on some of their compilation albums, "Old Brown Shoe" has remained a comparative rarity in the band's catalogue. Writing for Rolling Stone in 2002, Greg Kot described it as "dark, droll, rollicking" and arguably Harrison's "most underrated Beatles composition". In his overview of Harrison's career for Goldmine that same year, Dave Thompson said that "Old Brown Shoe" was one of five Harrison-written songs that "rank among the finest Beatles compositions of the group's final years". Conversely, Richie Unterberger of AllMusic deems it "one of the less memorable late-'60s Beatles outings", citing its obscure lyrics and lack of a catchy riff in the usual Beatles style, although he finds this last quality partly redeemed in the bass playing and guitar solo. Simon Leng cites the track's appearance as a B-side to the Lennon–McCartney composition as indicative of Harrison's predicament during the last year of the Beatles' career, since: In any other band, this upbeat boogie that matched lyrical sophistication with another outstanding guitar break would have taken precedence over the rough, self-serving travelogue that was "The Ballad of John and Yoko". Harrison's song works on any level, in any context, while the Lennon piece could only have relevance within the Beatles' self-referential sphere ... This kind of glaring anomaly forced George Harrison out of the Beatles. Writing for Rough Guides, Chris Ingham recognises "Old Brown Shoe" as "perhaps the densest, sharpest Harrison song to make it onto a Beatles record". In his review of Anthology 3 for Mojo in 1996,