The following is a list of the Beatles albums that have been produced since the group took the world by storm in 1963. Whenever possible, I have listed the tracks as they appeared on the original vinyl formats. If you are interested in purchasing one of these albums, a complete list of the CD's available both for The Beatles and the solo efforts of John, Paul, George and Ringo is available at The Beatles Shoppe.
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Please Please Me
[MONO]
Available from  The first steps on the road to Please Please Me were taken on June 6, 1962, when the Beatles, already successful in their native Liverpool, auditioned for EMI Records producer George Martin at Abbey Road studios in London. Martin was sufficiently impressed to have them back September 11, when they recorded their debut single, "Love Me Do," with session drummer Andy White standing in for Ringo. "Love Me Do" and their second single, "Please Please Me," did well enough for Martin to greenlight the recording of a full album. It took a mere nine hours on February 11, 1963, on a two-track tape machine, at a cost of £400. Released on March 22, it hit the U.K. No. 1 spot on May 11, establishing the Beatles as a force to be reckoned with.
Paul McCartney: This album was one of the main ambitions in our lives. We felt it would be a showcase for the group, and it was tremendously important that it sounded bang on the button. It was break or bust for us. We did "Twist And Shout" last, because if we'd done it first, we couldn't have done any of the others. John's voice would have gone.
Several album cover designs were discussed until producer George Martin hired Angus McBean, a distinguished British photographer, to do the job. The sleeve cover shows the Beatles looking over the entrance stairwell of EMI's Manchester Square Building in London.
Song writing credits went to McCartney-Lennon. Subsequent Parlophone releases changed this to Lennon-McCartney.
The album spent 70 weeks on the UK charts and was No. 1 for 30 weeks before being replaced by With the Beatles.
| Original Vinyl Track Listing | Side 1
1. I Saw Her Standing There
2. Misery
3. Anna (Go To Him)
4. Chains
5. Boys
6. Ask Me Why
7. Please Please Me
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Side 2
1. Love Me Do
2. P. S. I Love You
3. [Baby, It's You]
4. Do You Want To Know a Secret
5. A Taste of Honey
6. There's a Place
7. Twist and Shout |
All tracks on 1 compact disc. |
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With The Beatles
Available from The Beatles began recording their second album on July 18, 1963, their new-found success granting them the luxury of having more than one day to do so. With the Beatles was the first album on which they were able to experiment with the new technology of double-tracking.
Released on November 22 with advance orders of 270,000, it dislodged Please Please Me from the top of the U.K. album chart, and it became the first pop album to sell over one million copies. It was at the top of the charts for 21 weeks.
Brian Epstein hired freelance photographer Robert Freeman to shoot the sleeve picture. The famous black and white image was taken in the dining room of the hotel where the Beatles were staying. The first pressing of With the Beatles incorrectly listed "You've Really Got a Hold On Me" as "You Really 'Gotta' Hold On Me."
| Original Vinyl Track Listing | Side 1
1. It Won't Be Long
2. All I've Got To Do
3. All My Loving
4. Don't Bother Me
5. Little Child
6. [Till There Was You]
7. [Please Mr. Postman]
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Side 2
1. [Roll Over Beethoven]
2. Hold Me Tight
3. [You Really Got a Hold on Me]
4. I Wanna Be Your Man
5. [Devil In Her Heart]
6. Not a Second Time
7. [Money] |
All tracks on 1 compact disc. |
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A Hard Day's Night
Available from United Artists, an American film company, produced A Hard Day's Night. The movie was released in Britain July 6, 1964, and it marked the Beatles' acting and film debut. Shot between March 2 and April 24, the movie follows the Beatles through a day of Beatlemania and ends with a live television performance.
After having conquered America, the Beatles settled down to record the songs they'd written mostly under seige conditions in New York and Paris, intended as the soundtrack for their movie debut. A Hard Day's Night was their first album to include only material written by the group, with Lennon in a prolific phase generating the bulk of the songs. Released on July 10, 1964, it moved 1.5 million copies in nine days to become the fastest-selling album in U.K. history. It reached No. 1 on July 30 in the U.S. and U.K. simultaneously, racking up an impressive 21 weeks on top on their home turf.
Paul McCartney: John would be knocking off "I Should Have Known Better" on his own, and I'd also be doing the same. We finished it all pretty quickly and soon had more than enough songs. It wasn't like we were writing a soundtrack, we were just writing Beatle songs that happened to be a soundtrack.
The film's working title was Beatlemania #1. As the story goes, the eventual title was a result of one of Ringo’s often peculiar expressions ... After a particularly difficult day, he said, "It's been a hard day..." and realizing it was already nighttime, added, "...'s night." Producer Walter Shenson asked John and Paul to write a song titled A Hard Day's Night to play over the opening sequence, which had already been filmed. The LP included all the songs from the film on side one and new Beatle songs on side two.
| Original Vinyl Track Listing | Side 1
1. A Hard Day's Night
2. I Should Have Known Better
3. If I Fell
4. I'm Happy Just To Dance with You
5. And I Love Her
6. Tell Me Why
7. Can't Buy Me Love
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Side 2
1. Any Time At All
2. I'll Cry Instead
3. Things We Said Today
4. When I Get Home
5. You Can't Do That
6. I’ll Be Back |
All tracks on 1 compact disc. |
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Beatles For Sale
Available from 1964 was one long, hard slog for the Beatles, and by August 11, when they started taping their second album of the year, they were worn out from constant touring, filming, and recording. And it showed. Under pressure to have new product in the shops in time for the Christmas gift bonanza, they turned in an inconsistent effort, falling back again on a clutch of cover versions to disguise a dearth of new material. Nevertheless, in the United Kingdom. Beatles For Sale sold over a million copies in its first week. Five days after its December 4 release, it dislodged their own A Hard Day's Night from the U.K. No. 1 slot, where it remained for nine weeks.
Paul McCartney: John would often have the melody and the lyrics to one verse, and the trickiest thing is making more of it...that was often where he or I needed help.
The gatefold also featured Freeman's photographs. On the left is a shot of the Beatles' February 11 performance at the Coliseum in Washington D.C. On the right, the Beatles stand in front of a mural in the lobby of London's Twickenham Film Studios during the filming of A Hard Day's Night. 
| Original Vinyl Track Listing | Side 1
1. No Reply
2. I'm a Loser
3. Baby's In Black
4. [Rock and Roll Music]
5. I'll Follow the Sun
6. [Mr. Moonlight]
7. [Medley: Kansas City/Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey]
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Side 2
1. Eight Days a Week
2. [Words of Love]
3. [Honey Don't]
4. Every Little Thing
5. I Don't Want To Spoil the Party
6. What You're Doing
7. [Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby] |
All tracks on 1 compact disc. |
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HELP!
Available from The Beatles' second movie Help! was filmed between February 23 and May 11, 1965 and released in London July 29. Originally titled "Eight Arms To Hold You," the action/adventure spoof centers around Ringo who gets a sacrificial ring (owned by an odd sect named the Kahili) stuck on his finger. The Beatles are chased around the world by the Kahili who want to kill Ringo while Foot and Algernon, a pair of mad scientists, try to steal the ring for themselves.
Unlike A Hard Day's Night, Help! was filmed in color. George commented, "In color ... Yeah, wow, see? They had more money for that one!"
The Beatles' second movie-related album, Help!, was recorded in two batches. The songs that appeared in the film were done in February, immediately before the film was shot, while the remaining tracks were laid down in mid-June. The album, including McCartney's best-loved composition, "Yesterday," incorporates elements of the prevailing folk-rock style, with the Lennon tracks in particular revealing the impact of Bob Dylan. It was released on August 6, 1965, entering the U.K. chart at No. 1 a week later.
John Lennon: Help! was where we turned on to pot and dropped drink, simple as that.
The Parlophone version of Help! included all the songs from the film on side one and new, unreleased Beatle songs on side two.
Photographer Robert Freeman wrote, "For the design of the album cover I had the Beatles signaling in semaphore the word HELP." Well ... not exactly. George signals an "N" or maybe an "R", John a "U", Paul a "J", and Ringo a "D" or "V". It's been suggested some of the images are reversed and out of order. If so, Paul signals an "H" and Ringo an "L". Closer to HELP but George's "N" or "R" and John's "U" remained unchanged.
| Original Vinyl Track Listing | Side 1
1. Help!
2. The Night Before
3. You've Got To Hide Your Love Away
4. I Need You
5. Another Girl
6. You're Going To Lose That Girl
7. Ticket To Ride
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Side 2
1. [Act Naturally]
2. It's Only Love
3. You Like Me Too Much
4. Tell Me What You See
5. I've Just Seen a Face
6. Yesterday
7. [Dizzy Miss Lizzy] |
All tracks on 1 compact disc. |
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Rubber Soul
Available from George Martin commented, "[Rubber Soul] was the first album to present a new, growing Beatles to the world. For the first time we began to think of albums as art on their own — as complete entities." The unusual album title has never been thoroughly explained.
The song Wait was recorded during the Help! sessions. All other songs were recorded in October and November, 1965.
An early Beatles high-water mark, Rubber Soul was written under severe pressure. When recording started on October 12, the band had very little material, and in order to catch the Christmas market, they had to write the songs and record them in just under a month. Adding to the tension, the onset of creative friction between Harrison and McCartney led to the bassist assuming lead guitar duties on some tracks. Paul's loss of faith in George may also explain why keyboard instruments, including piano, harmonium, and Hammond organ, play a greater role in the arrangements. Despite all this, Rubber Soul is a gem. In America, it sold 1.2 million copies within nine days of release, and after charting at No. 1 in the U.K. on December 8, it held off all comers for 12 weeks.
John Lennon: We were just getting better, technically and musically, that's all.... In the early days we had to take what we were given, we didn't know how you can get more bass. We were learning the technique on Rubber Soul. We were more precise about making the album, that's all, and we took over the cover and everything. That was Paul's title, it was like "Yer Blues," I suppose, meaning English soul.
Robert Freeman took the photograph for the cover slick in the garden of John's house in Weybridge. He later wrote, "The distorted effect in the photo was a reflection of the changing shape of their lives".
| Original Vinyl Track Listing | Side 1
1. Drive My Car
2. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)
3. You Won’t See Me
4. Nowhere Man
5. Think For Yourself
6. The Word
7. Michelle
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Side 2
1. What Goes On
2. Girl
3. I’m Looking Through You
4. In My Life
5. Wait
6. If I Needed Someone
7. Run For Your Life |
All tracks on 1 compact disc. |
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Revolver
Available from The Beatles chose Revolver as this album's title from other candidates such as "Abracadabra," "Magic Circles," and "Beatles on Safari." The cover slick was designed by Beatle acquaintance and musician Klaus Voorman.
By the summer of 1966, the Beatles were changed men. Having embraced the emerging hippy ethic, taken LSD, and developed personal musical tastes that ranged from classical to Indian to the avant-garde, it was almost inevitable that Revolver would reflect these new interests, just as their debut album had reflected their youthful love of American rock and soul. Clearly a studio creation rather than just a collection of songs, this was the album on which the Beatles' songwriting skills were most perfectly enhanced by their desire to innovate. Released on August 5, Revolver topped the U.K. album charts for seven weeks starting on the 13th and, like With the Beatles, even made an appearance in the Top 20 singles.
Paul McCartney: Just to show how wrong one can be, I was in Germany on tour just before Revolver came out. I started listening to the album, and I got really down because I thought the whole thing was out of tune. Everyone had to reassure me that it was OK. Although Revolver was released during the Beatles' final tour, the group played none of its songs on stage. It was the last instance where UK and US versions of a same-titled Beatle album contained a different track list.
| Original Vinyl Track Listing | Side 1
1. Taxman
2. Eleanor Rigby
3. I’m Only Sleeping
4. Love You To
5. Here, There and Everywhere
6. Yellow Submarine
7. She Said She Said
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Side 2
1. Good Day Sunshine
2. And Your Bird Can Sing
3. For No One
4. Doctor Robert
5. I Want To Tell You
6. Got To Get You Into My Life
7. Tomorrow Never Knows |
All tracks on 1 compact disc. |
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Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Available from History's most famous LP, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, was Paul's idea. He commented, "I was just thinking of nice words like Sergeant Pepper and Lonely Hearts Club, and they came together for no reason. They're a bit of a brass band in a way, but also a rock band because they've got that San Francisco thing."
Having given up touring, The Beatles now focused their attention on fully exploring the possibilities of studio recording, and came up with the most consistently acclaimed rock album of all time. Recording started on November 24, 1966, but by now they were in such a position of strength that EMI could put no pressure on them to finish it for Christmas. Instead, the sessions continued until the following April, with the Beatles in virtually constant occupation of their favored Abbey Road studio. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was finally released on June 1, 1967, and just two days later, started a staggering 22-week run at No. 1 on the U.K. album chart. A month later,with over a million advance orders, it topped the U.S. chart for 15 weeks, going on to win no fewer than four Grammies.
John Lennon: Sgt. Pepper is the one. It was a peak. Paul and I were definitely working together....
Many consider Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band a "concept" album — something conceived as a package with a common theme. George Martin commented, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band didn't start out life as a concept album but it very soon developed a life of its own. I remember it warmly, as both a tremendous challenge and a highly rewarding experience. For me, it was the most innovative, imaginative and trend setting record of its time."
Peter Blake, a prominent contemporary British artist, was hired to design the album cover. He asked each of the Beatles to list people they would like to see on the cover. The lists were compiled and became the background.
At the Beatles' insistence, the gatefold LP marked the first occurrence of an identical track listing in a UK and US Beatle album.  However, only the UK version has a short section of noise, gibberish, and a 15 kilocycle pitch (not audible to humans) in the LP's run-out groove.
The record was officially released on June 1, 1967, although it was rush released on May 26. It was actually played on the BBC radio show Where It's At, on May 20.
Within one week 250,000 copies of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band sold in the UK and the record charted for an unprecedented 148 weeks.
In the US, 2.5 million copies sold within three months and the album stayed in the No. 1 spot for nineteen weeks.
The LP included a paper cut-out sheet.
| Original Vinyl Track Listing | Side 1
1. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
2. With a Little Help From My Friends
3. Lucy In the Sky with Diamonds
4. Getting Better
5. Fixing a Hole
6. She's Leaving Home
7. Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite!
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Side 2
1. WithinYou Without You
2. When I'm Sixty Four
3. Lovely Rita
4. Good Morning Good Morning
5. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)
6. A Day In the Life |
All tracks on 1 compact disc. |
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Magical Mystery Tour
Available from The Beatles' third movie, Magical Mystery Tour, was a self directed 50 minute film for television. Filmed between September 8 and November 3, 1967, the group and a cast of circus freaks take a "magical" coach trip through the English countryside.
The album that never really was, Magical Mystery Tour was conceived as a lavish EP soundtrack to the Beatles' Christmas TV movie. Musically it was far superior to the film it accompanied, with the songs continuing in the quintessentially English psychedelic music-hall style developed on Sgt. Pepper. With an early December release, the EP was held off the U.K.'s No. 1 single slot only because that was already occupied by the Beatles' "Hello Goodbye." With the addition of an impressive clutch of recent singles, the EP was transformed into an album for U.S. release, where it earned over $8 million in its first three weeks.
John Lennon: Paul made an attempt to carry on as if Brian [Epstein] hadn't died by saying, "Now, now, boys, we're going to make a record...." Magical Mystery Tour was something he [Paul] had worked out...
George Harrison: "[Magical Mystery Tour] was Paul's idea. It was basically a charabanc trip which people used to go on from Liverpool to see the Blackpool lights. And they'd get, you know, loads of crates of beer and an accordion player and all get pissed, basically, pissed in the English sense meaning drunk, and you just go to see Blackpool lights. And it was kind of like that, it was a very flimsy kind of thing..."
Parlophone notified Capitol that it intended to release Magical Mystery Tour as an EP. Capitol refused to follow suit, already having produced two poor selling Beatle EPs. Instead, Capitol produced this LP, putting the EP tracks on side one and several single tracks to fill out side two. Included was a 24-page booklet glued to the inside of the gatefold sleeve.
The Magical Mystery Tour film debuted on British television on December 26, 1967, and was a critical failure, giving it limited exposure in the US. The music was much more successful; the LP went to No. 1, with eight million dollars in sales the first three weeks of its release. It was the last US Beatle album available in mono. "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Penny Lane" were recorded during the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band sessions in late 1966.
| Original Vinyl Track Listing | Side 1
1. Magical Mystery Tour
2. The Fool On the Hill
3. Flying
4. Blue Jay Way
5. Your Mother Should Know
6. I Am the Walrus
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Side 2
1. Hello Goodbye
2. Strawberry Fields Forever
3. Penny Lane
4. Baby You're a Rich Man
5. All You Need Is Love |
All tracks on 1 compact disc. |
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The Beatles
Available from Many of the songs on this double LP were influenced by a February 1968 trip to India where the Beatles meditated with the Indian guru, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Despite the Beatles' individual rejuvenation resulting from the trip, the album was the least joint effort to date. On a few of the songs, Paul played drums because Ringo walked out of the sessions. Many were solo efforts with none of the other Beatles contributing to the song. The recording sessions also included John's new girlfriend Yoko Ono, a disruption the others were not prepared for and did not welcome. George Martin wanted to cut the total number of songs to their best 14 or 16 but the group refused.
In its plain white gatefold cover, The Beatles became instantly known as "The White Album." A one-time working title was "A Dolls' House" and it was the first Beatle LP released on the group's Apple label. The UK sleeve is unique in that the record disk openings are at the top instead of the side.
Suitably edited, it would have made a magnificent single album, but most of what should have been thrown away was instead thrown to the fans, who, Beatle-starved for 18 months since Sgt. Pepper, were thrilled to have anything at all. In effect, each Beatle wrote and recorded his tracks separately, and for every moment of genius ("I'm So Tired," "I Will," "Julia") there's a "Martha My Dear," a "Rocky Raccoon," or a "Revolution 9." Recording began on May 30, 1968, and ended on October 15, with each track taking an average of 30 hours. Released on November 21, it hit No. 1 in the U.K. on December 7. After only five days on sale in America, Newsweek reported sales of 1.1 million copies.
George Harrison: ...there [were] a lot of songs that should've just maybe been elbowed or made into B-sides.
| Original Vinyl Track Listing | Record 1 Side 1
1. Back In the U.S.S.R.
2. Dear Prudence
3. Glass Onion
4. Ob La Di, Ob La Da
5. Wild Honey Pie
6. The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill
7. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
8. Happiness Is a Warm Gun
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Record 1 Side 2
1. Martha My Dear
2. I'm So Tired
3. Blackbird
4. Piggies
5. Rocky Raccoon
6. Don't Pass Me By
7. Why Don't We Do It In the Road?
8. I Will
9. Julia
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Record 2 Side 3
1. Birthday
2. Yer Blues
3. Mother Nature's Son
4. Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me and My Monkey
5. Sexy Sadie
6. Helter Skelter
7. Long, Long, Long
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Record 2 Side 4
1. Revolution 1
2. Honey Pie
3. Savoy Truffle
4. Cry Baby Cry
5. Revolution 9
6. Good Night |
All tracks on 2 compact discs. |
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Yellow Submarine
[Remastered Edition]
Available from The animated film Yellow Submarine is a psychedelic adventure in which cartoon Beatles are summoned to defeat the evil Blue Meanies and restore music to a place called Pepperland.
Other than the soundtrack, the Beatles had almost no input into their fourth movie, which was released in London on July 17, 1968, six months before this soundtrack LP.
As with most of the Beatles' movie-related albums (Help! being a notable exception), this was a compromised effort and, of all their soundtracks, easily the worst. Half of Yellow Submarine consists of orchestral background music composed by producer George Martin, with the balance made up of old songs and four hastily cobbled together items that hadn't previously seen the light of day. Deservedly, after release on January 17, 1969, it stalled at No. 2 on the U.S. album charts and No. 3 in the U.K.
George Harrison: There were albums which weren't any good as far as I was concerned, like Yellow Submarine.
It was the last UK Beatle LP available in mono. The newer version (1999) has a full compliment of Beatles' tracks which replaced the original movie score selections written by George Martin.
| Original Vinyl Track Listing | Side 1
1. Yellow Submarine
2. Hey Bulldog
3. Eleanor Rigby
4. Love You Too
5. All Together Now
6. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
7. Think For Yourself
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Side 2
1. Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
2. With a Little Help From My Friends
3. Baby You're a Rich Man
4. Only A Northern Song
5. All You Need Is Love
6. When I'm 64
7. Nowhere Man
8. It's All Too Much |
All tracks on 1 compact disc. |
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Abbey Road
Available from Recorded after Let It Be but released before it, Abbey Road is the last great Beatles album, but even here, almost half the material was cleverly crafted by McCartney to use up fragments of tunes that the band couldn't, or wouldn't, flesh out into complete songs. It's a tribute to his arranging skills that, as a listening experience, Abbey Road is so consistently enjoyable. Six months in the cobbling together, it was released on September 26, 1969, spending 11 weeks at No. 1 in both the U.S. and U.K.
Paul McCartney: I was getting into a lot of musical ideas; the medley on the second side--I was really up on that.
After the Get Back/Let It Be sessions, the band was breaking up and each Beatle was thinking of a solo career. Paul asked George Martin to produce a new album with the condition that the recording be done like "in the old days".
The album title refers to EMI Studios on Abbey Road where the Beatles recorded most of their songs. Another title for the album was "Everest," a brand of cigarettes Geoff Emerick, their engineer, smoked. In fact, a trip to photograph the album cover in the Himalayas was suggested but was dismissed due to time constraints.
For the actual cover, the Beatles were photographed crossing Abbey Road in front of Abbey Road studios wearing what they came to work in. Paul, barefoot, wore sandals to work.
| Original Vinyl Track Listing | Side 1
1. Come Together
2. Something
3. Maxwell's Silver Hammer
4. Oh! Darling
5. Octopus's Garden
6. I Want You (She's So Heavy)
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Side 2
1. Here Comes the Sun
2. Because
3. You Never Give Me Your Money
4. Sun King
5. Mean Mr. Mustard
6. Polythene Pam
7. She Came In Through the Bathroom Window
8. Golden Slumbers
9. Carry That Weight
10. The End
11. Her Majesty |
All tracks on 1 compact disc. |
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Let It Be
Available from Recorded in January 1969 at Twickenham Film Studios just outside London, Let It Be was a miserable experience for all concerned. The Beatles were constantly filmed while making the album in the process of falling apart. They were so dispirited that, having recorded the tracks, none of them could be bothered to do the necessary post-production work, which was delegated first to producer George Martin, then to Glyn Johns, and finally to Phil Spector. Their unlucky 13th, and last, album, Let It Be was released on May 8, 1970, in the U.K., topping the chart two weeks later. In America, with 3.7 million advance orders, it achieved the highest initial sale of any album in history, and subsequently picked up an Oscar as best Soundtrack of the Year.
George Martin: We'd do take after take after take--and then John would be asking whether Take 67 was better than Take 39. I'd say, "John, I honestly don't know." "You're no f***ing good then, are you?" he'd say. That was the general atmosphere.
John Lennon: It was a dreadful, dreadful feeling in Twickenham Studios being filmed all the time. You couldn't make music at 10 in the morning, or whatever it was, with people filming you and colored lights.
Engineer Glyn Johns edited the original session tapes into a a finished album called "Get Back." The Beatles could not agree on the final product and the entire project was shelved for over a year until Allen Klein, the Beatles' new manager, dusted it off.
Klein wasn't happy with the quality of the tapes Johns had edited and hired Phil Spector to produce a soundtrack album, giving him the formidable task of sifting through hundreds of hours of studio and live tapes to produce something marketable. Spector, who had never worked with the Beatles before, added orchestrations and female choruses. The resulting record was a disappointment to many Beatle fans and the Beatles themselves. Still, Let It Be was a No. 1 record.
John Lennon: By the time we got to Let It Be, we couldn't play the game anymore; we couldn't do it anymore. It came to the point where it was no longer creating magic, and the camera, being in the room with us, sort of made us aware of that, that it was a phony situation ...
It was hell making the film Let It Be. When it came out, a lot of people complained about Yoko looking miserable in it. But even the biggest Beatle fan couldn't have sat through those six weeks of misery. It was the most miserable session on earth.
Paul McCartney: In fact, what happened, when we got in there, we showed how a break-up of a group works. We didn't realize that we were sort of breaking up as it was happening.
George Harrison: As everybody knows, we never had much privacy and, you know, this thing that was happening was they were filming us rehearsing. There was a bit of a row going on between Paul and I. You can see it, where he's saying, "Well don't play this," or something and I'm saying, "Well, you know I'll play what you want or I won't play if you don't want it, you know, just make up your mind." That kind of stuff was going on. And they were filming us, recording us having a row, you know, it was like, terrible really. I thought, "I'm quite capable of being relatively happy on my own and I'm not able to be happy in this situation, you know, I'm getting out of here."
Ringo Starr: I think everyone was getting a little tired of us by then because we were taking a long time and there were many discussions going on by then — many heated discussions.
By the end of 1970, the Beatles had sold over 500 million records.
| Original Vinyl Track Listing | Side 1
1. Two of Us
2. Dig a Pony
3. Across the Universe
4. I Me Mine
5. Dig It
6. Let It Be
7. [Maggie Mae]
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Side 2
1. I've Got a Feeling
2. One After 909
3. The Long and Winding Road
4. For You Blue
5. Get Back |
All tracks on 1 compact disc. |
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Let It Be . . . Naked
Available from How much better, you could be forgiven for wondering, could Let It Be be? The answer, perhaps surprisingly, is "a bit." Let It Be, while obviously better than almost everything ever recorded by anyone else, was compromised by the fact that the Beatles were disintegrating as a unit during the recording sessions, the rancour most famously illustrated by John Lennon calling in Phil Spector behind Paul McCartney's back to rework "The Long and Winding Road". Let It Be... Naked, then, is the album as the Beatles would have heard it while they were making it.
| Original Vinyl Track Listing | Side 1
1. Get Back
2. Dig A Pony
3. For You Blue
4. The Long And Winding Road
5. Two Of Us
6. I've Got A Feeling
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Side 2
7. One After 909
8. Don't Let Me Down
9. I Me Mine
10. Across The Universe
11. Let It Be
| All tracks on 1 compact disc. |
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Beatles Red 62-66
Available from The closest the Beatles came to a greatest hits package, this document of the early part of their career features hit singles (in chronological order) and selected album tracks, running from "Love Me Do" through the groundbreaking Rubber Soul and Revolver albums. While this may be an excellent intro for beginners, real fans will never be content with only selections, especially when you're dealing with those aforementioned albums. Capitol packages the collection on two discs, copying the original vinyl version--but, of course, CDs hold more music than records did. Still, you do get 26 bona fide classics, so there's no real need to complain. The album now appears in a remastered format.
| Original Vinyl Track Listing | Record 1 Side 1
1. Love Me Do
2. Please Please Me
3. From Me to You
4. She Loves You
5. I Want to Hold Your Hand
6. All My Loving
7. Can't Buy Me Love | | Record 1 Side 2
1. Hard Day's Night
2. And I Love Her
3. Eight Days a Week
4. I Feel Fine
5. Ticket to Ride
6. Yesterday |
Record 2 Side 3
1. Help!
2. You've Got to Hide Your Love Away
3. We Can Work It Out
4. Day Tripper
5. Drive My Car
6. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)
7. Nowhere Man | | Record 2 Side 4
1. Michelle
2. In My Life
3. Girl
4. Paperback Writer
5. Eleanor Rigby
6. Yellow Submarine |
All tracks on 2 compact discs. |
|
Beatles Blue 67-70
Available from Even as the Beatles began heading toward an inevitable break-up, their prolific ways continued; this two-record look back only skims the surface of their later achievements. Excerpts from Sgt. Pepper, Magical Mystery Tour, The Beatles [White Album], Abbey Road, and Let It Be compete for space with classic singles that do as much or more to prove their eclecticism: the epic ballad "Hey Jude," the plaintive "Strawberry Fields Forever," straight rock & roll of all stripes from the plainspoken "Revolution" and "Get Back" to the surreal "Come Together." Decades after the split, this (and its companion set of 1962-1966 cuts) remains a favoured introduction for young listeners and a key sampler for veteran fans.
| Original Vinyl Track Listing | Record 1 Side 1
1. Strawberry Fields Forever
2. Penny Lane
3. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
4. With a Little Help from My Friends
5. Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds
6. Day in the Life
7. All You Need Is Love | | Record 1 Side 2
1. I Am the Walrus
2. Hello, Goodbye
3. Fool on the Hill
4. Magical Mystery Tour
5. Lady Madonna
6. Hey Jude
7. Revolution |
Record 2 Side 3
1. Back in the U.S.S.R.
2. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
3. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
4. Get Back
5. Don't Let Me Down
6. Ballad of John and Yoko
7. Old Brown Shoe | | Record 2 Side 4
1. Here Comes the Sun
2. Come Together
3. Something
4. Octopus's Garden
5. Let It Be
6. Across the Universe
7. Long and Winding Road |
All tracks on 2 compact discs. |
|
Past Masters Volume 1 & 2
Available from Although they were probably the band that most transformed rock from a singles medium to an album-oriented form, the Beatles also released many singles and EP tracks that never made it onto albums. In the U.S., Capitol turned the group's early LPs, through Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, into compilations, more or less, throwing the hit singles onto the vinyl to augment the album tracks. When the label later released the U.K. albums on CD, it posed a problem: What to do with the non-LP singles? Past Masters, Volume 1 compiles 18 of those singles, including some of their best-known tracks, running from "Love Me Do," "She Loves You," "I Want to Hold Your Hand," and "This Boy" to "I Feel Fine" and Paul's homage to Little Richard, "I'm Down." Essential stuff. Past Masters, Volume 2 completes the journey through the Beatles' musical landscape, with such notable additions as "Rain," "Hey Jude" and "Across The Universe."
| Original Vinyl Track Listing | Volume 1 Side 1
1. Love Me Do (Single Version)
2. From Me To You
3. Thank You Girl
4. She Loves You
5. I'll Get You
6. I Want To Hold Your Hand
7. This Boy
8. Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand (I Want To Hold Your Hand)
9. Sie Liebt Dich (She Loves You) | | Volume 1 Side 2
1. Long Tall Sally
2. I Call Your Name
3. Slow Down
4. Matchbox
5. I Feel Fine
6. She's a Woman
7. Bad Boy
8. Yes It Is
9. I'm Down |
Volume 2 Side 1
1. Day Tripper
2. We Can Work It Out
3. Paperback Writer
4. Rain
5. Lady Madonna
6. Inner Light
7. Hey Jude
8. Revolution | | Volume 2 Side 2
1. Get Back
2. Don't Let Me Down
3. Ballad of John and Yoko
4. Old Brown Shoe
5. Across the Universe
6. Let It Be
7. You Know My Name (Look up the Number) |
All tracks on 2 compact discs. |
|
 
Anthology 1
Available from This is the first release in a three-part series that essentially amounted to the three surviving Beatles officially sanctioning the release of tracks that had been bootlegged for years. Thus, you get some of their earliest recordings as teens; the tracks they cut in Hamburg, Germany; their Decca audition tapes (which were rejected); and, finally, alternate takes and works in progress of songs that are now part of the world's consciousness. Oh, yeah, you also get "Free As a Bird," the John Lennon track the other Beatles "finished" in 1995. It's out of context in the company of some of the group's early classics. Die-hard Beatles fans, of course, love exploring this stuff, but the three Anthologies are hardly a place for beginners to start their explorations.
| CD Track Listing | Disc 1
- Free as a Bird
- John Lennon
- That'll Be the Day
- In Spite of All the Danger
- Paul McCartney
- Hallelujah, I Love Her So
- You'll Be Mine
-
Cayenne
- Paul
- My Bonnie
- Ain't She Sweet
- Cry For a Shadow
- John
- Brian Epstein
- Searchin'
- Three Cool Cats
- Sheik of Araby, The
- Like Dreamers Do
- Hello Little Girl
- Brian Epstein
- Besame Mucho
- Love Me Do
- How Do You Do It
- Please Please Me
- One After 909
- One After 909
- Lend Me Your Comb
- I'll Get You
- John
- I Saw Her Standing There
- From Me to You
- Money (That's What I Want)
- You Really Got a Hold on Me
- Roll Over Beethoven
|
Disc 2
- She Loves You
- Till There Was You
- Twist and Shout
- This Boy
- I Want to Hold Your Hand
- Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise
- Moonlight Bay
- Can't Buy Me Love
- All My Loving
- You Can't Do That
- And I Love Her
- Hard Day's Night, A
- I Wanna Be Your Man
- Long Tall Sally
|
|
Anthology 2If you are, like me, a long-time Beatles fan, you will love this twist on what I personally believe to be the most experimental and brave period of the Fabs glittering career. Whilst most of the tracks are good (only a few clinkers, such as the tedious "Green Onions" clone of "12 Bar Instrumental" are present), the real gold in these tracks is that they enable the listener to follow (or try and follow) the development of a particular song. Listening to some of the songs is like seeing old and well-loved buildings only half-built, such as "A Day In The Life." In particular, listening to the basic unadorned take of "I Am The Walrus" is like suddenly finding your eccentric Auntie Nellie pruning roses in the nude ...!
Now there's a simile to keep you up at night.
Musicians (pro or amateur) will be fascinated by the alternative takes & half-developed ideas, trying to figure out the logic behind why certain ideas were dropped and others developed. And in case I've wondered off the point a little, I'll say it again, brilliant music, to be appreciated by EVERYBODY.
Get this, if only for a fascinating glimpse of the inner musical workings a bunch pop geniuses, illustrated and dissected in the manner of an anatomical text book.
| CD Track Listing | Disc 1
- Real Love
- Yes It Is
- I'm Down
- You've Got to Hide Your Love Away
- If You've Got Trouble
- That Means a Lot
- Yesterday
- It's Only Love
- I Feel Fine
- Ticket to Ride
- Yesterday
- Help!
- Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby
- Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)
- I'm Looking Through You
- 12-Bar Original
- Tomorrow Never Knows
- Got to Get You into My Life
- And Your Bird Can Sing
- Taxman
- Eleanor Rigby
- I'm Only Sleeping
- I'm Only Sleeping
- Rock & Roll Music
- She's a Woman
|
Disc 2
- Strawberry Fields Forever
- Strawberry Fields Forever
- Strawberry Fields Forever
- Penny Lane
- Day in the Life, A
- Good Morning, Good Morning
- Only a Northern Song
- Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!
- Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!
- Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds
- Within You, Without You
- Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)
- You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)
- I Am the Walrus
- Fool on the Hill, The
- Your Mother Should Know
- The Fool on the Hill
- Hello Goodbye
- Lady Madonna
- Across the Universe
|
|
Anthology 3
Available from From the White Album to the end, the last days of the Beatles weren't smooth, which made the fact that they still produced some astonishing music all the more remarkable. In abbreviated form, "What's the New Mary Jane" is finally issued here, and proves underwhelming. For the rest of the set, it's largely down to outtakes and demos, but this time there isn't the same insight of the previous two volumes. Anthology 3 comes dangerously close to the sound of barrels being scraped. That said, it's the Beatles, and in whatever form, the music still shines brilliantly.
| CD Track Listing | Disc 1
- A Beginning
- Happiness Is a Warm Gun
- Helter Skelter
- Mean Mr. Mustard
- Polythene Pam
- Glass Onion
- Junk
- Piggies
- Honey Pie
- Don't Pass Me By
- Ob-la-di, Ob-la-Da
- Good Night
- Cry Baby Cry
- Blackbird
- Sexy Sadie
- While My Guitar Gently Weeps
- Hey Jude
- Not Guilty
- Mother Nature's Son
- Glass Onion
- Rocky Raccoon
- What's the New Mary Jane
- Step Inside Love / Los Paranoius
- I'm So Tired
- I Will
- Why Don't We Do It in the Road
- Julia
|
Disc 2
- I've Got a Feeling
- She Came in Through the Bathroom Window
- Dig a Pony
- Two of Us
- For You Blue
- Teddy Boy
- Rip It Up / Shake, Rattle And Roll / Blue Suede Shoes
- The Long and Winding Road,
- Oh! Darling
- All Things Must Pass
- Mailman, Bring Me No More Blues
- Get Back
- Old Brown Shoe
- Octopus's Garden
- Maxwell's Silver Hammer
- Something
- Come Together
- Come and Get It
- Ain't She Sweet
- Because
- Let It Be
- I Me Mine
- The End
|
|
Live at the BBC
[LIVE]
Available from The surviving members of the Fab Four spent much of the 1990's belatedly reuniting to document, promote, and occasionally awkwardly burnish their unparalleled pop music legacy. This double-disc anthology of live-in-the-studio performances originally recorded specifically for the BBC during the most frantic years of early Beatlemania was the first chapter in that effort and the first issuance of previously unreleased Beatles recordings since the late '70s. In many ways, it remains the most artistically revealing.
| CD Track Listing | Disc 1
- Beatle Greetings
- From Us to You
- Riding on a Bus
- I Got a Woman
- Too Much Monkey Business
- Keep Your Hands off My Baby
- I'll Be on My Way
- Young Blood
- Shot of Rhythm and Blues, A
- Sure to Fall (In Love With You)
- Some Other Guy
- Thank You Girl
- Sha la la la La!
- Baby It's You
- That's All Right (Mama)
- Carol
- Soldier of Love (Lay Down Your Arms)
- A Little Rhyme
- Clarabella
- I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry (Over You)
- Crying, Waiting, Hoping
- Dear Wack!
- You Really Got a Hold on Me
- To Know Her Is to Love Her
- A Taste of Honey
- Long Tall Sally
- I Saw Her Standing There
- Honeymoon Song, The
- Johnny B. Goode
- Memphis
- Lucille
- Can't Buy Me Love
- From Fluff to You
- Till There Was You
|
Disc 2
- Crinsk Dee Night
- A Hard Day's Night
- Have a Banana!
- I Wanna Be Your Man
- Just a Rumor
- Roll over Beethoven
- All My Loving
- Things We Said Today
- She's a Woman
- Sweet Little Sixteen
- 1822!
- Lonesome Tears in My Eyes
- Nothin' Shakin' (But the Leaves on the Trees)
- Hippy Hippy Shake, The
|
|
Compact Disc EP Collection
[Box set] |
CD Singles Collection
[Box set]Import only boxset containing 22 CD replicas of the Fab Four's original seven inch singles issued in the UK between 1962 and 1970. Each CD is packaged in a cardboard replica sleeve that features the cover art from the seven inch singles that were reissued in the '80s. From 'Love Me Do' to 'Let It Be', all their singles are present and accounted for. The original B-sides are obviously included, making this an essential purchase for any Beatles freak. Hold a piece of musical history in your hands as you experience The Beatles' music as originally intended for release. 44 tracks.
| 22 CD Singles (2 Tracks each) |
1. Strawberry Fields Forever
2. Penny Lane
3. Get Back
4. Don't Let Me Down
5. Ballad Of John & Yoko
6. Old Brown Shoe
7. Something
8. Come Together
9. Yellow Submarine
10. Eleanor Rigby
11. We Can Work It Out
12. Day Tripper
13. Ticket To Ride
14. Yes It Is
15. Help
16. I'm Down
17. I Feel Fine
18. She's A Woman
19. Hard Day's Night
20. Things We Said Today
21. Hello Goodbye
22. I Am The Walrus
|
23. Lady Madonna
24. Inner Light
25. Love Me Do
26. P S I Love You
27. Please Please Me
28. Ask Me Why
29. Papaerback Writer
30. Rain
31. Hey Jude
32. Revolution
33. From Me To You
34. Thank You Girl
35. She Loves You
36. I'll Get You
37. I Want To Hold Your Hand
38. This Boy
39. Can't Buy Me Love
40. You Can't Do That
41. All You Need Is Love
42. Baby You're A Rich Man
43. Let It Be
44. You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)
|
|
The Beatles 1
Available from Proving yet again their willingness to dice 'n' slice their burgeoning legacy into new, if not exactly fresh, product, the Fab Four Minus One released this single disc compendium of their No. 1 hits. Though obviously superfluous to long-time Fabs faithful (who may also find themselves quibbling over the precise definition of "No. 1 hit" and the exclusion of seeming contenders like "Please Please Me" and "Strawberry Fields"), newly arrived visitors from the Pleiades star cluster and other neophytes will find it a concise and generous (nearly 80 minutes) single-disc introduction to the band's career-spanning, unparalleled dominance of pop music in the 1960s and beyond. More than merely a trophy case of commercial success (and it won't be hard to find people to argue that these singles aren't even the band's best work), 1 is also a quick sketch of a remarkable seven-year musical evolution, one that stretches from the neo-skiffle of "Love Me Do" through a remarkable synthesis of R&B, rockabilly, Tin Pan Alley, gospel, country and classical that still defies efforts to effectively deconstruct it.
| Original Vinyl Track Listing | Record 1 Side 1
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. Hard Day's Night
7. I Feel Fine
| |
Record 1 Side 2
1. Eight Days a Week
2. Ticket to Ride
3. Help!
4. Yesterday
5. Day Tripper
6. We Can Work It Out
7. Paperback Writer
|
Record 2 Side 3
1. Yellow Submarine
2. Eleanor Rigby
3. Penny Lane
4. All You Need Is Love
5. Hello, Goodbye
6. Lady Madonna
7. Hey Jude
| |
Record 2 Side 4
1. Get Back
2. Ballad of John and Yoko
3. Something
4. Come Together
5. Let It Be
6. Long and Winding Road |
All tracks on 1 compact disc. |
|
The Capitol Albums Volume 1
Available from When the Beatles catalog was first issued on CD in the '80s, an attempt was made to standardize the releases (which often varied wildly in content internationally) by using their original British format. But this confounded many Fabs fans in the U.S. who now found CDs with track listings that often differed dramatically from their original American LPs. More maddening, the initial four releases were only available in not-so-glorious mono mixes. This four-CD collection of the band's 1964 American album releases finally addresses those concerns, and then some. Meet the Beatles, The Beatles Second Album, Something New, and Beatles '65 have been digitally prepared from Capitol's vintage album masters and presented in both the original stereo and mono mixes released back in '64. This set gives younger fans a chance to finally hear the band's epochal early music in stereo--and should please an older generation by returning massive hit singles like "I Want to Hold Your Hand," "She Loves You," "She's a Woman," and "I Feel Fine" to their original American album contexts. The booklet contains a wealth of rare photos and concise notes by noted Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn.
| CD Track Listing |
Disc 1
|
1. | I Want To Hold Your Hand (Stereo) | |
2. | I Saw Her Standing There (Stereo) | |
3. | This Boy (Stereo) | |
4. | It Won't Be Long (Stereo) | |
5. | All I've Got To Do (Stereo) | |
6. | All My Loving (Stereo) | |
7. | Don't Bother Me (Stereo) | |
8. | Little Child (Stereo) | |
9. | Till There Was You (Stereo) | |
10. | Hold Me Tight (Stereo) | |
11. | I Wanna Be Your Man (Stereo) | |
12. | Not A Second Time (Stereo) | |
13. | I Want To Hold Your Hand (Original Mono) | |
14. | I Saw Her Standing There (Original Mono) | |
15. | This Boy (Original Mono) | |
16. | It Won't Be Long (Original Mono) | |
17. | All I've Got To Do (Original Mono) | |
18. | All My Loving (Original Mono) | |
19. | Don't Bother Me (Original Mono) | |
20. | Little Child (Original Mono) | |
21. | Till There Was You (Original Mono) | |
22. | Hold Me Tight (Original Mono) | |
23. | I Wanna Be Your Man (Original Mono) | |
24. | Not A Second Time (Original Mono) |
|
Disc 2
|
1. | Roll Over Beethoven (Stereo) | |
2. | Thank You Girl (Stereo) | |
3. | You Really Got a Hold On Me (Stereo) | |
4. | Devil In Her Heart (Stereo) | |
5. | Money (alt version to UK release)(Stereo) | |
6. | You Can't Do That (Stereo) | |
7. | Long Tall Sally (Stereo) | |
8. | I Call Your Name (Stereo) | |
9. | Please Mr. Postman (Stereo) | |
10. | I'll Get You (Stereo) | |
11. | She Loves You (Stereo) | |
12. | Roll Over Beethoven (Original Mono) | |
13. | Thank You Girl (Original Mono) | |
14. | You Really Got a Hold On Me (Original Mono) | |
15. | Devil In Her Heart (Original Mono) | |
16. | Money (alt version to UK release) (Original Mono) | |
17. | You Can't Do That (Original Mono) | |
18. | Long Tall Sally (Original Mono) | |
19. | I Call Your Name (Original Mono) | |
20. | Please Mr. Postman (Original Mono) | |
21. | I'll Get You (Original Mono) | |
22. | She Loves You (Original Mono) |
|
Disc 3
|
1. | I'll Cry Instead (Stereo) | |
2. | Things We Said Today (Stereo) | |
3. | Any Time At All (Stereo) | |
4. | When I Get Home (Stereo) | |
5. | Slow Down (Stereo) | |
6. | Matchbox (Stereo) | |
7. | Tell Me Why (Stereo) | |
8. | And I Love Her (Stereo) | |
9. | I'm Happy Just To Dance With You (Stereo) | |
10. | If I Fell (Stereo) | |
11. | Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand (I Want To Hold Your Hand) (Stereo) | |
12. | I'll Cry Instead (Original Mono) | |
13. | Things We Said Today (Original Mono) | |
14. | Any Time At All (Original Mono) | |
15. | When I Get Home (Original Mono) | |
16. | Slow Down (Original Mono) | |
17. | Matchbox (Original Mono) | |
18. | Tell Me Why (Original Mono) | |
19. | And I Love Her (Original Mono) | |
20. | I'm Happy Just To Dance With You (Original Mono) | |
21. | If I Fell (Original Mono) | |
22. | Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand (I Want To Hold Your Hand) (Original Mono) |
|
Disc 4
|
1. | No Reply (Stereo) | |
2. | I'm A Loser (Stereo) | |
3. | Baby's in Black (Stereo) | |
4. | Rock and Roll Music (Stereo) | |
5. | I'll Follow The Sun (Stereo) | |
6. | Mr. Moonlight (Stereo) | |
7. | Honey Don't (Stereo) | |
8. | I'll Be Back (Stereo) | |
9. | She's A Woman (Stereo) | |
10. | I Feel Fine (Stereo) | |
11. | Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby (Stereo) | |
12. | No Reply (Original Mono) | |
13. | I'm A Loser (Original Mono) | |
14. | Baby's in Black (Original Mono) | |
15. | Rock and Roll Music (Original Mono) | |
16. | I'll Follow The Sun (Original Mono) | |
17. | Mr. Moonlight (Original Mono) | |
18. | Honey Don't (Original Mono) | |
19. | I'll Be Back (Original Mono) | |
20. | She's A Woman (Original Mono) | |
21. | I Feel Fine (Original Mono) | |
22. | Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby (Original Mono) |
|
|
The Capitol Albums Volume 2
Available from Unless your name is Ryan Adams, you're probably not in the habit of releasing four albums in four years, let alone the same number in one. But that's exactly what the Beatles did in 1965, thanks to Capitol Records' practice of mixing and matching tracks from their U.K. releases to create new, shorter records for the American market. Because standard-issue Beatles discs follow the British discography, The Capitol Albums, Vol. 2 marks the first CD appearance of The Early Beatles (March), Beatles VI (June), the Help! soundtrack (August), and the U.S. version of Rubber Soul (December), which are presented in both mono and stereo. And since the Brits' Please Please Me and Beatles for Sale are available only in mono, that means a lot of tracks are making their stereo CD debut here, including "Please Please Me," "Twist and Shout," "Kansas City/Hey Hey Hey Hey," "What You're Doing," and "Every Little Thing." This is also the first CD appearance of Ken Thorne's incidental music from Help! (James Bond intro, anyone?), as well as of the original wide-separation stereo mixes of Help! and Rubber Soul (not the 1987 George Martin digital remixes that appear on the British discs). All told, a full 82 of this set's 92 tracks have never before been available on CD. It's not quite the sonic revelation that was Vol. 1 (that box contained 32 stereo CD debuts, this one only 14), but it's a great listen nevertheless. Also included is a colorful, 60-page booklet featuring rare photos and liner notes by Beatles historian Bruce Spizer.
| CD Track Listing |
Disc 1
|
1. | Love Me Do (stereo) | |
2. | Twist And Shout (stereo) | |
3. | Anna (stereo) | |
4. | Chains (stereo) | |
5. | Boys (stereo) | |
6. | Ask Me Why (stereo) | |
7. | Please Please Me (stereo) | |
8. | P. S. I Love You (stereo) | |
9. | Baby It’s You (stereo) | |
10. | A Taste Of Honey (stereo) | |
11. | Do You Want To Know A Secret (stereo) | |
12. | Love Me Do (mono) | |
13. | Twist And Shout (mono) | |
14. | Anna (mono) | |
15. | Chains (mono) | |
16. | Boys (mono) | |
17. | Ask Me Why (mono) | |
18. | Please Please Me (mono) | |
19. | P. S. I Love You (mono) | |
20. | Baby It’s You (mono) | |
21. | A Taste Of Honey (mono) | |
22. | Do You Want To Know A Secret (mono) |
|
Disc 2
|
1. | Kansas City/Hey Hey Hey Hey (stereo) | |
2. | Eight Days A Week (stereo) | |
3. | You Like Me Too Much (stereo) | |
4. | Bad Boy (stereo) | |
5. | I Don’t Want To Spoil The Party (stereo) | |
6. | Words Of Love (stereo) | |
7. | What You’re Doing (stereo) | |
8. | Yes It Is (stereo) | |
9. | Dizzy Miss Lizzie (stereo) | |
10. | Tell Me What You See (stereo) | |
11. | Every Little Thing (stereo) | |
12. | Kansas City/Hey Hey Hey Hey (mono) | |
13. | Eight Days A Week (mono) | |
14. | You Like Me Too Much (mono) | |
15. | Bad Boy (mono) | |
16. | I Don’t Want To Spoil The Party (mono) | |
17. | Words Of Love (mono) | |
18. | What You’re Doing (mono) | |
19. | Yes It Is (mono) | |
20. | Dizzy Miss Lizzie (mono) | |
21. | Tell Me What You See (mono) | |
22. | Every Little Thing (mono) |
|
Disc 3
|
1. | Help! (stereo) | |
2. | The Night Before (stereo) | |
3. | From Me To You Fantasy (Instrumental - stereo) | |
4. | You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away (stereo) | |
5. | I Need You (stereo) | |
6. | In The Tyrol (Instrumental- stereo) | |
7. | Another Girl (stereo) | |
8. | Another Hard Day’s Night (Instrumental - stereo) | |
9. | Ticket To Ride (stereo) | |
10. | The Bitter End/You Can’t Do That (Instrumental - stereo) | |
11. | You’re Gonna Lose That Girl (stereo) | |
12. | The Chase (Instrumental - stereo) | |
13. | Help! (mono) | |
14. | The Night Before (mono) | |
15. | From Me To You Fantasy (Instrumental - mono) | |
16. | You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away (mono) | |
17. | I Need You (mono) | |
18. | In The Tyrol (Instrumental- mono) | |
19. | Another Girl (mono) | |
20. | Another Hard Day’s Night (Instrumental - mono) | |
21. | Ticket To Ride (mono) | |
22. | The Bitter End/You Can’t Do That (Instrumental - mono) | |
23. | You’re Gonna Lose That Girl (mono) | |
24. | The Chase (Instrumental - mono) |
|
Disc 4
|
1. | I’ve Just Seen A Face (stereo) | |
2. | Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown - stereo) | |
3. | You Won’t See Me (stereo) | |
4. | Think For Yourself (stereo) | |
5. | The Word (stereo) | |
6. | Michelle (stereo) | |
7. | It’s Only Love (stereo) | |
8. | Girl (stereo) | |
9. | I’m Looking Through You (stereo) | |
10. | In My Life (stereo) | |
11. | Wait (stereo) | |
12. | Run For Your Life (stereo) | |
13. | I’ve Just Seen A Face (mono) | |
14. | Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown - mono) | |
15. | You Won’t See Me (mono) | |
16. | Think For Yourself (mono) | |
17. | The Word (mono) | |
18. | Michelle (mono) | |
19. | It’s Only Love (mono) | |
20. | Girl (mono) | |
21. | I’m Looking Through You (mono) | |
22. | In My Life (mono) | |
23. | Wait (mono) | |
24. | Run For Your Life (mono) |
|
|
The Beatles Stereo Box Set
[Box set, Original recording remastered]
Available from Distributed in 2009, this set includes all the original Beatles' albums in a remastered format. A great gift for the new Beatles fan or the serious collector. The set comes in a hard black glossy lift top with magnet clasp, and the
CDs are packaged in three panel digi-pak with digital mini documentaries. All 13 Studio remasters are included:
- Please Please Me
- With The Beatles
- A Hard Day's Night
- Beatles For Sale
- Help!
- Rubber Soul
- Revolver
- Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
- Magical Mystery Tour
- The Beatles
- Yellow Submarine
- Abbey Road
- Let It Be
- Past Masters
The set also includes a DVD of all 13 mini-documentaries (Running time: 40 minutes).
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The Beatles Mono Box Set
[Box set, Limited Edition, Original recording remastered]
Available from The Beatles Mono Box Set was compiled as a special interest package for the hard-core fan. It presents the first ten albums in re-mastered mono (the final 3 albums made their debuts in stereo only), and a double album of singles and EPs, called "Mono Masters". At the time of writing, the mono albums are not available individually. Why would anyone want a newly minted mono collection? The final mono songs were sometimes different. Stereo mixes were usually done days, if not weeks after the original mono mix, and could include different takes when the engineers made the overdubs. Stereo mixes, particularly for the first five albums, did not include as much critical listening from George Martin, and almost none from the Fab' Four. Also, stereo in early 60's England was not broadcast over the air, and the format was largely the preserve of the hi-fi snob. For more than half The Beatles recorded repertoire, the most affordable "weapon of choice" for the twisting, shouting teenage market was the mono mix. Ironically - this box set is the best The Beatles have ever sounded. Like the stereo sibling these are re-mastered, not re-mixed, but unlike the stereo, they have not been clipped or limited to push levels closer to current music ingested through our MP3 players. These albums are cleaner than ever before and compared to the 1980s CD editions you're taken aback by how much dynamic range is on those original tapes. Nothing in this box sounds like a 45 year old recording. Each disc is presented as if it were a miniature "33", replete with plastic anti-scratch sleeve, inner paper sleeve, original album cover, inserts and all original text rendered frustratingly small for anyone old enough to have bought the LPs the first time around.
The box set contains all the songs from 11 albums (12 discs):
- Please Please Me
- With The Beatles
- A Hard Day's Night
- Beatles For Sale
- Help! (CD also includes original 1965 stereo mix — mono mix CD debut)
- Rubber Soul (CD also include original 1965 stereo mix — mono mix CD debut)
- Revolver (mono mix CD debut)
- Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (mono mix CD debut)
- Magical Mystery Tour (mono mix CD debut)
- The Beatles (mono mix CD debut)
- Mono Masters (features all of the mono tracks that appeared on singles, EPs, or that never made it onto the 13 albums)
Yellow Submarine, Abbey Road and Let It Be are not included, as they were originally recorded only in stereo.
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