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The Beatles U.S. albums 50th anniversary

The Beatles U.S. Albums box set
released on CD to coincide
with Beatles 50th anniversary

beatles box set

 

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Beatles first visit to America and their historic appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, The U.S. Albums, a new 13-CD Beatles collection spanning 1964’s Meet The Beatles! to 1970’s Hey Jude, was released on January 21, 2014 by Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol.

The albums are presented in mono and stereo, with the exception of The Beatles’ Story and Hey Jude, which are in stereo only.  Collected in a boxed set with faithfully replicated original LP artwork, including the albums’ inner sleeves, the 13 CDs are accompanied by a 64-page booklet with Beatles photos and promotional art from the time, as well as a new essay by American author and television executive Bill Flanagan.

beatles
The Beatles with Ed Sullivan, February 1964
(photo courtesy Capitol Photo Archives)

For a limited time, all of the albums (with the exception of The Beatles’ Story, an audio documentary album) will also be available for individual CD purchase.  A Hard Day’s Night (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), The Beatles’ Story, Yesterday And Today, Hey Jude, and the U.S. version of Revolver make their CD debuts with these releases.

beatles ad
An original Capitol Records advertisement, 1963
(photo courtesy Capitol Photo Archives)

By the end of 1963, before The Beatles’ American arrival, “Beatlemania” had already sprung forth across the Atlantic to take root in the U.S.  In early December, The New York Times published a Sunday magazine feature and “CBS Evening News” aired an in-depth report about the unprecedented frenzy over the young band from Liverpool.  Radio stations in the U.S. began playing The Beatles’ latest U.K. single, “I Want To Hold Your Hand,” in heavy rotation, trying to meet an insatiable listener demand.

beatles
The Beatles in Washington DC, February 1964
(photo courtesy Capitol Photo Archives)

Capitol Records rushed out the American single for “I Want To Hold Your Hand” (with B-side “I Saw Her Standing There”) on December 26, three weeks ahead of schedule and one month after the single’s U.K. release.  More than one million copies of the U.S. single were sold within 10 days.

In early January 1964, Vee-Jay reissued “Please Please Me” (with B-side “From Me To You”), and Swan reissued “She Loves You.”  The Beatles’ first Capitol album, Meet The Beatles!, followed on January 20.  After achieving the No. 1 chart position for five consecutive weeks in the U.K., “I Want To Hold Your Hand” reached the top of the U.S. singles chart on February 1, holding the No. 1 position for seven consecutive weeks, and within two months, more than 3.5 million copies of Meet The Beatles! were sold in the U.S.

 

 

Billboard’s Hot 100 Singles chart for April 5, 1964 was graced by 12 Beatles songs, including the chart’s Top 5 positions, a sweep of the chart’s summit that has not been achieved by any other artist since.

(Excerpts from official Capitol/Universal press release)

 

The Beatles’ U.S. albums differ from the band’s U.K. albums in a variety of ways, including different track lists, song mixes, album titles, and art.

Learn more about the differences between The Beatles original UK and US album releases

Article: Lennon was not a fan of Beatles U.S. album versions, now released on CD

Article: How Capitol created the ‘Meet the Beatles’ album

meet the beatles

 

The U.S. Albums
Available individually, or in a boxed collection accompanied by a 64-page booklet.

Meet the Beatles!
[Capitol Records:  released January 10, 1964; 11 weeks at No. 1]

The Beatles’ Second Album
[Capitol Records:  released April 10, 1964; five weeks at No. 1]

A Hard Day’s Night (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (CD debut)
[United Artists:  released June 26, 1964; 14 weeks at No. 1]

Something New
[Capitol Records:  released July 20, 1964; nine weeks at No. 2]

The Beatles’ Story (stereo only) (not available individually) (CD debut)
[Capitol Records:  released November 23, 1964; peaked at No. 7]

Beatles ’65
[Capitol Records:  released December 15, 1964; nine weeks at No. 1]

The Early Beatles
[Capitol Records:  released March 22, 1965; peaked at No. 43]

Beatles VI
[Capitol Records:  released June 14, 1965; six weeks at No. 1]

Help! (original motion picture soundtrack)
[Capitol Records:  released August 13, 1965; nine weeks at No. 1]

Rubber Soul
[released December 6, 1965; six weeks at No. 1]

Yesterday and Today (CD debut)
[Capitol Records:  released June 20, 1966; five weeks at No. 1]

Revolver (CD debut)
[Capitol Records:  released August 8, 1966; six weeks at No. 1]

Hey Jude (stereo only) (CD debut)
[Apple Records:  released February 26, 1970; four weeks at No. 2]

 

The Mastered for iTunes LP collection, including a 64-page booklet with Beatles photos and promotional art from the time, as well as a new essay by American author and television executive Bill Flanagan, is available exclusively on iTunes (www.iTunes.com/TheBeatles).

 

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