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Beatles American Album Releases, 1963-1970
The timeline shows twelve albums created in less than ten years. The Beatles emerged from borderland novelty status to musicians whose work was taken seriously, emulated, and widely covered. Their early music, derivative of everyone from Carl Perkins and Little Richard to The Isely Brothers and Motown, was left behind for folk, Eastern and experimental modes The incredible studio output and musical diversity ended with burn out and dissolution of the band an the era they had dominated. -
Please Please Me
Ten of the album's fourteen tracks were recorded in just one day - 11th February, 1963 -
With the Beatles
With The Beatles shot to No. 1 in the Britain replacing Please Please Me and remained there for 21 of the 51 weeks it spent in the Top Twenty. -
A Hard Day's Night
The US version (issued in late June) was a soundtrack which as well as featuring a number of the songs from the UK album also included four instrumental pieces from the film's soundtrack performed by George Martin's Orchestra. -
Beatles for Sale
"THE REHEARSAL WOULD GO ON IN THE STUDIO BECAUSE FROM VERY EARLY ON A LOT OF THE SONGS WEREN'T FINISHED, THE IDEAS WERE THERE FOR THE SONGS OR THE FIRST VERSE OR A CHORUS BUT IT, IT COULD BE CHANGED BY THE WRITERS AS WE WERE DOING IT." RINGO -
Help
Like A Hard Day's Night, Help! contained the songs from the film on side one of the album with the other side devoted to other new recordings including two covers. -
Rubber Soul
"THEY WERE GETTING MORE AND MORE INTERESTED IN UNUSUAL SOUNDS. THEY WERE TRYING OUT NEW INSTRUMENTS AND ALWAYS COMING TO ME SAYING, 'WHAT, WHAT IDEAS HAVE YOU GOT FOR THIS?". GEORGE MARTIN -
Revolver
"IT WAS ON REVOLVER THAT, OF COURSE, WE HAVE THE TRACK TOMORROW NEVER KNOWS - WHICH WAS A GREAT INNOVATION." GEORGE MARTIN -
Sgt. Pepper's Lonley Heart's Club Band
Of course the music was more complex and now that touring was over, there was no need to consider what could be reproduced in front of a live audience. -
Magical Mystery Tour
"IF YOU THINK IT WAS GOOD, KEEP IT, IF YOU DON'T, SCRAP IT." JOHN -
The Beatles (The White Album)
The colourful artwork that had adorned Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Magical Mystery Tour albums was absent here. The double wallet merely had words The BEATLES embossed on the front cover. Early copies also had a individual number stamped on the front. Inside the package along with the two discs wrapped in black inner sleeves were four individual photographs of the guys and a folded poster containing a photo-collage with the lyrics to the songs on the reverse. -
Yellow Submarine
The album was never intended as a high profile Beatles release, indeed it was issued when The Beatles was still no. 1. Despite that the album still managed a no. 3 position in Britain and climbed one place higher in the US. -
Abbey Road
For the first time on a Beatles album, the front cover contained neither the group's name nor the album title just that iconic photograph taken on the zebra crossing near the entrance to the studios in London NW8 in August 1969. -
Let it Be
"THEY WERE QUITE GOOD SESSIONS ONCE WE GOT INTO APPLE I REMEMBER YOU KNOW SITTING ROUND QUITE ENJOYING THE MUSIC, IT WAS INTERESTING MUSIC TO PLAY AND WE ENDED UP ON THE ROOF." PAUL