The Beatles discography
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia -
Cite This Source
The Beatles released twelve original
albums, twelve
EPs (featuring mostly otherwise available material), one
double EP, and twenty-two
singles (featuring mostly otherwise unavailable material) in eight years (
1962-
1970) in their native
United Kingdom. Their international discography is complicated, however, due to sometimes different versions of their albums released in other countries, particularly in their early years on
Capitol Records in the
United States. In addition, most of their releases are available in both
mono and
stereo mixes.
Historical background
The first seven Beatles albums appeared in different versions in the U.S., where
Capitol Records mixed UK album tracks with UK single tracks to create different albums altogether, with different titles, track listings, and often different audio mixes. The first eight of these records have been released on CD as
The Capitol Albums, Volume 1 (2004) and
The Capitol Albums, Volume 2 (2006). The Capitol release of
Rubber Soul is preferred by some over its UK counterpart, due to its more folky flavour; it was this version of the album that greatly influenced the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson, who "answered" it by releasing
Pet Sounds in 1966. Upon the release of
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in
1967, the Beatles albums had the same track listing in both the U.S. and the UK (The only exception to this is
Magical Mystery Tour, which was released as a
double EP in the UK, and a longer
LP in the U.S.).
The first ten (of twelve) Beatles albums were released in both mono and stereo mixes. However, stereo record players were rare at the time, so producer George Martin and the Beatles gave more time and attention to preparing mono mixes of their recordings, particularly for their early records. Therefore, the mono versions are considered by many to be the "official" versions, as opposed to the stereo releases. In fact, when the Beatles discography was released on CD in the 1980s, the mono mixes of the first four albums were used, rather than the stereo mixes. However, the last two albums, Abbey Road and Let It Be, were mixed and released in stereo only.
The Beatles UK discography was released on CD in the late 1980s. However, the sound of the digital transfers of the current discs, produced by George Martin in 1987 and 1988 using the best equipment available during the early days of the format, no longer meet standards achievable using current techniques. The sound on the remastered catalogues of Bob Dylan, the Bee Gees, the Beach Boys, and the Rolling Stones, among other heavyweights from the 1960s, have been greatly enhanced using technological developments that have occurred since Martin's initial digital mastering, and as of 2007, similar work for the Beatles is long overdue. In addition, many Beatles enthusiasts feel that the CD releases of the albums are inferior because the recordings were originally mastered to be played on vinyl, which, when played back, arguably possess a warm sound which CDs are not able to reproduce. Many purists today still listen to Beatles albums only on vinyl.
Olivia Harrison recently stated that the Beatles songs and albums had been remastered, and were in the final production stage. However, Harrison did state that she feels these may not be released until the end of 2008, possibly due to changes that may need to be made.
Studio albums
UK albums
This is a listing of the official studio albums released in the
UK by
The Beatles (not including compilations).
|
|
|
| With the Beatles (#1 for 21 weeks, plus another 10 weeks at #2; 53 weeks on chart)
|
| Label:
| Parlophone PMC 1206 (Mono)/PCS 3045 (Stereo)
|
| Released:
| 1963-11-22
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Beatles for Sale (#1 for 11 weeks, plus another 11 weeks at #2; 48 weeks on chart)
|
| Label:
| Parlophone PMC 1240 (Mono)/PCS 3062 (Stereo)
|
| Released:
| 1964-12-04
|
|
|
|
|
| Help! (#1 for 9 weeks – debut at #1, plus another 6 weeks at #2; 41 weeks on chart)
|
| Label:
| Parlophone PMC 1255 (Mono)/PCS 3071 (Stereo)
|
| Released:
| 1965-08-06
|
|
|
|
|
| Rubber Soul (#1 for 8 weeks, plus another 11 weeks at #2; 47 weeks on chart)
|
| Label:
| Parlophone PMC 1267 (Mono)/PCS 3075 (Stereo)
|
| Released:
| 1965-12-03
|
|
|
|
|
| Revolver (#1 for 7 weeks – debut at #1, plus another 6 weeks at #2; 46 weeks on chart)
|
| Label:
| Parlophone PMC 7009 (Mono)/PCS 7009 (Stereo)
|
| Released:
| 1966-08-05
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| The Beatles ("The White Album") (#1 for 8 weeks – debut at #1, plus another 2 weeks at #2; 24 weeks on chart)
|
| Label:
| Apple/Parlophone PMC 7067-7068 (Mono)/PCS 7067-7068 (Stereo)
|
| Released:
| 1968-11-22
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Abbey Road (#1 for 17 weeks – debut at #1, plus 1 week at #2; 92 weeks on chart)
|
| Label:
| Apple/Parlophone PCS 7088 Albums in stereo only from this point on.
|
| Released:
| 1969-09-26
|
|
|
|
|
| Let It Be (#1 for 3 weeks – debut at #1, plus another 4 weeks at #2; 60 weeks on chart)
|
| Label:
| Apple/Parlophone PXS 1 (Box Set) /PCS 7096 (Regular LP)
|
| Released:
| 1970-05-08 (Box Set)
1970-11-06 (Regular LP)
|
|
|
|
U.S. albums
In the
United States, as noted above, The Beatles albums were rearranged, retitled and remixed. Some of the U.S. releases were nearly identical to their UK counterparts, often only varying by one or two songs. Most releases contained songs that were also found on other records, which made things difficult for the American Beatles fan trying to purchase the band's entire catalogue. By 1967, beginning with
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, all U.S. releases matched the UK releases exactly (with the exception of the UK double EP
Magical Mystery Tour (1967), which was released as an LP in the U.S. and included extra tracks not found on the UK release).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Something New (#2 for 9 weeks; 41 weeks on chart) (8/15/1964)
|
| Label:
| Capitol T 2108 (Mono)/ST 2108 (Stereo)
|
| Released:
| 1964-07-20
|
|
|
|
|
| Beatles '65 (#1 for 9 weeks; 71 weeks on chart) (1/9/1965-)
|
| Label:
| Capitol T 2228 (Mono)/ST 2228 (Stereo)
|
| Released:
| 1964-12-15
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Beatles VI (#1 for 6 weeks, plus another 2 weeks at #2; 41 weeks on chart) (7/10/1965)
|
| Label:
| Capitol T 2358 (Mono)/ST 2358 (Stereo)
|
| Released:
| 1965-06-14
|
|
|
|
|
| Help! (#1 for 9 weeks, plus another week at #2; 44 weeks on chart) (9/11/1965) {The Movie Soundtrack}
|
| Label:
| Capitol MAS 2386 (Mono)/SMAS 2386 (Stereo)
|
| Released:
| 1965-08-13
|
|
|
|
|
| Rubber Soul (#1 for 6 weeks, plus another 2 weeks at #2; 59 weeks on chart) (1/8/1966-)
|
| Label:
| Capitol T 2442 (Mono)/ST 2442 (Stereo)
|
| Released:
| 1965-12-06
|
|
|
|
|
| Yesterday… and Today (#1 for 5 weeks, plus another 2 weeks at #2; 31 weeks on chart) (7/16/1966)
|
| Label:
| Capitol T 2553 (Mono)/ST 2553 (Stereo)
|
| Released:
| 1966-06-20
|
|
|
|
|
| Revolver (#1 for 6 weeks, plus another 2 weeks at #2; 77 weeks on chart) (9/10/1966)
|
| Label:
| Capitol T 2576 (Mono)/ST 2576 (Stereo)
|
| Released:
| 1966-08-08
|
|
|
|
|
| Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (#1 for 15 weeks, plus another 6 weeks at #2; 175 weeks on chart) (6/24/1967) "Grammy Award Winner for the Album of the Year in1967"
|
| Label:
| Capitol MAS 2653 (Mono)/SMAS 2653 (Stereo)
|
| Released:
| 1967-06-02
|
| Track listing is identical to the UK release. It should be noted, though, that the two seconds of gibberish placed on the concentric groove of the UK release was left off the U.S. release.
|
|
|
| Magical Mystery Tour (#1 for 8 weeks; 91 weeks on chart) (12/30/1967+) (1/6/1968-) {The Movie Soundtrack & 1967 singles}
|
| Label:
| Capitol MAL 2835 (Mono)/SMAL 2835 (Stereo)
|
| Released:
| 1967-11-27
|
|
|
|
|
| The Beatles (#1 for 9 weeks, plus another 2 weeks at #2; 155 weeks on chart) (12/14/1968)
|
| Label:
| Apple/Capitol SWBO 101 (All albums in stereo only from this point on)
|
| Released:
| 1968-11-25
|
| Track listing is identical to the UK release.
|
|
|
| Yellow Submarine (#2 for 2 weeks – kept off the top spot by The White Album; 25 weeks on chart) (2/15/1969)
|
| Label:
| Apple/Capitol SW 153
|
| Released:
| 1969-01-13
|
| Track listing is identical to the UK release.
|
|
|
| Abbey Road (#1 for 11 weeks, plus another 7 weeks at #2; 129 weeks on chart) (10/25/1969)
|
| Label:
| Apple/Capitol SO 383
|
| Released:
| 1969-10-01
|
| Track listing is identical to the UK release.
|
|
|
| Let It Be (#1 for 4 weeks, plus another 4 weeks at #2; 59 weeks on chart) (6/6/1970) {The Movie Soundtrack}
|
| Label:
| Apple/United Artists AR 34001
|
| Released:
| 1970-05-18
|
| Track listing is identical to the UK release.
|
|
Canadian albums
The division of
Capitol Records in
Canada released three unique albums and nine singles in 1963 and 1964 before aligning with the American division and releasing the same albums as in the U.S. The first Canadian release was the "
Love Me Do" single (72076) on
1963-02-04.
After this album, Capitol of Canada synchronised its catalogue production with the U.S. market, beginning with United Artists' A Hard Day's Night and concluding with Apple's Hey Jude. Notably, the albums Something New and The Beatles' Story were only produced in mono when originally released. In 1967 the American back catalogue was released in Canada:
- The Beatles' Second Album, ST 2080 (Stereo)/ T 2080 (Mono), February 1, 1967
- Meet The Beatles, ST 2047 (Stereo), February 1, 1967
- Something New, ST 2108, February 1, 1967
- The Beatles' Story, STBO 2222 (Stereo), August 1, 1968
- The Early Beatles, ST 2309 (Stereo), August 1, 1968
Compilations and other releases
UK compilations and other releases
- Note: Two double compilation albums, featuring as covers an alternate shot of the photograph originally taken for Please Please Me and a 1969 re-creation (originally for Get Back, which evolved into Let It Be) based upon that photograph.
- Rock 'n' Roll Music Parlophone Records (1976-06-10) #11
- Magical Mystery Tour Parlophone Records (1976-11-19) [sic] (Official UK issue of the American album using the Capitol masters, except for "Penny Lane," "Baby You're a Rich Man," and "All You Need is Love," which were the German mixes released on the Hör Zu! label in 1971. It became part of the official catalogue with its release on CD with every track in true-stereo. As an American import, the album peaked at #31 in 1968. Continued sales of the album as an import led to this release.)
- The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl Parlophone Records (1977-05-06) (Live performances from 1964-08-23 and 1965-08-30 at the Hollywood Bowl) #1
- Love Songs Parlophone Records (1977-11-19) #7
- The Beatles Collection Parlophone Records (1977-11-02) (A 14-record box set containing all of The Beatles' original Parlophone/Apple LPs along with Rarities)
- Rarities Parlophone Records (1978-12-02) (Although not made explicit on the sleeve, this album consisted of every Parlophone and Apple Beatles B-side and EP track which had not been included on their UK studio albums, or on the 1973 "Red" and "Blue" Albums. It included 2 songs in German ("Sie Liebt Dich" and "Komm Gib Mir Deine Hand"), a song recorded for an American album and an alternative version of "Across The Universe") #71
- Hey Jude Parlophone Records (1979-05-11) (Official UK issue of American album)
- The Beatles' Ballads Parlophone Records (1980-10-13) (compilation) #17
- The Beatles Box Parlophone Records/World Records (1980-11-03) (This is an 8-record compilation which was available by mail order only)
- Reel Music Parlophone Records (1982-03-29) (compilation of tracks from The Beatles' films) Did not chart
- The Beatles Mono Collection Parlophone/Apple (1982-10-??) (box set - 10 chronological mono Beatle albums from Please Please Me to Yellow Submarine excluding A Collection of Beatles Oldies. Intended for export, originally in a red box similar to The Beatles Collection, reissued later in black)
- 20 Greatest Hits Parlophone Records (1982-10-18) #10
- Past Masters, Volume One Parlophone Records (1988-03-07) (singles from 1962-1965 and other songs that were left off earlier albums) #49
- Past Masters, Volume Two Parlophone Records (1988-03-07) (singles from 1965-1970 and other songs that were left off later albums) #46
- Note: The reason for the Past Masters compilations are so that every song The Beatles released in 1962-1970 could be on a CD. They include singles and B-sides, two songs sung in German, the contents of an EP released in 1964 that had four additional songs, the "single" versions of the songs "Get Back" and "Let It Be", and a version of "Across the Universe" that had bird-like sound effects. Past Masters was also issued as a 2-LP set on 1988-11-10.
- The Beatles Box Set Apple/Parlophone Records (1988-12-05) (contains the official Apple/Parlophone Beatle catalogue on CD including the two Past Masters volumes along with a soft cover book by Mark Lewisohn describing every track in this collection which is contained in a roll top wooden box)
- Live at the BBC Apple Records (1994-11-30) (Contains 69 songs The Beatles recorded for various BBC radio shows that never were recorded for Parlophone/Capitol/EMI. #1
- Anthology 1 Apple Records (1995-11-21) (Containing early performances, live shows, demos, out-takes in the period 1958 to 1964 and the first "new" Beatles song since the band broke up in 1970) #2
- Anthology 2 Apple Records (1996-03-18) (Containing unreleased tracks, live shows, demos, and out-takes from 1965 to 1968) #1
- Anthology 3 Apple Records (1996-10-28) (Containing unreleased tracks, demos, and out-takes in the period 1968 to 1970) #4
- Yellow Submarine Songtrack Apple Records (1999-09-13) #8
- The Beatles 1 Apple Records (2000-11-13) (A collection of The Beatles' #1 hits on the Billboard [U.S.] and Record Retailer [UK] charts, including both sides of their double-A sided singles if both hit the top slot. The collection has 27 songs in it.) #1
- Let It Be… Naked Apple Records (2003-11-17) (Remastered and remixed cut from the original sessions, devoid of arrangements by "re-producer" Phil Spector. The first copies released shipped with a 21-minute Fly on the Wall bonus disc.) #7
- The Capitol Albums, Volume 1 Apple/Capitol/Parlophone Records (2004-11-15) (A re-issuing of the first four Beatles albums that Capitol released in the U.S. Both versions, mono and stereo)
- The Capitol Albums, Volume 2 Apple/Capitol/Parlophone Records (2006-04-11) (A re-issuing of The Beatles albums that Capitol released in the U.S. in 1965. Both versions, mono and stereo)
- Love Apple Records (2006-11-20) #3 (A soundtrack to the Cirque du Soleil production Love, featuring remastered and remixed versions of the Beatles' songs by Sir George Martin and his son Giles Martin)
U.S. compilations and other releases
- The Beatles' Story, Capitol TBO 2222 (Mono)/STBO 2222 (Stereo (1964-11-23) #7 (12/19/1964+) (1/2/1965-)
- Hey Jude, Apple/Capitol SW 385 (1970-02-26) #2(4) (3/21/1970)
- In the Beginning (Circa 1960), Polydor Records 24-4504 (1970-05-04) #117
- 1962–1966 (the "Red Album"), Apple SKBO-3403 (1973-04-02) #3 (4/21/1973)
- 1967–1970 (the "Blue Album"), Apple SKBO-3404 (1973-04-02) #1(1) (4/21/1973)
- Rock 'n' Roll Music, Capitol Records (1976-06-07) #2(2) (6/26/1976)
- Live! at the Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany; 1962, Lingasong (May 2, 1977) #111
- The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl, Capitol Records (1977-05-04) #2(2) (5/21/1977)
- Love Songs, Capitol Records (1977-10-21) #24 (11/19/1977)
- The Beatles Collection, Capitol Records (1979-12-01) (Unlike the British release, the American issue was a limited edition with only 3000 copies made. The British release which was not a limited edition became a popular import for the U.S. market as a result.)
- Rarities, Capitol SHAL-12060 (1980-03-24) #21 (4/19/1980)
- Rock 'n' Roll Music Vol. 1, Music For Pleasure (1980-10-27)
- Rock 'n' Roll Music Vol. 2, Music For Pleasure (1980-10-27)
- Reel Music, Capitol Records (1982-03-22) #19 (4/10/1982)
- 20 Greatest Hits, Capitol Records (1982-10-11) #50
- Please Please Me, Parlophone/Capitol Records (1987-02-26)
- With the Beatles, Parlophone/Capitol Records (1987-02-26)
- A Hard Day's Night (British version), Parlophone/Capitol Records (1987-02-26)
- Beatles for Sale, Parlophone/Capitol Records (1987-02-26)
- Help! (British version), Parlophone/Capitol Records (1987-04-30)
- Rubber Soul (British version), Parlophone/Capitol Records (1987-04-30)
- Revolver (British version), Parlophone/Capitol Records (1987-04-30'')
- (The above 1987 CD releases mark the first official releases for The Beatles' early British albums in the U.S.)
- (Past Masters as a 2-LP set was issued by Capitol Records on 1988-10-24)
- The Beatles Box Set Parlophone/Capitol Records (1988-11-15)
- Live at the BBC, Capitol Records (1994-12-06) #3 (12/24/1994+) (1/8/1995-)
- Anthology 1, Capitol Records (1995-11-21) #1 (12/9/1995+) (1/13/1996-)
- Anthology 2, Capitol Records (1996-03-19) #1 (4/20/1996)
- Anthology 3, Capitol Records (1996-10-29) #1 (11/23/1996+) (1/3/1997-)
- Yellow Submarine Songtrack, Capitol Records (1999-09-14) #15 (10/2/1999)
- The Beatles 1, Capitol Records (2000-11-14) #1 (12/2/2000+) (1/6/2001-)
- Let It Be… Naked, Capitol Records (2003-11-18) #5 (12/13/2003+) (1/17/2004-)
- The Capitol Albums, Volume 1, Capitol Records (2004-11-16) #35 (12/4/2004+) (1/1/2005-)
- The Capitol Albums, Volume 2, Capitol Records (2006-04-11) #46
- Love, Capitol Records (2006-11-21) #4 (12/16/2006+) (1/20/2007-)
Canadian compilations and other releases
All post-Beatles albums were released exactly the same in Canada as in the U.S., with the exception of:
Extended plays (EPs)
During the years that the Beatles were together and recording, album tracks were not customarily released as singles, and vice versa. Instead,
EMI would release album tracks as EPs, long singles with two songs per side. With two exceptions, the EPs feature songs also available on Beatles albums, rather than original material.
UK EPs
- Twist and Shout (1963-07-12)
- The Beatles' Hits (1963-09-06)
- The Beatles (No. 1) (1963-11-01)
- All My Loving (1964-02-07)
- Long Tall Sally (1964-06-19) The first Beatles EP to feature otherwise unavailable material, including the Lennon-McCartney original "I Call Your Name".
- A Hard Day's Night (Extracts from the film) (1964-11-04)
- A Hard Day's Night (Extracts from the album) (1964-11-06)
- Beatles for Sale (1965-04-06)
- Beatles for Sale (No. 2) (1965-06-04)
- The Beatles' Million Sellers (1965-12-06)
- Yesterday (1966-03-04)
- Nowhere Man (1966-07-08)
- Magical Mystery Tour (1967-12-08); #2 (in the UK singles chart topped by "Hello, Goodbye"). The second Beatles EP to feature otherwise unavailable material. This record consisted of the original songs recorded by the Beatles for the "Magical Mystery Tour" film.
- The Beatles EP Collection, Parlophone (1981-12-07) (15-disc 7" EP set, featuring all 13 Beatles British EPs, with both mono and stereo editions of Magical Mystery Tour plus an EP of 4 stereo mixes, new to the UK, of "The Inner Light", "Baby You're a Rich Man", "She's a Woman" and "This Boy", housed in a blue flip-top box similar to The Beatles Collection. The set was issued on CD in a black box for the first time in the UK on (1992-05-26 with releases in the U.S. and Japan in the following month)
- The Beatles (1981-12-07) (a rarities' EP featuring "The Inner Light", "Baby You're a Rich Man", "She's a Woman" and "This Boy")
U.S. EPs
Singles
The
UK Singles Chart is compiled solely from sales figures; airplay statistics are not used. For this reason the chart positions for the UK Singles are indicated per disc, not per song.
Pos column indicates the peak position in the charts.
UK singles
![[P]](http://cache.lexico.com/g/r/premium_mh.gif){kind=small}
