The Beatles discography

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The Beatles released twelve albums (thirteen if The White Album is counted twice) in seven years. Their discography is complicated due to different US and UK releases, particularly in their early years at Capitol.

Historical background

The first four Beatles vinyl albums differ based on their location of release. Those released in the U.S. were of lower sound quality and had some of their songs omitted. Additionally, even though the first four Beatles albums were originally released as both monaural and stereo recordings in the United Kingdom, stereo record players were quite rare in the UK at the time. Naturally, then, George Martin and The Beatles only spent a lot of time on the mono mixes. Many early songs were later remastered by Capitol Records for the US as artificial stereo with bass on one side and treble on the other side, with lots of added echo. However, this was only done when the stereo mix of the song was not available or did not exist, as in the case of She Loves You. The Capitol release of Rubber Soul, however, has gained a lot of fans in the years since the release of the British albums on CD. The additions of "I've Just Seen a Face" and "It's Only Love" from "Help!" and the omission of "Drive my Car," "Nowhere Man," "What Goes On," and "If I Needed Someone" gives the album a different, folky flavour.

When it came time to release The Beatles' catalogue on CD, the decision was made to use the original British versions of the albums, since those were the "way The Beatles originally intended them to be". The initial releases of the first four CDs were of the original mono mixes. In 2004, Capitol Records released the first four American albums on CD as a box set and they represent the current (as of 2006) official stereo versions. No official stereo mix of the first four British albums had been released on compact disc, but there were plenty of "official looking" bootleg CDs in circulation that include the US stereo mixes and even bear the "Apple" logo. Martin and The Beatles started to spend more time on stereo mixes by 1965. However, many fans believe that the mono versions of Revolver, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, and the so-called White Album are superior to the stereo mixes.

As of 2006, many Beatles enthusiasts feel that the current EMI CD releases of the albums do not do them justice. The music was mastered to be played on vinyl, the cutting and playback of which is widely believed to add 'warmth' to the recording, and the CDs, produced during the early days of the format, do not compensate for the different medium. Given how important the sound quality of these albums was not only to The Beatles and George Martin, but also from a historical point of view, many purists still only listen to The Beatles albums on vinyl.

In the UK

This is a listing of the official studio albums released in the UK by The Beatles (not including compilations and the like).

Compilations and other releases in the UK

• A Collection of Beatles' Oldies Parlophone Records (December 10, 1966) #7
• The Beatles' First Polydor Records (August 4, 1967) (British issue of the 1964 German LP)
• 1962-1966 (the "Red Album") Apple Records #2(April 19, 1973) (Re-released in Sep 1993 and hit UK number 3)
• 1967-1970 (the "Blue Album") Apple Records #1(April 19, 1973) (Re-released in Sep 1993 and hit UK number 4)

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 (June 10, 1976) #11
• Magical Mystery Tour Parlophone Records (November 19, 1976) [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 (May 6, 1977) (Live performances from August 23, 1964 and August 30, 1965 at the Hollywood Bowl) #1
• Love Songs Parlophone Records (November 19, 1977) #7
• The Beatles Collection Parlophone Records (November 2, 1977) (A 14-record box set containing all of The Beatles' original Parlophone/Apple LPs along with Rarities)
• Rarities Parlophone Records (December 2, 1978) (B-sides, songs in German ("Sie Liebt Dich" and "Komm Gib Mir Deine Hand") and others) #71
• Hey Jude Parlophone Records (May 11, 1979) (Official UK issue of American album)
• The Beatles' Ballads Parlophone Records (October 13, 1980) (compilation) #17
• Reel Music Parlophone Records (March 29, 1982) (compilation of tracks from The Beatles' films) Did not chart
• 20 Greatest Hits Parlophone Records (October 18, 1982) #10
• Past Masters, Volume One Parlophone Records (March 7, 1988) (singles from 1962-1965 and other songs that were left off earlier albums) #49
• Past Masters, Volume Two Parlophone Records (March 7, 1988) (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 November 10, 1988.

• The Beatles Box Set Apple/Parlophone Records (December 5, 1988) (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 (November 30, 1994) (Contains 69 songs The Beatles recorded for various BBC radio shows that never were recorded for Parlophone/Capitol/EMI. This collection only emphasises how much The Beatles as the #1 band on the globe worked like dogs in 1963 and 1964, sometimes recording 18 songs in a session for the BBC.) #1
• Anthology 1 Apple Records (November 21, 1995) (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 (March 18, 1996) (Containing unreleased tracks, live shows, demos, and out-takes from 1965 to 1968) #1
• Anthology 3 Apple Records (October 28, 1996) (Containing unreleased tracks, demos, and out-takes in the period 1968 to 1970) #4
• Yellow Submarine Songtrack Apple Records (September 13, 1999) #8
• The Beatles 1 Apple Records (November 13, 2000) (A collection of The Beatles' #1 hits on the Billboard [US] 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 (November 17, 2003) (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 (November 15, 2004) (A re-issuing of the first four Beatles albums that Capitol released in the US. Both versions, mono and stereo)
• The Capitol Albums, Volume 2 Apple/Capitol/Parlophone Records (April 11, 2006) (A re-issuing of The Beatles albums that Capitol released in the US in 1965. Both versions, mono and stereo)
• LOVE Apple Records (To be released in November, 2006)

Christmas records

The Beatles also recorded annual Christmas records for their fan club members. From 1963 to 1969 these were released as 7" flexidiscs on LYN. In 1970 the 7 previous records were put onto a 12" vinyl record. These remain largely unavailable today, with the exception of one track, "Christmas Time Is Here Again", which was edited and released on the Free As a Bird CD single in 1994:

• The Beatles Christmas Record, LYN 492 (1963)
• Season's Greetings from The Beatles, LYN 757 (1964)
• The Beatles 3rd Christmas Record, LYN 948 (1965)
• Everywhere It's Christmas, LYN 1145 (1966)
• Christmas Time Is Here Again, LYN 1360 (1967)
• Beatles 1968 Christmas Record, LYN 1743/4 (1968)
• Happy Christmas 1969, LYN 1970/1 (1969)
• From Then to You, (UK) Apple LYN 2154 / The Beatles' Christmas Album (US) Apple SBC 100 (1970)

In Canada

The division of Capitol Records in Canada released three albums and a number of singles in 1963 and 1964 before aligning with the American division and releasing the same albums as in the US. Unlike the US, Capitol of Canada said yes to The Beatles from day one, as many British artists had obtained hit records in Canada previously, unlike in the USA. The first Canadian release was "Love Me Do" on February 4, 1963.

• Beatlemania! With the Beatles, Capitol Canada (November 25, 1963)
• Twist and Shout, Capitol Canada (February 3, 1964)
• The Beatles' Long Tall Sally, Capitol Canada (May 11, 1964)

In the US

In the United States, as noted above, The Beatles albums were rearranged, retitled and remixed. Some of the US 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 catalog. By 1967, all US releases matched the UK releases exactly. Some of the US releases included:

Compilations and other releases in the US

• In The Beginning (Circa 1960), Polydor Records (May 4, 1970) #117
• 1962–1966 (the "Red Album"), Capitol Records (April 2, 1973) #3
• 1967–1970 (the "Blue Album"), Capitol Records (April 2, 1973) #1
• Rock 'n' Roll Music, Capitol Records (June 7, 1976) #2
• The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl, Capitol Records (May 4, 1977) #2
• Live! at the Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany; 1962, Lingasong (1977) #111
• Love Songs, Capitol Records (October 21, 1977) #24
• The Beatles Collection, Capitol Records (December 1, 1979) (Unlike the British release, the American issue was a limited edition with only 3,000 copies made. The British release which was not a limited edition became a popular import for the US market as a result.)
• Rarities, Capitol Records (March 24, 1980) #21
• Rock 'n' Roll Music Vol. 1, Music For Pleasure (October 27, 1980) #11
• Rock 'n' Roll Music Vol. 2, Music For Pleasure (October 27, 1980) #7
• Reel Music, Capitol Records (March 22, 1982) #19
• 20 Greatest Hits, Capitol Records (October 11, 1982) #50
• Past Masters, Volume One, Capitol Records (March 7, 1988) #149
• Past Masters, Volume Two, Capitol Records (March 7, 1988) #121

(Past Masters as a 2-LP set was issued by Capitol Records on October 24, 1988)

• The Beatles Box Set (November 15, 1988)
• Live at the BBC, Capitol Records (December 6, 1994) #3
• Anthology 1, Capitol Records (November 21, 1995) #1
• Anthology 2, Capitol Records (March 19, 1996) #1
• Anthology 3, Capitol Records (October 29, 1996) #1
• Yellow Submarine Songtrack, Capitol Records (September 14, 1999) #15
• The Beatles 1, Capitol Records (November 14, 2000) #1
• Let It Be… Naked, Capitol Records (November 18, 2003) #5
• The Capitol Albums, Volume 1, Capitol Records (November 16, 2004) #35
• The Capitol Albums, Volume 2, Capitol Records (April 11, 2006) #46
• LOVE, Capitol Records (November 21, 2006)

Extended plays (EPs)

UK EPs

• Twist and Shout (July 12, 1963)
• The Beatles' Hits (September 6, 1963)
• The Beatles (No. 1) (November 1, 1963)
• All My Loving (February 7, 1964)
• Long Tall Sally (June 19, 1964)
• A Hard Day's Night (Extracts from the film) (November 4, 1964)
• A Hard Day's Night (Extracts from the album) (November 6, 1964)
• Beatles for Sale (April 6, 1965)
• Beatles for Sale (No. 2) (June 4, 1965)
• The Beatles' Million Sellers (December 6, 1965)
• Yesterday (March 4, 1966)
• Nowhere Man (July 8, 1966)
• Magical Mystery Tour (December 8, 1967); #2 (in the UK singles chart topped by "Hello, Goodbye")
• The Beatles (December 7, 1981) (a rarities' EP featuring "The Inner Light", "Baby You're a Rich Man", "She's a Woman" and "This Boy")

US EPs

• Souvenir of Their Visit to America (Vee Jay Records) (March 23, 1964)
• Four by the Beatles (May 11, 1964)
• 4-by the Beatles (February 1, 1965)
• Baby It's You (March 23, 1995) (Maxi-CD single)
• Free as a Bird (December 12, 1995) (Maxi-CD single)
• Real Love (March 5, 1996) (Maxi-CD single)

Singles

Bootlegs

See The Beatles Bootlegs for a run down of some of the more popular unauthorized bootleg material.

References

 

External links

• The Beatles reviews @ progarchives.com
• Beatles LP and CD discography
• Beatles singles and EP discography
• A UK discography, including details on bootleg releases
• The Beatles in Canada includes Canada-only discography
• beatles-discography.com
• The Beatles on Vee-Jay Records