A forthcoming vinyl box set will revisit the early days of Beatlemania by presenting new mono versions of seven Beatles albums released in the U.S. between January 1964 and March 1965. The Beatles: 1964 U.S. Albums in Mono will arrive on November 22, and will feature eight 180-gram-vinyl LPs.
Included in the package are Meet The Beatles!, The Beatles’ Second Album, A Hard Day’s Night (Original Motion Picture Sound Track), Something New, The Beatles’ Story, Beatles ’65, and The Early Beatles. All of the LPs have been out of print on vinyl since 1995. All the albums were issued on the Capitol label except for the A Hard Day’s Night soundtrack. That record was released by United Artists Records.
[RELATED: On This Day in 1964: The Beatles Film, A Hard Day’s Night, Opened in America]
Each album features authentically replicated artwork, and new inserts boasting essays written by respected Beatles historian and author Bruce Spizer. All of the LPs featured in the box set, except for The Beatles’ Story, also will be release individually.
You can pre-order The Beatles: 1964 U.S. Albums in Mono box set now. Check out a trailer for the collection at the Fab Four’s official YouTube channel.
About Meet The Beatles!
Meet The Beatles! was released on January 20, 1964. The 12-track collection featured nine songs from the band’s 1963 album With The Beatles. It also included both sides of the group’s first Capitol single (“I Want to Hold Your Hand”/“I Saw Her Standing There”) and the then-recent U.K. B-side “This Boy.” Meet The Beatles! spent 11 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
About The Beatles’ Second Album
The Beatles’ Second Album was released on April 10, 1964. The 11-track LP featured five cover tunes that appeared on With The Beatles, and three songs previously released in the States by the Swan and Vee-Jay labels. It also included “You Can’t Do That,” the B-side of the single “Can’t Buy Me Love,” and two new songs. The Beatles’ Second Album knocked Meet The Beatles! from the top of the Billboard 200, and spent five weeks at No. 1.
About the A Hard Day’s Night Soundtrack
The A Hard Day’s Night soundtrack was released on June 26, 1964. It featured the enduring title track, along with such other classic as “Can’t Buy Me Love” and “And I Love Her.” The album also included four orchestral instrumental versions of Beatles songs arranged by producer George Martin. The soundtrack spent a whopping 14 consecutive weeks atop the Billboard albums tally.
About Something New
Something New was released on July 20, 1964. The album featured five songs that appeared in the A Hard Day’s Night movie, plus six new tracks, including “Things We Said Today” and “Any Time at All.” Something New sat at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 for nine weeks while the A Hard Day’s Night soundtrack held the top spot.
About The Beatles’ Story
The Beatles’ Story is a unique compilation released as a two-LP set on November 23, 1964. Described as “A Narrative and Music Biography of Beatlemania,” the album features interview clips of the band members; Beatles song snippets; instrumental versions of Fab Four tunes performed by the Hollyridge Strings, and narrated Beatles stories. The album peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard 200.
About Beatles ’65
Beatles ’65 was released on December 15, 1964. The LP features eight tracks from the then-recent U.K. album Beatles for Sale album. It also included the new song “I’ll Be Back” and both sides of the group’s then-latest U.K. single (“I Feel Fine”/“She’s a Woman”). Beatles ’65 spent nine weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
About The Early Beatles
The Early Beatles was released on March 22, 1965. The album’s 11 tracks were previously released in the U.S. by the Vee-Jay label. They included the 1963 single “Please Please Me” and its B-Side, “Ask Me Why,” plus nine songs from the Introducing The Beatles album, released by Vee-Jay in January 1964.
(Courtesy of Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/UMe)
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