The Singles Collection 1962–1970

The Singles Collection 1962–1970
Cover of the box available with the full set of singles
Box set by the Beatles
Released 5 March 1976
Genre Rock, pop
Label EMI

The Singles Collection 1962–1970 is a series of reissued singles by the English rock band the Beatles. It was released in Britain on 5 March 1976 by EMI,[1] following the expiration of the Beatles' contract with the company in January, and close to six years after the band's break-up.[2] The collection comprises all 22 of the Beatles' UK singles,[3] which were originally issued between October 1962 and March 1970 on either the Parlophone or Apple record labels,[4] together with a new single pairing "Yesterday" with "I Should Have Known Better".[1]

History

According to EMI, the series was a re-promotion rather than a reissue campaign, since all the Beatles' singles had remained in print and were widely available.[5] The project resulted from the success of the 1973 double-album sets 1962–1966 and 1967–1970,[6] which the former Beatles had endorsed, and which contained all of their British single A-sides and double A-side tracks.[7] Each of the discs in the 1976 collection was packaged in a green and black sleeve, on one side of which was a photo of the group from a period roughly contemporaneous with the single.[1] The records were available in a matching Singles Collection 1962–1970 box to customers who bought all 23 of the discs.[1]

The re-packaging campaign was a commercial success,[8][9] with 1 million singles sold in the first month.[10] The response coincided with media speculation regarding rival bids from two US promoters for the Beatles to reunite for a satellite concert broadcast.[11] Reflecting this resurgence of interest, BBC Radio 1 produced the program The Beatles Again, which highlighted the group's continued influence on pop music; in a feature article in Reveille, an EMI spokesman described the campaign as an "amazing" success, with teenagers as young as thirteen becoming fans of the Beatles.[8] The re-packaged singles all charted on the UK Singles Chart, and "Yesterday" peaked at number 8.[12] During one week in April 1976, the band had an unprecedented 23 entries in the UK top 100 positions.[13] Although EMI and its North American counterpart, Capitol Records, were no longer obliged to consult the artists, John Lennon approved of the re-packaged singles.[5] This tacit approval contrasted sharply with the former Beatles' reaction to the 1976 themed compilation album Rock 'n' Roll Music, which Capitol assembled without consulting EMI.[14]

The series was first re-packaged for international release in December 1982 as The Beatles Singles Collection.[15] Issued as a box set by EMI's World Records division, this collection also included three Beatles singles that had been released after March 1976: "Back in the U.S.S.R.", "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"/"With a Little Help from My Friends" and "The Beatles' Movie Medley".[15]

Box-set contents

Catalogue numbers and release dates per Harry Castleman and Walter J. Podrazik's All Together Now,[16] Nicholas Schaffner's The Beatles Forever,[17] and Keith Badman's The Beatles Diary Volume 2.[1]

Single A-side(s) Catalogue number Original release date
"Love Me Do"Parlophone R 49495 October 1962
"Please Please Me"Parlophone R 498311 January 1963
"From Me to You"Parlophone R 501512 April 1963
"She Loves You"Parlophone R 505523 August 1963
"I Want to Hold Your Hand"Parlophone R 508429 November 1963
"Can't Buy Me Love"Parlophone R 511420 March 1964
"A Hard Day's Night"Parlophone R 516010 July 1964
"I Feel Fine"Parlophone R 520027 November 1964
"Ticket to Ride"Parlophone R 52659 April 1965
"Help!"Parlophone R 530523 July 1965
"We Can Work It Out" / "Day Tripper"Parlophone R 53893 December 1965
"Paperback Writer"Parlophone R 545210 June 1966
"Yellow Submarine" / "Eleanor Rigby"Parlophone R 54935 August 1966
"Strawberry Fields Forever" / "Penny Lane"Parlophone R 557017 February 1967
"All You Need Is Love"Parlophone R 56207 July 1967
"Hello, Goodbye"Parlophone R 565524 November 1967
"Lady Madonna"Parlophone R 567515 March 1968
"Hey Jude"Apple R 572230 August 1968
"Get Back"Apple R 577711 April 1969
"The Ballad of John and Yoko"Apple R 578630 May 1969
"Something" / "Come Together"Apple R 581431 October 1969
"Let It Be"Apple R 58336 March 1970
"Yesterday"Parlophone R 60135 March 1976

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Badman 2001, p. 177.
  2. ↑ Woffinden 1981, pp. 93–94.
  3. ↑ Womack 2014, pp. 123–24.
  4. ↑ Schaffner 1978, pp. 186, 206.
  5. 1 2 Woffinden 1981, p. 94.
  6. ↑ Womack 2014, pp. 115, 123.
  7. ↑ Rodriguez 2010, pp. 119–21.
  8. 1 2 Badman 2001, pp. 180–81.
  9. ↑ Bagirov 2008, p. 110.
  10. ↑ Schaffner 1978, pp. 186–87.
  11. ↑ Rodriguez 2010, pp. 292–94.
  12. ↑ Rodriguez 2010, p. 293.
  13. ↑ Badman 2001, p. 180.
  14. ↑ Woffinden 1981, pp. 94–95.
  15. 1 2 Womack 2014, p. 123.
  16. ↑ Castleman & Podrazik 1976, pp. 12–87.
  17. ↑ Schaffner 1978, p. 206.

Sources

  • Badman, Keith (2001). The Beatles Diary Volume 2: After the Break-Up 1970–2001. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-7119-8307-6.
  • Bagirov, Alex (2008). The Anthology of the Beatles Records. Rostock: Something Books. ISBN 978-3-936300-44-4.
  • Castleman, Harry; Podrazik, Walter J. (1976). All Together Now: The First Complete Beatles Discography 1961–1975. New York, NY: Ballantine Books. ISBN 0-345-25680-8.
  • Rodriguez, Robert (2010). Fab Four FAQ 2.0: The Beatles' Solo Years, 1970–1980. Milwaukee, WI: Backbeat Books. ISBN 978-1-4165-9093-4.
  • Schaffner, Nicholas (1978). The Beatles Forever. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-055087-5.
  • Woffinden, Bob (1981). The Beatles Apart. London: Proteus. ISBN 0-906071-89-5.
  • Womack, Kenneth (2014). The Beatles Encyclopedia: Everything Fab Four. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-0-313-39171-2.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.