The Beatles were an English rock band from Liverpool who recorded hundreds of songs during their career. The group's "main catalogue"—songs released between 1962 and 1970—consists of 213 songs (four of which exist in different versions): 188 originals and 25 covers. Since their break-up, over 100 more songs by the group have been officially released, including live songs the group never recorded in the studio and numerous outtakes. The band also recorded several songs that remain unreleased. Often considered the most influential band of the rock era,[1] the group's music pioneered new recording techniques and was primarily responsible for pop music's evolution into an art form.[2] The majority of their recordings were produced by George Martin, who also played and composed string arrangements on multiple songs; his influence on the group led him to be referred to as the "Fifth Beatle".[3] Between 1962 and 1968, the Beatles released their songs in both mono and stereo versions;[4][5]Abbey Road and Let It Be were mixed and released only in stereo.[6] Their songs often featured differences between the mixes and the group put the most effort into making the mono mixes.[5] All mono mixes were remastered and released on The Beatles in Mono box set in 2009,[6] along with the remastering of the band's entire catalogue in stereo.[7]
Along with their main catalogue, over 100 previously unreleased songs have been released on numerous live albums, compilations, and deluxe editions. These include demos, outtakes, songs the group only recorded live and not in the studio and, for The Beatles Anthology in the 1990s, two reunion songs: "Free as a Bird" and "Real Love".[41] A final reunion song, "Now and Then", was released in 2023.[42] The Beatles remain one of the most acclaimed and influential artists in popular music history.[1][43] Their songs have been covered thousands of times by a wide range of artists and continue to be celebrated throughout the world.[15]
Main songsedit
Between 1963 and 1966, the Beatles' songs were released on different albums in the United Kingdom and the United States. In the UK, 30 songs were released as non-album singles, while appearing on numerous albums in the US. Since the remastering of the band's catalogue on CDs in the 1980s, the Beatles have a primary "core catalogue" of 14 albums:[44]
The catalogue also includes the 1988 compilation album Past Masters, which collected 25 of the Beatles' 30 non-album singles, along with the 1964 EP Long Tall Sally and other rarities that were commercially available in the 1960s.[44]
In addition to their main catalogue, over 100 songs that were recorded by the group have been released. Four songs have only appeared in two of the groups' films: one in Magical Mystery Tour (1967) and three in Let It Be (1970). The first release of new recordings was Live at the BBC in 1994, which features live performances of mostly cover songs that were recorded on various BBC Light Programme radio shows between 1963 and 1965.[97] Further recordings from these shows were released on On Air – Live at the BBC Volume 2 in 2013.[98]The Beatles Anthology project in the 1990s featured rarities, outtakes and live performances across their entire career, along with the reunion songs "Free as a Bird" and "Real Love", which were recorded as demos by Lennon before his death in 1980 and completed by the surviving Beatles.[41] Another demo, "Now and Then", was attempted during the Anthology project before being completed in 2023 using AI technology developed by Peter Jackson for The Beatles: Get Back.[99] Further recordings have been released on various compilation albums and deluxe editions.
Key
†
Indicates song not written by the members of the Beatles
‡
Indicates live recording
Name of song, release(s), songwriter(s), lead vocalist, year recorded and year released
^This was due to an agreement the two made before the Beatles became famous.[11]
^Magical Mystery Tour was released as a double extended play in the UK, featuring only the songs from the film, and a standard LP in the US, featuring the films tracks and the group's five other 1967 singles.[45] Eventually (in November 1976), the US version was released in the UK.[46] When remastering the Beatles' music on CD in the 1980s, EMI adopted the US LP version rather than the UK EP.[47]
^ abLead vocal credits per Castleman and Podrazik's 1976 book All Together Now.[48]
^Originally released in 1969 as a single (with "Get Back") and credited to "the Beatles with Billy Preston".[67]
^Originally released in 1969 as a single (with "Don't Let Me Down") and credited to "the Beatles with Billy Preston".[67] This version appears on Past Masters (1988).[52] A different mix produced by Phil Spector was subsequently released a year later on Let It Be (1970).[71]
^First recorded and released by the Rolling Stones, the Beatles' own version appeared on With the Beatles shortly after.[76]
^The single version of "Let It Be", produced by George Martin, was released in March 1970,[82] and appears on Past Masters (1988).[52] The album version, produced by Phil Spector, features an additional guitar solo and minor differences in the orchestral sections, appears on Let It Be (1970).[83]
^Three different versions of "Love Me Do" exist. The first version, recorded on 6 June 1962 with Pete Best on drums,[84] appears on Anthology 1 (1995).[85] The second version, recorded on 4 September 1962 with Ringo Starr on drums,[86] was released as a UK single in 1962 and appears on Past Masters (1988).[52] The third version, recorded on 11 September 1962 with session drummer Andy White on drums and Starr on tambourine,[87] was released as a US single in 1962 and appears on Please Please Me (1963).[88]
^The single version of "Revolution" has a hard rock style[30] that is in a higher key and faster tempo than "Revolution 1".[91]
^"Revolution 1" has a more blues-influenced style and relaxed tempo than "Revolution". It also contains "shoo-bee-do-wop" backing vocals that are reminiscent of doo-wop music.[92]
^"Revolution 9" is an avant-garde sound collage[93] that evolved from take 20 of "Revolution 1". It features numerous sound effects, tape loops and overdubs that were recorded and compiled over several sessions almost exclusively by Lennon and Yoko Ono, although Harrison provided assistance for spoken overdubs.[94]
Referencesedit
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^ abDye, David (19 February 2007). "Sir George Martin Talks 'Love' On World Cafe". NPR. Archived from the original on 2 July 2018. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
^ abBoilen, Bob (8 September 2009). "Mono Or Stereo: Which Beatles Box Is Better?". NPR. Archived from the original on 26 October 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
^ abRoberts, Randall (9 September 2014). "Review: Is 'The Beatles in Mono' necessary? Yes and no". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 28 July 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
^Eccleston, Danny (9 September 2009). "Beatles Remasters Reviewed". Mojo. Archived from the original on 7 October 2009. Retrieved 13 October 2009.
^Lewisohn 1988, pp. 145: "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", 171: "Something", 178–179: "Here Comes the Sun".
^ abcErlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Beatles [White Album] – The Beatles". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 30 May 2012. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
^Runtagh, Jordan (26 October 2023). "Inside the Last Beatles Song: How 'Now and Then' Brought the Fab Friends Together One Final Time (Exclusive)". People. Archived from the original on 31 October 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
^Kopf, Dan; Wong, Amy X. (7 October 2017). "A definitive list of the musicians who influenced our lives most". Quartz. Archived from the original on 7 October 2017. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
^ abcdefghijklmHelp! (LP liner notes). The Beatles. UK: Parlophone. 1965. PCS 3071.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ abcdefghijklmnWith the Beatles (LP liner notes). The Beatles. UK: Parlophone. 1963. PMC 1206.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ abcdeYellow Submarine (LP liner notes). The Beatles. UK: Apple Records. 1969. PCS 7070.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ ab"All You Need Is Love"/"Baby, You're a Rich Man" (liner notes). The Beatles. UK: Parlophone. 1967. R 5620.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ abcdefghijklmA Hard Day's Night (LP liner notes). The Beatles. UK: Parlophone. 1964. PMC 1230.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ abcdefghijklmnRevolver (LP liner notes). The Beatles. UK: Parlophone. 1966. PMC 7009.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ abcdefghijklmnPlease Please Me (LP liner notes). The Beatles. UK: Parlophone. 1963. PMC 1202.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ abcdefghijklmnBeatles for Sale (LP liner notes). The Beatles. UK: Parlophone. 1964. PMC 1240.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ ab"The Ballad of John and Yoko"/"Old Brown Shoe" (liner notes). The Beatles. UK: Apple Records. 1969. R 5786.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ ab"Day Tripper"/"We Can Work It Out" (liner notes). The Beatles. UK: Parlophone. 1965. R 5389.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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^ ab"From Me to You"/"Thank You Girl" (liner notes). The Beatles. UK: Parlophone. 1963. R 5015.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^"Hello, Goodbye"/"I Am the Walrus" (liner notes). The Beatles. UK: Parlophone. 1967. R 5655.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ ab"Hey Jude"/"Revolution" (liner notes). The Beatles. UK: Apple Records. 1968. R 5722.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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^ ab"I Want to Hold Your Hand"/"This Boy" (liner notes). The Beatles. UK: Parlophone. 1963. R 5084.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ ab"She Loves You"/"I'll Get You" (liner notes). The Beatles. UK: Parlophone. 1963. R 5055.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^"Help!"/"I'm Down" (liner notes). The Beatles. UK: Parlophone. 1965. R 5305.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ ab"Lady Madonna"/"The Inner Light" (liner notes). The Beatles. UK: Parlophone. 1968. R 5675.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ ab"Komm, gib mir deine Hand"/"Sie liebt dich" (liner notes). The Beatles. UK: Odeon Records. 1964. O 22 671.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ ab"Paperback Writer"/"Rain" (liner notes). The Beatles. UK: Parlophone. 1966. R 5452.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ ab"Strawberry Fields Forever"/"Penny Lane" (liner notes). The Beatles. UK: Parlophone. 1967. R 5570.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^"Ticket to Ride"/"Yes It Is" (liner notes). The Beatles. UK: Parlophone. 1965. R 5265.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^"Let It Be"/"You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)" (liner notes). The Beatles. UK: Apple Records. 1970. R 5833.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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