13 years ago
Apple Album Releases
This list only includes those Apple albums released on Apple label codes.It does not include releases made against Parlophone codes.
SAPCOR 1 George Harrison Wonderwall Music 1/11/1968
SAPCOR 2 John Lennon Unfinished Music No. 1 (Two Virgins) 29/11/1968
SAPCOR 3 James Taylor James Taylor 6/12/1968
SAPCOR 4 Modern Jazz Quartet Under The Jasmine Tree 6/12/1968
SAPCOR 5 Mary Hopkin Postcard 21/02/1969
SAPCOR 6 Jackie Lomax Is This What You Want 14/03/1969
SAPCOR 7 Delaney And Bonnie The Original Delaney And Bonnie withdrawn
SAPCOR 7 by Delaney And Bonnie (above) was intended for release on 30th May 1969,
but this release appeared instead on Elektra and this Apple issue was withdrawn.
SAPCOR 7 Trash White Trash withdrawn
SAPCOR 7 by Trash (above) was intended for release on 20th June 1969,
but this release was shelved in the U.K.
SAPCOR 8 The Iveys Maybe Tomorrow withdrawn
SAPCOR 8 by The Iveys (above) was intended for release on 4th July 1969,
and although some copies have surfaced, officially this release was withdrawn.
SAPCOR 9 Billy Preston That's The Way God Planned It 22/08/1969
SAPCOR 10 Modern Jazz Quartet Space 24/10/1969
SAPCOR 11 John Lennon The Wedding Album 7/11/1969
SAPCOR 2 John Lennon Unfinished Music No. 1 (Two Virgins) 29/11/1968
SAPCOR 3 James Taylor James Taylor 6/12/1968
SAPCOR 4 Modern Jazz Quartet Under The Jasmine Tree 6/12/1968
SAPCOR 5 Mary Hopkin Postcard 21/02/1969
SAPCOR 6 Jackie Lomax Is This What You Want 14/03/1969
SAPCOR 7 Delaney And Bonnie The Original Delaney And Bonnie withdrawn
SAPCOR 7 by Delaney And Bonnie (above) was intended for release on 30th May 1969,
but this release appeared instead on Elektra and this Apple issue was withdrawn.
SAPCOR 7 Trash White Trash withdrawn
SAPCOR 7 by Trash (above) was intended for release on 20th June 1969,
but this release was shelved in the U.K.
SAPCOR 8 The Iveys Maybe Tomorrow withdrawn
SAPCOR 8 by The Iveys (above) was intended for release on 4th July 1969,
and although some copies have surfaced, officially this release was withdrawn.
SAPCOR 9 Billy Preston That's The Way God Planned It 22/08/1969
SAPCOR 10 Modern Jazz Quartet Space 24/10/1969
SAPCOR 11 John Lennon The Wedding Album 7/11/1969
SAPCOR 12 Badfinger Magic Christian Music 9/01/1970
SAPCOR 13 Doris Troy Doris Troy 11/09/1970
SAPCOR 14 Billy Preston Encouraging Words 11/09/1970
SAPCOR 15 John Taverner The Whale 25/09/1970
SAPCOR 16 Badfinger No Dice 27/11/1970
SAPCOR 17 Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band 17/12/1970
SAPCOR 18 Radha Krishna Temple Radha Krishna Temple 28/05/1971
SAPCOR 19 Badfinger Straight Up 4/02/1972
SAPCOR 20 John Taverner Celtic Requiem 12/1971
SAPCOR 21 Mary Hopkin Earth Song - Ocean Song 1/10/1971
SAPCOR 13 Doris Troy Doris Troy 11/09/1970
SAPCOR 14 Billy Preston Encouraging Words 11/09/1970
SAPCOR 15 John Taverner The Whale 25/09/1970
SAPCOR 16 Badfinger No Dice 27/11/1970
SAPCOR 17 Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band 17/12/1970
SAPCOR 18 Radha Krishna Temple Radha Krishna Temple 28/05/1971
SAPCOR 19 Badfinger Straight Up 4/02/1972
SAPCOR 20 John Taverner Celtic Requiem 12/1971
SAPCOR 21 Mary Hopkin Earth Song - Ocean Song 1/10/1971
SAPCOR 22 Elephant's Memory Elephant's Memory 10/11/1972
SAPCOR 23 Mary Hopkin Those Were The Days 24/11/1972
SAPCOR 24 Various Artists Phil Spector's Christmas Album 8/12/1972
SAPCOR 25 Lon & Derek Van Eaton Brother 9/02/1973
SAPCOR 26 Yoko Ono Feeling The Space 23/11/1973
SAPCOR 27 Badfinger Ass 8/03/1974
ZAPPLE 01 John Lennon Unfinished Music No.2 (Life With The Lions) 9/05/1969
ZAPPLE 02 George Harrison Electronic Sounds 9/05/1969
ZAPPLE 03 Richard Brautigan Listening to ... 23/05/1969
LYN 2154 The Beatles The Beatles Complete Christmas Album 18/12/1970
CORE 2001 Plastic Ono Band Live Peace In Toronto 1969 12/12/1969
SAPTU 101/2 Yoko Ono Fly 3/12/1971
SAPDO 1001 Yoko Ono Approximately Infinite Universe 16/02/1973
SAPTU 1002 Ravi Shankar In Concert 1972 13/04/1973
SAPCOR 23 Mary Hopkin Those Were The Days 24/11/1972
SAPCOR 24 Various Artists Phil Spector's Christmas Album 8/12/1972
SAPCOR 25 Lon & Derek Van Eaton Brother 9/02/1973
SAPCOR 26 Yoko Ono Feeling The Space 23/11/1973
SAPCOR 27 Badfinger Ass 8/03/1974
ZAPPLE 01 John Lennon Unfinished Music No.2 (Life With The Lions) 9/05/1969
ZAPPLE 02 George Harrison Electronic Sounds 9/05/1969
ZAPPLE 03 Richard Brautigan Listening to ... 23/05/1969
LYN 2154 The Beatles The Beatles Complete Christmas Album 18/12/1970
CORE 2001 Plastic Ono Band Live Peace In Toronto 1969 12/12/1969
SAPTU 101/2 Yoko Ono Fly 3/12/1971
SAPDO 1001 Yoko Ono Approximately Infinite Universe 16/02/1973
SAPTU 1002 Ravi Shankar In Concert 1972 13/04/1973
History of the Beatles' Us Singles - 4
Please Please Me / From Me To YouVee Jay 581, January 30, 1964
Please Please Me
Written by John and Paul
Sung by John and Paul
Producer: George Martin
Engineer: Norman Smith
From Me To You
Written by John and Paul
Sung by John and Paul
Producer: George Martin
Engineer: Norman Smith
Second Engineer: Richard Langham
Written by John and Paul
Sung by John and Paul
Producer: George Martin
Engineer: Norman Smith
From Me To You
Written by John and Paul
Sung by John and Paul
Producer: George Martin
Engineer: Norman Smith
Second Engineer: Richard Langham
1) Please Please Me History
John wrote Please Please Me and claimed that he thought of the idea when he remembered hearing a Bing Crosby song which included the line 'Please lend a little ear to my pleas'. The group had originally hoped to use the number as the 'B' side of 'Love Me Do', but George Martin was unhappy about the arrangement and suggested they put it aside after the original versions were recorded on September 11, 1962 at EMI Studios. These were slow, Roy Orbison influenced, recordings.
The new arrangement owed something to Martin, as Paul commented: 'George Martin's contribution was a big one, actually. The first time he really ever showed that he could see beyond what we were offering him was "Please Please Me". It was originally conceived as a Roy Orbison type thing, you know. George Martin said, "Well, we'll put the tempo up." He lifted the tempo and we all thought that was much better and that was a hit.'
Takes 1 to 18 of Please Please Me were recorded on November 26, 1962, after which George Martin said 'You’ve just made your first No. 1!' He was right of course. John's harmonica was overdubbed that same day, since he could not sing, and play both harmonica and guitar at the same time. After final mixing on the 30th, the song was ready for release.
First Release
January 11, 1963: Parlophone R4983, England, b/w Ask Me Why
#1 on the English Record Charts
US Releases
February 25, 1963 Vee Jay 498, b/w Ask Me Why
January 30, 1964 Vee Jay 581, b/w From Me To You
January 27, 1964 Introducing The Beatles, Vee Jay 1062
February 26, 1964 The Beatles and Frank Ifield, Vee Jay 1085
October 1, 1964 The Beatles vs. The Four Seasons, Vee Jay DX30
October 12, 1964 Songs, Pictures, and Stories of the Fabulous Beatles, Vee Jay 1092
March 22, 1965 The Early Beatles, Capitol 2309
March 22, 1965 The Early Beatles, Capitol 2309
October 11, 1965 Capitol 6063 b/w From Me To You
April 2, 1973 e Beatles 1962-1966, Apple SKBO 3403
November 25, 1995 The Anthology I, Apple 34445
April 2, 1973 e Beatles 1962-1966, Apple SKBO 3403
November 25, 1995 The Anthology I, Apple 34445
Highest US Chart Position
February 1, 1964 at #3
BBC Performances
Here We Go January 25, 1963
Saturday Club January 26, 1963
The Talent Spot January 29, 1963
Parade Of The Pops February 20, 1963
Here We Go March 12, 1963
Saturday Club March 16, 1963
On The Scene March 28, 1963
Easy Beat April 7, 1963
Side By Side April 23, 1963
Steppin' Out June 3, 1963
Pop Go The Beatles August 13, 1963
Easy Beat October 20, 1963
Live Performances
1963
UK Dates, January 1963
The Helen Shapiro Tour
UK Dates, March 1963
Tommy Roe/Chris Montez Tour
UK Dates, Spring 1963
Tour With Roy Orbison
UK Dates, Summer 1963
Mini-Tour of Scotland
Tour of Sweden
1964
Visit to the USA
2) From Me To You History
From Me To You was written on the Beatles' coach while travelling from York to Shrewsbury on February 28, 1963. This was during the Helen Shapiro Tour. Takes 1 to 13 were recorded on March 5. The first 7 takes were 'live' in the studio performances. Takes 8 to 13 featured the additional edit pieces, including the harmonica, guitar solo, and the introduction. George Martin performed the final Mono and Stereo mixes on March 14.
In Britain, EMI issued a press release to go with the single, which read:
'Vocally and instrumentally this new deck matches the high spirits of PLEASE PLEASE ME with John, Paul and George chanting and harmonizing expertly. BUT don't get the idea that this is a carbon copy of their last single - in fact it is the most unusual number THE BEATLES have recorded to date.
'In defiance of the tiresome trend towards weepie lost-love wailers, FROM ME TO YOU is a rip-rockin’ up tempo ballad which has a happy-go-lucky romantic story-line.
'EAR-CATCHING HIGH SPOT: Those unexpected falsetto-voice high-kicks on the line "If there's anything I can do".
'OFF-BEAT FINALE: Sudden switch of speed and rhythm for that end-of-the-track instrumental climax.
'UNANIMOUS VERDICT: The sturdy beat plus the unique Beatle-blending of harmonica, guitars and voices plus the thoroughly infectious tune make FROM ME TO YOU another dead-cert Number One chart-smasher!'
On December 18, 1963, the Beatles recorded a special version entitled "From Us To You" to be used on the BBC. Four "From Us To You" programs were eventually broadcast using this recording as the title song. The first was on
December 26, 1963.
2) From Me To You History
From Me To You was written on the Beatles' coach while travelling from York to Shrewsbury on February 28, 1963. This was during the Helen Shapiro Tour. Takes 1 to 13 were recorded on March 5. The first 7 takes were 'live' in the studio performances. Takes 8 to 13 featured the additional edit pieces, including the harmonica, guitar solo, and the introduction. George Martin performed the final Mono and Stereo mixes on March 14.
In Britain, EMI issued a press release to go with the single, which read:
'Vocally and instrumentally this new deck matches the high spirits of PLEASE PLEASE ME with John, Paul and George chanting and harmonizing expertly. BUT don't get the idea that this is a carbon copy of their last single - in fact it is the most unusual number THE BEATLES have recorded to date.
'In defiance of the tiresome trend towards weepie lost-love wailers, FROM ME TO YOU is a rip-rockin’ up tempo ballad which has a happy-go-lucky romantic story-line.
'EAR-CATCHING HIGH SPOT: Those unexpected falsetto-voice high-kicks on the line "If there's anything I can do".
'OFF-BEAT FINALE: Sudden switch of speed and rhythm for that end-of-the-track instrumental climax.
'UNANIMOUS VERDICT: The sturdy beat plus the unique Beatle-blending of harmonica, guitars and voices plus the thoroughly infectious tune make FROM ME TO YOU another dead-cert Number One chart-smasher!'
On December 18, 1963, the Beatles recorded a special version entitled "From Us To You" to be used on the BBC. Four "From Us To You" programs were eventually broadcast using this recording as the title song. The first was on
December 26, 1963.
First Release
April 11, 1963: Parlophone R5015, England, b/w Thank You Girl
#1 on the English Record Charts
US Releases
May 27, 1963 Vee Jay 522, b/w Thank You Girl
January 30, 1964 Vee Jay 581, b-side of Please Please Me
February 26, 1964 The Beatles and Frank Ifield, Vee Jay 1085
October 11, 1965 Capitol 6063, b-side of Please Please Me
April 2, 1973 The Beatles 1962-1966, Apple SKBO 3403
August 9, 1988 Past Masters Volume I, Capitol 90043
November 1994 Live At The BBC (From Us To You), Apple 31796
November 25, 1995 Anthology I, Apple 34445
Highest US Chart Position
February 22, 1964 at #41
BBC Performances
Easy Beat April 7, 1963
Swinging Sound '63 April 18, 1963
Side By Side April 23, 1963
Side By Side May 13, 1963
Saturday Club May 25, 1963
Steppin' Out June 3, 1963
Pop Go The Beatles June 4, 1963
Pop Go The Beatles June 18, 1963
Easy Beat June 23, 1963
Side By Side June 24, 1963
Saturday Club June 29, 1963
The Beat Show July 4, 1963
Pop Go The Beatles September 3, 1963
Pop Go The Beatles September 17, 1963
Easy Beat October 20, 1963
From Us To You December 26, 1963
From Us To You March 30, 1964
From Us To You May 18, 1964
From Us To You August 3, 1964
Live Performances
1963
UK Dates, January 1963
Tour With Roy Orbison
UK Dates, Spring 1963
Mini-Tour of Scotland
Tour of Sweden
The Beatles Autumn Tour
1964
Visit to France
Visit to the USA
Mary Hopkin - Those Were The Days (sing-a-long)
The English lyrics were written by Gene Raskin and the original Russian version was written by Boris Fomin, before Mary Hopkin was even born.
Ringo Starr Art Exhibition
"I started in the late nineties with my computer art. While I was touring it gave me something to do in all those crazy hotels you have to stay in on the road" - Ringo 2005"Most of the titles for my pieces arrived because on computer you have to call them something , so I have. The easy way to look at it is, if it has a hat on - it will probably be called Hat Man" - Ringo 2005
"In its way "Pop" art is always changing - like "Pop" artists. It's a natural move of things like pop music and even Popeye the sailor man." - Ringo 2005
"I like Rembrant, VanGogh, Shonberg, Condo, Nall, Max, the list is endless" - Ringo 2005
Ringo Starr Art Exhibition Itinerary2008 Tour : Summer
Date City State Venue VIP Public Onsale
06.19.08 Niagara Falls ON Fallsview Casino
06.20.08 Niagara Falls ON Fallsview Casino
06.21.08 BETHEL NY Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
06.22.08 UNCASVILLE CT Mohegan Sun Arena
06.24.08 NEW YORK NY Radio City Music Hall
06.25.08 BOSTON MA Bank of America Pavilion
06.27.08 Holmdel NJ PNC Bank Arts Center
06.28.08 Atlantic City NJ Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort
06.29.08 WESTBURY NY North Fork Theatre
06.22.08 UNCASVILLE CT Mohegan Sun Arena
06.24.08 NEW YORK NY Radio City Music Hall
06.25.08 BOSTON MA Bank of America Pavilion
06.27.08 Holmdel NJ PNC Bank Arts Center
06.28.08 Atlantic City NJ Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort
06.29.08 WESTBURY NY North Fork Theatre
07.02.08 Clearwater FL Ruth Eckerd Hall
07.03.08 HOLLYWOOD FL Hard Rock Live (Seminole)
07.05.08 BILOXI MS Beau Rivage
07.09.08 MILWAUKEE WI Potawatomi Casino
07.11.08 Windsor ON Casino Windsor Limted
07.12.08 MOUNT PLEASANT MI Soaring Eagle Casino
07.13.08 CHICAGO IL Charter One Pavilion/Northerly Isle
07.14.08 PRIOR LAKE MN Mystic Lake Celebrity Palace
07.18.08 AIRWAY HEIGHTS WA Northern Quest Casino
07.19.08 WOODINVILLE WA Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery
07.22.08 Lemoore CA Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino
07.23.08 SARATOGA CA The Mountain Winery
07.25.08 RENO NV Silver Legacy
07.26.08 Primm NV Star Of The Desert Arena
07.27.08 SAN DIEGO CA Humphrey's By The Bay
07.29.08 PALA CA Pala Casino
07.31.08 PHOENIX AZ Dodge Theatre
08.01.08 INDIO CA Fantasy Springs Casino
08.02.08 LOS ANGELES CA Greek Theatre
More dates coming...
As always, Ringo Starr takes no monies from the sale of any of his artwork. All of the his proceeds will go to benefit the Lotus Foundation Charity.
Bookshelf - Painting Is My Madness
Ringo Starr published his first set of limited edition hand signed computer art pieces in 2005.Since that time he has continued to release new pieces and continued to raise money for the Lotus Foundation, a charitable organization that he set up with his wife Barbara Bach.Now, for the first time, Ringo is featuring his entire collection of computer art pieces in a new limited edition book entitled, "Painting is My Madness"scheduled to be released on June 19 to coincide with Ringo's summer tour.
In addition to over 40 reproductions of Ringo's computer art pieces, "Painting is My Madness" contains candid photos of Ringo and his art including personal photos from his wife, Barbara Bach. The book also features Ringo's humorous and insightful musings on his artwork. "Painting is My Madness" will be limited to only 3,000 copies. There will also be a special collectors deluxe hand signed edition of "Painting is My Madness" that includes an 8" x 10" piece of Ringo's artwork.The hand signed book is limited to only 200 copies. As is the case with Ringo's hand signed art work, 100% of Ringo's proceeds from the sale of "Painting is my Madness" will be donated to the Lotus Foundation.
The objectives of the Lotus Foundation are to fund, support, participate in and promote charitable projects aimed at advancing social welfare in diverse areas including, but not limited to: substance abuse, cerebral palsy, brain tumors, cancer, battered women and their children, homelessness and animals in need.
"Painting is My Madness" is published by ArtCelebs and is available at all of Ringo Starr & the All-Starr Band concerts this summer
A Concise but Complete Beatles' History
BLACK JACKS 3/57
John Lennon & Pete Shotton
QUARRYMEN 1 4/57 - 8/57
Continuously evolving line-up:
John Lennon (vocal, guitar)
Pete Shotton (washboard)
Bill Smith (tea-chest bass)
Rod Davis (banjo)
Eric Griffiths (guitar)
Len Garry (bass)
Ivan Vaughan (tea-chest bass)
Nigel Whalley (bass)
Colin Hanton (drums)
QUARRYMEN 2 7/57 - 10/57
Eric Griffiths, Colin Hanton, Rod Davis, John Lennon, Pete Shotton & Len Garry
Paul joins the band and plays with them for the first time at New Clubmoor Hall, Liverpool, on October 18th.
QUARRYMEN 3 10/57 - 12/57
John Lennon gtr/vcl
Paul McCartney gtr/vcl
Eric Griffiths gtr
Len Garry bs
Colin Hanton dr
QUARRYMEN 4 Early 1958
John Lennon gtr/vcl
Paul McCartney gtr/vcl
George Harrison gtr
Eric Griffiths gtr
Len Garry bs
Colin Hanton dr
QUARRYMEN 5 Mid 1958
John Lennon gtr/vcl
Paul McCartney gtr/vcl
George Harrison gtr
John Lowe dr
The QUARRYMEN continued to play regularly as a quartet. After two performances in January 1959 the QUARRYMEN drifted apart and finally disbanded.
QUARRYMEN 6 10/58 - 1/59
John Lennon gtr/vcl
Paul McCartney gtr/vcl
George Harrison gtr/vcl
Colin Hanton dr
John Lennon and Paul McCartney stayed together and they wrote several songs. George Harrison joined the LES STEWART QUARTET.
The LES STEWART QUARTET should become the house band at the newly opened Casbah Coffee Club. When Ken Brown, who also was a member of the LES STEWART QUARTET helped to decorate the Cabash and therefore was not able to attend all rehearsals of the band, Les Stewart refused to play. Ken Brown and George Harrison called John Lennon and Paul McCartney and asked them for help. As the new band consisted of three quarter of the QUARRYMEN they resurvived the old name and played at the Cabash. After a dispute with the owner of the Cabash the Quarrymen stopped playing there in October 1959. This was the second end of the QUARRYMEN
QUARRYMEN 8 8/59 - 10/59
John Lennon gtr/vcl
Paul McCartney gtr/vcl
George Harrison gtr/vcl
Ken Brown gtr/vcl
Even though the name QUARRYMEN died after leaving the Cabash Club, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison stayed together. They played as JOHNNY & THE MOONDOGS.
JOHNNY & THE MOONDOGS 10/59 - 1/60
John Lennon gtr/vcl
Paul McCartney gtr/vcl
George Harrison gtr/vcl
Stuart Sutcliffe was an artist and a very good friend of John Lennon. he never was a skilled musician. When Stuart Sutcliffe joined the band they started to call themselves the BEATALS. The name was an idea of Stuart Cutcliffe who really liked the CRICKETS. Lennon convinced him to buy a bass guitar with the money he had made from the sale of one his paintings. He was very uncomfortable on stage and usually played with his back to the audience.
BEATALS 1/60 - 4/60
John Lennon gtr/vcl
Paul McCartney gtr/vcl
George Harrison gtr/vcl
Stuart Sutcliffe bs
The BEATALS still had no drummer so they started to add Tommy Moore to the line up and changed theri name to SILVER BEETLES. Tommy Moore did stay for six weeks only.
SILVER BEETLES 5/60 - 6/60
John Lennon gtr/vcl
Paul McCartney gtr/vcl
George Harrison gtr/vcl
Stuart Sutcliffe bs
Tommy Moore dr
After the departure of Tommy Moore the group continued as a quartet without drums. The changed the spelling of their name to SILVER BEATLES.
SILVER BEATLES 1 6/60 - 7/60
John Lennon gtr/vcl
Paul McCartney gtr/vcl
George Harrison gtr/vcl
Stuart Sutcliffe bs
The SILVER BEATLES were looking for a drummer and the first one they tried was Norman Chapman, but he didn't fit, so he left again after a few weeks.
SILVER BEATLES 2 7/60
John Lennon gtr/vcl
Paul McCartney gtr/vcl
George Harrison gtr/vcl
Stuart Sutcliffe bs
Norman Chapman dr
When Pete Best had joined the the group they shortened their name to BEATLES. In the summer of 1960 the group travelled to Hamburg, Germany, because they had got the offer to play at various clubs on the Reeperbahn. The group was playing first at the "Indra Club" from August to October 1960. They were playing several set every day. Even though their living conditions in Hamburg were miserable they started to develop a following, because of their energetic music. The reputation they built up at the "Indra Club" helped them to get another engagement at the more popular club, "The Kaiserkeller", where they played from October till November. In December the BEATLES were forced to leave Hamburg. First their was a dispute about their contract, then George Harrison was found to be under age and when he was deported, Paul McCartney and Pete Best strongly protested and they also were arrested and deported. Stu Sutcliffe had decided to leave the band. He stayed in Hamburg to live with his love Astrid Kirchherr.
BEATLES 1 8/60 - 11/60
John Lennon gtr/vcl
Paul McCartney gtr/vcl
George Harrison gtr/vcl
Stuart Sutcliffe bs
Pete Best dr
After their return to England the BEATLES add Chas Newby to their lineup to play a few concerts in December.
BEATLES 2 12/60
John Lennon gtr/vcl
Paul McCartney gtr/vcl
George Harrison gtr/vcl
Chas Newby bs
Pete Best dr
In Liverpool the BEATLES started to play at "The Cavern Club" in 1961. Brian Epstein, who owned a record shop, came along to listen to the band and he offered to become their manager, which the BEATLES accepted. The group returned to Hamburg early in 1961 to play again at the Star Club. During this time they met Tony Sheridan and together with him they did the first recordings.
In 1962 the BEATLES were invited to an audition at Decca records, but they got not recording contract,because the responsible people at Decca felt that there was no need for guitar orinentated groups. On June 4th the BEATLES finally signed a recording contract with Parlophone Records and two days later they began their first recording session. These recordings were released in 1982 by Audiofidelity Enterprises as "The Complete Silver Beatles". Shortly after their first recording session, George Martin their producer felt that the group needed a different drummer. In August 1962 Pete Best was fired.
BEATLES 3 1/61 - 8/62
John Lennon gtr/vcl
Paul McCartney bs/vcl
George Harrison gtr/vcl
Pete Best dr
BEATLES singles 1961-1962
1961: BEATLES with Wally - Fever (Single; Armstiock Records)
1961: Tony Sheridan & BEATLES - My Bonnie (traditional) b/w (When) The Saints (Go Marching In) (Single; Polydor 24-673)
1961: Tony Sheridan & BEATLES - My Bonnie (traditional) / (When) The Saints (Go Marching In) / Why (Can't You Love Me Again) (Crompton / Tony Sheridan) / Cry For A Shadow (John Lennon / George Harrison) (Maxi; Polydor E 76586)
1961: Tony Sheridan & BEATLES - Cry For A Shadow (John Lennon / George Harrison) b/w Why (Can't You Love Me Again) (Crompton / Tony Sheridan) (Single; Polydor 52275)
1961: Tony Sheridan & BEATLES - Ain't She Sweet (Ager / Yellen) b/w If You Love Baby ( ? ) (Single; Polydor 52317)
1961: Tony Sheridan & BEATLES - Ain't She Sweet (Ager / Yellen) b/w Nobody's Child (Cohen / Foree) (Single; ATCO 6308)
1961: Tony Sheridan & BEATLES - Skinny Minny ( ? ) b/w Sweet Georgia Brown (Bernie / Pinkard / Casey) (Single; Polydor 52324)
1961: Tony Sheridan & BEATLES - Sweet Georgia Brown (Bernie / Pinkard / Casey) b/w Take Out Some Insurance On Me Baby (Singleton / Hall) (Single; Polydor)
1962: BEATLES - I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Cry Over You (Thomas Biggs) b/w Roll Over Beethoven (Chuck Berry) (Single; Collectables COL 1501) (veröffentlicht / released 1977)
1962: BEATLES - Hippy Hippy Shake (Chan Romero) b/w Sweet Little Sixteen (Chuck Berry) (Single; Collectables COL 1502) (veröffentlicht / released 1977)
1962: BEATLES - Lend Me Your Comb (Kay Twomey / Fred Wise / Ben Weisman) b/w Your Feet's Too Big (Ada Benson / Fred Fisher) (Single; Collectables COL 1503) (veröffentlicht / released 1977)
1962: BEATLES - Where Have You Been All My Life (Cynthia Weil / Barry Mann) (Single; Collectables COL 1504) (veröffentlicht / released 1977)
1962: BEATLES -A Taste Of Honey (Ric Marlow / Bobby Scott) b/w Besame Mucho (Consuelo Velazquez / Sunny Skylar) (Single; Collectables COL 1505) (veröffentlicht / released 1977)
1962: BEATLES - Till There Was You (Meredith Wilson) b/w Everybody's Tryin' To Be My Baby (Carl Perkins) (Single; Collectables COL 1506) (veröffentlicht / released 1977)
1962: BEATLES - Ain't Nothing Shaking (But The Leaves On The Trees) (Cirino Colacrai / Eddie Fontaine / Dianne Lampert / Jack Cleveland) b/w Kansas City (Richard Penniman) (Single; Collectables COL 1507) (veröffentlicht / released 1977)
1962: BEATLES - To Know Her Is To Love Her (Phil Spector) b/w Little Queenie (Chuck Berry) (Single; Collectables COL 1508) (veröffentlicht / released 1977)
1962: BEATLES - Falling In Love Again (Sammy Lerner / Frederick Hollander) b/w Sheila (Tommy Roe) (Single; Collectables COL 1509) (veröffentlicht / released 1977)
1962: BEATLES - Be-Bop-A-Lula (Gene Vincent / Tex Davis) b/w Hallelujah, I Love Her So (Ray Charles) (Single; Collectables COL 1510) (veröffentlicht / released 1977)
1962: BEATLES - Red Sails In The Sunset (Jimmy Kennedy / Will Grosz) /b/w Matchbox (Carl Perkins) (Single; Collectables COL 1511) (veröffentlicht / released 1977)
1962: BEATLES - Talkin' About You (Chuck Berry) b/w Shimmy Shake (Joe South / Billy Land) (Single; Collectables COL 1512) (veröffentlicht / released 1977)
1962: BEATLES - Long Tall Sally (Richard Penniman) b/w I Remember You (Johnny Mercer / Voctor Schertzinger) (Single; Collectables COL 1513) (veröffentlicht / released 1977)
1962: BEATLES - Ask Me Why (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) b/w Twist And Shout (Medley Russell) (Single; Collectables COL 1514) (veröffentlicht / released 1977)
1962: BEATLES - I Saw Her Standing There (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) b/w Reminiscing (King Curtis) (Single; Collectables COL 1515) (veröffentlicht / released 1977)
BEATLES album 1961-1962
1961: Tony Sheridan & The BEATLES - The Beatles First (Polydor 236 201) (veröffentlicht / released 1964)
1962: BEATLES - The Complete Silver Beatles (Audiofidelity Enterprises AFELD 1047) (veröffentlicht / released 1982)
1962: BEATLES - Live! At The Star-Club In Hamburg, Germany (Lingasong Records LNL 1) (veröffentlicht / released 1977)
1962: BEATLES - The Beatles Historic Sessions (Audiofidelity Enterprises AFELD 1018) (veröffentlicht / released 1981)
Pete Best was replaced by Ringo Starr, whom the BEATLES had met in Hamburg. On October 5, 1962 The Beatles released their first single "Love Me Do". In February of 1963 they recorded their first album "Please Please Me". From this point onwards the BEATLES created music history. The group released hit after hit and in October 1963 after they had played at the London Palladium the term "Beatlemania" came up to describe the fan's hysteria. In November 1963 the Beatles played a Royal Command Performance in front of the Queen where John Lennon told the audience, "Those of you in the cheap seats, if you would clap along, and the rest of you, if you could just rattle your jewelry." At the end of 1963 the BEATLES released their second album "With The Beatles."
In 1963 the BEATLES also tried to conquer the American music market, but without success. In 1964 they finally burst onto the American scene with "I Want to Hold Your Hand" as the #1 single on the American charts. From that point onward every BEATLES release was greeted with great applause by the audiences and critics alike. The BEATLES did not only record and release singles or albums but they also started to create their own motion pictures.
In 1965 the BEATLES received MBE’s (Members of the Order of the British Empire) from the British Crown.
In 1966 The Beatles performed their last concert in Candlestick Park, San Francisco. They had not planned to stop live concerts but after the concert at Candlestick Park they announced that they would concentrate on songwriting and recording. "Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band" was rerleased in 1967 and it is still regarded by many as the best album in the history of rock'n'roll.
In 1968 the BEATLES released their 9th album, simply titled "The Beatles". There had been a lot of tension during the recordings, which led to Ringo leaving the recording sessions, so that Paul McCartney had to play some of the drum parts. The tensions also led to the first solo recordings by members of the BEATLES.
The band came back together in 1969 and began shooting a film at the recording sessions for their next album "Let It Be". As the group was not content with the results they stopped the filming and recorded the album at another studio. When everything was recorded they played the famous "rooftop" concert on the top of the Apple building. The BEATLES later got back together and recorded another album, which was released as "Abbey Road" at the end of 1969. "Let It Be", the album which was released before "Abbey Road" was released in 1970 after a lot of afterproduction work. Phil Spector who had served as the producer during these recordings had added strings and sound effects to the songs. The original version with just the BEATLES and Billy Preston playing was released in 2005 as "Let It Be Naked". The official break-up of The Beatles was officially announced on April 10th, 1970.
BEATLES 4 8/62 - 4/70
John Lennon gtr/vcl
Paul McCartney bs/vcl
George Harrison gtr/vcl
Ringo Starr dr/vcl
BEATLES singles 1962-1970 plus
1962: BEATLES - Love Me Do (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) b/w P.S. I Love You (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (Single; Parlophone R 4949)
1963: BEATLES - Please Please Me (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) b/w Ask Me Why (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (Single; Parlophone R 4983)
1963: BEATLES - From Me To You (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) b/w Thank You Girl (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (Single; Parlophone R 5015)
1963: BEATLES - She Loves You (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) b/w I'll Get You (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (Single; Parlophone R 5055)
1963: BEATLES - Twist And Shout (Twist And Shout (Phil Medley / Bert Russell) / A Taste Of Honey (Ric Marlow / Bobby Scott) / Do You Want To Know A Secret (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) / There's A Place (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (Maxi; Parlophone GEP 8882)
1963: BEATLES - The Beatles' Hits (From Me To You (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) / Thank You Girl (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) / Please Please Me (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) / Love Me Do (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (Maxi; Parlophone GEP 8880)
1963: BEATLES - The Beatles No. 1 (I Saw Her Standing There (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) / Misery (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) / Anna (Go To Him) (Arthur Alexander) / Chains (Gerry Goffin / Carole King) (Maxi; Parlophone GEP 8883)
1963: BEATLES - I Want To Hold Your Hand (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) b/w This Boy (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (Single; Parlophone R 5084)
1964: BEATLES - Can't Buy Me Love (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) b/w You Can't Do That (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (Single; Parlophone R 5114)
1964: BEATLES - All My Loving (All My Loving (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) / Ask Me Why (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) / Money (That's All I Want) (Janie Bradford / Berry Gordy) / P.S. I Love You (John Lennon / Paul McCartney)) (Maxi; Parlophone GEP 8891)
1964: BEATLES - Long Tall Sally (Richard Penniman / Enotris Johnson / Robert Blackwell) b/w I Call Your Name (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (Single; D: Odeon O 22745)
1964: BEATLES - Long Tall Sally (Long Tall Sally (Richard Penniman / Enotris Johnson / Robert Blackwell) / I Call Your Name (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) / Slow Down (Larry Williams) / Matchbox (Carl Perkins)) (Maxi; Parlophone GEP 8913)
1964: BEATLES - Komm gib mir Deine Hand (John Lennon / Paul McCartney / Camillo Felgen) b/w Sie liebt Dich (John Lennon / Paul McCartney / Camillo Felgen) (Single; D: Odeon 22671)
1964: BEATLES - A Hard Day's Night (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) b/w Things We Said Today (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (Single; Parlophone R 5160)
1964: BEATLES - Extracts From "A Hard Day's Night" (I Should Have Known Better (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) / If I Fell (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) / Tell Me Why (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) / And I Love Her (John Lennon / Paul McCartney)) (Maxi; Parlophone GEP 8920)
1964: BEATLES - Extracts From "A Hard Day's Night" (Any Time At All (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) / I'll Cry Instead (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) / Things We Said Today (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) / When I Get Home (John Lennon / Paul McCartney)) (Maxi; Parlophone GEP 8924)
1964: BEATLES - I Feel Fine (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) b/w She's A Woman (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (Single; Parlophone R 5084)
1965: BEATLES - Beatles For Sale (No Reply (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) / I'm A Loser (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) / Rock And Roll Music (Chuck Berry) / Eight Days A Week (John Lennon / Paul McCartney)) (Maxi; Parlophone GEP 8931)
1965: BEATLES - Beatles For Sale (No. 2) (I'll Follow The Sun (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) / Baby's In Black (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) / Words Of Love (Buddy Holly) / I Don't Want To Spoil The Party (John Lennon / Paul McCartney)) (Maxi; Parlophone GEP 8938)
1965: BEATLES - Ticket To Ride (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) b/w Yes It Is (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (Single; Parlophone R 5265)
1965: BEATLES - Help (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) b/w I'm Down (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (Single; Parlophone R 5305)
1965: BEATLES - Day Tripper (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) b/w We Can Work It Out (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (Single; Parlophone R 5389)
1965: BEATLES - Million Sellers (She Loves You (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) / I Want To Hold Your Hand (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) / Can't Buy Me Love (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) / I Feel Fine (John Lennon / Paul McCartney)) (Maxi; Parlophone GEP 8946)
1966: BEATLES - Yesterday (Yesterday (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) / Act Naturally (Johnny Russell / Vonie Morrison) / You Like Me Too Much (George Harrison) / It's Only Love (John Lennon / Paul McCartney)) (Maxi; Parlophone GEP 8948)
1966: BEATLES - Nowhere Man (Nowhere Man (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) / Drive My Car (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) / Michelle (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) / You Won't See Me (John Lennon / Paul McCartney)) (Maxi; Parlophone GEP 8952)
1966: BEATLES - Paperback Writer (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) b/w Rain (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (Single; Parlophone R 5452)
1966: BEATLES - Eleanor Rigby (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) b/w Yellow Submarine (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (Single; Parlophone R 5493)
1967: BEATLES - Penny Lane (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) b/w Strawberry Fields Forever (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (Single; Parlophone R 5570)
1967: BEATLES - All You Need Is Love (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) b/w Baby You're A Rich Man (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (Single; Parlophone R 5620)
1967: BEATLES - Hello Goodbye (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) b/w I Am The Walrus (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (Single; PaRLOPHONE R 5655)
1967: BEATLES - Magical Mystery Tour (Magical Mystery Tour (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) / The Fool On The Hill (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) / Flying (John Lennon / Paul McCartney / George Harrison / Richard Starkey) / Blue Jay Way (George Harrison) / Your Mother Should Know (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) / I Am The Walrus (John Lennon / Paul McCartney)) (2-Maxi; Parlophone SMMT 1 / 2)
1968: BEATLES - Lady Madonna (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) b/w The Inner Light (George Harrison) (Single; Parlophone R 5675)
1968: BEATLES - Hey Jude (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) b/w Revolution (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (Single; Apple R 5722)
1968: BEATLES - Ob-La-Di-Ob-La-Da (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) b/w While My Guitar Gently Weeps (George Harrison) (Single; D: Apple O 24004)
1969: BEATLES - Get Back (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) b/w Don't Let Me Down (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (Single; Apple R 5777)
1969: BEATLES - The Ballad Of John And Yoko (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) b/w Old Brown Shoe (George Harrison) (Single; Apple R 5786)
1969: BEATLES - Something (George Harrison) b/w Come Together (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (Single; Apple R 5814)
1970: BEATLES - Let It Be (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) b/w You Know My Name (Look Up The Number) (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (Single; Apple R 5833
1970: BEATLES - The Long And Winding Road (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) b/w For You Blue (George Harrison) (Single; D: Apple 1C006-04514)
1995: BEATLES - Baby It's You (David / Bacharach / Williams) / I'll Follow The Sun (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) / Devil In Her Heart (Richard B. Drapkin) / Boys (Luther Dixon / Wes Farrell) (Live At BBC) (Maxi: Apple 7 2438 820 73 2 4)
1995: BEATLES - Free As A Bird (John Lennon) / I Saw Her Standing There (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) / This Boy (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) / Christmas Time (Is Here Again) (John Lennon / Paul McCartney / George Harrison / Richard Starkey) (Maxi: Apple 7 2438 825 87 2 2)
1995: BEATLES - Free As A Bird (John Lennon) / Christmas Time (Is Here Again) (John Lennon / Paul McCartney / George Harrison / Richard Starkey) (Single: Apple R 6422)
1996: BEATLES - Real Love (John Lennon) / Baby's In Black (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) / Yellow Submarine (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) / Here There And Everywhere (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (Maxi; Apple 7 2438 82 45 2 2)
1996: BEATLES - Real Love (John Lennon) / Baby's In Black (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (Single; Apple R 6425)
BEATLES album 1962-1970 plus
1963: BEATLES - Please Please Me (Parlophone PCS 3042)
1963: BEATLES - Introducing The Beatles (US: Vee Jay VJLP 1062)
1963: BEATLES - With The Beatles (Parlophone PCS 3045)
1964: BEATLES - Meet The Beatles (US: Capitol ST 2047)
1964: BEATLES - Second Album (US: Capitol ST 2080)
1964: BEATLES - A Hard Day's Night (Parlophone PCS 3058)
1964: BEATLES - A Hard Day's Night (US: United Artists UAS 6366)
1964: BEATLES - Something New (US: Capitol ST 2108)
1964: BEATLES - Beatles For Sale (Parlophone PCS 3062)
1964: BEATLES - Beatles '65 (US: Capitol ST 2228)
1964/1965: BEATLES - At The Hollywood Bowl (Parlophone EMTV 4)
1965: BEATLES - The Early Beatles (US: Capitol ST 2309)
1965: BEATLES - Beatles VI (US: Capitol ST 2358)
1965: BEATLES - Help! (Parlophone PCS 3071)
1965: BEATLES - Help! (US: Capitol SMAS 2386)
1965: BEATLES - Rubber Soul (Parlophone PCS 3075)
1965: BEATLES - Rubber Soul (US: Capitol ST 2442)
1966: BEATLES - Revolver (Parlophone PCS 7009)
1966: BEATLES - Revolver (US: Capitol ST 2576)
1966: BEATLES - Yesterday And Today (US: Capitol ST 2553)
1967: BEATLES - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Parlophone PCS 7027)
1967: BEATLES - Magical Mystery Tour (D: Hör Zu / Apple SHZE 327)
1968: BEATLES - The Beatles (White Album) (Apple PCS 7067)
1969: BEATLES - Yellow Submarine (Apple PCS 7070)
1969: BEATLES - Abbey Road (Apple PCS 7088)
1970: BEATLES - Let It Be (Apple PCS 7096)
1970: BEATLES - Let It Be Naked (EMI) (veröffentlicht / released 2005)
1994: BEATLES - Live At The BBC (Apple 7 2438 31796 2)
1995: BEATLES - Anthology 1 (Apple 7 2438 34445 2)
1996: BEATLES - Anthology 2 (Apple 7 2438 34448 2)
1996: BEATLES - Anthology 3 (Apple 7 2438 34449 2)
Abbey Road 24 hours webcam
Here you can see for yourself the most famous black and white stripes in London by viewing our webcam, which is trained on the crossing 24 hours a day.
Billy Preston - My Sweet Lord
Billy Preston, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, Dhani Harrison and a slew of other friends of ex-Beatles George Harrison perform his hit single "My Sweet Lord" in the Concert for George
Beatles' Era - Beatles Covers Labels
Part of the fun of collecting Beatles records is keeping an eye open for Beatles-related items. Many Beatles songs have been re-recorded by others artists over the years. These are called "covers". Pictured here are a few of the more interesting Beatles covers released during the Beatles years.
United Artists records only had the rights to issue a soundtrack LP of Beatles music from the movie A Hard Day's Night and not singles. However, they did issue two 45s in 1964 containing the four instrumentals by George Martin that were on the soundtrack LP, A Hard Day's Night/I Should Have Known Better, and the one pictured, Ringo's Theme (This Boy)/And I Love Her.
Another favorite of the Liverpool mersey beat fans, the Fourmost was Brian Epstein's sixth group, signed in June 1963. Their first hit was the Lennon and McCartney song Hello Little Girl in 1963. They released this version of Here, There and Everywhere in late 1966 after the Beatles version was released on Revolver.
A studio group from New York City popular during the disco craze, the Wing and a Prayer Fife and Drum Corps. had its only top 40 hit in December 1975 with Baby Face. Their disco version of Eleanor Rigby the following year did not chart.
Besides appearing with the Beatles on Get Back and Let It Be, Billy Preston made two albums produced by George Harrison on the Apple label, and four singles. My Sweet Lord was Billy's last Apple single, and was released right after George's version in December 1970.
Many artists, famous and also not so famous, covered Beatles records. Found this in the unsorted 45 bins of a record store. It is an instrumental version of Lady Madonna and looks like it was made as a giveaway for the Holiday Inn hotel chain.
This 45, as you can see, it's not Beatles related at all, and was included here just for fun. This version of P.S. I Love You was written by famous composer Johnny Mercer. Song titles are not copyrightable, and this sort of confusion in repeating of song titles is pretty common.
Del Shannon had his first Top 40 number 1 hit in 1961 with Runaway. He met the Beatles during his second tour of England in 1962, and his recording of From Me To You was the first ever cover of a Beatles record in the United States. In another Beatles related note, Del Shannon wrote Peter and Gordon's 1965 hit I Go To Pieces.
Although Billy J. Kramer was performing professionally before the Beatles, he nevertheless owes his success to them. It was the Beatles' manager, Brian Epstein, who brought Billy J. and his group The Dakotas, at that time called The Coasters, to producer George Martin. In 1963 Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas recorded Do You Want To Know A Secret from a crudely recorded demo made by John Lennon. It went to number 9 in the U.S., and is pictured here on its rarer demo label.
The small Philadelphia label Swan Records released She Loves You/I'll Get You by the Beatles in 1963. It was not a big seller at the time. However, when the Beatles finally hit it big in America in January, 1964, Swan attempted to cash in by releasing this single of She Loves You/Do You Want To Know A Secret by another of their artists, Roger Webb. It did not chart.
Dave Appell was a record producer who produced hits on Cameo Parkway records in the 60's for such artists as Chubby Checker and Bobby Rydell. He later persuaded Tony Orlando to sing on a demo record, and Tony Orlando and Dawn was born. This version of She Loves You, recorded with his group the Applejacks in 1964 did not chart.
The Beatlemania craze was generally misunderstood and disliked by all adults at the time, making it natural for comedians to step in and make fun of them. This is the hillbilly parody of She Loves You/I Want To Hold Your Hand by the comedic musical team Homer and Jethro, who were pictured wearing corny Beatle wigs on the picture sleeve of this record.
This is the Hit Records release of Please Please Me/My Bonny (Lies Over The Ocean). It was recorded by unknown group the Boll Weevils and released simply to try to cash in on the success of the Beatles in 1964. These records with no virtue other than their relationship to the bigger star's version were called "ghost records", and were very common in the 50's and 60's.
David Cassidy became a big star with his appearance as Keith Partridge in The Partridge Family and the record he made with them, I Think I Love You, sold six million copies. He began his solo career in 1971, and recorded Please Please Me in 1974, which didn't chart in the Top 40. Pictured here is the rare mono/stereo demo single.
In 1978, UK artists Thereza Bazar and David Van Day formed a group called Dollar, and their first single Shooting Star went to number 14 in the UK. In 1979, Dollar released their version of I Want To Hold Your Hand and it went to number 9 on the UK charts. Pictured here is a Promotional copy made in the US.
United Artists records only had the rights to issue a soundtrack LP of Beatles music from the movie A Hard Day's Night and not singles. However, they did issue two 45s in 1964 containing the four instrumentals by George Martin that were on the soundtrack LP, A Hard Day's Night/I Should Have Known Better, and the one pictured, Ringo's Theme (This Boy)/And I Love Her.Another favorite of the Liverpool mersey beat fans, the Fourmost was Brian Epstein's sixth group, signed in June 1963. Their first hit was the Lennon and McCartney song Hello Little Girl in 1963. They released this version of Here, There and Everywhere in late 1966 after the Beatles version was released on Revolver.A studio group from New York City popular during the disco craze, the Wing and a Prayer Fife and Drum Corps. had its only top 40 hit in December 1975 with Baby Face. Their disco version of Eleanor Rigby the following year did not chart. Besides appearing with the Beatles on Get Back and Let It Be, Billy Preston made two albums produced by George Harrison on the Apple label, and four singles. My Sweet Lord was Billy's last Apple single, and was released right after George's version in December 1970.Billy Preston didn't have a pop hit on his own until he recorded Outa-Space for A&M Records in 1972. Then, almost exactly a year later, Billy had his first number 1 hit, Will It Go Round In Circles. This was its flip side, Billy's second Beatles cover, Blackbird, released May 1973.
This one hits the jackpot! Eight Beatles covers on one side of a 45! Stars on 45 was a group of Dutch session vocalists and musicians. In 1981, their Stars on 45 Medley was number 1 for 14 weeks. Inspired by how DJs tied songs together in discos, the Stars on 45 Medley was a medley of Beatles songs recreated to a single disco beat. The instrumentation and vocals, especially the John vocals which were sung by Bas Muys, were strikingly similar to the original Beatles recordings.
Many artists, famous and also not so famous, covered Beatles records. Found this in the unsorted 45 bins of a record store. It is an instrumental version of Lady Madonna and looks like it was made as a giveaway for the Holiday Inn hotel chain.This 45, as you can see, it's not Beatles related at all, and was included here just for fun. This version of P.S. I Love You was written by famous composer Johnny Mercer. Song titles are not copyrightable, and this sort of confusion in repeating of song titles is pretty common. In the end, if anybody owns any of this songs, please share it with Virtual Museum visitors by sending or uploading for us.
The Apple Singles Collection - Apple # 1
Donated by Chris: Many thanks.
Commissioned by Apple utive Peter Brown, in honor of Maureen Starkey's 22nd birthday.
Ringo Starr's wife (Maureen) had a birthday coming up and someone at Apple Records thought it would be great to work up a version of the song The Lady Is A Tramp to play at her birthday party.
One thing led to another and a famous Hollywood composer agreed to rewrite the words to the song, then talked Frank Sinatra into singing it. Sinatra (who was a fan of Beatle songs) recorded this version of The Lady Is A Tramp with a band, shipped the tapes to London, where it was pressed onto a record (possibly making it APPLE # 1).
Only one copy of the record was made and given to Maureen (Cox) Starr, and the stamping moulds were all destroyed afterward.
The new lyrics were written by SAMMY CAHN, and that's BILL MILLER on piano.
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Frank Sinatra: Maureen Is A Champ (1968)
Commissioned by Apple utive Peter Brown, in honor of Maureen Starkey's 22nd birthday.
Ringo Starr's wife (Maureen) had a birthday coming up and someone at Apple Records thought it would be great to work up a version of the song The Lady Is A Tramp to play at her birthday party.
One thing led to another and a famous Hollywood composer agreed to rewrite the words to the song, then talked Frank Sinatra into singing it. Sinatra (who was a fan of Beatle songs) recorded this version of The Lady Is A Tramp with a band, shipped the tapes to London, where it was pressed onto a record (possibly making it APPLE # 1).
Only one copy of the record was made and given to Maureen (Cox) Starr, and the stamping moulds were all destroyed afterward.
The new lyrics were written by SAMMY CAHN, and that's BILL MILLER on piano.
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Maureen Starr
Maureen Starr-Mary Cox was born August 4, 1946 in Liverpool, England.She wanted to be a hairdresser and manicurist and dreamed of one day running her own salon. She managed to secure herself a job as a junior apprentice at a well respected salon called Ashley Dupre Continental Hair and Beauty Salon in Liverpool and attended frequent training classes after work. .One day on the way to a hairdressing class Maureen spotted her favourite musician "Ringo Starr" in his car and ran to catch up with him to get an autograph on her excercise book.Ringo, whose real name was Richard Starkey, was the new drummer in her favourite band. Three weeks later Ringo noticed Maureen stood outside the Cavern queuing to get in and went over to chat her up. He danced with her later on in the club and then offered to take her home, but ended up having to take her friend home as well. Whenever he saw her he would have to entertain both her and her friend. In an attempt to finally get to spend some time alone with her, Richard contacted her at work and asked her if she would go out on a date with him, just the two of them.
Knowing of her early curfew and the fact that most of his evening time was filled up with drumming engagements he suggested they spend the whole of the day together instead of grabbing just a few moments in the evening. Maureen and Richard's times together were becomming more rare and far between as he moved down to London to work and spent a lot of time touring. He phoned her often and on his occasional days off would rush up to Liverpool to spend as much time with her as he could. In their early days together they both indulged their mutual love of dancing til the early hours of the morning in clubs, but when their time together became so precious and rare they realised they enjoyed spending a quiet night in just sat infront of the television, curled up together in the same armchair.
At times when such visits to Liverpool weren't possible, Maureen would plead with her parents to let her travel down to London and see him as often as she could. She took a holiday to Greece with him in September of 1963 along with Paul McCartney and his girlfriend Jane Asher. This was a time before Beatlemania was a worldwide obsession and the couples were able to spend some quality time together. In 1964,the couple spent the Christmas holiday together down in London, and in January while out at the Ad Lib club in the early hours of the morning, Richard proposed marriage.
The 18-year-old Cox married Ringo Starr on February 11, 1965. Their first child, Zak, was born on September 13, 1965 (followed by Jason on August 19, 1967 and Lee on November 17, 1970 ).
The Beatles' Record Sales - 4: World
Most no. 1 hits in the German singles chart (12 no. 1s).
"I Want to Hold Your Hand" (1964), "Paperback Writer" (1966), "Yellow Submarine"/"Eleanor Rigby" (1966), "Penny Lane"/"Strawberry Fields Forever" (1967), "All You Need Is Love" (1967), "Hello, Goodbye" (1967), "Hey Jude" (1968), "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" (1969), "Get Back" (1969), "The Ballad of John and Yoko" (1969), "Something"/"Come Together" (1969), "Let It Be" (1970)
"I Want to Hold Your Hand" (1964), "Paperback Writer" (1966), "Yellow Submarine"/"Eleanor Rigby" (1966), "Penny Lane"/"Strawberry Fields Forever" (1967), "All You Need Is Love" (1967), "Hello, Goodbye" (1967), "Hey Jude" (1968), "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" (1969), "Get Back" (1969), "The Ballad of John and Yoko" (1969), "Something"/"Come Together" (1969), "Let It Be" (1970)
Most no. 1 hits in the Australian singles chart (23 no. 1s).
"I Want to Hold Your Hand" (1963), "I Saw Her Standing There" (1964), All My Loving EP (1964), "Can't Buy Me Love" (1964), "A Hard Day's Night" (1964), "I Should Have Known Better" (1964), "I Feel Fine" (1964), "Rock and Roll Music" (1965), "Ticket to Ride" (1965), "Help!" (1965), "Day Tripper"/"We Can Work It Out" (1965), "Nowhere Man" (1966), "Yellow Submarine"/"Eleanor Rigby" (1966), "Penny Lane"/"Strawberry Fields Forever" (1967), "All You Need Is Love" (1967), "Hello, Goodbye" (1967), "Lady Madonna" (1968), "Hey Jude" (1968), "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" (1969), "Get Back" (1969), "The Ballad of John and Yoko" (1969), "Something"/"Come Together" (1969), "Let It Be" (1970) [7]
"I Want to Hold Your Hand" (1963), "I Saw Her Standing There" (1964), All My Loving EP (1964), "Can't Buy Me Love" (1964), "A Hard Day's Night" (1964), "I Should Have Known Better" (1964), "I Feel Fine" (1964), "Rock and Roll Music" (1965), "Ticket to Ride" (1965), "Help!" (1965), "Day Tripper"/"We Can Work It Out" (1965), "Nowhere Man" (1966), "Yellow Submarine"/"Eleanor Rigby" (1966), "Penny Lane"/"Strawberry Fields Forever" (1967), "All You Need Is Love" (1967), "Hello, Goodbye" (1967), "Lady Madonna" (1968), "Hey Jude" (1968), "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" (1969), "Get Back" (1969), "The Ballad of John and Yoko" (1969), "Something"/"Come Together" (1969), "Let It Be" (1970) [7]
Most no. 1 hits in the Dutch singles chart (21 no. 1s).
"I Want to Hold Your Hand' (1964), "Can't Buy Me Love" (1964), Long Tall Sally EP (1964), "A Hard Day's Night" (1964), "I Should Have Known Better" (1964), "I Feel Fine" (1964), "Rock and Roll Music" (1965), "Ticket to Ride" (1965), "Help!" (1965), "Yesterday" (1965), "We Can Work It Out/Day Tripper" (1965), "Michelle" (1966), "Paperback Writer" (1966), "Yellow Submarine"/"Eleanor Rigby" (1966), "Penny Lane"/"Strawberry Fields Forever" (1967), "All You Need Is Love" (1967), "Hello, Goodbye" (1967), "Hey Jude" (1968), "Get Back" (1969), "The Ballad of John and Yoko" (1969), "Let It Be" (1970)
"I Want to Hold Your Hand' (1964), "Can't Buy Me Love" (1964), Long Tall Sally EP (1964), "A Hard Day's Night" (1964), "I Should Have Known Better" (1964), "I Feel Fine" (1964), "Rock and Roll Music" (1965), "Ticket to Ride" (1965), "Help!" (1965), "Yesterday" (1965), "We Can Work It Out/Day Tripper" (1965), "Michelle" (1966), "Paperback Writer" (1966), "Yellow Submarine"/"Eleanor Rigby" (1966), "Penny Lane"/"Strawberry Fields Forever" (1967), "All You Need Is Love" (1967), "Hello, Goodbye" (1967), "Hey Jude" (1968), "Get Back" (1969), "The Ballad of John and Yoko" (1969), "Let It Be" (1970)
Most no. 1 hits in the Swedish singles chart (18 no. 1s).
Most no. 1 hits in the Canadian singles chart (22 no. 1s, CHUM chart).
Most no. 1 hits in the Norwegian singles chart (21 no. 1s).
Most hits in the German singles chart within a calendar year (16 hits, 1964).
Most consecutive top 10 hits in the German singles chart (17, from 1965 to 1970).
Most no. 1 hits in the German singles chart within a calendar year (4 no. 1 hits in 1969, record shared with ABBA).
Most no. 1 hits in the Canadian singles chart (22 no. 1s, CHUM chart).
Most no. 1 hits in the Norwegian singles chart (21 no. 1s).
Most hits in the German singles chart within a calendar year (16 hits, 1964).
Most consecutive top 10 hits in the German singles chart (17, from 1965 to 1970).
Most no. 1 hits in the German singles chart within a calendar year (4 no. 1 hits in 1969, record shared with ABBA).
Group with most top 10 hits in the German singles chart (29 top 10 hits).
Group with most weeks in the German singles chart (589 weeks).
Most weeks at no. 1 in the German albums chart (113 weeks at no. 1).
Group with most weeks in the German albums chart (1,180 weeks up to 2000).
Group with most no. 1 albums in the German albums chart (11 no. 1 albums).
The double album The Beatles/1962-1966 spent more weeks in the German album charts top 10 than any other artist album (124 weeks, only beaten by soundtracks My Fair Lady and West Side Story).
Group with most weeks in the German singles chart (589 weeks).
Most weeks at no. 1 in the German albums chart (113 weeks at no. 1).
Group with most weeks in the German albums chart (1,180 weeks up to 2000).
Group with most no. 1 albums in the German albums chart (11 no. 1 albums).
The double album The Beatles/1962-1966 spent more weeks in the German album charts top 10 than any other artist album (124 weeks, only beaten by soundtracks My Fair Lady and West Side Story).
Most weeks at no. 1 in the German albums chart within a calendar year (36 weeks at no. 1 in 1964, excludes soundtracks).
Group with most albums in the German albums chart within a calendar year (6 albums in 1964).
Most weeks at no. 1 in the Dutch singles chart (67 weeks at no. 1).
Most weeks at no. 1 in the Dutch singles chart within a calendar year (29 weeks, 1965).
Most top 10 hits in the Dutch singles chart (35 top 10 hits).
Most consecutive no. 1 hits in the Dutch singles chart (6 consecutive no. 1 hits).
Group with most albums in the German albums chart within a calendar year (6 albums in 1964).
Most weeks at no. 1 in the Dutch singles chart (67 weeks at no. 1).
Most weeks at no. 1 in the Dutch singles chart within a calendar year (29 weeks, 1965).
Most top 10 hits in the Dutch singles chart (35 top 10 hits).
Most consecutive no. 1 hits in the Dutch singles chart (6 consecutive no. 1 hits).
Group with most weeks in the Dutch singles chart (523 weeks).
Only act to debut at no. 1 in the Dutch singles chart (3 times).
Most no. 1 albums in the Norwegian albums chart (12 no. 1 albums).
Most weeks at no. 1 in the Norwegian singles chart (97 weeks at no. 1).
Most weeks at no. 1 in the Norwegian albums chart (182 weeks at no. 1).
With The Beatles spent more weeks at no. 1 in the Norwegian albums chart than any other artist album (31 weeks at no. 1, second only to soundtrack The Sound of Music).
Only act to debut at no. 1 in the Dutch singles chart (3 times).
Most no. 1 albums in the Norwegian albums chart (12 no. 1 albums).
Most weeks at no. 1 in the Norwegian singles chart (97 weeks at no. 1).
Most weeks at no. 1 in the Norwegian albums chart (182 weeks at no. 1).
With The Beatles spent more weeks at no. 1 in the Norwegian albums chart than any other artist album (31 weeks at no. 1, second only to soundtrack The Sound of Music).
Most weeks at no. 1 in the Norwegian singles chart within a calendar year (25 weeks at no. 1 in 1966).
Most weeks at no. 1 in the Norwegian albums chart within a calendar year (48 weeks at no. 1 in 1964).
Most consecutive no. 1 singles in the Norwegian singles chart (8 consecutive no. 1 singles from 1965 to 1967).
Most hit singles within a calendar year in the Norwegian singles chart (10 hit singles in 1964).
Most no. 1 hit singles within a calendar year in the Norwegian singles chart (6 no. 1 hits in 1964).
Most consecutive no. 1 hits in the Swiss singles chart (5 consecutive no. 1 hits from 1968 to 1970, chart only started in 1968).
Most weeks at no. 1 in the Norwegian albums chart within a calendar year (48 weeks at no. 1 in 1964).
Most consecutive no. 1 singles in the Norwegian singles chart (8 consecutive no. 1 singles from 1965 to 1967).
Most hit singles within a calendar year in the Norwegian singles chart (10 hit singles in 1964).
Most no. 1 hit singles within a calendar year in the Norwegian singles chart (6 no. 1 hits in 1964).
Most consecutive no. 1 hits in the Swiss singles chart (5 consecutive no. 1 hits from 1968 to 1970, chart only started in 1968).
Group with most weeks in the Australian singles chart (604 weeks).
Group with most weeks in the Finnish singles chart (437 weeks).
Group with most top 10 hits in the Austrian singles chart (25 top 10 hits).
Group with most top 10 hits in the Danish singles chart (33 top 10 hits).
Group with most weeks in the Finnish singles chart (437 weeks).
Group with most top 10 hits in the Austrian singles chart (25 top 10 hits).
Group with most top 10 hits in the Danish singles chart (33 top 10 hits).
26 no. 1 hits in Australia (130 weeks at no. 1). (David Kent)
23 no. 1 hits in Australia (101 weeks at no. 1). (Top 40 Research)
22 no. 1 hits in Canada (74 weeks at no. 1). (Chum)
22 no. 1 hits in Sweden (95 weeks at no. 1). (Kvallstoppen)
18 no. 1 hits in Sweden (69 weeks at no. 1). (Tio i Topp)
21 no. 1 hits in The Netherlands (95 weeks at no. 1).
21 no. 1 hits in Norway (97 weeks at no. 1). (VG)
20 no. 1 hits in America (59 weeks at no. 1). (Billboard)
18 no. 1 hits in Denmark (104 weeks at no. 1). (Billboard & Musikmarkt & NME)
18 no. 1 hits in Germany (88 weeks at no. 1). (Bravo)
12 no. 1 hits in Germany (40 weeks at no. 1). (Hit Bilanz)
12 no. 1 hits in Germany (43 weeks at no. 1). (Amtage & Muller)
17 no. 1 hits in Britain (69 weeks at no. 1). (Record Retailer
16 no. 1 hits in Hong Kong (67 weeks at no 1). (Billboard)
15 no. 1 hits in New Zealand (35 weeks at no. 1). (The Listener 1966 onwards)
13 no. 1 hits in Ireland (47 weeks at no. 1).
13 no. 1 hits in Malaysia. (Billboard)
9 no. 1 hits in Spain (17 weeks at no. 1).
8 no. 1 hits in Zimbabwe (29 weeks at no. 1).
8 no. 1 hits in Switzerland (37 weeks at no. 1).
6 no. 1 hits in Austria (38 weeks at no. 1).
6 no. 1 hits in Belgium (22 weeks at no. 1).
5 no. 1 hits in Finland.
4 no. 1 hits in Italy (18 weeks at no. 1).
2 no. 1 hits in Ethiopia (98 weeks at no. 1).
23 no. 1 hits in Australia (101 weeks at no. 1). (Top 40 Research)
22 no. 1 hits in Canada (74 weeks at no. 1). (Chum)
22 no. 1 hits in Sweden (95 weeks at no. 1). (Kvallstoppen)
18 no. 1 hits in Sweden (69 weeks at no. 1). (Tio i Topp)
21 no. 1 hits in The Netherlands (95 weeks at no. 1).
21 no. 1 hits in Norway (97 weeks at no. 1). (VG)
20 no. 1 hits in America (59 weeks at no. 1). (Billboard)
18 no. 1 hits in Denmark (104 weeks at no. 1). (Billboard & Musikmarkt & NME)
18 no. 1 hits in Germany (88 weeks at no. 1). (Bravo)
12 no. 1 hits in Germany (40 weeks at no. 1). (Hit Bilanz)
12 no. 1 hits in Germany (43 weeks at no. 1). (Amtage & Muller)
17 no. 1 hits in Britain (69 weeks at no. 1). (Record Retailer
16 no. 1 hits in Hong Kong (67 weeks at no 1). (Billboard)
15 no. 1 hits in New Zealand (35 weeks at no. 1). (The Listener 1966 onwards)
13 no. 1 hits in Ireland (47 weeks at no. 1).
13 no. 1 hits in Malaysia. (Billboard)
9 no. 1 hits in Spain (17 weeks at no. 1).
8 no. 1 hits in Zimbabwe (29 weeks at no. 1).
8 no. 1 hits in Switzerland (37 weeks at no. 1).
6 no. 1 hits in Austria (38 weeks at no. 1).
6 no. 1 hits in Belgium (22 weeks at no. 1).
5 no. 1 hits in Finland.
4 no. 1 hits in Italy (18 weeks at no. 1).
2 no. 1 hits in Ethiopia (98 weeks at no. 1).
The Beatles North American Concert Tickets - 4
Convention Center, Las Vegas - August 20, 1964
Las Vegas is one of only a few U.S. cities in which full unused tickets have not yet turned up in collector's hands. Even stubs are fairly difficult to come across. The Beatles were paid $25,000 for the 2 shows, with no percentage of the gross. There was no promotion for the show other than radio coverage and newspapers.
8,408 people were put in an Arena designed to hold 7,500 people per show. Patrons were put behind the stage to make this possible, and the fire laws were taken to the Nth degree as far as spacing between aisles and seating.
One of the inducements for the Beatles to come to Las Vegas was that they wanted to see Las Vegas. What they saw was the airport, a limousine, a hotel, the Convention Center, the hotel, a limousine, and the airport. Because the Beatles wouldn't be seeing any of Las Vegas, slot machines were brought up to their suite for them. It wasn't a manner of win or lose, they just wanted to see what it was like.
8,408 people were put in an Arena designed to hold 7,500 people per show. Patrons were put behind the stage to make this possible, and the fire laws were taken to the Nth degree as far as spacing between aisles and seating.
One of the inducements for the Beatles to come to Las Vegas was that they wanted to see Las Vegas. What they saw was the airport, a limousine, a hotel, the Convention Center, the hotel, a limousine, and the airport. Because the Beatles wouldn't be seeing any of Las Vegas, slot machines were brought up to their suite for them. It wasn't a manner of win or lose, they just wanted to see what it was like.
The prices:
Afternoon (4:00)
Balcony Orange $ 2.20
Balcony Red $ 3.30
Balcony Brown $ 4.40
Main floor Blue $ 4.40
Main floor Lt. Orange $ 5.50
Main floor White $ 5.50
Evening (9:00)
Balcony Orange $ 2.20
Balcony Red $ 3.30
Balcony Brown $ 4.40
Main floor Blue $ 4.40
Main floor Lt. Orange $ 5.50
Main floor White $ 5.50
Balcony Orange $ 2.20
Balcony Red $ 3.30
Balcony Brown $ 4.40
Main floor Blue $ 4.40
Main floor Lt. Orange $ 5.50
Main floor White $ 5.50
Evening (9:00)
Balcony Orange $ 2.20
Balcony Red $ 3.30
Balcony Brown $ 4.40
Main floor Blue $ 4.40
Main floor Lt. Orange $ 5.50
Main floor White $ 5.50
Royal Mail set of stamps and souvenir sheet (2007)
Royal Mail has issued a set of stamps and souvenir sheet on January 9, 2007 to honor The Beatles’ cultural contribution to British and world music.British stamps often illustrate British contributions to the world, and The Beatles were certainly known and loved around the world as well as having a lasting effect on popular music and culture. Note: This article was updated after the stamps were issued, so they appear here.
There’s definitely a trend by postal administrations to cash in on popular entertainment. Witness the large number of Harry Potter stamps (issued by France, among others) and the Star Wars stamps offered by the US Postal Service. Royal Mail is joining the crowd with this Beatles issue. These are commemoratives stamps, as we call them in the US, and so to have any justification at all, they need to commemorate something. In this case, it is the first meeting of John Lennon and Paul McCartney in 1957, a nice, round 50 years ago. A flimsy reason, but, from Royal Mail’s viewpoint, better than waiting for the 50th anniversary of their first number one single, which will be in 2012 or thereabouts.
The issue consists of six self-adhesive stamps plus a souvenir sheet containg four stamps with water-activated gum. (What, no prestige booklet with glossy color photos from the 60s? How did Royal Mail miss such an opportunity?) Each of the six stamps pictures a stack of record albums, slightly misaligned so that portions of the ones underneath the top ones are visible. The innovation of these stamps is that the edges of the stamps follow the border of the piles of albums. Each stamp has a different edge.
The albums are:“With The Beatles” — 1963
“Help” — 1965
“Revolver” — 1966
“Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band” — 1967
“Abbey Road” — 1969
“Let It Be” — 1970
The four first-class non-denominated stamps in the souvenir sheet picture various items of Beatles memorabilia. The stamps highlight a toy guitar, a lunchbox, a 45 rpm single (a record with one song on each side) and a tea tray. Other items are also visible on the stamp and in the margin. The souvenir sheet and a set of the six stamps are optionally available in a presentation pack, an illustrated cardboard folder with information about the stamps. The section of the presentation pack that holds the souvenir sheet in a clear plastic pocket also features memorabilia, and the souvenir sheet is the same design as part of the section. When the souvenir sheet is placed in the pack, it almost exactly overlays the illustration underneath. Let me show you what I mean.Below is the section of the presentation pack without the souvenir sheet. The gray shading over the bottom two-thirds of it is the clear plastic pocket to hold the souvenir sheet.
Now here’s the presentation pack with the souvenir sheet tucked in. You can see the perforations around the stamps and the Queen’s head and service indicator on each stamp. The designs on the sheet and the pack don’t quite line up — look at the harmonica at the lower left corner of the souvenir sheet. Still, it’s a pretty neat effect.
Here’s the souvenir sheet by itself.
This is a ground-breaking issue in that it prominently features two living people who are not members of the Royal family. In 2002, Royal Mail revised its criteria for special, or commemorative, stamps. The criteria included several conventions, one of which is “Members of the Royal family are the only identifiable living people who may be the ‘hero image’ on a stamp.” There are some exceptions, including “when their achievement is the focus of the design rather than their image.”Royal Mail hasn’t said much about this. They seem to be including this issue within that exception by saying that the issue celebrates “the Beatles [sic] extraordinary cultural contribution to this country,” implying that it is not the band members themselves who are being honored. It is likely that no one at Royal Mail who is currently responsible for new stamps remembers that this is very similar to the justification used in 1964 to picture Shakespeare on a set of stamps. At that time, the rule was that only members of the Royal family could be pictured on stamps, period. No one else. The rationale used at that time was that the issue commemorated the Shakespeare Festival held that year, not the Bard himself. Also, the Queen’s portrait was the same size as Shakespeare’s. A year later, the rule was totally discarded with the issue that directly honored Winston Churchill.
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