Recorded: 1967-1970
Producer: George Martin
Released: 19 April 1973 (UK), 2 April 1973 (US)
First released in 1973, the so-called Blue Album brought together 28 highlights from The Beatles' back catalogue, from their 1967 single Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever to the Let It Be.
Like its red counterpart, The Beatles 1962-1966, the Blue Album was brought to production swiftly as a response to an illegal two-volume, 120-song bootleg titled Alpha Omega which had been issued earlier in 1973.
Alpha Omega had contained songs from The Beatles' back catalogue, along with several songs from their solo careers. The set was marketed by a New Jersey company called Audio Tape Inc, and sold only via TV mail order. Apple quickly shut down the production and distribution of Alpha Omega, and brought out their own compilations.
Allen Klein drew up a list of songs to include on the Red and Blue albums, and offered to give the former Beatles the chance to veto the selection. Unlike 1962-1966, the Blue Album contained songs written by George Harrison and Ringo Starr, as well as those by Lennon-McCartney.
I didn't want lousy versions going out, I wanted them to be as was. And I asked Capitol/EMI, or EMI/Capitol whichever, please ask George Martin would he take care of this, so at least he knows what to do. I didn't want some strange guy, you know, making dubbed versions of it and putting it out, because of the versions that were going out [on other compilations] the reissues were pretty poor. I hadn't even listened to them, because I just presumed they'd take the tape as we made it and make a master and put it out again, but they didn't, they'd been screwing around with a few of the early ones. I didn't know that until it was too late. So on that last package where they had Beatles 60... different periods - that one. I made sure. The Red and The Blue, that one. I made sure George Martin was there and I made sure they put that picture which I got Linda [sic] to take of the same pose as their very first album over the Abbey Road... No what is it that... EMI office in some other place, some square? Manchester Square. So I was involved in that respect, in that package making sure that the cover was what I wanted and that the sound was done by George Martin. So I don't mind that one. Checked the remix after he'd done it, it was as good as you could get out of whatever mono recording we did then.
The Lennon Tapes, Andy Peebles
Cover artwork
The front cover of 1967-1970 featured a photograph of The Beatles taken in 1969. Originally intended to adorn the unreleased Get Back LP, which was repackaged as Let It Be in 1970, the shot featured the group recreating their pose on the cover of their debut UK album, Please Please Me.
The photographs were taken as The Beatles looked down from the stairwell at EMI House, the label's headquarters in Manchester Square, London. An outtake from the Please Please Me shoot was used on the rear of the Blue Album, and on the front of the Red Album.
The gatefold covers of both albums featured a photograph of The Beatles and fans taken during the 'Mad Day' in London on 28 July 1968.
International variations
Unlike the 1962-1966 collection, the Blue Album was largely the same in the US and UK, although there were some variations. The US edition had both Penny Lane and Hello, Goodbye in mono, and I Am The Walrus with a four-beat electric piano introduction; the UK version had the more common six-bar beginning.
The albums had several other variants and anomalies. Get Back was described as the album version in the US liner notes, although it was in fact the single version.
In both countries, Hey Jude was around nine seconds shorter than it had been on the original single, although the full length was restored for the 1993 compact disc edition.
The original vinyl version faded in during the crowd noise at the beginning of A Day In The Life. The original compact disc edition, meanwhile, featured a clean version previously heard on the Imagine: John Lennon soundtrack album in 1988.
Chart success
The Beatles 1967-1970 was released in the United States on 2 April 1973, simultaneously with the 1962-1966 collection. Its original retail price was $9.98, which was considerably higher than the conventional price of $5.98 for a single album.
Despite criticism in some quarters, however, the Blue Album topped the Billboard chart, and has since sold more than 8 million copies.
In the United Kingdom it was issued on 19 April 1973, and reached number two on the charts.
Remastered versions of The Beatles 1962-1966 and 1967-1970 were both released worldwide on 18 October 2010 (the following day in North America). The remastering was done by the same team led by Allan Rouse which had remastered The Beatles' entire back catalogue for 2009.
The reissues were both double-CD sets, and included expanded booklets with new essays written by Bill Flanagan, and rare photographs of The Beatles.
Related articles:
- 1962-1966 (Red Album)
- Mixing: I've Got A Feeling, Dig It, Maggie Mae, Shake Rattle And Roll, Kansas City, Miss Ann, Lawdy Miss Clawdy, Blue Suede Shoes, You Really Got A Hold On Me
- UK LP release: The Beatles (White Album)
- Rip It Up/Shake, Rattle And Roll/Blue Suede Shoes
- Get Back/Let It Be sessions: day 17
I bet Alpha Omega is worth a lot now.
Apparently copies turn up on eBay now and then. I don't think it's worth masses - $20-30 perhaps, which isn't bad for 120 Beatles songs.
Yeah, I would've thought so too; 15 songs per LP is pretty good. But apparently the whole thing was mastered from scratchy vinyl, so that's no good. Anyways, the cover's pretty cool.
I still can't believe the bootleggers behind this release had the nerve to advertise something so obviously illegal on TV!
This wasn't the only one. ROOTS was another.
That's not the same dude
The Bootleggers were scums who most likely didn't give a crap about getting busted
I have this album and theres a problem with it: the side 2 of the second LP is not the right one. The songs on it are the songs of the side 2 of the second LP of the ``red album``. On the sticker we can read the list of the songs that should be on this LP... Does it worth something?
Capitol SKBO 3404