The compilation album Hey Jude was issued on 26 February 1970 in the United States, as Apple SW 385. It brought together non-album singles and b-sides, along with ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ and ‘I Should Have Known Better’, which had previously been released on the United Artists soundtrack LP for A Hard Day’s Night.
The idea for the compilation came from Allen Klein and Apple Corps. It came in the wake of Klein’s renegotiated royalty rate with Capitol Records.
Hey Jude was intended to act as a sales buffer during the delayed release of Let It Be. Klein persuaded The Beatles that it would bring in significant extra income without any additional effort from them.
The songs were selected by Allan Stickler of Apple and Klein’s company ABKCO, and were intended to span The Beatles’ career, although the tracklisting focused on more recent recordings.
The album was originally to have been titled The Beatles Again, but shortly before its release was changed to Hey Jude. Due to the late change, however, some labels on early pressings featured the original title. The only instance of the title anywhere on the cover was the album’s spine.
In addition to the United States, Hey Jude was released in countries including Canada, Australia, Spain, Germany, France, Greece and Japan. Imported copies found their way into the United Kingdom, although it wasn’t officially released there until May 1979.
Also on this day...
- 2016: ‘Holy grail’ acetate of Beatles’ Decca recordings to be auctioned
- 2015: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: HSBC Brasil, São Paulo
- 2013: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Zepp, Tokyo
- 1999: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Star Plaza Theatre, Merrillville
- 1965: Filming: Help!, the Bahamas
- 1964: Recording, mixing: You Can’t Do That, Can’t Buy Me Love, I Should Have Known Better, And I Love Her
- 1963: The Beatles live: Gaumont Cinema, Taunton
- 1962: The Beatles live: Kingsway Club, Southport
- 1961: The Beatles live: Casbah Coffee Club, Liverpool
Want more? Visit the Beatles history section.
I bought a copy of this album when it was released in 1970. It was nice to have stereo mixes of these songs, but I never understood why “Don’t Let Me Down” was included here. In retrospect it might have made more sense to include “From Me To You” or “I’m Down” on this album, allowing “Don’t Let Me Down” to make Let It Be a stronger album.
I got this album for Christmas 1978. I just love the songs and the cover. Whilst it is a compilation it compliments Abbey Road and Let It Be because it includes singles 1968-1969 not on those albums and their B sides and of course Paperback Writer and its great flip side Rain. The song Hey Jude is one of my favorite songs of all time and one of Paul McCartney’s greatest. Revolution, The Ballad of John and Yoko, Dont Let Me Down, Old Brown Shoe, Lady Madonna, great songs.
It was the only Canadian Beatles album I never bought! Not sure why, just had all the others including the Red & Blue albums from 1973, so I didn’t have a need to buy it.
The photos from this great cover were of course part of The Beatles last official photo session at John and Yoko’s Tittenhurst property.
I wish they had included The Inner Light and You Know My Name rather than the two random early tracks Can’t Buy Me Love and I Should Have Known Better (as much as I love those two songs), as that would have better wrapped up the 1966-1969 period and made for a more consistent album (serving the same purpose as side two of the American Magical Mystery Tour did for the 1967 singles).
The reason the 2 “old” songs were included is because they were songs from A Hard Day’s Night that were never on a Capitol album (they were on the United Artists’ soundtrack). This was an effort By Klein to get the most bang for the buck on a Capitol / Apple release. There are many singles missing because they would not have wanted to finance a double album between Abbey Road and Let It be so they chose to lean toward recent single that there would still be some interest in. Incidentally, I’ve compared the sound of the 2009 remaster of Hey Jude with the same songs on the 2009 Past Masters and have found there is a difference in that Past Masters has a little more bottom end than Hey Jude. If you’re not a stickler and only want Hey Jude, and/or if you have the 2-volume 1987 Past Masters and don’t want to re-buy, the sound on the 2009 Hey Jude is perfectly fine, actually quite good.
Allan Steckler really botched this release with his selection of tracks.
First of all, the album was originally entitled “The Beatles Again” which is superior to the redundant “Hey Jude”. Record labels had already been printed when the title change was made!
The album cover was to have featured the rear pic of The Beatles, which I also believe is superior, and the cover pic on the rear, but Allen Klein himself mistakenly switched the pictures!
Steckler chose to not include the excellent “B” Sides “I’m Down, “The Inner Light”, the original “Love Me Do” with Ringo Starr on Drums, “From Me To You”, “Misery” and “There’s A Place” since they were only released on “Vee Jay Records” at that time, the “Get Back” Single “A” Side version, and finally, the German language version of “She Loves You” (Sie Liebt Dich) could have been included although I can’t stand listening to that German version.
All in all, a lost opportunity!
I would have loved to see the rear picture of The Beatles on the front cover. I believe it’s one of the coolest images of The Beatles!