The Beatles and Apple Corps have announced the release of a new limited edition vinyl box set, containing 23 7″ singles and a 39-page book.
The Singles Collection is due for worldwide release on 22 November 2019.
The box set contains the 22 UK singles The Beatles released between 1962 and 1970, plus a double a-side containing the 1990s tracks ‘Free As A Bird’ and ‘Real Love’.
The 46 tracks have been newly cut for vinyl from the original mono and stereo master tapes. The collection is released on heavyweight vinyl, although not 180-gram as mentioned in the press release.
Since the original UK singles were not often released with picture sleeves, the new box contains reproduction artwork of releases from Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Chile, Denmark, France, Greece, Holland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States of America, and West Germany. The final single, Free As A Bird/Real Love, contains artwork previously released worldwide.
The collection does not contain any EPs, so the songs on ‘Long Tall Sally’ or Magical Mystery Tour are not included. The b-sides of Free As A Bird – ‘Christmas Time (Is Here Again)’ – and ‘Real Love’ – a live recording of ‘Baby’s In Black’ – are similarly omitted, as are singles released between 1970 and December 1995, such as The Beatles Movie Medley or the BBC version of ‘Baby It’s You’.
Here’s the full press release:
The Beatles Announce New Limited Edition Collection Of Newly Remastered Seven-Inch Vinyl SinglesTHE BEATLES: ‘THE SINGLES COLLECTION’
Collectible Boxed Set Presents 23 180-Gram Vinyl Singles in Faithfully Reproduced International Picture Sleeves, Exclusive New Double A-Side Single for “Free As A Bird” and “Real Love,” Plus 39-Page Book
London – October 16, 2019 – From 1962 to 1970, The Beatles released 22 UK singles; of those 44 A and B-side tracks, 29 were not included on the group’s British albums at that time. These singles, plus an exclusive new double A-side single for the mid-1990s-issued tracks “Free As A Bird” and “Real Love,” are newly cut for vinyl from their original mono and stereo master tapes by Sean Magee at Abbey Road Studios for a new limited edition boxed set. The Beatles: The Singles Collection presents 46 tracks on 23 180-gram seven-inch vinyl singles in faithfully reproduced international picture sleeves, accompanied by a 40-page booklet with photos, ephemera, and detailed essays by Beatles historian Kevin Howlett. The collectible set will be released worldwide on November 22 by Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/UMe.
The Singles Collection offers a fascinating view of the creative trajectory of The Beatles’ John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr across their relatively brief recording tenure together. Just three and a half years divide 1963’s “She Loves You” and 1967’s “Strawberry Fields Forever,” a remarkable, illustrative example of the band’s rapid, groundbreaking evolution. From the band’s star-making 1962 debut single, “Love Me Do” with its B-side “P.S. I Love You,” to their 1970 finale of “Let It Be” / “You Know My Name (Look Up The Number),” the new collection underscores The Beatles’ breathtaking creative arc.
Because it was rare in the 1960s for UK singles to be released in picture sleeves, the collection’s seven-inches are presented in reproduced picture sleeves from their original releases in several countries around the world, including Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Chile, Denmark, France, Greece, Holland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, UK, USA, and West Germany.
The Singles Collection follows the September 27 release of The Beatles’ Abbey Road album in a suite of Anniversary Edition packages. The acclaimed new edition’s Super Deluxe set features new stereo, 5.1 surround, and Dolby Atmos mixes by producer Giles Martin and mix engineer Sam Okell, plus 23 session and demo recordings, most of which were previously unreleased. Abbey Road’s Anniversary Edition releases returned the iconic album to the top of charts around the world. In the UK, Abbey Road reclaimed the No. 1 position on the official albums chart after 49 years and 252 days, breaking The Beatles’ own Guinness World Record previously held by Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, which revisited the chart’s No. 1 spot in June 2017 with its celebrated Anniversary Edition after 49 years and 125 days.
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#AbbeyRoadThe Beatles: The Singles Collection
1962 [sleeve art: U.S.]
A: ‘Love Me Do’
B: P.S. I Love You1963 [sleeve art: Italy]
A: ‘Please Please Me’
B: ‘Ask Me Why’1963 [sleeve art: Norway]
A: ‘From Me To You’
B: ‘Thank You Girl’1963 [sleeve art: Greece]
A: ‘She Loves You’
B: ‘I’ll Get You’1963 [sleeve art: Chile]
A: ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’
B: ‘This Boy’1964 [sleeve art: Austria]
A: ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’
B: ‘You Can’t Do That’1964 [sleeve art: Holland]
A: ‘A Hard Day’s Night’
B: ‘Things We Said Today’1964 [sleeve art: Sweden]
A: ‘I Feel Fine’
B: ‘She’s A Woman’1965 [sleeve art: Spain]
A: ‘Ticket To Ride’
B: ‘Yes It Is’1965 [sleeve art: Belgium]
A: ‘Help!’
B: ‘I’m Down’1965 [double A-side / sleeve art: France]
A: ‘We Can Work It Out’
A: ‘Day Tripper’1966 [sleeve art: Turkey]
A: ‘Paperback Writer’
B: ‘Rain’1966 [double A-side / sleeve art: Argentina]
A: ‘Eleanor Rigby’
A: ‘Yellow Submarine’1967 [double A-side / sleeve art: Australia]
A: ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’
A: ‘Penny Lane’1967 [sleeve art: West Germany]
A: ‘All You Need Is Love’
B: Baby, You’re A Rich Man1967 [sleeve art: Mexico]
A: ‘Hello, Goodbye’
B: ‘I Am The Walrus’1968 [sleeve art: Japan]
A: ‘Lady Madonna’
B: ‘The Inner Light’1968 [sleeve art: South Africa]
A: ‘Hey Jude’
B: ‘Revolution’1969 [sleeve art: Denmark]
A: ‘Get Back’
B: ‘Don’t Let Me Down’1969 [sleeve art: Portugal]
A: The Ballad Of John And Yoko
B: ‘Old Brown Shoe’1969 [sleeve art: Israel]
A: ‘Something’
B: ‘Come Together’1970 [sleeve art: UK]
A: ‘Let It Be’
B: ‘You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)’1995 / 1996 [exclusive double A-side single / sleeve art: worldwide]
A: ‘Free As A Bird’ [1995]
A: ‘Real Love’ [1996]
Also on this day...
- 2016: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: INB Performing Arts Center, Spokane
- 2015: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: State Theatre, Minneapolis
- 2014: Paul McCartney live: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville
- 2013: Paul McCartney live: Maida Vale Studios, London
- 1989: Paul McCartney live: Westfalenhalle, Dortmund
- 1968: Mixing, editing: Why Don’t We Do It In The Road, White Album crossfades, It’s All Too Much
- 1968: George Harrison flies to Los Angeles
- 1965: Recording: Day Tripper, If I Needed Someone
- 1964: The Beatles live: ABC Cinema, Hull
- 1964: Mixing: No Reply
- 1963: Radio: Easy Beat
- 1962: The Beatles live: La Scala Ballroom, Runcorn
- 1961: The Beatles live: Cavern Club, Liverpool (lunchtime)
- 1960: The Beatles live: Kaiserkeller, Hamburg
Want more? Visit the Beatles history section.
Where can I buy this singles collection? Thank you!
I spent quite a few decades, probably around thirty years, trying to collect all of the Beatles American picture sleeves. I finally completed the set and found the rarest and last one, Can’t Buy Me love and paid a lot for it. Around fifteen years later, I found the picture sleeve single again of Can’t Buy Me Love for half the price I’d paid…oh well. Like others here probably, I have the British blue singles boxset.