The Beatles discography
In their native United Kingdom, between 1962 and 1970, the English rock band the Beatles released 12 studio albums, 13 extended plays and 22 singles. However, the band's international discography is complicated, due to different versions of their albums sometimes being released in other countries, particularly during their early years on Capitol Records in North America. The Beatles' discography was originally released on the vinyl format, with full-length long plays, shorter EPs and singles. Over the years, the collection has also been released on cassette, 8-track, compact disc, on a USB flash drive in MP3 and 24-bit FLAC format, and on digital media streaming services. Although their output has come to include vault items and remixed mash-ups, the Beatles' "core catalogue", recorded between 1962 and 1970, comprises 213 songs, totalling approximately 10 hours of music. Additionally, they released five tracks that are different versions of previously released songs: "Love Me Do", "Revolution", "Get Back", "Across the Universe" and "Let It Be"; two tracks in German: "Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand" and "Sie Liebt Dich"; and two tracks that are duplicates of songs included on previous albums but also included on the album Yellow Submarine: "Yellow Submarine" and "All You Need Is Love".
Most of the Beatles' albums were released in both mono and stereo. Since mono record players were the most common at the time, the Beatles and their regular producer, George Martin, originally gave more time and attention to preparing the mono mixes of their recordings. The Beatles had involved themselves in creating only the mono mixes for the first four albums; the stereo mixes were prepared without their supervision. However, because by the late 1960s stereo record players became more common, their final two albums – Abbey Road and Let It Be – were mixed and released in stereo only.
From 1968, in both the UK and the US, starting with the single "Hey Jude" and the album The Beatles, new releases appeared on the Beatles' own Apple record label. Parlophone and Capitol catalogue numbers continued to be used for contractual reasons.
The Beatles' UK discography was first released on CD in 1987 and 1988. The first four albums were released in mono only, while the remaining albums were issued in only stereo. However, the sound of the digital transfers of the discs, produced by Martin using the best equipment available during the early days of the format, no longer meets the standards achievable with 21st-century techniques. Thus, from 2005 to 2009 the original recordings were remastered using the latest technology, and Apple and EMI released this version of the Beatles' catalogue on CD on 9 September 2009 in mono and stereo.
With the first CD releases of their albums, the Beatles' core catalogue was harmonised worldwide to encompass their original UK studio albums released in 1963–1970, the 1967 US Magical Mystery Tour LP and the Past Masters compilation, the latter two of which include the recordings released in 1962–1970 that are not present on the UK albums. Since then, other past releases have been reissued in digital formats.
Albums
Studio albums
Denotes the 13 studio albums in the "core catalogue" |
Notes
Live albums
NotesCompilation albums
NotesMash-up albums
Box sets
NotesEPs
Singles
NotesFlexi discs
The Beatles released seven consecutive Christmas records on flexi disc for members of their UK and US fan clubs, from 1963 to 1969, ranging in length between 3:58 and 7:48. These short collections had a mix of spoken and musical messages for their official fan clubs.Other appearances
The Beatles notably very rarely appear on compilation albums with other artists.Album | Year | Track |
No One's Gonna Change Our World | 1969 | "Across the Universe" |
The Best of George Harrison | 1976 | "Something" |
The Best of George Harrison | 1976 | "If I Needed Someone" |
The Best of George Harrison | 1976 | "Here Comes the Sun" |
The Best of George Harrison | 1976 | "Taxman" |
The Best of George Harrison | 1976 | "Think for Yourself" |
The Best of George Harrison | 1976 | "For You Blue" |
The Best of George Harrison | 1976 | "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" |
Now That's What I Call Music – The Summer Album | 1986 | "All You Need Is Love" |
Now That's What I Call Music – The Summer Album | 1986 | "Here Comes the Sun" |
1988 | "Twist and Shout" | |
1988 | "Help!" | |
1988 | "In My Life" | |
1988 | "Strawberry Fields Forever" | |
1988 | "A Day in the Life" | |
1988 | "Revolution" | |
1988 | "The Ballad of John and Yoko" | |
1988 | "Julia" | |
1988 | "Don't Let Me Down" | |
Produced by George Martin | 2001 | "Please Please Me" |
Produced by George Martin | 2001 | "I Want to Hold Your Hand" |
Produced by George Martin | 2001 | "Yesterday" |
Produced by George Martin | 2001 | "In My Life" |
Videography
Films
Title | Details | Director |
A Hard Day's Night |
| Richard Lester |
Help! | Richard Lester | |
Magical Mystery Tour | The Beatles, Bernard Knowles | |
Yellow Submarine | George Dunning | |
Let It Be | Michael Lindsay-Hogg |
Documentaries
Title | Details | Director |
' |
| Albert and David Maysles |
The Beatles at Shea Stadium | various | |
The Beatles in Japan | various | |
The Compleat Beatles | Patrick Montgomery | |
All Together Now | Adrian Wills | |
' | Ron Howard |
Home videos
Title | Details | Director |
Concert At Budokan 1966 |
| Nippon TV |
The Beatles Live: Ready Steady Go! – Special Edition | Rita Gillespie | |
' | Kathy Dougherty, Susan Frömke, Albert Maysles | |
The Beatles Collection: | various | |
You Can't Do That! The Making of A Hard Day's Night | David Leaf | |
The Four Complete Historic Ed Sullivan Shows Featuring The Beatles | Kenneth Whelan | |
1+ | various |
TV series
Title | Details | Creator |
The Beatles |
| Al Brodax, Sylban Buck |
The Beatles Anthology | Directors: Geoff Wonfor, Bob Smeaton |
Music videos
Title | Year | Director | Album | Notes |
"Twist and Shout" | 1963 | Please Please Me | From Scene at 6.30 Filmed live-to-air in Studio Four, Granada TV Centre, Manchester, UK | |
"She Loves You" | 1963 | Producer: Lasse Sarri | rowspan=3 | From Drop In Recorded on 30 October 1963, in the Narren-Teatern, Gröna Lund, Stockholm, Sweden |
"From Me to You" | 1963 | Robert Nesbitt, Bill Ward Producer: Bill Ward | From the Royal Variety Performance Recorded on 4 November 1963, in the Prince of Wales Theatre, London, UK | - |
"I Want to Hold Your Hand" | 1963 | From Late Scene Extra Filmed on 25 November 1963, in Studio Four, Granada TV Centre | - | |
"Please Please Me" | 1964 | Tim Kiley Producer: Robert Precht | Please Please Me | From The Ed Sullivan Show Recorded on 9 February 1964, at CBS-TV Studio 50, New York City, US |
"Can't Buy Me Love" | 1964 | Rita Gillespie Producer: Jack Good | A Hard Day's Night | From Around the Beatles Music pre-recorded on 19 April 1964, at IBC Studios, London Filmed on 28 April 1964, in Studio 5 A/B, Wembley Studios, London |
"Yesterday" | 1965 | Tim Kiley Producer: Robert Precht | Help! | From The Ed Sullivan Show Recorded on 14 August 1965, at CBS-TV Studio 50 |
"A Hard Day's Night" | 1965 | Jean-Christophe Averty | A Hard Day's Night | From Les Beatles Recorded on 20 June 1965, in the Palais des Sports, Paris, France |
"I Feel Fine" | 1965 | Joe McGrath | Filmed on 23 November 1965, in Studio 3, Twickenham Film Studios, Middlesex, UK | |
"Ticket to Ride" | 1965 | Joe McGrath | Help! | Filmed on 23 November 1965, in Studio 3, Twickenham Film Studios, Middlesex, UK |
"Help!" | 1965 | Joe McGrath | Help! | Filmed on 23 November 1965, in Studio 3, Twickenham Film Studios, Middlesex, UK |
"Day Tripper" | 1965 | Joe McGrath | rowspan="7" | Filmed on 23 November 1965, in Studio 3, Twickenham Film Studios, Middlesex, UK |
"We Can Work It Out" | 1965 | Joe McGrath | - | Filmed on 23 November 1965, in Studio 3, Twickenham Film Studios, Middlesex, UK |
"Day Tripper" | 1965 | Philip Carson Producer: Johnny Hamp | From The Music of Lennon & McCartney Filmed on 1–2 November 1965, at Granada TV Centre | - |
"Paperback Writer" | 1966 | Michael Lindsay-Hogg | Made for The Ed Sullivan Show Filmed on 19 May 1966, in Studio 1, EMI Studios, London | - |
"Rain" | 1966 | Michael Lindsay-Hogg | Filmed on 19 May 1966, in Studio 1, EMI Studios | - |
"Paperback Writer" | 1966 | Michael Lindsay-Hogg | Filmed on 20 May 1966, at Chiswick House, London | - |
"Rain" | 1966 | Michael Lindsay-Hogg | Filmed on 20 May 1966, at Chiswick House, London | - |
"Strawberry Fields Forever" | 1967 | Peter Goldmann | Magical Mystery Tour | Filmed on 30–31 January 1967, in Knole Park, Sevenoaks, UK |
"Penny Lane" | 1967 | Peter Goldmann | Magical Mystery Tour | Filmed on 5 & 7 February 1967, in London, Knole Park and Liverpool, UK |
"A Day in the Life" | 1967 | The Beatles | Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band | Filmed on 10 February 1967, in Studio 1, EMI Studios |
"All You Need Is Love" | 1967 | Derek Burrell Davis | Magical Mystery Tour | From Our World Recorded live-to-air in Studio 1, EMI Studios |
"Hello, Goodbye" | 1967 | Paul McCartney | Magical Mystery Tour | Filmed on 10 November 1967, in the Saville Theatre, London |
"Lady Madonna" | 1968 | The Beatles | Filmed on 11 February 1968 in Studio 3, EMI Studios, and on 14 February, in Chappell Studios, London | |
"Eleanor Rigby" | 1968 | George Dunning Producer: Al Brodax Creative Director: Heinz Edelmann | Revolver | From the film Yellow Submarine |
"Hey Jude" | 1968 | Michael Lindsay-Hogg | rowspan="2" | From Frost on Sunday Recorded on 4 September 1968, in Twickenham Film Studios |
"Revolution" | 1968 | Michael Lindsay-Hogg | Recorded on 4 September 1968, in Twickenham Film Studios | - |
"Get Back" | 1969 | Michael Lindsay-Hogg Producer: Neil Aspinall | Let It Be | Filmed on 30 January 1969, at the Beatles' rooftop concert at Apple in London Footage used in the film Let It Be |
"The Ballad of John and Yoko" | 1969 | The Beatles | Filmed in January–April 1969, in London, Amsterdam, Paris and Vienna | |
"Something" | 1969 | The Beatles | Abbey Road | Filmed in October 1969, at Brookfield in Elstead, Kinfauns in Esher, Tittenhurst Park in Ascot, and the Mull of Kintyre, UK |
"Let It Be" | 1970 | Michael Lindsay-Hogg Producer: Neil Aspinall | Let It Be | Filmed on 31 January 1969, at Apple Studio Footage used in the film Let It Be |
"The Long and Winding Road" | 1970 | Michael Lindsay-Hogg Producer: Neil Aspinall | Let It Be | Filmed on 31 January 1969, at Apple Studio Footage used in the film Let It Be |
"Baby It's You" | 1994 | Geoff Wonfor Editor: Andy Matthews Camera Operator: Kevin Neill | Live at the BBC | Most footage filmed in April 1963, at the BBC Paris Theatre, London |
"Free as a Bird" | 1995 | Joe Pytka Producer: Jane Brimblecombe | Anthology 1 | |
"Real Love" | 1995 | Kevin Godley, Geoff Wonfor Producer: Chris Chipperfield, James Chads | Anthology 2 | Recording studio footage filmed in February 1995 |
"Hey Bulldog" | 1999 | The Beatles | Yellow Submarine Songtrack | Made for the release of Yellow Submarine Songtrack Recorded on 11 February 1968, in Studio 3, EMI Studios |
"Come Together" | 2000 | Alexandre Garnier, Christophe Branche Producer: Melon Dezign | 1 | Made for the release of 1 and launch of the Beatles' official website |
"Get Back" | 2003 | Michael Lindsay-Hogg, Bob Smeaton Producer: Neil Aspinall Editor: Julian Caidan | Let It Be... Naked | Made for the release of Let It Be... Naked Most footage filmed on 28 January 1969, at Apple Studio and Twickenham Film Studios Footage used in the film Let It Be |
"Don't Let Me Down" | 2003 | Michael Lindsay-Hogg, Bob Smeaton Producer: Neil Aspinall Editor: Julian Caidan | Let It Be... Naked | Made for the release of Let It Be... Naked Recorded on 30 January 1969, at the Beatles' rooftop concert Footage used in the film Let It Be |
"Within You Without You / Tomorrow Never Knows" | 2006 | Simon Hilton Producer: Astrid Edwards | Love | Made for the release of Love Uses footage from the film Magical Mystery Tour, and the music videos for "Rain", "Strawberry Fields Forever", "Penny Lane", "Hello, Goodbye" and "All You Need Is Love" |
"Words of Love" | 2013 | Lee Gingold, Giles Dill Creative Director: Pete Candeland Producers: Jonathan Clyde, Katrina Lofaro | On Air – Live at the BBC Volume 2 | Made for the release of On Air – Live at the BBC Volume 2 Most footage recorded in 1963 |
"Love Me Do" | 2015 | Don Harworth Editor: Matthew Longfellow | Please Please Me | Made for 1+ Most footage from The Mersey Sound Film on 27 August 1963, in the Little Theatre, Southport, UK |
"Eight Days a Week" | 2015 | Editor: Matthew Longfellow | Beatles for Sale | Made for 1+ Footage filmed on 15 November 1965, at Shea Stadium, New York City |
"Yellow Submarine" | 2015 | George Dunning Producer: Al Brodax Creative Director: Heinz Edelmann Editor: Matthew Longfellow | Revolver | Made for 1+ Footage from the film Yellow Submarine |
"Rain" | 2015 | Michael Lindsay-Hogg Editor: Matthew Longfellow | Made for 1+ Filmed on 19 May 1966, in Studio 1, EMI Studios | |
"Hello, Goodbye" | 2015 | Paul McCartney Editor: Matthew Longfellow | Magical Mystery Tour | Made for 1+ Filmed on 10 November 1967, in the Saville Theatre |
"Hey Jude" | 2015 | Michael Lindsay-Hogg Editor: Matthew Longfellow | Made for 1+ Recorded on 4 September 1968, in Twickenham Film Studios | |
"While My Guitar Gently Weeps" | 2016 | Dandypunk, Andre Kasten and Leah Moyer | Love | Released to promote the show Love Filmed in the Love Theatre at the Mirage, Las Vegas, and at other locations in Nevada, US |
"Boys" | 2016 | Paul Crowder | Live at the Hollywood Bowl | Released to promote Live at the Hollywood Bowl and ' |
"Glass Onion" | 2018 | The Beatles | Released to promote the 50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition of The Beatles | |
"Back in the U.S.S.R." | 2018 | The Beatles | Released to promote the 50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition of The Beatles | |
"Here Comes the Sun" | 2019 | Alasdair Brotherston and Jock Mooney | Abbey Road | Released to promote the 50th Anniversary of Abbey Road |
- | 2019 | Alasdair Brotherston and Jock Mooney | Abbey Road | Released to promote the 50th Anniversary of Abbey Road |
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