Sixty years later, and we’re still listening to the Beatles. And the music and the memories continue to be re-evaluated and repackaged to meet demand. So, let’s step back to 1964 when the Fab Four came to America and altered the ideas and perceptions of the civilized world. Martin Scorsese has produced a film called Beatles ’64 that’s supposed to fill in any remaining gaps. We all know John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr — collectively known in some circles as “the four-headed monster” — conquered the hearts and minds of the United States with epic appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show. In the process, they released several albums. Or more accurately, EMI in Europe and Capitol in the States released several albums — in various configurations.
To maximize the impact of Beatlemania in the States, spanning January 1964 through March 1965, Capitol Records and United Artists issued seven Beatles albums: Meet The Beatles!, The Beatles’ Second Album, A Hard Day’s Night (Original Motion Picture Sound Track), Something New, The Beatles’ Story, Beatles ’65, and The Early Beatles. Reissued via vinyl, tape, CD, and digitally innumerable times over the years, the seven albums have been reproduced to their original state with the original artwork and updated mono mixes on vinyl, brought together as the 1964 U.S. Albums In Mono box set.
Many Beatles “purists” prefer the EMI/Parlophone UK catalog to the American Capitol catalog. Which is funny when you consider the Beatles themselves had very little input on any of the early albums, essentially collections of songs recorded and released throughout 1963-64. Of course, Capitol made a strong effort to differentiate the two, going so far as to apply certain enhancements to the music, including their own “Duophonic” stereo for early hi-fi enthusiasts. For the 1964 U.S. Albums In Mono set, the original tapes are revisited, and the fake embellishments are abandoned. New vinyl lacquers were cut to achieve the “full musical range and dynamics present on the original tapes,” while the artwork was replicated to the tiniest detail, with newly written liner notes by Beatles historian and author Bruce Spizer.
Meet The Beatles! was the first proper introduction of the Beatles to America, despite it being their second stateside album (Vee-Jay Records released Introducing… The Beatles 10 days earlier). Where Beatles singles failed to ignite the American charts throughout 1963, “I Want To Hold Your Hand,” the album’s first number, changed everything at the beginning of 1964 by going to the top of the charts. Its B-side, “I Saw Her Standing There,” also made the Top 20, and is the second song on Meet The Beatles!
Adding to the confusion of what goes where, Robert Freeman’s iconic portrait of the Beatles was used as the cover for Meet The Beatles! as well as its British counterpart With The Beatles. As it is, the two releases share many of the same set of songs apart from the first two singles and “This Boy.” Instead of the Duophonic” stereo Capitol snuck in on later releases, mono mixes of songs like “It Won’t Be Long,” “All My Loving,” “Don’t Bother Me,” and “Hold Me Tight” provide a gateway to a simpler time. All these years later, the Beatles still have that effect on the senses.
To help get everyone caught up, other songs from With The Beatles appear on the aptly titled The Beatles’ Second Album. When it came out in April 1964, America was firmly in the grip of Beatlemania. So it was no surprise when it replaced its predecessor at the top spot of the album charts. More confusion ensues when you realize that this isn’t actually the band’s second album, and many of the songs have already made the rounds in the UK. Still, who can turn away from a searing rendition of “Money” without a defiant smile on their face?
The summer of 1964 saw the Beatles on the silver screen with their first feature film, A Hard Day’s Night. The soundtrack, originally released by United Artists, featured a handful of songs used in the film, along with four incidental instrumentations scored by Beatles producer George Martin. EMI’s UK version of A Hard Day’s Night has more of the songs from the film; fortunately, Something New picks up the slack for the American market. What both the third and fourth U.S albums put on full display is the tremendous growth and maturation of a group of young musicians who’d made their American debut just a few months before. The film affirmed the foursome’s lovable nature, while songs like the title track — inspired by one of Ringo Starr’s frequently ill-placed malaprops — “I Should Have Known Better,” “And I Love Her,” and “Things We Said Today” were all giant leaps in the evolution of Lennon and McCartney’s songwriting partnership.
As if television and a movie weren’t enough, Capitol went all in with The Beatles’ Story, marketed as “a narrative and musical biography of Beatlemania on 2 long-play records.” In other words, this wasn’t actual a Beatles album, just a hodge-podge of interviews, music snippets, insights and witticisms. From the moment you drop the needle and hear the orchestral embellishments overtaken by the scream of teenage girls, the story unwinds like a sensationalistic newsreel from the 1950s. Disc jockeys Roger Christian, John Babcock, and Al Wiman stir the pot between breaks of Beatles music, rabid fan confessionals, detractors’ complaints, and personable profiles of each member of the group, along with producer George Martin. Sure, the album, unissued on CD until 2014 as part of another U.S. Albums box set, was a clear-cut money grab that went gold and probably didn’t need a full-on remaster. But how can you go wrong with segments like “Who’s a Millionaire” and “Sneaky Haircuts and More About Paul”?
The last album from the Beatles in 1964 was Beatles ’65, which featured more “new” songs like “I Feel Fine” and “She’s A Woman.” Most of the material was on the UK Beatles For Sale album, which was also released at the end of 1964. When you consider how the band once again upped the ante with thought-provoking, ethereal tracks like “No Reply,” “I’m A Loser,” and “I’ll Follow The Sun,” while still sporting a sunny disposition on covers like “Rock and Roll Music,” “Honey Don’t,” and “Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby,” it’s no wonder Beatles ’65 went to Number One so quickly. One thing’s for sure: After getting used to the panning guitar intro on the stereo version on “I Feel Fine,” it’s refreshing to wrap your ears around the in-your-face immediacy of the mono mix. You must appreciate the fact that these songs were mostly heard through cheap transistor radios of the period. Listening to Beatles music in stereo wouldn’t become the norm until Abbey Road.
The Early Beatles, the final album of the set, didn’t drop until the Spring of 1965, though the songs date back to 1963 – 64. It was all about catching up with the UK catalog and removing Vee-Jay from the equation by repackaging songs from Introducing… The Beatles to create The Early Beatles. Fans already knew the singles “Twist And Shout,” “Do You Want To Know A Secret,” and “Love Me Do,” which were all released earlier in 1964.
Of note is that the version of “Love Me Do” on The Early Beatles holds the distinction of featuring Andy White in place of Ringo Starr on drums (you can find his and Pete Best’s drumming on “Love Me Do” on other collections). Comprising a wide range of covers (“Anna,” “Chains,” “Boys,” “Baby It’s You,” “A Taste of Honey,” and the aforementioned “Twist And Shout”), The Early Beatles was the first U.S. release by the band to fall short on the album charts, going only as high as 43. Still, it cemented the Beatles as a bona fide hit-makers. Hearing “Twist And Shout” in glorious mono is something everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime.
All said, 1964 U.S. Albums In Mono box set is a completist, old-schooler’s wet dream, right down to the Capitol Rainbow Ring label in the center of the vinyl records. As Apple finds new and creative ways to keep the Beatles alive for future generations, fans old and new can now go back to the very beginning — when four charismatic young men from Liverpool emerged from across the Atlantic and managed to brighten a nation mourning the tragic death of their president mere months before. Whether the timing was right then doesn’t seem to matter as much as that we’re still listening — despite every other distraction vying for our attention — 60 years later. That, in itself, says a lot about what’s sacred, pure, and meant to stand the test of time.
~ Shawn Perry
