The Singles Collection 1962–1970

The Singles Collection 1962–1970 is a series of reissued singles by the English rock band the Beatles. It was released in Britain on 5 March 1976 by EMI,[1] following the expiration of the Beatles' contract with the company in January, and close to six years after the band's break-up.[2] The collection comprises all 22 of the Beatles' UK singles,[3] which were originally issued between October 1962 and March 1970 on either the Parlophone or Apple record labels,[4] together with a new single pairing "Yesterday" with "I Should Have Known Better".[1]

The Singles Collection 1962–1970
Cover of the box available with the full set of singles
Box set by
Released5 March 1976
Recorded1962–1970
GenreRock, pop
LabelEMI
The Beatles chronology
1967–1970
(1973)
The Singles Collection 1962–1970
(1976)
Rock 'n' Roll Music
(1976)

History

According to EMI, the series was a re-promotion rather than a reissue campaign, since all the Beatles' singles had remained in print and were widely available.[5] The project resulted from the success of the 1973 double-album sets 1962–1966 and 1967–1970,[6] which the former Beatles had endorsed, and which contained all of their British single A-sides and double A-side tracks.[7] Each of the discs in the 1976 collection was packaged in a green and black sleeve, on one side of which was a photo of the group from a period roughly contemporaneous with the single.[1] The records were available in a matching Singles Collection 1962–1970 box to customers who bought all 23 of the discs.[1]

The re-packaging campaign was a commercial success,[8][9] with 1 million singles sold in the first month.[10] The response coincided with media speculation regarding rival bids from two US promoters for the Beatles to reunite for a satellite concert broadcast.[11] Reflecting this resurgence of interest, BBC Radio 1 produced the program The Beatles Again, which highlighted the group's continued influence on pop music; in a feature article in Reveille, an EMI spokesman described the campaign as an "amazing" success, with teenagers as young as thirteen becoming fans of the Beatles.[8]

The re-packaged singles all charted on the UK Singles Chart, and "Yesterday" peaked at number 8.[12] During one week in April 1976, the band had an unprecedented 23 entries in the UK top 100 positions.[13] The following month, Time magazine commented on this chart dominance: "Has a new successor to the Beatles finally been found? Not at all – it is the Beatles themselves."[14] Later that year, Ringo Starr described the singles as "the finest pieces of plastic around that no one has done anything beyond yet", and wished for "a band that gets up there and wipes us out".[14]

Although EMI and its North American counterpart, Capitol Records, were no longer obliged to consult the artists, John Lennon approved of the re-packaged singles.[5] This tacit approval contrasted sharply with the former Beatles' reaction to the 1976 themed compilation album Rock 'n' Roll Music, which Capitol assembled without consulting EMI.[15]

The series was first re-packaged for international release in December 1982 as The Beatles Singles Collection.[16] Issued as a box set by EMI's World Records division, this collection also included three Beatles singles that had been released after March 1976: "Back in the U.S.S.R.", "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"/"With a Little Help from My Friends" and "The Beatles' Movie Medley".[16]

Box-set contents

Catalogue numbers and release dates per Harry Castleman and Walter J. Podrazik's All Together Now,[17] Nicholas Schaffner's The Beatles Forever,[18] and Keith Badman's The Beatles Diary Volume 2.[1]

Single A-side(s) Catalogue number Original release date
"Love Me Do"Parlophone R 49495 October 1962
"Please Please Me"Parlophone R 498311 January 1963
"From Me to You"Parlophone R 501512 April 1963
"She Loves You"Parlophone R 505523 August 1963
"I Want to Hold Your Hand"Parlophone R 508429 November 1963
"Can't Buy Me Love"Parlophone R 511420 March 1964
"A Hard Day's Night"Parlophone R 516010 July 1964
"I Feel Fine"Parlophone R 520027 November 1964
"Ticket to Ride"Parlophone R 52659 April 1965
"Help!"Parlophone R 530523 July 1965
"We Can Work It Out" / "Day Tripper"Parlophone R 53893 December 1965
"Paperback Writer"Parlophone R 545210 June 1966
"Eleanor Rigby" / "Yellow Submarine"Parlophone R 54935 August 1966
"Strawberry Fields Forever" / "Penny Lane"Parlophone R 557017 February 1967
"All You Need Is Love"Parlophone R 56207 July 1967
"Hello, Goodbye"Parlophone R 565524 November 1967
"Lady Madonna"Parlophone R 567515 March 1968
"Hey Jude"Apple R 572230 August 1968
"Get Back"Apple R 577711 April 1969
"The Ballad of John and Yoko"Apple R 578630 May 1969
"Something" / "Come Together"Apple R 581431 October 1969
"Let It Be"Apple R 58336 March 1970
"Yesterday"Parlophone R 60135 March 1976

The Singles Collection (2019)

The Singles Collection
Box set by
Released22 November 2019
GenreRock, pop
LabelApple
The Beatles chronology
Abbey Road: 50th Anniversary Edition
(2019)
The Singles Collection
(2019)
Let It Be: Special Edition
(2021)

On 22 November 2019, Apple released a box set titled The Singles Collection, consisting of vinyl reissues of the original Beatles singles.[19][20] The set includes the same 22 UK singles excluding "Yesterday", instead being replaced with a custom double A-side of "Free as a Bird" and "Real Love".[19]

Since picture sleeves were not commonplace in the UK during the 1960s, the records were presented in sleeve designs that had been used in other countries around the world.[19][20] The box set includes a 40-page booklet containing photos and Kevin Howlett's essays on the music.[21]

References

  1. Badman 2001, p. 177.
  2. Woffinden 1981, pp. 93–94.
  3. Womack 2014, pp. 123–24.
  4. Schaffner 1978, pp. 186, 206.
  5. Woffinden 1981, p. 94.
  6. Womack 2014, pp. 115, 123.
  7. Rodriguez 2010, pp. 119–21.
  8. Badman 2001, pp. 180–81.
  9. Bagirov 2008, p. 110.
  10. Schaffner 1978, pp. 186–87.
  11. Rodriguez 2010, pp. 292–94.
  12. Rodriguez 2010, p. 293.
  13. Badman 2001, p. 180.
  14. Clayson 2003, p. 263.
  15. Woffinden 1981, pp. 94–95.
  16. Womack 2014, p. 123.
  17. Castleman & Podrazik 1976, pp. 12–87.
  18. Schaffner 1978, p. 206.
  19. Lifton, Dave (16 October 2019). "Beatles to Release 'The Singles Collection' Vinyl Box Set". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  20. Kreps, Daniel (16 October 2019). "The Beatles Announce 'The Singles Collection' Vinyl Box Set". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  21. "The Beatles: The Singles Collection". thebeatles.com. Retrieved 15 November 2019.

Sources

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