1967–1970

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2011)

1967–1970
Compilation album by The Beatles
Released	2 April 1973[1]
Recorded	1966–1970, EMI, Olympic, Apple and Trident Studios, London
Genre	Rock
Length	99:34
Language	English
Label	Apple
Producer	George Martin and Phil Spector
Compiler	Allen Klein
The Beatles chronology
1962–1966 (1973) 1967–1970 (1973) Rock 'n' Roll Music (1976)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]
Blender	[3]
Rolling Stone	[4]

1967–1970 (widely known as "The Blue Album") is a compilation of songs by the English rock band The Beatles, spanning the years indicated in the title. It was released with 1962–1966 ("The Red Album"), in 1973. 1967–1970 made number 1 on the American Billboard chart and number 2 on the British Album Chart. This album was re-released in September 1993 on compact disc, charting at number 4 in the United Kingdom.

The album was compiled by Beatles manager Allen Klein.^[5] Songs performed by the Beatles as solo artists were also considered for inclusion, but like the cover songs on 1962–1966, limited space resulted in this idea having to be abandoned.^{[citation needed]}

As with 1962–1966, this compilation was produced by Apple/EMI at least partially in response to a bootleg collection titled Alpha Omega, which had been sold on television the previous year. Print advertising for the two records made a point of declaring them "the only authorized collection of the Beatles."^[6]

Album covers

For the group's 1963 debut LP Please Please Me, photographer Angus McBean took the distinctive colour photograph of the group looking down over the stairwell inside EMI House (EMI's London headquarters in Manchester Square, now demolished).

In 1969, The Beatles asked McBean to recreate this shot. Although a photograph from the 1969 photo shoot was originally intended for the then-planned Get Back album, it was not used when that project saw eventual release in 1970 as Let It Be. Instead, another photograph from the 1969 shoot, along with an unused photograph from the 1963 photo shoot, was used for both this LP and 1962–1966.

The inner gatefold photo for both LPs is from the "Mad Day Out"^[7] photo session in London on Sunday 28 July 1968.

The album cover was designed by Tom Wilkes.^[8]

Release variations

• Original 1973 release: Apple SKBO-3404 (Whole and sliced apples in blue background)
• Second pressing: Capitol SKBO-3404 (Capitol target label on back of album cover, blue label with "Capitol" in light blue letters at bottom)
• First blue vinyl release: Capitol SEBX-11843 (Capitol dome label on back of album cover, large dome logo at top of light blue labels)
• 1980 East German release. Amiga 8 55 742. One disc only with 14 tracks mostly from disc one of the original version.
• 1993 CD release. Apple 0777 7 97039 2 0 (Whole and sliced apples in blue background)
• 2010 remastered CD release. Apple 5099990674723 (Whole and sliced apples in blue background)

Track listing

All tracks written by Lennon–McCartney, except where noted.

Disc 1

Side 1

1. "Strawberry Fields Forever"  – 4:10
2. "Penny Lane"  – 3:03
3. "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"  – 2:02
4. "With a Little Help from My Friends"  – 2:44
5. "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"  – 3:28
6. "A Day in the Life"  – 5:06
7. "All You Need Is Love"  – 3:48

Side 2

8. "I Am the Walrus"  – 4:37
9. "Hello, Goodbye"  – 3:31
10. "The Fool on the Hill"  – 3:00
11. "Magical Mystery Tour"  – 2:51
12. "Lady Madonna"  – 2:17
13. "Hey Jude"  – 7:08
14. "Revolution"  – 3:21

Disc 2

Side 1

1. "Back in the U.S.S.R."  – 2:45
2. "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" (Harrison)  – 4:45
3. "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da"  – 3:05
4. "Get Back"  – 3:14
5. "Don't Let Me Down"  – 3:33
6. "The Ballad of John and Yoko"  – 2:59
7. "Old Brown Shoe" (Harrison)  – 3:18

Side 2

8. "Here Comes the Sun" (Harrison)  – 3:05
9. "Come Together"  – 4:20
10. "Something" (Harrison)  – 3:03
11. "Octopus's Garden" (Starkey)  – 2:51
12. "Let It Be"  – 3:52
13. "Across the Universe"  – 3:48
14. "The Long and Winding Road"  – 3:38

Chart positions

Certification

See also

• List of best-selling albums in the United States

References

External links

• Notes on releases