''Meet the Beatles!'' is a studio album by the English rock band
the Beatles, released as their second album in the United States. It was the group's first American album to be issued by
Capitol Records
Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...
, on 20 January 1964 in both
mono and
stereo formats. It topped the
popular album chart on 15 February 1964 and remained at number one for eleven weeks before being replaced by ''
The Beatles' Second Album
''The Beatles' Second Album'' is the second Capitol Records album by the English rock band the Beatles, and their third album released in the United States including '' Introducing... The Beatles'', which was issued three months earlier by Vee-Ja ...
''. The cover featured
Robert Freeman's iconic portrait of the Beatles used in the United Kingdom for ''
With the Beatles
''With the Beatles'' is the second studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. It was released in the United Kingdom on 22 November 1963 on Parlophone, eight months after the band's debut ''Please Please Me''. Produced by George Marti ...
'', with a blue tint added to the original stark black-and-white photograph.
Background
After EMI's subsidiary Capitol Records constantly rejected requests by both
Brian Epstein
Brian Samuel Epstein (; 19 September 1934 – 27 August 1967) was a British music entrepreneur who managed the Beatles from 1962 until his death in 1967.
Epstein was born into a family of successful retailers in Liverpool, who put him i ...
and
George Martin to release Beatles records in the United States,
EMI
EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...
label head
Sir Joseph Lockwood sent a deputy to
Los Angeles in November 1963 ordering Capitol Records to commence promoting and releasing Beatles records in the United States. Despite the "first album" claim on the ''Meet the Beatles!'' cover, ten days prior to its release,
Vee-Jay Records of
Chicago beat Capitol to the punch with the release on 10 January 1964 of the Beatles' American debut album ''
Introducing... The Beatles,'' which had been delayed for release for various reasons since the previous summer. Perhaps as a result of the Vee-Jay release, Liberty Music Shops advertised in the ''
New York Times'' of 12 January 1964 that ''Meet the Beatles!'' was available for purchase, an ad not authorised by Capitol.
In 2004, the album was released for the first time on
compact disc in both stereo and mono as part of ''
The Capitol Albums, Volume 1
''The Capitol Albums, Volume 1'' is a boxed set compilation comprising the Beatles' 1964 American Capitol Records releases. The set, which features the first official stereo versions of a number of tracks on CD, was released in late 2004. Th ...
''
box set
A box set or (its original name) boxed set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box and offered for sale as a single unit.
Music
Artists and bands ...
, containing the original US stereo and mono mixes. In 2014, ''Meet the Beatles!'' was reissued on CD, individually and included in the Beatles boxed set ''
The U.S. Albums'', wherein, although following the running order for ''Meet the Beatles!'', are featured the UK mono and stereo mixes.
Music
By November 1963, the Beatles had already recorded over 35 songs for EMI's UK
Parlophone
Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a German–British record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 1 ...
label, while Capitol Records in the US planned to release an album and a single, and more at a later date. The US rights to the Beatles' first 14 tracks were held by Vee Jay Records along with a few others. "
She Loves You" had been issued in America on the
Swan label and also sold poorly. In Britain, Parlophone was already releasing their second Beatles album ''
With the Beatles
''With the Beatles'' is the second studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. It was released in the United Kingdom on 22 November 1963 on Parlophone, eight months after the band's debut ''Please Please Me''. Produced by George Marti ...
'' and had issued several singles which were not included on any UK albums with the exception of the first two ("Please Please Me"/"Ask Me Why" and "Love Me Do"/"PS I Love You"). While the Beatles' first two British albums each contained 14 tracks, in the American market albums were typically limited to 12 tracks and it was expected for albums to include the current hit single.
The first three tracks on the album include the December 1963 Capitol
single
Single may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Single (music), a song release
Songs
* "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004
* "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008
* "Single" (William Wei song), 2016
* "Single", by ...
"
I Want to Hold Your Hand" along with the record's
B-sides
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...
both in the United States, "
I Saw Her Standing There
"I Saw Her Standing There" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon. It is the opening track on the band's 1963 debut UK album ''Please Please Me'' and their debut US album '' Introducing... The B ...
," and in the UK with "
This Boy" from the original November 1963 release. Neither "I Want to Hold Your Hand" nor "This Boy" had appeared on album at the time in the UK, while "I Saw Her Standing There" had been the lead-off track to
the band's debut album. The other nine tracks on ''Meet the Beatles!'' are duplicated from its nearest UK counterpart album ''With the Beatles''. Those were Beatles original songs and not cover versions of songs done by other artists with exception of "
Till There Was You
"Till There Was You" is a show tune written in 1950 by Meredith Willson, originally entitled "Till I Met You." It was originally recorded October 25, 1950, by Meredith Willson & his Orchestra and Eileen Wilson. The song was retitled and used ...
". The remaining five tracks from ''With the Beatles'' were songs originally recorded by other artists. Capitol determined that for their first album they would only include original and fresh material. There was fear that the remakes would turn Americans off of the Beatles. The other five songs would appear on Capitol's next American LP, ''
The Beatles' Second Album
''The Beatles' Second Album'' is the second Capitol Records album by the English rock band the Beatles, and their third album released in the United States including '' Introducing... The Beatles'', which was issued three months earlier by Vee-Ja ...
'', released in April 1964. The songs "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "This Boy" are in a duophonic
akestereo, as Capitol had not been provided proper stereo mixes.
Critical reception
The album was included in
Robert Christgau's "Basic Record Library" of 1950s and 1960s recordings, published in ''
Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies'' (1981). In 2003, the album was ranked at number 59 on ''
Rolling Stone''s
500 Greatest Albums of All Time list, re-ranked at number 53 on the 2012 list, and re-ranked at number 197 in 2020.
Commercial performance
In the U.S., the album debuted at No. 92 on the
album chart for the week ending 1 February 1964. Two weeks later, it peaked at #1 where it remained eleven consecutive weeks, eventually replaced by ''
The Beatles' Second Album
''The Beatles' Second Album'' is the second Capitol Records album by the English rock band the Beatles, and their third album released in the United States including '' Introducing... The Beatles'', which was issued three months earlier by Vee-Ja ...
''. It sold 4,045,174 copies by 31 December 1964, and 4,699,348 copies by the end of the decade.
It was certified Gold by the
RIAA on 3 February 1964, and 5× Platinum on 26 December 1991.
Track listing
All tracks written by
John Lennon and Paul McCartney, except where noted.
Personnel
According to
Ian MacDonald:
The Beatles
*
John Lennon lead and backing vocals, rhythm and acoustic guitars, handclaps; harmonica ;
tambourine
*
Paul McCartney lead and backing vocals, bass, handclaps; piano ;
claves
Claves (; ) are a percussion instrument consisting of a pair of short, wooden sticks about 20–25 centimeters (8–10 inches) long and about 2.5 centimeters (1 inch) in diameter. Although traditionally made of wood (typically rosewood, ebony o ...
*
George Harrison
George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian ...
backing vocals, lead and acoustic guitars, handclaps; lead vocals
*
Ringo Starr
Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...
drums, handclaps;
bongos
Bongos ( es, bongó) are an Afro-Cuban percussion instrument consisting of a pair of small open bottomed hand drums of different sizes. They are struck with both hands, most commonly in an eight-stroke pattern called ''martillo'' (hammer). The ...
;
maracas ; lead vocal
Additional musician and production
*
George Martin producer;
Hammond organ ; piano
*
Norman Smith engineer
Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the lim ...
Charts and certifications
Chart performance
Certifications
Notes
References
*
*
*
*
External links
*
*
Bruce Spizer
David "Bruce" Spizer (born July 2, 1955) is a tax attorney in New Orleans, Louisiana, who is also recognized as an expert on the Beatles. He has published thirteen books, and is frequently quoted as an authority on the history of the band a ...
'
''The Beatles' Story on Capitol Records, Part One: Beatlemania and the Singles'' website*Bruce Spizer'
*
ttp://www.whatgoeson.com/story.20041101.html WhatGoesOn.com - ''Beatles Capitol Albums Vol. 1 now two weeks away'' article
{{Authority control
1964 albums
Albums produced by George Martin
The Beatles albums
Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients
Capitol Records albums