''The Singles Collection 1962–1970'' is a series of reissued singles by the English rock band

the Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

. It was released in Britain on 5 March 1976 by

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 corporation, transnational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in March 1 ...

, following the expiration of the Beatles' contract with the company in January, and close to six years after the band's break-up. The collection comprises all 22 of the Beatles' UK singles, which were originally issued between October 1962 and March 1970 on either the

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 192 ...

Apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, ' ...

record labels, together with a new single pairing " Yesterday" with "

I Should Have Known Better "I Should Have Known Better" is a song by English rock band the Beatles composed by John Lennon (credited to Lennon–McCartney), and originally issued on '' A Hard Day's Night'', their soundtrack for the film of the same name released on 10 J ...

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. The project resulted from the success of the 1973 double-album sets ''

1962–1966 ''1962–1966'', also known as the Red Album, is a compilation album of hit songs by the English rock band the Beatles, spanning the years indicated in the title. Released with its counterpart ''1967–1970'' (the "Blue Album") in 1973, the do ...

'' and ''

1967–1970 ''1967–1970'', also known as the Blue Album, is a compilation album of songs by the English rock band the Beatles, spanning the years indicated in the title. A double LP, it was released with ''1962–1966'' (the "Red Album") in April 1973. ...

'', which the former Beatles had endorsed, and which contained all of their British single

A-side 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 ...

s and double A-side tracks. 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. The records were available in a matching ''Singles Collection 1962–1970'' box to customers who bought all 23 of the discs. The re-packaging campaign was a commercial success, with 1 million singles sold in the first month. The response coincided with media speculation regarding rival bids from two US promoters for the Beatles to reunite for a satellite concert broadcast. Reflecting this resurgence of interest,

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

produced the program ''The Beatles Again'', which highlighted the group's continued influence on pop music; in a feature article in ''

Reveille "Reveille" ( , ), called in French "Le Réveil" is a bugle call, trumpet call, drum, fife-and-drum or pipes call most often associated with the military; it is chiefly used to wake military personnel at sunrise. The name comes from (or ), th ...

'', an EMI spokesman described the campaign as an "amazing" success, with teenagers as young as thirteen becoming fans of the Beatles. The re-packaged singles all charted on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, and "Yesterday" peaked at number 8. During one week in April 1976, the band had an unprecedented 23 entries in the UK top 100 positions. The following month, ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...

'' magazine commented on this chart dominance: "Has a new successor to the Beatles finally been found? Not at all – it is the Beatles themselves." 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". Although EMI and its North American counterpart, Capitol Records, were no longer obliged to consult the artists,

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

approved of the re-packaged singles. 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. The series was first re-packaged for international release in December 1982 as ''The Beatles Singles Collection''. 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 "With a Little Help from My Friends" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, from their 1967 album ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''. It was written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and sung by drummer Ringo Starr (as Sgt. Pep ...

" and " The Beatles' Movie Medley".

Box-set contents

Catalogue numbers and release dates per Harry Castleman and Walter J. Podrazik's ''All Together Now'',

Nicholas Schaffner Nicholas Schaffner (January 28, 1953 – August 28, 1991) was an American non-fiction author, journalist, and singer-songwriter. Biography Schaffner was born in Manhattan to John V. Schaffner (1913–1983), a literary agent whose clients include ...

's ''The Beatles Forever'', and Keith Badman's ''The Beatles Diary Volume 2''.

''The Singles Collection'' (2019)

On 22 November 2019, Apple released a box set titled ''The Singles Collection'', consisting of vinyl reissues of the original Beatles singles. The set includes the same 22 UK singles (excluding "Yesterday", instead being replaced with a custom double A-side of "

Free as a Bird "Free as a Bird" is a single released in December 1995 by the Beatles. The song was originally written and recorded in 1977 as a home demo by John Lennon. In 1995, 25 years after their break-up and 15 years after Lennon's murder, his then ...

" and " Real Love"). 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. The box set includes a 40-page booklet containing photos and Kevin Howlett's essays on the music.

References

Sources

* * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Singles Collection 1962-1970, The 1976 compilation albums 1982 compilation albums The Beatles compilation albums Reissue albums Albums recorded at Apple Studios Albums recorded at Olympic Sound Studios Albums recorded at Trident Studios