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The Beatles Collection

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The Beatles Collection
Box set by
the Beatles
Released2 November 1978 (US)
12 December 1978 (UK)
Recorded11 September 1962 – 1 April 1970, EMI, Trident, Olympic and Apple studios, London; Pathé Marconi Studio, Paris; EMI Studios, Bombay
GenreRock
Length533:40
LabelParlophone
ProducerGeorge Martin, Phil Spector (Let It Be)
The Beatles British chronology
Love Songs
(1977) 		The Beatles Collection
(1978) 		Rarities
(1978)
The Beatles American chronology
Love Songs
(1977) 		The Beatles Collection
(1978) 		Rarities
(1980)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

The Beatles Collection is a box set of the Beatles' vinyl albums released in the United States in November 1978 and the following month in the United Kingdom. It contains the official catalogue of the Beatles in stereo, and a new compilation called Rarities.

The American issue by Capitol Records contained the British pressings of the same 12 original albums, with the American pressing of Rarities. The latter differed from its British counterpart in that it included the previously released English-language versions of "She Loves You" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand", rather than the German-language version found on the British Rarities compilation.[2] The American edition of the box set was a limited edition of only 3000 numbered copies.[3] The limited availability of the American release resulted in the British release becoming popular as an import into the US.[4]

There is also a rare EMI New Zealand version which combines the British box with some elements of the American version, such as the US custom liner on a gatefold Rarities.[5]

Contents

The Beatles Collection did not include a number of Beatles recordings, including those released on the Magical Mystery Tour album. This album had been released in the United States in 1967, but it was not counted among the group's official catalogue because it was not issued in the United Kingdom until 1976. The collection also omitted the non-album singles that had previously been released in 1973 on the twin compilation packages 1962–1966 and 1967–1970.

The collection also includes the inserts contained in the individual albums, such as the cardboard cutout sheet in Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and the photos and poster in The Beatles.[6]

A company specialising in audiophile vinyl pressings, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, released a similar box set in 1982 called The Beatles: The Collection. This set consisted of the 12 British albums – Rarities was not included, but Magical Mystery Tour was – pressed off the original Abbey Road studio master tapes (except for MMT), using a technique called "Half Speed Mastering", and onto Japanese "virgin" vinyl. The set was highly acclaimed for its sonic accuracy and only approximately 25,000 were released. In this case, the actual covers for each album was a photo of a studio master tape, along with the engineer's log sheet. The original album covers were compiled in an LP-size booklet.

Album listing

Album Label Release date
Please Please Me Parlophone Records PCS 3042 22 March 1963
With the Beatles Parlophone Records PCS 3045 22 November 1963
A Hard Day's Night Parlophone Records PCS 3058 10 July 1964
Beatles for Sale Parlophone Records PCS 3062 4 December 1964
Help! Parlophone Records PCS 3071 6 August 1965
Rubber Soul Parlophone Records PCS 3075 3 December 1965
Revolver Parlophone Records PCS 7009 5 August 1966
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Parlophone Records PCS 7027 1 June 1967
The Beatles ("White Album") Apple Records PCS 7067/8 22 November 1968
Yellow Submarine Apple Records PCS 7070 17 January 1969
Abbey Road Apple Records PCS 7088 26 September 1969
Let It Be Apple Records PCS 7096 8 May 1970
Rarities Parlophone Records PSLP 261 (British editions) Capitol SPRO-8969 (US editions) 2 December 1978

See also

References

  1. ^ https://www.allmusic.com/album/r60400
  2. ^ "Beatles Rarities album". Rare Beatles. Retrieved 31 January 2009.
  3. ^ "The Beatles Collection". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 January 2009.
  4. ^ "Beatles Box sets". Rare Beatles. Retrieved 31 January 2009.
  5. ^ "The Beatles – the Beatles Collection (Vinyl)". Discogs. 26 February 2017.
  6. ^ "United Kingdom Beatles Box sets". Rare Beatles. Retrieved 31 January 2009.
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