Vinyl Feature: The Beatles - The Red and Blue Albums

The Red Album front cover

Today I am featuring two double albums together simply because they belong together having being released on the same day as complementary collections of The Beatles "A-side" singles hits spanning their career together. Despite having singles hits with cover versions this series only included songs composed by the Beatles themselves.

The first album is titled "The Beatles 1962-1966" but came to be commonly known as "The Red Album", and the second album "The Beatles 1967-1970" which came to be known as "The Blue Album". They were released together on the 2nd of April 1973 and I think it is still one of the best compilations of Beatles songs ever created.

The Blue Album front cover

My particular copies are original first edition and in near mint condition, even the covers are very good! 

The photos on the front and back of each album were taken years apart by photographer Angus McBean in the stairwell at EMI House, the EMI headquarters building in London.

The photograph used on the inside of the gatefold of both albums is from the "Mad Day Out" photo session in London on Sunday the 28th of July 1968.

Blue Album inside gatefold

 The record labels (shown below) were green apples on red and blue backgrounds respectively, whole on side one and halved on side two, and if you know what to look for on the label you can find out which edition you have. 

 

 

The inner sleeve record covers are paper, red and blue depending on album, and have the lyrics printed on the outside. The way the corners are cut also indicate first edition.

 

Track listing "The Red Album"

Disc 1

Side 1

Love Me Do

Please Please Me

From Me to You

She Loves You

I Want to Hold Your Hand

All My Loving

Can't Buy Me Love

Side 2

A Hard Day's Night

And I Love Her

Eight Days a Week

I Feel Fine

Ticket to Ride

Yesterday

Disc 2

Side 1

Help!

You've Got to Hide Your Love Away

We Can Work It Out

Day Tripper

Drive My Car

Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)

Side 2

Nowhere Man

Michelle

In My Life

Girl

Paperback Writer

Eleanor Rigby

Yellow Submarine

Track listing "The Blue Album"

Disc 1

Side 1

Strawberry Fields Forever

Penny Lane

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

With a Little Help from My Friends

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

A Day in the Life

All You Need Is Love

Side 2

I Am the Walrus

Hello, Goodbye

The Fool on the Hill

Magical Mystery Tour

Lady Madonna

Hey Jude

Revolution

Disc 2

Side 1

Back in the U.S.S.R.

While My Guitar Gently Weeps

Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

Get Back

Don't Let Me Down

The Ballad of John and Yoko

Old Brown Shoe

Side 2

Here Comes the Sun

Come Together

Something

Octopus's Garden

Let It Be

Across the Universe

The Long and Winding Road

I found my copies in Malmsjö HiFi Helsingborg, the owner of the store has a box of really nice vinyl on the front desk for sale and being a vinyl fan himself he can give you great advice about your sound system and turntable and he even does repairs and upgrades on premises. Tell him I sent you.