Global InformationThe Beatles discography information
| The Beatles discography | |
|---|---|
 The Beatles in 1965 | |
| Studio albums | 12 (UK), 17 (US) |
| Live albums | 5 |
| Compilation albums | 51 |
| Video albums | 22 |
| Music videos | 53 |
| EPs | 36 |
| Singles | 63 |
| Mash-ups | 2 |
| Box sets | 17 |
Worldwide, the British rock band the Beatles released 12 studio albums (17 in the US), 5 live albums, 51 compilation albums, 36 extended plays (EPs), 63 singles, 17 box sets, 22 video albums and 53 music videos. In their native United Kingdom, during their active existence as a band, they released 12 studio albums (including 1 double album), 1 compilation album, 13 EPs (including 1 double EP), and 22 singles (including 4 double A-sided singles). The early albums and singles released from 1962 to March 1968 were originally on Parlophone, and their albums and singles from August 1968 to 1970 were on their subsidiary label Apple. Their output also includes vault items, remixed mash-ups and anniversary box-sets.
The Beatles are the biggest selling band of all time, selling over 500 million records.
With the first CD releases of their albums in 1987 and 1988, the Beatles' core catalogue was harmonised worldwide to encompass their 12 original UK studio albums, the 1967 US Magical Mystery Tour album and the newly assembled Past Masters: Volumes One and Two compilation albums consisting of all the studio recordings released during 1962 to 1970 that are not present on the UK studio albums or Magical Mystery Tour (mainly non-album singles, B-sides and EP tracks). When the core catalogue was reissued in remastered editions in 2009, the two volumes of Past Masters were combined into one double album. Since then, other past releases have been reissued in digital formats and on vinyl. The catalogue is currently distributed by Universal Music Enterprises' Calderstone Productions. This core catalogue contains all 217 tracks[a] intended for commercial release, either as album tracks, EP tracks, or singles, that were put out by the Beatles from 1962 to 1970.[1][2]
The Beatles' international discography is more complicated due to different versions of their albums sometimes being released in other countries, particularly during their early years on Capitol Records in North America. Prior to 1967, it was common practice for British releases to be reconfigured for the American market. The first seven British Beatles albums were converted into ten LPs for the American market, adding material from singles and the UK EPs; the band were unhappy with these reconfigurations. With the exception of Magical Mystery Tour, studio releases from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in 1967 forward were uniform in both the UK and the US. The band's first eight albums were released on Parlophone. From 1968, in both the UK and the US, starting with the single "Hey Jude" and the album The Beatles (better known as "the White Album"), new releases appeared on the Beatles' own Apple record label, although Parlophone and Capitol catalogue numbers continued to be used for contractual reasons.
The Beatles' discography was originally released on the vinyl format, with full-length long plays (LPs), shorter EPs and singles. Over the years, the collection has also been released on cassette, 8-track, compact disc (CD), on a USB flash drive in MP3 and 24-bit FLAC format, and on digital media streaming services. The Beatles' UK discography was first released on CD in 1987 and 1988. Between 1962 and 1968, the Beatles released their songs in both mono and stereo versions.[3] The band's catalogue was remastered in both mono and stereo in 2009.[4][5]
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- ^ Pannell, David J. (Spring–Autumn 2023). "Quantitative analysis of the evolution of the Beatles' releases for EMI, 1962–1970". Journal of Beatles Studies. 2 (1/2): 65–90. doi:10.3828/jbs.2023.5. ISSN 2754-7019.
Focusing on the 217 tracks that the band released officially through EMI between 1962 and 1970 ...
- ^ Tillekens, Ger (December 1999). "The official Beatles' canon". Soundscapes.info. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
- ^ Boilen, Bob (8 September 2009). "Mono Or Stereo: Which Beatles Box Is Better?". NPR. Archived from the original on 26 October 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
- ^ Eccleston, Danny (9 September 2009). "Beatles Remasters Reviewed". Mojo. Archived from the original on 7 October 2009. Retrieved 13 October 2009.
- ^ Roberts, Randall (9 September 2014). "Review: Is 'The Beatles in Mono' necessary? Yes and no". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 28 July 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2020.