Meet the Beatles! (Mono)

By The BeatlesOfficial album • Part of the collection “The Beatles • The original US LPs

US release date:
Jan 20, 1964
Publisher:
Capitol

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Track list

Disc 1


1.

I Want to Hold Your Hand

Written by Lennon - McCartney

2:27 • Studio versionA • Mono

Paul McCartney :
Bass guitar, Handclaps, Vocals
Ringo Starr :
Drums, Handclaps
John Lennon :
Handclaps, Rhythm guitar, Vocals
George Harrison :
Handclaps, Lead guitar
George Martin :
Producer
Norman Smith :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Oct 17, 1963
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Mixing:
Oct 21, 1963
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio One, Abbey Road


2.

I Saw Her Standing There

Written by Lennon - McCartney

2:55 • Studio versionB2 • Mono • Mono made from [B]

Paul McCartney :
Bass, Handclaps, Vocals
Ringo Starr :
Drums, Handclaps
John Lennon :
Backing vocals, Handclaps, Rhythm guitar
George Harrison :
Handclaps, Lead guitar
George Martin :
Producer
Norman Smith :
Recording engineer
A.B. Lincoln :
Second engineer

Session Recording:
Feb 11, 1963
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Recording:
Feb 25, 1963
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio One, Abbey Road


3.

This Boy

Written by Lennon - McCartney

2:16 • Studio versionA • Mono

Paul McCartney :
Bass, Vocals
Ringo Starr :
Drums
John Lennon :
Acoustic guitar, Vocals
George Harrison :
Lead guitar, Vocals
George Martin :
Producer
Norman Smith :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Oct 17, 1963
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Mixing:
Oct 21, 1963
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio One, Abbey Road


4.

It Won't Be Long

Written by Lennon - McCartney

2:14 • Studio versionB2 • Mono • Mono made from [B] by Capitol

Paul McCartney :
Backing vocals, Bass
Ringo Starr :
Drums
John Lennon :
Rhythm guitar, Vocals
George Harrison :
Backing vocals, Lead guitar
George Martin :
Producer
Geoff Emerick :
Second engineer
Norman Smith :
Recording engineer
Richard Langham :
Second engineer

Session Recording:
Jul 30, 1963
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Mixing:
Oct 29, 1963
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road


5.

All I've Got to Do

Written by Lennon - McCartney

2:05 • Studio versionB2 • Mono • Mono made from [B] by Capitol

Paul McCartney :
Backing vocals, Bass
Ringo Starr :
Drums
John Lennon :
Rhythm guitar, Vocals
George Harrison :
Backing vocals, Lead guitar
George Martin :
Producer
Norman Smith :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Sep 11, 1963
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Mixing:
Sep 30, 1963
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road


6.

All My Loving

Written by Lennon - McCartney

2:08 • Studio versionB3 • Mono • Mono made from [B] by Capitol

Paul McCartney :
Bass, Vocals
Ringo Starr :
Drums
John Lennon :
Backing vocals, Rhythm guitar
George Harrison :
Backing vocals, Lead guitar
George Martin :
Producer
Norman Smith :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Jul 30, 1963
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Recording:
Oct 29, 1963
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road


7.

Don't Bother Me

Written by George Harrison

2:30 • Studio versionB2 • Mono • Mono made from [B] by Capitol

Paul McCartney :
Bass, Woodblock
Ringo Starr :
Bongo, Drums
John Lennon :
Rhythm guitar, Tambourine
George Harrison :
Lead guitar, Vocals
George Martin :
Producer
Norman Smith :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Sep 11, 1963
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Recording:
Sep 12, 1963
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Recording:
Oct 29, 1963
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road


8.

Little Child

Written by Lennon - McCartney

1:48 • Studio versionB2 • Mono • Mono made from [B] by Capitol

Paul McCartney :
Bass, Piano, Vocals
Ringo Starr :
Drums
John Lennon :
Harmonica, Rhythm guitar, Vocals
George Harrison :
Lead guitar
George Martin :
Producer
Norman Smith :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Sep 11, 1963
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Recording:
Sep 12, 1963
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Recording:
Oct 03, 1963
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Recording:
Oct 29, 1963
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road


9.

Till There Was You

Written by Meredith Willson

2:16 • Studio versionB2 • Mono • Mono made from [B] by Capitol

Paul McCartney :
Bass, Vocals
Ringo Starr :
Bongos
John Lennon :
Acoustic rhythm guitar
George Harrison :
Acoustic lead guitar
George Martin :
Producer
Norman Smith :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Jul 18, 1963
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Recording:
Jul 30, 1963
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Recording:
Oct 29, 1963
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road


10.

Hold Me Tight

Written by Lennon - McCartney

2:33 • Studio versionB2 • Mono • Mono made from [B] by Capitol

Paul McCartney :
Bass, Handclaps, Vocals
Ringo Starr :
Drums, Handclaps
John Lennon :
Backing vocals, Handclaps, Rhythm guitar
George Harrison :
Backing vocals, Handclaps, Lead guitar
George Martin :
Producer
Norman Smith :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Sep 12, 1963
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Mixing:
Sep 30, 1963
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Recording:
Oct 29, 1963
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road


11.

I Wanna Be Your Man

Written by Lennon - McCartney

1:59 • Studio versionB2 • Mono • Mono made from [B] by Capitol

Paul McCartney :
Backing vocals, Bass
Ringo Starr :
Drums, Maracas, Vocals
John Lennon :
Backing vocals, Rhythm guitar
George Harrison :
Lead guitar
George Martin :
Hammond organ, Producer
Norman Smith :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Sep 11, 1963
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Recording:
Sep 12, 1963
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Recording:
Oct 03, 1963
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Mixing:
Oct 29, 1963
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road


12.

Not a Second Time

Written by Lennon - McCartney

2:10 • Studio versionB2 • Mono • Mono made from [B] by Capitol

Paul McCartney :
Bass
Ringo Starr :
Drums
John Lennon :
Acoustic rhythm guitar, Vocals
George Martin :
Piano, Producer
Norman Smith :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Sep 11, 1963
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Recording:
Oct 29, 1963
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road

About

From Wikipedia:

Meet the Beatles! is the second Beatles’ album released in the United States. It was the first US Beatles album to be issued by Capitol Records 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 an impressive eleven weeks before being replaced by The Beatles’ Second Album, the first time that an artist replaced itself at the peak album position. The cover featured Robert Freeman’s portrait used in the United Kingdom for With the Beatles, with a blue tint added to the original stark black-and-white photograph.

Background

After constantly rejecting requests by both Brian Epstein and George Martin to release Beatles records in the United States, in November 1963 EMI label head Sir Joseph Lockwood sent a deputy to Los Angeles ordering Capitol Records to commence releasing and promoting Beatles product in the United States. Despite the “first album” claim on its cover, ten days prior to its release Vee-Jay Records of Chicago beat Capitol to the punch with the release 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 2003, Meet the Beatles! was ranked number 59 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. In 2004, the album was released on compact disc in both stereo and mono as part of The Capitol Albums, Volume 1 box set. In 2014, Meet the Beatles! was released on CD again, individually and included in the Beatles boxed set, The U.S. Albums.

Music

By November 1963, The Beatles recorded just over 35 songs for EMI while Capitol Records planned to release an album and a single to start with plans to release more at a later date. The first 14 recordings were in custody of Vee Jay Records along with a couple others. “She Loves You” had been issued by Swan Records and also went nowhere. In the United Kingdom, Parlophone Records was already releasing the second Beatles album With the Beatles and had released several singles which were not included on any albums with the exception of the first two (“Please Please Me“/”Ask Me Why” and “Love Me Do“/”PS I Love You“). Capitol determined that due to the American culture that singles should be released from albums rather than separately. In the US, singles were used to help sell albums.

The first three tracks on the album include the December 1963 Capitol single “I Want to Hold Your Hand” along with the record’s b-sides both in the United States, “I Saw Her Standing There,” and in the United Kingdom 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 of Meet the Beatles! are duplicated from its nearest UK counterpart album With the Beatles. Those were Beatles original songs and not remakes of songs done by other artists with exception of Till There Was You. 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 to the Beatles. Those other five songs would appear on Capitol’s next LP release in the US, The Beatles’ Second Album. The songs “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “This Boy” are in a duophonic [fake] stereo, due to the lack of a proper stereo mix that was supposed to be given to Capitol. “I Saw Her Standing There” has a special stereo remix done specifically for the American market and differs slightly from the one on Vee Jay Records or on the British Please Please Me album. The nine songs appearing on both With the Beatles and Meet the Beatles! were strictly mono on the British With the Beatles album. But on Meet the Beatles! special stereo remixes were used for those songs, as well as Meet the Beatles! being issued in both stereo and mono.

Last updated on May 9, 2021

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