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Fan Base: The Beatles
Member Since: 3/3/2011
Posts: 23,567
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THE BEATLES
 SUMMARY
The Beatles were an iconic English pop rock band that emerged in the 1960s. Despite studio work spanning only 7 years (1963-1970), The Beatles are widely regarded as the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed act in the history of popular music. The band's best-known lineup consisted of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr.
The bands early music was rooted in skiffle and 1950s rock 'n' roll, heavily inspired by the African musical roots and pop image and integration mastered by Elvis Presley. Their explosion onto the scene prompted an enormous following and craze surrounding the band--coined "Beatlemania"--and is commonly noted as one of the most significant musical events of the 20th century. In addition to quickly conquering England, the band led the "British Invasion" of the United States music market and opened the doors for other legendary acts like The Rolling Stones.
The Beatles are the best-selling band in history, with over 1 billion records sold and 600 million in certified sales. They currently hold the record for the most #1 hits of all time in the United States and are ranked #1 on Billboard's list of the all-time Hot 100 artists as of 2008. They have also sold more albums than any other artist in history.
| In their native UK, The Beatles hold the record for the most number one albums of all time and most time spent at #1. They also have the second best-selling album of all-time, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
In addition to massive commercial success, The Beatles also enjoy unparalleled critical acclaim, with albums like Revolver, Rubber Soul, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, and Abbey Road appearing on critics' list of all-time greatest albums. In many ways, their albums have come to symbolize the rebelliousness and political unrest of the 1960s, with notable critics declaring that Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is a "decisive moment in the history of Western civilisation" and that albums like Revolver "initiated a second pop revolution – one which while galvanising [The Beatles'] existing rivals and inspiring many new ones, left all of them far behind" |
SALES/CERTIFICATIONS
SALES/CERTIFICATIONS
This is a compact summary of the sales of all major UK/US releases. Below is a more specific breakdown with associated album art. Numbers are courtesy of Basil and Hanboo at UKmix.
Sales in Millions
(world sales, RIAA certified level, title, year of release)
06.0 01.0 Please Please Me (1963)
06.0 00.5 With The Beatles (1963)
09.0 05.0 Meet The Beatles (1964)
02.0 01.4 Introducing The Beatles (1964)
04.0 02.0 Second Album (1964)
11.0 04.0 A Hard Day's Night (1964)
04.0 02.0 Something New (1964)
02.0 00.5 Story Of The Beatles (1964)
06.0 01.0 Beatles For Sale (1964)
05.0 03.0 Beatles '65 (1965)
04.0 02.0 Beatles VI (1965)
10.0 03.0 Help! (1965)
12.0 06.0 Rubber Soul (1965)
04.0 02.0 Yesterday And Today (1966)
12.0 05.0 Revolver (1966)
05.0 00.0 Collection Of Oldies (1966)
32.5 11.0 Sgt.Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
12.0 06.0 Magical Mystery Tour (1967)
06.0 01.0 Yellow Submarine (1968)
18.5 09.5 The Beatles (White Album) (Double) (1968)
29.5 12.0 Abbey Road (1969)
05.0 03.0 Hey Jude (1970)
01.0 01.0 The Early Beatles (1970)
10.0 04.0 Let It Be (1970)
20.0 07.5 1962-1966 (Double) (1973)
21.0 08.0 1967-1970 (Double) (1973)
04.0 01.0 Rock & Roll Music (1976)
04.0 01.0 Live At The Hollywood Bowl (1977)
06.0 01.5 Love Songs (Double) (1977)
01.0 00.5 Beatles Rarities (1979)
03.0 00.0 Beatles Ballads-20 Original Tracks (1980)
01.0 01.0 Rock & Roll Music, Vol.1 (1980)
01.0 01.0 Rock & Roll Music, Vol.2 (1980)
01.0 01.0 The Beatles Box (12 LP's) (1981)
02.0 00.5 Reel Music (1982)
05.0 02.0 20 Greatest Hits (1982)
02.0 01.0 Past Masters, Vol. 1 (1988)
02.0 01.0 Past Masters, Vol. 2 (1988)
08.0 02.0 Live At The BBC (Double) (1994)
10.0 04.0 Anthology 1 (Double) (1995)
06.0 02.0 Anthology 2 (Double) (1996)
04.0 01.5 Anthology 3 (Double) (1996)
01.0 00.5 Yellow Submarine Songtrack (1999)
28.0 10.0 1 (2000)
01.5 01.0 Let It Be - Naked (2003)
00.3 00.3 Capitol Box Volume 1 (2004)
Please Please Me
Released: March 22, 1963 (UK), 1987 (US)
Certifications: Platinum (US)
US SSE Sales: 1,039,000 (October 2010)
WW Sales: 6,000,000 |  | With The Beatles
Released: November 22, 1963 (UK), 1987 (US)
Certifications: Gold (US)
US SSE sales: 776,000 (October 2010)
WW Sales: 6,000,000 | .jpg)
| Introducing...The Beatles
Released: January 10, 1964 (US)
US SSE Sales: 1,400,000 (October 2010)
WW Sales: 2,000,000 | 
| Meet The Beatles
Released: January 20, 1964 (US)
Certifications: 5x Platinum (US)
US SSE Sales: 50,000 (October 2010)
WW Sales: 9,000,000 | 
| The Beatles' Second Album
Released: April 10, 1964 (US)
Certifications: 2x Platinum (US)
US SSE Sales: 20,000 (October 2010)
WW Sales: 4,000,000 |
| A Hard Day's Night
Released: June 26, 1964 (US), July 10, 1964 (UK)
Certifications: 4x Platinum (US)
US SSE Sales: 1,422,000 (October 2010)
WW Sales: 11,000,000 | 
| Something New
Released: July 20, 1964 (US)
Certifications: 2x Platinum (US)
US SSE Sales: 11,000 (Oct 2010)
WW Sales: 4,000,000 |  | The Beatles' Story
Released: November 23, 1964 (US)
Certifications: Gold (US)
US SSE Sales: 3,000 (Oct 2010)
WW Sales: 2,000,000 | 
| Beatles For Sale
Released: December 4, 1964 (UK), 1987 (US)
Certifications: Platinum (US)
US SSE Sales: 803,000 (Oct 2010)
WW Sales: 6,000,000 | .jpg)
| Beatles '65
Released: December 15, 1964 (US)
Certifications: 3x Platinum
US SSE Sales: 24,000 (Oct 2010)
WW Sales: 5,000,000 | 
| The Early Beatles
Released:March 22, 1965
Certifications: Platinum (US)
US SSE Sales: 19,000 (Jan 2007)
WW Sales: 1,000,000 | 
| Beatles VI
Released: June 14, 1965 (US)
Certifications: Platinum (US)
US SSE Sales: 10,000 (Oct 2010)
WW Sales: 4,000,000 | 
| Help!
Released: August 6, 1965 (UK), August 13, 1965 (US)
Certifications: 3x Platinum (US)
US SSE Sales: 1,493,000 (Oct 2010)
WW Sales: 10,000,000 | 
| Rubber Soul
Released: December 3, 1965 (UK), December 6, 1965 (US)
Certifications: 6x Platinum (US)
US SSE Sales: 2,666,000 (Oct 2010)
WW Sales: 12,000,000 | 
| Yesterday and Today
Released: June 15, 1966 (US)
Certifications: 2x Platinum (US)
US SSE Sales: 26,000 (Jan 2007)
WW Sales: 4,000,000 | 
| Revolver
Released: August 5, 1966 (UK), August 8, 1966 (US)
Certifications: 5x Platinum
US SSE Sales: 2,238,000 (Oct 2010)
WW Sales: 12,000,000 | 
| Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Released: June 1, 1967 (US) (UK)
Certifications: Diamond (US), 11x Platinum (US)
US SSE Sales: 4,291,000 (Oct 2010)
WW Sales: 32,500,000 | 
| Magical Mystery Tour
Released: November 27, 1967
Certifications: 6x Platinum (US)
US SSE Sales: 1,804,000 (Oct 2010)
WW Sales: 12,000,000 | 
| The Beatles
Released: November 22, 1968 (US) (UK)
Certifications: Diamond (US), 19x Platinum (US)
US SSE Sales: 3,685,000 (Oct 2010)
WW Sales: 18,500,000 | 
| Abbey Road
Released: September 26, 1969
Certifications: Diamond (US), 12x Platinum (US)
US SSE Sales: 4,658,000 (Oct 2010)
WW Sales: 29,500,000 | 
| Hey Jude
Released: February 26, 1970
Certifications: 3x Platinum (US)
US SSE Sales: 68,000 (Jan 2007)
WW Sales: 5,000,000 | 
| Let It Be
Released: May 8, 1970
Certifications: 4x Platinum (US)
US SSE Sales: 1,426,000 (Jan 2007)
WW Sales: 10,000,000 | 
| 1962-1966 (Double Album)
Released: April 19, 1973 (US) (UK)
Certifications: 15x Platinum (US)
US SSE Sales: 2,387,000 (Dec 2010)
WW Sales: 20,000,000 | .jpg)
| 1967-1970 (Double Album)
Released: April 19, 1973 (US) (UK)
Certifications: 17x Platinum (US)
US SSE Sales: 2,790,000 (Dec 2010)
WW Sales: 21,000,000 | 
| Rock 'n' Roll Music
Released: June 7, 1976 (US) (UK) (NZ)
Certifications: Platinum (US)
US SSE Sales: 216,000 (Jan 2007)
WW Sales: 4,000,000 | .jpg)
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ACHIEVEMENTS
Under construction...
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Member Since: 8/15/2010
Posts: 8,808
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I stan. 
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Member Since: 4/3/2011
Posts: 7,281
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Yes i'm here for this
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Member Since: 6/15/2010
Posts: 3,226
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My idols. I'm here for this.
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Member Since: 3/3/2011
Posts: 23,567
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I posted the first update to the OP. 
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Member Since: 10/3/2009
Posts: 35,844
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Legendary band. I love "Twist N' Shout" and "Yesterday".
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Member Since: 6/15/2010
Posts: 3,226
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I didn't know that the first albums of their US discography was so different from the UK one
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 9/26/2001
Posts: 22,475
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I was contemplating whether or not I should create the thread for The Beatles as well as Muse. I mean, we're only talking about THE BEATLES here.
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Member Since: 3/3/2011
Posts: 23,567
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Quote:
Originally posted by Red
I was contemplating whether or not I should create the thread for The Beatles as well as Muse. I mean, we're only talking about THE BEATLES here.
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I felt like it was worth it. I just hope it doesn't flop and get closed down in 2 weeks. 
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Member Since: 3/3/2011
Posts: 23,567
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Quote:
Originally posted by crossbonezolo
I didn't know that the first albums of their US discography was so different from the UK one
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Yeah, it took them quite a while to line up their releases in the major music markets. Plus, they didn't break over into the US until 1964, and as you can see, the craze was so huge that they were able to release 5 studio albums in one year in the US.
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Member Since: 8/15/2010
Posts: 8,808
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Quote:
Originally posted by RobynYoBank
I felt like it was worth it. I just hope it doesn't flop and get closed down in 2 weeks. |
My Bowie one will be shut pretty soon and I hope this one doesn't go the same way.
It's hard enough trying to get people interested in all of this old music never mind finding people who are actually committed enough to discuss them.
The only person who I stan for that actually gets much discussion around here is Madonna. Bowie, The Beatles and Springsteen get ignored.
On the subject of The Beatles, I am always so torn between Abbey Road and Sgt.Pepper. I find Abbey Road more listenable but I don't find it quite as brilliant music wise as Sgt.Pepper. Then again Abbey Road gave us the best Beatles' song: Here Comes The Sun.
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 9/26/2001
Posts: 22,475
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^ Honestly, the only reason that's the case is because everyone likes to talk about what's currently going on in the music world...which is a shame, because it's not like someone such as Bruce Springsteen isn't releasing music still, but it is what it is. I'd love to talk about how I feel that The White Album is the most misunderstood album of the 20th century with others, and how Abbey Road may just be The Beatles' masterpiece, personally. 
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Member Since: 8/15/2010
Posts: 8,808
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Quote:
Originally posted by Red
^ Honestly, the only reason that's the case is because everyone likes to talk about what's currently going on in the music world...which is a shame, because it's not like someone such as Bruce Springsteen isn't releasing music still, but it is what it is. I'd love to talk about how I feel that The White Album is the most misunderstood album of the 20th century with others, and how Abbey Road may just be The Beatles' masterpiece, personally. |
The White Album is amazing. Back In The USSR is an aeroplane anthem, I jam to it so much whilst travelling.
And how did I forget 'Blackbird', surely one of the best down-tempo songs of the 20th century.
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Member Since: 12/9/2007
Posts: 9,007
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Quote:
Originally posted by Red
^ Honestly, the only reason that's the case is because everyone likes to talk about what's currently going on in the music world...which is a shame, because it's not like someone such as Bruce Springsteen isn't releasing music still, but it is what it is. I'd love to talk about how I feel that The White Album is the most misunderstood album of the 20th century with others, and how Abbey Road may just be The Beatles' masterpiece, personally. |
Abbey Road is the greatest album of all time. I'm glad we finally have a place to discuss this masterpiece.
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 9/26/2001
Posts: 22,475
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Quote:
Originally posted by Wilkes
The White Album is amazing. Back In The USSR is an aeroplane anthem, I jam to it so much whilst travelling.
And how did I forget 'Blackbird', surely one of the best down-tempo songs of the 20th century. |
Lately, I've been all about "Birthday"...which is funny, because that was never one of my favorites in the past. But falling in love with a song that I didn't really care for previously is commonplace with The Beatles, it seems like.  And god, "Happiness Is A Warm Gun"! I've always loved that one, but especially recently. What a great song.
Quote:
Originally posted by GRADUAT10N
Abbey Road is the greatest album of all time. I'm glad we finally have a place to discuss this masterpiece.
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I have a couple of albums that I happen to like more, but I think that it may just objectively be the best album ever created, or the Citizen Kane of albums. I know that people like to point to Revolver, Rubber Soul and Sgt. Pepper as The Beatles at the peak of their powers, but those albums all have their share of clunkers. Abbey Road is flawless. Side One has three absolute classics as the book-ends of the side, while Side Two has perhaps Harrison's best song, The Beatles at their most harmonious, and, of course, the medley. That freaking medley. God, I love that album and all of the songs on it. Even the other three songs of Side One. Yes, even "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" and "Octopus's Garden". 
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Member Since: 3/3/2011
Posts: 23,567
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Quote:
Originally posted by Red
Lately, I've been all about "Birthday"...which is funny, because that was never one of my favorites in the past. But falling in love with a song that I didn't really care for previously is commonplace with The Beatles, it seems like. And god, "Happiness Is A Warm Gun"! I've always loved that one, but especially recently. What a great song.
I have a couple of albums that I happen to like more, but I think that it may just objectively be the best album ever created, or the Citizen Kane of albums. I know that people like to point to Revolver, Rubber Soul and Sgt. Pepper as The Beatles at the peak of their powers, but those albums all have their share of clunkers. Abbey Road is flawless. Side One has three absolute classics as the book-ends of the side, while Side Two has perhaps Harrison's best song, The Beatles at their most harmonious, and, of course, the medley. That freaking medley. God, I love that album and all of the songs on it. Even the other three songs of Side One. Yes, even "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" and "Octopus's Garden". |
I think the fact that a good four or five of their albums have been named the greatest album of all time by different sources is a testament to how amazing their discography is. Abbey Road, Sgt. Pepper, The Beatles, Rubber Soul and Revolver are all masterpieces.
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Member Since: 8/15/2010
Posts: 8,808
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Quote:
Originally posted by Red
Lately, I've been all about "Birthday"...which is funny, because that was never one of my favorites in the past. But falling in love with a song that I didn't really care for previously is commonplace with The Beatles, it seems like. And god, "Happiness Is A Warm Gun"! I've always loved that one, but especially recently. What a great song.
I have a couple of albums that I happen to like more, but I think that it may just objectively be the best album ever created, or the Citizen Kane of albums. I know that people like to point to Revolver, Rubber Soul and Sgt. Pepper as The Beatles at the peak of their powers, but those albums all have their share of clunkers. Abbey Road is flawless. Side One has three absolute classics as the book-ends of the side, while Side Two has perhaps Harrison's best song, The Beatles at their most harmonious, and, of course, the medley. That freaking medley. God, I love that album and all of the songs on it. Even the other three songs of Side One. Yes, even "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" and "Octopus's Garden". |
Even? Maxwell's Silver Hammer does such a good job. It's so shrill, the up-tempo light-hearted melodies and those frightful lyrics.
It's brilliant.
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Member Since: 3/3/2011
Posts: 23,567
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A bit random, but I love Helter Skelter. Most people I talk to seem to think Motley Crue's version is the original. Indeed, most probably wouldn't even recognize the original as a track by The Beatles.
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Member Since: 6/15/2010
Posts: 3,226
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Sgt. Pepper and Abbey Road are masterpieces, A Day In The Life is like the most amazing song I've ever heard.
You should add "LOVE" to the compilation albums list tho, the Martin did an awesome job with it
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Member Since: 3/3/2011
Posts: 23,567
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Quote:
Originally posted by crossbonezolo
Sgt. Pepper and Abbey Road are masterpieces, A Day In The Life is like the most amazing song I've ever heard.
You should add "LOVE" to the compilation albums list tho, the Martin did an awesome job with it
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A Day In The Life is such an ambitious song.
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