The Beatles
timelines of their recordings and career

Beatles timelines

This is an outline of The Beatles’ writing and recording career, relating studio sessions, original UK releases and other events.

There are 2 main lists on this page:

1. An overall chronology of major releases and events
2. A complete sequential list of recording sessions and songs

This isn’t a complete discography or an exhaustive account of every repackaged and rereleased track. I don’t cover every out-take and post-Beatles recording on this page.

These Beatles records and films were produced in less than 8 years, alongside:

• 4 years relentless touring around the world up to 1966;
• regular television and radio work, recordings and appearances;
• Lennon/McCartney songs written for other artists;
• solo instrumental compositions by Paul;
• George’s solo electronic compositions;
• Ringo’s solo records and acting work;
• John’s books and drawings, and records and films with Yoko.

It’s an impressive legacy, and that’s only the highlights. Here are the main titles in the order they were originally recorded and released.

Recordings, releases and key events in order

Few Beatles singles were album tracks and you can’t easily tell if they were also on EPs or LPs. All the tracks are now available on various CDs, but not in the order they were originally made and issued. This table shows the albums and singles in chronological order, with recording and UK release dates (EPs that duplicated other releases are omitted). It also shows which singles were on albums and some key events for context. There are additional footnotes about certain tracks and events.

Recording and chronology notes

The table layout

This is how the table is arranged.

• Records are organised by the start of recording.
• Album start dates ignore tracks previously issued as singles.
• Release dates are the UK releases.
• Single A and B sides are shown in that order.
• Compilations (EPs and LPs) are not listed (except 2., 4. and 5. below).
• Events are placed chronologically between releases.
• Bold initials show songs that are also on albums.

The tracks and releases

Some additional notes about the releases and tracks:

1. Love Me Do was recorded with three different drummers.
   • Pete Best at the EMI audition on 6.6.62 (the version on Anthology 1)
   • Ringo at the first EMI session on 4.9.62 (the version on Past Masters Volume One)
   • Andy White a week later on 11.9.62 (the version on Please Please Me and 1 with Ringo on tambourine)
2. I Call Your Name: there were 12 single-disc EPs (see below) but only the Long Tall Sally EP had a Beatles song not on other singles or albums.
3. A compilation A Collection of Beatles Oldies was released 9.12.66 with only one new track (Bad Boy) not a Beatles composition.
4. * these single tracks were added to the later Yellow Submarine Songtrack album (13.8.99).
5. ** these single tracks were added to the later Magical Mystery Tour album (19.11.76).
6. Magical Mystery Tour was originally a double EP rather than an album (also their last EP).
7. Let It Be: Across The Universe was started on 4.2.68—22.1.69 is the first day of the main recording.
8. Abbey Road: various tracks were rehearsed during the Let It Be sessions at Twickenham but all were re-recorded for the Abbey Road album.
9. Let It Be was the only album released in two versions (Phil Spector in 1970 and Let It Be…Naked in 2003).
10. The single versions of Revolution, Get Back and Let It Be are different to the album versions.

Pete Best

Various band members came and went before the final John, Paul, George and Ringo line-up. After Stu Sutcliffe, Pete Best is the most well-known. His two year stint began when they renamed themselves simply “The Beatles” and he was crucial for their live Hamburg and UK work. It is tragic that he was replaced on the eve of their breakthrough. There are conspiracy theories but it seems fairly straightforward, especially since the Pete Best version of Love Me Do was released on Anthology 1.

Brian Epstein and George Martin agree it was George Martin’s decision to replace Pete after the EMI recording test in June 1962. Pete’s rhythmic variations on Love Me Do are weaker than Ringo’s interpretation (copied by session drummer Andy White for the original release). George Martin wanted the debut single to be tight. A mono mix was made from one of Ringo’s 15 takes but a week later Andy White played on a further 18 takes before Martin was satisfied. It seems unlikely Pete could have drummed on the single George Martin wanted. He had to go.

In simple terms, the band previously rejected by EMI and Decca was also rejected by George Martin.

Bigger Than Jesus

The generally accepted version of the “Bigger Than Jesus” story is that Americans, particularly in the Deep South, were outraged by John’s supposedly blasphemous remark. The offending quote was first published in a Maureen Cleave series for the Evening Standard on 4 March 1966. Apparently it went unnoticed in the USA until it was picked up by Datebook (a teenage pop magazine) for their issue published on 29 July, presumably to cash in on The Beatles’ American tour in August. What interests me is that Paul’s quote, which appears before John’s on the cover, seems more inflammatory but it is hardly ever mentioned.

Of course, The Beatles knew black American musicians well and were inspired by their music, and they knew how they had been treated. Also, The Beatles insisted on playing to unsegregated audiences, so they were well aware of the situation in the South. It seems likely to me that it was Paul’s comment and The Beatles’ position on segregation that caused more anger in Alabama and Texas but John’s comment was more convenient as an excuse. A blatantly racist anti-Beatles campaign would not go down well in New York or California where contrived Christian indignation might. If so, it worked and The Beatles never played there again.

Songs in recording session order

Polydor Germany recordings

The Beatles’ first recording contract was backing Tony Sheridan as The Beat Brothers. Sheridan was signed separately to Bert Kaempfert’s production company in Germany. This was a one year deal for 4 tracks to be released on Polydor. Two of these tracks (Cry For A Shadow and Ain’t She Sweet) featured The Beatles. The My Bonnie single was released in October 1961 and featured two of the 9 tracks recorded. The other tracks weren’t used immediately.

Decca audition recordings

These are the songs chosen by Brian Epstein and recorded at The Beatles’ unsuccessful Decca audition (1 January 1962) in the order they were played. It was this recording (rejected by Decca) that eventually led to their recording deal with EMI. On 8 February 1962 Brian took his Decca audition tape to HMV (EMI) in Oxford Street to have some 78 rpm acetates made (to demo the band in future meetings). Jim Foy, engineer at HMV, recommended the McCartney/Lennon compositions to Syd Coleman head of Ardmore and Beechwood, EMI’s music publisher at the time. Coleman’s office was upstairs at HMV. After meeting Epstein (8 May 1962) and hearing the acetate Syd Coleman recommended the band to George Martin for Parlophone. Epstein and Martin met the next day at Abbey Road and the audition was arranged for 6 June 1962.

EMI Parlophone recordings

This is a complete list of all The Beatles’ EMI songs showing how they were originally released in the UK, and the order they were recorded. They are sub-divided broadly into album sessions and The Beatles compositions are numbered (these numbers are the same as the sections in Revolution In The Head). Note that, contrary to popular myth, the Please Please Me album wasn’t recorded in a single day. However, most of the album was recorded on 11 February 1963 in two remarkable sessions.

Only two of their 13 EPs (Long Tall Sally and Magical Mystery Tour) are included in this list because all the others were re-releases of earlier tracks. No post-Beatles recordings are included on this page.

In addition to these original UK releases there are:

• many repackaged USA releases;
• European Polydor releases in the 1960s;
• EMI re-releases in the 1970s;
• Beatles Red, 1962–66 and Blue, 1967–70 compilations;
• Past Masters Volume 1 (Black, 1962–65) and Volume 2 (White, 1966–70) compilations;
• 1 compilation of Beatles’ number one hits;
• Anthology albums and singles in the 1990s;
• Let It Be… Naked (an official de-Spectorised release of Let It Be).
• 2009 The Beatles stereo remasters:
  • A full basic catalogue re-issue available as a box-set and individual albums;
  • The Help! and Rubber Soul remasters are the 1987 George Martin remasters for CD;
  • Magical Mystery Tour is the album version with added singles from the period;
  • Yellow Submarine is the original version with George Martin’s film soundtrack;
  • Each studio album includes a video documentary and the box includes a DVD.
• 2009 The Beatles in Mono remasters:
  • A re-issue of the basic mono catalogue available as a box-set only;
  • The Help! and Rubber Soul remasters include both the complete 1965 mono and stereo mixes;
  • The studio albums exclude Let It Be and Abbey Road (The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine tracks are included in the singles collection);
  • The singles collection (Mono Masters) excludes The Ballad Of John And Yoko, Old Brown Shoe and Let It Be.

There is a good discography in About The Beatles. These releases contain mostly the same tracks but singles from the Red, Blue and Past Masters compilations are useful for completing a CD collection, the live BBC double album is excellent and the Anthology is essential for enthusiasts.

These lists were assembled from The Beatles Diary Volume One, Revolution In The Head and The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions (recommended books).

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