1967–1970

1967–1970
Compilation album by The Beatles
Released	2 April 1973[1]
Recorded	28 November 1966 – 1 April 1970, EMI, Olympic, Apple and Trident Studios, London
Genre	Rock, psychedelic rock[2]
Length	99:34
Label	Apple
Producer	George Martin and Phil Spector
Compiler	Allen Klein
The Beatles chronology
1962–1966 (1973) 1967–1970 (1973) Rock 'n' Roll Music (1976)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]
Blender	[3]
Rolling Stone	[4]

1967–1970 (widely known as "The Blue Album") is a compilation of songs by the English rock band The Beatles, spanning the years indicated in the title. It was released with 1962–1966 ("The Red Album"), in 1973. 1967–1970 made number 1 on the American Billboard chart and number 2 on the British Album Chart. This album was re-released in September 1993 on compact disc, charting at number 4 in the United Kingdom.

The album was compiled by Beatles manager Allen Klein.^[5] Songs performed by the Beatles as solo artists were also considered for inclusion, but like the cover songs on 1962–1966, limited space resulted in this idea having to be abandoned. Along with its 1962–1966 counterpart, it compiles every single A-side released by the band in the UK.

As with 1962–1966, this compilation was produced by Apple/EMI at least partially in response to a bootleg collection titled Alpha Omega, which had been sold on television the previous year. Print advertising for the two records made a point of declaring them "the only authorized collection of the Beatles."^[6]

Album covers

For the group's 1963 debut LP Please Please Me, photographer Angus McBean took the distinctive colour photograph of the group looking down over the stairwell inside EMI House (EMI's London headquarters in Manchester Square, now demolished).

In 1969, The Beatles asked McBean to recreate this shot. Although a photograph from the 1969 photo shoot was originally intended for the then-planned Get Back album, it was not used when that project saw eventual release in 1970 as Let It Be. Instead, another photograph from the 1969 shoot, along with an unused photograph from the 1963 photo shoot, was used for both this LP and 1962–1966.

The inner gatefold photo for both LPs is by Don McCullin from the "Mad Day Out"^[7] photo session in London on Sunday 28 July 1968.

The album cover was designed by Tom Wilkes.^[8]

International versions

Unlike the 1962–1966 collection, the Blue Album was largely the same in the US and UK, although there were some variations.

The US edition had both "Penny Lane" and "Hello, Goodbye" in fake stereo, and "I Am The Walrus" with a four-beat electric piano introduction; the UK version had the more common six-beat beginning.

In the Spanish edition "One After 909" substituted "The Ballad of John and Yoko", a song that was banned from the airwaves shortly after being released as a single in 1969, for its allusion to "Christ" in the lyrics.

The albums had several other variants and anomalies. "Get Back" was described as the album version in the US liner notes, although it was in fact the single version. In both countries, "Hey Jude" was around nine seconds shorter than it had been on the original single, although the full length was restored for the 1993 compact disc edition.

The original vinyl version faded in during the crowd noise at the beginning of "A Day In The Life". The original compact disc edition, meanwhile, featured a clean version previously heard on the Imagine: John Lennon soundtrack album in 1988.^[9]

The album liner notes state that all songs were produced by George Martin, except "Across the Universe" and "The Long and Winding Road" produced by Phil Spector, meaning that George Martin was credited as producer of the song "Don't Let Me Down" which usually has no official producer's credit.

Release variations

• Original 1973 release: Apple SKBO-3404 (Whole and sliced apples in blue background)
• Second 1976 pressing: Capitol SKBO-3404 (Capitol target label on back of album cover, blue label with "Capitol" in light blue letters at bottom)
• 1978 first blue vinyl release: Capitol SEBX-11843 (Capitol dome label on back of album cover, large dome logo at top of light blue labels)
• 1980 East German release. Amiga 8 55 742. One disc only with 14 tracks mostly from disc one of the original version.
• 1993 CD release. Apple 0777 7 97039 2 0 (Whole and sliced apples in blue background)
• 2010 remastered CD release. Apple 5099990674723 (Whole and sliced apples in blue background)

Track listing

• The single versions of "Get Back" and "Let It Be" make their album debuts in this compilation.
• All tracks written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney except where noted.
• + = Track(s) that were released as non-album single(s) in the UK and appeared on the US version of Magical Mystery Tour (1967).

Disc 1

Side 1
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Strawberry Fields Forever" (+)	4:10
2.	"Penny Lane" (+)	3:03
3.	"Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, 1967)	2:02
4.	"With a Little Help from My Friends" (from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band)	2:44
5.	"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" (from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band)	3:28
6.	"A Day in the Life" (from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band)	5:06
7.	"All You Need Is Love" (+)	3:48

Side 2
No.	Title	Length
1.	"I Am the Walrus" (from Magical Mystery Tour, 1967)	4:37
2.	"Hello, Goodbye" (+)	3:31
3.	"The Fool on the Hill" (from Magical Mystery Tour)	3:00
4.	"Magical Mystery Tour" (from Magical Mystery Tour)	2:51
5.	"Lady Madonna" (Non-album single, 1968)	2:17
6.	"Hey Jude" (Non-album single, 1968)	7:08
7.	"Revolution" (Non-album B-side, 1968)	3:21

Disc 2

Side 1
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Back in the U.S.S.R." (from The Beatles, 1968)	2:45
2.	"While My Guitar Gently Weeps" (George Harrison; from The Beatles)	4:45
3.	"Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" (from The Beatles)	3:05
4.	"Get Back" (Non-album single, 1969)	3:14
5.	"Don't Let Me Down" (Non-album B-side, 1969)	3:33
6.	"The Ballad of John and Yoko" (Non-album single, 1969)	2:59
7.	"Old Brown Shoe" (Harrison; Non-album B-side)	3:18

Side 2
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Here Comes the Sun" (Harrison; from Abbey Road, 1969)	3:05
2.	"Come Together" (from Abbey Road)	4:20
3.	"Something" (Harrison; from Abbey Road)	3:03
4.	"Octopus's Garden" (Richard Starkey; from Abbey Road)	2:51
5.	"Let It Be" (Non-album single, 1970)	3:52
6.	"Across the Universe" (from Let It Be)	3:48
7.	"The Long and Winding Road" (from Let It Be)	3:38

Charts

Weekly charts

Original release Chart (1973) Position Australian Kent Music Report Chart[10] 11 Austrian Albums Chart[11] 1 Canadian RPM Albums Chart[12] 3 Dutch Mega Albums Chart[13] 2 French Albums Chart[14] 1 Italian Albums Chart[15] 6 Japanese Oricon LPs Chart[16] 2 Norwegian VG-lista Albums Chart[17] 2 Spanish Albums Chart[18] 1 UK Albums Chart[19] 2 US Billboard Top LPs & Tape[20] 1 West German Media Control Albums Chart[21] 2

1993 reissue Chart (1993–2008) Position Australian Albums Chart[22] 8 Austrian Albums Chart[11] 3 Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[23] 46 Canadian RPM Albums Chart[24] 11 Dutch Albums Chart[13] 3 Italian Albums Chart[25] 18 Japanese Albums Chart[26] 5 New Zealand Albums Chart[27] 4 Norwegian Albums Chart[17] 8 Swedish Albums Chart[28] 23 Swiss Albums Chart[29] 3 UK Albums Chart[19] 4 US Billboard Top Pop Catalog[30] 1

2010 reissue Chart (2010–) Position Austrian Albums Chart[11] 65 Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[31] 30 Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[23] 56 Danish Albums Chart[32] 23 Dutch Mega Albums Chart[13] 55 German Albums Chart[33] 71 Japanese Albums Chart[26] 3 Spanish Albums Chart[34] 19 Swedish Albums Chart[28] 17 Swiss Albums Chart[29] 47 UK Albums Chart[19] 4 US Billboard 200[20] 29 US Billboard Catalog Albums Chart[35] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (1973)	Position
Austrian Albums Chart[36]	3
Dutch Albums Chart[37]	10
French Albums Chart[38]	1
Italian Albums Chart[15]	25
Japanese Albums Chart[39]	6
US Billboard Pop Albums[40]	24
Chart (1974)	Position
Austrian Albums Chart[41]	4
US Billboard Pop Albums[42]	70
Chart (1993)	Position
Canadian Albums Chart[43]	82
Dutch Albums Chart[44]	54
Italian Albums Chart[25]	106
Japanese Albums Chart[45]	94

Certifications

In the US, the album sold 1,294,896 double LPs by December 31, 1973 and 3,850,026 double LPs by the end of the decade.^[46]

Region	Certification	Certified units/Sales
Argentina (CAPIF)[47]	Platinum	60,000^*
Australia (ARIA)[48]	5× Platinum	350,000^^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[49]	3× Platinum	150,000^*
Canada (Music Canada)[50]	Diamond	1,000,000^^
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[51]	Gold	25,000^^
France (SNEP)[52]	2× Platinum	2,227,600[53]
France (SNEP)[54] 2010 remaster	Gold	50,000^*
Germany (BVMI)[55]	3× Platinum	1,500,000^^
Japan (RIAJ)[56][57]	2× Platinum+Gold	807,000[16]
Norway (IFPI Norway)[58]	Gold	25,000^*
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[59]	2× Platinum	200,000^^
Sweden (GLF)[60]	Platinum	100,000^^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[61]	Platinum	50,000^^
United Kingdom (BPI)[62]	2× Platinum	600,000^^
United States (RIAA)[63]	17× Platinum	8,500,000^^
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

See also

• List of best-selling albums in France
• List of best-selling albums in Germany
• List of best-selling albums in the United States
• List of diamond-certified albums in Canada

References

1. Haber, Dave (21 November 2006). "Beatles LP and CD Discography". The Internet Beatles Album. Archived from the original on 14 May 2011. Retrieved 20 April 2011.
2. Allmusic Review
3. Blender Review
4. Rolling Stone Review
5. Badman, Keith (2002). The Beatles: Off the Record. Omnibus Press. p. 99. ISBN 0-7119-9199-5.
6. "1962–1966 and 1967–1970". Rolling Stone. Straight Arrow Publishers, Inc. (133): 29. 26 April 1973. http://i.imgur.com/ELHn3hv.jpg
7. ""Mad Day Out" website". Archived from the original on 27 March 2010. Retrieved 20 February 2010.
8. His credit appears in the left bottom corner of the paper sleeve (side 4), but only on the US version of the album.
9. http://www.beatlesbible.com/albums/1967-1970-blue-album/
10. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
11. "The Beatles – 1967–1970 - austriancharts.at". Retrieved 3 May 2013.
12. "RPM – Library and Archives Canada – Top Albums/CDs - Volume 19, No. 17". RPM. 9 June 1973. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
13. "dutchcharts.nl The Beatles – 1967–1970" (ASP). Hung Medien, dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
14. "Tous les Albums classés par Artiste > Choisir Un Artiste Dans la Liste". InfoDisc. Archived from the original (PHP) on 7 November 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2013. Note: Find "The BEATLES" on the drop-down menu to see results
15. "Hit Parade Italia – Gli album più venduti del 1973" (in Italian). hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
16. Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
17. "norwegiancharts.com The Beatles – 1967–1970" (ASP). Retrieved 3 May 2013.
18. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
19. "The Beatles > Artists > Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
20. "The Beatles - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
21. "Album Search: The Beatles – 1967–1970" (ASP) (in German). Media Control. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
22. "australian-charts.com The Beatles – 1967–1970" (ASP). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
23. "ultratop.be The Beatles – 1967–1970" (ASP). Hung Medien (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
24. "RPM – Library and Archives Canada – Top Albums/CDs - Volume 58, No. 16". RPM. 30 October 1993. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
25. "Hit Parade Italia – Gli album più venduti del 1993: Altri Albums". hitparadeitalia.it (in Italian). Retrieved 3 June 2011.
26. "ビートルズ、青盤・赤盤で17年ぶり2作同時TOP5入り" [The Beatles' 'Red' and 'Blue' Albums Re-Enter the Top-Five Simultaneously for the First Time in 17 Years]. oricon.co.jp (in Japanese). Oricon Style. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
27. "charts.org.nz The Beatles – 1967–1970". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
28. "swedishcharts.com The Beatles – 1967–1970". Retrieved 3 May 2013.
29. "The Beatles – 1967–1970 – hitparade.ch" (ASP). Retrieved 10 October 2013.
30. "Catalog Albums Chart (23 October 1993)". Retrieved 13 May 2016.
31. "ultratop.be The Beatles – 1967–1970" (ASP). Hung Medien (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
32. "danishcharts.com The Beatles – 1967–1970" (ASP). danishcharts.com. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
33. "musicline.de chartverfolgung". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
34. "The Beatles – 1967–1970" (ASP). spanishcharts.com. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
35. "Catalog Albums Chart (6 November 2010)". Retrieved 13 May 2016.
36. "Austriancharts.at - Jahreshitparade 1973" (in German). Retrieved 2 March 2014.
37. "Dutch charts jaaroverzichten 1973" (ASP) (in Dutch). Retrieved 2 April 2014.
38. "Les Albums (CD) de 1973 par InfoDisc" (PHP) (in French). infodisc.fr. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
39. 年間アルバムヒットチャート 1973年（昭和48年） [Japanese Year-End Albums Chart 1973] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
40. "Billboard.BIZ Top Pop Albums of 1973". billboard.biz. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
41. "Austriancharts.at - Jahreshitparade 1974" (in German). Retrieved 2 March 2014.
42. "Billboard.BIZ Top Pop Albums of 1974". billboard.biz. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
43. "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1993". RPM. 18 December 1993. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
44. "Dutch charts jaaroverzichten 1993" (ASP) (in Dutch). Retrieved 2 April 2014.
45. "1993年 アルバム年間TOP100" [Oricon Year-end Albums Chart of 1993] (in Japanese). Retrieved 2011-01-01.
46. "How Many Records did the Beatles actually sell?". Deconstructing Pop Culture by David Kronemyer. 29 April 2009. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
47. "Discos de oro y platino" (in Spanish). Cámara Argentina de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
48. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2009 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association.
49. "Austrian album certifications – The Beatles – 1967–1970" (in German). IFPI Austria. Enter The Beatles in the field Interpret. Enter 1967–1970 in the field Titel. Select album in the field Format. Click Suchen
50. "Canadian album certifications – The Beatles – 1967–1970". Music Canada.
51. "Danish album certifications – The Beatles – 1967–1970". IFPI Denmark. Click on næste to go to page if certification from official website
52. "French album certifications – The Beatles – 1967–1970" (in French). InfoDisc. Select THE BEATLES and click OK
53. "Les Albums Double Platine :" (in French). Infodisc.fr. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
54. "French album certifications – The Beatles – 1967–1970" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
55. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (The Beatles; 'The Beatles 1967–1970, Blue Album')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
56. "RIAJ > The Record > November 1996 > Highest Certified International Albums/Singles (Mar '89 - Sep '96)" (PDF). Recording Industry Association of Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 2013-08-02.
57. ゴールドディスク認定作品一覧　2010年12月 [Gold/Platinum Certified Awards : December 2010]. Recording Industry Association of Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 2013-08-02.
58. "Norwegian album certifications – The Beatles – The Beatles 1967–1970" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway.
59. "Solo Exitos 1959–2002 Ano A Ano: Certificados 1991–1995". Solo Exitos 1959–2002 Ano A Ano. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
60. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden.
61. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (The Beatles; '1967–70 (Blue Album)')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
62. "British album certifications – Beatles – 1967–1970". British Phonographic Industry. Enter 1967–1970 in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
63. "American album certifications – Beatles, The – The Beatles 1967–1970". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH

External links

• Notes on releases