When was Meet the Beatles! released in the United States?
Meet the Beatles! was released on the 20th of January 1964 by Capitol Records, becoming the Beatles' first American album on that label. It was issued in both mono and stereo formats.
Questions about Meet the Beatles!
Short answers, pulled from the story.
How long did Meet the Beatles! stay at number one on the US album chart?
Meet the Beatles! topped the US album chart on the 15th of February 1964 and remained at number one for eleven consecutive weeks. It was eventually replaced by The Beatles' Second Album.
Why did Capitol Records drop the cover songs from Meet the Beatles?
Capitol executives decided to exclude the five cover versions that appeared on the UK album With the Beatles because they worried the covers would put American audiences off the band. Those tracks, including "Roll Over Beethoven" and "Money (That's What I Want)", were instead held for The Beatles' Second Album, released in April 1964.
How many copies did Meet the Beatles! sell?
Meet the Beatles! sold 4,045,174 copies by the 31st of December 1964 and 4,699,348 copies by the end of the decade. The RIAA certified it 5x Platinum on the 26th of December 1991.
What was the critical reception of Meet the Beatles! when it was first released?
Initial American reviews were largely negative. William F. Buckley of the Boston Globe called the band's music "god-awful", and a Newsweek article from the 24th of February 1964 described the Beatles as "a nightmare" visually and "a near disaster" musically. Retrospective assessments reversed that verdict; the album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001.
Who designed the cover of Meet the Beatles?
The cover used a portrait by photographer Robert Freeman, originally shot for the UK album With the Beatles. For the American release, a blue tint was added to Freeman's black-and-white photograph.