Album · Compilation
1962–1966
1962–1966, often called the Red Album, is a double-LP Beatles compilation that gathers their output from Please Please Me through to Revolver, including a number of singles released along the way. It came out on 2 April 1973 on Apple Records, alongside its companion, 1967–1970, the Blue Album. Both were put together in response to Alpha Omega, a bootleg set that had been sold on television the year before, and the adverts billed them as the only authorised Beatles collection.
It is a tightly drawn selection: every track is a Lennon–McCartney original, so the covers and George Harrison's songs, such as "Taxman", are left out. The set reached number 3 in the UK and the US Billboard chart, and topped the Cash Box albums chart. It returned on CD in September 1993, again reaching number 3 in the UK, and an expanded edition with remixes and extra tracks followed in 2023.
1962–1966: tracklist, credits and charts
26 tracks · 1:00:48Tracklist
- Disc 1
- 1Love Me DoJohn Lennon and Paul McCartney2:18
- 2Please Please MeJohn Lennon and Paul McCartney1:57
- 3From Me to YouJohn Lennon and Paul McCartney1:52
- 4She Loves YouJohn Lennon and Paul McCartney2:17
- 5I Want to Hold Your HandJohn Lennon and Paul McCartney2:22
- 6All My LovingJohn Lennon and Paul McCartney2:03
- 7Can’t Buy Me LoveJohn Lennon and Paul McCartney2:08
- 8A Hard Day’s NightJohn Lennon and Paul McCartney2:29
- 9And I Love HerJohn Lennon and Paul McCartney2:25
- 10Eight Days a WeekJohn Lennon and Paul McCartney2:39
- 11I Feel FineJohn Lennon and Paul McCartney2:17
- 12Ticket to RideJohn Lennon and Paul McCartney3:04
- 13YesterdayJohn Lennon and Paul McCartney2:02
- Disc 2
- 1Help!John Lennon and Paul McCartney2:15
- 2You’ve Got to Hide Your Love AwayJohn Lennon and Paul McCartney2:06
- 3We Can Work It OutJohn Lennon and Paul McCartney2:12
- 4Day TripperJohn Lennon and Paul McCartney2:49
- 5Drive My CarJohn Lennon and Paul McCartney2:25
- 6Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)John Lennon and Paul McCartney2:02
- 7Nowhere ManJohn Lennon and Paul McCartney2:40
- 8MichelleJohn Lennon and Paul McCartney2:40
- 9In My LifeJohn Lennon and Paul McCartney2:22
- 10GirlJohn Lennon and Paul McCartney2:27
- 11Paperback WriterJohn Lennon and Paul McCartney2:16
- 12Eleanor RigbyJohn Lennon and Paul McCartney2:04
- 13Yellow SubmarineJohn Lennon and Paul McCartney2:37
- Produced by
- Ron Richards, George Martin
- Recorded at
- Abbey Road Studios: Studio 2, Studios Pathé-Marconi EMI, Abbey Road Studios: Studio 3, EMI, London, Pathé Marconi, Paris, Abbey Road Studios
- Recorded
- 11 September 1962 – 21 June 1966
- Mixed by
- Peter Bown
- Mixed at
- Abbey Road Studios: Studio 2, Abbey Road Studios: Studio 1, Abbey Road Studios: Studio 3, Abbey Road Studios, Abbey Road Studios: Room 65
- Engineered by
- Norman Smith, Geoff Emerick, Ken Scott, Mike Stone, Malcolm Davies, Phil McDonald, Graham Kirkby, Ron Pender, Jerry Boys, Richard Lush
- Labels
- Apple Records, Apple
- Length
- 1:00:48
Line-up
- George Harrison · acoustic guitar, electric guitar, background vocals, handclaps, 12 string guitar, tambourine
- John Lennon · harmonica, acoustic guitar, background vocals, vocals, electric guitar, lead vocals, handclaps, 12 string guitar, harmonium, tambourine, spoken vocals
- Paul McCartney · electric bass guitar, lead vocals, background vocals, handclaps, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, maracas, piano, slide guitar, bass guitar, spoken vocals
- Ringo Starr · tambourine, drums (drum set), handclaps, cymbal, bongos, cowbell, claves, lead vocals, spoken vocals
- Andy White · drums (drum set) · guest
- Norman Smith · hi-hat · guest
- George Martin · upright piano, piano, background vocals · guest
- Kenneth Essex · viola · guest
- Francisco Gabarro · cello · guest
- Tony Gilbert · violin · guest
- Sidney Sax · violin · guest
- John Scott · alto flute, flûte d'amour · guest
- Jurgen Hess · violin · guest
- Norman Jones · cello · guest
- John Sharpe · violin · guest
- Stephen Shingles · viola · guest
- Derek Simpson · cello · guest
- John Underwood · viola · guest
- Mal Evans · bass drum, background vocals · guest
- Brian Jones · ocarina, background vocals · guest
- Neil Aspinall · background vocals · guest
- Alf Bicknell · background vocals · guest
- Pattie Boyd · background vocals · guest
- Terry Condon · background vocals · guest
- Geoff Emerick · background vocals · guest
- Marianne Faithfull · background vocals · guest
- John Skinner · background vocals · guest
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1973 | 3 |
| US Billboard 200 · Wallonia | 32 |
| Austrian Albums Chart · 1973 | 1 |
| French IFOP Albums Chart · 1973 | 1 |
| Japanese Oricon LPs Chart · 1973 | 1 |
| Norwegian VG-lista Albums Chart · 1973 | 1 |
| Spanish Albums Chart · 1973 | 1 |
| Dutch Mega Albums Chart · 1973 | 2 |
| Finnish Official Albums Chart · 1973 | 2 |
| West German Media Control Albums Chart · 1973 | 2 |
All 39 charts
| Japanese Albums Chart · 1993–2008 | 3 |
| US Billboard Top LPs & Tape · 1973 | 3 |
| Canadian RPM Albums Chart · 1973 | 4 |
| Dutch Albums Chart · 1993–2008 | 4 |
| Swiss Albums Chart · 1993–2008 | 4 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart · 1993–2008 | 5 |
| Austrian Albums · 2021–2023 | 6 |
| German Albums · 2021–2023 | 7 |
| Greek Albums (Billboard) · 2021–2023 | 7 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) · 2021–2023 | 7 |
| Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan) · 2021–2023 | 7 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart · 1993–2008 | 7 |
| Japanese Combined Albums (Oricon) · 2021–2023 | 8 |
| Australian Albums Chart · 1993–2008 | 9 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 2021–2023 | 15 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) · 2021–2023 | 15 |
| Poland 2 · 2021–2023 | 17 |
| Australian Kent Music Report Chart · 1973 | 18 |
| Italian M&D Albums Chart · 1973 | 21 |
| Swedish Albums Chart · 1993–2008 | 22 |
| Italian Albums (FIMI) · 2021–2023 | 23 |
| Spanish Albums · 2021–2023 | 23 |
| Danish Albums Chart · 1993–2008 | 26 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) · 2021–2023 | 29 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard) · 2021–2023 | 31 |
| Hungarian Physical Albums (MAHASZ) · 2021–2023 | 31 |
| Portuguese Albums · 2021–2023 | 37 |
| Irish Albums Chart · Wallonia | 45 |
| German Albums Chart · Wallonia | 91 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Argentina | Platinum |
| Australia · 2009 | 5× Platinum |
| Austria · 1994 | 3× Platinum |
| Canada | Diamond |
| Denmark · 2026 | 3× Platinum |
| France · 1980 | Platinum |
| France · 1993 | Platinum |
| France · 2010 | Gold |
| Germany · 1994 | 4× Platinum |
| Italy · 2020 | Gold |
| Japan | 2× Platinum+Gold |
| New Zealand | 4× Platinum |
| Spain · 1993 | 2× Platinum |
| Sweden · 1993 | Platinum |
| Switzerland | Platinum |
| United Kingdom · 1993 | 2× Platinum |
| United Kingdom · 2023 | 3× Platinum |
| United States | 15× Platinum |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
60.5
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
52
ListenBrainz listeners
114k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
—
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Also released on 2 April
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Please Please Me
1963
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1963
Twist and Shout
1963
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1963
No. 1
1963
With The Beatles
1963
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1964
Meet The Beatles!
1964
Twist and Shout
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The Beatles With Tony Sheridan and Guests
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1964
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1964
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1964
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1964
Long Tall Sally
1964
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1964
Something New
1964
More Requests
1964
Ain’t She Sweet
1964
Extracts From the Film ‘A Hard Day’s Night’
1964
Extracts From the Album ‘A Hard Day’s Night’
1964
Beatles for Sale
1964
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1964
In Italy
1965
4-By the Beatles
1965
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1965
Beatles for Sale
1965
Beatles for Sale, No. 2
1965
Beatles VI
1965
Help!
1965
Rubber Soul
1965
The Beatles’ Million Sellers
1965
Yesterday
1966
Greatest Hits, Volume 1
1966
Yesterday and Today
1966
Nowhere Man
1966
Revolver
1966
A Collection of Beatles Oldies
1966
Strawberry Fields Forever
1967
Norwegian Wood
1967
Magical Mystery Tour
1967
Yellow Submarine
1969
Hey Jude
1970
In the Beginning
1970
Let It Be
1970
1967–1970
1973
Rock ’n’ Roll Music
1976
The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl
1977
1962 Live at Star Club in Hamburg
1977
Love Songs
1977
The Beatles Collection
1978
Rarities
1980
The Beatles Ballads
1980
From Liverpool – The Beatles Box
1980
E.P. Collection
1981
Reel Music
1982
20 Greatest Hits
1982
23: The Number Ones
1983
The Early Tapes of The Beatles
1984
Past Masters · Volumes One & Two
1988
Live at the BBC
1994
Anthology 1
1995
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1996
Anthology 3
1996
Yellow Submarine Songtrack
1999
1
2000
Let It Be… Naked
2003
The Beatles The Capitol Albums, Vol. 1 2004
The Capitol Albums, Vol. 1
2004
The Capitol Albums, Vol. 2
2006
Love
2006
The Beatles
2009
Mono Masters
2009
The Beatles in Mono
2009
Tomorrow Never Knows
2012
On Air – Live at the BBC, Volume 2
2013
The Beatles Bootleg Recordings 1963
2013
The U.S. Albums
2014
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
2017
The Beatles
2018
Abbey Road
2019
Get Back: The Rooftop Performance
2022
Anthology 4
2025
Anthology Collection
2025
The best of 1973
All of 1973 →
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The Million Sellers
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The Rolling Stones Extended Play
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The Rolling Stones · 1973
Mythology of Stones
The Rolling Stones · 1973
The Rolling Stones Vol. 2 1973
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The Rolling Stones · 1973
Stones Storms in America
The Rolling Stones · 1973
Super Session
The Rolling Stones · 1973
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Let It Be… Naked
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Live at the BBC
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1967–1970
The Beatles · 1973
Hey Jude
The Beatles · 1970
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz + wikidata
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 2 April 1973 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 2 April 1973 | |
| Wikidata | 2 April 1973 | |
| US release | 2 April 1973 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 19 April 1973 | earliest UK or European date |
30 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | XE | — | other | |
| — | ZA | EMI | 6002140718023 | other |
| 1973 | DE | Apple Records | other | |
| 2 April 1973 | CA | Apple Records | original | |
| 2 April 1973 | US | Apple Records | original | |
| 19 April 1973 | GB | Apple Records | other | |
| 1978 | US | Capitol Records | other | |
| 1978 | FR | Pathé Marconi EMI | other | |
| 1993 | KR | EMI/Kemongsa | 724379703620 | other |
| 1993 | AU | Apple Records | 077779703623 | other |
| 1993 | XE | Apple Records | 077779703623 | other |
| 1993 | GB | Apple Records | 077779703623 | other |
| 5 October 1993 | US | Apple Records | 077779703623 | other |
| 1994 | CA | Apple Records | 077779703623 | other |
| 2007 | CA | Apple Records | 077779703623 | other |
| 18 October 2010 | GB | Apple Records | 5099990675225 | remaster |
| 18 October 2010 | JP | Apple Records | 4988006882898 | other |
| 19 October 2010 | US | Apple Records | 5099990675225 | remaster |
| 16 November 2010 | US | EMI | 5099900701853 | other |
| 2014 | XE | Apple Records | 602547048455 | other |
| 2014 | JP | Apple Records | 4988005867636 | other |
| 24 December 2015 | XW | EMI Catalogue | 00602547670243 | remaster |
| 2019 | XW | UMC | 00602567725527 | other |
| 9 November 2023 | — | Universal Music Group | other | |
| 10 November 2023 | XW | Apple Records | 602455920768 | other |
| 10 November 2023 | — | Universal Music Recordings | 00602458681987 | other |
| 10 November 2023 | XW | Apple Records | other | |
| 10 November 2023 | — | Universal Music Recordings | 00602458681956 | other |
| 10 November 2023 | XW | Apple Records | 602455920539 | other |
| 10 November 2023 | XW | UMC | 00602458681949 | other |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · upscaled: major: best source 1200x1181, upscaled to 1500 (x1.27)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 1200×1181 | upscaled: major: best source 1200x1181, upscaled to 1500 (x1.27) |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |