Yellow Submarine (album)
Encyclopedia
Yellow Submarine is the tenth studio album
by The Beatles
in the United Kingdom
, released on Apple Records
. It was issued as the soundtrack
to the film of the same name
, which premiered in the United Kingdom seven months prior to the album's release.
" had been simultaneously issued in 1966 as a single
and on the album Revolver
, and "All You Need Is Love
" had been issued as a single in 1967. The second side features the symphonic film score
composed by George Martin
, in versions recorded specifically for the album.
"All You Need Is Love" appeared in either mono or rechanneled stereo
, ('fake stereo') on the US LP Magical Mystery Tour. It debuted in a true stereo mix on LP for this album. American cassette and 8-track tape versions featured "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
" as an extra song on side two.
" and "Hey Bulldog
". "Only a Northern Song
" had been recorded during the sessions for Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
, but was set aside from the final running order. "It's All Too Much
," like similar numbers recorded immediately following the Sgt. Pepper sessions, was not intended for a specific project. "Hey Bulldog", recorded on 11 February 1968, evolved from an initial intent to shoot a promotional film for the "Lady Madonna
" single.
"Baby, You're a Rich Man" was also originally intended for the film soundtrack, but was released as the B-side to "All You Need Is Love" instead and was not included in the Yellow Submarine album.
national albums chart in Canada
for two weeks, knocking their own The Beatles
album off as 12-week residency at the top spot. In the US, it reached #2, kept from the top by the same album, which had been released two months before. The Beatles themselves did not consider it a proper studio album, since they had little involvement in the project, and the four previously unreleased tracks on it were taken hodge-podge fashion from various sessions in 1967 and early 1968.
, without the film score but including the then-unreleased "Across the Universe
" as a bonus track. The EP was mastered but never issued. The Beatles had previously released popular songs from their LPs as EPs in the British market.
The songs were later released on Mono Masters in 2009.
Side 2
) in green print just below the album's title. This subtitle had been omitted from the American album cover.
On the back of the cover, the British album contained a review of the "White Album
" written for The Observer
by Tony Palmer
. The review was introduced by a few liner notes by Apple
press officer Derek Taylor
. The American cover contained a fictitious illustrated biography of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, in which the ensemble's battle with the Blue Meanies
was compared to three other epic struggles in the history of the English-speaking world: Beowulf's
struggle to save the Heorot
mead hall
, King John
's signing of the Magna Carta
and Thomas Jefferson's
writing of the Declaration of Independence
.
The two album covers (and record labels) also differ in the fact that the British version recognises seven tracks from the film's score on side two, while the American version only recognises six tracks, treating the songs "Sea of Time" and "Sea of Holes" as a single track, titled "Medley: Sea of Time & Sea of Holes".
One final difference is that the American album was only released in stereo, while the British album was available in both stereo and mono, though the mono version is simply a fold-down of the stereo version and not a true mono mix (a fold down is two stereo channels combined into one channel; see more at The Beatles in Mono
). The mono LP does not include the true mono mix of "Only A Northern Song" and instead includes a fold-down of the fake stereo version that appeared on the stereo LP. A true stereo mix of the song was released in 1999 on the Yellow Submarine Songtrack
and a true mono mix appears on the 2009 remaster of the original album.
release, remastered by George Martin, appeared on 25 August 1987. It is consistent with the British version of the LP. The running order is the same with "Sea of Time" and "Sea of Holes" as separate tracks, the "Nothing Is Real" subtitle remains intact and the review of the White Album with Taylor's introduction is included inside the CD insert.
The album appeared in a totally different version on 13 September 1999, coinciding with the remastered re-release of the film. Called the Yellow Submarine Songtrack
, it dispenses with the George Martin orchestrations, and includes the six Beatles songs from the original album, along with an additional nine songs, all completely remix
ed for this disc.
It was reissued a decade later for a third time, along with the entire catalogue, on 9 September 2009. Done at 24-bit/192 kHz resolution, this duplicated the original album, and included both sets of sleeve notes. "Only A Northern Song" appears in its mono mix in this version, instead of the 'fake stereo' mix on the original. The mono mixes of the four songs that were intended for the unreleased EP (along with "Across the Universe
") were released for the first time on the Mono Masters collection as part of the box set The Beatles in Mono
.
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
by The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, released on Apple Records
Apple Records
Apple Records is a record label founded by The Beatles in 1968, as a division of Apple Corps Ltd. It was initially intended as a creative outlet for the Beatles, both as a group and individually, plus a selection of other artists including Mary Hopkin, James Taylor, Badfinger, and Billy Preston...
. It was issued as the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
to the film of the same name
Yellow Submarine (film)
Yellow Submarine is a 1968 animated musical fantasy film based on the music of The Beatles. It is also the title for the film's soundtrack album, released as part of The Beatles' music catalogue. The film was directed by animation producer George Dunning, and produced by United Artists and King...
, which premiered in the United Kingdom seven months prior to the album's release.
Content
Only one side of the album contains songs performed by The Beatles; of the six, four were previously unissued. "Yellow SubmarineYellow Submarine (song)
"Yellow Submarine" is a 1966 song by The Beatles, written by Paul McCartney , with lead vocals by Ringo Starr. It was included on the Revolver album and issued as a single, coupled with "Eleanor Rigby". The single went to number 1 on every major British chart, remained at number 1 for four weeks...
" had been simultaneously issued in 1966 as a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
and on the album Revolver
Revolver (album)
Revolver is the seventh studio album by the English rock group The Beatles, released on 5 August 1966 on the Parlophone label and produced by George Martin. Many of the tracks on Revolver are marked by an electric guitar-rock sound, in contrast with their previous LP, the folk rock inspired Rubber...
, and "All You Need Is Love
All You Need Is Love
"All You Need Is Love" is a song written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was first performed by The Beatles on Our World, the first live global television link. Watched by 400 million in 26 countries, the programme was broadcast via satellite on 25 June 1967...
" had been issued as a single in 1967. The second side features the symphonic film score
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
composed by George Martin
George Martin
Sir George Henry Martin CBE is an English record producer, arranger, composer and musician. He is sometimes referred to as "the Fifth Beatle"— a title that he often describes as "nonsense," but the fact remains that he served as producer on all but one of The Beatles' original albums...
, in versions recorded specifically for the album.
"All You Need Is Love" appeared in either mono or rechanneled stereo
Duophonic
*In synthesizers, capable of sounding two voices, or notes, at a time. Compare: monophonic, polyphonic.*Duophonic is also a term used to refer to a sound process by which a monaural recording is turned into a kind of "fake stereo" by splitting the signal into two channels, delaying the left and the...
, ('fake stereo') on the US LP Magical Mystery Tour. It debuted in a true stereo mix on LP for this album. American cassette and 8-track tape versions featured "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" is a song written primarily by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney, for The Beatles' 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band...
" as an extra song on side two.
History
Only four new Beatles songs appeared on the album, and two were recorded specifically for the film, "All Together NowAll Together Now
"All Together Now" is a song by The Beatles from their album Yellow SubmarineAll Together Now may also refer to:*All Together Now , a film following the creation of The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil...
" and "Hey Bulldog
Hey Bulldog
"Hey Bulldog" is a song by The Beatles which first appeared on the Yellow Submarine soundtrack album in 1969. Primarily by John Lennon , and finished in the studio by Lennon and McCartney, the song was recorded during the filming of the "Lady Madonna" promotional video, and like "Lady Madonna" is...
". "Only a Northern Song
Only A Northern Song
"Only a Northern Song" is a song written by George Harrison and performed by The Beatles. The song was recorded in 1967 during the sessions for Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band but was omitted from that album...
" had been recorded during the sessions for Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is the eighth studio album by the English rock band The Beatles, released on 1 June 1967 on the Parlophone label and produced by George Martin...
, but was set aside from the final running order. "It's All Too Much
It's All Too Much
"It's All Too Much" is a song by The Beatles which first appeared on the 1969 Yellow Submarine film soundtrack album. It was written and sung by George Harrison. It was originally recorded in 1967, shortly before the release of Sgt...
," like similar numbers recorded immediately following the Sgt. Pepper sessions, was not intended for a specific project. "Hey Bulldog", recorded on 11 February 1968, evolved from an initial intent to shoot a promotional film for the "Lady Madonna
Lady Madonna
"Lady Madonna" is a song by The Beatles, primarily written by Paul McCartney . In March 1968, it was released as a single, backed with "The Inner Light." The song was recorded on 3 and 6 February 1968 before the Beatles left for India...
" single.
"Baby, You're a Rich Man" was also originally intended for the film soundtrack, but was released as the B-side to "All You Need Is Love" instead and was not included in the Yellow Submarine album.
Reception
In contrast to how the film was received, Yellow Submarine is usually considered The Beatles' weakest release. It was one of the few Beatles releases not to top the charts in either the United Kingdom or the United States, although it made #1 on the RPMRPM (magazine)
RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,...
national albums chart in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
for two weeks, knocking their own The Beatles
The Beatles (album)
The Beatles is the ninth official album by the English rock group The Beatles, a double album released in 1968. It is also commonly known as "The White Album" as it has no graphics or text other than the band's name embossed on its plain white sleeve.The album was written and recorded during a...
album off as 12-week residency at the top spot. In the US, it reached #2, kept from the top by the same album, which had been released two months before. The Beatles themselves did not consider it a proper studio album, since they had little involvement in the project, and the four previously unreleased tracks on it were taken hodge-podge fashion from various sessions in 1967 and early 1968.
Yellow Submarine EP
After mixed response to the album upon its release, The Beatles considered releasing Yellow Submarine as a five-track mono EPExtended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, without the film score but including the then-unreleased "Across the Universe
Across the Universe
"Across the Universe" is a song by the English group The Beatles. It was written by John Lennon, and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The song first appeared on the various artists charity compilation album No One's Gonna Change Our World in December 1969, and later, in different form, on Let It Be,...
" as a bonus track. The EP was mastered but never issued. The Beatles had previously released popular songs from their LPs as EPs in the British market.
The songs were later released on Mono Masters in 2009.
1969 acetate
Side 1- "Only a Northern Song"
- "Hey Bulldog"
- "Across the Universe"
Side 2
- "All Together Now"
- "It's All Too Much"
UK and US version differences
Although the essential artwork on the album covers issued in the United States and the United Kingdom are similar, there are a few subtle differences on the sleeves. The front of the British jacket contains the words "NOTHING IS REAL" (taken from Strawberry Fields ForeverStrawberry Fields Forever
"Strawberry Fields Forever" is a song by The Beatles, written by John Lennon and attributed to the Lennon–McCartney songwriting partnership. It was inspired by Lennon's memories of playing in the garden of a Salvation Army house named "Strawberry Field" near his childhood home."Strawberry Fields...
) in green print just below the album's title. This subtitle had been omitted from the American album cover.
On the back of the cover, the British album contained a review of the "White Album
The Beatles (album)
The Beatles is the ninth official album by the English rock group The Beatles, a double album released in 1968. It is also commonly known as "The White Album" as it has no graphics or text other than the band's name embossed on its plain white sleeve.The album was written and recorded during a...
" written for The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
by Tony Palmer
Tony Palmer
Tony Palmer is an American football guard in the National Football League who is currently a free agent. The former University of Missouri guard who was selected by the St. Louis Rams. He was signed by the Green Bay Packers after being cut in the 2006 preseason by St. Louis...
. The review was introduced by a few liner notes by Apple
Apple Corps
Apple Corps Ltd. is a multi-armed multimedia corporation founded in January 1968 by the members of The Beatles to replace their earlier company and to form a conglomerate. Its name is a pun. Its chief division is Apple Records, which was launched in the same year...
press officer Derek Taylor
Derek Taylor
Derek Taylor was an English journalist, writer and publicist, best known for his work as press officer for The Beatles...
. The American cover contained a fictitious illustrated biography of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, in which the ensemble's battle with the Blue Meanies
Blue Meanies (Yellow Submarine)
The Blue Meanies are a fictional army of fierce, if buffoonish, music-hating creatures in the surreal 1968 Beatles film Yellow Submarine. They allegorically represent all the bad people in the world....
was compared to three other epic struggles in the history of the English-speaking world: Beowulf's
Beowulf
Beowulf , but modern scholars agree in naming it after the hero whose life is its subject." of an Old English heroic epic poem consisting of 3182 alliterative long lines, set in Scandinavia, commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature.It survives in a single...
struggle to save the Heorot
Heorot
Heorot is a mead hall described in the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf as "the foremost of halls under heaven." It served as a palace for King Hroðgar, a legendary Danish king of the sixth century. Heorot means "Hall of the Hart"...
mead hall
Mead hall
In ancient Scandinavia and Germanic Europe a mead hall or feasting hall was initially simply a large building with a single room. From the fifth century to early medieval times such a building was the residence of a lord and his retainers. The mead hall was generally the great hall of the king...
, King John
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
's signing of the Magna Carta
Magna Carta
Magna Carta is an English charter, originally issued in the year 1215 and reissued later in the 13th century in modified versions, which included the most direct challenges to the monarch's authority to date. The charter first passed into law in 1225...
and Thomas Jefferson's
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
writing of the Declaration of Independence
Declaration of independence
A declaration of independence is an assertion of the independence of an aspiring state or states. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another nation or failed nation, or are breakaway territories from within the larger state...
.
The two album covers (and record labels) also differ in the fact that the British version recognises seven tracks from the film's score on side two, while the American version only recognises six tracks, treating the songs "Sea of Time" and "Sea of Holes" as a single track, titled "Medley: Sea of Time & Sea of Holes".
One final difference is that the American album was only released in stereo, while the British album was available in both stereo and mono, though the mono version is simply a fold-down of the stereo version and not a true mono mix (a fold down is two stereo channels combined into one channel; see more at The Beatles in Mono
The Beatles in Mono
The Beatles in Mono is a box set compilation comprising the remastered monophonic recordings by The Beatles. The set was released on 9 September 2009, the same day the remastered stereo recordings and companion The Beatles Stereo Box Set were also released, along with The Beatles: Rock Band videogame...
). The mono LP does not include the true mono mix of "Only A Northern Song" and instead includes a fold-down of the fake stereo version that appeared on the stereo LP. A true stereo mix of the song was released in 1999 on the Yellow Submarine Songtrack
Yellow Submarine Songtrack
Yellow Submarine Songtrack is a compilation /soundtrack album by The Beatles for the 1999 re-release of the 1968 film Yellow Submarine...
and a true mono mix appears on the 2009 remaster of the original album.
Re-issues for compact disc
The first compact discCompact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
release, remastered by George Martin, appeared on 25 August 1987. It is consistent with the British version of the LP. The running order is the same with "Sea of Time" and "Sea of Holes" as separate tracks, the "Nothing Is Real" subtitle remains intact and the review of the White Album with Taylor's introduction is included inside the CD insert.
The album appeared in a totally different version on 13 September 1999, coinciding with the remastered re-release of the film. Called the Yellow Submarine Songtrack
Yellow Submarine Songtrack
Yellow Submarine Songtrack is a compilation /soundtrack album by The Beatles for the 1999 re-release of the 1968 film Yellow Submarine...
, it dispenses with the George Martin orchestrations, and includes the six Beatles songs from the original album, along with an additional nine songs, all completely remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
ed for this disc.
It was reissued a decade later for a third time, along with the entire catalogue, on 9 September 2009. Done at 24-bit/192 kHz resolution, this duplicated the original album, and included both sets of sleeve notes. "Only A Northern Song" appears in its mono mix in this version, instead of the 'fake stereo' mix on the original. The mono mixes of the four songs that were intended for the unreleased EP (along with "Across the Universe
Across the Universe
"Across the Universe" is a song by the English group The Beatles. It was written by John Lennon, and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The song first appeared on the various artists charity compilation album No One's Gonna Change Our World in December 1969, and later, in different form, on Let It Be,...
") were released for the first time on the Mono Masters collection as part of the box set The Beatles in Mono
The Beatles in Mono
The Beatles in Mono is a box set compilation comprising the remastered monophonic recordings by The Beatles. The set was released on 9 September 2009, the same day the remastered stereo recordings and companion The Beatles Stereo Box Set were also released, along with The Beatles: Rock Band videogame...
.