The Beatles' Hits
EP by The Beatles • 6 September 1963 • Parlophone GEP 8880
Beatlemania (1962–1964) — Mod sharpness — sharp suits, sharper hooks.
About this release
The Beatles' Hits is a UK extended play on Parlophone (catalogue GEP 8880), released 6 September 1963. Compiles their first four single sides.
The recording context is the band's Beatlemania (1962–1964) period, produced by George Martin with Norman Smith engineering. The track(s) were committed at EMI Studios, Abbey Road on Twin-track BTR-2 (1962); Studer J37 four-track from late-1963 via the REDD.37 / REDD.51 valve consoles.
The swap took place at the time of the EP release The Beatles' Hits, which included the version with— Mark Lewisohn, The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions, p.22
What's distinctive
4 tracks; average length 2:04. Lennon dominates the lead vocals (4/4). Lead writing credit: Lennon–McCartney (4 of 4). 1 marquee song(s) on this release have hand-crafted extended essays.Tracklist
Side A
Side B
Pattern analysis
Lennon 4
Era technical context
| Microphones | Neumann U47, U48; AKG D19 (drums); STC 4038 (overheads) |
|---|---|
| Outboard | EMI RS124 compressor (Altec 436B mod), EMT 140 plate reverb, STEED tape echo |
| Guitars | Rickenbacker 325 (Lennon), Gretsch Country Gent / Tennessean (Harrison), Höfner 500/1 violin bass (McCartney), Ludwig Oyster Black Pearl kit (Starr) |
| Amplifiers | Vox AC30 (TB & non-Top-Boost variants) |
References & external databases
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