"The Beatles' Story" is the sixth album by the English rock band the Beatles in the United States, released on 23 November 1964 by Capitol Records. It is a documentary double album that features interviews, press conferences, and snippets of both original and orchestral versions of Beatles songs, accompanied by voice-over narration. The album was described in its original liner notes as a "narrative and musical biography" of Beatlemania. It was produced by Los Angeles-based songwriter and producer Gary Usher, along with disc jockey and lyricist Roger Christian, and narrated by John Babcock, Al Wiman, and Christian.
Capitol Records created the album as a response to the Vee-Jay Records LP Hear the Beatles Tell All, which featured radio interviews with the band conducted by Los Angeles disc jockeys. Capitol also sought to compete with unauthorized Beatles interview albums issued by the Radio Pulse Beat label, which released three such LPs hosted by Ed Rudy. The Beatles' Story reached number 7 on the Billboard Top LPs chart and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. In 2014, Capitol reissued the album as part of The U.S. Albums box set.
Originally, Capitol had intended to create an album from a recording of the Beatles' show at the Hollywood Bowl on 23 August 1964. A recording was made, but the band and their producer, George Martin, deemed the sound quality too poor due to the overwhelming volume of the audience's screaming. However, The Beatles' Story still includes a 48-second excerpt of "Twist and Shout" from the Hollywood Bowl performance. This was the first record to include a live recording of the Beatles in concert.
To produce the album, Gary Usher and Roger Christian used audio from interviews and press conferences, interspersed with Beatles music. The album contains segments focusing on each of the four band members—John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr—as well as items about their manager, Brian Epstein, and producer George Martin. The album also includes easy-listening versions of Beatles songs performed by the Hollyridge Strings. The voice-over commentary was written and narrated by John Babcock, along with Al Wiman and Roger Christian on behalf of radio station KFWB of Hollywood.
