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Yellow Submarine

by The Beatles

Released: January 13, 1969

Psychedelia, film score

musicOnOff editorial

Why This Album Matters

This album matters because its strongest editorial story is: Chart Success.

The Album

"Yellow Submarine" is the tenth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles, released on 13 January 1969 in the United States and on 17 January in the United Kingdom. In contrast to the frenzied sessions that characterized the White Album, recording for the Yellow Submarine soundtrack was calculated and efficient, with the Beatles allotting almost half of their studio time to perfecting "Hey Bulldog". It is the soundtrack for the animated film of the same name, which premiered in London in July 1968.

Inside the Recording

The remainder of the album is a re-recording of the film's orchestral soundtrack by the band's producer, George Martin.

Stories and details

Interesting Facts

The album contains six songs by the Beatles…

The album contains six songs by the Beatles, including four new songs and the previously released "Yellow Submarine" and "All You Need Is Love".

Both the film and the soundtrack enjoyed widespread…

Both the film and the soundtrack enjoyed widespread success.

It carried the Beatles' name and their related…

It carried the Beatles' name and their related images, but carried none of their input save for four leftover tracks from the vaults.

This made Yellow Submarine the second of three…

This made Yellow Submarine the second of three Beatles LPs released to satisfy contractual obligations for feature-length films.

Despite these limitations, the album served as a…

Despite these limitations, the album served as a well-rounded representation of the film’s music.

Watch and listen

Explore the Album

The Beatles - Yellow Submarine

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Then

Reception

Despite some mixed reviews, the album reached number 2 in the UK Albums Chart and number 3 on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States.

Full background

The Complete Album Story

"Yellow Submarine" is the tenth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles, released on 13 January 1969 in the United States and on 17 January in the United Kingdom. It is the soundtrack for the animated film of the same name, which premiered in London in July 1968.

The album contains six songs by the Beatles, including four new songs and the previously released "Yellow Submarine" and "All You Need Is Love". The remainder of the album is a re-recording of the film's orchestral soundtrack by the band's producer, George Martin.

In contrast to the frenzied sessions that characterized the White Album, recording for the Yellow Submarine soundtrack was calculated and efficient, with the Beatles allotting almost half of their studio time to perfecting "Hey Bulldog".

Despite some mixed reviews, the album reached number 2 in the UK Albums Chart and number 3 on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States. Both the film and the soundtrack enjoyed widespread success.

It carried the Beatles' name and their related images, but carried none of their input save for four leftover tracks from the vaults. This made Yellow Submarine the second of three Beatles LPs released to satisfy contractual obligations for feature-length films. Despite these limitations, the album served as a well-rounded representation of the film’s music.