The Beatles – Hey Jude (Compilation) (1970)

Complete Album Guide: Tracklist, Credits, Sales, Trivia, Fun Facts & Collector Notes

Introduction

Released in February 1970 (US), Hey Jude is a Beatles compilation album issued by Apple Records. Originally titled The Beatles Again, the album was created to gather non-album singles and B-sides that had not appeared on Capitol Records LPs in the United States.

Although not part of the official UK studio catalog, Hey Jude became an important release for American fans, offering a convenient collection of key late-1960s singles in one place.

Album Overview

Artist: The Beatles
Album Title: Hey Jude (originally titled The Beatles Again)
Release Date: February 26, 1970 (US)
Label: Apple Records (distributed by Capitol Records in the US)
Genre: Rock, Pop Rock
Producer (Original Recordings): George Martin

Chart Performance & Sales (Grossing)

US Billboard 200: #2
Certified: Gold (RIAA)
Strong sales throughout 1970
Later reissued internationally in the 1970s

While exact global sales figures vary, the album was commercially successful in North America and became a staple Beatles compilation during the 1970s.

Full Tracklist

Side One

Can’t Buy Me Love
I Should Have Known Better
Paperback Writer
Rain
Lady Madonna
Revolution

Side Two

Hey Jude
Old Brown Shoe
Don’t Let Me Down
The Ballad of John and Yoko

Album Credits

The Beatles

John Lennon – Vocals, guitar, piano
Paul McCartney – Vocals, bass, piano
George Harrison – Lead guitar, vocals
Ringo Starr – Drums, percussion

Production

Producer: George Martin
Engineers: Geoff Emerick, Ken Scott, Norman Smith
Label: Apple Records

Background & Purpose

In the UK, Beatles singles were traditionally not included on studio albums. However, in the U.S., Capitol often assembled different configurations of albums.

By 1970, several major singles — including Paperback Writer, Rain, Lady Madonna, Revolution, and Hey Jude — were not available on a Capitol LP. Hey Jude was compiled to fill that gap.

The album was first issued under the working title The Beatles Again, but was quickly renamed Hey Jude for clarity and marketing purposes.

Musical Highlights

🎵 Hey Jude — One of The Beatles’ biggest hits, running over seven minutes and featuring the famous “na-na-na” coda.
🌧️ Rain — A groundbreaking B-side known for its backward vocals and innovative production.
📰 Paperback Writer — A guitar-driven pop-rock classic.
🎸 Revolution — The fast, hard-rock single version distinct from the slower White Album version.
💔 Don’t Let Me Down — Originally the B-side to Get Back.

Fun Facts

📀 The album was originally labeled The Beatles Again on early pressings and some record labels.
🎤 The Ballad of John and Yoko features only Lennon and McCartney — George Harrison and Ringo Starr were absent from the session.
🕊️ Hey Jude became one of the best-selling singles of the 1960s.
🎸 Old Brown Shoe was written by George Harrison and served as the B-side to The Ballad of John and Yoko.

Trivia

The cover photo was taken during the final Beatles photo session at John Lennon’s Tittenhurst Park estate in 1969.
The compilation was not officially released in the UK until later imports and reissues.
The album helped standardize the Beatles catalog in the U.S. before the CD era.
Rain is often cited as one of the earliest examples of psychedelic studio experimentation.

Goofs & Oddities

📦 The title confusion between The Beatles Again and Hey Jude has caused cataloging inconsistencies.
🔄 Track order does not follow chronological release order.
❗ The album was never intended as a formal artistic statement by the band.
📀 Some early labels still printed the original title despite the sleeve change.