Hey Jude (United States, 1970)
Buy Hey Jude on CD
The Hey Jude LP was a non-UK release in 1970 featuring previously-released singles unavailable on other US records. It was originally titled Beatles Again but was changed – however, the first printing of the album features that title on the record. Most of these songs were collected on Past Masters Volume 2 (and the later 2-disc Past Masters reissue) once the Beatles catalog was standardized on CD. The album was rereleased on CD in 2014 in stereo only (no mono edition ever existed) in The U.S. Albums box set but featuring reworked EMI masters.
Not a Capitol compilation
Hey Jude is often mistaken as another North American Capitol compilation, when in fact the album was central to a new contract put together by new manager Allen Klein which promised EMI the right to repackage Beatles releases in exchange for a higher royalty rate (from 17.5% to 25%, or $0.69 per album). The album was compiled by Allan Steckler, who focused on songs not appearing on previous Capitol releases.
Track list
Side A
Side B
Release history
- Apple SO 385 (titled ‘The Beatles Again’), released February 23, 1970
- Apple SW 385, released February 23, 1970
- E.M.I. (Australia) PCSO 7560 Series 550
- Parlophone PCS 7184, released May 11, 1979
- Capitol C1-90442 (purple label), released July 28, 1988
- Apple B0019710-02 (remastered mono & stereo CD), released January 21, 2014
Back cover
Alternate cover concepts
Several front and back cover concepts were designed, although ultimately none would be used.
A.K.A. Beatles Again
A small number of copies of Beatles Again were pressed before the title was changed to Hey Jude, and in some cases the sleeves of the album read “Hey Jude” and the disc itself read “Beatles Again”. Actually, the two names bore different catalog numbers, so Beatles Again is an album that never was…but was. The track lists were the same and the covers were identical. Shown here are two unused cover ideas.
