Rock N’ Roll Music (1976)

Buy Rock N’ Roll Music on vinyl

Released just after the Beatles contract with EMI expired, Rock N’ Roll Music was the first in a series of releases by EMI featuring repackaged Beatles music. Many fans were disappointed by the release and subsequent repackaged releases, awaiting the release of previously unavailable material rather than music they already owned. The album marked the first appearance of I’m Down on an LP in the US. The cover art was controversial as it featured iconic 1950s imagery which predated the Beatles’ success, prompting Ringo to complain to Rolling Stone, “It made us look cheap and we never were cheap. All that Coca-Cola and cars with big fins was the Fifties!” Artwork by an artist named Ignacio Gomez was used for the cover. John hated the cover so much that he wrote to Capitol suggesting photos by Astrid Kirchherr be used and even offered to design the cover himself but was turned down. In 1980 the album was split into two separate single LP releases for release on EMI’s budget release label.

Rock N’ Roll Music is out of print and has not officially been released digitally or on compact disc. The digital-only collection Tomorrow Never Knows can be considered a replacement for Rock N’ Roll Music.

The George Martin remixes

Producer George Martin was “appalled” to learn that EMI planned on using twin track mono mixes for several early tracks. Rather than approve the album as it was presented to him, Martin remixed every track, modernizing the sound on Twist And Shout, I Saw Her Standing There, I Wanna Be Your Man, Boys, and Roll Over Beethoven by moving the vocal track in the mix and reversing the stereo. The Capitol US release used these remixes; Parlophone would not use them as the Beatles required all reissues had to be released exactly as originally recorded.

Track list

Disc 1, Side A

1. Twist And Shout
2. I Saw Her Standing There
3. You Can’t Do That
4. I Wanna Be Your Man
5. I Call Your Name
6. Boys
7. Long Tall Sally

Disc 1, Side B

1. Rock And Roll Music
2. Slow Down
3. Kansas City/Hey Hey Hey Hey
4. Money
5. Bad Boy
6. Matchbox
7. Roll Over Beethoven

Disc 2, Side A

1. Dizzy Miss Lizzy
2. Any Time At All
3. Drive My Car
4. Everybody’s Trying To Be My Baby
5. The Night Before
6. I’m Down
7. Revolution

Disc 2, Side B

1. Back In The U.S.S.R.
2. Helter Skelter
3. Taxman
4. Got To Get You Into My Life
5. Hey Bulldog
6. Birthday
7. Get Back

Release history

• Capitol SKBO 11537 (tracks remixed by George Martin), released June 7, 1976
• Parlophone PCSP 719 (tracks NOT remixed), released June 10, 1976

Back cover

Split volume reissues

After four years, EMI split the double album up into two releases, Volume 1 and Volume 2. The track listing remained the same for each disc, but the UK edition featured the new remixes by George Martin. The UK releases were issued by EMI’s budget release label Music For Pleasure.

Rock N’ Roll Music Volume 1

Release history

• Capitol SN-16020 (tracks remixed by George Martin), released October 24, 1980
• Parlophone MFP 50506 (tracks remixed by George Martin), released October 24, 1980

Rock N’ Roll Music Volume 2

Release history

• Capitol SN-16021 (tracks remixed by George Martin), released October 24, 1980
• Parlophone MFP 50507 (tracks remixed by George Martin), released October 24, 1980