February 7th, 1964. The Beatles arrive in New York.
Paul: "There were millions of kids at the airport, which nobody had expected. We heard about it in mid-air. There were journalists on the plane, and the pilot had rang ahead and said, 'Tell the boys there's a big crowd waiting for them.' We thought, 'Wow! God, we really have made it.' "
Today marks the 50th anniversary of The Beatles' US debut. On this date in 1964, The Beatles flew together across the Atlantic for the first time, in hopes of cracking the USA - something no British band had yet managed to do. By the time the third and last of their first Beatles Ed Sullivan broadcasts aired - a little more than two weeks after their arrival - the band would be back home, having made broadcasting history and their trip as a whole a phenomenal and unprecedented success.
The Beatles' U.S. albums collection and collection titles are available now exclusively on iTunes
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of The Beatles’ first U.S. visit and the band’s history-making debut on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” The U.S. Albums, a new 13-album collection spanning 1964’s Meet The Beatles! to 1970’s Hey Jude, is released January 21 by Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol.
The Mastered for iTunes LP collection, including a 64-page booklet with Beatles photos and promotional art are available now exclusively on iTunes (www.iTunes.com/TheBeatles). All of the Mastered for iTunes albums (with the exception of The Beatles’ Story, an audio documentary album) are also available now to order on iTunes.
Celebrate 50 Years of Globe-Sweeping “Beatlemania” with The U.S. Albums, a new 13CD Beatles collection spanning 1964’s Meet The Beatles! to 1970’s Hey Jude. The albums have also been Mastered For iTunes and are available digitally from the iTunes Store.
On February 7, 1964, The Beatles arrived at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport, greeted by scores of screaming, swooning fans who rushed the gate to catch a glimpse of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr as they took their first steps on American soil. Two nights later, on Sunday, February 9, 74 million viewers in the U.S. and millions more in Canada tuned in to CBS to watch The Beatles make their American television debut on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”
You can order the U.S. albums and the U.S. boxset from the official Beatles stores and from your local retailer:
'We made some incredible music. It’s great how well it holds up. The songs are still relevant; the kids are listening to the music today. It worked. And there were many, many magic moments, when it really worked. When you’re together, the band is together and the audience is together, it creates a magic moment. It’s a spiritual moment.' Ringo Starr
We are running a mini-serialisation of Ringo's new book "Photograph" over the next week to show some of the incredible photographs that Ringo took during his life in The Beatles.
Watch the PREMIERE of the BRAND NEW animated video from The Beatles performing the Buddy Holly song, "Words of Love," from On Air - Live at the BBC Vol. 2!
Let It Be… Naked Has Made Its Global Digital Debut On iTunes
Let It Be… Naked is the stripped-down, return-to-live-takes album that The Beatles originally aimed to create, free of vocal and instrumental overdubs or added effects.
Read here to find out more about the album and the special extras we've put together to celebrate the launch.
On 22nd August, 1969, The Beatles all turned up at Tittenhurst Park - John's house in Ascot, at the time - for what turned out to be their last set of photos taken together.
Photographers Monte Fresco and Ethan Russell took these now iconic images.
