The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960. Primarily consisting of John Lennon (rhythm guitar, vocals), Paul McCartney (bass guitar, vocals), George Harrison (lead guitar, vocals) and Ringo Starr (drums, vocals) throughout their career, The Beatles are recognised for leading the mid-1960s musical "British Invasion" into the United States. Although their initial musical style was rooted in 1950s rock and roll and homegrown skiffle, the group explored genres ranging from Tin Pan Alley to psychedelic rock. Their clothes, styles, and statements made them trend-setters, while their growing social awareness saw their influence extend into the social and cultural revolutions of the 1960s. After the band broke up in 1970, all four members embarked upon solo careers.
The Beatles are one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed bands in the history of popular music, selling over a billion records internationally. In the United Kingdom, The Beatles released more than 40 different singles, albums, and EPs that reached number one, earning more number one albums (15) than any other group in UK chart history. This commercial success was repeated in many other countries; their record company, EMI, estimated that by 1985 they had sold over one billion records worldwide. According to the Recording Industry Association of America, The Beatles have sold more albums in the United States than any other band. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked The Beatles number one on its list of 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. According to that same magazine, The Beatles' innovative music and cultural impact helped define the 1960s, and their influence on pop culture is still evident today. In 2008, Billboard magazine released a list of top-selling Hot 100 artists to celebrate the chart's fiftieth anniversary; The Beatles reached #1 again.
Albums
The following table includes studio albums released in multiple countries. Entries marked with a † indicate releases that are part of the official canon: the 12 original albums as released in their native UK from 1962 to 1970, and the US Magical Mystery Tour LP. Magical Mystery Tour was released as a six-song double-EP in the UK and as a longer 11-song LP in the US (which included singles and B-sides released during that year). When The Beatles' catalogue was released on CD in the 1980s, the longer US version was chosen for release and is now considered a part of their official catalogue.
The following Parlophone-only released EPs were considered "official" at the time of their release and were re-issued on 7 December 1981 on vinyl and 26 May 1992 on CD in the EP Collection boxed-sets but have since been deleted from the current Beatles catalogue. All of the songs from the EPs are now available on various CD releases. Only two of the EPs contained songs that were not also featured on their albums or singles: the Long Tall Sally EP, whose tracks can now be found on the Past Masters CD, and the Magical Mystery Tour EP, whose tracks are on the Magical Mystery Tour CD album.
The Parlophone-only released EPs were re-released on 7 December 1981 as part of a 15-disc EP boxed-set called The Beatles EP Collection, which included all 13 British EPs, both mono and stereo editions of Magical Mystery Tour, and also an EP of four stereo mixes, new to the UK. This rarities EP, called The Beatles EP, contains the following four tracks: "The Inner Light", "Baby, You're a Rich Man", "She's a Woman" and "This Boy". The EP Collection was re-released on 26 May 1992 on compact disc. Magical Mystery Tour peak chart positions were originally listed in the singles chart, not the EP chart.