That didn’t take long. One day after the November 9 release of the eagerly awaited 50th Anniversary expanded editions of The BEATLES (White Album), via Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/UMe, the 7-disc Super Deluxe edition vaulted to the #1 spot on Amazon in the U.S.
In addition, the modestly priced 3-CD edition was at #1 in the U.K. and #3 in the U.S. A 4-LP edition was at #11 in the U.S.
(Note: These were the sales rankings as of 12 p.m. on November 10; the chart fluctuates regularly.)
[Within hours of the initial September 24 announcement, pre-orders for the Super Deluxe edition put it at #1 in the U.S. and U.K., where it remained for several days.]
The album’s 30 tracks are newly mixed by producer Giles Martin and mix engineer Sam Okell in stereo and 5.1 surround audio, joined by 27 early acoustic demos (aka the Esher demos) and 50 session takes, most of which are previously unreleased in any form. All of the new packages include Martin’s new stereo album mix, sourced directly from the original four-track and eight-track session tapes. Martin’s new mix is guided by the album’s original stereo mix produced by his father, George Martin.
Related: Our interview with Giles Martin on the White Album 50th anniversary releases
The BEATLES (White Album) was the first Beatles album to be released on the group’s own Apple Records label, in 1968. Issued in both stereo and mono for the U.K. and in stereo for the U.S., the double album was an immediate bestseller, entering the British chart at #1 and remaining there for eight of the 22 weeks it was listed. The White Album also debuted at #1 in the U.S., holding the top spot for nine weeks of its initial 65-week chart run.
Related: Details on the various editions; and listen to multiple versions of a favorite from the album
Hours after the initial September 24 announcement, the Super Deluxe edition, despite a not-insignificant price, was #1 in both the U.S. and U.K. on Amazon’s best sellers chart. The 4-LP edition was #5 in the U.S and #6 in the U.K. The modestly priced 3-CD version was #2 in the U.K. At that time, he releases were joined near the top of Amazon’s U.S. chart by Paul McCartney’s new Egypt Station album at #8 and the Deluxe 6-disc edition of the John Lennon Imagine Ultimate Collection at #25.
McCartney’s album, which benefitted from an outstanding promotional campaign, debuted at #1 on Billboard in its first week of release.
Listen to the so-called Esher Demo of “Blackbird”
The Deluxe 3-CD is presented in an embossed digipak with the fold-out poster and portrait photos, plus a 24-page booklet abridged from the Super Deluxe book. Presented in a lift-top box with a four-page booklet, the limited edition Deluxe 4-LP vinyl set presents the 2-LP album in a faithful, embossed reproduction of its original gatefold sleeve with the fold-out poster and portrait photos, paired with the 2-LP Esher demos in an embossed gatefold sleeve.
Listen to Paul McCartney’s amazing vocal on “Helter Skelter”
Related: The White Album: Facts and Trivia
Watch the official trailer for the releases
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