Yellow Submarine (Album): Introduction

Here we highlight The Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine” album in brief. This was The Beatles tenth studio LP, but it was also the soundtrack of the animated feature film of the same name. Click the button further down the page to hear clips from all the tracks on this album. While you are listening to those tracks, you can browse the information below.

In Detail

• Release Date: January 13, 1969
• Recorded: May 26, 1966, February 11, 1968 (The Beatles); October 22–23, 1968 (George Martin)
• Album Duration: 40:12
• Record Label: Apple
• Studio: EMI Studios and Trident Studios, London
• Genre: Psychedelic rock & orchestral
• Producers: George Martin and Paul McCartney
• Engineers: Geoff Emerick, Dave Siddle and Eddie Kramer

Performers And Instruments

• John Lennon: vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, ukulele, banjo, harmonica, harpsichord, piano, glockenspiel, handclaps and some effects
• Paul McCartney: vocals, bass guitar, acoustic guitar, double bass, trumpet, handclaps, piano, tambourine and some effects
• George Harrison: vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, violin, tambourine, organ, handclaps with some effects
• Ringo Starr: vocals, drums, tambourine, finger cymbals, handclaps and some effects
• George Martin: piano with some backing vocals

Again, as with the more recent studio albums, The Beatles used many session musicians, possibly around 50. Indeed, George Martin himself used a 41-piece orchestra at Abbey Road Studios for his input.

Likewise, they took the services of some very famous singers for certain backing vocals: Eric Clapton, Graham Nash, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Keith Moon, Marianne Faithfull, Mike McCartney, Pattie Harrison, Neil Aspinall, Geoff Emerick, Brian Jones, Alf Bicknell, Jane Asher, Hunter Davies, and Gary Leeds. But there were quite a few more.

Yellow Submarine Album: The Songs

Just to point out at this stage that the original Yellow Submarine soundtrack album is a mixture of songs and orchestral pieces from the film. This is because side one of the album gives us songs from The Beatles. In contrast, on side two, we get orchestral pieces by George Martin, the band’s producer. However, see below for another version of the Yellow Submarine album!

Side One

Side Two (All Orchestral)

01) Pepperland
02) Sea Of Time
03) Sea Of Holes
04) Sea Of Monsters
05) March Of The Meanies
06) Pepperland Laid Waste
07) Yellow Submarine In Pepperland

Album Cover

Heinz Edelman created the cover image for the Yellow Submarine album. Both UK and US covers are the same, except on the UK version, where the words “Nothing is Real” are under the title. This was a reference to the song “Strawberry Fields Forever,” of course.

On the album sleeve, we see, from left to right, Old Fred, Jeremy Hillary Boob, Ph.D., George Harrison, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, the Lord Mayor, the Dreadful Flying Finger, Blue Meanies, Chief Blue Meanie, and one of the monsters from Sea of Monsters.

Then we see the Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band near the yellow submarine (not on the theatrical poster) and more Blue Meanies. All in all, a surreal and psychedelic album cover befitting the era.

Recording

The band recorded the contents of side one between May 26, 1966, and February 11, 1968. Then, on the 22nd and 23rd of October 1968, George Martin recorded the orchestral pieces for side two. The album was not a significant release by The Beatles since it fell short of the acceptable standards of the Fab Four.

In essence, The Beatles just had to write four new songs for the film. So, together with the input of George Martin and a few previously unreleased tracks, a film was born. However, even though it was not a musical classic, the project was possibly just to fulfil some contractual obligation.

The four songs that The Beatles recorded specifically for the Yellow Submarine Album are “Only A Northern Song,” “It’s All Too Much,” “Hey Bulldog,” and “All Together Now.”

Yellow Submarine (Album): The Sound

The contrast on this album is surreal in itself; we still have the psychedelic feel on the tracks “Only a Northern Song” and “It’s All Too Much.” However, we have the classic title song, “All You Need Is Love.” Then finally, the contrasting sounds of side two are not what the teenagers of the day took too. But, for the collector, it was a “must have” all the same.

Chart Success

They released the Yellow Submarine Album just a few weeks after the “White Album,” which was already number one in the charts, of course. Indeed, its intended release wasn’t that of a high-profile Beatles album. You could say it was a “filler” album between the “While Album” and “Abbey Road.” However, this was The Beatles at work and the album was always going to chart.

With the “White Album” riding high already, the Yellow Submarine Album got to number 3 in the charts. All in all, the album charted for a full 15 weeks in the UK and for 24 weeks in the US.

New Yellow Submarine Album

Finally, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the original release of Yellow Submarine, a re-release of the album came about in 1999. Moreover, it differs from this original one in that it has no instrumentals. In fact, it has 15 songs from the film.

Indeed, many people think that this original should have contained just the songs. Be that as it may, we have a full page dedicated to the new “Yellow Submarine Songtrack” album here.

The new album is also a remix and a remaster of this original. So, its well worth checking out, especially for those who have this original album.

Take A Listen To The Yellow Submarine (Album)

Have a listen to the track snippets, then leave us a comment below.