Yellow Submarine Songtrack is the Beatles album many listeners expected back in 1969. Released in 1999 to tie in with the restored reissue of the Yellow Submarine film, it strips away George Martin’s orchestral side-two score from the original soundtrack LP and replaces it with a full 15-track programme of Beatles songs used in the film.
That change is the whole point of the album. This is not just a repackaging job or a lazy greatest-hits reshuffle. Yellow Submarine Songtrack turns a half-Beatles soundtrack into a Beatles-only listening experience and, just as importantly, presents the songs in fresh 1999 remixes that gave fans a noticeably different way to hear familiar recordings.
Key Facts
- Release Date: 13 September 1999
- Original Recording Dates: 1965-1968
- Remixed: 1999 at Abbey Road Studios
- Original Studios: EMI, Olympic, and De Lane Lea studios, London
- Album Duration: 45:31
- Genre: Psychedelic rock, pop rock, soundtrack compilation
- Record Labels: Apple, Capitol, EMI
- Original Producer: George Martin
- Remix Engineer: Peter Cobbin
- UK Chart Peak: No. 8
Core Performers And Production
Because this album pulls together recordings from across 1965 to 1968, the exact personnel vary from track to track. The core performers are, of course, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, with original production by George Martin. The 1999 release adds a crucial modern layer: Peter Cobbin’s Abbey Road remixes, which reshaped how these film songs sat in stereo and how clearly certain parts could be heard.
That matters because Songtrack is not a new Beatles recording session. It is a remix-and-reframe project built from existing masters, designed to make the film’s Beatles material work as a coherent album in its own right.
Why The Yellow Submarine Songtrack Album Exists
The original 1969 Yellow Submarine album had always felt like an odd entry in the catalogue. Side one contained six Beatles songs, but side two belonged to George Martin’s newly recorded orchestral score. That made sense as a soundtrack document, but it also left many fans feeling short-changed if what they really wanted was the Beatles music from the film.
Yellow Submarine Songtrack fixes that. Instead of treating the film as half Beatles and half score, it gathers the Beatles songs together and presents them as a proper stand-alone album. In that sense, this was not just a companion release for the restored film. It was a quiet correction to one of the strangest album decisions in the band’s catalogue.
What Changed From The 1969 Soundtrack
The most obvious change is the removal of George Martin’s seven orchestral score pieces. In their place come nine additional Beatles songs heard in the film but absent from the original 1969 LP. That instantly changes the balance of the project. Instead of four then-unreleased Beatles songs padded out by score music, you get a 15-track Beatles-only programme.
That also changes how the film itself is represented. The 1969 soundtrack was partly a document of the movie and partly a stopgap Beatles release. Songtrack leans much harder into the film’s musical identity and, for most listeners, feels far closer to the soundtrack album they always assumed should have existed.
The one Beatles film song left off the album was “A Day In The Life“, reportedly because EMI did not want too many songs from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band on the set.
What The 1999 Remixes Actually Added
This is where the album gets more interesting than a simple compilation. The 1999 remixes were built from the original multitrack tapes at Abbey Road, and some songs genuinely changed in ways fans could hear straight away.
Two examples matter most. First, “Yellow Submarine” restored John Lennon’s sung line “a life of ease” to the stereo mix, a detail that had long been missing from previous stereo versions. Second, “Only A Northern Song” finally appeared in a proper stereo mix rather than the mock-stereo form associated with the 1969 soundtrack album. Those are not trivial tweaks. They show that Songtrack was trying to improve the listening experience, not just recycle old masters.
That is also why this album matters historically. Long before the later anniversary remix campaigns became standard Beatles business, Yellow Submarine Songtrack showed that there was an audience for hearing the catalogue reopened, clarified, and rebalanced.
A George Harrison Bonus Many People Miss
There is another worthwhile angle here. Four of the album’s 15 tracks are George Harrison songs: “Love You To”, “Think For Yourself”, “Only A Northern Song”, and “It’s All Too Much”. That is a stronger Harrison presence than many casual listeners expect from a Beatles compilation tied to a film.
In other words, Songtrack is not just Lennon-McCartney nostalgia in psychedelic packaging. It also gives Harrison a substantial share of the running time, which quietly improves the album’s balance and makes it a better reflection of the band’s late-1960s range.
Yellow Submarine Songtrack Track List
- Yellow Submarine – Ringo Starr
- Hey Bulldog – John Lennon with Paul McCartney
- Eleanor Rigby – Paul McCartney
- Love You To – George Harrison
- All Together Now – Paul McCartney with John Lennon
- Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds – John Lennon
- Think For Yourself – George Harrison
- Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band – Paul McCartney with John Lennon and George Harrison
- With A Little Help From My Friends – Ringo Starr
- Baby You’re A Rich Man – John Lennon
- Only A Northern Song – George Harrison
- All You Need Is Love – John Lennon
- When I’m Sixty-Four – Paul McCartney
- Nowhere Man – John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison
- It’s All Too Much – George Harrison
How The Album Plays
The running order is not based on original release dates, and that is part of why the album works. It jumps freely across 1965 to 1968, from Rubber Soul and Revolver through Sgt. Pepper and the film’s own late-period songs, but the remixed sound helps hold it together.
That creates one of the album’s odd strengths. In historical terms, the songs come from different sessions and even different Beatles phases. In listening terms, Songtrack makes them feel as though they belong to one colourful, cinematic world. It is less a documentary reconstruction than a carefully staged psychedelic playlist with official status.
Chart Success And Later Reputation
The album reached No. 8 in the UK, which is a respectable result for a project built from already-familiar songs. That chart peak tells you something useful: fans did not treat this as a pointless duplicate. They heard enough difference in the concept and the sound to make it worth buying.
Its reputation has grown since then. For many listeners, Yellow Submarine Songtrack is now the preferred way to hear the Beatles side of the Yellow Submarine world, while the 1969 soundtrack survives as the more historically authentic but much less satisfying original package.
The cover works because it does not try to outdo the 1969 psychedelic sleeve. Instead, it strips the visual idea back to basics: a flat blue field, a huge yellow submarine, and bold title lettering that instantly tells you this is a cleaner, more modern re-presentation of the film’s music.
That simplicity suits the album’s purpose. This was not a new Beatles studio album with its own visual mythology; it was a 1999 remix project built to make the film songs feel direct, accessible, and newly organised.
Image disclaimer: The album cover image is shown for identification, criticism, and review of the 1999 release. This limited use supports commentary on the record and its packaging. Copyright in the artwork remains with the relevant rights holders, and any reliance on UK fair dealing should remain proportionate, genuinely review-based, and accompanied by sufficient acknowledgement.
Why Yellow Submarine Songtrack Matters
Yellow Submarine Songtrack matters because it does two jobs at once. First, it finally gives the film a Beatles-only soundtrack album that feels complete enough to play on its own. Second, it acts as an early test case for what Beatles remixes could do when the original multitracks were opened up again.
That makes it more than a tidy companion piece. It is a genuine turning point in how the Beatles catalogue could be repackaged, re-heard, and re-sold without simply copying the same old masters back onto a new disc.
Take A Listen
Finally, listen to the album and see the difference. Then, why not leave us your thoughts and opinions in the Beatles Fan Club Forum?
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Sources And References
- The Beatles – Official Songtrack album page.
- The Beatles – Official 1969 soundtrack page.
- Official Charts – UK chart history.
- The Paul McCartney Project – Credits and remix details.
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