How Well Did The Early Albums Sell In The Late 60's?

I have often wondered about this...possibly more than any other band, the Beatles' music and image changed beyond recognition in just a few short years. The band in 1968-69 were nothing like they had been in 1963-64. In fact, the difference is SO great that it is almost like two completely seperate and unrelated bands, who just happened to share the same name and just happened to contain the same people!

So how was the Beatles' early "Fab Four" incarnation regarded by the fans and the general public by the time the band themselves had moved on to Sgt Pepper, Abbey Road et al? And how well (or poorly) did the early albums sell between 1967-70? For instance, I find it hard to imagine that Please Please Me or With The Beatles sold squillions of copies during the era of psychedelia and flower-power. And yet these albums were continuously available during this era. It would be most interesting to see the worldwide sales figures for the early albums during the late 60's.

And how did the Beatles themselves view their early work during their later years? Did they consciously try to distance themselves from their earlier incarnation, or did they almost feel like it had all happened to someone else?

Gail Renard stated that during her week-long stay with John and Yoko at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal in 1969, they all sat and watched a screening of A Hard Day's Night on television. The movie was only five years old at the time, but I can imagine it must have seemed like a million years ago to John, so much had happened and so much had changed in his life since then. I wonder what his reaction was in 1969 to seeing black and white images of himself in a neat suit and tie, running frantically to escape the clutches of hysterical, screaming fans?

Being just a child at the time, I have to admit that my own late 60's impressions of the Beatles came solely from the King Features cartoon series which was still screening at the time...which, of course, clung steadfastly to the band's early image despite the real-life changes in their music and appearance. So as a child, I was completely puzzled when my primary school teacher mentioned that she "used to like the Beatles in the beginning, but not the way they are now". I had literally no idea what she was talking about!

So what does everybody think? Do Forum members who were around at the time remember how they felt about the early Beatles work during the later Beatles period? Did you feel they had improved as they went along, or did you think (like my teacher) that they had gone too far, and yearned for the early days?

In the UK the original '63-'64 albums are extremely hard to find original copies of from 1969. The original copies can sell for a *lot* of money!

Originally Posted by Harbidge

In the UK the original '63-'64 albums are extremely hard to find original copies of from 1969. The original copies can sell for a *lot* of money!

Which tends to suggest that not many copies of these albums were sold during these years...at least not many by Beatles' standards. I remember, though, that by 1974 their whole catalogue had fallen into the 'nostalgia' category (due possibly to the release of the two 'greatest hits' compilations '1962-1966' and '1967-1970' the previous year, which put the entire Beatles era into historical perspective), and quite a few of my school friends were discovering the band's early work.

Just found this old thread when looking through the site after a long break. So I thought I might bump it, and see if anyone has any further information about this topic. Also the broader question of how the "Red Album" Beatles were perceived in the "Blue Album" era: did "I Want To Hold Your Hand" or "She Loves You" get much radio airplay in 1968-69? Did ALL record stores maintain their stock of the early Beatle albums through this era? Did the early records still get played at parties, etc.?
And at exactly what point did it occur to the media and the general public that the era of Beatlemania was over, and that the band were never going to tour again?
It would be especially interesting to hear the perspectives of those who were around at the time, and who may be able to answer these questions from their own recollections & first-hand experience...but any and all replies are welcome.

I would imagine their older lps still did quite well. After all new fans were being born every year and they were always likely to be interested in the group's earlier material. I, as the above mentioned teacher, sort of lost mainstream interest a bit during their later years together, as I grew up in small midwestern towns, and their musical progress was in some ways well ahead of my own appreciative talents, lol. After getting out of the military in the mid 70's I really developed an entirely new appreciation for all of their music, which has never subsided since then.

'Beatlemania', the broadway production, started up in the late 70's, and I saw it several times, in LA and San Diego. Seeing a great tribute type band performing music from all their evolutionary points was brilliant. Especially with the dubbed in symphony parts, where needed, and all of the video production as well (back screen and two side screens). During the first year, or two, of the production it was amazing to see, and hear, just how the younger girls in the crowd reacted during the early songs, such as 'She Loves You'.

I've attended many a local Beatles' production by a truly talented group, by the name of Rockola, and it was always great to see how many kids were often at these events and how much they loved them. And how well they all knew the entire catalog of Beatles' music.

And considering how far ahead they are in total album sales, I would have to say their early material has always done well. Hard to make those kind of sales numbers on just the latter albums, and collections.