Yesterday... And Today
	Produced by George Martin
	Released on July 1966
	US CHART POSITION #1 . . . GOLD RECORD (7/8/66), 2x PLATINUM (1/10/97)
	Find it at GEMM
ST 2553 cover [high resolution photo]

P erhaps better remembered today for its aborted baby butcher cover, Yesterday... And Today was another US-only collection from Capitol that drew from the UK albums before and after (Rubber Soul, Revolver) as well as contemporaneous singles (“Yesterday,” “Day Tripper,” “Nowhere Man”). In fact, the album marked the end of alternate Beatles realities for both sides of the pond, and from here on Beatles albums would actually share the same name in the US and UK (a trend begun in earnest with Help!). The songs on Yesterday represent The Beatles at something of a crossroads. Even as Paul McCartney polished his pop songs (“Drive My Car,” We Can Work It Out”), John Lennon was delving into surreal imagery driven by drug experimentation (“Dr. Robert,” “I’m Only Sleeping”) while George explored his Eastern interests (“If I Needed Someone”). It’s an eclectic period as a result, often ranging from remarkably tuneful (“Day Tripper”) to remarkably deep (“Nowhere Man”). Also featured here is McCartney’s solo showcase, “Yesterday,” the surprisingly nasty “And Your Bird Can Sing” (more lessons learned from Dr. Robert) and a couple of country tunes flattened by Ringo (“Act Naturally,” “What Goes On?”). Today, the Parlophone catalog provides the de facto historical view of The Beatles, with these Capitol releases forever in danger of shrinking into obscurity. As this album was unceremoniously wedged between the US releases of Rubber Soul and Revolver (whose names still echo about the Hall), it’s easy to forget that this album topped the US charts and quickly went gold. It’s ultimately a patch job, not the cohesive musical statement of their formal releases, but even an imperfect collection of Beatles songs looks like perfection when compared to most things.

ST 2553 back cover

TRACK LISTING

1. DRIVE MY CAR    2:25
2. I'M ONLY SLEEPING    2:58
3. NOWHERE MAN    2:40
4. DR. ROBERT    2:14
5. YESTERDAY    2:04
6. ACT NATURALLY    (John Russell/Voni Morrison)    2:27
7. AND YOUR BIRD CAN SING    2:02
8. IF I NEEDED SOMEONE    (George Harrison)    2:19
9. WE CAN WORK IT OUT    2:10
10. WHAT GOES ON?    (John Lennon/Paul McCartney/Richard Starkey)    2:44
11. DAY TRIPPER    2:47
    
    All songs written by John Lennon/Paul McCartney unless noted

CREDITS

GEORGE HARRISON --
JOHN LENNON --
PAUL McCARTNEY --
RINGO STARR --
Bill Miller -- preparation for US release

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