Introducing . . . the Beatles

INTRODUCING . . . THE BEATLES

Introducing . . . The Beatles is the first Beatles album released in the United States. Originally scheduled for a July 1963 release, the LP came out on 10 January 1964, on Vee-Jay Records, ten days before Capitol’s Meet the Beatles!. The later album, however, entered the U.S. album chart one week before the former. Consequently, when Meet The Beatles! peaked at #1 for eleven consecutive weeks, Introducing...The Beatles stalled at #2 where it remained nine consecutive weeks. It was the subject of much legal wrangling, but ultimately, Vee-Jay were permitted to sell the album until late 1964, by which time it had sold more than 1.3 million copies. On 24 July 2014 the album was certified gold and platinum by the RIAA. (More from Wikipedia)

Vee Jay Records was able to get their million-selling Introducing . . . the Beatles album released 10 days before Capitol’s Meet the Beatles (though it was originally scheduled for a July 1963 release). Needless to say, considerable lawsuits were both brought and threatened over that period.

(January 2013)