4 by the Beatles
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4 by the Beatles is an EP of music by English rock band the Beatles. Released on 1 February 1965, it is the third of three Beatles EPs released in the United States and the second of two by Capitol Records.
History
Although the Beatles' first EP released by Capitol, Four by the Beatles, did not achieve the success the label would have hoped, it did well on the singles chart, which enabled Capitol to create a new series called the "4-By" series, which acted like a "super single". The idea was to market a set of four songs to "complement the artist's singles and albums and not compete with the performer's current hit single".<ref name="spizer">Spizer, Bruce (2000). The Beatles' Story on Capitol Records, Part One: Beatlemania and the Singles, pp. 65–66. New Orleans, Louisiana: 498 Productions. Template:ISBN</ref> Accordingly, the series' name is a reference to the first Beatles EP from Capitol.
Although initially intended to appear as a single by releasing the "4-By" in a soft sleeve and thus "distinguish the '4-By' product from EP's", 4 by the Beatles was packaged in a cardboard sleeve, similar to regular EP releases.<ref name="spizer" /> Billboard did not chart the record as a single, either, but as an EP; on the Hot 100, it peaked at number 68, which is also the highest position it achieved on the Cash Box chart.<ref name="spizer" /> Capitol deleted 4 by the Beatles from its catalogue on 31 December 1965.<ref name="spizer" />
4 by the Beatles features four songs that Capitol had released on Beatles '65 in December 1964. All four of these songs were also released on their UK album Beatles for Sale.
Track listing
- Side one
- Side two
Chart performance
| Chart (1965) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Cash Box Top 100<ref name="spizer" /> | 68 |
See also
- Four by the Beatles EP
- Beatles '65
- Four by the Beach Boys EP
- Outline of the Beatles
- The Beatles timeline