This superb compilation, often called "the red album," brings together the majority of the Beatles' hits from the early to mid '60s. Consequently, it plays like an overview of the some of the most popular and indelible rock songs of all time. From the "yeah, yeah, yeah"'s of "She Loves You" through the amped-up giddiness of "I Want to Hold Your Hand," the minor-key melodicism of "And I Love Her," and on to the chiming power pop of "Eight Days a Week" and the tweaky feedback of "I Feel Fine," these are the songs that turned the entire Western world on its ear…
1962–1966 (widely known as The Red Album) is a compilation of The Beatles' greatest hits from 1962 to 1966. It was released with 1967–1970 (The Blue Album), a compilation of their greatest hits from 1967 to 1970. 1962–1966 reached #3 in the UK and managed to reach #1 in the U.S. Cashbox albums chart. However, in the U.S. the official chart was administered by Billboard, where 1962–1966 peaked at #3, while 1967–1970 managed to meet the summit. This album was re-released in September 1993 charting at #3 in the UK.
The album was compiled by Beatles manager Allen Klein, with his selections approved by the Beatles themselves. Even though the group had had success with cover versions of songs, most notably with "Twist and Shout", which made #2 on the Billboard charts, only songs composed by The Beatles themselves were included.
Assembling a compilation of the Beatles is a difficult task, not only because they had an enormous number of hits, but also because singles didn't tell the full story; many of their album tracks were as important as the singles, if not more so. The double-album 1962-1966, commonly called The Red Album, does the job surprisingly well, hitting most of the group's major early hits and adding important album tracks like "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away," "Drive My Car," "Norwegian Wood," and "In My Life."…