THE BEATLES 1967–1970
Apple PCSO 7181/2
Released 5 July 1973
Original recommended retail price:
Released alongside its companion “Red Album” on 5 July 1973, the “Blue Album” likewise mirrored the UK edition and marked the end of EMI (Australia)’s regular use of UK metal parts for new Beatles releases.
Labels & Related Material
AULP7181AP
July 1973
AULP7181NZCC
January-June 1981
AULP7181SBA
April 1982
AULP7181SBB
July 1987
Tracks
Same tracks as UK release
Pressing & Mastering

First Issued

Side 1

Side 2

Side 3

Side 4

Parts

Jul-73

YEX 909-1

YEX 910-2

YEX 911-2

YEX 912-1

UK

87

YEX 909-1

YEX 910-2

✎YEX 911-3

✎YEX 912-2

AU/UK
Sleeve Information

Code

Circulated

Comments

AU1

Jul-73

Front and rear laminated
Overview
Arriving alongside 1962–1966 on 5 July 1973, The Beatles 1967–1970 completed the two-part retrospective with a survey of the group’s later years. The Australian “Blue Album” closely reproduced the British edition, retaining its presentation while substituting local catalogue and label details. Click the sleeve image above to view the inner gatefold.

EMI (Australia) received both UK mothers and production master tapes, filed as PARLO 287–290. The Red and Blue albums were the last new Beatles titles pressed locally from UK-supplied metal parts before EMI (Australia) adopted tape-based local mastering for subsequent new releases.

The Blue Album initially spent ten weeks on the charts, reaching No. 11. It returned briefly in June 1976, spending another two weeks on the chart and reaching No. 97.

Its later mastering history contains an unresolved possibility. Anecdotal evidence suggests that, in September 1988, Leon Zervos digitally transferred the analogue tapes for both the Red and Blue albums and remastered them directly to copper. The reported process was similar to Allan Parsons’ work on The Beatles and Yellow Submarine in 1987; further background appears on The Beatles Production Master Tape page. No commercial vinyl examples of these reported remasters have yet been identified, although both albums were reissued on cassette on 24 October 1988. The webmaster welcomes information from anyone who believes they have one of the elusive vinyl pressings.

Unlike the coloured-vinyl editions available in Britain, the United States and some other markets, the Australian Blue Album remained a black-vinyl release throughout its local production life.