1962–1966 (The Red Album)

The Beatles / 1962-1966 is commonly called The Red Album. Parlophone released this first greatest hits compilation on April 19, 1973, together with the companion compilation, 1967-1970 (The Blue Album). Together, these two records embrace the entire recording era of the Beatles. Allen Klein, who had taken over management of the Beatles after Brian Epstein's death, remained with Apple Records after the group disbanded. He made the selections for these two retrospective albums, subject to approval by members of the group. Only original Beatles compositions were included – no covers were allowed. Many speculate that a bootleg of Beatles recordings, called "Alpha/Omega" had become so widespread that EMI and Apple decided to create an "official" compilation. The Red Album contains 26 tracks on two LP discs, with a total run time of 63 minutes.

The cover photo is the one prepared for the Get Back album, which was never released. It shows the Beatles looking down the stairwell within EMI's London headquarters, imitating the cover photo of the much younger group, shot for Please Please Me, seven years before. A photo from the 1963 session, previously unpublished, was also placed on the cover. The Red Album and The Blue Album use the same cover art. Inside of a gatefold, the albums display photos from a well-known shoot on July 28, 1968, known as "Mad Day Out."

The US and UK versions of The Red Album differ very slightly. The US track of Help! contains the quotation of the "James Bond" theme at the beginning, which can also be found on the US version of Help!. The UK version reflects the original UK track, without the reference. I Feel Fine also shows the differences between the two original versions, one with lots of reverb and fake stereo (from Beatles '65), and the other, with the "whispering" introduction from the original single release in the UK.

The CD of The Red Album is a two-disc set in stereo, with the exception of tracks 1 through 4. Several were re-mastered in stereo for the first time.