Beatles 9: Yesterday And Today

It’s safe to say that over the years, most people have been more interested in collecting various versions of this album’s sleeve in various states than they have been in actually listening to the contents. Without going into immense detail, some bright bulb at Capitol actually went along with the band’s notion that cover art depicting the lovable moptops in bloody smocks and maniacal grins holding slabs of raw meat and burnt, decapitated baby dolls was a good idea. Within days of being shipped by the truckful, “Yesterday”…And Today was recalled and redistributed with a cover photo that was just as hideous, but for less lurid reasons. So in addition to having some new music to ingest, kids could keep busy trying to peel back the clean cover to get to the image hidden below. That’s why today it’s hard to find a vintage copy that hasn’t been all torn up. All this because, once again, Capitol didn’t want to wait two months for the next proper Beatles album, already in progress.

This back story tends to overshadow the fact that it’s still an interesting album. The single pairing of “Day Tripper” and “We Can Work It Out” got simultaneous worldwide release at Christmas, but their non-appearance on the American Rubber Soul proved that the Capitol marketing department was not ruled by any set strategy or logic; hence it’s nice to have them here. “Nowhere Man” had been pulled from the British Rubber Soul for use as a late-winter single, and it was included here along with the previous summer’s “Yesterday” (not released as a single in the UK until 1976) and their Ringo-sung B-sides (“Act Naturally” and “What Goes On”) as well.

Using those remainders from Help! and Rubber Soul, plus the previous holiday single and three tracks from the upcoming Revolver, the album covers a wide spectrum, from experimental Pop Art to the slush of the title tune. It’s those new tracks—“I’m Only Sleeping”, “Dr. Robert”, and “And Your Bird Can Sing”, all three surreal Lennon compositions making their exclusive worldwide debut—that give this album its edge. Add the stellar chromium shine of “Nowhere Man” and “If I Needed Someone”, and the album forms a bridge of sorts between Rubber Soul and Revolver, arguably making the transition less jarring. (However, Capitol took a gamble by not including “Paperback Writer” and “Rain”, the current worldwide single; see previous statement regarding marketing genius.) For all that, it manages to succeed. Even if some of the songs were over a year old.

Those who did appreciate “Yesterday”… And Today for its musical merit certainly welcomed its inclusion in the 2014 “U.S. Albums” rollout. Not only did it include all the songs in both mono and stereo, but it also came in the original cover with a sticker included of the new cover, making it a neat mini-replica. We haven’t heard if anyone’s pasted theirs on.

The Beatles “Yesterday”… And Today (1966)—4
UK CD equivalent: Help!/Rubber Soul/Revolver/Past Masters