Capitol 2553
Producer: George Martin
Track listing: Drive My Car / I’m Only Sleeping / Nowhere Man / Dr. Robert / Act Naturally / And Your Bird Can Sing / If I Needed Someone / We Can Work It Out / What Goes On? / Day Tripper
July 30, 1966
5 weeks
“I personally like Revolver, and Rubber Soul is still my favorite my favorite album,” says George Harrison. “I always think of them as a continuation of each other. They could actually be blended into one album, because they have a similar sound.” In America, songs from the British version of Rubber Soul and the then-forthcoming edition of Revolver actually were melded together, along with two songs from the U.K. version of Help! and the British hit single “We Can Work It Out”/”Day Tripper,” to form the U.S.-only release Yesterday…and Today.
“Yesterday”…and Today‘s original cover featured what has become one of the most notorious photos in rock history: a shot of the Beatles in blood-splattered white lab coats, caught in the act of hacking up plastic baby dolls. The album with its original artwork, known as the “butcher block” cover or “Somnambulant Adventure,” met with public outcry and was promptly withdrawn from the marketplace. In its place was a sedate photo of John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr congregating around a shipping case, with Paul McCartney seated inside the case. Some have suggested that the “butcher block” was the Beatles’ way of protesting Capitol’s “butchering” of their albums, yet the group’s producer, George Martin, says that was not the case. “They certainly were upset about the way things were handled in America, as I was, but the ‘butcher block’ cover was just the result of their rather macabre of humor.”
While the group’s previous album, Rubber Soul, had featured no singles, Yesterday… and Today was virtually a collection of hits. “Yesterday” which wasn’t released as a single in the U.K. until 1976, became the Beatles’ 10th Number One hit in America on October 9, 1965. The track was significant because it marked the first time a song credited to the group was actually performed by one Beatle solo. McCartney performed the song on acoustic guitar, backed by a string quartet.
“Yesterday” also became the group’s most popular song — at least with other performers. It has been covered more than 2,500 times, making it the most covered song ever, according to The Guinness Book of World Records.
The flip side of “Yesterday,” which was also featured on Yesterday… and Today, was a cover version of Buck Owens’s “Act Naturally,” with Starr on lead vocals. It reached number 47.
The Beatles hit the top of the Hot 100 again with “We Can Work It Out” on January 8, 1966. The single’s B-side, “Day Tripper,” reached number five. The third single released in advance of Yesterday…and Today was Lennon’s “Nowhere Man,” which reached number three. Its flip, “What Goes On,” didn’t fare nearly as well, peaking at number 81.
Despite the fact that six of the album’s 11 tracks were available on singles prior to its release —or maybe because of it — Yesterday…and Today reached the top of the Top LP’s chart in its fourth week, becoming the Beatles’ eighth Number One album.
THE TOP FIVE
Week of July 30, 1966
1. Yesterday…and Today, The Beatles
2. Strangers in the Night, Frank Sinatra
3. Aftermath, The Rolling Stones
4. What Now My Love, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass
5. Lou Rawls Live!, Lou Rawls