| The Beatles Ballads | |
| Type: | compilation |
| Artist: | the Beatles |
| Cover: | TheBeatlesBalladsalbumcover.jpg |
| Released: | 13 October 1980 |
| Recorded: | 1963–1970 at EMI, Trident and Apple studios, London |
| Genre: | Rock |
| Length: | 59:00 |
| Label: | Parlophone |
| Producer: | George Martin and Phil Spector |
| Chronology: | The Beatles British |
| Prev Title: | Rarities |
| Prev Year: | 1978 |
| Next Title: | The Beatles Box |
| Next Year: | 1980 |
The Beatles Ballads is a compilation album featuring a selection of ballad songs by the English rock band the Beatles. The album was not released in the United States, but in Mexico, the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, Germany, Italy, Spain, India, Japan, South Korea and Australia. In Australia, the album was a big success, spending seven weeks at number one. It reached number 17 in the UK.
The cover art by "Patrick" (John Byrne) is often incorrectly cited as being made as a potential album cover for The Beatles ("The White Album"); however, it was originally created for Alan Aldridge's The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics.[1]
The album was released in 1985 on LP and cassette under the EMI-ODEON label in Brazil using identical front and back cover art. It has never been officially released on compact disc.
All songs written by Lennon–McCartney, except where indicated.
Despite a running time of almost one hour, the vinyl edition of this release has only ever been available as a single LP, rather than as a double set as sometimes presumed.[2] [3] "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" is the 1977 mix first used on the Love Songs compilation. The rest of the songs appear in their original stereo mixes, although four of these - "Yesterday", "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away", "She's Leaving Home" and "Here, There and Everywhere" - had the left and right channels reversed, as on Love Songs. In South Korea, "Norwegian Wood" was censored until 1993, so it was replaced with "Girl".