Video: 'Rare Record: Introducing the Beatles (1964)'

(Saturday, February 29, 1964) — Introducing… The Beatles by The Beatles peaked at #2 on Billboard‘s 200 album charts for nine weeks (Feb. 29, Mar. 7/14/21/28, April 4/11/18/25, 1964), prevented from going to #1 only by another Beatles album, Meet The Beatles!.

It was the first album by the rock band from Liverpool, England, to be released in the United States and the second to appear on the American music charts.

Despite the “first album” claim on the Meet the Beatles! cover, ten days prior to its release, Vee-Jay Records of Chicago beat Capitol to the punch with the release on Jan. 10, 1964 of The Beatles’ American debut album Introducing… The Beatles, which had been delayed for release for various reasons since the previous summer.