The Beatles never have a hard time selling albums in the U.S. They didn’t when they were first starting out and taking over the world, and they still don’t to this day, even though they’ve largely been broken up for many decades. Two of the most popular releases from the pioneering rock band are climbing again on the Billboard charts this week, as Americans aren’t tired of listening to their biggest smashes.
Both of the band’s greatest hits albums released in 1973, just a few years after they split, are on the uptick once again. The titles focus on two chapters of the group’s time together, with the first highlighting the singles from 1962-1966 (sometimes called the Red album), and the second from 1967-1970 (known as the Blue album).
Of the two compilations, 1962-1966 (Red) is doing the best. It seems that fans in the U.S. prefer their older singles–the ones that made them a household name in the first place. That title appears on three lists, while its later counterpart is found on a pair.
This week, 1962-1966 (Red) rises to No. 88 on the Billboard 200. It’s up 10 spaces, as it barely appeared inside the upper half of the 200-space tally last period. This past tracking frame, the compilation moved another 11,527 equivalent units in the U.S., according to Luminate. That’s up just 2.8% from the timeframe prior, but that’s enough for it to improve its standing.
Coincidentally, 1967-1970 (Blue) also manages to rise 10 spaces on the Billboard 200, just like 1962-1966 (Red). While they may have climbed the same number of rungs at the same time, the Blue compilation is not performing nearly as well as the other project from The Beatles. 1967-1970 (Blue) lands at No. 151 on the chart with 9,096 equivalent units moved.
Both titles can also be found on the Top Rock & Alternative Albums, though they don’t surge quite as intensely. 1962-1966 (Red) sits at No. 17 (up from No. 19), while 1967-1970 (Blue) lands at No. 34 (also up two spaces). The older of the two, the Red edition, is also present on the Top Rock Albums chart at No. 13–up just one slot from last period.