Let It Be – US Album Release, 18 May 1970

Q: Why did the US edition of Let It Be have a red apple label?

To indicate it was distributed by United Artists rather than Capitol Records, who held the film distribution rights and consequently the soundtrack album rights in America.

Q: Why was Let It Be out of print in the US from 1976 to 1979?

Capitol did not hold the rights when The Beatles' Apple contract expired in 1976. United Artists did. The album was unavailable until Capitol/EMI acquired United Artists in 1979.

May 17, 2026

Let It Be – US Album Release, 18 May 1970

Monday 18 May 1970 | Let It Be, Release

On 18 May 1970, The Beatles' final album Let It Be was released in the United States — ten days after its UK release on 8 May. The catalogue number was Apple AR 34001, and the tracklisting was identical to the UK edition. With 3,700,000 advance orders and a retail price of $7, the album had generated $25,900,000 in pre-release sales before a single copy reached a shop.

The US Edition

Unlike the UK edition, the US release of Let It Be did not come with the box set and glossy paperback book that had accompanied the British pressing. The absence of these extras meant a lower retail price — and, combined with the fact that no new Beatles album had appeared since Abbey Road in October 1969, made it an extremely attractive proposition for American record buyers.

The advance order figure of 3,700,000 was the highest ever recorded for any album in the US record industry at the time. At $7 per copy, this translated to a gross pre-release sales figure of $25,900,000 — before a single copy had been shipped.

The Red Apple Label

The US edition of Let It Be carried a distinctive red apple on its label, rather than the green Granny Smith apple used on The Beatles' other Apple Records releases in America. This was to signal that the album was not distributed by Capitol Records — the usual US distributor for Beatles Apple releases — but by United Artists, which held the distribution rights to the Let It Be film and, as a consequence, the soundtrack album.

Capitol retained the rights to release songs from Let It Be as singles and on compilation albums, but the album itself was a United Artists release in the US.

United Artists and the Distribution Rights

The unusual distribution arrangement arose from United Artists' involvement in the Let It Be film. UA had financed and distributed the film, and the rights to the soundtrack album in America came with that deal. It was a situation without precedent in The Beatles' US release history, and the red apple label was the visible marker of the difference.

The arrangement had long-term consequences. In 1976, when The Beatles' contract with Apple Records expired, Let It Be went out of print in the United States — because Capitol did not hold the rights to reissue it. The album remained unavailable in America for three years, until Capitol/EMI acquired United Artists in 1979. As part of that acquisition they also gained the rights to the US edition of A Hard Day's Night, which had similarly been a United Artists release.

The Album

Let It Be was the twelfth and final studio album by The Beatles, though it was the last to be released rather than the last to be recorded — Abbey Road had been recorded after the Let It Be sessions but released first. The album originated in the January 1969 sessions filmed for the Let It Be documentary, during which The Beatles rehearsed and recorded in front of cameras at Twickenham Film Studios and their own Apple Corps basement studio. The sessions were fraught — George Harrison briefly quit the group — and the recordings were left unfinished for over a year before Phil Spector was brought in to produce the final album in March–April 1970, adding orchestral and choral overdubs to several tracks.

The album was released to mixed reviews but enormous commercial success. It reached number one in both the UK and the US.

Key Facts: 18 May 1970

US release date: 18 May 1970
UK release date: 8 May 1970
Catalogue number: Apple AR 34001
US distributor: United Artists (not Capitol)
Label: Red apple (not the usual green Granny Smith)
Retail price: $7
Advance orders: 3,700,000
Pre-release gross sales: $25,900,000
US box set/book: Not included (UK edition only)
Out of print in US: 1976–1979
Capitol/EMI acquired United Artists: 1979 (also gaining US rights to A Hard Day's Night)

Frequently Asked Questions

When was Let It Be released in the US?

18 May 1970 — ten days after its UK release on 8 May 1970.

Why did the US edition of Let It Be have a red apple label?

To indicate that it was distributed by United Artists rather than Capitol Records. United Artists held the distribution rights to the Let It Be film and, consequently, the soundtrack album in America.

How many advance orders did Let It Be receive in the US?

3,700,000 — the highest advance order figure ever recorded for any album in the US record industry at the time, generating $25,900,000 in pre-release sales at $7 per copy.

Why was Let It Be out of print in the US from 1976 to 1979?

When The Beatles' Apple Records contract expired in 1976, Capitol did not hold the rights to reissue the album — United Artists did. The album was unavailable until Capitol/EMI acquired United Artists in 1979.