The Beatles used to choose accuratly in which order songs would be published in their albums. George Martin remembers their rule was to begin a side with a “strong” hit and end it with one hard to be followed by anything else.

By the way it doesn’t mean that songs were recorded in the same order as they would be put on record: this choise would be made later.

So we thought to give curious people a list of the first songs to be recorded for each album (for this and other similar informations we thank Mark Lewisohn’s and Ian MacDonald’s books).

Please Please Me: There’s a Place
With the Beatles: You Really Got a Hold on Me
A Hard Day’s Night: You can’t Do That
Beatles for Sale: Baby’s in Black
Help!: Ticket to Ride
Rubber Soul: Run for your Life
Revolver: Tomorrow Never Knows
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band: When I’m Sixty-Four
Magical Mystery Tour (EP): Magical Mystery Tour
The Beatles: Revolution 1
Yellow Submarine: Only a Northen Song
Abbey Road: I want you (She’s so heavy)
Let it Be: Across the Universe

note: about “Yellow Submarine”, which was actually a collection of second hand stuff, we considered “Only a Northen Song”, although it was recorded when they didn’t think about such an album yet (it was released while working on “Sgt. Pepper”, left off and re-taken for soundtrack of the movie). For what concernes “Let it Be”, it’s hard to give an answer, ‘cause it was a chaotic work with a countless number of rehearsals, from whome they finally chose the best ones. Anyway stats say that the first track is “Across the Universe”, since they used (with some overdubs) a take recorded in 1968; by the way, they rehearsed this song during Get Back Sessions, but never could play it properly.