Beatles discography: France

The Beatles’ French releases were mainly notable for the various EPs issued between 1963 and 1967. Odeon – the group’s label in France – considered that the record-buying public preferred not to buy singles, although a number of two-song discs were pressed for jukeboxes only. These were not commercially available and are not listed here.

The French albums were largely the same as those in the UK, although some early releases were retitled, and the equivalents of Please Please Me and With The Beatles were issued in reverse order. The US compilation Hey Jude was issued in March 1970 as The Beatles Again, and a France-only greatest hits – Les Beatles Dans Leurs 14 Plus Grands SuccËs – was released in September 1965.

Until 1965 the group was known on their records as Les Beatles, and each release prior to Rubber Soul was mono-only. Unusually, Sgt Pepper was issued on Parlophone, with the same serial numbers as in the UK.

Albums

Les Beatles
November 1963
Odeon OSX 222
Les Beatles album artwork – France
Les Beatles No 1
January 1964
Odeon OSX 225
Les Beatles No 1 album artwork – France
4 Garçons Dans Le Vent
July 1964
Odeon OSX 226
4 Garçons Dans Le Vent LP artwork – France
Les Beatles 1965
December 1964
Odeon OSX 228
Les Beatles 1965 album artwork – France
Help!
August 1965
Odeon OSX 230
Help! album artwork – France
Les Beatles Dans Leurs 14 Plus Grands Succès
September 1965
Odeon OSX 231
Les Beatles Dans Leurs 14 Plus Grands Succès album artwork – France
Rubber Soul
December 1965
Odeon OSX 232
Rubber Soul album artwork
Revolver
25 August 1966
Odeon LSO 105 (mono)
Odeon SLSO 105 (stereo)
Revolver album artwork
A Collection Of Beatles Oldies
19 December 1966
Odeon LSO 107 (mono)
Odeon LSO 107 (stereo)
A Collection Of Beatles Oldies album artwork
Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
1 June 1967
Parlophone PMC 7027 (mono)
Parlophone PCS 7027 (stereo)
Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album artwork
The Beatles (White Album)
11 November 1968
Apple SMO 2051/2
The Beatles (White Album) artwork
Yellow Submarine
27 January 1969
Apple PCS 7070
Yellow Submarine album artwork
Abbey Road
12 September 1969
Apple PCS 7088
Abbey Road album artwork
The Beatles Again
2 March 1970
Apple 2C 062 04348
Hey Jude album artwork
Let It Be
8 May 1970
Apple 2C 062 04433 Y
Let It Be album artwork
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8 thoughts on “Beatles discography: France”

  1. One EP title error and one Beatles EP Omit

    The above mentioned 4 Garçons Dans Le Vent should have been titled 4 Garçons Dans Le Vent 2.
    Below is the Track List for 4 Garçons Dans Le Vent (1):

    1 – I’m Happy Just to Dance with You
    2 – If I Fell
    3 – Things We Said Today
    4 – When I Get Home

  2. It is witten here that :
    the White Album was released in France on 11 November 1968 &
    Abbey Road released in France on 12 September 1969

    Are these dates right ? They would have been relased before the british albums ! I’m just wondering…

  3. The front cover for the “4 garçons dans le vent” LP is the wrong one and is from an EP. The real one should be the one with them all four Beatles playing on stage

  4. Did France ever release its own version of the Beatles Collection inside of a black wooden roll top outer box?
    Thanks for your help with this!

  5. Yellow Submarine was not a PCS UK catalog number. What you’re showing is a 1972-3 reissue. The French were transitioning from Odeon to Apple at the time of its release. The first French pressing which I happen to own has an Odeon gold foil stamp covering up “ Apple “ on the front cover, albeit this is I imagine a test pressing as there is a note on back cover indicating a mistake. The catalog number is C 062 04002 ,and the matrices are not UK rather two very long matrix numbers on each side. On back top flipback cover it has the circle T , the second press has circle U , your about four years off the mark.

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