The Beatles album was supplemented by the four tracks already released on their first two singles. Martin originally considered recording the Beatles' debut LP live at The Cavern Club, but after deciding that the building's acoustics were inadequate, he elected to simulate a "live" album with minimal production in "a single marathon session at Abbey Road". After the moderate success of "Love Me Do", the single "Please Please Me" met with a more emphatic reception. Released in January 1963, two months ahead of the album of the same name, the song reached number one on every UK chart except "Record Retailer", where
The Beatles (album) group should have released a single album instead. Nonetheless, "The Beatles" reached No. 1 on the charts in both the United Kingdom and the United States, and has since been viewed by some critics as one of the greatest albums of all time. By 1968, the Beatles had achieved commercial and critical success. The group's mid-1967 release, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", was number one in the UK for 27 weeks, through to the start of February 1968, having sold 250,000 copies in the first week after release. "Time" magazine declared that "Sgt. Pepper's" constituted a "historic departure in