The Beatles (album) stereo only. In the UK, the following album, "Yellow Submarine", was the last to be shipped in mono. The mono version of "The Beatles" was made available worldwide on 9 September 2009, as part of "The Beatles in Mono" CD boxed set. A reissue of the original mono LP was released worldwide in September 2014. The album's sleeve was designed by pop artist Richard Hamilton, in collaboration with McCartney. Hamilton's design was in stark contrast to Peter Blake's vivid cover art for "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", and consisted of a plain white sleeve. The band's name, in Helvetica,
The Birthday Party (The Idle Race album) The Birthday Party (The Idle Race album) The Birthday Party was the first album by The Idle Race, a psychedelic pop band, released in 1968 (see 1968 in music). This quasi-concept album was the first to be composed almost entirely of songs by a young Birmingham guitarist/singer named Jeff Lynne. The LP came in a gatefold sleeve, the first of its kind since the Beatles' "Sgt Pepper" and the Rolling Stones' "Their Satanic Majesties Request" albums. The inside sleeve art included a mock birthday feast attended by many British Celebrities, including most of the Radio 1 disc jockeys, the Beatles,