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 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