Capitol Gains: Exposing the Conflict Between The Beatles and the Record Label that Made Them

by Andrew Cook

February 1963 marked the Beatles' breakthrough in Britain, but by December, they hadn't conquered America. Capitol Records signed them in late 1963 after a year of rejection. When the Beatles hit big in the US in February 1964, their manager, Brian Epstein, and Capitol executives obscured the true story, but corporate and personal archives now reveal why Capitol viewed the British record industry as outdated and decided to remix UK master tapes and create distinct US albums and how Brian Epstein struggled to balance Capitol's commercial decisions with the Beatles' interests. This account explores Capitol's PR efforts to protect the Beatles' image and examines how Capitol's decisions made the Beatles wealthy. It also reveals how choices by the band and their manager nearly led to bankruptcy in 1969.

Genres: Nonfiction, Music

224 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication February 24, 2026

Reviews

[Claude Vecht-Wolf · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a little disappointed with this book. For one thing, I found some factual errors which put me off a little.

The first part which explained why Capitol was reluctant to take on The Beatles was quite confusing as there were quite a few names to remember.it would have helped had there been a chart or diagram listing their positions in Capitol and in The Beatles story.

The book however improved as the story progressed and became more enjoyable.

[Martin Cole · Rating 3 out of 5]

One or two shocking factual errors.