Chet Atkins Picks on The Beatles is the title of a recording by American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 guitarist Chet Atkins

Chet Atkins

Chester Burton Atkins , known as Chet Atkins, was an American guitarist and record producer who, along with Owen Bradley, created the smoother country music style known as the Nashville sound, which expanded country's appeal to adult pop music fans as well.Atkins's picking style, inspired by Merle...

. Atkins interprets a selection of songs by The Beatles

The Beatles

The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...

 on this album.

History

The sleeve features liner notes by George Harrison

George Harrison

George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...

 and there is a photo of Atkins wearing a "Beatle wig" on the back cover. It peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard

Billboard charts

The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...

 Country Albums charts and No. 112 on the Pop Albums charts.

Atkins never recorded with the Gretsch

Gretsch

The Gretsch Company was founded in 1883 by Friedrich Gretsch, a twenty-seven year old German immigrant recently arrived in the US. Friedrich Gretsch manufactured banjos, tambourines, and drums, until his death in 1895. His son, Fred, moved operations to Brooklyn, New York in 1916...

 Country Gentleman 12-string guitar that was made especially for him and is pictured on the cover.

The recording was nominated for Best Instrumental Recording (other than Jazz) at the 1967 Grammy awards.

Reception

Writing for Allmusic, critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine called the album "an entertaining, if ultimately disposable, artifact... As always, his playing is subtle and tasteful, but the album doesn't provide enough inventive or energetic performances to be of lasting interest." Norm Rosenfield of Country Standard Time wrote "You don't have to be a guitar fan to enjoy Atkins' arrangements that add unexpected harmonies with generous helpings of class. So when Chet picks on the Beatles it's only the highest form of flattery."

Reissues

• Chet Atkins Picks on The Beatles was issued on a CD by BMG Entertainment on 30 January 1996 (RCA 07863 53531-2).

Side one

1. "I Feel Fine
   I Feel Fine
   "I Feel Fine" is a riff-driven rock song written by John Lennon and released in 1964 by The Beatles as the A-side of their eighth British single. The song is notable for the use of feedback on a recording for the first time by any musician...
   
   ” – 1:57
2. "Yesterday
   Yesterday (song)
   "Yesterday" is a song originally recorded by The Beatles for their 1965 album Help!. The song first hit the United Kingdom top 10 three months after the release of Help!. The song remains popular today with more than 1,600 cover versions, one of the most covered songs in the history of recorded...
   
   ” – 3:09
3. “If I Fell
   If I Fell
   "If I Fell" is a song by The Beatles which first appeared in 1964 on the album A Hard Day's Night in the United Kingdom and on the North American album Something New...
   
   ” – 2:11
4. “Can’t Buy Me Love” – 2:31
5. “I'll Cry Instead
   I'll Cry Instead
   "I'll Cry Instead" is a John Lennon composition credited to Lennon–McCartney, and recorded by The Beatles for the soundtrack to their film A Hard Day's Night.-Background:Lennon wrote the song for the "break-out" sequence in the film...
   
   ” – 2:36
6. “Things We Said Today
   Things We Said Today
   "Things We Said Today" is a song by The Beatles written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was composed for the film A Hard Day's Night and appears on the soundtrack album...
   
   ” – 2:34

Side two

1. “A Hard Day's Night
   A Hard Day's Night (song)
   "A Hard Day's Night" is a song by the English rock band The Beatles. Written by John Lennon, and credited to Lennon–McCartney, it was released on the movie soundtrack of the same name in 1964...
   
   ” – 2:27
2. “I'll Follow the Sun
   I'll Follow the Sun
   "I'll Follow the Sun" is a song by The Beatles. It is a melancholy ballad written and sung by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was released in 1964 on the Beatles for Sale album in the United Kingdom and on Beatles '65 in the United States, but was written long before that year:...
   
   ” – 2:06
3. “She's a Woman
   She's a Woman
   "She's a Woman" is a song by The Beatles. It was released as the B-side to "I Feel Fine" in 1964, their last single release that year. It reached number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 from frequent airplay.-Composition:...
   
   ” – 2:40
4. “And I Love Her
   And I Love Her
   "And I Love Her" is a song recorded by The Beatles, written mainly by Paul McCartney . The fifth track on their third album, A Hard Day's Night, it was released 20 July 1964 with "If I Fell" as a single by Capitol Records in the United States, reaching #12 in Billboard.The Beatles performed "And I...
   
   ” – 2:22
5. “Michelle
   Michelle (song)
   "Michelle" is a love ballad by The Beatles, mainly written by Paul McCartney, with the middle eight co-written with John Lennon. It is featured on their Rubber Soul album. The song departs from most of The Beatles' other recordings in that some of the lyrics are in French...
   
   ” – 2:46
6. “She Loves You
   She Loves You
   "She Loves You" is a song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney based on an idea by McCartney, originally recorded by The Beatles for release as a single in 1963. The single set and surpassed several records in the United Kingdom charts, and set a record in the United States by being one of the...
   
   ” – 2:34