Various Artists: All This And World War II (Original Sound Track) Album (1976)

A Beatles War Mash-Up Mayhem

The All This And World War II (Original Sound Track) double LP, released in the UK & Ireland on October 25, 1976, on Riva Records (catalogue: RVLP2 / RVLP 2), was a bold musical documentary soundtrack. Produced by Lou Reizner with Martin J. Machat and Sandy Lieberson, it featured 28 Beatles covers by Elton John, Rod Stewart, Leo Sayer, Bee Gees, Tina Turner, Peter Gabriel (solo debut), and more—juxtaposed with WWII newsreels in Susan Winslow’s film (released November 11, 1976). Recorded at Olympic Studios, with Wil Malone’s orchestral arrangements and the London Symphony/Royal Philharmonic, it included a gatefold sleeve, lyric inners, and foldout poster. Peaking at No. 23 UK for 7 weeks, it’s a quirky ‘70s curio.

Album Overview

Release Details:

Label: Riva Records (UK & Ireland).

Formats: 2 x Vinyl LP, 2 x cassette, 8-track; later reissues.

℗ & ©: 1976 Riva Records. Recorded at Olympic Studios. Mastered by Arun. Distributed by WEA Records Ltd. Printed by Gothic Print Finishers Ltd.

Notes: All songs Lennon & McCartney. Poster in gatefold.

UK Release Formats and Track Listings

2 x Vinyl LP (Catalogue: RVLP2):

Side A:

Ambrosia – Magical Mystery Tour (3:52)

Elton John – Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds (6:15)

Bee Gees – Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight (3:17)

Leo Sayer – I Am The Walrus (3:49)

Bryan Ferry – She's Leaving Home (3:07)

Roy Wood – Lovely Rita (1:13)

Keith Moon – When I'm Sixty-Four (1:13)

Side B:

Rod Stewart – Get Back (4:24)

Leo Sayer – Let It Be (3:43)

David Essex – Yesterday (2:44)

Jeff Lynne – With A Little Help From My Friends / Nowhere Man (6:56)

Lynsey De Paul – Because (3:24)

Bee Gees – She Came In Through The Bathroom Window (1:54)

Richard Cocciante – Michelle (4:00)

Side C:

Four Seasons – We Can Work It Out (2:39)

Helen Reddy – The Fool On The Hill (3:37)

Frankie Laine – Maxwell's Silver Hammer (3:27)

Brothers Johnson – Hey Jude (4:58) – Vocal Group – The Watts Line

Roy Wood – Polythene Pam (1:30)

Bee Gees – Sun King (2:03)

Status Quo – Getting Better (2:19) – Vocoder – Tim Orr

Side D:

Leo Sayer – The Long And Winding Road (4:47)

Henry Gross – Help (3:07)

Peter Gabriel – Strawberry Fields Forever (2:30)

Frankie Valli – A Day In The Life (4:04)

Tina Turner – Come Together (4:08)

Wil Malone & Lou Reizner – You Never Give Me Your Money (3:04) – Vocoder – Tim Orr

London Symphony Orchestra – The End (2:26) – Guitar – Skid Marx

Packaging: Gatefold sleeve, lyric inners, foldout poster.

2 x Cassette, Album (Catalogue: RV4-2):

Cassette 1 Side A:

Ambrosia – Magical Mystery Tour

Elton John – Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds

Bee Gees – Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight

Leo Sayer – I Am The Walrus

Bryan Ferry – She's Leaving Home

Roy Wood – Lovely Rita

Keith Moon – When I'm Sixty-Four

Cassette 1 Side B:

Rod Stewart – Get Back

Leo Sayer – Let It Be

David Essex – Yesterday

Jeff Lynne – With A Little Help From My Friends / Nowhere Man

Lynsey De Paul – Because

Bee Gees – She Came In Through The Bathroom Window

Richard Cocciante – Michelle

Cassette 2 Side C:

The Four Seasons – We Can Work It Out

Helen Reddy – The Fool On The Hill

Frankie Laine – Maxwell's Silver Hammer

Brothers Johnson – Hey Jude

Roy Wood – Polythene Pam

Bee Gees – Sun King

Status Quo – Getting Better

Cassette 2 Side D:

Leo Sayer – The Long And Winding Road

Henry Gross – Help

Peter Gabriel – Strawberry Fields Forever

Frankie Valli – A Day In The Life

Tina Turner – Come Together

Wil Malone & Lou Reizner – You Never Give Me Your Money

The London Symphony Orchestra – The End

8-Track Cartridge, Album (Catalogue: RV8-2):

Program 1:

Ambrosia – Magical Mystery Tour

Elton John – Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds

The Bee Gees – Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight

Leo Sayer – I Am The Walrus

David Essex – Yesterday

Roy Wood – Polythene Pam

Keith Moon – When I'm Sixty-Four

Program 2:

Rod Stewart – Get Back

Roy Wood – Lovely Rita

Jeff Lynne – With A Little Help From My Friends / Nowhere Man

The Bee Gees – She Came In Through The Bathroom Window

Status Quo – Getting Better

Henry Gross – Help

Richard Cocciante – Michelle

Program 3:

The Four Seasons – We Can Work It Out

Bryan Ferry – She's Leaving Home

Helen Reddy – The Fool On The Hill

Frankie Laine – Maxwell's Silver Hammer

The Brothers Johnson – Hey, Jude

The Bee Gees – Sun King

Frankie Valli – A Day In The Life

Program 4:

Leo Sayer – The Long And Winding Road

Leo Sayer – Let It Be

Lynsey De Paul – Because

Peter Gabriel – Strawberry Fields Forever

Tina Turner – Come Together

Wil Malone & Lou Reizner – You Never Give Me Your Money

The London Symphony Orchestra – The End – Conductor – Harry Rabinowitz

Reissues:

LP, Album, Reissue: Released 1979

CD, Album, Reissue: Hip-O Select, 2006

CD, Album, Limited Reissue: Culture Factory, 2015 (gatefold sleeve).

Box Set (The Beatles and World War II): Gonzo Multimedia, 2016 (DVD + 2 CDs).

Country Variations

The album was released globally:

UK & Ireland (Riva RVLP2): Released October 25, 1976. Double LP, 2 x cassette, 8-track.

Production and Context

Executive Producer: Russ Regan. Produced by Lou Reizner, Martin J. Machat, Sandy Lieberson. Music Director: Lou Reizner. Arranged/Orchestrated by Wil Malone. Conducted by David Measham, Harry Rabinowitz. Engineered by Keith Grant (chief), others. All This And World War II paired Beatles covers with WWII footage. Film panned, ran 2 weeks; soundtrack out October 25, film November 11. Planned Olympia concert cancelled.

Singles Released:

Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds (1974): Elton John.

Let It Be (1975): Leo Sayer.

Get Back (1976): Rod Stewart.

We Can Work It Out (1976): Four Seasons.

Magical Mystery Tour (1977): Ambrosia.

Album Chart Performance

All This And World War II charted internationally:

UK: No. 23 (7 weeks).

Australia (Kent Music Report): 14

Dutch Albums (Album Top 100): 17

New Zealand Albums (RMNZ): 37

US Billboard 200: 48

Legacy and Collectibility

All This And World War II is a bold Beatles-WWII mash-up, with Elton’s Lucy and Gabriel’s Strawberry Fields highlights. Original UK double vinyls (with poster/inners) fetch £15–£40 on eBay/Discogs, cassettes (£8–£20), 8-tracks (£15–£30). Verify catalogue RVLP2.

This soundtrack is a must-have for Beatles cover fans and ‘70s curios.

Do you have this WWII Beatles oddity in your vinyl stack? Which cover bombshells you? Share in the comments!

Sources

Information is drawn from my personal knowledge and supplemented by web sources, including Discogs, 45cat, AllMusic, Rate Your Music, Wikipedia, BBC Official Charts Company, Billboard Chart History and YouTube