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 U.S. 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the true story, but corporate and personal archives now reveal why Capitol viewed the British record industry as outdated and decided to remix UK master tapes and create distinct U.S. albums and how Brian Epstein struggled to balance Capitol's commercial decisions with the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.