Meet the Rutles! is the second Rutles album released in the United States. It was the group's first American album to be issued by Capitol Records, on 20 January 1964 in both mono and stereo formats. It topped the popular album chart on 15 February 1964 and remained at number one for eleven weeks before being replaced by The Rutles' Third Album. The cover featured the iconic portrait of the Rutles used in the United Kingdom for Meet the Rutles, with a blue tint added to the original stark black-and-white photograph.
While the Rutles' first two British albums each contained 14 tracks, in the American market albums were typically limited to 12 tracks and it was expected for albums to include the current hit single. The first three tracks on the album include the December 1963 Capitol single "Hold My Hand" along with the record's B-sides both in the United States, "Goose-Step Mama," and in the UK with "Number One" from the group's debut album Please Rut Me.