“Help!” album (1965)

Fabio — Fri, 25 Nov 2022 10:06:01 +0000

Listen to “Help!” full album

Help! is the fifth studio album by the Beatles and the soundtrack to their film of the same name. It was released on 6 August 1965. Seven of the fourteen songs, including the singles “Help!” and “Ticket to Ride“, appeared in the film and take up the first side of the vinyl album. The second side includes “Yesterday“, the most-covered song ever written. The album was met with good critical reviews and topped the Australian, German, UK and US charts.

During the recording sessions for the album, the Beatles continued to explore the studio’s multitracking capabilities to layer their sound. “Yesterday” features a string quartet, the band’s first use of Baroque sensibilities, and “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away” includes a flute section. The North American release is a true soundtrack album, combining the first seven songs with instrumental music from the film. The omitted tracks are instead spread across the Capitol Records LPs Beatles VI, Rubber Soul and Yesterday and Today.

In the US, Help! marked the start of artistic recognition for the Beatles from mainstream critics, including comparisons to the European art music tradition. It was nominated in the category of Album of the Year at the 1966 Grammys Awards, marking the first time that a rock band had been recognised in this category. In 2000, it was voted 119th in the third edition of Colin Larkin’s book All Time Top 1000 Albums. In 2020, it was ranked 266th on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”. In September 2013, after the British Phonographic Industry changed its sales award rules, Help! was certified platinum for recorded sales since 1994.

Release date: August 6, 1965
Genres: Rock, Pop music, Pop rock, Country rock, Folk rock
Label: Parlophone
Nominations: Grammy Award for Album of the Year

Help! tracklist

SIDE A

Help!
(Lennon/McCartney)
The Night Before
(Lennon/McCartney)
You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away
(Lennon/McCartney)
I Need You
(Harrison)
Another Girl
(Lennon/McCartney)
You’re Going To Lose That Girl
(Lennon/McCartney)
Ticket To Ride
(Lennon/McCartney)

SIDE B

Act Naturally
(Russell/Morrison)
It’s Only Love
(Lennon/McCartney)
You Like Me Too Much
(Lennon/McCartney)
Tell Me What You See
(Lennon/McCartney)
I’ve Just Seen A Face
(Lennon/McCartney)
Yesterday
(Lennon/McCartney)
Dizzy Miss Lizzy
(Williams)

“Beatles For Sale” album (1964)

Fabio — Fri, 25 Nov 2022 10:00:41 +0000

Listen to “Beatles For Sale” full album

Beatles for Sale is the fourth studio album by the Beatles. It was released on 4 December 1964 in the United Kingdom on EMI’s Parlophone label. The album marked a departure from the upbeat tone that had characterized the Beatles’ previous work, partly due to the band’s exhaustion after a series of tours that had established them as a worldwide phenomenon in 1964. Beatles for Sale was not widely available in the US until 1987, when the Beatles’ catalogue was standardized for release on CD. Instead, eight of the album’s fourteen tracks appeared on Capitol Records’ concurrent release, Beatles ’65, issued in North America only.

The sessions for Beatles for Sale also produced a non-album single, “I Feel Fine” backed by “She’s a Woman“. During the sessions, the band ventured into studio experimentation, such as employing a fade-in and incorporating guitar feedback, and supplemented the basic recordings with percussion instruments such as timpani, African hand drums and chocalho. The album reflects the twin influences of country music and Bob Dylan, whom the Beatles met in New York in August 1964. Partly as a result of the group’s hectic schedule, only eight of the tracks are original compositions, with cover versions of songs by artists such as Carl Perkins, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly and Little Richard being used to complete the album. The original songs introduced darker musical moods and more introspective lyrics, with John Lennon adopting an autobiographical perspective in “I’m a Loser” and “No Reply“.

Beatles for Sale received good reviews in the UK musical press, where it held the number one spot for 11 of the 46 weeks that it spent in the top 20. The album was similarly successful in Australia, where the band’s cover of Berry’s “Rock and Roll Music” also topped the singles chart. One of the songs omitted from the US version of the album, “Eight Days a Week”, became the Beatles’ seventh number one in the US when issued as a single there in February 1965. In 2000, it was voted number 204 in the third edition of Colin Larkin’s book All Time Top 1000 Albums.

Release date: December 4, 1964
Genres: Rock, Pop music, Rock and roll, Pop rock, Country music, Folk rock, Country rock
Label: Parlophone

Beatles For Sale tracklist