Help

Help! is the fifth studio album by the Beatles, and the soundtrack from their film Help!, released 6 August 1965. Produced by George Martin, it contains fourteen songs in its original British form. Seven of these, including the singles "Help!" and "Ticket to Ride", appeared in the film and took up the first side of the vinyl album. The second side contained seven other releases including the most-covered song ever written, "Yesterday".

Many counts this as the last LP in the first half of the Beatles-"era". There is before and after "Rubber Soul" (the next album, of course). I don't really see it like that. I see it like before and after "Revolver" (1966), because "Help" is as good as "Rubber soul" in many ways, and The Beatles didn't go from "Boy-band" to "Pot-head geniuses" from one day to the other. Off course Rubber Soul was the start of The Beatles making "albums" in stead of "a bunch of songs", but let's get back to that tomorrow. The Beatles developed their sound and image through their "era" like no other band, and especially some of Lennon's songs on "Help" proved this progression. "You've got To Hide Your Love Away" and "You're Gonna Loose That Girl" are some of my favorite Lennon-Beatles songs of all. Off course the title-track is as strong, and "Ticket To Ride". McCartney (I know, Lennon/McCartney wrote a lot of the songs together up until around this point, and beyond, but as McCartney said himself "If I sing the song, I probably wrote most of it", it has to be the same regarding Lennon) wasn't quite there yet as the equal of Lennon, who still wrote most of the best songs, with exceptions, of course. But even though "The Night Before" is a very good song, it's not as great as the 5 mentioned Lennon-songs IMO. "I've Just Seen A Face" is a McCartney Hidden treasure, though. "Yesterday" is one of the most overplayed song in history, but of course very good never the less. Still McCartney was the better singer IMO, and the best musician in the band without a doubt (try and concentrate to listen to the bass-playing on the Beatles-albums), even though Lennon also was an excellent singer. Harisson wrote two songs for the album, but they are not realy worth mentioning. Harissons time would come, though. What do you think of this album?

"Ticket To Ride/Yes It Is" (9 april 1965 - The Exact day I was born) and "Help/I'm Down" (23 July 1965) was released as singles.

A bit of useless/usefull information:

On February 18, 1965, The Beatles met in the studio to record a composition written by Paul and John for Ringo:"If You've Got Trouble". But the song, considered too weak, was abandoned. The song reappeared in 1996 on Anthology 2.

Album Ranking:

1. A Hard Days Night

2. Help

3. Please Please Me

4. Beatles For Sale

5. With The Beatles

Niels' Ultimate Beatles Playlist:

1. I Saw Her Standing

2. Love Me Do

3. Please Please Me

4. She Loves You

5. All My Loving

6. I Want To Hold You Hand

7. A Hard Days Night

8. I Should Had Known Better

9. If I Fell

10. And I Love Her

11. Can't Buy Me Love

12. Anytime At All

13. Things We Said Today

14. I Feel Fine

15. Eight Days A Week

16. She's A Woman

17. Every Little Thing She Does

18. Help

19. The Night Before

20. You've Got To Hide Your Love Away

21. You're Gonna Loose That Girl

22. Ticket To Ride

23. I've Just Seen A Face

24. Yesterday

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by RJhog (Admin) on May 6, 2016 at 7:43am

I'd say this is the best Beatles album so far. Personally, I think the vocals are even better here than on the previous releases. The melodies on this album are amazing. A song like The Night Before, which I had never heard before yesterday, is a terrific little hidden gem. You Like Me Too Much is another one. And I agree with Niels about I've Just Seen A Face. To me, that song sounds almost like Folk/Bluegrass. I knew somewhere, down deep, Niels liked folk and bluegrass music, and this proves it. Excellent album. Oh yeah, maybe this is a collection of songs for a film for the most part, but their album making skills were definitely improving. And, even though Yesterday is overplayed, it's two of the most beautiful minutes ever committed to vinyl. Really, not a bad song at all on this album.

Running Album Ranking:

1. Help!

2. A Hard Days Night

3. Please Please Me

4. Beatles For Sale

5. With The Beatles

RJ's Ultimate Beatles Playlist:

1. I Saw Her Standing There

2. Please Please Me

3. Love Me Do

4. Do You Want To Know A Secret

5. A Taste Of Honey