brendan2's Full Review: Beatles For Sale by The Beatles
Almost since its release in December 1964, the Beatles' fourth album, Beatles For Sale, has been dismissed as one of their weaker efforts. It was simply an album rushed out for the Christmas season, and the Beatles were busy touring, making movies, and so on. After A Hard Day's Night, which featured all Lennon-McCartney originals, this effort, featuring eight originals and six covers, certainly seems like a step back. I put off buying this album for a long time, and it was the last Beatles album I bought (besides Yellow Submarine). I have to say I was pleased with it, especially because I was expecting an average or worse album. I should have known that with the Beatles, that is not possible.
This album is probably the last of the Beatles' upbeat love song era. It marked the last time so many cover songs would appear on one of their albums. It also was the last album to showcase the influence of artists like Little Richard and Chuck Berry on the Beatles. Beatles For Sale isn't groundbreaking or revolutionary, but it is still enjoyable to listen to. However, it is one of my least favourites of the Beatles' albums, and it just doesn't seem up to their usual standards.
Well, let's start with the good stuff. The opening song, No Reply, is a John Lennon song about being rejected by a girl. He is basically telling his girl that he loves her more than any other guy ever could. The guitars on this one are acoustic, but it can get quite loud in parts, like when John and Paul shout "I nearly died." It's a bitter, jealous kind of song, and it shows how the guys were maturing lyrically.
Continuing in the downbeat, bitter theme, the next track is I'm A Loser, also written by Lennon. Musically, the song is upbeat and very reminiscient of early Beatles songs. The acoustic guitars and percussion are quite soft, John plays the harmonica, and George has a cool little rockabilly-sounding guitar solo. The lyrics are about John feeling like a loser because a girl dumped him, but they probably also reflect how he was feeling at the time, with lines like "Although I laugh and I act like a clown, beneath this mask I am wearing a frown."
Baby's In Black is yet another downbeat song. This one is actually a waltz, and it was the first song recorded for the album. Lennon and McCartney wrote this one together, and it was the first song they wrote in collaboration since "I Want To Hold Your Hand." The lyrics are about a woman who misses her ex-lover, "and so she dresses in black." The music actually sounds mournful, as do singers John and Paul.
After all that, it's time for a fun, upbeat song. John does a marvelous job singing Chuck Berry's Rock And Roll Music, and I think this version is better than the original. I'll Follow the Sun is a pretty little Paul McCartney ballad. The music is soft and acoustic and just very pretty sounding. Paul sings lead, with John providing some nice harmonies. In this song, Paul is saying that he knows his relationship isn't going to work out so he's going to "follow the sun." This was actually written by Paul and performed years before the Beatles became famous, but never recorded until this album.
All the songs have been good thus far, so it's time for a weak one. And Mr. Moonlight sure is weak, often considered one of the Beatles' worst songs ever. This is a cover of a song that was originally sung by Dr. Feelgood, which is a pretty cool name. The lyrics are cheesy, the vocals sound kind of flat, and there's a poorly dubbed-in organ solo about halfway through. Strangely enough, I actually don't think this song is too awful.
Another cover is up next, this time of a Little Richard number. Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey! has never been one of my favourites, but it has grown on me a bit. Paul does a nice job on the vocals, and I like the shouts of "Hey hey hey hey!" There is a cool little guitar solo in there too. This song is followed by a Lennon-McCartney original. Eight Days A Week was the first Beatles song to have a fade-in intro, and I believe it was one of the first songs ever to do so. It's a poppy number, with handclaps and a fun energetic sound to it. It was a number one hit, but it's probably my least favourite of the Beatles' singles. Lennon later said that it was written simply to be a hit.
Words Of Love is a cover of a Buddy Holly song. Holly was one of the Beatles' idols, and this song shows how much they admired him. The vocals and music are in the style of the original, and it's a good song, but nothing amazing. The same goes for Carl Perkins' Honey Don't, which was often sung by John in live performances. However, Ringo Starr was usually given a chance to sing lead on at least one song per album, and this one was given to him. I do like George's rockabilly guitar solo, prompted by Ringo's cries of "Aw rock on George for Ringo one time."
After that string of enjoyable but rather unmemorable tunes, we reach Every Little Thing, which is one of my favourites on this CD. Paul wrote this one, but he only provides harmonies, with John taking the lead. The song is about a girl who loves her man so much that everything she does is for him. The music for this one features piano and timpani in addition to the guitars and drums. It's just a cute, often overlooked little song.
Lennon's I Don't Want to Spoil the Party is another of my favourites. The lyrics, about a failed relationship, are made stronger through John's weary-sounding vocal performance, accompanied by Paul's harmonies. George has another rockabilly solo here, and there is a tambourine shaking throughout. What You're Doing is a Paul composition, and his vocals sound pleading as he begs a girl to stop lying to him. The music is rather basic, featuring a simple repeated guitar riff, but it's quite a good song.
A cover song closes out the album and provides the first opportunity for George Harrison to sing lead. Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby is the second time on this disc that the Beatles covered a Carl Perkins tune. I really wanted to like this song, but it's just not that good unfortunately. George's voice is double-tracked, and it just sounds weird and echoey. The guitar work, though, is good and very Perkins-esque. I believe this was the first take of the song, and maybe if they had worked on it a little more, it could have been better.
Although Beatles For Sale isn't my favourite of the Beatles' albums, it's far from terrible. There are quite a few great songs on here, but there are some average ones too. It's definitely worth buying for the originals and the cover of "Rock and Roll Music." I like the cover for this one, too, because George's hair looks like a turnip. And the liner notes, written in 1964, are eerily prophetic, stating, "The kids of A.D. 2000 will draw from the music much the same sense of well being and warmth as we do today. For the magic of the Beatles is, I suspect, timeless and ageless. It has broken all frontiers and barriers. It has cut through differences of race, age and class. It is adored by the world."
Repeat (songs I can never get enough of): No Reply, I'm A Loser, Rock and Roll Music, Every Little Thing, I Don't Want to Spoil the Party Skip (songs I have trouble listening to even once): none really
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