Help! (Enhanced, Limited Edition, Original Recording Remastered)

by

The Beatles

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Beatles for Sale and Help! are considered "holding pattern" works and are less revered by critics because they didn't introduce any great innovations or ground-breaking ideas. But I don't think that does these albums justice. Sure, most of the lyrical concerns are still love-oriented, but many of the lyrics are becoming increasing complex. Even a song like Yesterday shows a real maturity in the lyrics.

The songs offered here are the Beatles at the top of their game, in my opinion. Gorgeous melodies, catchy hooks, great harmony singing and sharp musicianship abound. The Beatles were becoming increasing facile in the studio, and it shows. The strength of songs like Help, Ticket to Ride and Yesterday are legend, but there are many other real gems on this album. You've Got to Hide Your Love Away, It's Only Love and Your Going to Lose That Girl are classic mid-period Lennon; McCartney answers with the rocking Another Girl and The Night Before, not to mention the beautiful, folky I've Just Seen a Face, all extremely underrated.

Harrison gets two songs on this album, and asserts himself well with the lovely pop of I Need You and You Like Me Too Much. Maybe not up to the dizzying heights of Lennon & McCartney songsmithing, but getter closer.

This leaves "filler" like Act Naturally, Tell Me What You See and Dizzy Miss Lizzy. Just listen to Lennon's vocal performance on Dizzy Miss Lizzy and try calling it filler...though admittedly, the guitar riff grates on one after a while. Ringo's "aw, shucks" reading of Act Naturally is PERFECT (and SO appropriate) and Lennon & McCartney's magical harmonies lift Tell Me What You See well above the pedestrian.

That's it. Overwhelming evidence, well presented, that this is not just a mediocre holding pattern album, but classic mid-period Beatles. It's now up to you, members of the juke-box jury.

I'll say no more.

I'm a Beatlemanic who loves The Beatles. Every song is important and I know all of them by heart. As with The Rolling Stones(until the 80s) The Beatles could not make a bad album but they could make some weaker ones. Now I love this album but using a critical eye it does not rank with there best. As with A HARD DAYS NIGHT album on vinyl on the british release which is now the cd side one was songs from the film and side two songs recorded at the same time. The film songs are great But with the exception of YESTERDAY and a couple of others there is alot of filler(having said that I wish other bands would write filler songs as good as this). Getting things started off is the title song. a Lennon cry out for help disguised as a pop song with beutiful folk rock harmonys from Paul and George. Some standouts on the first half are John's dylan inspired "You've got to hide your love away". And "Ticket to ride" which was a slightly new sound for them at that time. The second half show the band searching. Wanting to go forward but being afraid to. This was a period where they were getting fed up with the whole Beatlemania buisness but not showing it. "Yesterday" is a great song it has just been overcovered. But songs like "Tell me what you see" and Georges "You like me too much" all sound like songs that were needed to fill an album. The band would rebound after this period with a burst of creativity unmatched even today.