::Beatles For Sale

by **Ghavi** » Sat Oct 25, 2003 1:24 pm

Beatles For Sale
December 4, 1964 Parlophone Records

Side A (LP)
1. No Reply (Lennon/McCartney)
2. I'm A Loser (Lennon/McCartney)
3. Baby's In Black (Lennon/McCartney)
4. Rock And Roll Music (Berry)
5. I'll Follow The Sun (Lennon/McCartney)
6. Mr. Moonlight (Johnson)
7. Kansas City/Hey Hey Hey Hey (Lieber/Stoller/Penniman)

Side B (LP)
8. Eight Days A Week (Lennon/McCartney)
9. Words Of Love (Holly)
10. Honey Don't (Perkins)
11. Every Little Thing (Lennon/McCartney)
12. I Don't Want To Spoil The Party (Lennon/McCartney)
13. What You're Doing (Lennon/McCartney)
14. Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby (Perkins)

Exhausted from non-stop touring and making a movie, the Beatles were able to provide 8 original Lennon/McCartney songs for Beatles For Sale. And the songs showed their exhaustion, with titles like "I'm A Loser" and "Eight Days A Week" which, although a love song, is titled after a saying of Ringo's describing the hardships of being a Beatle. New horizons were reached in the songwriting, especially by John, who was beginning to be influenced by Bob Dylan and by journalist Kenneth Allsop, who told John that he "wasn't terrible enamoured with Beatles' songs because they all tended to be 'she loves him', 'he loves her', 'they love her', and 'I love her'." Allsop encouraged John to not mask his feelings, but to just speak out on what he really felt. It was the earliest sign of the heights the band would take their music.

by **Gastro (gone)** » Mon Oct 27, 2003 3:03 am

This is probably my least favourite. it's usually either this or help! The originals on this are quite good. The first 3 songs are the album and it's worth it just for those 3. The Anthology version of No Reply and Eight Days A week I find abit more bluesier than the released versions.

The covers apart from Kansas City are boring to the point of being almost unlistenable. This was a backward step after A Hard Day's Night where we got an album's worth of all original material. I guess the pressures and demands of touring and tv appearances in addition to the time pressure of getting an album out drained the guys out.

by **Helter Skelter** » Mon Oct 27, 2003 5:24 am

I like this album but it isn´t one of their best! However there are several really great cuts on it like No reply, I´m a loser, Baby´s in black and What´s you´re doing.

by **Ghavi** » Mon Oct 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Agree with you pals...
We cannot blame the Beatles for have that kind of taste in piking the covers that they like (i like the non-beatles song in the previous albums,not so much on this one), but anyway other thing that brings the album down is that is after AHDN and before HELP...But on the other side, No reply, Im a looser, Baby`s in black, and I follow the sun are all time clasics...[:D]

by **theDingle** » Fri Oct 31, 2003 12:06 am

Wellp, about half these songs were on the U.S. BEATLES '65, the rest on BEATLES VI (and some of the songs on BEATLES '65 were on UK AHDN, some songs on BEATLES VI were on the UK HELP! (!) ).

We never did get BEATLES '65, though I was hankerin' for it (didn't get much allowance to speak of, lol). My local small-town radio would actually play cuts from it in the morning before school, which was surprising as it normally stuck to a pretty hardcore country & western playlist.

However, by this time, my younger brother was getting into the record buying act, and he picked up the nifty little U.S. EP, 4BY THE BEATLES. I really dug Honey Don't (IMO, it and Words of Love are the two best covers they ever did). I also thought I'm A Loser was a very decent tune, "Poor John, sounds depressed," I thought, lol. The two covers, Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby and Mr. Moonlight were OK--with a small Beatle diet, I was glad for what I could get! John's vocal opening for Mr. Moonlight is a goosebumper, and the organ sounds really cool. That EP in good condition goes for serious change nowadays, but ours wouldn't have, we played it too much!

I discovered that a neighborhood buddy had BEATLES '65, and he let me borrow it if I promised not to scratch it (which I did, slightly, yikes!). I'll Follow The Sun, I'll Be Back, I Feel Fine and No Reply were just completely sublime, utter songwritten wonders, as good as it gets.

I didn't acquire BEATLES VI until after my personal economy was improving--sometime in '68, 3 whole years later, which is like a millenium in Beatle years! But I can remember thinking to myself when I heard 8 Days A Week for the first time on the radio, "Man, these guys just keep getting better and better!"

Every Little Thing, What You're Doing, and I Don't Want To Spoil The Party were also very pleasant, very solid tunes. I wasn't that crazy about the rest of the covers, but I didn't mind them recording them either. No one else did it better.

by **theDingle** » Fri Oct 31, 2003 12:33 am

Oh yeah, a couple of other things. Paul's bass on Mr. Moonlight: "'Cause we love you"---THOOMP!BOMMPP!---Mr. Moonli-i-ight..."--- is cool, almost funny!

I thought the front and back album cover pictures on BEATLES VI were really great photos of them at that time, as good as the RUBBER SOUL photos.

by **Berkeleyan** » Mon Dec 15, 2003 9:45 am

"I´m a Loser" is my fave track.
Isn´t there sarcasm into the Album title ? I mean, the Beatles as a "product". Does anyone know who suggested the title ?

by **Ram1** » Mon Dec 15, 2003 7:49 pm

Beatles For Sale--Some great tunes, but as a whole, The Beatles' worst album. The lads hurried up and banged this one out in time for Christmas. I read that even when it was released, it was a major sales flop. (Relatively speaking in Beatles' terms, OF COURSE!!)

I'm a Loser, No Reply, Kansas City, Eight Days a Week...all GREAT songs!! But as a WHOLE, the album never did it for me. I can't put my finger on it. It's like something's missing. The least interesting Beatles album, IMHO. (Again, relatively speaking in Beatles' terms, OF COURSE!!)

by **theDingle** » Mon Dec 15, 2003 8:16 pm

Relative is my case as well, Ram. Not being able to get this album (Beatles VI/Beatles '65) when it came out had me so salivating that there was no way it was going to disappoint---not to mention being an impressionable-10-year-old-sewn-up-Beatlemaniac. I had absolutely no objectivity--and nearly STILL don't when it comes to earlier Beatles. In my head they were too big, they could do no wrong and nobody else compared. It was glad to be up to speed on what I'd missed, lol.

by **2 of 3** » Mon Dec 15, 2003 11:21 pm

I'm afraid I can't agree with you.[:)] I suggest you put it on again...and crank up the volume. There are some pretty amazing vocals on this album...worth giving another chance I think.[:D]

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