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2.40pm
6 August 2013
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mja6758 said
I think the real problem with BFS is where it falls in the catalogue, and I don’t just mean between AHDN and Help ! Help ! is the natural follow-on to AHDN , and that’s the problem. Bar the three giants (title song, Ticket To Ride and Yesterday ), it’s full of formula songs for a soundtrack and formula songs not good enough for the soundtrack. It was a repeat of the job they’d done a year earlier, and it’s progression was slight. Many of the originals on Help ! are a step backwards compared to AHDN , let alone BFS. BFS is the bridge to RS, not Help ! For Help ! they had to fall back into a holding-pattern demanded by the film. BFS is where you see a leap forward in their songwriting (especially lyrically) that couldn’t have made up a soundtrack. Where could they have put songs like the originals on BFS in a film like Help !? The song closest lyrically, Help !, Lennon always said he imagined it slower and had to ‘pop’ it up for the film. BFS, in terms of their progress as writers, makes more sense after Help !, not before.As for the weakest cover on BFS, surely not Mr Moonlight . Not their best cover by far, but does have elements of that Beatles twist on an original. Whereas Words Of Love , however great the performance, is the closest they ever got to a straight Xerox of the original. That has to make it their weakest cover ever, not just on BFS. Nor was Moonlight their most leftfield cover, not if you take the BBC cover of Ann Margaret’s I Just Don’t Understand.
Or their cover of “Falling in Love Again” from the Star Club album. Even for Paul, that song is probably a little too saccharin.
"There's no such thing as bad student... only bad teacher."
7.55am
28 January 2013
Offline I like Beatles For Sale , but it ranks low in my favorite album list because of other albums. It sounds very country-esque, mainly because of the acoustic guitars I hear on many tracks.
No Reply is an okay song, don’t like it as much as the Demo made in June of that year.
I’m A Loser was one of my first songs of The Beatles I bought, and has become a good favorite.
The Guitar opening in Baby’s In Black is superb espicially if you’re listening to the mono mix then it just doubles up kinda.
Rock & Roll Music is one of my least favorites, but the live preformances sounded better.
I’ll Follow The Sun is a favorite all the way. I agree with George Martin’s comment on the song in the Beatles Documentaries.
Mr. Moonlight. I really don’t have any particular views on this song, it is a good song on the album.
Kansas City I’m not gonna lie I don’t like it.
Eight Days A Week . I used to not like it for being overrated, but it grew on me. I like the Anthology Version and the album version the same.
Words Of Love Guitar solo best part.
Honey Don’t I prefer John singing, but we have to get Ringo on some of the action.
Every Little Thing ‘s guitar work was great, Paul really led the group in the second half of the album’s songwriting.
I Don’t Want To Spoil The Party had a good guitar solo, and guitar opening.
What You’re Doing is probably my favrotie song on the second side of the album. I enjoy the take 11 version and the album version. Another fine guitar solo from George.
Everybody’s Trying To Be My Baby , again another cover song I could live without. However I do wish that they closed the song the same way they did in the Starr Club Album.
And if you saw my love, I'll love her to.
11.30am
21 November 2012
Offline Beatles For Sale is one of my least favourite albums and I think that’s because of the covers.
4.21pm
3 May 2012
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Yeah, same here. Some of the covers they did as part of their early live set (like songs off ‘Live At The BBC ) I really like, but once they were a little older and turning away from the Rock ‘N’ Roll feel and towards more ”mature” stuff, they didn’t seem to do it as well IMO. It’s all good listening, but I prefer them to do more of their own stuff.
Moving along in our God given ways, safety is sat by the fire/Sanctuary from these feverish smiles, left with a mark on the door.
(Passover - I. Curtis)
6.12pm
Reviewers
Moderators
1 May 2011
Offline Their live covers were always better than in the studio, tho the concert performances in ’66 you can tell they really couldn’t be bothered and weren’t interested – but that goes for nearly all the songs nearly all the time. Rock And Roll Music I like a lot but the BBC version is so much better.
"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
1.25pm
Reviewers
Moderators
1 May 2011
Offline Many bands nowadays wouldn’t have considering recording an album if they were as exhausted as the Beatles but would give anything to have such a great album under their career history.
"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
4.09pm
Reviewers
29 November 2012
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While Beatles For Sale is a really good album, it’s probably the weakest of their earlier period, which goes up to and including Help !. That being said, MMM I agree that the fact that they were able to put out an album of such quality AS WELL AS another #1 non-album single (I Feel Fine /She’s A Woman ) by the end of the year, while fulfilling all of their tour, TV, radio, etc commitments, is staggering. No one could ever accuse them of being lazy, that’s for sure!
"I know you, you know me; one thing I can tell you is you got to be free!"
Please Visit My Website, The Rock and Roll Chemist
Twitter: @rocknrollchem
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7.40pm
11 September 2013
Offline I’ll come right out and say it. Beatles For Sale is my least favorite album in the Beatles catalog. I even enjoy the Yellow Submarine album more. But there are a lot of people who really like it. To those of you, what about the album do you like? I’m not trying to be a prick, I honestly want to appreciate it more, because there has to be good things about it.
"Sometimes they call me the proletariat, but I don't mind." -Stig O'Hara
9.48pm
30 August 2013
Offline How is this album so underrated? Seriously!
Amazing songs on here;
No reply
Favourite band: The Beatles
Favourite song: Yesterday
Favourite album: Rubber Soul
Favourite member: Paul McCartney
11.14pm
3 September 2013
Offline Look at their schedule for 1964 and its hard NOT to be astounded at the quality of this album….sub Leave My Kitten Alone for Mr Moonlight and, for my money, its a better album than Help (gasp) there I said it.
....ya won't be interferin' wit the basic rugged concept o' me personality would ya madam?
11.18pm
3 September 2013
Offline PS Honey Don’t is Ringo’s best early vocal.
....ya won't be interferin' wit the basic rugged concept o' me personality would ya madam?
12.07pm
Reviewers
14 April 2010
Offline After a very trying day on Monday, I wanted to relax that evening and let the day’s troubles melt away. I grabbed an ale out of the fridge, then reached for the iPod and headphones. Now, which Beatles album do I unwind to? Rubber Soul ? First disc of The White?
Hmmmmm, Beatles For Sale ….why not? From the first few lines of ‘No Reply ‘, I knew I made the right choice. It’s not always the first album I reach for, but in this case I’m glad I did.
Proof positive for me that there is no such thing as “the worst” Beatles album.
To the fountain of perpetual mirth, let it roll for all its worth. And all the children boogie.
2.30pm
14 February 2013
Offline Just got this CD! And I LOVE it! Many great tunes on this one.
One thing that stands out to me is I have read that both John and Paul thought “Eight Days A Week ” was a “throw away song”. WHAT?! I can’t get over that. It has always been one of my favourites. As soon as I hear the intro fade in…I’m tapping my toes.
GREAT ALBUM.
"....take a sad song & make it Meilleur"....
2.36pm
Reviewers
29 November 2012
Offline Honestly, for me the thing that always brings this album down *just a bit* are the covers. They’re good (well, apart from Mr. Moonlight, which is s**t), but the originals are a bit dark and they were starting to get a really interesting sound on some of them (No Reply , Baby’s In Black , Every Little Thing ) that I always wish they could’ve explored that a bit more with more originals, had they had more time and energy at that point in ’64.
"I know you, you know me; one thing I can tell you is you got to be free!"
Please Visit My Website, The Rock and Roll Chemist
Twitter: @rocknrollchem
Facebook: rnrchemist
3.49pm
11 September 2013
Offline I’ll admit, there are a few songs off of the album that I enjoy, but I feel like those few could have been recorded better. I understand that the boys were very busy people at the time, so it’s forgivable. The two songs in mind are “What You’re Doing ” and “I’ll Follow The Sun “. The former could have used a bit more polishing I think, because it sounds a bit…empty? The latter sounds okay, but it seems too short to me. If my memory serves me right, it’s not even two minutes long, is it?
"Sometimes they call me the proletariat, but I don't mind." -Stig O'Hara
5.06pm
28 January 2013
Offline sunshaderain7 said
I’ll admit, there are a few songs off of the album that I enjoy, but I feel like those few could have been recorded better. I understand that the boys were very busy people at the time, so it’s forgivable. The two songs in mind are “What You’re Doing ” and “I’ll Follow The Sun “. The former could have used a bit more polishing I think, because it sounds a bit…empty? The latter sounds okay, but it seems too short to me. If my memory serves me right, it’s not even two minutes long, is it?
Yeah, I’ll Follow The Sun is the shortest song on the album clocking at 1:48
And if you saw my love, I'll love her to.
3.04pm
6 February 2014
Offline I like this album but not too hung up on Rock N Roll, Mr. Moonlight, Kansas City and Everybody’s Trying. Basically the covers, although I love Words Of Love .
Party, Doing, Every Little Thing are just fantastic songs!
7.21pm
7 February 2014
Offline I think your view of this album depends upon what type of listener you are.
I think if 50s rock n’ roll is your favourite genre, this is likely to be one of your favourite Beatles albums. Beatles For Sale features songs by 50s icons Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Buddy Holly and Carl Perkins. At the time it was released in 1964, Rock n’ Roll had gone out of fashion as far as the top 40 was concerned, but there were still a great many fans of the music around, not least the Beatles themselves.
If your favourite genre is psychedelic music or progressive rock then Beatles For Sale may be less likely to be your cup of tea.
IMHO whether Beatles For Sale is amongst your favourites is likely to say more about you the listener and your general preferences than about the quality of the music per se.
9.46pm
15 January 2014
Offline I really like the originals on this album. How much I like the covers varies. That being said I surprisingly listen to this straight through often (yes, even Mr. Moonlight, haha).
You know my name you know number too
You know my name you know my number
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9.46pm
3 May 2012
Offline ^^ You make a good point there. I like this album and I do like the artists they covered on BFS. I do think it would’ve sounded much better if only they’d spent a bit more time on it, though I know that wasn’t really posible.
Moving along in our God given ways, safety is sat by the fire/Sanctuary from these feverish smiles, left with a mark on the door.
(Passover - I. Curtis)
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