The Beatles – Beatles For Sale (1964)
“I’m a loser and I’m not what I appear to be.”
Produced by: George Martin
1. NO REPLY
2. I’M A LOSER
7. KANSAS CITY/HEY, HEY, HEY, HEY
10. HONEY DON’T
12. I DON’T WANT TO SPOIL THE PARTY
14. EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE MY BABY
After the majesty that was A Hard Day’s Night, The Beatles went back into the studio and worked on what would be their fourth album, Beatles For Sale. (In America they were on their fifth and sixth due to Capitol’s bastardizing of the original albums.) Just looking at the cover you could tell that the boys were no long the happy go lucky Liverpudlians that everyone had come to know and love. These four unsmiling faces had seen the world and it had been kind, but in an unkind way. Even the title tells us that they feel bought and sold. Life on the road has worn on them and the ultra-fame has done worse: it’s taken away their innocence.
Their original songs on the collection show the wear, too. From heartbreaks like No Reply and I’m A Loser to the hardworking Eight Days A Week, there’s a tiredness that comes through. Even some of their covers (yes, they’re back to doing covers again) show the wear: Everybody’s Trying To Be My Baby, Mr. Moonlight and Words Of Love all sound a little downtrodden.
Not that any of this makes the music bad. On the contrary this is a very good album. Not quite up to its predecessor’s standard, but there’s not a bit of talent lost on the road to these songs. John has gotten further into his depression with his first three songs, Paul has matured with his one new song, What You’re Doing. (He wrote I’ll Follow The Sun years before.) George doesn’t have a song on here, but he does a great cover of the aforementioned Carl Perkins classic. (Too long of a title to type again.)
For the opener John gives us a story of heartbreak. The girl he loves is ignoring him while she runs off with another guy. She’s even getting her friends to lie for her. That bitch. The pain starts with the first unaccompanied notes that John sings. “This happened once before…” It almost hurts to listen to it.
LISTEN FOR: One of the most grammatically complex set of lines in rock history: “If I were you I’d realize that I love you more than any other guy. And I’d forgive the lies that I heard before when you gave me no reply.” It’s so complex that I’m not even sure if it’s right. The guy’s so hurt that he’s not even making sense to himself.
One of my personal favorites from John’s early repertoire. Again he starts off with a pained accapello bit. Then, about 30 years before Beck, John wails about what a loser he is because he can’t get this girl to love him again. Now he’s so down on himself that he can barely think. Probably the beginning of mope rock. Except somehow John isn’t annoying when he does it.
LISTEN FOR: John’s mournful harmonica. Once again it becomes one of the loneliest instruments of all.
A song about a girl who is pining over another guy who doesn’t love her? Or a song about a girl who can’t forget her dead lover? Either way John is busy asking “Oh dear, what can I do?” A great song about the hopelessness of unrequited love.
LISTEN FOR: George’s twangy guitar that, in lesser hands, could have turned this into a country song. Fortunately, George is quite capable of making a rocker with country elements.
4. ROCK AND ROLL MUSIC (Berry)
Once again George gets to show his Chuck Berry chops (this time with John on vocals) and, once again, the boys do Chuck one better. They rip through this one with all the abandon of the bar band that they once were. If I were to ever find someone who didn’t know what the hell rock music was, this is one of the tracks I would play for them.
LISTEN FOR: The fact that, although it’s a cover of a guitar great’s song, there’s no solo! George just plays the Berry guitar in the background. But that’s ok. We know he’s there. There is, however, a rockin’ piano. More importantly it’s ONE rockin’ piano with THREE players (John, Paul and George Martin).
Paul’s first one of the album is one of the first songs he ever wrote. The girl he’s with is so self-centered that she doesn’t realize that she’s with a great guy. But, when he’s gone, she’ll realize that he was the one. An awesome little song (and I do mean “little.” It’s not even two minutes long) that tells us to pay attention to what we have. It may be gone tomorrow, along with the sun.
LISTEN FOR: Even at such an abbreviated length they find time for a very short little slide guitar solo. And it’s a good one. Great harmonies by John and Paul, too.
This is a cover of a lost classic. (Apparently, Johnny Horton recorded the original. I’ve never heard of him. Anybody know anything about this guy?) With John’s initial scream for the title character he ushers in the story of a guy who is so lonely that he’s asking the moon to send him someone to care for. A pretty heartwrenching song for one of their covers. Personally, I’ve always liked it, but some say it’s one of their worst covers.
LISTEN FOR: That first scream. John starts his primal therapy a little early. Also it’s the first appearance of an organ on their records.
7. KANSAS CITY/HEY, HEY, HEY, HEY(Lieber/Stolier/Penniman)
Now Paul gets a cover. This time a medley that Little Richard used to do in concert. Of course the Beatles picked it up in Hamburg, along with the two other covers that have already been on this record. Two great little rockers that sound so good together that it’s hard to believe that they weren’t already the same song.
LISTEN FOR: Paul’s killer vocals. He finally gets a chance to show us that he can really rock.
This is the song from the album that’s always played on the radio. It’s not the best song by any means, but it is the happiest. This guy (John) loves his girl eight days a week. It’s a full time job. Then again, maybe it’s NOT such a happy song.
LISTEN FOR: Mainstream’s first fade-in. They actually wanted to fade it out, too, but George Martin thought that it would be too much.
A Buddy Holly cover for the masses. Not one of Buddy’s better known songs, but it’s still really cool. And our boys do a damn fine job of it.
LISTEN FOR: Ringo actually plays a packing case on this one. ‘Nuff said.
The first Carl Perkins cover goes to Ringo and it fits his voice very well. A cool little rockabilly song. I’ve actually never heard Carl’s original, but I can’t imagine it’s much better than this.
LISTEN FOR: Not one, but two pleas from Ringo for George to “Rock on.” And he does with a couple of really cool solos.
John’s second and best happy song on the album. This time out his girl will do anything for him. “Love will never die” because “every little thing she does, she does for me.” Yeah. Very cool song that shows that John hasn’t totally lost his romantic side.
LISTEN FOR: Ringo adding drama on timpani.
12. I DON’T WANT TO SPOIL THE PARTY
And John goes back to heartbreak mode. His girl has disappeared from a party, so he decided to leave so he won’t kill everyone’s good time. At least he’s not calling himself a loser this time. One of the lost greats from the early days.
LISTEN FOR: Great harmonies from John and Paul on the chorus.
Paul finally contributes a new song with a more sophisticated version of his old love songs, furthering what he started on A Hard Day’s Night. It almost tops his songs from that album, too.
LISTEN FOR: George Martin sounding like he’s trying to pay homage to Phil Spector with the drum break near the end. If that’s what he’s doing he’s not too successful, but it makes its point and works well in the song.
14. EVERYBODY’S TRYING TO BE MY BABY (Perkins)
The second Perkins classic is left up to George and he does a great job with it. Not just with the song itself, but he emulates Carl’s picking style, too. (Actually, he does a great job of that in all three of Carl’s songs that they do. The third one, “Matchbox” showed up on an America-only EP.) Pretty rockin’ closer for an album that starts off on such a downer. (In a good way, of course.)
LISTEN FOR: The echo on George’s voice. He sounds like he’s singing from the bottom of a well of girls trying to be his baby.
