Help! - Beatles (The) (CD 1987)

(Disclaimer: Those looking for a brief description of the album will find what their looking for in the "Review Body" section. The section titled "Track Reviews" is meant only for those who want to read detailed descriptions of the songs, and they do not constitute the essence of this review. Lastly and most importantly, this review is not necessarily written by the point of view of a Beatles fan.)

Overall Score: 5/5
Best song: Help! and Yesterday
Worst song: You Like Me Too Much

Review Body:

Another Beatles album and another masterpiece. This probably isn't as much of a stylistic jump forward as Beatles For Sale or Rubber Soul will be. However, Help! manages to strengthen their artistic integrity. There's not only more of Lennon's Dylan-posturing, but just a little bit more innovation. As if you'd expect anything less from them!

John dominates this record again with the contribution of three A+ scoring songs, but Paul stays strong in the running with two A+ scoring songs of his own! George contributes two ditties, but again his songwriting still seems to be in the formative stages (although he is still a lot better than most songwriters from the era). John's Help! starts things off in a remarkably energetic way. It's a fast-paced rocker with some excellent chord progressions and two melody-lines going at once. And, as expected, the thing is catchy as hell. The Beatles were feeling very overextended at this point of their careers, and you can guess that he wrote this to vent some of that frustration. As a result of that, I have thought about it to vent my frustrations from time to time!

You've Got to Hide Your Love Away is another one of John's A+ contributions. It's one of his Dylan-inspired acoustic folk numbers, and it has a melody that's immediately lovable. Lack of creative melodies is a common criticism I have of folk music in general, but John knew exactly how to fix that! Ticket to Ride has been so well incorporated in our culture that we probably don't realize how unusual it was for the time. Those loud, thundering drums and that droning guitar tone has been compared to heavy metal, and that comparison isn't unjustified. (Of course, it's not heavy metal... but it begins to approach that style!)

Paul wrote Yesterday, of course, and it's one of the first rock songs to incorporate a string quartet. (Though the string quartet idea was George Martin's.) Classical music snobs like to point out that such an arrangement wouldn't have gotten anywhere if it was introduced in the classical realm, and they're absolutely right! However, the idea was certainly bracing, and it points its way toward progressive rock. Furthermore, it works perfectly with Paul's sweet, folksy melody. Paul's other A+ contribution was I've Just Seen a Face, which is certainly an unusual take on folk-rock. The acoustic guitar is strummed like mad, and Paul's melody is sweet and breezy!

George contributes two songs here, and the last time he had written something was in With The Beatles. Surely, he's not as good as his brethren yet, but he's developing an interesting voice of his own. I Need You has a very interesting blocky guitar tone amidst a trotting rhythm! That's a very odd texture, and this goes to show George's experimental edge. It also makes up for the melody, which is quite a bit less inspired than those Lennon/McCartney ditties. George's second song, You Like Me Too Much is arguably the worst song on here... The melody would have fit better on With The Beatles, and I don't care much for Martin's piano, which seems clumsy. But that song title is vintage George, right?

Ringo got a chance to sing for the cover of Act Naturally, a very cute country song that managed to perfectly showcase Ringo's playful personality. That tuneful rhythm guitar and drum rhythm are just as playful as the vocals, which is a feat very difficult to accomplish!

Paul's Another Girl would have been a perfectly catchy song, but Paul played this wobbly guitar throughout. It's not enough these guys can pull out these catchy melodies like nobody's business, but they have to go and create these innovative textures! John's You're Gonna Lose That Girl is like a typical Motown song except with a really interesting harmonic twist. Arguably the worst Lennon/McCartney original is Tell Me What You See, which has been described by these guys as throwaway... and it probably was. ...It never ceases to amaze me that even this throwaway stuff is completely worth hearing! The Beatles were beautiful freaks!!

Track Reviews:

Help! A+
This is the perfect song to have stuck in your head when you're in a panic. It gives you a good tune, so you're not panicking so much anymore! The Beatles are continuing to write more emotionally resonant songs while still retaining the commercial invincibility. This one brilliantly has two melody lines that goes at the same time, during certain parts ... That's a touch they've never done before! Brilliant stuff, man...

The Night Before A-
This really seems weak compared to Help! but that goes to show how excellent a song that was! The melody is less infectious and much less memorable. But since it's a Beatles song, it's wonderful of course! There's a little bit more of that vocal layering here, but this is done more in a round-robin style.

You've Got to Hide Your Love Away A+
Undoubtedly one of John Lennon's Dylan inspired ballads. AND IT'S GREAT!! John knew how to write some great hooks, and this song would have sounded great no matter what he did to it. But I especially like that he just decided to whip out some straight acoustic guitars and tambourines ... and some woodwind comes in at the end to give a solo.

I Need You A
George Harrison is really starting to make a dent in the songwriting here. He does this weird, blocky effect with his guitar, which was a strange and innovative idea. George's melodies were never quite as infectious as John's or Paul's (especially at this early stage) and perhaps seemed primitive compared to theirs. Ringo's light drumming is also very strange... at first glance, it doesn't seem to fit. But at second glance, you wouldn't want to accept anything else.

Another Girl A
Here's an upbeat Paul McCartney song with a melody that's catchier than anything! The rhythm is utterly toe-tapping, and you're going to have trouble resisting it... and who knows why you would want to? The one thing that really sets this song apart is that guitar, which is wobbling around like mad. I was going to congratulate George, but I guess it was actually played by Paul...

You're Gonna Lose That Girl A
I thought this might have been a cover since it's structured like a typical early 60s Motown song... It has a typical rhythm and vocal layering. The melody is even typical, and it would have made it one of the better Motown singles. Even the harmonies are pretty typical ...... until they sing You're gonna lose that girl the third time. The harmonies get a little strange and magical, and it sorta gives it away that this was an original. And it was. It's one of John's. (It's interesting how you can tell Beatles songs apart from everyone else just listening to the harmonies.)

Ticket to Ride A+
This is also popular proof of The Beatles' evolving songwriting. The rhythms are phenomenally deeper and more menacing than anything they had done before. Ringo's drumming is louder and more thunderous. That droning bass guitar sounds vaguely like heavy metal. John's melody continues to be brilliantly catchy. Of course, the catchiness of the songs are what keeps us addicted to them!

Act Naturally A
There's that unwritten rule that Ringo must sing lead in at least one of the songs... and I guess the Lennon/McCartney duo didn't feel like writing anything for them. So he sings this cute country song. Ringo's vocals are as fun as always... I fight the urge to give the little ol' guy a big hug after listening to him! The instrumentals are similarly playful. That ultra clean acoustic guitar provides most of the instrumental backdrop. And then there's that playful, scaling rhythm guitar that plays another melody. That wooden clicks also give the song a fun rhythm...

It's Only Love A-
Apparently, John thought this was one of the worst Beatles songs... And yet, it's wonderful! (He was probably talking mostly about the lyrics, which I suppose weren't as deep as his other songs.) The melody is a little weaker compared to to the others, and it probably would have fit pretty well on the two early Beatles albums. That watery guitar is very innovative, though, and gives this song extra texture.

You Like Me Too Much B+
Here's another Harrisong! Even as his songwriting is at such a formative stage, he can still write these excellent songs! George Martin has an old honkytonk-style piano introduction playing a tremolo. Certainly one of the inferior songs on Help!, but that's OK. You wouldn't want to like this song too much.

Tell Me What You See A-
According to Wikipedia (where I get most of these tidbit factoids), Paul McCartney apparently had a difficult time remembering if he wrote this. I guess I could see that... The melody isn't nearly as infectious as most of McCartney's songs. The instrumentation is fairly standard for this stage of The Beatles. And yet, it'll give you that urge to bob your head back and forth!

I've Just Seen a Face A+
The previous track might have been somewhat ambiguous, but this is pure McCartney from beginning to end. I recognize this style anywhere... The only thing missing between this and the stuff from his solo career is Linda McCartney's back-up vocals. This is another folky song, but it's completely different than anything John would write. The melody is much sweeter and more airy. You'll like it!

Yesterday A+
This is also pure Paul from beginning to end. I think the whole world agrees that these lyrics aren't very good... but somehow they seem genuine when they're combined with that incredible melancholy melody. George Martin's idea to have a string quartet playing in the background was legendary! ... Now, who ever thought that rock and classical music would blend together so well?

Dizzy Miss Lizzy A
By this time, the covers are really starting to sound passe. But I'll happily take another opportunity to hear John Lennon sing his freaking lungs out! This was also quite a jolt after listening to Yesterday ... and not necessarily a good one! Well, they went out on a rockin' note, which I guess would've been preferable at this stage of rock's history.

Concluding Remarks:

They're writing deeper songs with even more innovative touches in the studio. This is where The Beatles start really hinting at their transformation from their early and late periods.