The Beatles, Help!, 1965
Label: Parlophone
Producer: George Martin
Released in the summer of 1965, The Beatles’ fourth long-player, Help! unsurprisingly proved to be another surefire smash with the initial heights of Beatlemania still in full swing. The project also served as the soundtrack for their latest film of the same name, and much like the previous year’s A Hard Day’s Night, the album featured songs culled from the film on the first side with additional original recordings on the second. While that concept might suggest that it would play like your standard, hap-hazard Elvis soundtrack album, Help! like Days before it is actually another cohesive body of work, and ultimately proved to be more significant in terms of artistic progression than its predecessor Beatles For Sale did. It would also prove to be the band’s final outing that carried a general pop-rock sound. While that presented a template that was primarily par for the course at this point, the record also offered continued compositional evolution in the Lennon-McCartney camp, with the latter scoring one of the biggest songwriting accomplishments in the history of popular music before the album’s end.
The proceedings begin however with the title track, a startling yet infectious introduction to the record, with its almost chugging guitar licks, terrific harmonies, and a pulsating, urgent pace. Hiding underneath all the glorious sing-along tendencies you will find one of John Lennon’s most bare and honest performances, as he reveals a naked dependence and desperate need for solace. Years later, he would confess that the tune was an outlet for all the stress he was crumbling under through the height of Beatlemania. Such feelings are emphasized particularly during the final, hushed repeat of the chorus as it rushes to its pleading finish. Lennon also spreads his wings elsewhere by going full-on Dylan with the stripped folk-rock of “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away”. It scored him one of the album’s most brimming and gripping moments, with his rough rasp and the acoustic surroundings (save for an obscure flute solo) revealing another layer to an increasingly poetic songwriter. Of course, he also shines on another classic smash with “Ticket to Ride”, another deliriously singable track that had plenty of loneliness lurking underneath as the narrator fears his lover’s impending departure. Lennon once again anchors this performance with a vocal that is addictive, passionate, and regretful all at once. He knows he deserves what is coming to him, but he still wants to stop it somehow.
Meanwhile, George Harrison’s contributions continued to carve out a greater presence for him within the confines of the ensemble, a trend that would only grow with coming records. On “I Need You”, he delivered a showcase for his quirky and idiosyncratic tendencies, featuring one of his more unusual guitar riffs to date…and some cowbell for good measure. “You Like Me Too Much” is similarly just off-beat enough to give it that Harrison-stamp, with a slightly more underground sound to it than the rest of the surrounding songs. Harrison’s influences were certainly beginning to lend additional deft and gravity to the overall Beatles proceedings.
Never one to rest completely in the background, Ringo Starr also grabs his moment in the spotlight by offering a first for the band–a country music cover–with his natural read of Buck Owens’ classic Bakersfield signature, “Act Naturally”. It was a perfect fit for Starr’s charming personality, while also displaying his known affinity for C&W. The tune gets some considerable rock polish here, but Paul McCartney’s shuffling bass licks also helped it retain a dose of its shuffling country identity.
Speaking of McCartney, it was his overall body of performances that proved to be the most expansive across Help! With “The Night Before” and “Another Girl”, he once again delivers enjoyable, addictive ear-worms that celebrated the young, romantic tropes in the same vein of “She Loves You” and “Please Please Me”. This would prove to be the final album where they really could have gotten away with such frivolous fluff, and McCartney would prove that he was ready to tackle more diverse material as well. The completely acoustic “I’ve Just Seen A Face” stands as one of the most overlooked and intriguing gems in the band’s entire catalog of album tracks. He sings the tune at such a frenetic pace, and when combined with the slightly folksy trappings, it could easily be reimagined as a bluegrass classic. It’s the perfect depiction of the exhilarating, uncontrollable feelings one feels when falling head-first in love.
The undeniable masterpiece of the record though is of course, “Yesterday”. Arguably the greatest pop love song ever written, it showed the kind of growth and maturation as a singer and songwriter that had yet to be shown on any Beatles record up to this point. McCartney’s tender, stained vocals remarkably capture the regret, reflection, and tortured helplessness of one trying to go back in time to reclaim the love you have lost. The track is further elevated by the sophisticated orchestral arrangement that sweeps and soars at all the right spots, making for a sparkling pop classic and ultimately, one of the most covered songs of all time.
Closing the album on a very different note would be a tantalizing, tasty cover of Larry Williams’ “Dizzy Miss Lizzy”. Recalling the roaring “Twist & Shout” from Please Please Me, Lennon once again cuts loose with all the rock & roll abandon he can muster, and Harrison’s intense rock riffs give it a riveting, live atmosphere. It proved to be a fitting closer. After all, much of this album showcased the band supporting each other as they alternated in the role of leading, and even at times, singular artists. However, “Lizzy” centers things back to the core by highlighting the group as a whole-hearted ensemble.
Help! served as the final chapter in The Beatles’ immersion in the more straight-forward commercial pop and rock & roll sounds of their early existence. By the time the spell-binding follow-up Rubber Soul would appear later in the year, the Fab Four was fully embarking on the more experimental sounds that would ultimately crown them as the leaders of the revolutionary art-rock movement, an identity that would define the final half of their career, and once again re-shape the entire rock idiom forever.
Track Listing:
- “Help!” (John Lennon and Paul McCartney) *1965 Single Release
- “The Night Before” (Lennon and McCartney)
- “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away” (Lennon and McCartney)
- “I Need You” (George Harrison)
- “Another Girl” (Lennon and McCartney)
- “You’re Going to Lose That Girl” (Lennon and McCartney)
- “Ticket to Ride” (Lennon and McCartney) *1965 Single Release
- “Act Naturally” (Johnny Russell and Voni Morrison) *1965 B-Side Release
- “It’s Only Love” (Lennon and McCartney)
- “You Like Me Too Much” (Harrison)
- “Tell Me What You See” (Lennon and McCartney)
- “I’ve Just Seen a Face” (Lennon and McCartney)
- “Yesterday” (Lennon and McCartney) *1965 Single Release
- “Dizzy Miss Lizzy” (Larry Williams)
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