at a glance...

Hometown: Liverpool, England
Year Formed: 1957

Members:
Paul McCartney -vocals, bass, piano
Ringo Starr -drums, percussion
John Lennon -vocals, rhythm guitar, piano
George Harrison -lead guitar, vocals

Bands in the Family:
Plastic Ono Band, Wings, The Rolling Stones, Cream, ELO, Ravi Shankar, every musical group, rock or otherwise, since 1964...

Notes:
The Beatles...well, you know the story. Liverpudlian roustabouts in love with American rock 'n' roll pick up guitars, move to Hamburg to learn to play, figure out how to write pop songs and save the world for teenagers. How did they do it? They invented history's greatest hairdo (for men and women). They wrote four-chord pop and symphonic mood music without claiming one's superiority over the other. They were political, sexual, comical and emotional. They were smart, classy and stoned. Without The Beatles...well, it just doesn't bear thinking about, does it?

With the release of Beatles For Sale in November 1964, the constant spotlight glare of Beatlemania and the accompanying happy, shiny surface was beginning to bear heavily on the Fab Four. The album cover photo shows a very somber and tired-looking band, and the double meaning of the title was lost on only the very naïve.

As a reflection of how the demands of fame, fortune, and constant touring were taking their toll and sapping the Beatles of their creative energy, the album has six cover tunes: Chuck Berry’s "Rock and Roll Music," Dr. Feelgood’s "Mr. Moonlight," Little Richard’s arrangement of "Kansas City," Buddy Holly’s "Words of Love," and Carl Perkins’ "Honey Don’t" (sung by Ringo) and "Everybody’s Trying To Be My Baby" (sung by George).

Most of the original tracks fail to capture the brilliance of A Hard Days Night, the predecessor to Beatles For Sale (in the U.K. anyway). There are, however, some highlights, including "No Reply," "Eight Days a Week," and "I’ll Follow the Sun." Some of the songs are dark and even a little foreboding, such as "I’m a Loser" and "Baby’s in Black," perhaps foreshadowing the more introspective work to come.

On it’s own, Beatles For Sale does not hold up to most of the Beatles' prior or future work. But as a marker of where they were and where they were going, the album is revelatory.

If you like The Beatles, check out:
The Beatles The Beatles
The Beatles Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
The Beatles Help!
The Beatles A Hard Days Night
The Beatles Rubber Soul
The Beatles Revolver
The Beatles Abbey Road
King Biscuit Time No Style
The Beta Band The Three EPs
The Zombies The Singles Collection
Oasis Definitely Maybe

-- Cara Wallis

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