The Beatles' "Help" Is An Underrated Album

[Lex Diamonds]

A lot of people dismiss it as a kind of commercial, movie-tie-in-by-the-numbers disc but to me it's one of their best. Definitely top 3. You're Gonna Lose That Girl is possibly my favourite Beatles song, the harmonies on it are just beautiful. And Ticket To Ride, The Night Before and You've Got To Hide Your Love Away are all some of their best tunes, even though they're all straight love songs. It might not be their deepest album lyrically- although all the songs I've mentioned have amazing lyrics- but in terms of rhythm and mood (it's pretty much a concept album) it's pretty untouchable.

I haven't listened to it for a little while but I can recite it in my head front to back. That shit reminds me of some good times.

[Kid Presentable]

I always rated it as amazing, so I think it's rated appropriately. Who thinks it's kind of commercial and by-the-numbers (aside from Allmusic)?

[mickill]

I don't think it's overtly commercial or by-the-numbers either, but I can't listen to it without skipping through half the songs.

I'd say the top 3 is Revolver, Abbey Road, and The White Album. Followed by Rubber Soul and A Hard Days Night. And even though I can't say I'm really a Sgt Peppers fan, I do like it better than Help!

That being said, Ticket To Ride is probably one of my favorite Beatles songs. But I think there's just too much filler on the album, like Act Naturally, It's Only Love, and Dizzy Miss Lizzy. And I'm a George fan, but I feel like You Like Me Too Much and I Need You are among the weakest songs he contributed to the group (besides Piggies). And I can't stand Yesterday. I've Just Seen A Face is cool, though.

So yeah, I think it's rated appropriately too.

[Kid Presentable]

I only know what I like, and could never claim to be an expert, but I love You've Got to Hide Your Love Away so much that it pretty much carries Help! for me. And the title track, also. But really, I'm just a huge mark for The White Album.

[Lex Diamonds]

I don't think it's overtly commercial or by-the-numbers either, but I can't listen to it without skipping through half the songs.

I'd say the top 3 is Revolver, Abbey Road, and The White Album. Followed by Rubber Soul and A Hard Days Night. And even though I can't say I'm really a Sgt Peppers fan, I do like it better than Help!

That being said, Ticket To Ride is probably one of my favorite Beatles songs. But I think there's just too much filler on the album, like Act Naturally, It's Only Love, and Dizzy Miss Lizzy. And I'm a George fan, but I feel like You Like Me Too Much and I Need You are among the weakest songs he contributed to the group (besides Piggies). And I can't stand Yesterday. I've Just Seen A Face is cool, though.

So yeah, I think it's rated appropriately too.
I see what you're saying. Dizzy Miss Lizzy & Act Naturally are both parodies of other groups/themselves though, so they have their place. It's Only Love is pretty pedestrian as far as Beatles songs go, but it's still been ripped off countless times since. It's just a simple ballad type thing. I agree with you about Sgt. Pepper's being slightly overrated though (I know you didn't say it exactly but it was inferred).

And You've Got To Hide Your Love Away is indeed a classic song. Although it sometimes gives me cringing flashbacks of listening to it around the time of my first break-up in a lame jilted 16 year old type way. That said, it is a deeply emotional song. I quite like the Oasis cover of it as well.

As a footnote Mike, what is it about Yesterday that grates with you?

[mickill]

I just find Yesterday depressing. Not like it resonates with me on an emotional level depressing, just depressing. Like dead children on the news depressing. Not saying it's a bad song, I just prefer to not hear it.

Ticket To Ride, though....awesome.

[TurdBerglar]

i will never understand what's so great about the beatles. they're good and all and i appreciate them but i just don't see why the rest of the world thinks of them as gods.

even the bands that i do see as the greatest bands ever are hugely influenced by them. i just don't get it. i see their songs as simple and sing songy and they weren't the best skilled musicians. they wrote pop music.

there were bands around at the same time as them that i think are much better than them. maybe because i just wasn't around then to see the transition from what was before them, i can't appreciate them.

[M|X|Y]

maybe because i just wasn't around then to see the transition from what was before them, i can't appreciate them.

maybe. thats true about a lot of music

[Sir SkratchaLot]

i will never understand what's so great about the beatles. they're good and all and i appreciate them but i just don't see why the rest of the world thinks of them as gods.

even the bands that i do see as the greatest bands ever are hugely influenced by them. i just don't get it. i see their songs as simple and sing songy and they weren't the best skilled musicians. they wrote pop music.

there were bands around at the same time as them that i think are much better than them. maybe because i just wasn't around then to see the transition from what was before them, i can't appreciate them.

The thing about the Beatles is that they make something that's very very difficult look very easy. They wrote "pop" songs but they were still able to simultaniouly innovate and push the envolope. They were masters of melody and harmony and when you do that right, it looks deceptively simple. Everything marries together so seamlessly and effortlessly that it seems obvious. The thing is, it's very very complex and difficult to pull off. And the Beatles did it over and over.

The timeline is also amazing. In a 7 year period they put out a huge number of songs that resonated with the general public and musicians. They had about 30 #1 hits during that time period, and a whole freaking slew of material that was cutting edge and influenced all sorts of musicians (soul, rock, jazz, country , hip hop, you name it.) It is freaking insane that they did all that in 7 years, while touring for a good part of it!

Personally, coming from a more "underground" music perspective, I always dissed the Beatles until I really started to get into the albums. The more I heard, and more I learned about music, the more respect I got for them. For a long time I used to think Ringo was a weak link until I started learning the drums. Then I realized how bad-ass he is. Those guys just meshed perfectly. I think it just so happened that these 4 very skilled muscians somehow got in the same band and the sum was much greater than its parts. I don't think we'll see anything like it again for some time.

I guess Help was their last album where they were just focusing on the solid pop song. They killed it. Rubber Soul takes it a little further into left field and by the time Revolver hits they really started getting out there. Good shit.

[Guy Incognito]

Help is awesome, the films pretty good too, i was think about the film when i hear "you've got to hide your love away". the false teeth in the grass.
Ticket to ride is a piece of unrivalled genius. It still sounds like it could have been written yesterday.
The title track is also one of the greatest and most covered tunes of all time.

As regards the beatles in general, totally understand people not getting it totally but as scratchalot says to do all that in 7/8 years will never be matched. I think thats part of it, is that the journey they went on, musically, will probably be never done again.
Can you imagine a boy band turning into radiohead for example?
Plus the charisma and the fact they were the first to do a lot of stuff, well first to make stuff popular, take influences and bring them to the masses. They used their position as a popular band to do different, innovative and brave stuff that they didnt have to do. They didnt have to do that, they could have plowed on making 200 she loves you's.
Plus the writing combo and then the fact they competed against each other made for some amazing stuff. You dont hear of many bands doing that now. I can think of a couple but not with so much open competition.

[yeahwho]

The beatles are the perfect template for a rock and roll band. It really was a collaborative effort and two musical geniuses. The hard work put in at Hamburg and Liverpool paid off.

Fame catapulted them beyond any rock and roll band before and since. The mania part of the Beatles was not taken for granted by the beatles who always appeared graceful, witty and intelligent.

What Sir SkratchaLot said. They never rested on their laurels. They expanded fame and musicianship into concepts and social realms during one of the most tumultuous socially aware generations ever.

HELP! is a great record, I always like a hard days night (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSm0M-BbVdY&feature=related) better because of that first note.

[yeahwho]

I just find Yesterday depressing. Not like it resonates with me on an emotional level depressing, just depressing. Like dead children on the news depressing. Not saying it's a bad song, I just prefer to not hear it.

Ticket To Ride, though....awesome.

I agree. Song reminds me of cannibalism.

[taquitos]

john said this was his least favorite because it showed the least musical progression. i like it though

[dave790]

yeah, i like i've just seen a face. and the title track, in particular. i think rubber soul is the best beatles album. though i think the kinks were better!

[Guy Incognito]

john said this was his least favorite because it showed the least musical progression. i like it though

wonder how close to revolver he said that. that film was their last bit of proper manufactured pop malarkey and look what they produced after.

[Lex Diamonds]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQr8WzY5zUk&NR=1

[Documad]

I like the Beatles, but I don't think there's a one of their albums that I ever listen to straight through except for Abbey Road. Even the highly rated albums have songs that I can't listen to -- some songs are bad, and others are just overplayed.

The part where they're singing You're Gonna Lose That Girl in the studio is my favorite scene in Help. I like their early covers and I've got a soft spot for Dizzy Miss Lizzy. Ticket to Ride is great, but I Feel Fine is better and not on that album but I always associate the two songs for some reason.

I was a Beatles freak when I was a little kid. I've had the albums for my whole living memory, except that I didn't own Magical Mystery Tour. I even had extra British versions of some LPs in childhood because I forced relatives to get them for me when they were in Europe. But somehow I didn't even realize there was a Magical Mystery Tour album until it came with my mono box. I had compilations so I had most of those songs. But I listened to Magical Mystery Tour last week for the first time and learned that the song Harry Shearer plays during Tales of Airport Security is the Beatles. :o

[Sir SkratchaLot]

Mystery Tour may be my favorite ablum of theirs. Blue Jay Way is the shiznit. If you ever get a chance to watch the movie, it's pretty boss.

[mickill]

I find it hard to consider Magical Mystery Tour an actual "album", considering the group was opposed to Capitol tacking on their recent singles and respective b-sides at the time in order to stretch it out to a more marketable length for its US release. The group created a "double EP", intended for it to be heard that way, and in typical record company fashion, Capitol just went ahead and released it as an LP anyway.

John and Paul saved a lot of what they felt was their strongest material for their singles, so you can sort of see why the album suddenly starts sounding like a compilation during the second half.

[Sir SkratchaLot]

I find it hard to consider Magical Mystery Tour an actual "album", considering the group was opposed to Capitol tacking on their recent singles and respective b-sides at the time in order to stretch it out to a more marketable length for its US release. The group created a "double EP", intended for it to be heard that way, and in typical record company fashion, Capitol just went ahead and released it as an LP anyway.

John and Paul saved a lot of what they felt was their strongest material for their singles, so you can sort of see why the album suddenly starts sounding like a compilation during the second half.

That makes a lot of sense, and it's funny because, with the exception of Strawberry Fields, I think Side 2 is much much weaker. Side 1 is really really good.