United Artists had agreed to distribute the Beatles’ first film so they could get the soundtrack LP rights, not thinking that this phenomenon would last the year. Their version of A Hard Day’s Night was a mix between eight songs from the British LP interspersed with four laughable George Martin orchestrations that should offend jazz purists and Beatlemaniacs alike. The lush “And I Love Her” lends itself to Muzak, and the wacky waltz interpretation of the title track is just plain weird. To this day “This Boy” is still referred to on occasion as “Ringo’s Theme” due to its use in the film and on this album.
Yet there’s something wonderful about putting the needle down on side one and hearing that wonderful clang starting the title track. The energy keeps up through “Tell Me Why” and “I’ll Cry Instead” (shortlisted for the film but ultimately replaced in theaters by a reprise of “Can’t Buy Me Love”). George gets “I’m Happy Just To Dance With You”, “I Should Have Known Better” starts side two, and “If I Fell” and “And I Love Her” provide breathers.
While they didn’t gain the rights to the Hard Day’s Night soundtrack proper until the early ‘80s—whereupon it was reissued as is—Capitol was still able to exploit the individual songs all they wanted in 1964. This resulted in three singles containing six songs released within two weeks, simultaneous with the not-quite-accurately-titled Something New. This hodgepodge trumpets the inclusion of five songs from the smash hit movie, and also includes the other half of the Long Tall Sally EP, four songs from side two of the British Hard Day’s Night LP, and the German version of “I Want To Hold Your Hand”.
It’s a lopsided collection all right; the two covers from the EP —“Slow Down” and “Matchbox”—jar with the originals and the German novelty is just plain weird. “Things We Said Today” and “Any Time At All” are wonderful, but “When I Get Home” is one of our absolute least favorite Beatle songs. (“I’m gonna love her till the cows come home”? Really?) The liner notes border on the inane, and a cover shot from the Ed Sullivan show and a growing list of “more Beatles LPs for your collection” tap all the weak spots. (Oddly enough, the two cover songs were released as a single the following month, in a continual attempt to glut the charts. Somehow, Ringo’s attack on “Matchbox” hit #17, and “Slow Down”, complete with flubbed vocals by John, made it to #25.)
The British LP beats both hands down, and not just because every song was written by Lennon and McCartney. (More trivia: that version was one song short of their usual 14 tracks. We would have added “I Call Your Name” had we been consulted.) Of the two American options, Something New gets the nod as being more listenable but—especially considering the absence of the title track and that fantastic opening chord—it doesn’t quite make it as a souvenir from the film, which is mandatory viewing. (While Something New did surface on CD in 2004’s Capitol Albums, Vol. 1 box, the soundtrack didn’t get digitized until its 50th anniversary as part of the “U.S. Albums” releases, alongside Something New.)
The Beatles A Hard Day’s Night (1964)—3
UK CD equivalent: A Hard Day’s Night (Beatle tracks only)
The Beatles Something New (1964)—4
UK CD equivalent: A Hard Day’s Night/Past Masters
I agree that the British album is the ONLY way to listen to these tracks. I also think that they should have recorded another cover for the “Long Tall Sally” EP. That way, “I Call Your Name” could have been added to Side 2.
ReplyDeleteThe deceptively jaunty “I’ll Cry Instead,” in retrospect, points to what John would offer up on “Beates for Sale”. My favorite since the Beatles cartoon days has always been “Things We Said Today”. Until recently, I thought a questionable line read, “Love to hear your say that love is love.” Apparently, it goes, “Love to hear your say that love is luck.” Which is only slightly less questionable. The rest of the songs are consistently solid. Yes, even “When I Get Home.” No “Little Child” or “Hold Me Tight” here. An easy 5, especially when compared with everything else until “Rubber Soul”.
While I think the UK album is the only way to listen to these songs, the 1987 CD release is NOT. I was so excited when I bought it. When I listened, I was appalled. For one thing, the mix is mono. Not my listening preference. But that isn’t the problem. The sound is so thin and trebly. Almost nothing at the lower end of the frequency spectrum. George Martin was in charge, so I don’t understand how he screwed this up. The problem was eventually repaired, I believe. I had to eventually get the album in stereo. I guess that I might have a collector’s item, but I can’t think of a reason anyone would want it.
It was a long time before mono sounded better than tinny on CDs, to my feeble ears.
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