:format(webp):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-7866854-1575387079-8072.jpeg.jpg)
Capitol couldn’t wait until August for the next Beatles album, so true to form, they cobbled a stopgap to get a two-month jump. “Eight Days A Week”, with its groundbreaking faded-in introduction, had been siphoned from Beatles For Sale as a hit American single in February, and now it was a featured track on June’s Beatles VI. The title was intended to set the record straight as to which label had the last word on official LP releases; not counting The Beatles’ Story, this was their sixth album on Capitol.It was technically more ’65 than its predecessor, to be honest. The remaining tracks from Beatles For Sale are included here, in typically shuffled order, along with five early escapees from the recent Help! sessions making their worldwide debut. The contents are rounded out by the recent B-side “Yes It Is” (“Ticket To Ride” being saved for the upcoming Help! soundtrack) and the Larry Williams cover “Bad Boy”, which was allegedly recorded with the US market in mind and wouldn’t appear on British vinyl for 18 long months.
The album kicks off Paul’s stellar vocal on “Kansas City”, meshed with Little Richard’s “Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!”, and doesn’t let up from there. The country sound of “I Don’t Want To Spoil The Party” and Buddy Holly’s “Words Of Love” fits with the R&B of “Bad Boy” and another Larry Williams song, the frantic “Dizzy Miss Lizzy”. “What You’re Doing”, “Every Little Thing”, and “Tell Me What You See” are buried gems, and George works on his songwriting with “You Like Me Too Much”.
This is a strong set, and is a prime example of the timeless universality of Beatles music, to the point where American consumers would gladly purchase a CD version of Beatles VI. But while we were shackled to the British standard, these eleven songs were spread throughout three CDs (or as one of a pricey four-CD set) until the “U.S. Albums” rollout made it widely available again in 2014.
The Beatles Beatles VI (1965)—5
UK CD equivalent: Beatles For Sale/Help!/Past Masters
Half from “Beatles for Sale” and half from the “Help!” sessions make for another uneven listen. However, a plus is that the covers here are better than those on “ ‘65”. Paul kicks absolute ass on “Kansas City”. Although “Bad Boy” and “Dizzy Miss Lizzie” come from the “Help!” sessions, they fit more in the feel of “..For Sale”. “Act Naturally” should have been here, too. “Words of Love” is positively gorgeous. The first song where their harmonies rival The Beach Boys. I always thought George’s voice was there in the mix, but it apparently is not.
ReplyDeleteAs for the originals, “What You’re Doing” and “Every Little Thing” are slight, for Beatles songs. They sound unfinished, almost (and NO WAY could it have been predicted that Yes would turn the latter into an extravaganza). John continues to be a self-pitying grumpazoid on the bouncy "I Don't Want to Spoil the Party", but it managed to creep into the Top 40 anyway! The A-side of that single, “Eight Days a Week”, stands in contrast to the rest of these. Much cheerier and more in line with the earlier stuff.
As for the three remaining “Help!” refugees, "Tell Me What You See” sounds like they were shooting for “Rubber Soul”, but couldn’t quite get there. "You Like Me Too Much" has a rather condescending lyric to go with the happy melody. Finally, “Yes, It Is”, as John would admit, was a retread of “This Boy”, but I like the mournful sound George got from his volume pedal and the harmonies.
As with “’65”, the relative decline in quality of ..”For Sale” and some of the weaker stuff from the British “Help!” prevent me from agreeing with the 5.