Good Review! I don’t know about you but when I saw Help! it was a revelation! Ringo was very funny and the songs are incredible! That’s what I remember most about it! And seeing Ringo hit the Tambourine while sitting playing along to Hideaway! I remember thinking they just make it look all so easy. You just hit a Tambourine and bang you have a great song! Of course, it doesn’t work that way! As much as I love Hard Days Night, Help was better because it was in color and had an amusing plot. The Help album was a great companion and to my mind their first in a series where the albums were solid and chock full of hits! Then Rubber Soul and then Revolver! Most groups would be satisfied with Help! But the Beatles kept outdoing themselves! Unbelievable! No one could match them artistically before or since! I think you’ll agree because I’m preaching to the choir! You know exactly what I mean! It’s an embarrassment of Rich’s, isn’t it? We’re so lucky that’s the case! 👏🏻😊
Yes Dyn totally get what you are saying. I heard the album before I saw the film. Love the You've got to Hide your love Away scene as well. I actually prefer AHDN as a film and an album to Help, but yes the Beatles made strides forward from Help and never looked back with new and innovative ideas flowing like rain from a paper cup! This is why they are the greatest band that has ever been or will ever be. Thanks for this great comment.
@@beatleytonesbeatleschannel You get it! My friend from across the pond! The Beatles became Global Stars before that was even a thing and no one knew it was possible even. International Stars with a Global following! They grew beyond Liverpool and even London! An incredible phenomenon! Which is why we are still enamored and listening to them today over 50 years later with these new remixes,boxed sets and the Get Back film! Who knew? No one could have predicted all this! I, however, am very pleased to see this and grateful for it! As a lifelong fan since I was 10, I’m still loyal. I like a few other bands as well. The Doors, CCR, The Cars, The Pixies, Boston, Nirvana and Led Zeppelin come to mind! But the Beatles were the first great band that surpassed everyone because of their genius songwriting and great singing! Still the Goat! 👏🏻😊
@@dynjarren8355 Yes isn't it amazing that the older these recordings are the better the sound. I got on this Beatles 'bus' aged 15, I point think I'll ever get off. 😊
Help!' Is the first Beatles album i heard. It was my brothers copy, i loved it immediately - i thought 'The night before' was written about me!! Cos i was seeing a girl who was seeing another guy behind my back! "When i held you near, you were so sincere. Treat me like you did the night before" ha ha. Great review Tone. Looking forward to more of these reviews...
Hi kier, yes we've all done that ' make the song fit my situation' thing , although Ive noticed that this only happens when the situation is something bad rather than something positive. So Help must be an important album for you being the first one you heard. Glad you enjoyed the video and thanks for your comment mate
Great review! This is a perfect start to their "Middle Period" and has always been one of my favourite albums. Yes, there is a huge jump between this and 'Rubber Soul' but I see 'Beatles For Sale' and 'Help!' as their "Growing Up" albums. 'You're Going To Lose That Girl' 'The Night Before' and 'I Need You' are my favourite film songs, but HOW could I forget 'Ticket To Ride'??? 'I've Just Seen A Face' and 'Tell Me What You See' are my favourite "album" songs. An album I feel often get's overlooked...
Thanks very much James - I appreciate your comment. I agree that this album is overlooked and that was one of the reasons that I re-started my review series with this one. I think there's more on this album to enjoy than people remember and definitely a big stepping stone to the next album. Thanks for this great comment.
Fab review Tone. Nice to see someone diving into this album full on instead of just giving it 10 mins there is a lot to discuss as it was such an important stage of their career. I think I probably agree that Rubber Soul was probably that moment when they went all grown up. Im pretty much in line with your rating scores although I would given the songs on side 2 slightly higher scores. Great stuff and looking forward to see how your big chart progresses. thanks again.
cheers Mickey, I really tried to make this video shorter than it turned out but wanted to mention about the scoring system which i won't need to do in further deep dives. thanks for your comment
Hello Tone, have really enjoyed your deep dive into the Help album. I grew up with soundtrack Help so I really enjoy it now as the complete album. Like you said the music was getting a little bit more complex and was definitely opening the door for things to come. Looking forward to how these will play out against the solo years, so much good music to come. Have a great weekend Tone and thanks for such a detailed review. Take care!
Thanks Sharon, i think it'll be interesting pitching the solos against the band albums. Now I've explained the rules hopefully future deep dives won't be as long as i won't need to repeat that bit. I don't have the American Help but I might try and get one following your comments. Glad you enjoyed the video and thanks for this comment. Have a great weekend.
Bloody Hell, Tone! Now we have math homework to do 😉 Seriously, it's a rather ambitious undertaking and I can't wait to see how it all comes out in the wash. This was an eminently fair review, even if we "agree to disagree" on the inclusion and personal importance to the band of the covers. However, I do agree that, by this point, they shouldn't have been there. Horses for Courses, to quote George Martin. I think I've shared with you this is close to the bottom of my list of Beatles albums. Of course, the incremental difference between the top album and bottom is thisclose. Personally, I think this album was "an early clue to the new direction" (to nick another Beatles related quote). Ironically, I've always referred to this album as "the one you can smell the pot wafting off of it'. I think that is more apparent in the execution than the songwriting. There is a bit of aimlessness to it. I think this was the last album John was the dominant songwriter. After this, Paul was getting his 4-5 masterpieces per album and the improvement in George's songwriting was noticeable with each passing album. I absolutely love all John's compositions (minus one, which we'll get to shortly). I always thought it was ironic that the "call and answer" vocals at the end of Help! are on the mono version. I'm hoping they add that fix to the "remix list" when the time comes. I'm a bit more generous about You're Gonna Lose That Girl. I think this song, along with Drive My Car, were the lost singles (I know it almost had it's chance for Love Songs). I developed more of an appreciation for The Night Before and Another Girl (to me, a musical rewrite of Can't Buy Me Love - BTW, that is Paul on playing Lead Guitar) when Macca added them to his setlists. On this album, they don't measure up well to John's movie songs. Don't like I Need You very much. You Like Me Too Much is more of a sentimental favorite. Beatles VI, here in the US, did a great job of sequencing some of the weaker tracks where they are more effective. This, and Tell Me What You See are a good example of that. BTW, I'm not usually a fan of this song, but last week, I had it stuck in my head for 2 days! Nothing to add to Dizzy Miss Lizzy, except I like the Hollywood Bowl version. That version has swing and groove, where this has none of that. Act Naturally is another one I have more of a sentimental feeling about. Macca had really cemented his songwriting dominance with I've Just Seen A Face and Yesterday (you forget to mention him scratching his bum while composing this song in his undies or starkers). IMVHO, Ticket To Ride just rubs me the wrong way. Everything you described about it was spot on, but when you put it all together, it is just not one of my favorites. Closing thought: Would this have been an overall stronger album if side 2 went something like this? 1 - I've Just Seen A Face 2 - It's Only Love 3 - Act Naturally 4 - Bad Boy 5 - Wait 6 - Yesterday 7 - I'm Down
Hi Pete, probably a stronger side 2 yes. I meant to say that if we had to have a cover to end with, then Bad Boy would have fitted the bill perfectly but Im Down would have been even better. had it in my notes and forgot to say it. The great big review table is a big undertaking and I hope i have the stomach to see it through, but i think it will throw up some good talking points along the way. I actually got to like Tell Me What you See more during the making of this video than I have at any other time during the last 46 years. I don't generally like to pick out John or Paul as a more dominant songwriter but he is really coming up with the goods here - i think he has 4 outstanding songs here, and Paul 2 , and i think Paul has nothing in his locker on RS to touch Girl or In My Life, but from Revolver on I agree. On your point re Ticket to Ride, my appreciation for this song came to me much much later - it hasn't always been a strong favourite, maybe it will change for you at some point. Bum scratching is one thing, but forgetting to mention that he would have almost certainly have tripped over the dog is unforgivable! Thanks again for this really great comment Pete. Have a great weekend mate.
Hello,hello, here is Ellen from Germany. One of the best Albums from the beatles. And Ski scence are making,in the snow,in my country..( Land) Soory ,for my Englisch. Lg,,from me to you,,London town men, your German friend Ellen ✌❤🌹
Hi Ellen you don't have to apologise for your English, I can understand what you say ok. always good to hear from you. Yes the ski scene in the film 👍 Have a great weekend my friend and thank you for your comment
Thanks for the review...I agree with you highlighting songs like Tell me What you See..I like the jangling circular guitar playing...It's only Love is also memorable. Also my favorite version of Help is on the single...I prefer John's vocal on that and excellent one can locate that version of the title song. You're gonna lose that Girl is one of their best!
Hi Tone, Excellent in depth review of Help except, The Night Before, Another Girl and Dizzy Miss Lizzy are brilliant but to be fair it's all about personal taste. Good to see a positive score for Tell Me What You See. BTW, if you intend to do a review video every 2-3 weeks, I'm not sure I'll be around for the final table😁. Looking forward to more reviews though. Cheers
😂Im not sure I will be around for the final table either 😂 Cheers Eddie, glad you enjoyed the video. The Night Before and Another Girl are still songs I enjoy and maybe I was overly harsh - I just don't enjoy them as much as some of the others. Thanks for this great comment
Hi, Tone, thanks for this great review. Also for me, Help was the transition album from Beatlemania to something more. I really appreciate your rating system, but I am not really sure, if it will work properly. As you already said, the whole is often greater as the sum of the parts. For me, all Beatles albums are higher rated than any of the solo stuff. I really like the solo albums, but for me Help and let it be are as a whole surely better as Imagine or any other solo album. Nevertheless, it make sense to have a kind of rating system. I am looking forward for your next videos.
Hi Armin Glad you liked the video so thank you for this comment. I don't know whether it will work out either, but its going to be fun compiling the list .Its not perfect for sure, but for me there are plenty of solo albums that I like better than beatles albums so that part isnt a problem for me. Remember this is only my opinion and Im very happy for people to disagree with me and so far its working out because I certainly enjoy Imagine more than Help as an entire album. We'll see how it pans out over time. I see more difficult decisions ahead like will Polythene Pam, mean Mr mustard and Carry that Weight bring down the score of Abbey Road by scoring them as individual songs rather than part of the medley ? We'll have to wait and see.
Hi mate!!! Well, this sure is just another fine classic album by the Beatles... But for me a verry hard one to choose? because there are two albums' here!!! The US one and the UK one :). But for me I grew up playing the US one and yes you are right the US one is verry much jostled. to were the UK one dose flow much better... Ok now that I have that off of my chest lol carry on lad lol!!! + yes, you are so right about the CD one!!! RS yes that was the turning point H did start it but yes RS :). The song Help starts you off with the BIG rocket ride lol!! Ticket to ride YES 10!!! Tell me what you see is one that never gets played on the Beatles XM and yes you are right. I do like this one a lot too:)!!! Dizzy mis. lizzy mmm I sure do wish you would let me how you feel about this song lol you are so lol about this one ... But you know now thinking about it .... Yes lol!!! I think you ranking of this album is just spot on!!! You did well on the one Tony have a great weekend mate cheers my brother :)!!!!!
Hey Brother Beatles Brad, what a fantastic comment from you my friend. I don't have the US version of Help but I really like the look of it with its gatefold sleeve and rainbow capitol label so I will probably try and find one. Yes I think help is the starting point when things started to change which is fully realised by the time RS came along. You comment re my comment about Dizzy miss Lizzy really made me laugh - nice work BB. Glad you enjoyed the video and always great to have you here. Speak soon my friend and enjoy what's left of the weekend.
You know IF just if you want to. I would be more than happy to find you a copy in Mono or Streno of Help if you won't!!! Just let me know Tony ..... For you no problem :)!!!
@@beatlebrad5339 Thanks very much Brad. I may well take you up on that . Im trying to find one here so I don't have to pay huge shipping costs but the ones I have seen so far on line are really expensive . So I guess I need to decide how much I want this and what its likely to cost. Thanks very much for your very kind offer - I really appreciate that , leave it with me and I'll let you know mate
An excellent in-depth analysis, Tone. As you know, I consider Help! to be a major turning point for the band; not that Rubber Soul isn’t, but to my mind Help! is the hinge where things begin to turn. As far as the slower version of the title track goes, are you familiar with Deep Purple’s version? It is from their first album, when they were definitely showing a strong Vanilla Fudge influence; still, it is an interesting take on a more mournful approach. I don’t think it’s what John would have done, but I dig it. I’m looking forward to the next review!
Thanks very much Matt, glad you liked the review. I haven't heard the Deep Purple version. I do have some purple stuff but I go from In Rock to Burn and then give up in a huff. I will check out this version though so thanks for the heads up and thanks for the comment.
@@beatleytonesbeatleschannel I’m a big fan of Purple and enjoy most all of their incarnations, but that run from In Rock to Burn is pretty elite. Their version of Help may not be to your taste, but I hope you’ll enjoy it. Cheers.
@@matthewturnage4998 I had a listen and it gets a thumbs up from me- I enjoyed it. That first singer has a great voice. I thought it dragged a little but and obviously missing some of the important elements of the original but its an interesting take on the song - thanks for pointing me in its direction.
Thanks Edward, glad you enjoyed the video. DML is just one of those songs for me but if you enjoy it then thats great. Maybe a little tough on I Need You, but the You Like Me Too much, i just don't like the cockiness of it - especially the I will follow you and bring you back where you belong bit. But obviously these are only my opinions and everyone hears things differently, thats what keeps it interesting. Thanks for your comment Edward.
I think in hindsight that I Need You is accurately described as "unspectacular." However, discovering Help! in 1975 and being a George fan at first, it was, as you say, a step up from Don't Bother Me. (An accomplished jazz guitarist picked up that George almost blew the ending with the wah-wah pedal. The use of that device is another example of George pushing the envelope.)
I think Tell Me What You See is unnoticed rather than underrated (a word used way too much in comments). It's their only cover i would rather listen to than the original. And i think it's one of the few if not only harmony where John has the high part. Actually, I Don't Want to Soil the Party has Paul lower. But still, TMWYS is one of their finest harmonies. Edit: i'm old, and may be confusing Words of Love.
Hi Tone, the conventional wisdom is that Beatles albums got progressively better though interestingly when i marked all the albums recently the Hard Days Night came out as the best album. Help and Rubber Soul where marked down as the Ringo track on either album significantly weakens both respective album. Any album with Help, Yesterday and Ticket to ride though has to be a classic
Hi David, must admit I quite like Ringo's tracks on both those albums but I agree, most bands in 1965 would have killed to have one song of the quality of Help, Ticket to Ride and Yesterday let alone 3. The album was pretty low in my rankings too, but that's more of a reflection of the rest of the catalogue rather this being a below par album. Thanks for your comment.
There was a couple of songs that we recorded during the help sessions which was not released up until the Beatles anthology double CD sets which were if you got trouble and another song called that means a lot which The Beatles then gave to Tammy quickly.
I spit the drink on Beatley Tones great big album review ranking table,. "Because eveyone needs to know if Stopnsmell the roses is a better album than Extra Texture" hahahaha The UK version of Help rocks and puts my USA version to shame. I always felt ripped off buying USA album and getting 1/2 Beatles album for full price. I love movies but could care less about the orchestration soundtrack. I wanted BEATLES music! I see and hear this album as a "middle of the road Beatlemania" already bored with touring and wanting to spend more time in the studio. I think you have it ranked correctly in relation to the UK releases. Some great songs, some good songs and some throwaways Hey Tone, what you think of the unreleased songs That Means Alot & If Youve got trouble from that time and if they would have been better choices for the album? Surprised "I'm Down" was not the album closer instead of Dizzy, and speaking of Dizzy...did Beatley Tone go bonkers with 1979 Birth of the Beatles movie? I recently watched it and besides all the grievous errors Dizzy Miss Lizzy is played in full 3 or 4 times. I can imagine you screaming at the TV in 1979 "not that bloody song again!"
😂The spit drink - I hate it when that happens 😂 but glad it gave you a laugh. Yes I get the frustration over the US albums - Capitol were really milking the material and rinsing the fans. the only taste of that particular medicine we got, was the delayed release of Bad Boy in the UK. We had to wait until 1966 for that. I saw someone showing the US Help album but it did look rather nice with its gatefold sleeve and rainbow capitol label - but obviously the music didnt match up to the packaging. I see this album album the same as a sort of end of the mop-tops thing , by Rubber Soul they were more top than mop. I think the 2 songs than we got on the Anthology from these sessions are OKbut if I remember rightly they were both the first take, so it would have been nice to hear how these progressed. If you've got Troiubles sounds to me like it would have fitted well onto Beatles for Sale, That Means A lot, has got some nice things in it that I think they could have worked on like the harmonies and the drum groove (not that dis-similar to what Ringo plays on Ticket to Ride) but Im not sure it even feels like a beatles song at the Take 1 stage. Another viewer commented on the DML/Im Down thing and like I said to him, I actually had that in my script notes but forgot to say it when I made the video - I probably got lost in my rant. I don't actually recall DML being in TBOTB film 3 times. I haven't watched it for decades and probably never will again but I do remember being frustrated at the inaccuracies and Id been a fan for a couple of years by then and certainly didnt have a vast knowledge of the band so there were probably some errors that I didnt even spot. The only thing I take from that film is the 'topper-most of the pop-amost' a phrase that I still occasionally use today when referring to something toppy or poppy. Thansl for a great comment Russ
@@beatleytonesbeatleschannel You are welcome! I forgot to mention that this idea is exactly what my Beatle friends and I did sometimes after school circa 1976-81 ranking songs A plus to F minus. So, thanks for doing this and I appreciate all the hard work because this is not easy. I do hope you give Birth of the Beatles another chance if only for the good job that the band "Rain" does with the songs and the very silly dialogue like: "So Insectioustly speaking that how we got to the Beatles. add polish and it became Silver Beatles" hahaha! I would love to hear what you have to say breaking down the film with all its silliness! have a good one
@@RussBeatle63 Sounds like a fun after school activity. You're right it's not really that easy because it brings up so many conflicting thoughts especially when you're scoring something a 10. What I mean is if I mark say I am the Walrus as a 10 (as I would) but then also score Help as a 10 - does that mean that Help is as good a song as I Am the Walrus, which to me it clearly isn't - so all sorts of dilemmas. Like I said on the video its not a perfect way to do it, but on the other hand there are only 10 numbers. Marking them out of 20 would probably give scope for accuracy but its not as snappy. I have the Birth of the Beatles on VHS (recorded off the TV) but no video player these days so would have to find it online as I can barely remember the dialogue - not saying its not doable - I'll put it on the list. Thanks for your comment Russ and enjoy the rest of the weekend
Hi Tone pretty much agree with all your ratings for this LP except I Need You, You’re Going to Lose That Girl, and It’s Only Love should all be 10. Guess I’m more of a romantic old geezer than you.😀 Also come on, you can’t knock Dizzy Miss Lizzy like that. John’s voice is pure Rock n Roll. Who else can belt out a tune like that? And yes I do love the Larry Williams original too, but no one can match John’s vocals. I don’t care if this song only had a banjo and a washboard. I know on your system you only allow this song a max of 7 but for me this is 10+ regardless that it wasn’t an original.
Yes John's vocals on DML are outstanding but its that screeching guitar riff that does for me - sets my teeth on edge it does . This system is far from perfect I know but rules is rules I will have to impose this rule for albums that entirely made up of covers like the Russian Album or Rock N Roll etc. I thought it made sense - well it did to me anyway 🙂 Good to know that we're on the same page on the other songs though. Thanks for your comments Bob
Glad you agree with the scoring method for covers, i think it makes sense. Im going to politely disagree with you about the songwriting - I think John still has more top notch songs on this album than Paul despite Yesterday. I also think his songs were better on Rubber Soul, but from Revolver onwards I think Paul had the better songs. Thanks for your comment
Yeah, I don’t think Paul had displaced John on Help yet, I just think it was starting to happen. I’m also thinking of the arrangements with Paul conceiving the drum pattern and doing the guitar fills on Ticket to Ride and also developing the countermelody on Help.
Im not sure because I dont closely follow the set lists of what other bands did in the 60s, but I think its standard for all bands to have a set list cast in stone when touring with maybe one or two alternative songs. But when youre only doing a 25 minute set it doesn't live a lot of room for manoeuvre . I know someone like Dylan used to mix and match quite a lot in the early days but then again it was just him and a guitar on stage
Night before does not contain rubbish lyrics, tone. It’s simply wonderful. Help is a favorite album. Lennon dominated the Beatles in 64 and 65 brilliant.
Maybe I was a little harsh on the Night Before - its that line 'when I think of the things we did, it makes me wanna cry' - makes me cringe. Laurence Juber told me he that Paul told him that the reason he cried was that the girl gave him a right old kicking and pulled his hair😂 Seriously its a song I enjoy. John was definitely the dominant songwriter during this period, then it changed at revolver.
@@beatleytonesbeatleschannel it’s a bit tongue in cheek. Paul playfully mugs for camera when he delivers the line. There’s an innocence and playfulness in pre revolver Beatles that is awesome
I first became acquainted with the help album back in the 1990s when I bought the Beatles catalog since the remastered 1987 versions of all the Beatles albums were only available and help with one of the albums that I bought. I love the help album it’s a great album I was introduced to the UK release I had never heard of the Capitol records release until I bought the capital album is lying to and also the US albums that was released in 2013. I first heard the incidental instrumental music when I had the DVD of the movie help the two disc DVD set and it’s a great movie what is amazing to me is that it’s a wonder that the Beatles were able to not only make the film but to release it as well, because they were so stoned out of their minds. even Paul McCartney said in the eight days a week documentary which I think is one of the best documentaries ever Paul McCartney said that the Beatles were really stoned at that time. One of my favorite scenes in the movie help is when you’re hearing the playback of you’re gonna lose that girl, and a noise happens and something falls down and crashes I think it’s not only a great album but a really good movie have you heard the US version of the song help especially with that James Bond in Trail which is really cool.
Careful...your John bias is showing....The words on "The Night Before" are trite,but you have no such problem with the lyrics of" You're Going to Lose That Girl"....If anything, the words on the latter are clumsier......
Fair point - these reviews are always just my opinions and I encourage the challenge of everyone else's opinion. I do think John has the better songs on this album, its true, but you will see the bias swing towards Paul from Revolver onwards. Thank you for your comment Julia
One of the things that you probably might not know when the Beatles were recording yesterday that was the same session that produced I’m down which was the B-side to help I believe. and Paul McCartney recorded the song yesterday and to text while I am down was recorded and 17th. George Martin suggested to Paul McCartney to have a string section and Paul McCartney didn’t want to do that at first, because he didn’t want some big classical orchestration anything like that. then George Martin said how about a string quartet and he told Paul that he would record the string quartet with the acoustic guitar and if Paul McCartney didn’t like it then it would be buried in the mix. I think yesterday is one of the best songs ever and it’s a really great song.
Yes both were recorded on 14th june 1965, although Yesterday had a couple of sessions aa few days later too, Im down was recorded in completion that day
@@beatleytonesbeatleschannel I think I am down as one of the best songs ever because it has that little Richard influence there and yesterday is a really good song. Paul McCartney really does a great job with that track.
I think the UK "Help!" album is a lot better than our US version. "Its Only Love" and "I've Just Seen A Face" fit well on our US version of Rubber Soul imop.
Good Review! I don’t know about you but when I saw Help! it was a revelation! Ringo was very funny and the songs are incredible! That’s what I remember most about it! And seeing Ringo hit the Tambourine while sitting playing along to Hideaway! I remember thinking they just make it look all so easy. You just hit a Tambourine and bang you have a great song! Of course, it doesn’t work that way!
As much as I love Hard Days Night, Help was better because it was in color and had an amusing plot. The Help album was a great companion and to my mind their first in a series where the albums were solid and chock full of hits! Then Rubber Soul and then Revolver!
Most groups would be satisfied with Help! But the Beatles kept outdoing themselves! Unbelievable! No one could match them artistically before or since!
I think you’ll agree because I’m preaching to the choir! You know exactly what I mean! It’s an embarrassment of Rich’s, isn’t it? We’re so lucky that’s the case! 👏🏻😊
Yes Dyn totally get what you are saying. I heard the album before I saw the film. Love the You've got to Hide your love Away scene as well. I actually prefer AHDN as a film and an album to Help, but yes the Beatles made strides forward from Help and never looked back with new and innovative ideas flowing like rain from a paper cup! This is why they are the greatest band that has ever been or will ever be. Thanks for this great comment.
@@beatleytonesbeatleschannel You get it! My friend from across the pond!
The Beatles became Global Stars before that was even a thing and no one knew it was possible even. International Stars with a Global following!
They grew beyond Liverpool and even London! An incredible phenomenon!
Which is why we are still enamored and listening to them today over 50 years later with these new remixes,boxed sets and the Get Back film!
Who knew? No one could have predicted all this!
I, however, am very pleased to see this and grateful for it! As a lifelong fan since I was 10, I’m still loyal.
I like a few other bands as well. The Doors, CCR, The Cars, The Pixies, Boston, Nirvana and Led Zeppelin come to mind!
But the Beatles were the first great band that surpassed everyone because of their genius songwriting and great singing!
Still the Goat! 👏🏻😊
@@dynjarren8355 Yes isn't it amazing that the older these recordings are the better the sound. I got on this Beatles 'bus' aged 15, I point think I'll ever get off. 😊
Help!' Is the first Beatles album i heard. It was my brothers copy, i loved it immediately - i thought 'The night before' was written about me!! Cos i was seeing a girl who was seeing another guy behind my back! "When i held you near, you were so sincere. Treat me like you did the night before" ha ha. Great review Tone. Looking forward to more of these reviews...
Hi kier, yes we've all done that ' make the song fit my situation' thing , although Ive noticed that this only happens when the situation is something bad rather than something positive. So Help must be an important album for you being the first one you heard. Glad you enjoyed the video and thanks for your comment mate
Great review!
This is a perfect start to their "Middle Period" and has always been one of my favourite albums. Yes, there is a huge jump between this and 'Rubber Soul' but I see 'Beatles For Sale' and 'Help!' as their "Growing Up" albums.
'You're Going To Lose That Girl' 'The Night Before' and 'I Need You' are my favourite film songs, but HOW could I forget 'Ticket To Ride'???
'I've Just Seen A Face' and 'Tell Me What You See' are my favourite "album" songs.
An album I feel often get's overlooked...
Thanks very much James - I appreciate your comment. I agree that this album is overlooked and that was one of the reasons that I re-started my review series with this one. I think there's more on this album to enjoy than people remember and definitely a big stepping stone to the next album. Thanks for this great comment.
Fab review Tone. Nice to see someone diving into this album full on instead of just giving it 10 mins there is a lot to discuss as it was such an important stage of their career. I think I probably agree that Rubber Soul was probably that moment when they went all grown up. Im pretty much in line with your rating scores although I would given the songs on side 2 slightly higher scores. Great stuff and looking forward to see how your big chart progresses. thanks again.
cheers Mickey, I really tried to make this video shorter than it turned out but wanted to mention about the scoring system which i won't need to do in further deep dives. thanks for your comment
The first Beatles album i bought. Five bob, second hand from a schoolmate in 1968. Been buying ever since.
I guess its an important album for you then, being the first that you bought. 1968 ! That's a long time of buying. Thanks for your comment
Hello Tone, have really enjoyed your deep dive into the Help album. I grew up with soundtrack Help so I really enjoy it now as the complete album. Like you said the music was getting a little bit more complex and was definitely opening the door for things to come. Looking forward to how these will play out against the solo years, so much good music to come. Have a great weekend Tone and thanks for such a detailed review. Take care!
Thanks Sharon, i think it'll be interesting pitching the solos against the band albums. Now I've explained the rules hopefully future deep dives won't be as long as i won't need to repeat that bit. I don't have the American Help but I might try and get one following your comments. Glad you enjoyed the video and thanks for this comment. Have a great weekend.
Great video as always, very entertaining, really enjoy your videos, keep up the good work, look forward to your next video
cheers Dave Glad you enjoyed it mate and thanks for your comment
Another great video Tone! Definitely my go to Beatle channel now.
Thanks Peter. glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks for this comment and your continued support.
Act naturally with Paul’s harmony is sublime
couldn't agree more
Bloody Hell, Tone! Now we have math homework to do 😉 Seriously, it's a rather ambitious undertaking and I can't wait to see how it all comes out in the wash. This was an eminently fair review, even if we "agree to disagree" on the inclusion and personal importance to the band of the covers. However, I do agree that, by this point, they shouldn't have been there. Horses for Courses, to quote George Martin.
I think I've shared with you this is close to the bottom of my list of Beatles albums. Of course, the incremental difference between the top album and bottom is thisclose. Personally, I think this album was "an early clue to the new direction" (to nick another Beatles related quote). Ironically, I've always referred to this album as "the one you can smell the pot wafting off of it'. I think that is more apparent in the execution than the songwriting. There is a bit of aimlessness to it. I think this was the last album John was the dominant songwriter. After this, Paul was getting his 4-5 masterpieces per album and the improvement in George's songwriting was noticeable with each passing album.
I absolutely love all John's compositions (minus one, which we'll get to shortly). I always thought it was ironic that the "call and answer" vocals at the end of Help! are on the mono version. I'm hoping they add that fix to the "remix list" when the time comes. I'm a bit more generous about You're Gonna Lose That Girl. I think this song, along with Drive My Car, were the lost singles (I know it almost had it's chance for Love Songs). I developed more of an appreciation for The Night Before and Another Girl (to me, a musical rewrite of Can't Buy Me Love - BTW, that is Paul on playing Lead Guitar) when Macca added them to his setlists. On this album, they don't measure up well to John's movie songs. Don't like I Need You very much. You Like Me Too Much is more of a sentimental favorite. Beatles VI, here in the US, did a great job of sequencing some of the weaker tracks where they are more effective. This, and Tell Me What You See are a good example of that. BTW, I'm not usually a fan of this song, but last week, I had it stuck in my head for 2 days! Nothing to add to Dizzy Miss Lizzy, except I like the Hollywood Bowl version. That version has swing and groove, where this has none of that. Act Naturally is another one I have more of a sentimental feeling about. Macca had really cemented his songwriting dominance with I've Just Seen A Face and Yesterday (you forget to mention him scratching his bum while composing this song in his undies or starkers). IMVHO, Ticket To Ride just rubs me the wrong way. Everything you described about it was spot on, but when you put it all together, it is just not one of my favorites.
Closing thought: Would this have been an overall stronger album if side 2 went something like this?
1 - I've Just Seen A Face
2 - It's Only Love
3 - Act Naturally
4 - Bad Boy
5 - Wait
6 - Yesterday
7 - I'm Down
Hi Pete, probably a stronger side 2 yes. I meant to say that if we had to have a cover to end with, then Bad Boy would have fitted the bill perfectly but Im Down would have been even better. had it in my notes and forgot to say it.
The great big review table is a big undertaking and I hope i have the stomach to see it through, but i think it will throw up some good talking points along the way. I actually got to like Tell Me What you See more during the making of this video than I have at any other time during the last 46 years. I don't generally like to pick out John or Paul as a more dominant songwriter but he is really coming up with the goods here - i think he has 4 outstanding songs here, and Paul 2 , and i think Paul has nothing in his locker on RS to touch Girl or In My Life, but from Revolver on I agree. On your point re Ticket to Ride, my appreciation for this song came to me much much later - it hasn't always been a strong favourite, maybe it will change for you at some point.
Bum scratching is one thing, but forgetting to mention that he would have almost certainly have tripped over the dog is unforgivable!
Thanks again for this really great comment Pete. Have a great weekend mate.
Hello,hello, here is Ellen from Germany. One of the best Albums from the beatles. And Ski scence are making,in the snow,in my country..( Land)
Soory ,for my Englisch.
Lg,,from me to you,,London town men, your German friend Ellen ✌❤🌹
Hi Ellen you don't have to apologise for your English, I can understand what you say ok. always good to hear from you. Yes the ski scene in the film 👍 Have a great weekend my friend and thank you for your comment
Thanks for the review...I agree with you highlighting songs like Tell me What you See..I like the jangling circular guitar playing...It's only Love is also memorable. Also my favorite version of Help is on the single...I prefer John's vocal on that and excellent one can locate that version of the title song. You're gonna lose that Girl is one of their best!
Thanks very much Michael, Im glad you enjoyed the review and thanks for sharing your thoughts
Hi Tone, Excellent in depth review of Help except, The Night Before, Another Girl and Dizzy Miss Lizzy are brilliant but to be fair it's all about personal taste. Good to see a positive score for Tell Me What You See. BTW, if you intend to do a review video every 2-3 weeks, I'm not sure I'll be around for the final table😁. Looking forward to more reviews though. Cheers
😂Im not sure I will be around for the final table either 😂 Cheers Eddie, glad you enjoyed the video. The Night Before and Another Girl are still songs I enjoy and maybe I was overly harsh - I just don't enjoy them as much as some of the others. Thanks for this great comment
Hi, Tone, thanks for this great review. Also for me, Help was the transition album from Beatlemania to something more. I really appreciate your rating system, but I am not really sure, if it will work properly. As you already said, the whole is often greater as the sum of the parts. For me, all Beatles albums are higher rated than any of the solo stuff. I really like the solo albums, but for me Help and let it be are as a whole surely better as Imagine or any other solo album. Nevertheless, it make sense to have a kind of rating system. I am looking forward for your next videos.
Hi Armin Glad you liked the video so thank you for this comment. I don't know whether it will work out either, but its going to be fun compiling the list .Its not perfect for sure, but for me there are plenty of solo albums that I like better than beatles albums so that part isnt a problem for me. Remember this is only my opinion and Im very happy for people to disagree with me and so far its working out because I certainly enjoy Imagine more than Help as an entire album. We'll see how it pans out over time. I see more difficult decisions ahead like will Polythene Pam, mean Mr mustard and Carry that Weight bring down the score of Abbey Road by scoring them as individual songs rather than part of the medley ? We'll have to wait and see.
Hi mate!!! Well, this sure is just another fine classic album by the Beatles... But for me a verry hard one to choose? because there are two albums' here!!! The US one and the UK one :). But for me I grew up playing the US one and yes you are right the US one is verry much jostled. to were the UK one dose flow much better... Ok now that I have that off of my chest lol carry on lad lol!!! + yes, you are so right about the CD one!!! RS yes that was the turning point H did start it but yes RS :). The song Help starts you off with the BIG rocket ride lol!! Ticket to ride YES 10!!! Tell me what you see is one that never gets played on the Beatles XM and yes you are right. I do like this one a lot too:)!!! Dizzy mis. lizzy mmm I sure do wish you would let me how you feel about this song lol you are so lol about this one ... But you know now thinking about it .... Yes lol!!! I think you ranking of this album is just spot on!!! You did well on the one Tony have a great weekend mate cheers my brother :)!!!!!
Hey Brother Beatles Brad, what a fantastic comment from you my friend. I don't have the US version of Help but I really like the look of it with its gatefold sleeve and rainbow capitol label so I will probably try and find one. Yes I think help is the starting point when things started to change which is fully realised by the time RS came along. You comment re my comment about Dizzy miss Lizzy really made me laugh - nice work BB. Glad you enjoyed the video and always great to have you here. Speak soon my friend and enjoy what's left of the weekend.
You know IF just if you want to. I would be more than happy to find you a copy in Mono or Streno of Help if you won't!!! Just let me know Tony ..... For you no problem :)!!!
@@beatlebrad5339 Thanks very much Brad. I may well take you up on that . Im trying to find one here so I don't have to pay huge shipping costs but the ones I have seen so far on line are really expensive . So I guess I need to decide how much I want this and what its likely to cost. Thanks very much for your very kind offer - I really appreciate that , leave it with me and I'll let you know mate
Got it:)!!!
An excellent in-depth analysis, Tone. As you know, I consider Help! to be a major turning point for the band; not that Rubber Soul isn’t, but to my mind Help! is the hinge where things begin to turn. As far as the slower version of the title track goes, are you familiar with Deep Purple’s version? It is from their first album, when they were definitely showing a strong Vanilla Fudge influence; still, it is an interesting take on a more mournful approach. I don’t think it’s what John would have done, but I dig it. I’m looking forward to the next review!
Thanks very much Matt, glad you liked the review. I haven't heard the Deep Purple version. I do have some purple stuff but I go from In Rock to Burn and then give up in a huff. I will check out this version though so thanks for the heads up and thanks for the comment.
@@beatleytonesbeatleschannel I’m a big fan of Purple and enjoy most all of their incarnations, but that run from In Rock to Burn is pretty elite. Their version of Help may not be to your taste, but I hope you’ll enjoy it. Cheers.
@@matthewturnage4998 I had a listen and it gets a thumbs up from me- I enjoyed it. That first singer has a great voice. I thought it dragged a little but and obviously missing some of the important elements of the original but its an interesting take on the song - thanks for pointing me in its direction.
@@beatleytonesbeatleschannel great, I’m glad you liked it!
Interesting review Tone. a bit hard on the two George songs and Dizzy Miss Lizzie is a gem imho. keep the videos coming
Thanks Edward, glad you enjoyed the video. DML is just one of those songs for me but if you enjoy it then thats great. Maybe a little tough on I Need You, but the You Like Me Too much, i just don't like the cockiness of it - especially the I will follow you and bring you back where you belong bit. But obviously these are only my opinions and everyone hears things differently, thats what keeps it interesting. Thanks for your comment Edward.
I think in hindsight that I Need You is accurately described as "unspectacular." However, discovering Help! in 1975 and being a George fan at first, it was, as you say, a step up from Don't Bother Me. (An accomplished jazz guitarist picked up that George almost blew the ending with the wah-wah pedal. The use of that device is another example of George pushing the envelope.)
Yes George was always the most adventurous as far as finding new instruments/effects to use on their records
I think Tell Me What You See is unnoticed rather than underrated (a word used way too much in comments). It's their only cover i would rather listen to than the original. And i think it's one of the few if not only harmony where John has the high part. Actually, I Don't Want to Soil the Party has Paul lower. But still, TMWYS is one of their finest harmonies.
Edit: i'm old, and may be confusing Words of Love.
Hi Tone, the conventional wisdom is that Beatles albums got progressively better though interestingly when i marked all the albums recently the Hard Days Night came out as the best album.
Help and Rubber Soul where marked down as the Ringo track on either album significantly weakens both respective album. Any album with Help, Yesterday and Ticket to ride though has to be a classic
Hi David, must admit I quite like Ringo's tracks on both those albums but I agree, most bands in 1965 would have killed to have one song of the quality of Help, Ticket to Ride and Yesterday let alone 3. The album was pretty low in my rankings too, but that's more of a reflection of the rest of the catalogue rather this being a below par album. Thanks for your comment.
Deep Purple covered Help on their debut album, Shades of Deep Purple. It's slowed down and perhaps the way John originally imagined the song
They did indeed Stephen. I like it
There was a couple of songs that we recorded during the help sessions which was not released up until the Beatles anthology double CD sets which were if you got trouble and another song called that means a lot which The Beatles then gave to Tammy quickly.
Of course, Yes It Is, Im Down, Wait, and Bad Boy were also recorded during these sessions.
I spit the drink on Beatley Tones great big album review ranking table,. "Because eveyone needs to know if Stopnsmell the roses is a better album than Extra Texture" hahahaha
The UK version of Help rocks and puts my USA version to shame. I always felt ripped off buying USA album and getting 1/2 Beatles album for full price. I love movies but could care less about the orchestration soundtrack. I wanted BEATLES music!
I see and hear this album as a "middle of the road Beatlemania" already bored with touring and wanting to spend more time in the studio. I think you have it ranked correctly in relation to the UK releases. Some great songs, some good songs and some throwaways
Hey Tone, what you think of the unreleased songs That Means Alot & If Youve got trouble from that time and if they would have been better choices for the album? Surprised "I'm Down" was not the album closer instead of Dizzy, and speaking of Dizzy...did Beatley Tone go bonkers with 1979 Birth of the Beatles movie? I recently watched it and besides all the grievous errors Dizzy Miss Lizzy is played in full 3 or 4 times. I can imagine you screaming at the TV in 1979 "not that bloody song again!"
😂The spit drink - I hate it when that happens 😂 but glad it gave you a laugh. Yes I get the frustration over the US albums - Capitol were really milking the material and rinsing the fans. the only taste of that particular medicine we got, was the delayed release of Bad Boy in the UK. We had to wait until 1966 for that. I saw someone showing the US Help album but it did look rather nice with its gatefold sleeve and rainbow capitol label - but obviously the music didnt match up to the packaging.
I see this album album the same as a sort of end of the mop-tops thing , by Rubber Soul they were more top than mop. I think the 2 songs than we got on the Anthology from these sessions are OKbut if I remember rightly they were both the first take, so it would have been nice to hear how these progressed. If you've got Troiubles sounds to me like it would have fitted well onto Beatles for Sale, That Means A lot, has got some nice things in it that I think they could have worked on like the harmonies and the drum groove (not that dis-similar to what Ringo plays on Ticket to Ride) but Im not sure it even feels like a beatles song at the Take 1 stage.
Another viewer commented on the DML/Im Down thing and like I said to him, I actually had that in my script notes but forgot to say it when I made the video - I probably got lost in my rant. I don't actually recall DML being in TBOTB film 3 times. I haven't watched it for decades and probably never will again but I do remember being frustrated at the inaccuracies and Id been a fan for a couple of years by then and certainly didnt have a vast knowledge of the band so there were probably some errors that I didnt even spot. The only thing I take from that film is the 'topper-most of the pop-amost' a phrase that I still occasionally use today when referring to something toppy or poppy. Thansl for a great comment Russ
@@beatleytonesbeatleschannel You are welcome! I forgot to mention that this idea is exactly what my Beatle friends and I did sometimes after school circa 1976-81 ranking songs A plus to F minus. So, thanks for doing this and I appreciate all the hard work because this is not easy. I do hope you give Birth of the Beatles another chance if only for the good job that the band "Rain" does with the songs and the very silly dialogue like: "So Insectioustly speaking that how we got to the Beatles. add polish and it became Silver Beatles" hahaha! I would love to hear what you have to say breaking down the film with all its silliness! have a good one
@@RussBeatle63 Sounds like a fun after school activity. You're right it's not really that easy because it brings up so many conflicting thoughts especially when you're scoring something a 10. What I mean is if I mark say I am the Walrus as a 10 (as I would) but then also score Help as a 10 - does that mean that Help is as good a song as I Am the Walrus, which to me it clearly isn't - so all sorts of dilemmas. Like I said on the video its not a perfect way to do it, but on the other hand there are only 10 numbers. Marking them out of 20 would probably give scope for accuracy but its not as snappy. I have the Birth of the Beatles on VHS (recorded off the TV) but no video player these days so would have to find it online as I can barely remember the dialogue - not saying its not doable - I'll put it on the list. Thanks for your comment Russ and enjoy the rest of the weekend
Hi Tone pretty much agree with all your ratings for this LP except I Need You, You’re Going to Lose That Girl, and It’s Only Love should all be 10. Guess I’m more of a romantic old geezer than you.😀 Also come on, you can’t knock Dizzy Miss Lizzy like that. John’s voice is pure Rock n Roll. Who else can belt out a tune like that? And yes I do love the Larry Williams original too, but no one can match John’s vocals. I don’t care if this song only had a banjo and a washboard. I know on your system you only allow this song a max of 7 but for me this is 10+ regardless that it wasn’t an original.
Yes John's vocals on DML are outstanding but its that screeching guitar riff that does for me - sets my teeth on edge it does . This system is far from perfect I know but rules is rules I will have to impose this rule for albums that entirely made up of covers like the Russian Album or Rock N Roll etc. I thought it made sense - well it did to me anyway 🙂 Good to know that we're on the same page on the other songs though. Thanks for your comments Bob
I agree with your methodology for ranking covers. Help is the album in which Paul started to replace John as the prime creative force in the band.
Glad you agree with the scoring method for covers, i think it makes sense. Im going to politely disagree with you about the songwriting - I think John still has more top notch songs on this album than Paul despite Yesterday. I also think his songs were better on Rubber Soul, but from Revolver onwards I think Paul had the better songs. Thanks for your comment
Yeah, I don’t think Paul had displaced John on Help yet, I just think it was starting to happen. I’m also thinking of the arrangements with Paul conceiving the drum pattern and doing the guitar fills on Ticket to Ride and also developing the countermelody on Help.
@@reactivearmour5126 Paul's musical vision is incredible I agree - he could always hear things - embellishments , that maybe none of the others could
Hello Tony, it's a pity The Beatles kept so rigidly so the setlist during each of their tours. Was this unique to the Beatles, or the norm?
Im not sure because I dont closely follow the set lists of what other bands did in the 60s, but I think its standard for all bands to have a set list cast in stone when touring with maybe one or two alternative songs. But when youre only doing a 25 minute set it doesn't live a lot of room for manoeuvre . I know someone like Dylan used to mix and match quite a lot in the early days but then again it was just him and a guitar on stage
John’s voice wasn’t double tracked on some of the songs on the first four albums
Night before does not contain rubbish lyrics, tone. It’s simply wonderful. Help is a favorite album. Lennon dominated the Beatles in 64 and 65 brilliant.
Maybe I was a little harsh on the Night Before - its that line 'when I think of the things we did, it makes me wanna cry' - makes me cringe. Laurence Juber told me he that Paul told him that the reason he cried was that the girl gave him a right old kicking and pulled his hair😂 Seriously its a song I enjoy. John was definitely the dominant songwriter during this period, then it changed at revolver.
@@beatleytonesbeatleschannel it’s a bit tongue in cheek. Paul playfully mugs for camera when he delivers the line. There’s an innocence and playfulness in pre revolver Beatles that is awesome
@@MalEvansUSA Yes very much so I agree
I first became acquainted with the help album back in the 1990s when I bought the Beatles catalog since the remastered 1987 versions of all the Beatles albums were only available and help with one of the albums that I bought.
I love the help album it’s a great album I was introduced to the UK release I had never heard of the Capitol records release until I bought the capital album is lying to and also the US albums that was released in 2013.
I first heard the incidental instrumental music when I had the DVD of the movie help the two disc DVD set and it’s a great movie what is amazing to me is that it’s a wonder that the Beatles were able to not only make the film but to release it as well, because they were so stoned out of their minds. even Paul McCartney said in the eight days a week documentary which I think is one of the best documentaries ever Paul McCartney said that the Beatles were really stoned at that time. One of my favorite scenes in the movie help is when you’re hearing the playback of you’re gonna lose that girl, and a noise happens and something falls down and crashes I think it’s not only a great album but a really good movie have you heard the US version of the song help especially with that James Bond in Trail which is really cool.
Thanks for this great comment Jesse, yes Ive got the James bond beginning version of Help
Careful...your John bias is showing....The words on "The Night Before" are trite,but you have no such problem with the lyrics of" You're Going to Lose That Girl"....If anything, the words on the latter are clumsier......
Fair point - these reviews are always just my opinions and I encourage the challenge of everyone else's opinion. I do think John has the better songs on this album, its true, but you will see the bias swing towards Paul from Revolver onwards. Thank you for your comment Julia
They wrote them help songs relatively quickly. They had to be filmed early in process. Incredible follow up from Beatles for sale.
@@MalEvansUSA I agree 100%
@@juliatutor8099 that’s right.
One of the things that you probably might not know when the Beatles were recording yesterday that was the same session that produced I’m down which was the B-side to help I believe. and Paul McCartney recorded the song yesterday and to text while I am down was recorded and 17th. George Martin suggested to Paul McCartney to have a string section and Paul McCartney didn’t want to do that at first, because he didn’t want some big classical orchestration anything like that. then George Martin said how about a string quartet and he told Paul that he would record the string quartet with the acoustic guitar and if Paul McCartney didn’t like it then it would be buried in the mix. I think yesterday is one of the best songs ever and it’s a really great song.
Yes both were recorded on 14th june 1965, although Yesterday had a couple of sessions aa few days later too, Im down was recorded in completion that day
@@beatleytonesbeatleschannel I think I am down as one of the best songs ever because it has that little Richard influence there and yesterday is a really good song.
Paul McCartney really does a great job with that track.
@@jesserussell7242 I agree
I think the UK "Help!" album is a lot better than our US version. "Its Only Love" and "I've Just Seen A Face" fit well on our US version of Rubber Soul imop.
Yes I think so too on both counts