I’m on kind of a Beatles kick after seeing Love in Las Vegas, so I think I’ll plow through all the Beatles albums and post some thoughts. Since the songs are so familiar to me, I’ll rate each from one to five stars, and generate an amusing “Best Beatles Songs” list.

My ratings may seem a bit harsh - but they’re relative to other Beatles songs - two or three star ratings appear often because the four and five star songs are so incredible.

After the boring Beatles For Sale, I’m glad to report the Beatles returned to form with Help!. The full-color Beatles movie Help! featured seven songs from this album, and arguably not the best of the batch.

It’s worth noting that this is the first album where covers are noticeably absent (only two: Act Naturally and Dizzy Miss Lizzy). By this point, the songwriting team of Lennon and McCartney (and George) had finally matured to where they produced enough gems to fill a whole album. Their individual styles were also beginning to diverge somewhat, John contributing a very personal and introspective You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away and Paul the classic weeper Yesterday.

Help!

= 5 stars

This song still sends chills down my spine if I listen to it under the right circumstances. That is was an actually cry for help from John under the weight of Beatlemania makes it scarier. The descending guitar line from George, the intense, too close for comfort backing vocals, and the high note on “help!” all come together for a tightly charged experience. The last verse, sung when the band drops out leaving just Lennon and his acoustic guitar is musical history.

The Night Before

= 3 stars

Pretty average contribution from Paul. It has a nice beat and some pleasant background vocals, but nothing stellar.

You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away

= 5 stars

Lennon doing Dylan, having so much to say the lyrics come to the fore. The imagery is simple but appropriately odd and and a bit surreal. I love the line “feeling two foot small.”

I Need You

= 3 stars

George comes up with a good, if a bit slow-moving song. I think the only items worthy of mention are the unusual “fade in-out” guitar, and some moaning backup vocals - and more cowbell.

Another Girl

= 3 stars

Here’s Paul, jumping around, goofing off and trying to write another Can’t Buy Me Love but it isn’t happening. Nice harmonies on the middle, though.

You’re Gonna Lose That Girl

= 4 stars

This is another great example of John taking the lead and Paul and George filling in with expertly placed harmonies that echo John’s lyrical phrases so much that it’s almost like a duet (or a trio). John has a sparkling, high note on “lose,” and on one particular iteration, leads us into the middle, which is a key change. The way this section sinks back into the verse (and the guitar solo) was a revelation when I first heard it. So why four stars? I guess because Help! is better.

Ticket To Ride

= 5 stars

Several things combine to make this song perfect - the off-kilter drums, the Byrds-y chiming guitar, the tambourine on the middle, the high harmonies, the pause under the “ri-hi-ide”, and the coda goofing around with “my baby don’t care”. These guys just kept getting better and better.

Act Naturally

= 2 stars

Ringo sings this country tune which pokes fun at the fact that the Beatles are now movie stars. It’s not as witty today as it probably seemed then. Plus it’s a cover.

It’s Only Love

= 2 stars

Pretty song, but the twangy, flangy guitar always broke my heart. And once again, this song suffers in comparison with the other great John songs that preceded it on this album.

You Like Me Too Much

= 1 stars

This is probably the first Beatles song I might say I hate. It’s cornball, and the middle always drove me up the wall with its strange resolution back to the verse. Plus, there’s that wimpy pseudo-ragtime piano trading licks with the guitar. George hasn’t hit his stride yet as far as I’m concerned; that’s for sure. This is A Hard Day’s Night material.

Tell Me What You See

= 3 stars

This is a really divine song with an interesting electric piano hook and some nice harmonies, but for the Beatles it’s undeniably average. Plus the next two songs absolutely destroy whatever charm this song has.

I’ve Just Seen A Face

= 4 stars

This is the first of the Paul McCartney “showboating” songs (where he seems to write Broadway show tunes) but as an acoustic guitar folk song, it’s pretty awesome with a hook-ridden melody. The melody feels natural, and it builds until you think he’s going to run into a wall and bruise himself with a splintered guitar.

Yesterday

= 5 stars

If I had another star, I’d give it to this song, as it still makes me tear up under in the right situation. So much is perfect: the string quartet, the patient strums of Paul’s guitar, and the emotionally tugging lyrics. It’s that feeling of regret and lost love, and resignation that no matter what you do, she isn’t coming back. From this point on, the Beatles’ bar was raised - and you may now have a sense why I’ve been so harsh on some of their songs thus far.

Dizzy Miss Lizzy

= 1 stars

While it’s a rocking tune, after Yesterday I really don’t have the patience for this sort of stuff anymore.

Wikipedia: Help

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