The Beatles - Help!

Help!

This is the Beatles' fifth UK album and also the sound track from their second film. The album, issued in August 1965, contains seven of the eight songs featured in the film. The eighth song, She's A Woman, is not included on album.

John and Paul wrote 10 new songs for the album while George, who began to show his songwriting talent, contributed two songs. There are two covers (which would be the last non-Beatles written songs that they recorded) in this album too.

The album again topped the UK chart for 9 weeks beginning August.

With Help! the Beatles began to sound more mature and progress away from the simple three guitars and drum format towards a more complex sound, particularly with Paul's Yesterday which features a string quartet.

As with the previous two albums, Robert Freeman was the photographer hired for the cover shot. In the studio, the boys were supposed to spell out the semaphore (without the flag!) for HELP. But the result was far from aesthetically pleasing. So Robert decided to improvise and ended up with the best possible graphic positions of the arms, which spelt out a nonsense word: NUJV!

The first seven songs below are featured in the movie:

1. Help! (Lennon-McCartney): John again leads the way with the title track on lead vocal with Paul and George singing on chorus and (one of Beatles' best) backing. John is on acoustic guitar and Ringo adds in the tambourine in the chorus.

2. The Night Before (Lennon-McCartney): Paul is on double-tracked lead vocals with backing from John and George. John plays the electric piano while again Ringo shakes the maraccas to accentuate the chorus.

3. You've Got to Hide Your Love Away (Lennon-McCartney): A Dylan-influenced folksy song with John on solo vocal. Three Beatles are on acoustic guitar with Ringo keeps beat with tambourine and maraccas. Sessionist John Scott plays the flute at the end of the song.

4. I Need You (Harrison): This is George's composition since Don't Bother Me (from the second album With The Beatles). George is on double-tracked lead vocal, with backing vocals and harmony from John and Paul. John plays acoustic guitar on this track. The eerie guitar sound is played by George using the volume/tone control pedal technique. Surprisingly, there is no instrumental break for this song.

5. Another Girl (Lennon-McCartney): Paul is on lead vocals in this syncopated-beat song with John and George harmonising in parts and on the chorus. John is on acoustic guitar. Paul, apart from playing the bass, also doubles in lead guitar (his first time on a Beatles' album).

6. You're Going To Lose That Girl (Lennon-McCartney): John again sings perfectly well with his nasal (and falsetto) lead vocals. Paul and George supply an interesting backing and also sing on chorus. John is on acoustic guitar again and Ringo adds in the bongos.

7. Ticket To Ride (Lennon-McCartney): This hit single features John on lead vocal with Paul harmonising in parts. Paul again plays some lead guitar in this song. John also adds on some tambourine playing.

8. Act Naturally (Morrison-Russell): Drummer Ringo is the lead vocalist of this song. Paul helps out with some harmony vocals, while John and George play the country and western and rockabilly guitars in the backing. (Act Naturally, written by Johnny Morrison and Voni Russel, was first recorded and a No. 1 country hit song by Buck Owens and Buckaloos in 1963.)

9. It's Only Love (Lennon-McCartney): John, who plays acoustic guitar, sings lead solo vocal in this ballad. George plays a quavering lead guitar while John adds on the tambourine in parts.

10. You Like Me Too Much (Harrison): On this second composition by George in this album, he provides the lead vocal with harmonies from Paul on the chorus. The Steinway piano introduction is played by George Martin and Paul. John is on acoustic guitar and he also plays electric piano in the backing, the instrumental break and ending of the song. Ringo is on drums and tambourine.

11. Tell Me What You See (Lennon-McCartney): The song features a duet by John and Paul, with Paul singing solo in parts. Paul also plays the electric piano in the backing. George dubs in the tambourine while Ringo aslo adds in the claves.

12. I've Just Seen A Face (Lennon-McCartney): Another Dylan-influenced song with lead and harmonised vocals from Paul. Three Beatles plays acoustic guitars with Ringo doubles on drum and maraccas.

13. Yesterday (Lennon-McCartney): This is Paul's most famous song and the best track on the album. For the first time, the other three Beatles were not on this recording. On this Paul solo song, he plays the acoustic guitar and is backed by a string quartet.

14. Dizzy Miss Lizzy (Williams): This Larry Williams song was one of the Beatles' Cavern Club standards. John, who plays the Hammond organ this time, is at his vocal best in this rock 'n' roll classic.