On A Beatles Curve...
340531
First of all, thank the gods that this is the British "Help!", and not the tepid American "Help!" which included only 12 pieces, half of which were instrumental music from the film. (No disrespect to composer Ken Thorne, but this was all part of Capitol's evil scheme to make more product by butchering the British Beatles albums.)
Second of all, the four stars should be considered a relative rating. Just about any other musical group could retire after producing an LP like this with at least three songs ("Help!", "Ticket To Ride" and "Yesterday") you couldn't swing a dead cat without hearing for the next 30 years.
Also noteworthy is Lennon's jab at Bob Dylan ("You've Got To Hide Your Love Away"), his heart-and-soul rendition of "Dizzy Miss Lizzy" and his self-denounced "It's Only Love" (always a favorite of mine even if the lyric isn't very good).
Paul makes his mark with the jubilant "I've Just Seen A Face" and the melancholy, oft-covered "Yesterday". George is typically understated with his solo-work and Ringo, well, typically Ringo, with an unabashedly country rendition of "Act Naturally".
This album would be followed by the landmark, culture-altering LPs "Rubber Soul" and "Revolver" and could be considered the last of the "Beatlemania" albums.
4209422
This is for the die-hard Beatles fan only. The group is not a tight as they would be after eventual signing by EMI records, but they do show potential. Pete Best does not keep time as well as Ringo which is probably why he was let go. If you want the raw beginnings of the Beatles,  a bit rough around the edges but betraying much heart, this is a good documentary.
2519839
I think to truly appreciate this CD, one has to go past the front line lead melodies, guitar riffs, etc. For instance, I think the background harmonizations show just how tight these guys were, vocally. There are the obvious, such as Because and Here Comes The Sun King, but even on the silly stuff. Oh, Darling comes off at first like a Paul McCartney bowel movement. But listen to the background vocals. Among the tightest I have heard from The Beatles. Or the three minute ending to I Want You (She's So Heavy) which, if you let it surround you, almost takes you on a strange and mystical flight as it slowly increases in intensity. I could go on like this, but instead, I challenge all to toss on some headphones and let the lead vocals and insturmentations blow by you. Dig into each song, and I think you'll see why this has to be classed as one of the three top efforts produced by The Beatles.
4801178
I'd gotten tired of every Beatles album out there, through overplaying and also the many mediocre aspects of the Beatles songwriting, song choices, 60s production etc.

Take Abbey Road, the B-side is still pretty interesting, but the A side is tough to get through. Even songs like Come Together, Something and Here Comes the Sun on Side B are a chore to enjoy anymore. The simple melodies got old, and all you have are bare sounding vocals and a few instruments to create a real thin sound. There's nothing more to look forward to musically like you had in Moody Blues and Pink Floyd albums then.

The original Let it Be was ridiculous beyond belief. Only the geeks would enjoy ad libs and studio banter after hearing it 2 or more times. This is meant to be music, not novelty items. An album starting off with Two of Us?? Followed by Dig a Pony? I never felt like listening to that crap. And I can't believe some defend the horrible Spector orchestra on Winding Road. Talk about having no feel to match the song.

Like I said about Two of us, the tracklist order change was badly needed and this rectifies it brilliantly - no complaints. Now I can finally enjoy For you Blue and One after 909, I got a Feeling, it sounds right the way it is here. And cleaning up of studio talk and removal of Maggie and Dig it; replacing it with Don't let me down. Now I can even enjoy THAT tired old song! This has become my most and perhaps only really listenable Beatles album. I wish they could use this treatment for a new White Album, and perhaps others as well. New tracklists (Adding Strawberry Fields to Sgt. Pepper and taking out one or two like Good Morning, Kite), better production. The Beatles had too many throw away duds which took away from the serious (Winding Road) and rocking (Get Back). To hell with the Holy Grail mentality, a lot of things can be improved about the older stuff and as with Naked, it's not too late to do it.
2695383
The Beatles Sgt. Pepper had a reach far beyond merely the music, the sound and the presentation  what The Beatles laid down with Sgt. Pepper and all that lead up it, created a blueprint of sorts, and there were many who followed those ideas, with Traffic being one of them.  The original UK version, as with The Beatles, left off all of the hit singles such as Paper Sun, with the US take attempting to rectify the issue by retooling the album and calling it Heaven In Your Mind, and then including those lost classic tracks, where in their hast, completely reordering the tacking of the album.  And the saga doesnt stop there, with the outing being reconfigured so many times, its tough to know where the story begins and ends.

One thing I will say is that Traffic would never make an album like Mr. Fantasy again, and even if one discounts those hits, the album sincerely shows a band in the mist of transition, though this being their first proper release, its more fitting to say that they were finding their footing.  Take Masons sitar washed Utterly Simple, a song that is flooded with George Harrison influences, yet turns almost in mid stream, becoming a parody of itself, laden with Moody Blues spoken words, words that sound out of place, and a bit corny even for The Moody Blues.  There are some studio effects that allow several of the tracks to feel rather tired  Heaven In Your Mind was to be laced with stereo panned vocals and reverb, that don't seem to come off as planed; though having said that, all of the tracks have been creatively arranged and bursting at the seams with power.  The one thing that does linger with listeners is the fact that Traffic should not have ventured down the psychedelic road, because it wasn't them, it didn't suit their music, and by the time of its release, the psychedelic wave had already crested.

Probably the major issue with Traffic was the nature of the group in and of itself, where each member was strong enough to be fronting their own band, and by finding themselves stacked up against each other, they were all struggling to find their own voices, leaving the record to sound like bits and pieces of far too much, seeming to lack direction, and a center that would hold them in check.

Disregarding all of this, Mr. Fantasy does hold some magic, though probably more for those who where there then, then those coming to this album after becoming familiar with the Traffic that would secure a seminal place in the pages of rock history.  So be kind as you open this door, you don't need to hold your breath with reverence, just try to imagine a time when recording was still in its infancy, when these ideas where totally fresh, when so much was trial and error, and even when things went momentarily sideways, what was glimmered from these historic recordings paved the way for so much beauty that was to follow.

Regardless of how I rated this release, I could not live without Heaven In Your Min, Dear Mr. Fantasy, Dealer, or Coloured Rain.

Review by Jenell Kesler
4572187
Many people say this is a filler album for The Beatles, caught in middle of Beatlemania and needing a break.  You can tell from this album cover that the mood has changed for The Beatles.  From the excitement of A Hard Day's Night to almost a dreariness among the Fab Four, this album is definaltley different.  Honestly, I really like it.  It shows some of the sophistication of the later albums but still having the greatness of Beatlemania.  The album opens strongly with No Reply and then continues with what John calls a song about himself in I'm a Loser.  Then it the quality decreases a little(but not by much)in the live staple Baby's in Black.  Then we go to possibly the Beatles greatest cover song, Rock and Roll Music.  Then we go to a favorite of mine and George Martin in Paul's I'll Follow The Sun.  Next is another cover, and also possibly the worst song the Beatles ever recorded, Mr. Moonlight.  Then we go to another great cover of Little Richard with Kansas City/Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey.  Next is the only #1 hit from the album, Eight Day's A Week.  Then are the cover tracks Words of Love, and Ringo's singing role in Honey Don't.  Then Every Little Thing and I Don't Want to Spoil the Party which is another song that shows a mood shift within the album.  Then the best song on side 2 with Paul's underrated What You're Doing.  The finale of the album is George singing Carl Perkin's Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby.
For me this is a great album that I can listen to start to finish, but that's just me.  So the only way to know for sure is to listen to the album yourself.
3009264
Everyone can say what they want about the "psychedelic" aspect of this album but when you compare this album to the Beatles it isn't Sgt. Pepper I think of, even though they were released in the same week here in America. The most comparable Beatle album to this one is Please Please Me. Short catchy songs, very eclectic in the spectrum of pop music they cover. Musically the Grapes closest counterparts are Buffalo Springfield. Listen to this album together with Buffalo Springfield Again and try to tell them apart musically. Then try to decide which is better?
3953426
...It's not always a pretty sight.  The Beatles decided to film "all the warts" during the making of an album, which, for even the most amicable of musical entities, is a difficult and often acrimonious process.  McCartney, in his perpetually optimistic view, thought this would re-ground the band back to the "old glory days".  And Lennon agreed the Beatles were best when they just played "rock & roll".

As the story goes, McCartney suggested a number of ideas for this project including a live concert performance at some wondrous secure location somewhere on Earth, or perhaps a series of "back to the club" performances.  Each of these ideas was vetoed by both Harrison and Lennon.  In fact, George was never really into this project at all, and it shows in the film.  He was at the time becoming a world-class writer and producer, yet was still treated as a 2nd class talent by both McCartney and Lennon.

The film itself is an effective deconstruction of the creation of a new album by the most popular band on the planet - and this unofficial release is a good, slightly grainy, no-frills copy of the film.  It shows three powerful personalities leveraging for space and time behind the camera and for position on the upcoming album.  I'm not sure it would come off any different if it was presented by the Rolling Stones during this era.

Indeed, Keith Richards, who was as close as anybody to the Beatles, once lamented that he couldn't understand why they threw in the towel.  He suggested that perhaps a 1-2 year hiatus could've kept things in-tact for the group.  One can only wonder, had the Beatles went on a "break" instead of a break-up, how things might have worked out...
1534372
What can you say about the Beatles, they just didn't do bad music
1740926
If you judge albums by production value, compositional structure, song to song transition, lyrical content, etc.. abbey road would perhaps rate as the beatles best album.. The album plays almost like a classical piece of music everything has its place... It may not be as influential or as staggering as sergent pepper or revolver.. but it represents the absolute zenith of musical technique in rock and roll.. Generally considered as Paul's project - repeated listenings show that it is, in fact the strongest group effort of the band.. George Harrisson wrote perhaps the two best songs on the album.. and ringo's tune is unforgettable.. John is a little more distant yet his contrubutions are always poignantly felt.. especially on the opening track (obviously) and on the 'sun king'... Paul's ambitious compositions end the album in an almost symphonic style.. This was perhaps the most fitting final touch of a band that brought the world 10 years of some of the greatest music of the century..
3249145
Beatles for Sale is consistently put down as the Beatles worst by fans and critics alike. True, considering the triumphant A Hard Day's Night soundtrack which it followed, and the supreme pop of Help! that it preceeded, BFS can sound a little weary and tired. But that shouldn't make you give it any less consideration.
The covers on BFS are generally a mixed bag. "Kansas City / Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey" is probably the best, closely followed by Ringo's turn on Carl Perkins' "Honey Don't." And even though I'm generally defending this album, "Mr. Moonlight" is... well, pretty bad. I mean, it's been voted the worst Beatles song of all time how many times, so... let's just leave it at that.
But the real classics of Beatles for Sale are the originals. Though there are fewer originals here than on the AHDN soundtrack, they hit the bull's eye more often. The first trio of tracks: "No Reply," "I'm a Loser," and "Baby's In Black" show John Lennon's obvious disarray of affairds in late '64 in early '65, and "I Don't Want to Spoil the Party" obviously continues this pattern. Paul is in fine form on the album, contributing the mellow, yet upbeat, "I'll Follow the Sun," the intriguing "What You're Doing," and the heartfelt "Every Little Thing." George Harrison's only vocal, on another Carl Perkins cover, "Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby," leaves a lot to be desired, but all is forgiven.
On the whole, Beatles for Sale is probably my fave Beatles album, if not a very close second behind Abbey Road. The originals are stronger than ever, and by this time, there's already signs of evolution. Skip With the Beatles and buy this instead.
1853539
These tracks appear to be the A and B sides of 45 rpm and some 33 1/3 rpm LP records that I have tucked away in my closet. Volume One is a very good cross section of The Beatles hits early in their career, along with songs that are (were) rarely heard on the radio, particularly Matchbox (sung by Ringo) which was originally recorded by Carl Perkins, a country rock-a-billy or country rock artist. Yes It Is, is a soulful love song sung (and probably written) by John Lennon. Unique to The Beatles are their early appearances in a night club in Hamburg, Germany thus the two tracks sung in German. What you hear and hopefully enjoy while listening to this CD, is the energy, warmth, passion and diversity that John, George, Paul and Ringo put into each song. There are better, less well known, cuts that show a greater diversity of the Fab Four. But Volume One is a good place to start for a neophyte "The Beatles" fan.
4452630
Unless you live under a rock, you've probably heard of Paul McCartney, one of the members of the Beatles (along with John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr). Together, they turned the roll-n-roll genre upside down and created a world-wide appetite for the music.

Paul McCartney was born on June 18, 1942 to James and Mary McCartney in Liverpool, England. They lived a fairly comfortable life, with both parents working (his mother was a nurse and his father a cotton salesman). But when his mother died of breast cancer, 14-year-old Paul, 12-year-old Michael and their father worked together to keep things running as smoothly as possible. While there wasn't any extra money to spend on things, there was plenty of love in the household. James did a valiant job raising his two sons by himself, along with help from other family members.

Much has been written about Paul McCartney in numerous biographies. But this is the book on his life, starting before his birth (with info on his parents) and ending with an Epilogue written after author Philip Norman talked to him briefly backstage at the Liverpool Echo Arena during his Out There tour on May 28, 2015. Norman covers Paul's childhood, his fortuitous meeting with John Lennon, the formation of the Beatles, his long-time marriage to Linda Eastman, his relationship with Lennon, the bands breakup, the creation of Wings, Linda's tragic death, his short-lived and volatile marriage to Heather Mills, their nasty and hotly contested divorce, his most recent marriage to Nancy Shevell in 2011, his knighthood and his long list of music awards.

As you can probably tell, Norman leaves no stone unturned and no topic off the table. In addition to covering Pauls life, he includes a rather comprehensive history of music (particularly that of rock and pop), as his life could not be told without his influence on it and its influence on him.

I learned many things about Paul I did not know, including the fact that hes a gifted mimic, able to imitate voices easily. I also didn't realize that he could play so many instruments (guitar, drums, piano, etc.) or that he taught himself most of what he knows, with little or no formal training on any single instrument. He is also a talented artist who can draw and paint.

Be warned: Even though the book is well-written and the subject matter quite interesting, this is not light reading as there are 818 pages, not counting 32 pages of photos (some never before made public), the Table of Contents, Acknowledgements, Photo Credits and Index. It took me about a week to finish reading, but it was well worth it.

Reviewed by Christine M. Irvin
4477364
Sgt. Peppers is not the best Beatles album but it's close.  The first song you here is the title track which attempts to create the idea that what your listening to is a concept album and later reprise's itself to justify it.
The second song on the album is sung quite wonderfully by one of the most under-rated drummers of all time Ringo "Billy Shears" Star.  I had always heard this song on the opening of the Wonder Years and never had a clue that it was a Beatles Song.  I am a bass player and this song proved to me that Paul was eiter a God or God himself.
Lucy in the Sky with diamonds is exactly what is... a stoned out trip of a song.  I mean just picture yourself on a boat on a river with tangerine trees and marmalade skys.
Damn that Phillips commercial.  I had no idea that "Getting Better" was a Beatles song.  This song is possibly one of the catchiest songs on the album and one of my all-time personal favorite Beatles songs.
Fixing a hole is a great song surrounded by even greater songs.  That's all I have to say.
"She's Leaving Home" has some of the best harmonies I have ever heard.
For the benifit of Mr. Kite will there be a show tonight?  I don't really know.
The first time I ever heard this song, I thought to myself, "Hey, the bonus track on Tool's Opiate sounds a bit similiar to this."  The song being of course "Within you, Without you"  This song is amazing but for me it always throws off the album.
When I'm sixty four is obviously all Paul, and that's why I like it so much.
Lovely Rita is Okay.
Good Morning is a little sloppy but it's still the Beatles so I'll forgive 'em.
Sgt. Peppers reprise sounds like a modern remix with the hip-hop style drum sounds.  This song must have been the originator of all Hip Hop remixes and drumming because that's what it sounds like.
There's only one word to describe "A day in the life" and that word is brilliant.  No other song in the Beatles Catalog shows off John and Pauls writing style as indivuals as well as this song.  It's just brilliant.
That thing at the end is supposed continue playing over and over again on the vinyl version.  So if you were all stoned listening to this on a record player that little bit of noise would play forever and drive you nuts.  That's just what I heard.
3184354
Lots of fun music for Beatles fans. Some chords a little challenging for beginners.
1632989
Barely a year after the triumph of&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/SGT-PEPPER-S/dp/B000MU4F5Y/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">SGT. PEPPER'S</a>&nbsp;and their subsequent numerous Top 40 singles, the unparalleled and cohesive unit that was the Beatles lay in total disarray. Cooperation and co-inspiration between band members had given way to backbiting and blatant avoidance. This sad turn of events was unintentionally chronicled in the double-record set known as the WHITE ALBUM.

These recordings are not so much the Beatles as they are John and friends, Paul with backup, etc. Quality on the WHITE ALBUM varies widely. The excellence of "Mother Nature's Son," "I'm So Tired," "Long, Long, Long," Blackbird," "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and "Yer Blues" is offset by throwaway trivialities like "Wild Honey Pie," "Savoy Truffle," "Martha My Dear," "Don't Pass Me By" and "Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey."

John Lennon comes off worst here, for several reasons. Because some were busily parsing his songs for hidden meanings, John responded by creating nonsensical lyrics for many of his WHITE ALBUM contributions. "Glass Onion," "Happiness Is A Warm Gun," "Cry Baby Cry" and others are the result of his ill-advised playfulness. The inclusion of Yoko Ono in the chorus of "Bungalow Bill" was as much in error as was the chorister who kept singing "Buffalo" instead of "Bungalow." "Revolution #9," Lennon's Opus Dopus, defies description even as it defines drugged-out excess.

Paul McCartney's Dylanesque storytelling ("Rocky Raccoon") makes his schmaltzy side ("Honey Pie") that much more of an enigma. George Harrison's few efforts are fairly consistent and clearly demonstrate his too-long overlooked talents. Ringo's "Goodnight" lullabye lies in stark contrast to the jarring "Revolution #9" aural nightmare that directly precedes it.

And as for dreams, the WHITE ALBUM sessions are an eyes-wide-open indicator that the Beatles dream would soon be over.
2957706
If you're a fan of the Beatles, this is the book for you.  Their music can be complex and with unusual chords, but these are very playable.