worst Beatles LP ? Help

Discuss official releases and re-issues. The only links allowed here are to the Beatles YouTube channel or other band-sanctioned platforms.
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innergroove
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Re: worst Beatles LP ? Help

Post by innergroove »

Help has always been in my top 3 Beatles albums. Love The Night Before, Tell Me What You See, It's Only Love etc. Love the electric piano. Only two duff tracks for me - Act Naturally and Dizzy Miss Lizzy. Swap those for Yes It Is and I'm Down and the album would be pretty much perfect.
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Re: worst Beatles LP ? Help

Post by RalseiDeltarune »

This was the first Beatles album I bought, way back when I had an iPhone and iTunes.

Help is probably the most competent Beatles album. "Good enough" production, A "Good enough" selection of songs and a "Good enough" Mono & Stereo. Nothing really great, or terrible.. just decent.
Interested in any/all Bootlegs. Sometimes I make my own.

Catalog is posted here: viewtopic.php?f=12&t=2649
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Re: worst Beatles LP ? Help

Post by beckman99 »

innergroove wrote: Wed May 24, 2023 11:37 am Help has always been in my top 3 Beatles albums. Love The Night Before, Tell Me What You See, It's Only Love etc. Love the electric piano. Only two duff tracks for me - Act Naturally and Dizzy Miss Lizzy. Swap those for Yes It Is and I'm Down and the album would be pretty much perfect.
I like act naturally, but with dizzy miss lizzy I´m in. this song is is so strange as part of the album. this was the beatles in some way first mature album. from this album on, the beatles began to evolve.
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Lord Reith
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Re: worst Beatles LP ? Help

Post by Lord Reith »

I'm one of the few people who likes Dizzy Miss Lizzy. But then, once again I already had it on Rock And Roll Music so in my mind it was part of that album and not Help.

When you hear the totally lame BBC version of Dizzy, it's hard to believe it's the same band.
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Roller74
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Re: worst Beatles LP ? Help

Post by Roller74 »

I would have put I'm down on the album in place of dizzy, such a great track, mind you, it was great on a single too
cdrtrade
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Re: worst Beatles LP ? Help

Post by cdrtrade »

innergroove wrote: Wed May 24, 2023 11:37 am Help has always been in my top 3 Beatles albums. Love The Night Before, Tell Me What You See, It's Only Love etc. Love the electric piano. Only two duff tracks for me - Act Naturally and Dizzy Miss Lizzy. Swap those for Yes It Is and I'm Down and the album would be pretty much perfect.
I love Act Naturally and Lizzie, but they weren’t on the US help. Lizzie was Beatles VI and Act Naturally Yesterday and Today. I can’t believe some of the songs people don’t like on here. Someone was sour on I’ve Just Seen A Face. Couldn’t believe that one. And again, Tell Me What You See is a great song. Too many people are sour on that one.
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Re: worst Beatles LP ? Help

Post by cdrtrade »

Lord Reith wrote: Sun May 28, 2023 10:06 am I'm one of the few people who likes Dizzy Miss Lizzy. But then, once again I already had it on Rock And Roll Music so in my mind it was part of that album and not Help.

When you hear the totally lame BBC version of Dizzy, it's hard to believe it's the same band.
The Beatles got a little limp in the BBC studio from the Hard Days Night sessions onward.
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Re: worst Beatles LP ? Help

Post by Ziggy C »

It's interesting to guess how far along people are, based on their posts. My first exposure to Help! was in the mid 60's when my parents were playing it on the Hi-Fi in the living room. That's my earliest memory of my first exposure to pop music which made me feel something. I was too young to understand the words. Several years later, my own personal journey began with a couple albums: Hey Jude and the Blue Album.

I recall when Rock And Roll Music was released. There were hourly album giveaways on my local AM radio station, KTNQ, aka "The New Ten-Q." By that time, I had already several albums from their catalog. When RARM came out, the ad campaign was rather deceptive and left me with the impression that the band had gotten back together. Much much later, I accepted a much different reality. It took me several years after that before I actually got that album.
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Re: worst Beatles LP ? Help

Post by Lord Reith »

RARM music is probably the most hated of all Beatles lps. I however absolutely loved it. It was my first Beatles record, Christmas 1976 and I played it to death. The only two songs I hated on it were Matchbox and Get Back so it was good value for me. I admit some of the songs choices are a bit odd (Anytime At All?) but this is an album that shows off the rip roaring larnyxs of Lennon and McCartney better than any other. I just couldn't believe anyone could sing like that, let alone two people in the same band. In the mid 70s rock and roll oldies were generally rendered in a very camp way with the performers wiggling their arses and singing in a comic book fashion. The Beatles however played the old rock and roll with real agression and power. You could tell they meant it. They totally hit home with me.
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Kwai Chang
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Re: worst Beatles LP ? Help

Post by Kwai Chang »

In the name of Preverti,
daughter of the mountains
whose embrace with Rani
made the whole world tremble.
(All) Tremble!
Whose name is the Terrible.
Whose name is Baleful.
Whose name is inaccessible.
Whose name is the Black Mother,
mother of darkness.
(All) Kaili!
We turn our hearts to Kaili,
Drinker of blood, Black Mother.
(All) Kaili!
Killer of demons,
gorge on this flesh, our offering.
The Beatles' - HELP album is noteworthy for several reasons. Mostly because the song writing has gotten better. The lyrics are more clever and the music is slightly less C&W flavored. A definite cannabis influence seems to underscore the texture and subject matter. Lennon delivers an introspective slant while McCartney's lyrics are primarily bra and panty remover. Gooey teenage heartbreak is over. And not a moment too soon! The UK version has the advantage of some great songs on side 2 but the Capitol version is designed for the shorter attention span...PLUS it has the GLORIOUS gatefold sleeve. The incidental music is purely psychedelic. The flow of the U.S. album is much more perfect than previously believed. Go to the window. Go to the window. The effect of the United Artists Movie soundtrack works better here than on the AHDN LP. But, considering the vintage, Capitol delivered what the HELP movie needed most...'help'. The U.S. LP kept the revenue turbine spooled up because it was really just a movie trailer without dialog. Capitol rapid fire Beatles campaign was right on schedule. The best thing is that there were no more movie scripts to distract them. We just don't know if the movies hurt the music or made it better. But, it sure 'helps' blur the lines. Too bad they didn't stop touring in 1964. Because, if they are really only actors, then I'm glad they acted like a real band...as opposed to a fictitious one characterized in a weekly TV show.
Or, were the songs about the movie?
Help not just any movie...
KC
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