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Beatles For Sale
4 March 2010
5.19am
Day Tripped
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This album is so under-rated. Sometimes its referred to as the Beatles’ “Country-Western” album and sometimes its considered a “throw-away” with the Beatles busy touring while it was being made. This album and songs like this show the nucleus of what was about to come in Rubber Soul and Revolver . They’re already playing with more complex harmonies and unique guitar riffs. It’s not there? And yet [George] Martin is still a huge part of the creative process, but this album shows they’re ready to explore.

What do you think? 

Note by Ahhh Girl 29 July 2014: I combined 3 threads all dealing with general discussion (and love/appreciation for) this album.

13 May 2010
3.13am
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skye
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mjb said:

I have a very clear memory of first

hearing Beatles For Sale .  I was about 11 – 12 and a neighbour said his

Dad has a Beatles LP and would I like to hear it. We played it and I

didn’t like it because there were no singles on it and I didn’t know any

of the songs! I’m almost embarrassed to admit that now.

I’ve always thought of it as the Acoustic Guitar album as Lennon’s

Jumbo appears on so many of the songs. (3/4/2010)

 

So you wanted to hear it on the radio first? I guess I don’t quite understand. a-hard-days-night-ringo-7

 

(Oh and I think I’ve got the topic moving thing figured out, but it’s too late for this one.)

Ad hoc, ad loc, and quid pro quo! So little time! So much to know!

30 July 2011
2.36am
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Inner Light
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'Beatles For Sale ' is one of my favorite albums. I love the fact that this album is a combination of originals and cover versions.

Just wondering why most don't like this album or why it is not given higher marks. Great Lead Guitar work by George by the way on this one. 

The further one travels, the less one knows

30 July 2011
2.45am
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skye
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I like it, it's kind of moody. But it's hard not to prefer the albums where they write all of the songs. That and you can sort of hear the wear that touring is taking on them. So it's good – just not as fresh as their earlier albums or as original as the later. I like it a lot better than LIB .

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Beatlebug

Ad hoc, ad loc, and quid pro quo! So little time! So much to know!

30 July 2011
3.01am
mr. Sun king coming together
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It’s a case of the whole being worse then the sum of it’s parts. Lots of the songs are good, but yet, it just isn’t as good.

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Beatlebug

As if it matters how a man falls down.'

'When the fall's all that's left, it matters a great deal.

30 July 2011
3.36am
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IMDeWalrus
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Beatles For Sale is not a bad album… but it does seem a bit “ordinary” compared with the rest of The Beatles' catalog.

 

There are some pretty good songs on it, such as “No Reply “, “Eight Days A Week ” and “I'm a Loser”… and a couple of the covers they perform on here — “Rock & Roll Music” and “Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby” — are also enjoyable.  Some of the other songs aren't bad either, such as the way John and Paul caress the lyrics of “Words Of Love “. 

But there's a lot of what I'd call “filler” on this album — songs like “Baby's In Black” and “Every Little Thing ” aren't among their better compositions, and “Mr Moonlight ” is a joke — especially that Hammond organ bit in the middle that makes me imagine a bunch of little old grannies cha-chaing around on the dance floor.  I agree with most of the critics who say they should have ditched that song in favour of “Leave My Kitten Alone “.   

I've got nothing to say, but it's okay..

GOOD MORNING!

GOOD MORNING!!

GOOD MORNING!!!

30 July 2011
3.45am
mr. Sun king coming together
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Mr Moonlight is awesome. No matter how many people say they hate it, I love it. And John’s vocals on Leave My Kitten Alone – don’t like em. They got this running order right, thank you very much.

As if it matters how a man falls down.'

'When the fall's all that's left, it matters a great deal.

30 July 2011
4.36am
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GniknuS
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Such a catchy album, I really like it. The opening two tracks are just killer and from there I’d say every song is pretty solid (even Mr. Moonlight) but I wouldn’t say anything necessarily stands out. I think it’s more of a comparative thing when you look at certain shots of brilliance from Hard Day’s Night and Help . So, to add to what skye said, I’d say it just sounds rushed to go along with them being probably pretty worn out, even just looking at the cover, they just look beat. Still, very fun album and I certainly prefer it to With the Beatles.

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I sat on a rug, biding my time, drinking her wine

30 July 2011
6.04am
toryst
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What I hear on this album is a group paying homage to their background yet looking to the future.  It features more covers than any other album they ever produced.  The genius is that we are still debating its' worth 47 years later a-hard-days-night-ringo-9a-hard-days-night-john-6a-hard-days-night-george-8a-hard-days-night-paul-8

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Beatlebug
30 July 2011
11.37am
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The Walrus
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I have mixed feelings about this album. I'm A Loser is early brilliance, as is Eight Days A Week which is probably my favourite pre-Rubber Soul Beatles song. I don't mind Baby's In Black either. The rest are lacking a little bit though. The Love version of What You're Doing is fantastic, but the Beatles For Sale version just falls flat for me, as do other promising tracks like I'll Follow The Sun.

I told her I didn’t 

30 July 2011
11.52am
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kelicopter
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It's probably my least favourite Beatles album. Not because it's awful, it does have some great tracks. I've just had phases where I've completely fallen in love with all the other albums except Beatles For Sale . Idk why, it may grow on me one day, but it just sort of seems like the filler in between the films for me.

I think it's great you're going through a phase,

and I'm awfully glad it'll all be over in a couple

of days

 

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30 July 2011
1.09pm
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McLennonSon
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Always when I use to sing 'Mr. Moonlight', I hit the high B. some times Bba-hard-days-night-paul-1

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30 July 2011
9.11pm
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StarWisher
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I quite like it and would consider it one of my favorite Beatles albums. Granted it's the one that has everyone's favorite, Mr. Moonlight on it, but like someone said above, it's showing them at a point where they are getting ready to come into their own as singer songwriters (some of John's best work happens to be on this album, in my opinion) with I'm a Loser, No Reply , and I Don't Want to Spoil the Party on here, as well as Eight Days A Week , of course. I've mentioned before I think their use of timpani in Every Little Thing and the fade-in intro to Eight Days A Week shows their earliest signs of becoming more experimental in the studio.

"We are all a little weird and life's a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love." — Dr. Seuss

 

 

30 July 2011
11.22pm
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GniknuS
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Good point, I Feel Fine was certainly one of their earliest attempts at experimentation and that song would have been on Beatles For Sale . I think it’s almost crazy how much pressure was put on the Beatles, nowadays bands take years to come out with stuff and it’s usually like, how the hell did this take so long? But the Beatles had to come up with two albums a year plus singles plus non-stop touring.

I sat on a rug, biding my time, drinking her wine

31 July 2011
4.10am
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MeanMrsMustard
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Beatles For Sale is Polythene Dan's favorite album. It's not mine, but I enjoy it more than, say, Magical Mystery Tour . I like almost all the songs (*cough*”Mr. Moonlight”*cough*– shut up, Sun king), and I think it fits together very nicely. My favorite cover is a tie between “Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby” and “Rock And Roll Music ,” and my favorite original is either “Baby's in Black” or “I Don't Want to Spoil the Party.” I love hearing JoJo sing along to “Kansas City “/”Hey Hey Hey.” It's Paultastic.

If I seem to act unkind, it's only me, it's not my mind that is confusing things.

31 July 2011
4.21am
mr. Sun king coming together
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I have my rights! (Oh, you know what, Sun King really shut up now.) The opening trilogy may be Johns most introspective set of lyrics done as a Beatle.

As if it matters how a man falls down.'

'When the fall's all that's left, it matters a great deal.

31 July 2011
5.39am
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mithveaen
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I really like this album!

 

The problem is that as someone said it, you can notice that the boys are tired with touring. But the songs have bits to love.

No Reply ” .- Grim John, but you can see he's getting better with his songwriting.

I’m A Loser “.- Upbeat music with sad lyrics.

Baby’s In Black “.- Everybody has sung the chorus, even mocking it come on.

Rock And Roll Music ” .- one of the few songs when you can listen a joyous John.

“I’ll Follow  the sun” .- One of Paul’s best. Period.

“Mr. Moonlight”.- Hate it or love it, but that “Misteeeeeeeeeeeer Mooonlighhhhhhhhht” is epic.

Kansas City / Hey, Hey, Hey” – Nice Paul rock-and-rolling.

Eight Days A Week ” the fade intro is great. And the song is a classic

Words Of Love “-  Hard to say. Just because it’s a Buddy Holly cover.

Honey Don’t ” – Ringo sounds very tired and yet doing his best when singing.

“Every little thing” – The sound effect with Ringo’s drums.

I Don’t Want To Spoil The Party ” – John is getting better as songwriter.

“What are you doing?” – The intro with the drum.

Everybody’s Trying To Be My Baby ” – George sings. Enough for me. a-hard-days-night-george-8

Here comes the sun….. Scoobie-doobie……

Something in the way she moves…..attracts me like a cauliflower…

Bop. Bop, cat bop. Go, Johnny, Go.

Beware of Darkness… 

31 July 2011
5.47am
toryst
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Imagine this…being in the Cavern Club and all of the sudden John belts out “Miiiiiiiiisssssssssssssssssssterrrrruh Moonlight”….There wouldn't be a dry anything in the place.  Yeah…the Hammond kinda kills it but ya can't deny the vocals and the rhythm. a-hard-days-night-john-3

31 July 2011
8.01am
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McLennonSon
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mithveaen said:

“Everybody's trying to be my baby” – George sings. Enough for me. a-hard-days-night-george-8

 

My mood went immedlyately from two-virgins to a-hard-days-night-george-8

 

Thank you, mith-mate. YOU made my day!!!! 

 

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31 July 2011
9.45am
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kelicopter
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paulsbass said:

The Beatles never made a bad album and this one is also really good, even better than With the Beatles, imo. It's just that all their albums are so exceptional that this appears weaker.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

toryst said:

Imagine this…being in the Cavern Club and all of the sudden John belts out “Miiiiiiiiisssssssssssssssssssterrrrruh Moonlight”….There wouldn't be a dry anything in the place. 

Oh God , can you imagine?! paul-mccartney

I think it's great you're going through a phase,

and I'm awfully glad it'll all be over in a couple

of days

 

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