BEATLES FOR SALE

This is the only album in which The Beatles take a backwards step rather than a forward one, but who can blame them after so much endless producing, touring and film-making. You can see how tired the band are on the cover. Beatles For Sale is similar to the first two albums, containing eight originals and six rock and roll covers, while A Hard Day's Night was almost completely written by Lennon. But if I had written over 30 songs in two years, I would be equally creatively drained!

'No Reply' is a good, ballsy opener, but the lyrics seem rushed, while on both 'I'm a Loser' and 'I Don't Wanna Spoil The Party', Lennon wears his Bob Dylan influence on his sleeve. McCartney's obligatory ballad, 'I'll Follow The Sun', is decent enough, but very short. His other songs 'Eight Days A Week', 'Every Little Thing' and particularly 'What You're Doing', are highlights of the album. 'Every Little Thing' would be covered by Yes on their debut, and sadly for Paul, their version is better. Of the covers, 'Honey Don't' and 'Rock 'n' Roll Music' are pretty good, but I'm also relieved to know that this is the last time we see Chuck Berry and Carl Perkins on a Beatles record. The rest of this album that I haven't mentioned, is pretty derivative and unmemorable.

What more is there to say? Two albums of this formula was clearly enough, and the band and their fans would both agree on this. The record company wanted another LP though, and this is alluded to in the album's ironic title. Four or five songs here are absolute classics, and because the lacklustre nature of Beatles For Sale isn't really the fault of the boys themselves, I'm going to give it a nice three stars.