BEATLES FOR SALE

The cover songs make an unwelcome return this time, as the Beatles were in the awkward position of being big enough for there to be a huge demand for their work, but not quite potent enough to dictate the terms they recorded under. Once again, the cover versions are idle throwbacks to the 50s rock and roll which inspired the band early on, but the original material - with more acoustic elements, more downbeat vocals, and a bit of Dylan and other non-rock influences creeping in - made it clear that the Beatles were getting less and less interested in retracing their steps in that direction yet again.

Of the original material, No Reply is a strong opener with lyrics that take a creepy, almost stalkerish bent, I'll Follow the Sun and Mr Moonlight's folkish music and proto-hippy lyrics are the strongest clue yet to the band's eventual embrace of the psychedelic movement - and check out the organ work in Mr Moonlight! That said, some of the Lennon/McCartney compositions on offer are clearly throwaways - Eight Days a Week is pleasant enough but pretty forgettable, all considered.

Had the entire album consisted of original material of the standard of No Reply or I'll Follow the Sun, I'd have rated it a bit higher, but as it is there's just too much filler for me to completely embrace it.