BEATLES FOR SALE

This was a rather rushed album as everyone was desperate for more Fabs product, consequently there are rather more cover versions than normal on this album. It is an album that goes from the sublime (No Reply) to the ridiculous (Mr Moonlight) with some good songs in between. It opens with three Lennon numbers which, with hindsight, offer some evidence as to his state of mind at the time (No Reply, I'm A Loser, Baby's In Black). "No Reply" is the best of these, the middle eight being one of the most exciting moments in their early career. McCartney chips in another nice number in "I'll Follow The Sun" and Lennon also contributes the hit "Eight days a week".

Of the other songs, "What You're Doing" (not the Rush song) is an obscure but good McCartney number, "Kansas City" and "Rock 'n' Roll Music" are among their best rock 'n' roll covers, "Every Little Thing" (missing from the track listing here) was covered by a certain well-known prog band and "Mr Moonlight" is so bad, with an incredibly cheesy organ solo, that it must surely have been a joke.

All in all, a good but not brilliant album but better than we had a right to expect considering the pressure they were under at the time.