Four sombrely-attired, mop-headed young gentleman stare out from the cover of this album.
The photo is a relic of a time and an era that have long since passed. In the here and now, two of these men are of pensionable age while the other two have already departed from this world, one in tragic circumstances.
There is a song on the album titled ‘Eight Days A Week’. For this whimsy to be made reality would require each day to be exactly 21 hours in length – an imposition that would very quickly result in discrepancies between the time as shown on the clock and the planet’s natural cycle of day and night. However, we must remember that The Beatles were mavericks who paid no heed to the law of the land, or to those laws that are enshrined in natural order of things.
Follow the break up of the band, the Conservative government chose to respond to Lennon and McCartney’s expansionist ways by imposing a three day week (consisting of a trio of 56 hour long days). Later, having realised their folly, they returned to the previous seven day model. There was a general agreement across all political parties and also among the bands of that era that this was for the best. It is noteworthy that even a barricade-storming revolutionary youth movement like punk was happy to maintain the institution of the seven day week.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51YCmDdgJJL._SY300_.jpg
Further:
This LP was issued in a gatefold sleeve, even though it is a single album. These hairy young chaps just couldn’t stop subverting all laws of decency.
A gatefold sleeve with the opening on the inside, if you please. The fact that the mono CD boxed set reproduced this detail alone justified the price of admission.
Sorcery I tell ya. Cranberry sorcery.
Love the cover photo, taken in Hyde Park by Robert Freeman. My favourite Beatles album cover. First side of the LP is ace. First three tracks are all DARK – and of course terrific.
I mentioned this on one of the old sites but the Australian cover of Beatles for Sale was an incredible hatchet job that looked like it was put together in seconds. Unfortunately I can’t get the hang of posting photos here otherwise I’d show you. It was years before I ever saw the proper cover. I was flicking through the racks and I saw it and didn’t know what it was. “What the hell is this? These unsmiling moptops look just like The Beatles” I can’t imagine the thought process that led to the change. I think it wasn’t changed back until the cd came out.
“I Don’t Want to Spoil the Party” is one of my favourite lesser known Beatles tracks. Its just such an unusual topic for a song
According to Wikipedia..
“Although the LP had an identical track listing to the UK version, EMI Australia changed the cover art because of a union rule stating that either new artwork had to be made for overseas albums, or the original cover was to be photographed.
John Lennon complained to EMI Australia at a meeting about the changes, but the cover remained the same until the album’s release on compact disc in 1988.”
It’s a nice album – and I love the Derek Taylor sleevenotes (in fact, I love *all* his sleevenotes). As pointed out above, some great downbeat songs – No Reply, I’m A Loser, Baby’s In Black, I’ll Follow The Sun, I Don’t Want To Spoil The Party…
It seemed to be a bit fashionable for a while to underrate the Beatles’ early pop stuff. Me, I love it. The poppier the better.
I’m glad you brought this up because it has been occupying my mind for some time. Believe it or not, there are some people who think it is their worst album, pointing to the ‘lacklustre’ cover versions. In particular, some say Mr Moonlight is their worst track. (Personally, I just believe they were taking the piss with that song). The main problem I see is that the ‘George’ and the ‘Ringo’ songs are real clunkers.
Thankfully, around that time, The Beatles recorded one of their best ever singles and the Long Tall Sally EP. If you feel like freshening it up, you can also do a bit of rejigging. Of course, I Feel Fine has to start the album. There is a relative shortage of Paul-led performances (he very generously gave John the lead on Eight Days A Week), so they need an even spread.
Try this:
Side one
I Feel Fine
No Reply
What You Doing
I’m A Loser
I’ll Follow The Sun
Rock And Roll Music
Everybody’s Trying To Be My Baby (there’s no escaping it)
Side two
Eight Days A Week
She’s A Woman
Matchbox (maybe not much of an improvement for the Ringo song, but, mercifully short)
Every Little Thing
Baby’s In Black
I Don’t Want To Spoil The Party
Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey! (Should always have closed the album, not just side one)
If George’s song is still too painful for you, switch with Words Of Love, placed just before Rock And Roll Music.
I’m afraid I’m one of those people who think it’s their worst album. It’s not a bad album per se. Just the worst Beatles album. Some great songs on there (‘No Reply’, ‘I’m A Loser’ and ‘I’llFollow the Sun’) but it’s the sound of a tired band. I’d be tired too mind.
Nobody has said anything about Every Little Thing. Nobody has ever said anything about it apart from Ian McDonald (who didn’t have any alternative), who said that, er, he was surprised that nobody has ever said anything about it.
Great song.
I haven’t listened to the album in years, but from memory it has a slightly demo like quality, with sparse arrangements and lots of acoustic guitar. Despite the great cover and DT’s rakish sleeve notes it doesn’t feel like an event album. It’s short, with too many average songs and covers. I’m taking Tigger’s lead and consolidating the good stuff into a great end of ’64 double EP (a la MMT):
Side 1
I Feel Fine
No Reply
Side 2
I’m a Loser
I’ll Follow the Sun
Side 3
Eight Days a Week
She’s a Woman
Side 4
Every Little Thing
I Don’t Want to Spoil the Party
Dang, I forgot about “ELT”! That’s a fabulous song, one of Macca’s best melodies. And even a Yes cover version (on their 1st LP) can’t quite spoil it.
Nicely played, Senor Moose.
Is this the first Beatles thread on the new site? I can’t help feeling Banjo should be given something …
As an album it also breached advertising guidelines, as at the time of release, the Beatles were not actually for sale…
Two years later, gun nuts were furious when they got the HJHs 7th album home.
Because of its reputation it was the last HJH album I got round to buying, just a couple of years ago. I like it, should have got it yonks ago.
Btw, the Fabs tile game is here: http://community.usvsth3m.com/2048/beatles-edition-67/
I still haven’t got to Let it Be on that damn tile game! Got up to over 16000 points last week, with an Abbey Road and Two White albums in circulation, but then relaxed too much and it all fell through my fingers.
Won it once – a feeling of massive euphoria
Since then, I’ve got some fairly regular high scores (White Albums, the odd Abbey Road) but never yet got the magical “You Win” banner
I’m still addicted to that game! I spent a fair amount of time in hospitals towards the end of last year and even with this enforced immobility could not get past one Abbey Road, on one memorable occasion.
My absolute favourite Beatles album, I like it’s tired melancholy jangle. And the cover, and even Mr Moonlight. I think the vocals are great, and the lesser tracks bolster the great in a way that other albums don’t.
The album also has some rather nice associations personally. The year I bought it – same day as The White Album and London Calling if I remember correctly – was 1986 and to be frank, 1985 had been awful, apart from leaving school. 86 was much better, much more interesting and generally happy.
You can also add in Leave My Kitten Alone from Anthology 1
Recorded during the album sessions, absolutely stunning Lennon vocal and unfathomably left off the album
Indeed. ‘Kitten’ would have helped the album tremendously.