With The Beatles' first five albums, we have them in the process of bubble-gum pop, whereas their only artistic contemporary Dylan is doing much more satisfying (to this listener) work during this time period. Of course, these five records, and especially HARD DAY'S NIGHT, are the best that early rock'n'roll has to offer. And this is the same period HIGHWAY 61 REVISITED is released. Tell me, do you want to listen to Like a Rolling Stone or Desolation Row or this pop with Ringo singing a Buck Owens song about "all you have to do is act naturally"? I think that's the worst Ringo song of all. They should have stuck with the song from Anthology II "If You Got Trouble", and maybe included "That Means a Lot" as well..

Not that this is a bad album, by any means. Its The Beatles, after all, and all of their albums (even BEATLES FOR SALE) is top rate stuff. This is the first album to point toward some new changes in The Beatles' repertoire. The best songs on here are the title cut, Ticket to Ride, Its Only Love (in my opinion), Tell Me What You See, and the best Dylan song that Dylan never wrote: Hey You Got To Hide Your Love Away. Oh yeah, I'm also leaving out another song.......what was it.......something about Yesterday. Of course, I'm sure no one remembers that, but I think its pretty good, very memorable melody. Its not like its the most covered Beatles song ever *cough cough*. Also, a funny factoid for you music buffs is Yesterday was originally Scrambled Eggs, and McCartney literally dreamt it. One thing Lennon resented McCartney for happened that this and Michelle, two of The Beatles' biggest song, is essentially McCartney solo, with Lennon not playing at all on eithe track.

Dizzy Ms. Lizzy's good for the rocking side of Lennon, reminiscent of Twist and Shout off Please Please Me, which, btw, was never released in America in the original format until much later (ooooh, that evil Capitol!).

So chalk it up as a holding pattern, one last bubble-gum record before they moved on to the much more satisfying (to me) mid and late portion of their career. Remember, any criticism against The Beatles is realative -- it should go without saying any other band would give their front teeth for these songs.

Yesterday, all my troubles seem so far away........

Things got a little more upbeat following the downbeat For Sale. Also, the Beatles songcrafting improved and would set the pace for things to come. The title track has the same frantic quick-paced sound that made the title track to their first movie a hit. The theme of age reducing the cocksure assertive of one's younger years and the need for that helping hand is universal. And who can forget these lyrics: "Help me if you can--I'm feeling down/cause I do appreciate you being around/Help me get my feet back on the ground/Won't you pleeeeaaaase please help me?" John gets good backing vocal help from Paul and George.

"The Night Before" has a faint Chuck Berry influence. Paul sings here and it's a song of puzzlement, concerning a girl's nice and sincere behaviour and why she has done an about-face in attitude. That's John on electric piano.

John sports a strained and sometimes roughened voice in the acoustic ballad "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away". There's a flute solo by session musician Johnnie Scott in two places.

The distorted pedal guitar is cool in George Harrison's "I Need You". A similar effect was used in the song "Yes It Is", which is on Past Masters Volume 1. The theme of mistreatment explored in "The Night Before" is revisited here as well. He also sings the engaging "You Like Me Too Much", the first time he sings two songs on one album. This was a nominee for the movie, and understandbly so. He gets piano help from Paul, John, and producer George Martin.

The engaging "Another Girl" has Paul on lead vocals and lead guitar and might be a response to either of the two mistreatment songs: "I have got another girl who will love me to the end, through thick and thin/She will always be my friend." Well, that's a relief.

In the mid-paced "You're Going To Lose That Girl", John challenges another man that if he doesn't start treat her right, he himself will "make a point of taking her away from you. Watch what you do. The way you treat her, what else can I do?"

"Ticket To Ride" opens with a nice Rickenbacker guitar by Paul before John launches into another breakup song. "The girl's that'd driving me mad is going away. She's got a ticket to ride (X3) and she don't care." The first single from Help! and my second favourite here.

"Tell Me What You See" has John and Paul on lead vocals, and when they sing, "open up your eyes now" Paul's lower register voice is clearly discernible. "I Have just Seen A Face" has a racing guitar and sounds like something Simon and Garfunkel might do later, particular "The Boxer".

The reflective "Yesterday" is one of my all-time Beatles song and why Paul is my favourite vocalist of the quartet. It is the classic Paul McCartney ballad. Paul's use of a string quartet instead of what he called that "Mahavishnu rubbish" was a good move. Unforgettable lyrics: "Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away, now it looks as if they're here to stay. Oh I believe in yesterday."

This the last album where they do cover tunes. Ringo does Buck Owen's "Act Naturally", a nice country-flavoured track. I often compare this to the similarly-sounding but production-laced "Don't Pass Me By" from the White album. John rips into the frantic Larry Williams number "Dizzy Miss Lizzy" in the same way he did "Twist and Shout". Nice mean guitar from George.

If the Beatles needed help on this album, I'd be hard-pressed to find it, because it's another bang-on job for them.

I have looked at two pages here side by side and I can't for the life of me figure out why this version of 'Help' put out by Toshiba EMI in 2004 is priced at $41.49, while what looks to be the exact same CD put out by Capitol in 1990 is priced at a much more reasonable $13.49.
Unless you can find something I am missing, I'd suggest you head over to

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000002UAL/ref=m_art_li_59/102-3455281-6122531?v=glance&s=music

and buy that one.

This album is a reissue of the original UK album, which was apparently very different from its American counterpart. The first seven songs were in the soundtrack of the movie while the last seven songs were not.

Unlike some Beatles albums, this one actually includes some hit singles. They are Help, Ticket to ride and Yesterday, although their version of Yesterday was not released as a single in the UK until the mid-seventies, when it made the top ten. Many covers of Yesterday were released as singles in the UK but only two charted, these being the versions by Matt Monro, who made the top ten, and Marianne Faithfull, who made the top forty. Of course, all the singles that were released in Britain and America at the time were number one hits.

The early Beatles albums included several covers but times were changing so this album contains only two. One of them, Act naturally, is a country song originally performed by Buck Owens. On this album, Ringo is the lead singer. The other cover, Dizzy Miss Lizzy, is a rock'n'roll song originally performed by Larry Williams.

Apart from the three hits already mentioned, the most popular songs here are You've got to hide your love away and I've just seen a face, both of which have been covered by a number of other singers and groups in a variety of musical styles. The remaining songs, including two by George Harrison, are interesting but not especially memorable. For that reason, this album is not one of the strongest Beatles albums, but it is still an excellent album in its own way and worthy of its five stars.

So, this is a great album but less great than most other Beatles albums. If you only want some Beatles music but not everything, you can give this a miss as long as you have a compilation containing the hits. If, like me, you want a lot of their music, this album becomes essential.

1. Album Cover: Just resembles one of scenes of the Help movie. Not a creative cover, however it rates well compared to other album covers released during 1965.

2. Composition & Recording: An album with great compositions (like in A Hard Days Night) which expanded their music style and evidenced improvements in their interpretation when compared to their 4 previous albums. Track highlights include the great vocal harmonies, great melody, and catchy fast tempo in "Help" and "You are Going to Lose...". John reveals his appreciation (he would have never let me use admiration)for Dylan in "Hey, You've Got to....". Also on this album, "Ticket To Ride" introduces a "heavier" sound than that normally heard in 1965. Paul plays the electric guitar solos on "Another Girl" and "Ticket to Ride". Harrison introduces a great song with a very 60's atmosphere. On side "B" (UK catalog please), Paul introduces the classic "Yesterday", which evidences that behind the Beatles, John, Paul & George were also individual musicians. This album is 60's calssic. The song writing and the musical arrangements distinguish the album from the rest.

3. Originality: The Beatles had already introduced their "new" sound into the 60's music and many groups were already following them by either imitating or trying a different approach. As a result you will find the value of the album not so much in its originality but in its completeness and in that it evidneces a better integration of the Beatles as composers and players.

4. Final Message: This album is one of the main voices of the sound of the mid 60's and an interesting place to start listening to the 60's decade.

5. Other Data: Paul composed Yesterday on his home piano after waking up one moring with a jazzy melody in his head ("Yesterday" with a faster tempo). He thought the melody belonged to some one else and had to be reassured it was his own. Instead of the opening lyrics that say Yesterday...", in his head the opening lyrics said "Scrambled Eggs..." That Would have cost Paul one star in my review if those lyrics would have been approved. The lyrics on Help were John's way to scream for help during his "fat Elvis" period (as described by John himself)as he found himself unsecured, famous, rich, popular, chubby, and unhappy.