2020 Album Draft- Round 11 Pick 4 Soundtracks- Badfinger20 selects- The Beatles- Help!
To avoid confusion I’m reviewing the UK version of Help! because that is the one that I own.
The movie Help! was an enjoyable movie. It was not nearly as good as A Hard Days Night but it had it’s moments. I love black and white movies but the color made Help! stand out. The Beatles knew it wasn’t as good as their first…John had a quote about it: “it was like being a frog in a movie about clams.” Nevertheless it is a fun movie and a pleasure to watch today.
They shot the movie in five different locations…London, Wiltshire, Berkshire, Austria, and the Bahamas.
It was the first Beatle movie I ever saw…I rented it from a video store in the mid-eighties. The Help! movie was the only Beatle movie they had at the time. With no internet, it was my only window to see the Beatles other than the documentary The Compleat Beatles.
The soundtrack is a great album on its own.
I picked this album/soundtrack because I always thought this was the transitional album between Beatlemania and The Beatles middle period. After this album would come Rubber Soul and the swinging sixties would officially be kicked off. Help! shows them making strides into the future. You can hear a some of their earlier work and get a hint of what was coming.
Here are a few songs…I’ll leave the big hits off of the preview.
You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away is a good song with a noticeable Dylan influence.
One of my favorite songs on the album is The Night Before…I first heard it on the Beatles Rock and Roll Music compilation album. It’s another song that would have been a single for another band.
As soon as I heard I’ve Just Seen A Face…I learned it on guitar and have been playing it ever since. This is a song that you can see the change starting to take place…from the bouncy numbers to this folk influenced one. This song would be on the American version of Rubber Soul.
You’re Going to Lose That Girl has a catchy call and response chorus. The backup vocals are superb.
The title track is brilliant with John calling out for Help after being battered by Beatlemania. They also dipped into their club roots with a cover of the Larry Williams song Dizzy Miss Lizzy. The album had the hits of course…Help!, Yesterday, and Ticket To Ride…all #1 in the Billboard 100.
I’m ready to watch Help! now…can I smuggle a Blu-ray player on the island?
Help!
The Night Before
You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away
I Need You
Another Girl
You’re Going to Lose That Girl
Ticket to Ride
Act Naturally
It’s Only Love
You Like Me Too Much
Tell Me What You See
I’ve Just Seen a Face
Yesterday
Dizzy Miss Lizzy
slicethelife 
You can’t go wrong with The Beatles- and Help!- a great soundtrack. I knew you’d find a way to get more “Beatles” onto your island Max!
Thanks Hans you can never have enough. I could have picked this album as one of my 10 albums on the Island…not many soundtracks I would say that about.
Great pick Max. I love the ‘deep cut’ tracks you included as much as the hits.
Thank you, Jeff! Those are the songs I listen to the most on this album.
Great pick and album! And you did me a favor… I’ve been “juggling” 4 soundtracks that I really like in my mind, not knowing which to pick or write about… now there are just 3 to choose from. Like you suggest, this album might have been a regular pick for me if we had 13 or 14 rounds of “ordinary” albums. Probably only the fourth best Beatles album (to my ears) but still good enough to be considered on a best of, say top 20… that’s how great they were. Hope you get that DVD player along with you too!
I’m glad I could help you out…no pun intended… and I’m happy I got to select it. It was between 3 different albums and I’m wondering if the other two will show up…but this one was in the lead all along. Thanks Dave.
Record producer to the group: “Boys, are you buzzing?” John: “No thanks, I’ve got the car.” I wonder how many heads that line sailed over in 1965.
Many… That’s what I love about the movie…some of the quotes are great.
Great piece Max. You have prompted a revisit to both the film and music. I like the music they did for this one. That last cut you posted is killer
Yea I love that Lennon high part and the call and response…fun song. I’m going to watch it again soon…I watch it at least once a year.
That’s like me with ‘Bridge O the River Kwai’ and ‘The Good Bad and Ugly”
This pick made me smile! I love the movie, and the sample songs you chose. True story: A few years ago, I got frustrated that I couldn’t find a streaming version of Help to watch, so I found and ordered a pre-owned dvd on Amazon. Well, what arrived was a cool box set, with the dvd, plus a special features dvd, a coffee table photo book, and a copy of the movie script with handwritten notes in it. I’m still over the moon that I have this set. So anyway, I’m a big fan of this movie and the music.
Cool set! Yea if you are going to get it…it’s good to go all the way. I still laugh through it. It wasn’t A Hard Days Night but the color makes it special… to see them in that period. I like when they are trying to talk Ringo into cutting his finger off…some dark humor but funny.
I love when they park and go into their apartment that looks plain from the street, but inside it has the walls knocked out and all of those ‘modern’ amenities.
I always wanted a bed made into the floor after seeing that.
Oh ya. It was a seriously cool teenager’s pad.
I haven’t seen the movie but love the music. Not surprised you chose a Beatles film. Excellent addition to the DiD