Question: 'George Martin And His Orchestra Play Help!'

What is the story behind 'George Martin And His Orchestra Play Help!' ?

I think I have been able to put together the following:

When the film 'A Hard Day's Night' was released in the US it was released by United Artists.
They (UA) had the rights to release the soundtrack which they did on their version of the 'A Hard Day's Night' LP.
Capitol, however, had the rights to release ALL Beatles songs in the US so they could release the same songs as United Artists did as long as they (Capitol) didn't market them as 'soundtracks'.
And so they did on their rag-bag LP 'Something New'.
That left United Artists with four instrumentals by the George Martin Orchestra which they released on two singles in an attempt to cash in.

When it came to the film 'Help!' George Martin was not given the task of writing the score.
He later explained:
"Although the music from the first film was an enormous success, Dick Lester and I didn't get on too well. So I had nothing to do with the score".
Instead the score was written by Ken Thorne and The Beatles had nothing to do with his instrumentals (Paul even says so in one of the interviews from the 1965 tour in the US).
The film 'Help!' was also released in the US by United Artists.
However, this time Capitol had managed to get the rights to the soundtrack and they released the Ken Thorne muzak fillers on their version of the 'Help!' LP.
That left United Artists with nothing.

My question is therefore:
Since the LP 'George Martin And His Orchestra Play Help!' was released in the US by United Artists in 1965 was that an attempt to throw UA a bone for them to cash in on ?
Does anybody know WHEN in 1965 it was released ?

I'd be very happy if somebody could fill me in on the background for this (fine) album.
Thanks in advance.

 

Funny you should start a thread on this subject. I was just plying this the other night.

Unfortunately, I know very little about the George Martin albums that were released on United Artists. As for why George Martin record an album of "Help!" songs? I believe at the time those Lennon/McCartney and Harrison songs were the most current of the crop so to speak.

He (George Martin) was under contract to United Artists. He released an album of "A Hard Day's Night" songs why not continue on with songs from "Help!" Actually some of the songs Martin did on the "Help!" album didn't make the movie.

Martin recorded several albums of Beatles songs on United Artists. "Off The Beatle Track," "Help!" and there's a third one which the title escapes me at the moment.

 

And interestingly, several of them were Beatles melodies under working titles -- the famous "Scrambled Egg" ("Yesterday") being one of them. Others I recall are "Auntie Gin's Theme" and "That's a Nice Hat (Cap)." I have this album, but I can't remember what the last two correspond to.

 

"Auntie Gin’s Theme" is "I’ve Just Seen A Face" and "That’s A Nice Hat (Cap)" is "It’s Only Love".

 

Some time ago I had a discussion with another member on this board. He thought George Martin recorded his versions before The Beatles did. That's why he used those working titles.
I had never thought of that. I always assumed The Beatles were first and George Martin simply made new arrangements and recorded them.

What do you think about this?

 

I think there's some truth in that.
Although I haven't been able to find the exact release date I believe I have nailed it down to August 1965.
Apparently the LP was released in the U.S. shortly before Help! appeared in theaters and it marked the very first appearance of ”Yesterday” (under the title ”Scrambled Egg”) several weeks before The Beatles’ own vocal version was released as a single in the US on 13th September.
It sounds likely to me that George Martin used the working titles of the songs because he recorded his versions before The Beatles did ...

 

That would be George Martin and His Orchestra Instrumentally Salutes The Beatles Girls (1966). Another LP, London By George, from (I believe) 1967, has instrumental versions of Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and I Am The Walrus, not to mention a groovy picture on the cover of a naked girl painted like a British flag, holding a sitar.

Jason

 

I know these four 60s albums:

Off the Beatle Track
Parlophone PMC 1227 (mono); PCS 3057 (stereo)
10 July 1964

Side 1
All My Loving
Don’t Bother Me
Can’t Buy Me Love
All I’ve Got to Do
I Saw Her Standing There
She Loves You

Side 2
From Me to You
There’s a Place
This Boy
Please Please Me
Little Child
I Want to Hold Your Hand

Off the Beatle Track
United Artists UAL 3377 (mono); UAS 6377 (stereo)
3 August 1964

Side 1
She Loves You
Can’t Buy Me Love
Don’t Bother Me
All I’ve Got to Do
I Saw Her Standing There
All My Loving

Side 2
Please Please Me
I Want to Hold Your Hand
From Me to You
Little Child
This Boy
There’s a Place

By Popular Demand: A Hard Day’s Night
United Artists UAL 3383 (mono); UAS 6383 (stereo)
2 November 1964

Side 1
I Should Have Known Better
Tell Me Why
I’m Happy Just to Dance with You
If I Fell
And I Love Her
Ringo’s Theme (This Boy)

Side 2
A Hard Day’s Night
I’ll Cry Instead
I Want to Hold Your Hand
All My Loving
She Loves You
Can’t Buy Me Love
Don’t Bother Me

Help!
United Artists UAL 3448 (mono); UAS 6448 (stereo)
6 September 1965

Side 1
Help!
Another Girl
You’re Going to Lose That Girl
I Need You
You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away
The Night Before

Side 2
Ticket to Ride
Auntie Gin’s Theme
That’s a Nice Hat (Cap)
Tell Me What You See
Scrambled Egg

Help!
Columbia 33SX 1775 (mono); Columbia Studio 2 Stereo TWO 102 (stereo)
19 November 1965

Side 1
Help!
Another Girl
You're Going To Lose That Girl
I Need You
You've Got To Hide Your Love Away
The Night Before

Side 2
Ticket To Ride
Bahama Sound
I've Just Seen A Face
It's Only Love
Tell Me What You See
Yesterday

George Martin Instrumentally Salutes the Beatle Girls
(US United Artists UAL 3539 (mono); UAS 6539 (stereo)
28 November 1966
(UK United Artists SULP 1157
3 March 1967

Side 1
Girl
Eleanor Rigby
She Said She Said
I’m Only Sleeping
Anna (Go to Him)
Michelle

Side 2
Got to Get You into My Life
Woman
Yellow Submarine
Here, There and Everywhere
And Your Bird Can Sing
Good Day Sunshine

Instrumental versions of tracks such as I Feel Fine, P.S. I Love You, No Reply, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, and I Am the Walrus appear on other George Martin records during the 60s.

Now, could somebody just tell me why I’m Only Sleeping was included on an album titled George Martin Instrumentally Salutes The Beatle Girls???

 

I don't know, but that's the best LP cover - ever! Who knew Sir George was such a Hugh Hefner?

 

The use of the title "Scrambled Egg" on the first release of the Help! instrumental LP begs the question of when the George Martin Orchestra sessions were recorded. Were they recorded prior to The Beatles' own session for "Yesterday" on 14 June 1965?

Just thinking out loud here, I don't have my files or books handy, but I seem to recall either GM or Paul saying that the melody for "Yesterday" had been kicking around since 1964. Does anyone else remember this?

Jason

 

The story Paul always tells is that the melody for "Yesterday" came to him in a dream. He quickly woke up and played it on the piano to fix it in his memory. Still called "Scrambed Egg" at the time. So if true, that would belie the "kicking around since 1964" story -- unless Paul really did wait at least a half a year or more to finish the song. But I never got the impression from the way he told the story that there was a long gap between "Yesterday"'s dream conception and the finished product.

 

There are stories that Paul was playing what he had then of the song during the filming of A Hard Day's Night.

Ray Coleman wrote a whole book devoted to the song and it's history, but there's not a word about George Martin's instrumental version - very strange!

 

I once saw this in a store and regretted not buying it ever since.
Is it any good? I mean, And Your Bird Can Sing, She Said She Said... I'm very curious about what they're like. And what is Woman?

 

'Woman' is a song written by Paul and given to his "brother in law" Peter Asher, for his duo Peter & Gordon.
I think that's the one where he used the alias Bernard Webb, to see if it was his name that sold, or the quality of the song.

 

Are any of these albums of George Martin versions of Beatles songs (as listed above) on CD by chance?

 

Well, I would simply classify it as easy listening George Martin style. Nothing I would listen to regularly, but it's interesting to hear how George Martin, being an integral part of the process of recording these songs, personally perceived and interpreted the melodies.

Woman is a song Paul McCartney wrote (under the pseudonym Bernard Webb) and gave away to Peter & Gordon, who recorded it and released it as a single in January 1966. It didn't chart.

As for me, I wonder whether Martin's composition "Bahama Sound" on the UK version of the Help! soundtrack album has anything to do with the film.

You can listen to samples of George Martin's Beatle Girl songs on Amazon. They've got the Beatle Girl album and Off the Beatle Track on CD.

 

If you're trying to complete your George Martin orchestra collection, you'll also want to look for the soundtrack to The Family Way. While Paul McCartney is credited as the film's music composer, George Martin was the one responsible for arranging the melodies Paul devised. Of the composition "Love in the Open Air," Martin had this to say in December 1966:

"I went to America for a time and on returning [21 November] realised we needed a love theme for the centre of the picture, something wistful. I told Paul and he said he'd compose something. I waited, but nothing materialized, and finally I had to go round to Paul's house and literally stand there until he'd composed something. John was visiting and advised a bit, but Paul created the tune and played it to me on guitar. I listened and wrote it down. It is a fragile, yet compelling, melody. I arranged it for woodwinds and strings and we called it 'Love In The Open Air'. It's quite haunting."
(New Musical Express, 24 Dec 1966)

Jason

 

Magnus A wrote: "As for me, I wonder whether Martin's composition "Bahama Sound" on the UK version of the Help! soundtrack album has anything to do with the film."

I think that is a very good question!
"Bahama Sound" was the B side to the American release of "Love In The Open Air" which is its sole "Beatle" connection.
It has nothing to do with the film 'Help!' - and has nothing to do with the film 'The Family Way' either as it didn't appear on the soundtrack ....

 

A big thanks to everybody who helped med with my questions about George Martin's 'Help!'.
For some reason it has been difficult to find information about that album - untill I posted here.
That's one of the great things about this board; ask a question and suddenly it snowballs into a wealth of information.
Thanks also for supplying scans of the artwork- excellent stuff ...

 

This one too..
time is on my side
If I fell
You've lost that lovin' feeling
all quiet on the mersey front
downtown
and I love her

goin out of my head
no reply
a hard days night
I'm happy just to dance with you
cast your fate to the wind
I'll cry instead

 

Thanks for the link to the samples. I don't regret not buying it anymore.

 

By the way, did 'George Martin And His Orchestra Play Help!' chart ?

 

That's a good question. I'd guess if they did, they were probably very low on the charts. I don't think these Martin albums sold very well. If you look at the prices on e-bay for the records, they're sky-high.

His out of print CD's of the United Artist titles, go for 25-50 dollars on Amazon!