The "Beatles For Sale" album (1964). Unfairly ignored or underrated ?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by johnny moondog 909, Mar 18, 2017.

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  1. andrewskyDE

    andrewskyDE Island Owner

    Location:
    Europe
    I like the stereo mix of Beatles For Sale, sounds better than the mono equivalent.
     
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  2. WolfSpear

    WolfSpear Music Enthusiast

    Location:
    Florida
    It is underrated.

    The problem is some of the songs are weaker (the covers, in my opinion), but the Lennon trilogy and "I'll Follow The Sun" are welcoming. The album cover matches the whole mood. Honestly, give it a shot.
     
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  3. If anything it's over-rated. If one of their contemporaries put this out it would be seen as mediocre. But as it's The Beatles it gets attention and praise by default.
     
  4. A Saucerful of Scarlets

    A Saucerful of Scarlets Commenter Turned Viewer

    I used to think it was their worst by quite a bit, but now I think it's the best of their early half. Absolutely adore it. I think it's the experience I had with it after my little break from The Beatles but now I just love, love, love it. I over-listened to all the other first half albums so I think that's why this one feels so refreshing, and when I listened to it again after my break I was in a really perfect mood for it. I also discovered some gems on it. I understood why my dad loved No Reply so much, and Every Little Thing and What You're Doing show a real new found maturity from A Hard Day's Night, and it sounds more like Help! than anything. I used to adore Baby's In Black as well but I over-listened to that. Everything else is just gold.

    I don't think so. No one but The Beatles could create No Reply, Every Little Thing and What You're Doing, and everything else has some really great vocal performances on them and some great playing unmatched by any of the time that I've heard of. I do think the covers are too similar to the originals here though.
     
  5. Skywheel

    Skywheel Forum Resident

    Location:
    southern USA
    If anything it's under-rated. If one of their contemporaries put this out it would be seen as a career peak. But as it's The Beatles it gets short shrift by comparison.
     
    Last edited: Apr 16, 2017
  6. jricc

    jricc Senior Member

    Location:
    Jersey Shore
    Good comment about halfway to Rubber Soul. And yeah, the covers except for RnR Music, and KC, do fit the acoustic country-esque feel of the originals.
     
  7. Bowieboy

    Bowieboy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Louisville
    I say underrated. Of the pre-Help albums it's actually my favorite (though A Hard Day's Night is just behind it). There's a few weak tracks on it that ruin the albums rep but the great songs on it are so good that it balances out. The opening trilogy of "depressing" Lennon songs rank as some of my faves, especially No Reply which I think is very underrated.
     
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  8. jricc

    jricc Senior Member

    Location:
    Jersey Shore
    THAT'S a GREAT RECORD!
     
  9. jricc

    jricc Senior Member

    Location:
    Jersey Shore
    Do u feel strongly about this? (wink wink) :)
    BTW, I agree...
     
  10. William Smart

    William Smart 21st Century Schizoid Man

    Location:
    North Haven, CT
    I love the vocals on this, John's especially. Mr Moonlight and Mr Postman rock. You Really Got A Hold On Me? Come on who else could do Smokey Robinson, and sound like it was their own. Every Little Thing? So good YES covered it. Come on this LP rocks!! At least if you have ears to hear! Peace
     
  11. Kim Olesen

    Kim Olesen Gently weeping guitarist.

    Location:
    Odense Denmark.
    One of my fave tracks is Kansas City. So much more like a blues track than rocknroll. They really could do the blies when they wanted. Another case in point is I Got To Find My Baby from their bbc recordings. Which also has a good number of awesome Kansas Coty renditions.
     
  12. Chrome_Head

    Chrome_Head Planetary Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA.
    I think it's an easy-to-forget album, at least for me. Can't remember the last time I spun my '87 CD copy (probably back when I was first getting into them as a teen).

    Lennon's "No Reply" & "I'm A Loser" are good, as is Macca's "Baby's In Black". Some of the covers are pretty good. But I think it's the least of their early stuff pre-Rubber Soul.
     
  13. A Saucerful of Scarlets

    A Saucerful of Scarlets Commenter Turned Viewer

    Have you heard the Helter Skelter anthology version? Hell yeah they could do blues, but that's obviously quite different to that considering the massive time period difference.
    I read a thread once (not here) and people seemed to think John's vocals on Mr. Moonlight were trash. I can't believe that. That opening vocal especially is just incredible.
     
  14. Kim Olesen

    Kim Olesen Gently weeping guitarist.

    Location:
    Odense Denmark.
    Yes. That is heavy 1930s blues. They do that quite well too.
     
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  15. BrewDrinkRepeat

    BrewDrinkRepeat Forum Resident

    Location:
    Merchantville NJ
    I agree 100%; it's one of the few Beatles albums where I greatly prefer the stereo mix... in fact, I'd go so far as to say purely in terms of warmth and overall sound quality I think it's probably the best-sounding stereo Beatles album.
     
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  16. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    It is.

    Isn't it also the last Beatles album to have live vocals on it? And the last Beatles album to be recorded without the use of headphones?
     
  17. William Smart

    William Smart 21st Century Schizoid Man

    Location:
    North Haven, CT
    Oh yeahhhh. Any one that calls that trash, well you try it. The raw power,but controlled is incredible!
     
  18. BrewDrinkRepeat

    BrewDrinkRepeat Forum Resident

    Location:
    Merchantville NJ
    I'm not 100% sure about that (my brain can't hold all the Beatles information I've read over the years!), but I think both of those are correct (perhaps at least for some of the track).

    In any case, just a phenomenal-sounding album from start to finish, and the mono version just doesn't compare. IN fact, I think I'm going to play it right now while I'm getting ready to go to the MIL's house for Easter supper.
    :pineapple:
     
  19. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    Just note, the mono has good points as well: I'LL FOLLOW THE SUN in mono has way less reverb than the stereo mix, more intimate sounding. EIGHT DAYS A WEEK has that neat Phil Spectored acoustic rhythm guitar on it that so fascinated me as a kid. The stereo mix doesn't bother... Etc., etc.
     
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  20. BrewDrinkRepeat

    BrewDrinkRepeat Forum Resident

    Location:
    Merchantville NJ
    Oh yeah, I don't dislike the mono (there's room in my Beatles Heart for all the versions!) but unlike most of the other albums where the mono seems (and feels) better, if not superior, the stereo of BFS just sounds so freakin' awesome to these ears. Gets my feet tapping and my blood pumping from the moment John starts singing.
    :love:
     
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  21. Russ_B66

    Russ_B66 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vermont
    I love the way that the piano comes through on the 2009 stereo cd, especially on No Reply. I don't mind the covers at all. I love some of the covers from the two BBC sets. They are fun and rocking stuff with nice vocals.
     
  22. nikh33

    nikh33 Senior Member

    Location:
    Liverpool, England
    Baby's in Black is a 50/50 Lennon/McCartney
     
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  23. nikh33

    nikh33 Senior Member

    Location:
    Liverpool, England
    No, they did Help! and Rubber Soul using the White Elephant too.
     
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  24. Kim Olesen

    Kim Olesen Gently weeping guitarist.

    Location:
    Odense Denmark.
    I dislike the way they buried the drums on BFS and fail to see what's specially good about the sonics of both the stereo and the mono. Take a song like I'm A Loser. The guitar on the right side sounds totally disconnected from the rest of the band. And that bl....y tambourine being ridiculously loud on so many tracks. If any album needs a remix it's this and Help.
     
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  25. moofassa_ca

    moofassa_ca Senior Member

    Love this album. I have an original Parlophone Stereo from 1964 and a 1973 black and silver Parlophone, which is also a tube cut. The sound of these are fantastic. The version I have in my BC13 Blue Box is a 5-1-1/-6, although good, nothing compares to the -1/-1.
     
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