HELP (US VERSION)

For the record, the American version of this release is the only one I own, so my review is based off the American release of the album, HELP. The big difference between the American release and the UK version is that the UK version functions more like a Beatles album proper while the American version is more or less half album, half film soundtrack. It is why I have chosen to review the specific American release.

For likes of whatever, I found HELP very unappealing to me and very hard to enjoy. Maybe it's just that for this era of the band, they're pretty much still the insanely popular Fab Four. I have retroactively found a good number of their early hits like ''Love Me Do'', ''Eight Days a Week'' and ''I Saw Her Standing There'' to be quite enjoyable even if a bit campy, so I've come to terms with the poppier section of the Beatles' career. The problem is that in this particular instance, only the title track manages to squeeze any enjoyment out of me.

The chief reason for my disinterest is that I can't remember most of the other songs after spinning the album, even the famous ''Ticket to Ride'' (with the exception of the chorus) sounds mundane to me. Actually, I can remember ''You're Gonna Lose That Girl'' for the wrong reasons as it comes off as annoying to me. And am I the only one that thinks the production is too bright and sharp? It's to the point where I can't wear my headphones whenever I listen to the album.

The American version replaces a few pop songs with some of the soundtrack from the movie. It's nice to hear a sitar playing the melody of ''A Hard Day's Night'', but the soundtracks aren't very interesting either. Worse is that none of these breaks have any title to them.

Beatlemania had been going on for a few years, so if HELP had any positive impact on music, it was the breaking point of the Beatles as a pop sensation on the verge of shark jumping. Thankfully, the Beatles took a more art approach to their music and fresher ideas were on the way. As it stands, the soundtrack to HELP is dated and a poor representation of the Beatles as a pop group.

Lastly, I find that HELP has almost no prog value to it. Find a Beatles album after 1965 if you want to see where the Beatles fit in the prog saga.