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| {{Album infobox |
{{Album infobox | | ||
| Name = Help! | | Name = Help! | | ||
| Type = ] | | Type = ] | | ||
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| *] ] | *] ] | ||
| *'']'' ] | | *'']'' ] | | ||
| ⚫ | Last album = '']''<br />(], ])<br />----<br />'']''<br />(], ]) | | ||
| Last cover = Beatlesforsale.jpg | | |||
| ⚫ | Last album = '']''<br />(], ])<br />----<br /> |
||
| This album = '''''Help!'''''<br />(]) | | This album = '''''Help!'''''<br />(]) | | ||
| Next cover = RubberSoulUK.jpg | | |||
| Next album = '']''<br>(]) |}} | Next album = '']''<br>(]) |}} | ||
| '''''Help!''''' is the title of a ] film starring ] and featuring ], ], ] and ]. It is also the soundtrack ] from the film, as well as the title song from that album. The album cover features the group spelling out a word in ]; the British ] release featured the word 'NUJV', whilst the slightly re-arranged US release on ] appeared to feature the word 'NVUJ'. | '''''Help!''''' is the title of a ] film starring ] and featuring ], ], ] and ]. It is also the soundtrack ] from the film, as well as the title song from that album. The album cover features the group spelling out a word in ]; the British ] release featured the word 'NUJV', whilst the slightly re-arranged US release on ] appeared to feature the word 'NVUJ'. | ||
Revision as of 17:54, 26 October 2005
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Help! is the title of a 1965 film starring The Beatles and featuring Leo McKern, Eleanor Bron, Victor Spinetti and Roy Kinnear. It is also the soundtrack album from the film, as well as the title song from that album. The album cover features the group spelling out a word in semaphore; the British Parlophone release featured the word 'NUJV', whilst the slightly re-arranged US release on Capitol Records appeared to feature the word 'NVUJ'.
Produced by George Martin for EMI Records, the album (in its original British form) contains seven songs that appeared in the movie and seven that did not, including one of the most successful songs in history, the archetypal Paul McCartney ballad "Yesterday".
Even without the presence of the legendary "Yesterday", many critics consider the album Help! worthy of high praise. The album shows The Beatles, but mainly John Lennon, under the influence of Bob Dylan and folk music. The title track reveals Lennon's confusion and cynicism hidden under a maze of rhythms; "It's Only Love" features another tugging vocal by Lennon.
McCartney adds "Yesterday" as well as "Another Girl", a fast moving congo beat pop song; "The Night Before", a standard rock & roll song, and "I've Just Seen A Face", a rollicking Dylanesque folk song often overlooked by Beatle fans.
George Harrison contributes the low-key "I Need You" and the headstrong "You Like Me Too Much".
This album seems to be the turning point for the Beatles, coming off of Beatlemania and entering a more focused stage. A year after this album was released, the Beatles played their last live concert, in San Francisco's Candlestick Park, in order to spend more time in the studio.
The film's original working title was "Eight Arms to Hold You". The plot of the movie revolves around a sacrificial ring which Ringo cannot take off. The band is chased around London by members of the Indian cult of the Goddess Kaili, headed by McKern and Bron. In a desperate effort to dispose of the ring, the band resorts to the bumbling efforts of mad scientist Spinetti and assistant Kinnear; when his equipment turns out to have no effect on the ring, Spinetti decides he too must somehow acquire it.
The Beatles said that the film was inspired by the Marx Brothers classic Duck Soup; it was also directly satirical of the James Bond series of films. At the time of the original release of Help!, its distributor, United Artists, also held the rights to Duck Soup and the Bond series.
The song "Help!" has also been covered by Deep Purple, The Carpenters, Bananarama and The Damned. John Lennon once stated that his favourite version of the song had been recorded by Henry Gross.
Track listing
Songs marked with an * appear in the movie:
- All songs by Lennon-McCartney, except where noted.
- "Help!" * SAMPLE (148k)
- "The Night Before" *
- "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" * SAMPLE (153k)
- "I Need You" (Harrison) *
- "Another Girl" *
- "You're Going to Lose That Girl" *
- "Ticket to Ride" *
- "Act Naturally" (Morrison/Russell)
- "It's Only Love"
- "You Like Me Too Much" (Harrison)
- "Tell Me What You See"
- "I've Just Seen a Face"
- "Yesterday" SAMPLE (126k)
- "Dizzy Miss Lizzie" (Williams)
American release
The US version of the album includes the songs in the film plus selections from the orchestral score composed by Ken Thorne, including an adaptation of Monty Norman's "James Bond Theme".
Release history
| Country | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
| United Kingdom | August 6 1965 | Parlophone | mono LP | PMC 1255 |
| stereo LP | PCS 3071 | |||
| United States | August 13 1965 | Capitol Records | mono LP | MAS 2386 |
| stereo LP | SMAS 2386 | |||
| Worldwide reissue | April 15 1987 | Apple, Parlophone, EMI | CD | CDP 7 46439 2 |
| Japan | March 11 1998 | Toshiba-EMI | CD | TOCP 51115 |
| Japan | January 21 2004 | Toshiba-EMI | Remastered LP | TOJP 60135 |
