Beatles Music:

				Label: Toys Factory Salesrank:
		Our Price: $232.23
		Media: Vinyl

Editorial Review:
Japanese exclusive reissue of 1965 album. This Toshiba/EMI pressing features an OBI strip (different from the last Japanese pressings issued in 1990) & an insert with Japanese text & lyrics in Japanese & English. Manufactured & pressed in Japan. This album has been direct metal mastered from a digitally remastered original tape to give the best possible sound quality. 2003.

Description of Help! [Stereo]:
How John Lennon's confessional song became the title for a silly James Bond spoof I really don't know. The funny thing is, it works both ways--as a young man's personal statement about learning to open up to others, and as the frantic theme for an exotic espionage chase comedy starring those lovable mop-tops (this time in color). Like A Hard Day's Night, only the first "side" of this album actually contains songs from the movie--the biggest hits being the eponymous cry for assistance and "Ticket to Ride." But part 2 has a few nice tunes as well, like "It's Only Love," "I've Just Seen a Face," and a little ditty called "Yesterday." And I always love it when they do an all-out screamer like "Dizzy Miss Lizzy," which sounds like John's raucous answer to Paul's "Kansas City/Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey" vocal on Beatles for Sale. Of course, it's essential--as are all the Beatles' soundtracks (all the Beatles' albums), with the possible exception of Yellow Submarine. --Jim Emerson

Help! [Stereo] Reviews:
Awesome ReIssue!!!!!
2009-11-13 - The powers-that-be have done a superlative job in re-mastering these Beatles classics done over 40 years ago and Amazon came through with a wonderful price on this collection @ under $10 apiece...what more can I say? The sound is magnificent and the packaging is both beautiful and creative, a welcome addition to anyones CD collection...do yourself a favor and add these to your catalogue!!!!

This Was My FIRST!
2009-11-10 - They say you always remember your first, and I have to agree it's true. The Beatles album "HELP" was the first LP album I ever purchased. After seeing the Beatles live in 1964 Germany, even though I was only 10 years old, I loved them without question. My older sister took me to see the Beatles in 64 and she went with me when I bought my first Beatles albums "Meet The Beatles" and "Help" which I still cherish to this day. Although I don't play them anymore, and they're collectables now, These remastered CD's bring the old scratchy and poppy music tracks back to life in a way I can hardly believe. It's wonderful to hear these Beatles songs I love so much brought back to life in the crystal clear digital age!

Beatles Help
2009-11-09 - Great Buy! Not a significant change from '87 to today but still great packaging & detail.....

EVEN BETTER
2009-10-22 - THIS IS STILL GREAT MUSIC. RE-MASTERED ENHANCES WHAT WAS ALREADY GREAT. THE BEATLES WILL ALWAYS ROCK.

Returning to form
2009-10-10 - After the very world-weary and tired-sounding 'Beatles For Sale', the Fab Four got some of their mojo back on 'Help!'. Several songs recapture the bright, infectious melodies of their early work, while there is also a greater degree of experimentation present. For the first time, The Beatles incorporate outside musicians in the form of a string quartet and flutes, and there is also an incresing use of keyboard instruments. The folk rock influence of Bob Dylan is also more prominent in the more downbeat, reflective lyrics. Overall, 'Help!' is stronger and more consistent than its predecessor, although there are still some signs of hangover in the form of covers and a couple of weak songs. Also, with the obvious exception of 'Yesterday', the album is very heavily front-loaded, making it sound a bit stronger than what is actually is.

The first half of 'Help!' holds its own against any previous Beatle album, not just in the well-known singles 'Ticket To Ride' and the title track. Lennon's folky 'You've Got To Hide Your Love Away' is one of his most under-rated songs, while 'You're Going To Lose That Girl' seems most reminiscent of their early work. McCartney's 'The Night Before' and 'Another Girl' begin to incorporate the insecure, biting themes of Lennon, while 'I Need You' is the better of the two Harrison tracks.

In the second half, only 'Yesterday' is of a similar quality, one of the band's best and most well-known songs; ironic, given it's effectively a McCartney solo track. The simple acoustic ballad with string quartet accompaniment is the clearest sign of the development that would become evident on 'Rubber Soul'. Apart from that, the two covers, 'I've Just Seen A Face' and 'Tell Me What You See' are pleasant but not up to the standard of the first half. Harrison's 'You Like Me Too Much' is clumsy, and Lennon basically disowned 'It's Only Love'.

'Help!' is a transitional album in many ways; parts of it anticipate the more creative and mature direction they would persue, while others hark back to the band's boy-ish early work. In fact, 'Help!' is really the last Beatles album to be primarily "fun", and the last to portray the band as young, joyous, enthusiastic, and clean-cut. The creativity, maturity and seriousness of 'Rubber Soul' would be a pleasant surprise. With 'Help!' the first tentative steps in this new direction have been taken.

[4.5 stars]