Beatles For Sale

Beatles For Sale

Recorded: August 11 and 14, September 29-30, October 6, 18, and 26, 1964 (Studio 2, Abbey Road Studios, London, England)
Mixed: August 14, October 12, 16, 21, 26, and 27, November 4, 1963
Length: 30:30
Credits:
Produced by George Martin
Engineered and Mixed by Norman Smith
Liner Notes by Derek Taylor
Photography by Robert Freeman
First released: December 4, 1964
Versions:

• Beatles For Sale UK: Parlophone PMC 1240, December 4, 1964 (mono)
• Beatles For Sale UK: Parlophone PCS 3062, December 4, 1964 (stereo)
• Beatles '65 US: Capitol T 2228, December 15, 1964 (mono)
• Beatles '65 US: Capitol ST 2228, December 15, 1964 (stereo)
• Beatles VI (CD) Capitol T 2358, June 14, 1965 (mono)
• Beatles VI (CD) Capitol ST 2358, June 14, 1965 (stereo)
• Beatles For Sale (CD) Parlophone CDP 7 46438 2, February 26, 1987
• Beatles '65 (CD) Capitol CDP 7243 8 66874 2 5, November 16, 2004
• Beatles VI (CD) Capitol CDP 0946 3 57499 2 2, November 16, 2004

Highest chart position: UK: 1 (11 weeks beginning December 19, 1964)
History:

• The Beatles' fourth album is generally considered their weakest, largely due to to the lofty expectations set by the triumph of the Hard Day's Night project, and also due to the fact that a mere nine weeks had elapsed between the completion of that album and the beginning of this one (and with two legs of a world tour taking place during the break!).
• Nevertheless, the cover-heavy Beatles For Sale, while containing one of Beatles' fans universally least-love moments in the loungey cover of the obscure "Mr. Moonlight," does contain a number of innovations: John's dark, nearly depressing love-lost "trilogy" ("No Reply," "I'm A Loser," and "Baby's In Black") which, bizarrely, opens the album; the beginning of John's Dylan fixation on "I'm A Loser"; Paul's refreshingly introspective "I'll Follow The Sun"; the band's first attempt at straight country in "I Don't Want To Spoil The Party"; and the studio experimentation and odd stylistic pairings of "Every Little Thing" and "What You're Doing," both of which clearly point the way to Rubber Soul. (Indeed, some consider the chiming guitars of the latter to herald the arrival of folk-rock, coming as it did some six months before the Byrds' breakthrough.)
• The originals for Beatles For Sale were largely written by John and Paul in afternoon sessions at John's home in Weybridge, Surrey, England, often working off of nearly fully-formed ideas by one of the pair.

Trivia:

• The cover for this album, featuring a notoriously dour and exhausted-looking group, was again shot by photographer Robert Freeman, this time in London's Hyde Park. The original vinyl album was the first Beatles record to feature a gatefold; the inside sleeve also featured the boys photographed in front of a photo collage, a future stylistic motif for the boys that would crop up from Revolver through the "White Album."
• Due to an obscure union regulation, the Australian version of Beatles For Sale featured an entirely different cover, one which remained until the album's 1988 CD release.

Tracklisting:

Side One:

1. No Reply (2:14)
2. I'm A Loser (2:30)
3. Baby's In Black (2:04)
4. Rock And Roll Music (2:30)
5. I'll Follow The Sun (1:47)
6. Mr. Moonlight (2:33)
7. Medley: (a) Kansas City (b) Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey (2:31)

Side Two:

1. Eight Days A Week (2:42)
2. Words Of Love (2:12)
3. Honey Don't (2:55)
4. Every Little Thing (2:01)
5. I Don't Want To Spoil The Party (2:32)
6. What You're Doing (2:31)
7. Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby (2:23)