Making the Case for The Beatles' Unheralded 1964 Album 'Beatles for Sale'
Fans speak of most Beatles albums with awe and reverence. LPs like Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Revolver, The White Album, and several others in the band’s catalog are generally mentioned among the greatest rock albums ever recorded. That’s why it’s a surprise that an album like Beatles for Sale, released in 1964, doesn’t get much attention at all, at least not compared to other Fab Four records.
We’re here to change that, because we think Beatles for Sale needs to be more than just a trivia answer for those trying to list all of their albums. On the contrary, we think it’s deserving of classic status in its own right, and we’re here to tell you why.
Beatles for Sale was the Fab Four’s fourth studio LP released in the United Kingdom, arriving in December 1964. (Like most early Beatles albums, it was chopped up and repurposed for release in America, with most of the 14 tracks ending up on either Beatles ’65 or Beatles VI in the U.S.)
It was recorded during a particularly busy time in the group’s schedule, although it’s fair to say their schedule was always hectic in the early years. They didn’t release any singles from the album in Great Britain, choosing instead to release the non-album tracks “I Feel Fine” and “She’s a Woman” as the A-side/B-side of a single just a few weeks ahead of the album.
They recorded the album in fits and starts whenever they had time to grab some studio time in the second half of 1964. Perhaps the most damning criticism of Beatles for Sale came from a guy who helped to put it together: Beatles producer George Martin, who said the following of Beatles for Sale in the Mark Lewisohn book The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions:
“They were rather war-weary during Beatles for Sale. One must remember that they’d been battered like mad throughout ’64, and much of ’63. Success is a wonderful thing, but it is very, very tiring. They were always on the go. Beatles For Sale doesn’t appeal to me very much now, it’s not one of their most memorable ones. They perked up again after that.”
Source: Jim Beviglia/americansongwriter.com
