THE BEATLES

'FOR SALE'

Certainly I knew this when it came out but I was eleven and it was one of those that my big brother Steve would have bought and brought into the house and again I was smitten no to say mesmerised. Several of these songs stuck with me forever and having heard them so young I think is the answer and of course them being classic songs from the Fab Four - 'I'm A Loser', 'I Feel Fine', '8 Days a Week', rockers like Paul singing 'Kansas City' blew me away but the whole album is made of hit singles for me and it is easier to find tracks that made me feel odd or weird than those that moved me. So 'Baby's In Black' and 'Mr Moonlight' I didn't care for until much later on. 'What You're Doing' left me cold but finishing the album with George belting out 'Everybody's Trying To Be Me Baby' left us a with a smile and a shiver!

On this day in music history: December 4, 1964 - “Beatles For Sale”, the fourth album by The Beatles is released. Produced by George Martin, it is recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London from August 11 - October 26, 1964. The bands’ fourth release (and second album of the year), the overall mood and feel of the material is decidedly quieter than the bands’ previous efforts, exhausted by their extremely hectic schedule during the past year. It also shows the influence of Bob Dylan on several cuts, who they met in New York during their first world tour. No singles are released from the album in the UK, though “Eight Days A Week” is in the US, reaching number one in March 1965. “No Reply” is also considered a contender, but is passed over in favor of “I Feel Fine” (released as a stand alone single in November). The album is originally not released in the US under this title or with the same track listing. Capitol Records takes eight songs from the UK album (plus one stray track from “A Hard Day’s Night”), padding them out with singles and releasing them as the album “Beatles ‘65” and taking the remaining six tracks, (filling them out with material from the as yet released “Help!” soundtrack and the non-album B-side “Yes It Is”) and are released as “Beatles VI” in June of 1965. The original UK album is not issued in the US until 1987. The stereo and mono versions of the album are remastered and reissued on CD in 2009. The stereo vinyl LP is reissued in 2012 and the mono version in 2014. “Beatles For Sale” spends eleven weeks at number one on the UK album chart.