Beatles – ”Beatles For Sale” (1964)

Another album on the theme "rescued from my parents' LP collection". Yes, even a classic like this was heading for an unknown destination - the trash or as a gift to some second hand store. I hope it likes it better in my home.

I have always said I like the Beatles from the album Revolver (1966) and onwards. It was then the Beatles began their serious experimenting, both with their music and their minds. The music they created earlier, I have always regarded as somewhat geeky and lightweight, songs like She Loves You comes flickering in my head, and I've never understood what people have raved about when they praised the Beatles’ early works. I am now prepared to ask for forgiveness.

I haven’t listened to Beatles For Sale since adolescence when I tried it out a few times at home. But since I didn’t think it was much to have, it sounded old and out-dated, it remained in my parent’s shelf and bided its time. When I listen to it today, I realize that it’s really, really great. Now I understand that the Beatles was actually a great band even before Revolver and the songs Lennon / McCartney created were something extraordinary. Yes, I know that countless people since the 60s have argued just this, but some people wake up late.

The album was recorded during an intense period of the Beatles career. It had only been a week after A Hard Days Night had been finished in the studio, when they started the new recordings. Moreover, it was recorded parallel with touring, television appearances, radio shows etc. But according to the contract they were under, the Beatles had to release two albums a year, so what can you do.

Since the pace was so high when it came to recording albums, the Beatles didn’t have time to write enough songs. So they did what they often did back then, they filled out with the album with a number of cover songs. The album includes eight original songs and six covers. In my world, some rockabilly numbers can be done without, but apart from those it’s an extremely strong collection of songs. Most known is perhaps Eight Days A Week, but there are other songs that are even better - No Reply, Baby 's In Black, Words Of Love, Every Little Thing, etc. Especially the cover Words Of Love surprised me as it sounds a bit different than other Beatles creations, it’s more the Byrds than the Beatles.

We are still far from Tomorrow Never Knows or Sgt Pepper, and it's sometimes hard to imagine that it’s only a few years before the Beatles created these psychedelic institutions. At the same time, several of the songs from Beatles For Sale could make it on Revolver or any of their subsequent albums. Everything the Beatles did from 1966 wasn’t fuzzy psychedelia, there were still lots of "normal" songs on the albums. It was also room for some experimentation on Beatles For Sale, in Mr. Moonlight we hear a solo with a Hammond organ, and on Every Little Thing Ringo contributes with punches on a timpani.

 

 

It's a surprisingly dark touch on many of the songs, and the music pros on allmusic.com say that the fatigue as a consequence of the Beatles extremely intense years now was shining through. Obviously I recommend Beatles For Sale, I 'm glad I finally have understood the greatness of the early Beatles.

The cover photo was taken in Hyde Park in London.

Tracklist

Side A
1. No Reply 2:15
2. I’m A Loser 2:31
3. Baby’s In Black 2:02
4. Rock And Roll Music 2:30
5. I’ll Follow The Sun 1:46
6. Kansas City 2:33
 
Side B
1. Eight Days A Week 2:43
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 2:33
6. What You’re Doing 2:30
7. Everybody’s Trying To Be My Baby 2:23

 

Bruce Springsteen – ”Born In The U.S.A.” (1984)

I was 12 years old when this album was released, and just like many others, I thought the title song was about how proud Springsteen was to be born in the USA. A patriotic song in true American spirit. I was fascinated by Bruce's voice, which was the roughest voice I had ever heard, it felt more like screaming or bawling. This was new to me, at the age of 12 I had no idea who Springsteen was. Honestly, I didn’t really like what I heard, there was better stuff being played on the radio. But Springsteen undeniable made an impression on me, I thought his voice was totally crazy.

This is a record I saved from my parents' LP collection a few years ago, where it rested in the attic headed for the trash. Although I am not a big Springsteen fan I couldn’t let the album be thrown away.

Born In The USA was Springsteen's seventh album, but fact is most of the album was recorded already a few years earlier, at the time of the recording of the more dark and acoustic Nebraska. On Born In The USA Springsteen's music takes a more commercial road and it became 1985's best-selling album in the U.S., and Springsteen's best-selling album ever. Springsteen also managed to get seven singles from the album on to America's top 10 list, an almost unique achievement (only Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson makes him company in this). During his career Springsteen's had twelve top 10 singles altogether, more than half of them from Born In The USA. And if you like statistics it can be mentioned that its 84 weeks in a row on the top 10 list is the world record, and that it is 3rd in the contest concerning the total number of weeks in the top -10.

 

Despite all these confirmations of the album’s greatness, it’s not entirely to my taste. I can’t deny that it's pretty good songs, accessible and with their own characters. But straightforward rock n' roll of this kind is simply not my thing. Personal favorite on the album is undoubtedly the calmer and darker Fire. However, I’m happy to have saved the album from death in the trsh, I'd rather see the record in my collection than burned up and recycled as energy in my radiators.

It may be added that the title song is not the patriotic song I thought as a child, supposedly it’s about the Vietnam War’s impact on the United States and the country's lack of ability to take care of the veterans of this war. Although the Reagan administration misunderstood the song at first, and wanted to use it in their election campaign.

Tracklist

Side A

1. Born in the U.S.A. – 4:39
2. Cover Me – 3:27
3. Darlington County – 4:48
4. Working on the Highway – 3:11
5. Downbound Train – 3:35
6. I'm on Fire – 2:37

Side B

1. No Surrender – 4:00
2. Bobby Jean – 3:46
3. I'm Goin' Down – 3:29
4. Glory Days – 4:15
5. Dancing in the Dark – 4:00
6. My Hometown – 4:34