The Vinyl Review Episode 11: Beatles - Help! (Part 2)

Help! is the fifth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles and the soundtrack to their film of the same name. It was released on 6 August 1965, and it topped the Australian, German, British and American charts. During the recording sessions for the album, the Beatles continued to explore the studio's multitracking capabilities to layer their sound. "Yesterday" features a string quartet, the band's first use of Baroque arrangements, and "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" includes a double-tracked flute. In the US, Help! marked the start of artistic recognition for the Beatles from mainstream critics, including comparisons to the European art music tradition. It was nominated in the category of Album of the Year at the 1966 Grammys Awards, marking the first time that a rock band had been recognized in this category. At this time, the Beatles were heavily influenced by Bob Dylan, especially Lennon, who later referred to it as his "Dylan period" and while Dylan's influence was evident on Beatles for Sale, Help! is where it became fully realized. The album's most famous track, "Yesterday", came partially to McCartney in his sleep. He spent about a month playing it to people to make sure he had not plagiarized it. He then wrote working lyrics for it under the title "Scrambled Eggs". "Yesterday" was later recognized by Guinness World Records as the most-covered pop song in history. "Yesterday" might not be the album's masterpiece but it's a song that set the stage for one of the most groundbreaking and innovative periods in The Beatles' career, not to mention pop music in general. The album evokes a band in transition, shifting slightly uncomfortably from the pop thrills of Beatlemania to something more mature, with Lennon's writing increasingly autobiographical and the group's sound growing more sophisticated. Help! is certainly not their greatest album, but it contains some of their greatest early songs.

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