Help! [LP] in Bloomington, MN

Considering that
Help!
functions as
the Beatles
' fifth album and as the
soundtrack
to their second film -- while filming, they continued to release non-LP singles on a regular basis -- it's not entirely surprising that it still has some of the weariness of
Beatles for Sale
. Again, they pad the album with covers, but the
Bakersfield
bounce of
"Act Naturally"
adds new flavor (along with an ideal showcase for
Ringo
's amiable vocals) and
"Dizzy Miss Lizzy"
gives
John
an opportunity to flex his
rock & roll
muscle.
George
is writing again and if his two contributions don't touch
Lennon
and
McCartney
's originals, they hold their own against much of their British
pop
peers. Since
wrote a third more songs than
, it's easy to forgive a pair of minor numbers (
"It's Only Love,"
"Tell Me What You See"
), especially since they're overshadowed by four great songs. His
Dylan
infatuation holds strong, particularly on the plaintive
"You've Got to Hide Your Love Away"
and the title track, where the brash arrangement disguises
's desperation. Driven by an indelible 12-string guitar,
"Ticket to Ride"
is another masterpiece and
"You're Going to Lose That Girl"
is the kind of song
effortlessly tosses off -- which he does with the jaunty
"The Night Before"
"Another Girl,"
two very fine tunes that simply update his melodic signature. He did much better with
"I've Just Seen a Face,"
an irresistible
folk-rock
gem, and
"Yesterday,"
a simple, beautiful
ballad
whose arrangement -- an acoustic guitar supported by a string quartet -- and composition suggested much more sophisticated and adventurous musical territory, which the group immediately began exploring with
Rubber Soul
. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine