Beatles for Sale by The Beatles

Pros: some strong tracks, sound is maturing, the album cover
Cons: some weak songs, a return to cover songs

Almost since its release in December 1964, the Beatles' fourth album, Beatles For Sale, has been dismissed as one of their weaker efforts. It was simply an album rushed out for the Christmas season, and the Beatles were busy touring, making ...

Pros: Obvious highlights include I'm A Loser & I'll Follow the Sun
Cons: George Harrison's contributions, too many covers

Beatlemania, they say was unstoppable in the early days of their career 1963/1964. The Beatles were chart dominators; they were on our radios, on our television sets and in our face. But like Ringo had said in 1970, ”It don't come ...

Pros: Shows a level of maturity entering into the Beatles work.
Cons: One of the Beatles more uneven efforts.

Many commonly regard Beatles For Sale as the album where the Beatles started to grow up. Many listeners point to the majority of the Lennon-McCartney originals on here as proof of this, specifically the fact that many of Lennon's songs bear the influence ...

Pros: Opening three tracks, more pensive, mature tones
Cons: Rushed album, cover heavy - the covers aren't that good either

Beatles for Sale (1964) There are several revealing notes to be made before even listening to a track on 1964’s Beatles for Sale. That title for one speaks a little of disillusion in that the band probably considered themselves a ...

Pros: Shows rockabilly influence, pays musical dues
Cons: None to speak of

Beatles For Sale, while not a particularly critically acclaimed album, is very important nonetheless. Six of the fourteen songs on the album are covers--the Beatles admired the work of the artists that made it possible for there to be Beatles, and by...

Pros: The melodies... the more emotional and creative songwriting
Cons: The covers tend to drag this effort down

(Disclaimer: Those looking for a brief description of the album will find what their looking for in the "Review Body" section. The section titled "Track Reviews" is meant only for those who want to read detailed descriptions of the songs, and ...

Pros: More complex than previous offerings
Cons: "Mr. Moonlight" just plain sucks

Beatles for Sale, which came out in 1964, is the fourth release from the Beatles. The most striking thing about this album is that it contains more than the fast-paced pop songs that the Beatles churned out on the three albums before this. In...

Pros: "I'm a Loser," Lennon's evolution as a writer
Cons: useless covers, exhausted sound, weak harmonies, sometimes ear-grating

Okay, I have a little bit of a scene for you to picture in your head.  Start with four musicians barely in their 20s, recording their first two albums.  Now throw them into fame on more than one continent, three full length albums, and a movie; ...

Pros: Peanut butter
Cons: Asparagus

There is alot to be said for innovation- artists boldly going where no one has gone before, discovering brave new worlds of sonic delight and leaving their audiences shocked with joy (or anger, it depends).

There is also alot to be said for a...

Pros: More acoustically grounded with incredible tunes such as No Reply, I'm a Loser, Baby's in Black and I'll Follow the Sun
Cons: A return to the half original composition, half cover tune formula...

Beatles For Sale has a lot of things going against it. It's a bit of an underdog in the Beatles' catalog -- perhaps that's what makes it appealing to me. The Beatles were of course at the peak of their fame directly following the A Hard Day's...

Pros: Decently integrated original and covers
Cons: One of the more unremarkable Beatles albums

I always consider Beatles For Sale as the equivalent of that highway sign that says “Last Rest Stop In Missouri” (or whatever state you happen to live in). In the Beatles canon, it’s your final chance to stop and catch your breath before the band...

Pros: beautiful, soulful, thoughtful and inventive
Cons: it goes back to reliance on covers, and is a bitter, moody album

Almost since its release in December 1964, Beatles for Sale has been victim to a bad reputation that it simply doesn't deserve. In fact, it's often called their worst record. I suppose that anything coming off the heels of both the triumphant...

Pros: Some good moments that can't be suppressed
Cons: Even weak Beatles is worth a listen

It was inevitable, the critics had bleated almost from their first day of widespread success. Their bubble would burst, they would be exposed as the shaggy-headed fakirs they surely were.

Beatles For Sale was the first chink in the...

Pros: Beatles are still progressing as songwriters.
Cons: Why go back to covers on this album?

'Beatles for Sale' is considered by most fans to be the band's worst album. It's not so much that this is a bad album, it just doesn't meet the lofty standards set by the band's other work. I don't think this is their worst album,(see 'Help!'), but I do...

Pros: The originals are superb and never sound like a retread
Cons: Many of the covers are poor, the Beatles seem to go through the motions a bit here.

If any Beatles disc is ever panned by critics, 9/10 times its either the Let It Be album (with Phil Spector's overproduction) or this one. However, it is unfortunate that this is the case. There are many magnificient moments here, especially within the...