"Help!" Is More Than Just A Soundtrack
Being a huge fan of the Beatles, of course the song "Help!" is on my list of faves, but this entire album (with two exceptions) has made it to the list as well. From the title track thru to "Yesterday", the CD goes from hard-rockin' to sweet mournfulness, to country-western and back again to rock. It's a treat to hear Ringo get his chops in on "Act Naturally", and the tight harmonies on "The Night Before". Paul's songwriting is in peak form with "Another Girl", "I've Just Seen A Face" and of course "Yesterday"; and George is given a slot on the lineup with "You Like Me Too Much", although in today's world the lyrics come across a little creepy and stalker-ish. John's strengths come thru as well with the title track and "Ticket To Ride", but with "It's Only Love" he seems to have created a song-on-demand, a throwaway bit of fluff with hackneyed phrasing to fill up the allotted time on the album. The other song I don't like is "Dizzy Miss Lizzy", but only because the twangy electronic guitar riff predominates, and after a while it's the only thing I can hear. So overall, you get the big hits from the film, but also some sweet song treats that are often overlooked.