Help! (album)

Help! is the fifth studio album by English rock band The Beatles. It was first released on 6 August 1965 in the United Kingdom by Parlophone and on 13 August 1965 in the United States by Capitol Records. Produced by George Martin, it serves as a soundtrack to the band's film of the same name, and contains fourteen songs in its original British release. Seven of these, including the singles "Help!" and "Ticket to Ride", appeared in the film and take up the first side of the vinyl release; the second side contained seven other songs, including perhaps the most-covered song ever written, "Yesterday". The album's cover artwork shows the band spelling out letters in flag semaphore; Robert Freeman, the photographer of the cover, said he originally intended to have them spell out the album title, but decided to choose the "best graphic positioning of the arms", where the band members instead spell out the letters "NUJV".

The American release of the album is considered more of a genuine soundtrack, mixing the first seven songs with instrumental material from the film. Of the other seven songs on the British release, two were released on the American issue of the next Beatles album Rubber Soul, two were back-to-back on the next US single and appeared on Yesterday and Today, and three had already appeared on Beatles VI.

In 2012, Rolling Stone placed Help! at number 331 on its updated list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". In September 2013, after the British Phonographic Industry changed their sales award rules, the album achieved BPI platinum status for shipments of over 300,000 copies.

Tracks
All songs written by Lennon/McCartney except where noted.

Side one
All songs on side one appear in the film.

Side two
=American version= The North American version, the band's eighth Capitol Records album and tenth overall, includes the songs in the film plus selections from the orchestral score composed and conducted by Ken Thorne, which contains one of the first uses of the Indian sitar on a rock/pop album. "Ticket to Ride" is the only song on the American release in duophonic stereo (also known as "fake stereo") reprocessed from the mono mix. This album is available on CD as part of The Capitol Albums, Volume 2 box set. This set also includes the mono version of the American release, which is purely a stereo-to-mono fold-down mix, including the "fake stereo" duophonic "Ticket To Ride" folded down to mono, despite Capitol already having the mono mixes for the single releases of both that song and "Help!". A second CD release of this album, which contained the seven songs in true mono was issued in 2014 individually and part of the Beatles' The U.S. Albums boxed set.

The American version of "Help!" reached the number one spot on the Billboard album charts for nine weeks starting on 11 September 1965.

Side one

 * 1) "Help!" (preceded by Ken Thorne's "James Bond Theme" instrumental arrangement)
 * 2) "The Night Before" (extended version)
 * 3) "From Me to You Fantasy" (instrumental) (Lennon, McCartney, Ken Thorne)
 * 4) "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away"
 * 5) "I Need You" (Harrison)
 * 6) "In The Tyrol" (instrumental) (Ken Thorne)

Side two

 * 1) "Another Girl"
 * 2) "Another Hard Day's Night" (instrumental) (Lennon/McCartney, Thorne)
 * 3) "Ticket to Ride"
 * 4) Medley: "The Bitter End" (Ken Thorne)/"You Can't Do That" (instrumental) (Lennon/McCartney, arranged by Ken Thorne)
 * 5) "You're Going to Lose That Girl"
 * 6) "The Chase" (instrumental) (Ken Thorne)

=Credits=
 * John Lennon: lead, harmony, and backing Vocals, rhythm guitar (1964 Rickenbacker 325, 1964 Rickenbacker 325/12), acoustic guitar (1964 Gibson J-160E, Framus Hootenanny|1964 Framus Hootenanny 5/024), electric piano, organ, and tambourine
 * Paul McCartney: lead, harmony, and backing Vocals, bass guitar (1963 Hofner 500/1), lead guitar (1962 Epiphone ES-230TD Casino), acoustic guitar (1964 Epiphone FT-79 Texan), piano (acoustic and electric), and Güiro
 * George Harrison: lead, harmony, and backing Vocals, lead guitar (1963 Gretsch 6119 Tennessean, 1961 Fender Stratocaster, 1963 Rickenbacker 360/12), acoustic guitar (1962 Gibson J-160E, Framus Hootenanny|1964 Framus Hootenanny 5/024)
 * Ringo Starr: lead Vocals, drums, tambourine, maracas, cowbell, bongos, claves, and handclaps
 * George Martin: piano (acoustic and electric), Producer
 * Robert Freeman: Photography
 * Kenneth Essex: Viola on "Yesterday"
 * Francisco Gabarro: Cello on "Yesterday"
 * Tony Gilbert: Violin on "Yesterday"
 * Sidney Sax: Violin on "Yesterday"
 * John Scott: Flute on "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away"

=External Links=
 * All Music Guide review

Help! (альбом) Help! (álbum)