Beatles for Sale (Stereo - 2009 remaster)

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Track list

Disc 1

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About

From the liner notes:

Historical Notes

The Beatles’ fourth album was released on 4th December, 1964 – just in time for Christmas. The fourteen songs were recorded on seven days scattered between August and October. It had been only 21 weeks since A Hard Day’s Night and during this time The Beatles were immersed in a crammed schedule. They performed regularly on radio and TV, played several English concerts in the summer, visited Sweden for a second time, toured the US and Canada for 26 concert dates and appeared in 27 venues around the UK during the autumn. With scarcely a moment to spare it was hardly surprising that, after a previous album containing solely Lennon/McCartney songs, this LP reverted to the 1963 formula of eight originals and six cover versions.

For the first time, the record was contained in a deluxe gatefold sleeve. When opened, it revealed the group standing in front of a photo montage of movie stars. The prophetic sleeve notes were written by Derek Taylor, who had worked with The Beatles for a short time in 1964 and also helped their manager Brian Epstein write his book A Cellarful

Of Noise. Following several years in the States, Derek returned to the fold in 1968 as the head of the Apple press office.

Beatles For Sale reached the top of the UK album chart and was there for eleven of its 46 weeks in the Top Twenty. There was no album with this title in the USA but Beatles ’65 is its American equivalent. Released on 15th December, 1964, it included eight songs from Beatles For Sale, ‘I’ll Be Back’ from the British version of A Hard Day’s Night and both sides of the single at the top of the US and UK Christmas charts – ‘I Feel Fine’/,She’s A Woman’. It started its nine week run at number one in January 1965 and stayed in the chart for 71 weeks. The remaining six songs from Beatles For Sale eventually appeared in America on Beatles VI released in June, 1965. This album stayed at number one for six of its 41 weeks in the US chart.

With Beatles For Sale still ruling the album chart, the group kept up their incessant pace and began recording songs for their next album and second movie – Help! …

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With The Beatles 

Recording Notes

Produced by George Martin

Principal Engineer: Norman Smith

Beatles For Sale was their second album to be recorded on four-track tape machines. While making A Hard Day’s Night the group had been able to expand their arrangements through an overdubbing process that was much more convenient than the twin-track recording used on their first two albums in 1963. The Beatles For Sale sessions saw the group and George Martin take a new approach to time spent in the studio. Sessions were often used to rehearse and rearrange songs by recording a take, listening back and then making alterations until they were all satisfied.

A good example of this new attitude is revealed by the tapes for ‘Eight Days A Week’, which evolved through two sessions on 6th October, 1964. During the afternoon, the group experimented with different ideas until they were finally happy with the arrangement on take six. The first part of the evening was spent perfecting the instrumental backing and vocals recorded on tracks one and two until they decided take thirteen was the best. Using this take as the master, overdubs of handclaps, timpani and guitar were made on track three and the remaining track was used for double-tracked vocals. The closing guitar coda was added on another day and the distinctive fade-in was created when the song was mixed.

The penultimate session for the album on 18th October, 1964 was more hectic. On a ‘day-off’ from their British tour, the Beatles recorded seven complete songs between 2.30 and 11.30pm. Five of them were familiar rock ‘n’ roll stage favourites including a remake of ‘Mr. Moonlight’, which they had first recorded but rejected two months earlier. As The Beatles became more assured in the studio, re-recordings – or ‘remakes’ as they were called – became much more frequent. The other two recordings on this productive day were both originals: the early song ‘I’ll Follow The Sun’ and the recently written ‘I Feel Fine’, which became their eighth Parlophone single.

Although recording on four-track could have taken more time when mixing to stereo, mono was still the dominant format and took priority. So it was that during a three-hour session, George Martin and engineer Norman Smith, spent two and a half hours mixing five songs into mono and just half an hour mixing four of them to stereo.

This remastered album has been created from the original stereo analogue master tapes.

Remastered by Guy Massey and Steve Rooke

Project Co-ordinator: Allan Rouse

Thanks to Simon Gibson

Historical Notes: Kevin Howlett and Mike Heatley

Recording Notes: Allan Rouse and Kevin Howlett

Project management for EMI Reccords Ltd: Wendy Day and Guy Hayden

All songs published by Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC except tracks 4, Jewel Music Publishing Co. Ltd., 6, BMG Music Publishing Ltd., 7, Peter Maurice Music Co. Ltd., EMI Music Ltd. Sony/ATV Music Publishing (UK) Ltd, 9, Peermusic (UK) ltd., 10 & 14, Knox Music Ltd

Digital Remaster® 2009 The copyright in this sound recording is owned by EMl Records Ltd. ©2009 EMI Records Ltd. This label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved.

Artwork © 2009 Apple Corps Ltd. All photographs © Apple Corps Ltd., except where otherwise stated.

Original photography: Robert Freeman

Album Redesign: Drew Lorimer

Photo Retouching: Gavin O’Neill

Photo editing and research: Aaron Bremner and Dorcas Lynn