Help! / I'm Down (UK)

THE BEATLES FILM NAMED ‘HELP!’ — NEXT RECORD

THE title of the Beatles’ new film has been switched to “Help!” John Lennon and Paul McCartney have already written the title song, which the Beatles recorded on Tuesday night. “Help!” is their next single and will be released towards the end of July about a fortnight before the film is premiered in London.

The previously selected title, “Eight Arms To Hold You,” was scrapped before John and Paul had attempted to write a song around it.

It was learned this week that comedian Frankie Howerd is to have a guest rôle in the film—he plays the part of an elocution teacher to the Beatles.

● The Beatles’ new single “Ticket To Ride,” released last Friday, enters this week’s chart at No. 1—their fourth consecutive single to do so. It is the eighth Beatles’ record to top the NME singles chart.

From New Musical Express – April 16, 1965

EXCLUSIVE – RAY COLEMAN HEARS THE BEATLES NEXT No.1 SINGLE

THE Beatles’ next single, “Help!” is the sort of song John Lennon and Paul McCartney have been aiming to write for a long time. It is the nearest they have come to doing a straight rock number. McCartney has been keen on doing “a Little Richard – style rocker” since the Beatles started.

“Help!” is a raving, pounding song featuring Lennon on lead vocal with Paul coming in on an attractive counter-melody, and George Harrison singing what he describes as “Chris Curtis falsetto parts.“

Harrison’s guitar work is dazzling and he says of the record: “I’m knocked out by it — it’s probably the best single we’ve done.“

The song is the title track of the Beatles’ film currently being completed. The picture’s title has been changed to “Help!” from “Eight Arms To Hold You”.

Beatle George said: “It will be out as a single to tie up with the film—about a fortnight before the picture’s premiere at the beginning of August.“

The story-line of “Help!” is about a plea for help by someone who is “down” and the line “Help Me Get My Feet Back On The Ground” is repeated several times in the song. It is a great record with the Beatles in instrumental and vocal top form — and better than “Ticket To Ride”.

“Help!” is a new Beatles sound — but still unmistakeably them.

From Melody Maker – May 1, 1965

Beatles shock! NO BOOKINGS FOR ANY TV POP SHOWS

THE Beatles new single is released next Friday, but apart from their “Blackpool Night Out” appearance on August 1, the four are not booked for any TV or radio programmes in connection with the record!

“HELP!” is the Beatles’ tenth single. Their last four have all entered the NME Chart at No. 1. But this will be their first disc not to get the benefit of widespread radio and TV promotion by the Beatles themselves.

Producers of top TV and radio pop shows tried to book the Beatles for personal appearances to coincide with the record’s release. But they were met with refusal by the Beatles management. Said “Top Of The Pops” producer JOHNNY STEWART : “I am bitterly disappointed.“

ELKAN ALLAN, executive producer of “Ready, Steady, Go !” told the NME : “Naturally we were disappointed, too, when Brian Epstein said the Beatles were not doing any of the pop programmes on this record. It is their decision, and we can do nothing about it. We like to feel an appearance on RSG is mutually beneficial to the artist and the programme, but if the Beatles don’t wish to take advantage of the system, it is their prerogative to decline our invitation.“

IN ‘BLACKPOOL NIGHT OUT’

A spokesman for the Beatles said on Wednesday night : “On the first day of August the Beatles will be giving a live performance on one of the top television shows of the moment, ‘Blackpool Night Out.’ On the same day their film will be showing at something approaching 100 cinemas throughout the U.K.; one way or another it looks as though their fans will have very ample opportunities of seeing and hearing the group prior to their August tour of America.”

● Frankie Howerd will not now be appearing in the Beatles’ film. The sequence in which he played a drama coach has been dropped. A spokesman for United Artists told the NME : “The scene looked all right when it was shot. But it was out of place when fitted into the film, and it was agreed by the producer and director that it should be dropped.“

AT SEASIDE

Fans throughout the country will be able to see the Beatles’ new film within a few days of its Royal Premiere in London.

From Thursday, July 29, it will be screened at Odeons in Brighton, Worthing, Canterbury, Ramsgate, Folkestone, Dover, Deal, Lowestoft, Southend, Clacton, Grimsby, Llandudno and Rhyl—and at the Drake in Plymouth and Gaumont in Weymouth.

From Sunday, August 1, it will be screened at Odeons in Southsea, Portsmouth, Jersey, Cardiff, Birmingham, Leeds, Newcastle, Cosham, Sunderland, Norwich, Lancaster, Luton, Leicester, Aldershot and Manchester ; Gaumonts in Bradford, Aberdeen, Nottingham, Derby, Hanley, Ipswich and Liverpool.

From Monday, August 2, it will be screened at Odeons in Guernsey and Glasgow ; from Thursday, August 5, at Watford Carlton and Odeons in Herne Bay, Weston-super-Mare, St. Austell, Falmouth and Scarborough, and from Sunday, August 8, at Sheffield Gaumont.

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‘HELP!’ REVIEWED

THERE’S always the danger of running out of superlatives when one reviews a Beatles disc. Especially when it’s like “Help!” (Parlophone), which is undoubtedly one of their best yet (writes Derek Johnson).

Bounding along at a medium-fast tempo with a tingling rhythmic backing (I don’t know any drummer who uses the cymbals as liberally as Ringo !), it also features some resonant gutty guitar chords.

But as usual, it’s the melody that hits you like a sledgehammer. Basically so simple, yet catchy and infectious, it registers on the very first spin.

And the lyric is one of the most thoughtful that the boys have come up with. John solos, with Paul and George supplying their familiar harmonies — and you’ll love the inevitable falsetto trademark on the phrase “Won’t you please, please, help me ?“

I haven’t yet recovered from the “B” side — I’m still feeling limp and breathless after listening to such a fantastic wild rave-up. Titled “I’m Down,” it showcases Paul’s throaty shouting and screaming — it’s a wonder he had any voice left after the session — plus some great Harrison guitar and the added novelty of John on Hammond organ.

From New Musical Express – July 16, 1965

GEORGE HARRISON on… BEATLES’ NEW SINGLE !

HIT parade forecast by George Harrison: The Beatles will probably be knocked from the top by the Rolling Stones with their next single. “Help!” by The Beatles goes into the shops next Friday, July 23. The Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” is expected out at the end of August.

Says George: “I’m not presuming we will go straight to the top, or anything like that. But I hope we’ll get up there even if we don’t go there straight away. As far as the chart’s concerned, there are only two or three really strong movers and I can’t see why the Stones shouldn’t be the group to knock us off the top if we make it. I like the Stones’ thing. It’s the best one they’ve done, I think, and I wouldn’t mind being knocked off the top by it.”

George gave a detailed description of “Help!”

“It’s quite involved — a bit more involved than others we’ve done because it has a counter-melody going as well as the main melody. It features John singing the lead lines, with Paul and me doing counter-melody in between. There’s a repeating line in each chorus. Again I think it’s a grower — the sort of song people will have to hear a few times before they realise what it’s all about.

“‘Ticket To Ride’ was probably one of our hardest singles — for others to get used to, that is, because of the strange lines. It’s roughly the same with this — people will have to hear it a few times before they get the gist of it. We all think it’s the best single we’ve had out for a long time. We are all really pleased with it.”

Could George compare it with any other Beatles track?

“It’s a bit like ‘It Won’t Be Long,'” he said. “That’s the only one it is anything like.”

Over to the B side—Lennon and McCartney’s “I’m Down.” This is not in the film.

“It’s a rocker, and Paul takes the lead vocal,” said George. “John is on Hammond organ. It’s pretty wild. Wild because it has Paul’s wild voice — it’s either his best singing voice or his worst, depending on which you like. I suppose he did it with his Little Richard-type voice. It’s that sort of number, anyway.”

The Beatles have always been striving for more genuine rock, and they tend to prefer “I’m Down” as a song, if not commercially.

“‘Help!’ is an A-side song, and the natural main side,” Harrison continued. “But John and I wanted to have ‘I’m Down’ as the A side, if there wasn’t a film to consider. We think it would have been good to have parts one and two for ‘I’m Down’, but looking back on that it was just a crazy, wild idea. It’s a funny thing about B-sides. Fans often say they prefer them to the A sides, but I imagine that’s because they’ve heard the A so much, and suddenly they realise the B is a good song, as well. Then what happens is that they grow to like it more because they don’t get so exposed to it on TV and radio.”

George then listened again to the Stones’ “Satisfaction” and said: “I like it. But the guitar bit’s very much like ‘Nowhere To Run.’ It’ll be funny if they do knock us off the top of the chart. The headline writers can get busy with things like ‘STONES TAKING OVER FROM BEATLES?'”

From Disc & Music Echo – July 17, 1965

There’s a new single from the Beatles that everyone’s heard already–and a good vocal from the Shads. Hits too from the Scots Poets and the Boston Dexters

THE BEATLES: Help!; I’m Down (Parlophone R 5305) WE’VE a feeling this might possibly be a massive hit. Film theme at a lively pace, with John on lead vocal, supported by George and Paul. Falsetto pieces towards the end of the chorus and interesting bass phrases. Solid cymbal work from Ringo behind it all. Later on, there’s a sort of hush over the proceedings before the boys build up vocally once more. We found it needed a couple of spins before getting full impact… but it’ll get more than that from the dee-jays. It’s almost entirely vocal, no definite instrumental break. The lyrics are well-sustained, though it’ll take a bit of singing along with by such as we in our baths. Must be a massive Number One, of course. Flip is not from the film and features Paul… rather a Little Richard type opening. Paul gets a lot of excitement going in good rock style, throatily easy. Marvellous guitar break from George. It’s a raver all the way. Would be a Number One on its own.

From Record Mirror – July 24, 1965

IT’S BEATLE STATIONS AGAIN

BEATLES releases are a big event anytime, and the new single and LP should give the record industry a much needed summertime boost. Advance orders for the single alone are over 250,000.

STAND by for action! The pop world is at battle stations this week with the release of the Beatles’ new single “Help”, out tomorrow. Record shops all over the country are expecting a boost in business when teenagers and Beatle fans everywhere start collecting those quarter of a million advance orders for “Help”.

What happens when a new Beatle single leaves the press?

“Last time was very busy,” said an EMI spokesman, “we had to engage extra staff to cope with all the packing and dispatching. We are preleasing the Beatles’ LP “Help” on August 6 instead of September to tie in with the new film. But this time everybody has been able to cope because it’s not such a terribly busy time of the year for records.”

What do the fans think: Says Beatles fan Margaret Sullivan (20), of Bexleyheath: “I can’t wait to hear, let alone buy their new record. They keep saying what new group or sound is going to take over but the Beatles are still tops with me.”

Says Christine Sloane (18), Orpington, Kent, “I’ve heard the new single and I think it’s great. But I don’t like the other side so much. Yes, I shall buy their new one, I always do. But I really want the LP most.”

Elizabeth Williamson, 19, Eltham, London: “I’m not so keen about the Beatles now. I may buy the record if I hear it enough and like it, but I just don’t rush out and buy records for the sake of it.”

Said a North London record dealer: “I think it’s going to be just like old times again. There is nothing like the record sales of last year generally, but that was an unusual boom, when beat was still a novelty I suppose. But the Beatles will give everything a shot in the arm again. We won’t stay open late or anything like that, but we certainly expect heavy sales.”

Zero hour will be next Monday morning when the new chart figures are prepared. Will the Beatles hit number one? If they do it would indicate they are invincible. If not there will be a shocked silence lasting two minutes before the knockers have their go.

Strongest competition for the Beatles comes from America’s Byrds and Britain’s Yardbirds who have been waiting in the wings for some time. But if they beat the Beatles to the punch it won’t mean much in terms of real popularity. The Beatles are still the world’s greatest pop property.

From Melody Maker – July 24, 1965

Back at No 1 — the Beatles rock ‘knockers’

THE Beatles’ new disc “Help!” was right at the top of the Top Ten pop charts yesterday, only two days after it was released. So ended a weekend of worry for the group. For, as John Lennon said last night:

“We know only too well that the ‘knockers’ are waiting for us to slip down a peg. We worry about each new disc we make. Now we shall start worrying about our next one.”

“Help!” which was written by John and Paul McCartney, is the Beatles’ ninth No. 1 disc, and the sixth to go straight to the top of the charts.

It is the title theme of their new film, which will have its World premiere in the West End this week. The film will be seen by Princess Margaret and Tony Armstrong-Jones.

The song takes over the top spot from “Mr. Tambourine Man” by the Byrds, an American group who style themselves on the Beatles.

In two weeks’ time, the Beatles go on their third American tour.

Due back from America last night were the Dave Clark Five, whose film-theme tune “Catch Us If You Can,” is also in the Top Ten—at No. 9.

From Daily Mirror – July 27, 1965

HELP! Here’s how they wrote it…

WE wrote it in my house. I had a little bit of a song which I’d played around at writing, called something like “Keep Your Hands Off My Babe.”

Anyway, it was floating around for a long time, and when Paul came over we decided to sort of adapt it. We wrote ‘Help!’ after we’d been told of the film title. We never write to fit in with the story line. This one seemed to fit okay. —JOHN LENNON

From Disc Weekly – July 31, 1965

HELP! — they’ve done it again! ‘Delighted and surprised’

THE incredible Beatles have gone straight to the top of the Pop 50 with “Help!” — the sixth time they have jumped straight to number one and their ninth disc to reach the top. Told the news, the Beatles commented: “We are delighted and surprised — we always are surprised when it happens.“

Next big date for the Fabulous Four is the World Premiere of their second film—”Help!” is the title song — at the London Pavilion today (Thursday). And it will be a Royal occasion, with Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon as the guests of the Variety Club of Great Britain who have organised the premiere in aid of the Dockland Settlements and the Club’s charity fund for children.

The Beatles will attend the premiere with their manager Brian Epstein.

From Melody Maker – July 31, 1965

‘Help!’ passes half-million

THE Beatles’ “Help!” single has now passed the half million sales mark in this country, and their album of the same title, released tomorrow (Friday), has already topped the 250,000 advance-order figure.

The film is playing to packed houses at the London Pavilion, where it was premiered last Thursday. Similar enthusiasm is reported from provincial centres.

“Help!” gets a blanket release in America on August 11, playing cinemas in most main cities. The Beatles fly out two days later for another tour.

The “Help!” single is already issued in the States. The album is released there this week.

The Beatles’ New York appearance at the 55,000-seater Shea Stadium on August 15 will be filmed by Brian Epstein for world television showing. The show is a sell-out.

Sounds Incorporated join the Beatles throughout their U.S. tour, it was announced this week.

Cilla Black will be on the Ed Sullivan Show on August 14, as well as the Beatles.

From Disc Weekly – August 7, 1965

BEATLES WIN THREE GOLDS

THE Beatles’ new single “Help!” will almost certainly win them Gold Discs in both Britain and America. This week home sales of the current chart-topper soared past 800,000 and looked like reaching the million mark within days. For the first time in the history of the record industry, an advance order of more than a million albums has been recorded in America for the “Help!” LP to qualify it for an instant “Gold”.

British sales of the last Beatles single, “Ticket To Ride,” stopped at 700,000; “I Feel Fine” was their last Gold Disc winner at home.

In America, cables Nat Hentoff, the “Help!” single sold 900,000 by Wednesday morning and there was a back order of 300,000 which Capitol was trying to press as quickly as possible.

The “Help!” album is not issued there until today (Friday) but advance orders passed 1,000,000 on Monday. This is twice the size of the advance for their last American LP “Beatles VI.”

Hentoff adds: “750,000 of the albums will be in the stores by Saturday morning and Capitol will have the rest out by the middle of next week in time to ask for official auditing qualifying it for the Gold award.”

Beatle cartoon bids

British sales of the album reached a quarter of a million this week as it entered the NME singles chart at No. 26.

Both BBC and ITV are bidding for British rights to screen an American cartoon series based on the Beatles. Transmission begins in the U.S. on September 25, by which time a decision will have been taken on which British offer is to be accepted.

In the series, the Beatles cartoon adventures take them all over the world in half-hour episodes. The Liverpool four are pursued by three fans who turn up in disguises ranging from air hostesses to crocodiles.

Meeting the Queen

Thursday, October 21, or Tuesday, October 26 — on one of those two dates the Beatles will go to Buckingham Palace to be invested with their MBE’s by the Queen, it was revealed to the NME this week.

Award recipients are normally informed of the date of the ceremony three weeks before. But because of the Beatles’ world-wide commitments, a date is being arranged between their management and the Palace.

However, this should not prove difficult since, as stated in last week’s NME, the group will be on holiday during September and October.

● The edition of ABC-TV’s “Blackpool Night Out” in which the Beatles starred on August 1 was placed fourth in last week’s Top 20 television programmes.

From New Musical Express – August 13, 1965

Beatles win Quills

JOHN LENNON and Paul McCartney received Silver Quills last week to mark British sales of well over a quarter-of-a-million each for their compositions, “Ticket To Ride” and “Help!”

The awards were presented on behalf of Disc Weekly by Dick James (centre), who looks after the Beatles’ Northern Songs, Ltd., music publishers.

● The Beatles may give up a day off during their forthcoming tour in response to fans’ requests. The tour starts on December 3 at Glasgow Odeon, and the day off was set for December 6. If the Beatles agree to play a date on this day, impresario Arthur Howes will arrange a venue in Leicester, Bristol or Leeds. Tickets have been sold out for three dates — Glasgow, Birmingham, and Finsbury Park.

From Disc Weekly – November 6, 1965