The Beatles

The Review

At the start of 1965, John Lennon feels the weight of his band's gigantic fame more than ever. He's bored with his marriage, and with the endless concerts where the only thing you can actually hear is the collective scream of a crowd of hormonally charged teenagers. So he decides to ask for help, through a new song, written after learning from director Richard Lester that filming for a second Beatles movie would begin in the Bahamas. "Help!" belongs to a creative period Lennon himself called his "fat Elvis" phase, but it's actually a further step forward in composing music in perfect Dylan-esque style.

As a taster for the forthcoming album, the Beatles release the single "Ticket To Ride". And it's a startling revelation: dark, dragging, hardly built for the commercial heights. Indeed, the US orders only a limited number of copies, while the Beach Boys' "Help Me Rhonda" is absolutely dominating the charts. The trade press, however, is convinced it's an utterly revolutionary piece of beat music. In truth, it's the Beatles' attempt to write harder music, in the wake of bands like the Animals, the Who and the Rolling Stones. And above all, it's one of the very first songs written under the influence of LSD. The more sinuous, psychedelic guitar rhythm is fairly clear proof of that.

In June, while filming continues for Lester's second film, the Beatles are made "knights" by Queen Elizabeth II, after Prime Minister Harold Wilson had put the four Liverpudlians forward as candidates for the honour, granting them the right to call themselves "Sir". The news — honouring four pop musicians! — sparks outrage among several establishment figures, who decide to reject their own titles in protest.

Between late June and early July 1965, the Beatles tour France, Spain and Italy. In Italy they perform first at the Vigorelli in Milan, then at the Palasport in Genoa and finally at the Teatro Adriano in Rome. The collective hysteria shows no sign of letting up.

On 6 August 1965, the fifth album by those now known as the "Fab Four" is released. "Help!" (Parlophone, 1965), the soundtrack to the film of the same name, attempts to widen the sonic scope of the previous two records, ultimately cementing John Lennon and Paul McCartney as major contemporary songwriters. Lennon first and foremost, by now obsessed with what many call his Dylan-esque period. "Help!" (the song) veers into a highly effective, souped-up folk-rock, giving voice to its composer's need to regain a lost sense of peace. The Beatles are by now like circus attractions, adored regardless of the quality of their songs. At one of their concerts, it doesn't matter if George Harrison hits a wrong note: no one can hear it anyway. "Help!" (the song) helps the four of them channel their creativity beyond their worldwide fame. It helps, for instance, Paul McCartney to work in fine detail with his crystalline pop embellishments, as in "The Night Before", caught up in a danceable groove. But it's Lennon who initially wins the duel with his bandmate, sealing the folk purity, carried by flute, of "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away", almost a mystical lament for lost lovers. McCartney can't match that level of creativity in response, settling instead for the quasi-country dance number "Another Girl".

Harrison and Starr are almost bystanders, seemingly unable to keep pace with their bandmates. Harrison tries his hand again at original composition with the blues of "You Like Me Too Much", but it stays within fairly traditional sonic territory. Starr, meanwhile, plays the joker, having fun with the cover of "Act Naturally". Lennon, on the other hand, drops another gem, the already-mentioned single "Ticket To Ride". Revolutionary.

McCartney chases after his partner, with the simplicity of "Tell Me What You See" and the melancholy folk of "I've Just Seen A Face". And then he hits the mark, with the just-over-two-minutes of "Yesterday", which is not only bare in its stark sadness but also laid open by one of the first arrangements for coordinated strings, put together by George Martin. Violins and cellos follow the spare acoustic guitar, accompanying McCartney's honeyed vocal, as he longs for a place to hide. With "Yesterday", McCartney points toward a future path increasingly detached from pop and rock and roll — and increasingly creative, in every sense of the word.

With "Ticket To Ride", "Help!" and "Yesterday", the Beatles had well and truly reached the top of the world. On the eve of the August 15th holiday in 1965, the four set off on their third tour of the United States. A triumphant tour that reached its peak with a monumental concert at Shea Stadium in New York, in front of more than 55,000 screaming fans. At the end of the month, the mop-tops were received by the King of rock and roll, Elvis Presley, at his home in Los Angeles. Meanwhile their latest record was climbing the charts and London was hosting the premiere of Richard Lester's new film. The rest is well-known history... (Mauro Vecchio)

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