Review Summary: Beatles For Sale is an album of The Beatles' inexperienced times. It has simple, zippy songs but also it is an essential part of The Beatles' evolution.
The Beatles was a band that changed it's music in time. The years took their inexperience, and brought complexity to their songs. If we look at their first albums Please Please Me, A Hard Day's Night and Beatles For Sale we can find some similarities. We can understand that in their first professional years of music, they were more into simple and happy love songs, and they wrote simple lyrics unlike their last albums.
People look at Beatles For Sale with bias, because they aren't able to understand that this album is a part of their evolution. It's ordinary to think simple, write lyrics simple, and write songs simple when you are young. Also, if this album and their other simple albums never existed, The Beatles probably wouldn't be as popular as now. And maybe they will break up earlier and we wouldn't be able to listen their last albums Abbey Road and Let It Be.
Before we start the song reviews, I want you to clean your mind and forget your prejudices about this album.
"No Reply" is an emotional but a zippy song. It's simple melody is easy to grasp. It's lyrics are about a boy's love; the boy loves a girl but the girl doesn't love him, she tries to move away from him because she has a boyfriend, but the boy loves her so much that he doesn't give up. 4.5/5
"I'm A Loser" is a song that has a changing beat. In normal parts of song, John sings and Paul, Ringo and George plays with him, but in the chorus part Paul joins John in singing, also George and Ringo plays stronger to make the chorus part stronger. When we look the lyrics, we understand that "I'm A Loser" is a song of regret. A boy does funny things, and loses a very special girl. He mentions his regret. 4/5
"Baby's In Black" is a song that goes on with the same beat until the end. So it's not a song that is very creative but the melody is okay, actually, it's fun. Lyrics are about a girl. The girl loves a man, but the man is goes away, but the girl can't forget him, he misses him so much that she only can think of him. But she has a lover, there is a boy who loves her, but she misses the man which is gone away so much that she doesn't care about the boy who loves him. 3.5/5
"Rock and Roll Music" is probably the most active and zippy song. It's melody is fast and swinging, also the piano at the background makes the song better. It's lyrics are about a man who loves Rock and Roll Music so much that he always listens to it. He says to a lady: "It's gotta be Rock and Roll Music, if you wanna dance with me." 4.5/5
"I'll Follow The Sun" is the slowest and the most emotional song in this album. It goes on with a calm melody. It's about a boy who loved a girl but the girl couldn't understand his love or didn't think that the boy is good for her. He goes away and he bets that she will understand his value. 4/5
"Mr. Moonlight" is a simple song. But also it's kind of a different song, the voice of John Lennon is very powerul, but the instruments are calm and slow. It's lyrics are about a moonlight. A night, a boy and a girl loved eachother when there is a moonlight. So, the boy believes that his girl loved him because of the moonlight and the boy prays Mr. Moonlight to come again. 4/5
"Kansas City" is the second most zippy song in the album. It's melody is a kind of country music. Lyrics are about a man who is going to Kansas to take his girlfriend or wife back to his city. 3.5/5
"Eight Days A Week" is the most popular song in this album, also it is the only single in this album. It's simple. It's happy. It's effective. It's about love. It's powerful. It's wonderful. 5/5
"Words Of Love" is a calm song if you look at Lennon's voice, but zippy song in instrumental melody. This song is about a lover, the lover wants his lover to tell him she loves him. 3.5/5
"Honey Don't" is a happy and fun song. Everbody says that this song is the weakest one in Beatles For Sale, whereas, this is one of the most fun songs of the Beatles. Also it's simple melody commits to the hearts. It's about a lover who complains about his love. 4.5/5
"Every Little Thing" has a kind of boring music. It doesn't have a good taste of music actually, but also it is an important part of the album because it is the first(not the only) positive song about love in Beatles For Sale. It's about a boy's perfect girlfriend/wife. Everybody around him says that he is lucky for having that girl. She does every little thing for her boyfriend/husband. 3.5/5
"I Don't Want To Spoil The Party" is not a unique song from the first look. But if we look closer, there is a musical masterpiece inside it. From 1.28th minute to 1.50th minute there is a guitar solo which was written by George Harrison. It may look simple, but in simple songs like Beatles songs, guitar solos attract a lot of attention and if there is an incompatible note, it will make people disturb. If we look at the lyrics, it's about a boy in a party, he is waiting for his girlfriend to come to the party, but she doesn't show up and he wants to leave the party or look around for her. 4/5
"What You're Doing" is a musical feast. It starts with a wonderful drum solo. It continues with fresh guitar melody. It's a colorful song with a fast rhythm. If it had better lyrics it could be a single. Lyrics are very weak for this perfect instrumental music. A boy is complaining to a girl... 4.5/5
"Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby" is a great way to conclude this album. Song starts with vocals and guitar only, then it gets faster and it makes you swing. Lyrics are positive. Everygirl likes the same guy, he is cool and has a lot of dates, he has a lot of lovers too. 4.5/5
If you have never listened to Beatles For Sale, I reccomend the starters to start with the most popular song in this album: Eight Days A Week.
To conclude, never forget: This album may have simple songs in it, but it is an essential part of The Beatles' evolution.
