1965: Help!

 

(Parlophone/August 6, 1965) PMC 1255 (mono) PCS 3071 (stereo)

Produced by George Martin All songs composed by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, unless otherwise noted. 

Side 1:

Help! 
The Night Before 
You've Got To Hide Your Love Away
I Need You (George Harrison) 
Another Girl 
You're Going To Lose That Girl 
Ticket To Ride 

Side 2:

Act Naturally (Johnny Russell/Vonie Morrison) 
It's Only Love 
You Like Me Too Much (George Harrison) 
Tell Me What You See 
I've Just Seen A Face 
Yesterday 
Dizzy Miss Lizzy (Larry Williams) 


George Harrison is making progress as a songwriter from this LP onwards. The first side are songs from the Beatles second feature film "Help!". Help! and Rubber Soul were remixed in stereo for the CD's in 1987, which make these CD's sound more "modern" than the original stereo-LP's. All new vinyl LP pressings (from 1987 onwards) have been mastered from the new CD-mixes.

Help! 

basic recording- 13 Apr 1965
additional recording- 13 Apr 1965
master tape- 4 track
mono mixed: 18 June 1965
stereo mixed: 18 June 1965, remixed in 1987 for the "Help!" CD. Digitally remixed in 2000 for "1".

The mono mix has a different lead vocal from the one on the two stereo mixes. John's voice is rougher all through the mono vocal. The stereo mixes also have a tambourine during the chorus that is not heard in mono. Two examples of differences in the vocal in verse 1: the mono vocal has "and now these days" while the stereo vocal has "but now these days"; on the line "I've changed my mind" the mono vocal has the words evenly while the stereo has them run together.

The Night Before

basic recording- 17 Feb 1965
additional recording- 17 Feb 1965
master tape- 4 track
mono mixed: 18 February 1965
stereo mixed: 23 February 1965, remixed in 1987 for the "Help!" CD.

You've Got To Hide Your Love Away

basic recording- 18 Feb 1965
additional recording- none
master tape- 4 track
mono mixed: 18 February 1965
stereo mixed: 23 February 1965, remixed in 1987 for the "Help!" CD.

The mono-mix has a little reverb missing on the dryer stereo.

I Need You

basic recording- 15 Feb 1965
additional recording- 15,16 Feb 1965
master tape- 4 track
mono mixed: 18 February 1965
stereo mixed: 23 February 1965, remixed in 1987 for the "Help!" CD.

Another Girl

basic recording- 15 Feb 1965
additional recording- 15,16 Feb 1965
master tape- 4 track
mono mixed: 18 February 1965
stereo mixed: 23 February 1965, remixed in 1987 for the "Help!" CD.

The main rhythm track is mixed quieter in mono than in stereo.

You're Going To Lose That Girl

basic recording- 19 Feb 1965
additional recording- 19 Feb 1965
master tape- 4 track
mono mixed: 20 February 1965
stereo mixed: 23 February 1965, remixed in 1987 for the "Help!" CD.

The USA Capitol's stereo album "Help!" has a sound at the very beginning that is missing in the others, possibly the extreme end of the countdown as heard in the film's soundtrack, if that is authentically part of the recording.

Ticket To Ride

basic recording- 15 Feb 1965
additional recording- 15 Feb 1965
master tape- 4 track
mono mixed: 18 Feb 1965
stereo mixed: 23 Feb 1965, remixed in 1987 for the "Help!" CD. Digitally remixed in 2000 for "1".

The stereo versions fade a little longer than mono. In the 1965 stereo, the whole track has been given a bass boost to make up for poor bass guitar sound. The bass guitar has better presence in the 1987 stereo remix but the rest is less bassy and the vocal sounds sharper.

Act Naturally

basic recording- 17 Jun 1965
additional recording- none
master tape- 4 track
mono mixed: 18 June 1965 
stereo mixed: 18 June 1965, remixed in 1987 for the "Help!" CD

It's Only Love

basic recording- 15 Jun 1965
additional recording- 15 Jun 1965
master tape- 4 track
mono mixed: 18 June 1965 
stereo mixed: 18 June 1965, remixed in 1987 for the "Help!" CD

Double track on the first "It's only love" line sounds different in the 1987 mix; it appears to have been "fixed" by splicing from the second chorus.

You Like Me Too Much

basic recording- 17 Feb 1965
additional recording- 17 Feb 1965
master tape- 4 track
mono mixed: 18 Feb 1965
stereo mixed: 23 Feb 1965, remixed in 1987 for the "Help!" CD.

Tell Me What You See

basic recording- 18 Feb 1965
additional recording- 18 Feb 1965
master tape- 4 track
mono mixed: 20 Feb 1965
stereo mixed: 23 Feb 1965, remixed in 1987 for the "Help!" CD.

This is practically a 2-track recording from the sound of it-- the right stereo channel has only a piano overdub in a few places.

I've Just Seen A Face

basic recording- 14 Jun 1965
additional recording- 14 Jun 1965
master tape- 4 track
mono mixed: 18 June 1965 
stereo mixed: 18 June 1965, remixed in 1987 for the "Help!" CD

A voice can just be heard in the decay at the end of the song in mono but not in stereo. The 1987 mix has reverb not found in the other, earlier mixes. In the USA, Capitol added an unusual amount of echo to the mono mix.

Yesterday

basic recording- 14 Jun 1965
additional recording- 14 Jun 1965
master tape- 4 track
mono mixed: 17 June 1965 
stereo mixed: 18 June 1965, remixed in 1987 for the "Help!" CD. Digitally remixed in 2000 for "1".

The mono mix shows an echo effect in the first bridge on "thing wrong, now I long for yesterday", nowhere else, which also sounds somewhat different from the rest of the vocal in stereo. George Martin has said this song has no doubletracking but does have leakage from studio speakers (at an unspecified point).

A squeak--a bow accidentally touching a violin?-- is heard in verse 1 before the string quartet start to play, at left between "I believe" and "in yesterday", in all stereo mixes, but is not audible in mono. A second accident, a plink during the decay at the very end, is heard in both 1965 mixes but not in the 1987 and 2000 remixes.

Dizzy Miss Lizzy

basic recording- 10 May 1965
additional recording- none
master tape- 4 track
mono mixed: 10 May 1965 
stereo mixed: 10 May 1965, remixed in 1987 for the "Help!" CD

The mono-mix fades a little earlier. The 1987 stereo mix has a lot of reverb added to the vocal, making it the most variant of the CD remixes for this album.

 

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