The Beatles – Beatles For Sale (1964)

November 22, 2024

Listening to the Beatles albums chronologically, I found that Beatles For Sale was the least enjoyable of the lot thus far. It took me a little while to put my finger on it; initially things seemed like they were in their right place; that early 60s rock and/or roll sound that I have come so familiar with now after being 4 albums deep was in full effect, and the production is more grounded, with less absurd panning and wild discrepancies in the soundstage. 

It took me a few tracks to realise that the songs I had heard just weren’t up to scratch with the ones on previous albums. Subsequent listens have cemented this realisation (which came at 6am so I admittedly second-guessed myself initially). Beatles For Sale “sounds” like the Beatles, but it doesn’t sound very good. These songs are, well, mostly awful. I’m guessing they are cover songs? I’m no expert. All I know is that this one wasn’t very good at all.