The Beatles - Help!
Critic Score
Based on 5 reviews
1965 Ratings: #17 / 58
User Score
1965 Rank: #38
Liked by 383 people
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CRITIC REVIEWS

100
AllMusic

Considering that Help! functions as the Beatles' fifth album and as the soundtrack to their second film -- while filming, they continued to release non-LP singles on a regular basis -- it's not entirely surprising that it still has some of the weariness of Beatles for Sale.

100
Rolling Stone

Help! was a big step forward, exploring doubt, loneliness, alienation, adult sexual longing, acoustic guitars, electric piano, bongos, castanets, and the finest George songs known to man.

95
Beats Per Minute

The common view is that the Beatles’ truly classic output starts with Rubber Soul, but there is an argument to be made for Help! actually being the band’s first great album.

92
Pitchfork

The Help! soundtrack album is as haphazard as Beatles For Sale, but it lacks that record's glowering intensity; it's a great but confusing record.

80
The Telegraph

Help! may not be their greatest album, but it contains some of their greatest early songs.

Doublez
93

The History of the Albums – n°267

A mythical and uncluttered sleeve, showing the 4 boys calling for help in semaphore. Or Ringo Starr who stumbles upon a cursed ring belonging to a crazy sect that seeks to sacrifice him, leading to a crazy and wacky chase around the world. But who came up with a scenario as twisted as it is funny? You have to see the movie to believe it, this is no joke, but please, don't sacrifice good old Ringo! In July/August 1965, the Beatles perform for the ... read more

LonelyHipHopFan
50

OUTDATED

THE BEATLES DISCOGRAPHY DEEP DIVE #5

Easily their best early album with some of their best songs ever. This still has the pop rock feel that the previous project had, but it's more diverse and interesting than anything they have ever done before. Even the Ringo song is just mediocre this time around. I don't know why they ended it with Dizzy Miss Lizzy. Yesterday would have been such a cool way to close the album. Not that it matters that much, but it bothers me just enough to ... read more

JustSomeGuy
80

The Beatles revisited part 6/16

Help is easily the best pre-Rubber Soul album, and the first album they released that I can confidently say is great. This is the album that, if you ignore the greatness of their psychedelic and experimental output, would easily go down as one of their best efforts, and even though it doesn't reach the same heights many of their future albums do, it is still seen fondly as one of the biggest turning points in their music, with all of the songwriters improving an ... read more

ilovelistening
81

Help! is to me the epitome of the first chapter in The Beatles discography because it takes everything from their previous 4 albums and does it best.
It takes the groovy bluesy tracks from PPM and AHDN and mixes it with certain elements from BFS to create a fun 60s pop rock album.
I’m still shocked that Yesterday wasn’t the closer because whilst Dizzy Miss Lizzy isn’t a bad song, Yesterday is to me one of the greatest songs they’ve created and would’ve been a ... read more

kal3nk
60

Help!, You've Got to Hide Your Love Away, Ticket to Ride and Yesterday are really good songs. The rest is hella mid.

NR

Cream!

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Added on: September 1, 2012