Editor Reviews:

Album Description:
A testament to the abundance of perseverance and talent within the Beatles' ranks, their fourth album was recorded in and around a busy North American and British tour schedule. Beatles For Sale also marked their last full-length release loaded with cover songs, as the Fab Four moved towards writing more of their own material. Interspersed between Beatles classics such as "Eight Days a Week" and the Dylan-inspired "I'm a Loser" are faithful renditions of songs by Buddy Holly and Carl Perkins (featuring the only lead vocals by Ringo Starr and George Harrison on this album). The frenetic, inspired take on Chuck Berry's "Rock And Roll Music" is only superseded by a tremendous medley of "Kansas City" and "Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey," that finds Paul McCartney's exuberant vocals comparing admirably to his hero Little Richard, providing a vibrant centerpiece on Beatles For Sale. EMI. 2005.

Amazon.com:
Banged out in a hurry for the 1964 Christmas market, Beatles for Sale sometimes sounds it, loaded with ill-conceived covers and some of John Lennon's most self-loathing lyrics. On the other hand, the people doing the banging-out were the Beatles, whose instincts for what worked musically were so strong that they could basically do no wrong--any record that has "Baby's in Black," "I Don't Want to Spoil the Party" and the delectable "Eight Days a Week" on it is only "minor" in the most relative sense. And, though their voices had been frazzled a bit by constant touring, they revved them up for some joyous shouting, and indulged their fondness for American country in subtle, playful ways. --Douglas Wolk

Rating : - Fab Four in fine form on fourth record
Though they wrote and recorded some of the most beloved rock and pop song originals in the history of rock `n' roll, the Beatles were also a splendid cover band that let it all hang out onstage and off. Before the psychedelic, more polished days of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," the easy acoustic breeze of "Rubber Soul" and all-out experimentation of "The White Album," the Fab Four were a raw-rocking, speed-taking, leather-jacket-wearing, loutish bunch who cut their chops in and around Liverpool, all across barren England and in the cesspool of Hamburg, Germany, occasionally axing band members along the way and eventually reaching stardom. Though "Beatles for Sale" is not the beginning of it all, the album is a fine representation of what this group was about from the outset.

For starters, these guys loved American rock `n' roll, and it's evident on this record. On the perky "Honey Don't" by Carl Perkins, for example, Ringo Starr's assured vocals sound as American as apple pie, and his commands of "rock on, George" and "rock on, George, for Ringo one time" give the song a gleeful spontaneousness that is pure levity. Elsewhere, John Lennon's passionate, raging vocals on Chuck Berry's "Rock and Roll Music" are simply on fire, while the lively piano, drums and bass that surround him are as equally rocking and fun. Other rousing covers include the short medley of "Kansas City" and "Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey," sung like a seasoned pro by the soulful Paul McCartney and enhanced halfway through by George Harrison's precise guitar licks. Another rollicking number is the closing track -- sung with true American soul by Lennon -- Perkins' "Everybody's Trying to be My Baby." If ever there were songs to get the joint jumpin' on a Saturday night, these ones would be it.

As for the Lennon/McCartney compositions, they don't disappoint, though they are lighter fare compared to the fiery cover tunes. But what these songs lack in an all-out rocking sound, they make up for with genuine writing ability. Tunes like "No Reply," "I'm a Loser," "I'll Follow the Sun," "Eight Days a Week," "Every Little Thing," "I Don't Want to Spoil the Party" and "What You're Doing" fully display all the finest attributes of the duos' budding songwriting partnership: sublime vocals in full-flowered harmony together; beautiful melodies often interspersed with subtle exoticism; self-deprecating lyrics about the pitfalls of love; rugged harmonica, fluid bass work and on-the-spot guitar work. That essential Beatles stuff is all here, ripe to enjoy.

Amid all the fervent rockers and tuneful originals, two songs on "Beatles for Sale" disappoint slightly. "Baby's in Black" (Lennon/McCartney) and "Mr. Moonlight" (Roy Lee Johnson) are a tad plodding, and surprisingly, the vocals a bit grating. Otherwise, anyone looking to discover the Beatles' early magic would do well to start with this gem of an album.