Somehow, between thousands of promotional obligations, hundreds of live performances and God only knows how many other distractions, the Beatles somehow managed to squeeze in the time to write and record material for their fourth album. Today, such a thing would not even be considered, but back then, the record company expected to see two new pieces of product each year (albums being the product) and the Beatles, always happy to oblige, simply did what was asked of them.

Still in all, the pace was definitely taking its toll. Just look at the faces of the four Beatles staring back at you from the cover of “Beatles For Sale.” Each of them look much more exhausted and world weary than any other photos that we had seen up until this point. Even the title rings with a slightly sarcastic tone about the state of their existence. The songs themselves are evidence.

The album contains six ‘cover’ songs taken from their old Hamburg days, while the majority of the original tunes contain overtones of disappointment while betraying a sense of ennui. Disappointment? Ennui? Was this the Beatles? The lovable, lively, happy-go-lucky mop tops that we had seen in Hard Day’s Night just months before? Times were changing, and the Beatles were maturing. As songwriters, they began to express their emotions directly into their songs, even if it was only in a subtle manner. With “Beatles For Sale’, they continued to take popular music into a unique direction, utilizing the experiences of the past year to enrich their songwriting. As for the covers, they were simply good fun.

This show focuses initially on a pair of BBC appearances, and then presents the first half of ”Beatles for Sale”. Songs include;

1) She’s a Woman (BBC)

2) I Feel Fine (BBC)

3) I’m a Loser (BBC)

4) Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby (BBC)

5) Rock and Roll Music (BBC)

6) I Feel Fine

7) She’s a Woman

8) No Reply

9) I’m a Loser

10) Baby’s In Black

11) Rock and Roll Music

12) I’ll Follow the Sun