The Beatles - "For Sale" Vinyl LP, Mono

The Beatles – For Sale

Vinyl LP Mono, Reissue, Remastered, Gatefold sleeve, 1995, Europe

Apple Records

As a child I was a Beatle fanatic, but now an adult I can barely listen to them. Not because I dislike their music, but because it was so much part of my personal soundtrack while growing up. I think there are people like me out there, but still, I do have some faves from this band, and For Sale to me is a masterpiece that still delivers the goods.

The emotional punch of “No Reply,” “I'm a Loser,” and “Baby's In Black” still hits me hard. It has to be one of the best sequencing of songs ever on an album. And three songs about being a loser on top of that – how can a child not be affected by such pure honesty in an aural way? The other two songs that nailed me down to the wall is their version of Buddy Holly's “Words of Love” and their great “Every Little Thing.” Their vocals are so superb on this album, but especially John Lennon. This is the ground zero of Lennon's angst that showed up on his first solo album. In fact this is the first Beatles album where I felt the music was cutting me deep. The others were fun, but here I was introduced to depression via the Beatles world. Perhaps this is their first grown-up album.

Also recently I became obsessed about getting Mono editions of their recordings, because I believe this is what the guys heard in the studio. I'm trying to capture the original sound or approach, but it is hard to capture a memory that way. In the end it is all illusion.