The Beatles — UK Canon
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Help!

Single by The Beatles • 23 July 1965 • Parlophone R 5305

Folk-Rock & Maturity (1965) — Acoustic warmth and Dylan's long shadow.

About this release

Help! is a UK single on Parlophone (catalogue R 5305), released 23 July 1965. Title track of the film and LP; UK No.1.

The recording context is the band's Folk-Rock & Maturity (1965) period, produced by George Martin with Norman Smith engineering. The track(s) were committed at EMI Studios, Abbey Road on Studer J37 four-track via the REDD.51.

Contents Preface 4 The Paul McCartney Interview 6 1962 Recording sessions for: `Love Me Do', `Please Please Me' 19631967 16 Recording sessions for: `Penny Lane', 92 Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Yellow Submarine, `All You Need Is Love', Magical Mystery Tour, `Hello, Goodbye' Recording sessions for: Please…— Mark Lewisohn, The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions, p.3

What's distinctive

2 tracks; average length 2:21. Lennon dominates the lead vocals (2/2). Lead writing credit: Lennon–McCartney (2 of 2).

Tracklist

Side A

Side B

Pattern analysis

Lead vocalists across Help!
2
Lennon 2
Songwriters credited on Help!
Lennon–McCartney2
Track lengths (seconds)
Help!141Help!141

Era technical context

MicrophonesNeumann U47, U48; AKG C12 (vocals); Coles 4038
OutboardEMI RS124 'Altec', EMT 140 plate, ADT begins (Townsend, mid-1966)
GuitarsRickenbacker 360-12 (Harrison), Epiphone Casino (introduced — Lennon, McCartney, Harrison), Framus Hootenanny 12-string (Lennon)
AmplifiersVox AC30, Vox AC50/AC100

References & external databases

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