Beatles for Sale is an EP

Extended play

An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...

 released 6 April 1965 by The Beatles

The Beatles

The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...

. The EP was only ever released in mono

Monaural

Monaural or monophonic sound reproduction is single-channel. Typically there is only one microphone, one loudspeaker, or channels are fed from a common signal path...

. Its catalogue number is Parlophone

Parlophone

Parlophone is a record label that was founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch was formed in 1923 as "Parlophone" which developed a reputation in the 1920s as a leading jazz label. It was acquired in 1927 by the Columbia Graphophone Company which...

 GEP 8931. A four-track EP containing songs from Beatles for Sale was released in the United Kingdom on this day. The Beatles for Sale EP was issued as Parlophone GEP 8931, and contained four songs: "No Reply", "I'm a Loser", "Rock and Roll Music" and "Eight Days a Week". It was also released in Australia and India.
It entered the EP chart on 10 April and reached the top spot on 24 April. It remained there for five weeks, and spent another week at number one from 12 June.

Beatles for Sale was the group's eighth official EP. As with previous releases, it featured sleeve notes by the group's publicist Tony Barrow. The LP record Beatles for Sale was issued in December, 1964. In the weeks before Christmas copies passed over the disc-store counters at such a remarkable rate that Beatles for Sale became one of the world's fastest-selling albums.

Original sleeve notes

"Among the fourteen titles are three Lennon-McCartney compositions which the four boys have recorded with a new single in mind. This trio of potential chart-toppers has been preserved inside the EP sleeve you're holding. Individually, any one of them might have become a multi-million seller on the top deck of a single. The fourth number selected for this EP programme has proved its popularity in public performance. Rock and Roll Music has been a Beatles show-stopper ever since John, Paul, George and Ringo put it into their act on the opening night of their Christmas stage presentation at Hammersmith.


John sings Rock and Roll Music. It comes from Chuck Berry's volatile repertoire and it's ideal material for a typically Lennon vocal rave. The hint of echo on his voice gives the performance added impetus. Producer George Martin joined John and Paul at a piano to add the pounding keyboard sequences.


Eight Days a Week combines the voices of John and Paul with George joining them here and there. Many pop recordings feature a fade-away finish. The Beatles, noted for their attention to ingenious introductions, arranged for this number to fade in, which must have confused some of the folk who put on records for radio deejays!


No Reply wastes no time in coming to the boil. Twin voices powered by John Lennon hammer out the opening lyrics without trace of an introductory guitar. This is another Lennon specialty, tailored to bring out the leathery quality of his vocal delivery. Paul is with him occasionally on this track and George is added for each chorus.


I'm a Loser is the one everybody has been talking about. It demonstrates the powerful influence which Bob Dylan's style has had on John, whose collection of Dylania - albums and sets of lyrics - swells week by week. Paul is involved in parts of the vocals action here but it is John's singing which makes the track so special. - Tony Barrow"

Track listing

Side A

1. "No Reply
   No Reply (song)
   "No Reply" is a song by The Beatles from the British album Beatles for Sale and the American album Beatles '65. It was written mainly by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney.-Lyrics:...
   
   "
2. "I'm a Loser
   I'm a Loser
   "I'm a Loser" is a song by The Beatles, originally released on Beatles for Sale in the United Kingdom, later released on Beatles '65 in the United States...
   
   "

Side B

3. "Rock and Roll Music
   Rock and Roll Music
   "Rock and Roll Music" is a song written and recorded by rock and roll icon Chuck Berry which became a hit single in 1957 and has been covered by many artists....
   
   "
4. "Eight Days a Week
   Eight Days a Week
   "Eight Days a Week" is a song by The Beatles.Eight Days a Week may also refer to:*Eight Days a Week , a 1999 comedy film*Eight Days a Week , a CW sitcom that never aired...
   
   "