How Capitol’s Cut-and-Paste Stopgap Still Managed to Hide Real Gems, 61 Years On

Beatles VI is a stopgap album with a split personality. Released in 1965, it gathers the band’s leftover tracks from two different British sessions, two covers cut for the American market, and a pair of singles. It is not a cohesive statement. It is a commercial product, assembled to keep the Beatles on the shelves in the US between proper releases. As such, it is a mess — but a mess with real gems buried in it.

Openers and Oddities

The record opens with “Kansas City,” a raucous number that stitches together two songs into one. The vocal is a scream, and the band sounds like they are having a fine time. It is not subtle. It is not meant to be.

“Eight Days a Week” follows as track two, and it is a pure pop gem. The opening guitar riff is iconic, the harmonies are sweet, and the song’s central claim — that love can make a week feel longer — is delivered with genuine warmth. It is the best thing on the record.

“Bad Boy” sits at track four, after “You Like Me Too Much.” The vocal is delivered with a snarl, and the sneer fits the lyric about a kid who will not listen. The guitar work is sharp, the rhythm section is locked in, and it is a strong cover. It is not, however, a track the band performed live — that honor went to “Dizzy Miss Lizzy.”

Leftovers That Shine

Most of the original material here comes from the UK Beatles for Sale sessions, not the Help! sessions. “Kansas City,” “Eight Days a Week,” “I Don’t Want to Spoil the Party,” “Words of Love,” “What You’re Doing,” and “Every Little Thing” all date from that earlier period. Only “You Like Me Too Much” and “Tell Me What You See” come from the Help! sessions.

“You Like Me Too Much” is a pleasant piano-led number. It does not stand out, but it is competently played and sung. It fills out the record without embarrassing it.

“I Don’t Want to Spoil the Party” is a mid-tempo number about leaving a party early. It is pleasant, but it lacks the spark of the band’s best work. It does not overstay its welcome at 2:33.

“Words of Love” is a cover, and it is a faithful, gentle rendition. The harmonies are lovely, but it feels like a tribute rather than a reinvention. It is fine. It is not essential.

“What You’re Doing” never quite takes off. The verses are catchy, but the chorus is flat. It is the kind of track that fills a record without improving it.

The B-Side and the Ballads

“Yes It Is” is a B-side, and it is a strange one. It is a slow, dramatic ballad with heavy reverb and close harmonies. It is moody, atmospheric, and a little odd. It is worth a listen.

“Tell Me What You See” is slight. The electric piano and Latin percussion give it a distinctive texture, but it does not go anywhere. It is the kind of song that would be forgotten entirely if it were not on this album.

“Dizzy Miss Lizzy” sits on side two, and it is frantic, loose, and a little sloppy. The energy carries it. This is the band at its most unguarded, playing rock and roll for the sheer joy of it — and it was the one track from this record the band actually performed live.

“Every Little Thing” closes the record, and it is a quiet triumph. The timpani drums in the chorus are an unexpected touch, and the harmonies are as tight as anything else on the album. It ends the record on a high note.

A Mixed Bag

Beatles VI is not an album for newcomers. It is not an album for the casual fan. It is an album for the completist, the person who wants to hear the band work through its influences and its lesser ideas.

The covers are strong, especially “Bad Boy” and “Dizzy Miss Lizzy.” The originals are mostly forgettable, with “Eight Days a Week” and “Every Little Thing” standing as clear exceptions. The record is uneven by design, a commercial product that was never meant to be a statement.

Even their throwaway material has a level of craft and energy that most bands could not match at their peak.

And yet, it is the Beatles. Even their throwaway material has a level of craft and energy that most bands could not match at their peak. The harmonies are always on point. The playing is always confident. The record is never boring, even when it is not particularly good.

It is a curio, a snapshot of a band in transition. In 1965, the band was still a live act, still a covers band at heart. This record captures that moment. It is not essential, but it is not disposable either.

It is a 6 out of 10.

Key Facts

• Released: 1965
• Total running time: 27 minutes
• 11 tracks
• Covers: “Kansas City,” “Bad Boy,” “Words of Love,” “Dizzy Miss Lizzy”

1965 album · album review · Beatles review · Beatles VI · Help! sessions · rock and roll