"Any Time At All" -- One Critic's Take

[Norbert K]

"Lennon's attempt to bootleg the self-intoxicated frenzy of rock'n'roll into the sweet and beguiling strains of pop rock is especially clear in 'Any Time At All,' the most exciting song in the Beatles' first film score. Triggered by a pistol-like drum shot, the record fires Lennon's voice at the listener like a bullet. Every repetition of this bopping figure crepitates with the same excitement which makes Lennon sound like an ecstatic dancing in the flames, like Little Richard or James Brown. Lennon's fires are cold flames because he stems from a cooler culture, but the self-intoxicated thrust of his voice burns with the real gospel frenzy."