Beatles Albums
Please Please Me, The Beatles first album, was released on March 22nd of 1963 in the United Kingdom following the success of the hit singles "Love Me Do" (#17) and in particular "Please Please Me" (#2.) In fact the album was rushed to release to capitalize on the success of these two singles as the record company was worried that the "fad" would fade quickly.
The Beatles had 4 songs ready for the album (the A-sides & B-sides from the two hit singles) but needed 10 more tracks for the standard 14. At the time most British pop albums had 14 tracks. Amazingly they recorded all 10 of these songs in a single day (February 11, 1963.) They recorded those 10 songs in 9 hours and 45 minutes. They also recorded "Hold Me Tight" but it was left off the album and re-recorded for their second album With The Beatles.
The album includes 14 songs, 6 of which are covers and 8 of which are Lennon/McCartney originals. It is those 8 Lennon/McCartney originals (along with the incredible cover of "Twist & Shout") that are interesting to my ears today and also interesting historically. It was those songs that really created the idea of a "self contained" rock band. A band that wrote and played all of their own music. It's important to understand that context to realize how completely erroneous all of the "boy band" comparison are. Today's "boy bands" are the complete opposite of what The Beatles represented in 1963 in the UK (and in 1964 in the US.)
Along with the two singles (in particular "Please Please Me" which is a pretty killer tune with some great riffs) the songs that really stand out are:
The album's opener "I Saw Her Standing There" which features a really great pulsating bass from Paul McCartney on the verse. The song has a great rock and roll drive and is one of The Beatles great early songs.
The album's closer "Twist & Shout" which while it's a cover immediately became The Beatles song with this incredible recording. It makes the original version sound pointless in comparison. Few times in rock history as a cover version so completely obliterated the original to become the new standard for that song. This is one of those times.
"Do You Want To Know A Secret" which is a Lennon/McCartney original sung by George Harrison. While it's overly cute lyrically (and musically for that matter) it's also got some really cool musical ideas. It shows some very early signs of the creativity The Beatles would be showcasing in the coming years.
"Anna" & "Baby It's You" are my other two favorite covers on the album, in both cases because of standout vocal performances by John Lennon.
Sure, Please Please Me isn't near the match of their later albums, but it is also more than just an interesting historical artifact; It's an enjoyable listen too, although admittedly I often skip through some of the songs. For example "A Taste of Honey" is crap.
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