brendan2's Full Review: With The Beatles by The Beatles
Once upon a time, in the early 1960s, most albums were just thrown together on the basis of one hit single. The albums rarely contained any good tracks other than the single itself. (Actually, that's not too different from today, is it?) The Beatles, however, went against the norm with their first album, Please Please Me. The album was a huge success and catapulted the group to stardom in the U.K. They needed to make another strong record in order to prevent fading into obscurity, and they did just that with their second release, With The Beatles.
Although the Beatles were famous in the U.K., few people in America had heard of them. Their first U.S. album Introducing the Beatles was released on the small Vee-Jay label in July 1963, but it went pretty much unnoticed. However, the U.S. equivalent of With The Beatles, Meet The Beatles, became the group's first real hit album. Of course, since almost half of the album is made up of cover songs, With The Beatles isn't one of the group's masterpieces, but there are quite a few gems to be found here.
Most of those gems are, naturally, the Lennon-McCartney compositions, including a solid collection of beginning tracks. It's hard to imagine a better opener than "It Won't Be Long"; the chorus is immediately catchy, with John and Paul trading back enthusiastic "Yeah!"s, while the verses feature some great little riffs from George, muted enough to sound different but not dark enough to lose the overall upbeat, hopeful feel of the song. Meanwhile, "All I've Got To Do" starts out as a slow, sweet love ballad before moving into an almost-rock chorus which, in addition to featuring some lovely harmonies from Paul and George, is an unexpected and pleasantly surprising change of pace. John turns in one of his more soulful early vocal performances here; even the ending moments of the song, in which he simply hums the melody, don't feel like a copout because the guy's voice is that good.
"All My Loving", somewhat surprisingly, was never issued as a single but is one of the Beatles' most well-known early numbers, probably because it was the first song the group performed on the Ed Sullivan Show, a performance everyone and their mama has seen. Or, since that performance was 40 years ago, maybe I should be saying "everyone and their (grand)children", but that just doesn't flow as well. Anyway, it's a perfect slice of early Beatles pop, with George's country-style solo a highlight, if an all-too-brief one.
"Little Child" is a love song -- typical of the Beatles pre-Rubber Soul, but so frantic and fun it's almost impossible to resist. As on a couple other early Beatles songs, John's harmonica adds a nice touch, and he even does a spiffy solo. "I Wanna Be Your Man" was written for Ringo to sing and was also recorded by the Rolling Stones around the same time. One of the shortest songs on the album at two minutes and one second, "I Wanna Be Your Man" speeds by with Ringo's confident, cocky vocal, a simple but addictive chorus, and a primitive-sounding beat which incorporates maracas, pounding percussion, and some neat bluesy guitar licks.
The other Lennon-McCartney originals don't quite live up to their own standards; "Not A Second Time" is a good but not great burned-by-love tune, while "Hold Me Tight" has some nice harmonies and hand-clapping but is marred by Paul's off-key wailing. Fortunately, the album still has some surprises in store, most notably George Harrison's first written contribution to a Beatles album. Surrounded by Lennon-McCartney compositions and established hits, it would be easy and even understandable for "Don't Bother Me" to get lost in the shuffle, but it's actually a standout due to its dark, moody guitar melody and some interesting percussion like the claves and a "loose-skinned Arabian bongo", according to the liner notes. The lyrics are about not wanting to be bothered by anyone, which is probably how George was feeling at the height of Beatlemania. This is a strong track, and Harrison's writing would only get better.
All that's left now are the covers, which really aren't as bad as you'd think. "Till There Was You", a schmaltzy show tune sung by Paul, is probably my least favorite of the covers, but anything that involves bongos can never be completely unworthy of your time. "Please Mister Postman" seems to be one of the least-loved Beatles covers, but I like it (shocking, I know). It's addictive and catchy, with some cute handclaps, yet it also makes you feel bad for John, who's just waiting for even a postcard from his girl.
Now, sure, improved songwriting and better choice of cover songs is all well and good, but so far I've neglected to mention the reason I'd much rather listen to With the Beatles than Please Please Me: George gets to sing lead on not one, not two, but three songs! Unfortunately, unlike the aforementioned "Don't Bother Me", the two covers aren't among the strongest on the album. "Devil in Her Heart" is a nice enough version of an obscure Donays song, but there's probably nothing to make it stand out to non-George fans. "Roll Over Beethoven" fares better; it might not equal the Chuck Berry classic, but it's full of energy and some fine guitar work.
The remaining covers are the strongest With the Beatles has to offer. Producer George Martin contributes a piano track to both; the first, a reworking of the Smokey Robinson and the Miracles hit "You Really Got A Hold On Me", allows the group to show their appreciation for soul music, while the cover of Barrett Strong's "Money (That's What I Want)", featuring some great singing (or, perhaps more accurately, shouting) from John, ends the disc on a high note.
So is With the Beatles a necessary part of your record collection? Well, it was definitely a big step forward, with Lennon and McCartney developing their songwriting skills and even making room for Harrison to join them. There's experimentation with new and different instruments, but their musical roots are not forgotten. Yet, this is actually one of the problems with the Beatles' early work: they were constantly experimenting and getting better, making their earlier work pale in comparison. With The Beatles makes for a nice look at their early talent, but they'd soon be capable of so much more.
Repeat (songs I can never get enough of): It Won't Be Long, All My Loving, I Wanna Be Your Man, Money Skip (songs I have trouble listening to even once): Hold Me Tight
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