AKA
03-02-2004, 11:23 PM
When one thinks of November 22, 1963, one's mind will often think of an awful day in American history. It was that Friday that the United States' young president was senselessly gunned down in Dallas.
Across the Atlantic Ocean that day, the Beatles, still virtually unknown in the United States (though not for long) released their second album, With The Beatles.
Like its predecessor, Please Please Me (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?s=&threadid=100547), With The Beatles contains fourteen tracks:
Side One:
It Won't Be Long (Lennon/McCartney)
All I've Got To Do (Lennon/McCartney)
All My Loving (Lennon/McCartney)
Don't Bother Me (Harrison)
Little Child (Lennon/McCartney)
'Til There Was You (Willson)
Please Mister Postman (Bateman/Dobbins/Garrett/Gorman/Holland)
Side Two:
Roll Over Beethoven (Berry)
Hold Me Tight (Lennon/McCartney)
You've Really Got A Hold On Me (Robinson)
I Wanna Be Your Man (Lennon/McCartney)
Devil In Her Heart (Drapkin)
Not A Second Time (Lennon/McCartney)
Money (That's What I Want) (Bradford/Gordy)
The album finds John Lennon and Paul McCartney still strongly flexing their creative muscle, while also performing a good number of cover tunes from their Hamburg and Cavern days. Worth pointing out is the songwriting debut of George Harrison ("Don't Bother Me"), who would prove to be a creative force to be reckoned with later in the decade.
I can limit my review to three words: "This album rocks." But Stephen Thomas Erlewine of the All Music Guide can sum it up much better:
With the Beatles is a sequel of the highest order — one that betters the original by developing its own tone and adding depth. While it may share several similarities with its predecessor — there is an equal ratio of covers-to-originals, a familiar blend of girl group, Motown, R&B, pop, and rock, and a show tune that interrupts the flow of the album — With the Beatles is a better record that not only rocks harder, it's considerably more sophisticated. They could deliver rock & roll straight ("I Wanna Be Your Man") or twist it around with a little Latin lilt ("Little Child," one of their most underrated early rockers); Lennon and McCartney wrote sweet ballads (the achingly gorgeous "All I've Got to Do") and sprightly pop/rockers ("All My Loving") with equal aplomb; and propulsive rockers ("It Won't Be Long") were as richly melodic as slower songs ("Not a Second Time"). Even George Harrison's first recorded song, "Don't Bother Me," is a standout, with its wonderfully foreboding minor-key melody. Since the Beatles covered so much ground with their originals, their covers pale slightly in comparison, particularly since they rely on familiar hits (only "Devil in Her Heart" qualifies as a forgotten gem). But for every "Roll Over Beethoven," a surprisingly stiff reading of the Chuck Berry standard, there is a sublime moment, such as Lennon's soaring interpretation of "You Really Got a Hold on Me," and the group always turns in thoroughly enjoyable performances. Still, the heart of With the Beatles lies not in the covers, but the originals, where it was clear that, even at this early stage, the Beatles were rapidly maturing and changing, turning into expert craftsmen and musical innovators.
See also:
Please Please Me (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?threadid=100547) (1963)
A Hard Day's Night (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?threadid=102404) (1964)
Beatles For Sale (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?s=&threadid=102919) (1964)
Help! (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?s=&threadid=103610) (1965)
Past Masters Volume One (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?s=&threadid=104326) (1988)
Rubber Soul (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?s=&threadid=105066) (1965)
Revolver (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?s=&postid=1635910) (1966)
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?s=&postid=1659529) (1967)
Magical Mystery Tour (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?s=&postid=1670602) (1967)
Yellow Submarine (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?s=&threadid=107978) (1969)
The Beatles (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?s=&threadid=108635) (1968)
Let It Be (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?s=&threadid=109387) (1970)
Past Masters Volume Two (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?s=&threadid=110082) (1988)
Abbey Road (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?s=&threadid=110655) (1969)
Beatle Facts (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?s=&postid=1686371)
Across the Atlantic Ocean that day, the Beatles, still virtually unknown in the United States (though not for long) released their second album, With The Beatles.
Like its predecessor, Please Please Me (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?s=&threadid=100547), With The Beatles contains fourteen tracks:
Side One:
It Won't Be Long (Lennon/McCartney)
All I've Got To Do (Lennon/McCartney)
All My Loving (Lennon/McCartney)
Don't Bother Me (Harrison)
Little Child (Lennon/McCartney)
'Til There Was You (Willson)
Please Mister Postman (Bateman/Dobbins/Garrett/Gorman/Holland)
Side Two:
Roll Over Beethoven (Berry)
Hold Me Tight (Lennon/McCartney)
You've Really Got A Hold On Me (Robinson)
I Wanna Be Your Man (Lennon/McCartney)
Devil In Her Heart (Drapkin)
Not A Second Time (Lennon/McCartney)
Money (That's What I Want) (Bradford/Gordy)
The album finds John Lennon and Paul McCartney still strongly flexing their creative muscle, while also performing a good number of cover tunes from their Hamburg and Cavern days. Worth pointing out is the songwriting debut of George Harrison ("Don't Bother Me"), who would prove to be a creative force to be reckoned with later in the decade.
I can limit my review to three words: "This album rocks." But Stephen Thomas Erlewine of the All Music Guide can sum it up much better:
With the Beatles is a sequel of the highest order — one that betters the original by developing its own tone and adding depth. While it may share several similarities with its predecessor — there is an equal ratio of covers-to-originals, a familiar blend of girl group, Motown, R&B, pop, and rock, and a show tune that interrupts the flow of the album — With the Beatles is a better record that not only rocks harder, it's considerably more sophisticated. They could deliver rock & roll straight ("I Wanna Be Your Man") or twist it around with a little Latin lilt ("Little Child," one of their most underrated early rockers); Lennon and McCartney wrote sweet ballads (the achingly gorgeous "All I've Got to Do") and sprightly pop/rockers ("All My Loving") with equal aplomb; and propulsive rockers ("It Won't Be Long") were as richly melodic as slower songs ("Not a Second Time"). Even George Harrison's first recorded song, "Don't Bother Me," is a standout, with its wonderfully foreboding minor-key melody. Since the Beatles covered so much ground with their originals, their covers pale slightly in comparison, particularly since they rely on familiar hits (only "Devil in Her Heart" qualifies as a forgotten gem). But for every "Roll Over Beethoven," a surprisingly stiff reading of the Chuck Berry standard, there is a sublime moment, such as Lennon's soaring interpretation of "You Really Got a Hold on Me," and the group always turns in thoroughly enjoyable performances. Still, the heart of With the Beatles lies not in the covers, but the originals, where it was clear that, even at this early stage, the Beatles were rapidly maturing and changing, turning into expert craftsmen and musical innovators.
See also:
Please Please Me (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?threadid=100547) (1963)
A Hard Day's Night (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?threadid=102404) (1964)
Beatles For Sale (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?s=&threadid=102919) (1964)
Help! (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?s=&threadid=103610) (1965)
Past Masters Volume One (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?s=&threadid=104326) (1988)
Rubber Soul (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?s=&threadid=105066) (1965)
Revolver (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?s=&postid=1635910) (1966)
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?s=&postid=1659529) (1967)
Magical Mystery Tour (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?s=&postid=1670602) (1967)
Yellow Submarine (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?s=&threadid=107978) (1969)
The Beatles (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?s=&threadid=108635) (1968)
Let It Be (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?s=&threadid=109387) (1970)
Past Masters Volume Two (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?s=&threadid=110082) (1988)
Abbey Road (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?s=&threadid=110655) (1969)
Beatle Facts (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?s=&postid=1686371)