Beatles Album #2: With The Beatles
Review Notes: when listening to music in general, I pay attention to the music itself first, second, third... and lyrics only after awhile or if they are very prominent or intriguing. Thus, my reviews are based almost entirely on the melodies, singing, instrumentals, etc. with little emphasis on lyrics.
The Beatles' second album, With The Beatles, was released in November 1963. This album is in the same early-60s teen-pop style as Please Please Me - but I would argue that it's somewhat weaker than that debut album. I think the biggest difference is probably that this album's strongest songs are simply not as good as the strongest ones on Please Please Me. But, the band was still in popularity-gaining mode, and this was the way to do it at the time.
1. "It Won't Be Long" (Lennon/McCartney)
Already, With The Beatles shows itself a notch below Please Please Me, as "It Won't Be Long" is nowhere near as good an opener as "I Saw Her Standing There". That's not to say it's a bad song; it's simply unspectacular. To be honest, there's not a lot I have to say about this one. It's pretty standard early Beatles fare, with good vocals and instrumentals, and certainly among the better but not the best of this era. Kind of symbolic of the rest of the album, in that there's nothing really wrong with it, just a little disappointing that they didn't push things a little further.
2. "All I've Got To Do" (Lennon/McCartney)
Now here's one of the album's bright spots. The verses show significantly more maturity (again, I'm speaking musically rather than lyrically) than other songs of this era. Lennon's lead vocal is very nice, with great harmonies from McCartney as well. The Beatles also use some of their most subtle, well-fitting instrumental work here, particularly Ringo. The chorus is a great contrast to the verses, featuring a rising urgency and intensity without coming close to getting out of control. This is another little early-Beatles hidden gem like "Anna" from Please Please Me.
3. "All My Loving" (Lennon/McCartney)
The best song on the album by a long shot, and also the most recognizable one. Lots of stuff here I like a lot. Despite featuring a pretty regular tempo, Harrison's triplet eighth-note guitar rhythm drives the song forward with great energy. McCartney gives one of his best lead vocal performances of this early-Beatles era. The verses are pretty simple, but it just works (as much of The Beatles' best did). The chorus fits in perfectly well, with a little improv from McCartney at the end that boasts some of his incredible vocal range. In another parallel to Please Please Me, "All My Loving" is similar to "Please Please Me" as a short, tight, near-flawless pop song.
4. "Don't Bother Me" (Harrison)
Here is some of Harrison's earliest output as a composer, and he shows that he's still developing. But it's not all his fault: he receives rather flimsy instrumental support, and no vocal backing from the band. His own vocal is very solid, and gives the song whatever energy it has. The song shows some potential, and with some more songwriting aid from Lennon and McCartney, along with more enthused instrumentals, this could have been much stronger. As is, it's only passable.
5. "Little Child" (Lennon/McCartney)
The Beatles clearly put more effort into this one, but unfortunately this one's ceiling is fit only for a musical midget. Here, it's the instrumentals that give the song all its energy, with an OK vocal from John and Paul. What really drives me crazy is their harmonization of the "I'm so sad and lonely" part which is a rather sickening nod to the sappy musical environment they were starting to transform. Fortunately, it isn't even two minutes long and passes by with minimal damage done to the Lennon/McCartney reputation.
6. "Till There Was You" (Wilson)
The first cover on the album, McCartney is unsurprisingly chosen as the lead singer. Many of the covers that The Beatles chose were songs that you could imagine them having written; this isn't one of them. It's not that I dislike it, but this one definitely isn't Beatles type stuff. Paul again does a nice job with the vocal, and the instrumentals give way to him throughout. It is a nice, pretty change of pace on the album, but another take-it-or-leave-it track.
7. "Please Mister Postman" (Dobbins, et. al.)
This cover sounds more like something the Beatles would write. The band does a great job with this cover. The instrumentals are standard early-Beatles pop fare, the vocals are very well done, with Lennon at the lead and the band providing great backup. This one's mostly a straight ahead rocker, with a few brief parts where the instruments drop out and allow the vocals to mix it up just a bit. The energy of the performance certainly trumps anything about the composition itself.
8. "Roll Over Beethoven" (Berry)
Ah, here is one of The Beatles' best covers, on any album. Played at a perfect, upbeat tempo, this song is just packed with energy and drives ahead. Of course, it helps that this is a cover of a Chuck Berry song, one of rock's founding fathers, but The Beatles' choice to have George sing the lead was as unusual as it was fitting. This time backed with much better instrumentation, his vocal is entrancing. Plus, George adds a neat guitar solo (I'm unsure of how much of it he took from the original, however). Certainly, this is one of the highlights of the album, The Beatles playing classic rock and roll.
9. "Hold Me Tight" (Lennon/McCartney)
This one is very reminiscent of "It Won't Be Long," as both channel the spirit of early-60s pop yet possessing of a quality higher than their contemporaries (also, the fact that both were covered in the Beatles musical film Across the Universe). Paul sings this one like it was one of his favorites, as he sounds "happier" for a lack of a better term, in his vocal (which is joined by Lennon's half the time). The key to this song, though, I think is the guitar part, which is a simple one (almost Beach Boys/surf song-esque) but fits perfectly. Nice, tasty Beatles pop.
10. "You Really Got A Hold On Me" (Robinson)
Here's another cover of a rock and roll legend (or, more accurately, precursor to rock and roll). Ringo keeps the beat with his triplet eighth-notes throughout (can you tell I like those?). Here is some of the best Beatles harmonization to this point in their career; you can tell that they sang this one together a lot before even stepping foot in a studio. Several points in fact really pop out and can make your skin tingle. The song is perhaps a bit too long though, as it's both slow and really has no variety in it (despite being only just over three minutes). One of the stronger songs on the album.
11. "I Wanna Be Your Man" (Lennon/McCartney)
Now for the obligatory Ringo song! I think "Boys" from Please Please Me was better than this one, although "I Wanna Be Your Man" is still OK. The song also kind of cheats Ringo, as he only sings the verses, ceding the chorus to John and Paul. Ringo clearly again seizes his opportunity on this song, as in "Boys", with an energetic lyric and a driving drum part. To be honest, I think his verses sound better than the John/Paul chorus. As far as composition, it does match the popular perception of Ringo (simple, simple, simple) even if that wasn't really true.
12. "Devil In Her Heart" (Drapkin)
And here's the sequel to "Misery" from Please Please Me. It's hard to come up with much to say about this one specifically. I guess it shows how The Beatles were really perfecting the ability to use their instruments to keep the tempo driving forward. I also like a lot of the harmonies on this one. George has a nice vocal, but I have a feeling Paul would have been a better choice for this cover. And, here again, we see amongst Beatles compositions and other superior covers, this one just isn't quite up to snuff. But The Beatles give it a good play through anyway.
13. "Not A Second Time" (Lennon/McCartney)
This one shows how John and Paul's composition was mixing up the early-60s pop formula. The exception to this is a somewhat tacked on ending, but it's not too awkward. It's certainly not the best song on the album, but it's still fresh enough to be pleasing. John offers up a very solid lead vocal, and I'm a big fan of the use of the bass end of the piano on this track. It's a fine piece but another kind of forgettable track.
14. "Money" (Bradford/Gordy)
Here's yet another cover of a classic rocker to finish the album, and again The Beatles do a great job with it. Again, they clearly really enjoy playing this one, with enthused vocals (John in the lead and the others backing) and energetic instrumentals. And, also once again, the composition is pretty simple but the main focus is on the performance style and energy. I think they definitely wanted to end With The Beatles with the same hard-driving rock that "Twist And Shout" provided so successfully on Please Please Me. And it works, although this one isn't quite as good, just like the rest of the album.
Essentials: "All My Loving", "Roll Over Beethoven", "All I've Got To Do"
Weaker(er) Songs: "Little Child", "Devil In Her Heart", "I Wanna Be Your Man"
My Rank of The Beatles' Albums (so far):
1. Please Please Me
2. With The Beatles
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