@@popgoesthe60s52 It really is. The melody, the structure, the changes and breaks and of course John's incredible "crackling" vocals that will never be duplicated.
I appreciate you saying the album is a masterpiece. I share that view. Of course, all being recorded in a day makes it a little rough around the edges, but it is also part of it's charm. These are Beatles that were playing Hamburg, playing the Cavern, and they could play this set in their sleep. It is also a magic view into their influences, and in the use of girl group influences, kind of unique. They loved harmony and used it to their advantage. And you are right, no opener ever screamed like "I Saw Her Standing There'. The Beatles musicianship has been maligned so much that people take it for granted that they were very basic. This is in the face of a complicated piece of music like "Ask Me Why." Because of Paul's dad being a jazz player, and George's appreciation of Chet Atkins, they were using chords that until that time had not been used in a Rock and Roll context. They were good and knew it. Their early albums usually get short shrift in this discussion of masterpieces, but I think this and "A Hard Day's Night", the English version, certainly qualify. And, as to the American albums, "The Beatles Second Album" is as good a hard core Rock and Roll album as has ever been released. All my opinion.
I actually prefer this 12-track version more than Please Please Me for some reason. Meet The Beatles also the the track listing right, which is superior in my view to the British With The Beatles. Thanks for the comments, David.
@@mikeymutual5489 I actually find that "With the Beatles" sounds inferior to "Please please me". The increased used of overdubs (which meant tape-to-tape copying) makes it sound harsher and sometimes a bit disjointed (like "Money"). Also some songs are a bit supar in my opinion ("Little child", "Devil in her heart"). But it's still good, of course, the three first tracks are glorious.
If you listen to other bands albums from this same period, you realize quickly that the Beatles "filler material" was far better than most of other band's hits. These are the tunes that first drew me to the Beatles and now part of my DNA. Great show..
11:34 - I was faked out by that cover when I was 8 years old. My brother had bought the record in April of 1964. We didn't realize it was an older release and we all gasped "The Beatles just got haircuts!" :)
Boys has always been a fave. The whole sound of it. They sound like a great Rock n Roll band on that. Paul’s bass and Ringo’s drums give it great rawness and together with George’s rocking solo and the bop, bop shoo wop vocal it is a ball of energy.
@@donkeyboy585 Who else would do that after Ringo? Phil Collins? With the multi tracking and remixing technology of the 1980s, it's doubtful but you never know! 😉
Wow. I was 10 when this came out . Never knew any of my friends that had this. I also had Meet the Beatles. I used to listen to both albums in my den, my dad had a hi fi sterò back in the day. I played both albums start to end in my den staring at those pictures and reading the backs. I pretended I was Paul or Ringo. I was a drummer. This brought back amazing memories and so glad you were doing the same. Thanks.
I was in 4th grade in 1964, three friends and I practiced 'I Wanna Hold Your Hand' and 'She Loves You' at my house for a couple of weeks and then sung them for the entire school. We were admonished not to shake our heads on the Oooo part of 'she Loves You' by the teachers, apparently deemed too risqué for the time. The height of my musical career. I have been a huge fan since then and have been really happy to listen to the remastered version of 'Revolver" for the last couple of weeks. The song 'Tomorrow Never Knows' sounds so much richer and fuller, I feel like I missed it at the time it was originally released. Enjoy the channel, thanks Matt.
Amazing...50 years onward and discovering the same ploy enacted during the heyday of Beatlemania. MY cub scout den were going to perform a Realllee Big Shouuu also. Being very more advanced than my peers I was on to The Beatles--more so than the average 3rd grader. We never really got to practice from an actual record..but I remember bring Beatl-ish magazine to make sure our cardboard guitars were "cut out" properly. THen the word came..."Guitars are on the way out and ALL THOSE TYPES OF GROUPS. The show never happen and to this day I hold a grudge against all PTA boards.
Matt you have to go back to early 1963. George Martin wanted them to record their live show. He went to the Cavern because he ideally wanted to record them on their environment. He quickly realized that amplified guitars, bass and drums ricocheting off the brink walls would not make for a good recording. So he had them return to E.M.I. Studios in London to record a version of their live performance. He already had Love Me Do and Please Please Me and their B sides so he needed 10 songs and he knew he wanted to close with Twist and Shout. So they recorded 10 songs in thirteen hours and they were use to playing ungodly long sets in Hamburg and in Britain they would often play an afternoon show and an evening show!
I was always amazed how even their fill in songs were along the same quality as their hits. Most other bands couldn't do that. They were and still are the greatest rock band of all time. And admirable songwriters.
When I was a young lad, my adult neighbor had this album (he was old enough to be a WW2 or Korean War vet). Maybe it was his daughter's. When I was at their house one day he was playing this album and said how much he liked the harmonies. Nice trip down Memory Lane. Thanks Matt.
I hadn't planned reviews of Beatles albums because there are so many out there. But perhaps I can offer a different perspective. Thanks for the support, Kenneth!
As you say, the harmonies are so good. Especially love the two-part sound in the "And it's my mind..." part of "There's a place", where you really get this "phasey" quality as their voices are wavering around the pure interval, combined with the tube mixer preamps pushed hard. It's a very special sound that you hear now and then in the Beatles catalogue (it's in Ticket to ride, for instance), it always makes me shiver.
The structure and harmonies in There's a Place are still pretty amazing, even 60 years later. The first 8 bars of the verse are pretty conventional, musically and lyrically---there's a place where the narrator can seek refuge when he's feeling blue; it's probably his lover's arms---NO, it's actually in the depths of his OWN MIND, and to hammer this home we get an unexpected chord change (from B to Abm) and striking vocal harmony that rings out twice, against the Abm chord on "mind" and the E on "time". The whole effect is, in my opinion, practically psychedelic, and I'd rate this track right up there with any The Beatles recorded during the next 6 years. 🎙🎸🎧🔉
@@Daberney Great point about the song contemplating the depth of one's own mind as opposed to seeking refuge in a lovers arms. This song does meet some of my criteria on what makes a song psychedelic. Thank you for the substantive comment, Daberney!
I'm from the UK, and love how it mirrors Please Please Me. I often think that Please Please Me is one of their best albums, for the energy, variety and all round closeness of the musical performance. I know that some critics think their first release lacked sophistication, but that ignores the sheer range of musical styles on the disc. You can see how they tried to recapture the spirit in the Get Back sessions. When casual fans ask me to recommend a Beatles album to sample as a first listen, I tend to suggest this one, as it captures the mood of a new dawn in popular music.
Thanks for reviewing this record….. I have always loved this album whether it was called Please Please Me, Introducing the Beatles or The Early Beatles. It’s hard to believe that most of these songs were recorded in less than a day. Looking forward to seeing more reviews from you Matt! Happy thanksgiving
My big sis had this when it first came out. I used to sneak into her room and listen to this record ENDLESSLY. One thing I noticed, even at a tender age, was the superior sound quality: Very warm, immediate, intimate. None of the blown out effects that Capitol loved to do. I recently found a copy and it still holds up, sound wise. Oh yeah, and the songs are pretty good too.🤓
Matt, With this album you get a great overview of what this group could do. We know when they were on stage for upto 8 hours a night in Hamburg they did'nt like to repeat themselves. They did everything from " Showtunes" to "Ballards" to "Classic Rock and Roll." And they were also not shy in rearranging numbers to suite there style. This L.P. gives a great snapshot of the early Beatles. Even now when you have'nt heard this L.P. for a long time the shear energy coming out of the speakers just hits you like a gale. Cheers, Chris Perry.
"Anna" and "Baby it's you" are great covers and I love when the come on the Beatle Channel. They play songs off this album all the time. Chains is a great song too.
When you compare the Veejay pressing of "I Saw Her Standing There" to the EMI Capitol pressing of the same, there is a difference in McCartney's count-off. The Veejay pressing cuts out "1-2-3" then you hear "FOUR!" Capitol's pressing has the full "1-2-3-FOUR!". Interesting and good trivia here!
I was living in Amsterdam when this album came out...but I heard every one of these tunes because my Dutch cousins who were massive Beatle fans. They had the Dansette and played Beatles all the time....I absolutely loved it. Especially Please Please Me. They took me to the premiers of A,Hards Day's Night and I never heard such an a row before or since. Thanks for keeping the memory alive!
You are making me feel so old right now! I wish I knew what happened to that LP, but it was the first one my parents bought for us. Maybe it's nostalgia but I don't think there is a bad song on ti. I'm not going to go through all the tracks or my thoughts, but whether it's "Misery" or "Ask Me Why," their harmonies just bowled me over at the age of 10. Thanks so much for your review.
‘Ask Me Why’, ‘Misery’, and ‘There’s a Place’ are absolutely gems. Some of my favorite tracks of all time are on this album and the ‘Live at the BBC’ series. Early Lennon vocal is unmatched and pure magic!
My mother bought this in 1963..I was 10 years old..I still have it! I think it’s a masterpiece, I think it’s their best early album…HELP was where they surpassed it then kept going to even greater heights but this album on Vee Jay is incredible and of course 10 of the songs recorded in one day is part of the greatness of the Beatles. Recorded on a 2 track machine! Very few dubs , mostly George Martin sweetening a few tracks with piano. The vocals are live even Ringo while he played drums on BOYS. YOU ARE RIGHT ITS ONE OF THEIR BEST.
I believe this record signalled a musical renaissance of sorts. I was 8 in 1964 but my mom and older cousins made sure this record was played several times a day at our house. The lines were blurred to me for which songs were their originals and which were covers, and that's because they made each song their own when they played it. As I evolved musically and heard songs like Twist and Shout, Anna, Chains by the original artists, it only showcased their incredible talents being able to make each song sound fresh and Beatlesque. That had a lot to do with George Martin, but mainly it was their own talent and musical IQ. Thanks Matt. Rock on!
Hi Matt That was the first picture I ever seen of the Beatles and certainly the first time I hear one of their albums ... I was 11 years old just about to turn 12 and visiting my cousin Patrica..She was slightly older and like me became a huge Beatles fan...I know you said it was released in January but I seem to remember this event being closer to Christmas time..I wouldn't be surprised if my cousin had an early copy. Of course this was just before the Ed Sullivan show and full blown Beatlemania broke out. I remember there being a tremendous hype about their fly over to America. .. It is very gratifying to see how amazingly popular they still are 60 years later.
I found your channnel today and have been watching your four part Byrds series. I enjoyed it a lot. Like you my first Byrds album was the Greatest Hits and I still love it to bits. I'm old now and live a retired life of listening to music and watching channels like yours. I will watch many of your videos in the days to come. Music is my life and it has been so as far back as I can remember. When I was 13 I had some surgery and when I woke up, a bit dazed and confused, my older brother held up two albums to make me feel better. I did indeed as it was Dylan's John Wesley Harding and the Moby Grape debut album. The Moby Grape is, in my opinion, one of the best debuts ever. Now there's a story to tell.
Hello Thomas, and welcome! My channel is coming up on three years so I am just getting started with my videos. Moby Grape will be covered and plenty more so stay tuned!
I enjoyed this so much, Matt! My first Beatles album was "Meet The Beatles". I did not buy an album until after they appeared on Sullivan. I did end up going back and getting this album later that same year, though. I know it's not cool to love the US versions, and I understand all the reasons why! But I still prefer them, in terms of tracks and running order! And after having heard them so many times, till needles and albums wore out, I still have a hard time getting used to the UK albums. I am 100 percent up for watching any and all Beatles album reviews!! Frankly, I personally would enjoy watching you listen to the entire albums (or sides) and reviewing each song! As an old hippie and MASSIVE Beatlemaniac, I would appreciate enjoying these again, with someone who TRULY gets it! There is nobody still alive in my life anymore who fits that description; I outlived everyone else who loved music like I did/do! Thanks for your great content!
Thank you for the kind worlds. Since the cd era when the British LPs became the standard, the US albums are treated like second class affairs but a few of them got it right - particularly this album and Meet the Beatles.
@@popgoesthe60s52 Yes, I had originally intended to say that! I replaced almost my entire Beatles LPs list with CDs, and naturally, they are the UK versions! But like I said, I still can't get used to them. Cheers!
Being British I’ve never given this album much credence, but it does have a great tracklisting! I find it fascinating how the first records we hear of certain bands become our favourites. ‘Out of Heads’ is my fave Stones album because it was the first I heard and I played it to death.
I grew up with the Capitols, but my first record purchase was an unmarked (VeeJay?) "Please Please Me"/"Love Me Do" which I still have. (JC Penney's, eight years old, 1973, with less than two dollars of saved change, and I also got a Swan "She Loves You"/"I'll Get You" and "I Get Around"/"Don't Worry, Baby"). So years later, in high school years, I was walking through a room one afternoon with a Beatles cartoon playing on television when I heard "Misery" for the first time and nearly delivered a litter of kittens on the spot. An unheard Beatles song! The discovery of "There's a Place" soon followed.
always loved the raw feel of this album, so fresh and still after 50plus years I play it often. I always felt John's Theres a Place was so far ahead of it's time, and could easily been on Rubber Soul or Revolver with more psychedelic music. another great video thanks
Great review Matt. There's A Place is a great song! I noticed on the song writing credits on the singles it's McCartney, Lennon. Didn't remember that. Your new set up is pretty sharp too! Looking forward, as always, to your videos.
GREAT job Matt! When I got "Introducing The Beatles" as a kid, it changed my life, and for that reason, it has always been my favorite Beatles album. Your right, a masterpiece! Back then I remember getting "Meet The Beatles" a couple weeks later and for some reason, at the time I kept thinking, "Introducing" was better, and still do . No it's not Pepper or Abbey Road that's for sure, but in many odd ways, it surpasses them. I always thought "Anna" was a killer cover as well.
This particular version (with Please Please Me) and NO liner notes just makes more sense than the UK version, although you can't beat the balcony cover!
Matt, I like that you’ve decided to do some album reviews and thought your first choice was excellent! For me, I always find myself switching between this LP and Capitol’s ‘Early Beatles,’ as I find they have different ‘feels’ even though they comparatively have the same songs. What also comes to mind is I believe Vee Jay put out 2 different versions of this album, swapping ‘Love Me Do’ and ‘PS I Love You’ with ‘Ask Me Why’ and ‘Please Please Me.’ I also notice that on my vinyl versions, the count-in to ‘I Saw Her Standing There’ omits the 1-2-3 and begins with ‘four’. Always interesting and looking forward to your next review. Thanks.
The 1963-1964 Era is probably my favorite Era of The Beatles and this album show case there pop sound I really wish they would have recorded where have you been all my life such a great cover they did in Hamburg Star Club I do agree that Ask Me Why is an underrated gem always loved the harmonies and the jazzy guitar at the end.
Thanks for this upload, Matt! All these decades later, the album is still something special. From McCartney's instinctive knack for melody, to Lennon's compelling voice, to the group's amazing ear for harmonies and arrangements, it was readily apparent that, while the boys were having fun, they were undoubtedly serious about their musicianship. Some numbers have aged better than others, but songs like "Twist and Shout", "There's A Place" (which anyone else would have likely performed as a lachrymose ballad),"Baby, It's You", and the impeccably crafted "Ask Me Why" indicated that they were already capable of creating something timeless. Some reviewers may be more than willing to dismiss this album simply because it isn't Rubber Soul or Revolver, but even if the group had never followed up this album, never gone to America, never conquered the world, those lucky enough to have discovered the set would still marvel at how good it is!
All good points, Russell. Agreed about how they delivered There's A Place - honest and with balls. I find reviewers often repeat the same tired lines and cliches about these albums. Or in this case, ignore it completely 'because the British albums are how they were intended', as if they are taking some moral high ground! This album pack a punch and though it has 2 fewer tracks than the UK album, I think this one is the better compilation.
Another excellent video Matt! Love all your other 60s group Bios, Discographies. Can't talk 60s without including The Beatles! Glad to see you do this video. Looking forward to more of what you do best!
The album is eclectic without a doubt. The Beatles always were. I'm always astonished when I go back in my mind to being a kid and thinking of what radio was like just before the Beatles were known in the USA. With radio in those days, you could hear on one station, Folk, Rock & Roll, Motown, Jazz (songs like Take 5 were played on mainstream pop radio), Country, Ska (the Israelites), even Classical music. All on the same station! I think the eclecticism of the Beatles could be attributed, in part, to this phenomenon. In those days, categories weren't really separated. To my mind, that's much more satisfying and even more educational than the way things evolved over time, with rigid categories and even categories within categories. God, this record is like a time machine for me! It takes me all the way back to being a little boy and the magic that was in the air when the Beatles made their presence known in America. You could feel in your bones that the world was about to change. And change it did. Incredibly rapidly. As rapidly as the Beatles changed within a few short years. They were a perfect mirror of what the world was going through at the time.
Eclectic for sure! I can still feel the effect of the snow melting in early spring and walking around with my coat open because I felt warm. AND I had a crush on a girl named Vicky, so this album reminds me of her every time! I should've mentioned that these recordings were given to us more 'straight' without the reverb Capitol insisted on adding. Thanks Vinnie!
@@popgoesthe60s52 does the ' early beatles' have the capitol treatment , or is it exactly like introducing ? btw little richard says it was he that brought these tracks to v.j at the request of brian epstein ??
Hearing bits of this album reminded me how exotic The Beatles sounded to fresh ears. My best friend and I were ten when this was released, both loved music, and were starting to learn guitar. We laughed at the oddity of their weird sound- the harmonies, the falsettos, the raw musical joy they expressed-and then, of course bought every record, learned every song, and treasure their music to this day. While later albums comprise the bulk of their musical legacy, their very early work demonstrates why they became famous. What they went on to accomplish in the next seven years is nothing short of miraculous.
So glad you changed your mind, this was an awesome detailed darn good review. One of my favorite Beatle albums and really love the Vee Jay label and its history, plus its the label my favorite band started on, The Four Seasons. It’s mind blowing to hear this great music and in as little as two years (1966) where The Beatles had taken their art and the change music had taken. I think today 2022 and going back to 2020, I can’t tell the difference and this is just one example, great review, thank you.
I remember vividly as a 5 year old the excitement when the older sibs brought this album home and we played it for the first time. My 2 older sisters were avid Beatles fans getting each album and single as it came out. Their room was full of Beatles stuff. Although my older brothers were more into Stax, The Rascals, Mitch Ryder, Everly bros, Motown, we all loved the Beatles. To this day I just need to hear a few notes and I know the song. Although I went through my Small Faces, Kinks, Stones, The Who, period, now that I am 64 I appreciate the fab 4 even more. No one can top The Beatles. So glad I got to see McCartney this year. My 2nd time. First was with Wings in 1976 at the Kingdome. He is a showman and his love of music radiates. I’ve never truly has a fav Beatle. I love them all.
I bought the 1st version with Love Me Do as a teenager back in 1975 at a discount record shop. I had already bought the red and blue greatest hits album but this really opened my eyes to their early stuff. I wish that I still had it! Thanks for the memory revival
I’ve loved this album for 50 years. And Baby it’s You and Anna are among my favorite Beatle songs. I always guessed that Anna was another late in the day song because Johns voice is just about as shredded as on Twist and Shout and the “ oh oh oh oh oh” part kinda has a Ronnie Spector vibe. And of course I Saw Her Standing There is just one of the best rockers ever. Thanks for putting this record in my head this morning :)
Loved that album as a kid. No wonder we were blown away as kids in '64. Meet the Beatles, Introducing the Beatles, Beatles 2nd Album, Hard Day's Night - all within a few months. Mind blowing
@@popgoesthe60s52 I know I'm biased but I love the American releases. Can't imagine Meet the Beatles without I Want to Hold your hand like With the Beatles. Love the 2nd album
Growing up in France one of my brothers was older and at some point started taking us to the lake a few summers in a row, that was around 1980, and the bands of his teen years were the Beatles and others. When parked at the lake he would just blast their songs out for all to hear and he was obsessed with making sure we would NOT exit the car before the tape/cassette was over once we were back home hee hee. We were some type of hostages of this music and I can safely say it had a big influence on me and developed my musical ear, so much so I have perfect pitch but my point here is that we most likely were lucky to enjoy this very album without knowing it (I will actually ask him the question in the coming days). What a fabulous time to be alive! Thank you for such a wonderful review Matt!
In the UK this wasn't called rock'n'roll or rock, it was called beat music from '60-'65. The southern bands like the Stones were usually classed as rhythm'n'blues. It's a fine album, but I'd say that it didn't take long to top it. 'With The Beatles' doesn't even have any singles on it.
Very good and well researched vlog, brought back memories of buying the Please Please Me album in 1963, loved the Beatles from when their first single Love Me Do got played on Radio Luxembourg in October 1962. I recently heard Paul McCartney say how Bob Dylan started to influence the band even in 1963, as he mentioned that he listened a lot to the first two Dylan albums when they were released! Also remember John being interviewed during a tour of the US in 1964 mentioning some blues R&B singers that would be completely unfamiliar with most English fans like Big Joe Williams, Bobby Bland, Larry Williams etc, one reason was that living in Liverpool back then had ships full of cargo coming direct from the States docking at Liverpool Harbour including imported records, they were much more aware of current music at the time than most English people! By the way apart from Twist and Shout, Money would be my favourite cover!
Interesting how you are using your new space. I am sure I can speak for all here and say we wish you bountiful happiness and peace in your lives. Thank you for sharing time and knowledge of the bands we love, and some bands and topics that we need to delve deeper into with us.
Brother Matt. My mom got me this album 💿 when I was 10. I could have sworn that I got it for my birthday in 1963, which was December 18th. President Kennedy was assassinated a month earlier. Boy! Did we need the boys from Liverpool. Thank you for sharing. Have a great evening. God bless.
Thank you for highlighting an often overlooked early Beatles recording. The energy and harmonies on the early stuff was a definite strong point. With the Beatles is another great early lp.
Great review Matt! Another way to tell a counterfeit copy from the original... the counterfeit has an unusually wide trail-off area near the spindle hole on each side. And thanks soooo much for including the fact that the photo was reversed on the cover (see John's watch on his "right" wrist? Most folks overlook that. Thanks for all the good info/opinions you put out there!
I think doing album reviews is a cool idea. Definitely something I will be interested in to see what I might want to add to my library. Coincidentally, I had a very similar experience to yours, except it was with Meet the Beatles. A friend's brother had it and we would go over to his house and listen to it.
Excellent review! It's classical music at this point in history. I remember sitting on the living room floor listening in delighted disbelief to their first 45's on our little record player. She Loves You, I wanna hold your hand, I saw her standing there, PS I love you. How could four guys make such huge sound? Watching them on Ed Sullivan in Feb 1964, sensing a bright new era as we were all emerging from the dark funk of the JFK assassination just a few months earlier in Nov 1963. Then, seeing them live at Maple Leaf Gardens in 1965, and realizing that even their musical energy couldn't penetrate the screams. Sound amplification and recording equipment couldn't evolve quickly enough to keep up with them. They themselves evolved rapidly, giving up the deafening insanity of touring, in favour of the studio. Their youthful innocent exuberance seemingly out of sync with the age of Vietnam, anti-war protests and more assassinations, their music then became even more complex and beautiful. The sadness of their breakup closed out the decade and seemed to end a most troubled era during which they had been the leading rays of hope. Decades later, in 1980, waking up to the news of John Lennon's death. Two more decades and the passing of George in 2001. Like everything in life, it all looks like it happened in a flash when viewed from compressed memory. Yet, unlike anything else, their music endures as the soundtrack of so many of our lives. I often wonder if John Lennon, so cynically dismissive of their early and even later songs, would have eventually come to appreciate the incredible gems they had created together from start to finish.
I 'discovered' The Beatles in the late 60's, when I must have been 5-6 years old. My two older sisters had acquired the first several American Beatles albums, but by the time I stumbled upon them my sisters had moved on to other music like Led Zeppelin and Carole King. I absolutely wore out whatever life was left in those albums. And I'm with you Matt in that -- for whatever reason -- "Do You Want to Know a Secret" made an immediate connection. Those quirky chromatic changes and harmonies... Looking back on it, John and Paul were probably showing off and trying too hard, but dayum...! That song sparked something in my young brain that has made me a fan of left field arrangements ever since.
Matt, Your fans and subscribers are so sharp they've already said it all! But I'll sing harmonies behind all their KUDOS ("kudos, we love you, ooh, ooh ooh...")! Now I've gotta run downstairs and compare my two copies for the DETAILS! Thanks Matt, you TOTALLY bring it!
My copy is the Please Please Me version. I also have a 45 on Tollie (?) that has Twist And Shout b/w There's A Place. I inherited these. I was born in 1961 and was the last of 8 kids. There was a community record collection that my older siblings had put together, and when they all moved out one by one, my mom held on to them. When she passed away I got all of her records because nobody else wanted them and I was the only person in the family that still collected vinyl. Also included was a copy of Chipmunks Sing The Beatles.
This was a really stimulating little review. I never realised how similar it was to the UK original. But as a kid in England in 1963 just looking in record shop windows at the cover changed everything I felt about music. Your review reminded me why, despite its weaknesses, it's arguably the most important album ever made, paving the way for everything interesting that followed. And A Hard Day's Night is a masterpiece. So there.
Great job Matt, I'm a bit behind, it is good to hear some perspective on songs I haven't listened to in years, perhaps decades. I can't imagine any other artist's album having so many great songs, you can just drop the needle and let it play.
This is a great twist on an album review. I was born in the mid-80s and grew up in the CD era with the British albums, so those are my “defaults.” I also have some of the early Capitol albums (don’t love what the engineers did with the reverb, by the way). The Capitol albums are often talked about since that is what many fans grew up with. But this Vee Jay album is often overlooked and is so similar to Please Please Me that it was a great choice for an album review. I really enjoyed it. I’d love to see more on the early Beatles, Matt. Reviewers tend to focus so much on the Rubber Soul through 1970 periods; if you want to go in an early Beatles direction I’m “all ears.” They were creating masterpieces from the beginning.
Thank you, David. Yeah, I notice many reviewers simply do ranking videos which people love to click on but they don't offer much in the way of a review! The Beatles early catalog doesn't get the same attention as the 'box set' albums so maybe I will address that. Just because the early stuff sounds 'simplistic' to the lay person, some of them are as complex as their later songs.
I agree. This is a fantastic LP. I have a counterfeit copy that doesn't even have the rainbow on the vinyl label but that's okay. The music contained can't be counterfeited. What "really got a hold on me" when I first heard these songs (at the impressionable age of 14) was how REAL it all sounded. Yeah, the Beach Boys were exceptional, but their songs were refined and glossy whereas the Beatles were raw but not punks. Their musical tightness and amazing vocals set them apart from anything I'd ever heard, and their sound changed my musical tastes forever. That they did this in one session still blows the mind and what they accomplished that day will never be duplicated. Glad you pointed out how amazing this album is from start to finish. Bravo.
I spent this holiday playing the new Revolver Deluxe start to finish and decided to replay Sgt. Pepper, Abbey Road, and now I am on the White Album deluxe. Never gets old to me.
Great Job Matt! I was 6 when I was in introduced to these songs via my sister playing the 45's at bedtime stacked on her little player. We had open doorways and a connecting hallway. later got the album at a garage sell when i was in college. To me this IS The Beatles! What a breakthrough sound!! Have to check now to see if mine copy is legit.
I remember that album cover very well, but I didn't have the album. In 1964, my budget dictated singles, and I had the VJ singles; I don't know the songs or how many records. I also had one or more other non-Capitol singles on the yellow Tollie label. I feel sure Please Please Me could have been a song released in the U.S. as a Tollie single, possibly Lover Me Do also. Do you know if these are correct? I got the Capitol I Want to Hold Your Hand and it like all the other singles (I think) had decorative covers. The Capitol releases had stock photos and at least one of the others had a painting of the group on it. No, I don't have any of them anymore. Great review. Its a great album with important early songs. And my candidate for the short list of great singles: Money, the reason I bought my first Beatles album (The Beatles Second Album). As a beginning guitarist I was hooked on the Kingsmen's version with its driving guitar riff. The Beatles played the riff on piano, but I had to have it.
Thanks, Matt. I've always felt this album, in all of its myriad release forms, deserves more credit than the usual 'not as good as' claims. It's the closest properly recorded album we'll ever have of how the sounded during their club days, when they had to play everything under the sun to fill out an 8 hour night on the Reeperbahn. A little rough around the edges? I don't care. They were barely out of their leather jacket days by this point of their career. Even if this was the only album they ever did, it's still arguably the best record to come out of 1963/64. The sound is fresh and alive. The groundbreaking blend of Rock 'n' Roll with Folk chords and structures turned the music world on its collective ear. I still keep in mind that, at the time they recorded this album, they weren't even sure how long they would last. Yet, with that in mind, they still made certain that every song was a good one. The Beatles changed so much more than just the music when, amongst many other things, they showed that every track on an album should count. Prevailing label attitudes held that an album contained the recent hits, plus a lot of general filler.
What first attracted me to your channel Matt, was of course the Fab content but I soon realized that you had a great delivery of pertinent information, mostly about songs and albums which held mine and obviously other's interest. I cannot do what you do though you did kinda inspire me to create some Beatles related videos of my own. BTW, I'd luv it if you could interview Ron Furmanek and Mark Lewisohn but by all means, continue these album / ep reviews and single highlights, no doubt that their value will be appreciated!
I appreciate your feedback. I think more of the people that get involved with this channel and leave well-thought out comments SHOULD start their own RUclips channels. The percent of really good Beatle content is low on RUclips and one has to plow through multiple videos just to find something fresh and interesting. I may do a video to help people jumpstart their own channel because there is a lot of great analysis out there.
I wasn't to excited to watch a review of an old album, so many you tube channels already have done these but I would have to I was wrong. I throughly enjoyed your perspectives, can't wait for the next one!!!
@@mikemcconville2495 I'm glad you said this, Mike. I have been careful to avoid pushing out quantity over quality. I has hurt my views and subscriptions, but has fostered a great following that I am quite happy with.
Thank you for this review. My first Beatles album was "Meet The Beatles" but I did have some of the non-Capitol singles. Do you know how VeeJay was able to acquire these recording/distribution contracts? Also, do you have any information on Beatles singles from this time period on the Tollie and Swan labels? Great job, Matt! Looking forward to more Beatle reviews.
I know Mark Lewisohn's next volume will sort through the VJ-Tollie- Swan labels. I can tell you for sure that Capitol wanted nothing to do with the Beatles because EMI was headquartered in London (Capitol was a subsidiary) and Capitol hated taking orders from England, hence Capitol released albums like "Mrs. Mills Sings the Roaring 20s" to spite the parent company. Capitol passed on I Want To Hold Your Hand twice before being forced to release it.
When VEE JAY time ran out ,all CAPITAL RECORDS had to do was put their name on the INTRODUCING THE BEATLES album That album would still be in print today
Always thought John's vocals on There',s A Place were exceptional often overlooked due to his stunning performance on Twist and Shout . There's A Place has an emotional power and deepness to it packed into one short running time plus koodos to Ringo for providing that brief but brilliant drum break just before the middle eight . One has to remember this album was recorded in one day with very little time to fix or edit ' mistakes ' let alone overdubs to me it stands alone :its revolutionary
Two weeks ago I discovered a box and was surprised to find that I kept some Beatles Albums when I sold my 6,000 Album Collection to a local Record Shop. I think I have 3 copies of the Vee Jay album. When I get home I'll check and see if they're each the same. If I have "copies" of both VeeJay album I'll send you one. 🍎
What you're calling blues I would maybe call minor key or melancholy. Their use of minor chord vocal harmony is unbeatable no matter what else it might be called. During the summer -- fall -- winter of 1964 they recorded a few more songs in minor key oriented modes, or simply dropping in a well placed minor chord transition in an otherwise upbeat major key song. 'I'll Be Back,' 'Things We Said Today,' 'And I Love Her,' 'I'll Follow the Sun,' 'If I Fell.' Wow. There are others of course. Really just some of the best singing they ever did. Great post, Matt.
George's guitar playing at this time was a little bit country and a little bit jazzy, like the chords on "Do You Want To Know a Secret." He got more rockin' as time went by, it seems like to me. I was 14 when this album came out, my friend Robby Jones got a copy, and, man, I don't know how many times we spun that thing on the turntable.
I always loved that album with its perfect opening " 1-2-3-4" (which the Ramones later adopted😊) and rousing finish with Twist & Shout. Apart from their own compositions Ringo's Boys is another Highlight🎉
The first time I heard this song, my dad sang it to me acappella… We didn’t have a recording of it at the time… it wasn’t until many years later that I heard the Beatles version of it
Matt, I really enjoyed this presentation. The themes of isolation, loneliness and loss are all consistent with two young men, who were writing shortly after the loss of their mothers. Again this theme could take up a whole episode. It reoccurs in every album, with John's lament about "losing" someone. In Rubber Soul it's the "lovers and friends" in In My Life. In "Help" he's going to lose that girl. Another girl has left him in a Ticket to Ride. And who is the girl in Lucy in the Sky? "Look for the girl with the sun in her eyes and she's gone"?? I would suggest it's Julia. In this album there is the masterpiece "There's a Place", the precursor to "Strawberry Fields Forever".
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
Ask Me Why" has always been one of my favorite songs. Critics may call it "formulaic" but for me it has such a melancholic feel that always hits me.
Great to play on guitar with some tricky chords. But then again that's what gave the Beatles much of their ...um.. pizzaazz
I think _Ask Me Why_ is an under rated gem!
I learned how to play drums by playing along with Ringo on these songs… That’s how I picked up the cross sticks technique on this one
It's a great early showcase for their harmonies.
@@popgoesthe60s52 It really is. The melody, the structure, the changes and breaks and of course John's incredible "crackling" vocals that will never be duplicated.
I appreciate you saying the album is a masterpiece. I share that view. Of course, all being recorded in a day makes it a little rough around the edges, but it is also part of it's charm. These are Beatles that were playing Hamburg, playing the Cavern, and they could play this set in their sleep. It is also a magic view into their influences, and in the use of girl group influences, kind of unique. They loved harmony and used it to their advantage. And you are right, no opener ever screamed like "I Saw Her Standing There'. The Beatles musicianship has been maligned so much that people take it for granted that they were very basic. This is in the face of a complicated piece of music like "Ask Me Why." Because of Paul's dad being a jazz player, and George's appreciation of Chet Atkins, they were using chords that until that time had not been used in a Rock and Roll context. They were good and knew it. Their early albums usually get short shrift in this discussion of masterpieces, but I think this and "A Hard Day's Night", the English version, certainly qualify. And, as to the American albums, "The Beatles Second Album" is as good a hard core Rock and Roll album as has ever been released. All my opinion.
I actually prefer this 12-track version more than Please Please Me for some reason. Meet The Beatles also the the track listing right, which is superior in my view to the British With The Beatles. Thanks for the comments, David.
@@mikeymutual5489 I actually find that "With the Beatles" sounds inferior to "Please please me". The increased used of overdubs (which meant tape-to-tape copying) makes it sound harsher and sometimes a bit disjointed (like "Money"). Also some songs are a bit supar in my opinion ("Little child", "Devil in her heart"). But it's still good, of course, the three first tracks are glorious.
@@bjornerikroth , I have to disagree about Little Child. I've always loved that song and recording, but what's a minor disagreement among Fab fans?
@@mikeymutual5489 , excellent taste is rare, my friend.
The 'Second Album' has a lot of rock n roll energy. It was my favorite of 'Please, Please Me' and 'Meet The Beatles'.
If you listen to other bands albums from this same period, you realize quickly that the Beatles "filler material" was far better than most of other band's hits. These are the tunes that first drew me to the Beatles and now part of my DNA. Great show..
So true.
11:34 - I was faked out by that cover when I was 8 years old. My brother had bought the record in April of 1964. We didn't realize it was an older release and we all gasped "The Beatles just got haircuts!" :)
Boys has always been a fave. The whole sound of it. They sound like a great Rock n Roll band on that. Paul’s bass and Ringo’s drums give it great rawness and together with George’s rocking solo and the bop, bop shoo wop vocal it is a ball of energy.
And even more props to Ringo for doing this live. Singing and playing drums is hard
There is a rare track out there of "Boys" sung by the Beatles' original drummer Pete Best. Ringo from Rory and the Hurricanes replaced Best.
@@donkeyboy585 Who else would do that after Ringo? Phil Collins? With the multi tracking and remixing technology of the 1980s, it's doubtful but you never know! 😉
Wow. I was 10 when this came out . Never knew any of my friends that had this. I also had Meet the Beatles. I used to listen to both albums in my den, my dad had a hi fi sterò back in the day. I played both albums start to end in my den staring at those pictures and reading the backs. I pretended I was Paul or Ringo. I was a drummer. This brought back amazing memories and so glad you were doing the same. Thanks.
Thank you Steven. I thought this album really deserved some love!
I was in 4th grade in 1964, three friends and I practiced 'I Wanna Hold Your Hand' and 'She Loves You' at my house for a couple of weeks and then sung them for the entire school. We were admonished not to shake our heads on the Oooo part of 'she Loves You' by the teachers, apparently deemed too risqué for the time. The height of my musical career.
I have been a huge fan since then and have been really happy to listen to the remastered version of 'Revolver" for the last couple of weeks. The song 'Tomorrow Never Knows' sounds so much richer and fuller, I feel like I missed it at the time it was originally released. Enjoy the channel, thanks Matt.
Thanks for the comments, kilgoring!
Amazing...50 years onward and discovering the same ploy enacted during the heyday of Beatlemania. MY cub scout den were going to perform a Realllee Big Shouuu also. Being very more advanced than my peers I was on to The Beatles--more so than the average 3rd grader. We never really got to practice from an actual record..but I remember bring Beatl-ish magazine to make sure our cardboard guitars were "cut out" properly. THen the word came..."Guitars are on the way out and ALL THOSE TYPES OF GROUPS. The show never happen and to this day I hold a grudge against all PTA boards.
Matt you have to go back to early 1963. George Martin wanted them to record their live show. He went to the Cavern because he ideally wanted to record them on their environment. He quickly realized that amplified guitars, bass and drums ricocheting off the brink walls would not make for a good recording. So he had them return to E.M.I. Studios in London to record a version of their live performance. He already had Love Me Do and Please Please Me and their B sides so he needed 10 songs and he knew he wanted to close with Twist and Shout. So they recorded 10 songs in thirteen hours and they were use to playing ungodly long sets in Hamburg and in Britain they would often play an afternoon show and an evening show!
I was always amazed how even their fill in songs were along the same quality as their hits. Most other bands couldn't do that. They were and still are the greatest rock band of all time. And admirable songwriters.
So glad you covered the album! I have the version without please please me but it’s still one of my favorite Beatles records I own
When I was a young lad, my adult neighbor had this album (he was old enough to be a WW2 or Korean War vet). Maybe it was his daughter's. When I was at their house one day he was playing this album and said how much he liked the harmonies. Nice trip down Memory Lane. Thanks Matt.
My pleasure, Joe.
Would be happy to have more album reviews!
I hadn't planned reviews of Beatles albums because there are so many out there. But perhaps I can offer a different perspective. Thanks for the support, Kenneth!
@@popgoesthe60s52 I second Kenneth’s opinion. I would certainly be happy to hear you review more Beatles albums. Thanks!
@@davidm7840 Done and done!
As you say, the harmonies are so good. Especially love the two-part sound in the "And it's my mind..." part of "There's a place", where you really get this "phasey" quality as their voices are wavering around the pure interval, combined with the tube mixer preamps pushed hard. It's a very special sound that you hear now and then in the Beatles catalogue (it's in Ticket to ride, for instance), it always makes me shiver.
Yes, you nailed it. Their harmonies were probably the most important part of their sound, second only to the great melodies. Thank you Björn.
i'm glad to read that someone besides me thinks about that. that song, along w/ Misery, are prime examples of their ability to harmonize,
The structure and harmonies in There's a Place are still pretty amazing, even 60 years later. The first 8 bars of the verse are pretty conventional, musically and lyrically---there's a place where the narrator can seek refuge when he's feeling blue; it's probably his lover's arms---NO, it's actually in the depths of his OWN MIND, and to hammer this home we get an unexpected chord change (from B to Abm) and striking vocal harmony that rings out twice, against the Abm chord on "mind" and the E on "time". The whole effect is, in my opinion, practically psychedelic, and I'd rate this track right up there with any The Beatles recorded during the next 6 years. 🎙🎸🎧🔉
@@Daberney well said. you got it.
@@Daberney Great point about the song contemplating the depth of one's own mind as opposed to seeking refuge in a lovers arms. This song does meet some of my criteria on what makes a song psychedelic. Thank you for the substantive comment, Daberney!
I'm from the UK, and love how it mirrors Please Please Me. I often think that Please Please Me is one of their best albums, for the energy, variety and all round closeness of the musical performance. I know that some critics think their first release lacked sophistication, but that ignores the sheer range of musical styles on the disc. You can see how they tried to recapture the spirit in the Get Back sessions. When casual fans ask me to recommend a Beatles album to sample as a first listen, I tend to suggest this one, as it captures the mood of a new dawn in popular music.
Thanks for reviewing this record….. I have always loved this album whether it was called Please Please Me, Introducing the Beatles or The Early Beatles. It’s hard to believe that most of these songs were recorded in less than a day. Looking forward to seeing more reviews from you Matt! Happy thanksgiving
Thanks Bill and Happy Thanksgiving to you as well!
My big sis had this when it first came out. I used to sneak into her room and listen to this record ENDLESSLY. One thing I noticed, even at a tender age, was the superior sound quality: Very warm, immediate, intimate. None of the blown out effects that Capitol loved to do. I recently found a copy and it still holds up, sound wise. Oh yeah, and the songs are pretty good too.🤓
Great point Ed. VJ didn't bother with all that reverb which give it that gritty sound.
Matt, With this album you get a great overview of what this group could do. We know when they were on stage for upto 8 hours a night in Hamburg they did'nt like to repeat themselves. They did everything from " Showtunes" to "Ballards" to "Classic Rock and Roll." And they were also not shy in rearranging numbers to suite there style. This L.P. gives a great snapshot of the early Beatles. Even now when you have'nt heard this L.P. for a long time the shear energy coming out of the speakers just hits you like a gale. Cheers, Chris Perry.
Thank you for the comments, Chris!
"Anna" and "Baby it's you" are great covers and I love when the come on the Beatle Channel. They play songs off this album all the time. Chains is a great song too.
I live on a boat, and a friend of mine on the dock across from me has a boat named 'Anna.' Now that song goes through my head, like, all the time!
When you compare the Veejay pressing of "I Saw Her Standing There" to the EMI Capitol pressing of the same, there is a difference in McCartney's count-off. The Veejay pressing cuts out "1-2-3" then you hear "FOUR!" Capitol's pressing has the full "1-2-3-FOUR!". Interesting and good trivia here!
I was living in Amsterdam when this album came out...but I heard every one of these tunes because my Dutch cousins who were massive Beatle fans.
They had the Dansette and played Beatles all the time....I absolutely loved it. Especially Please Please Me.
They took me to the premiers of A,Hards Day's Night and I never heard such an a row before or since.
Thanks for keeping the memory alive!
Great memory - thanks for sharing it!
The Beatles Second Album--another US release--was also wonderful. Their cover of Please Mr. Postman is also astonishing, as is Rollover Beethoven.
Yeah, I'd rank Rollover Beethoven right up there with Twist & Shout and Long Tall Sally as their best covers of the Beatles career.
You are making me feel so old right now! I wish I knew what happened to that LP, but it was the first one my parents bought for us. Maybe it's nostalgia but I don't think there is a bad song on ti. I'm not going to go through all the tracks or my thoughts, but whether it's "Misery" or "Ask Me Why," their harmonies just bowled me over at the age of 10. Thanks so much for your review.
My pleasure, RJ
‘Ask Me Why’, ‘Misery’, and ‘There’s a Place’ are absolutely gems. Some of my favorite tracks of all time are on this album and the ‘Live at the BBC’ series. Early Lennon vocal is unmatched and pure magic!
My mother bought this in 1963..I was 10 years old..I still have it! I think it’s a masterpiece, I think it’s their best early album…HELP was where they surpassed it then kept going to even greater heights but this album on Vee Jay is incredible and of course 10 of the songs recorded in one day is part of the greatness of the Beatles. Recorded on a 2 track machine! Very few dubs , mostly George Martin sweetening a few tracks with piano. The vocals are live even Ringo while he played drums on BOYS. YOU ARE RIGHT ITS ONE OF THEIR BEST.
Another superb video from this channel.
Thank you, Jason - Much appreciated.
I believe this record signalled a musical renaissance of sorts. I was 8 in 1964 but my mom and older cousins made sure this record was played several times a day at our house. The lines were blurred to me for which songs were their originals and which were covers, and that's because they made each song their own when they played it. As I evolved musically and heard songs like Twist and Shout, Anna, Chains by the original artists, it only showcased their incredible talents being able to make each song sound fresh and Beatlesque. That had a lot to do with George Martin, but mainly it was their own talent and musical IQ. Thanks Matt. Rock on!
I appreciate the comments, Wildon!
Hi Matt
That was the first picture I ever seen of the Beatles and certainly the first time I hear one of their albums ...
I was 11 years old just about to turn 12 and visiting my cousin Patrica..She was slightly older and like me became a huge Beatles fan...I know you said it was released in January but I seem to remember this event being closer to Christmas time..I wouldn't be surprised if my cousin had an early copy. Of course this was just before the Ed Sullivan show and full blown Beatlemania broke out.
I remember there being a tremendous hype about their fly over to America. .. It is very gratifying to see how amazingly popular they still are 60 years later.
I found your channnel today and have been watching your four part Byrds series. I enjoyed it a lot. Like you my first Byrds album was the Greatest Hits and I still love it to bits. I'm old now and live a retired life of listening to music and watching channels like yours. I will watch many of your videos in the days to come. Music is my life and it has been so as far back as I can remember. When I was 13 I had some surgery and when I woke up, a bit dazed and confused, my older brother held up two albums to make me feel better. I did indeed as it was Dylan's John Wesley Harding and the Moby Grape debut album. The Moby Grape is, in my opinion, one of the best debuts ever. Now there's a story to tell.
Hello Thomas, and welcome! My channel is coming up on three years so I am just getting started with my videos. Moby Grape will be covered and plenty more so stay tuned!
I enjoyed this so much, Matt!
My first Beatles album was "Meet The Beatles". I did not buy an album until after they appeared on Sullivan. I did end up going back and getting this album later that same year, though.
I know it's not cool to love the US versions, and I understand all the reasons why! But I still prefer them, in terms of tracks and running order! And after having heard them so many times, till needles and albums wore out, I still have a hard time getting used to the UK albums.
I am 100 percent up for watching any and all Beatles album reviews!! Frankly, I personally would enjoy watching you listen to the entire albums (or sides) and reviewing each song!
As an old hippie and MASSIVE Beatlemaniac, I would appreciate enjoying these again, with someone who TRULY gets it! There is nobody still alive in my life anymore who fits that description; I outlived everyone else who loved music like I did/do!
Thanks for your great content!
Thank you for the kind worlds. Since the cd era when the British LPs became the standard, the US albums are treated like second class affairs but a few of them got it right - particularly this album and Meet the Beatles.
@@popgoesthe60s52 Yes, I had originally intended to say that! I replaced almost my entire Beatles LPs list with CDs, and naturally, they are the UK versions! But like I said, I still can't get used to them. Cheers!
@@MissAstorDancer Just so you know, all of the Capitol Beatles releases are currently available on CD.
@@Daberney If only I could afford them🙁
Love the Beatles forever!!! Thanks for getting back to them. Never get enough! Have an awesome day!
Fabulous video Matt! Nice job! I love this album! Prior to getting the UK Please Please Me, this was my "go to" for this material. Cheers Matt
Mr. Street! Thanks for stopping by. This is a classic that for some reason doesn't get talked about much.
Being British I’ve never given this album much credence, but it does have a great tracklisting!
I find it fascinating how the first records we hear of certain bands become our favourites. ‘Out of Heads’ is my fave Stones album because it was the first I heard and I played it to death.
So your Welsh, Cornish or from Bretagne France or such heritage?
I grew up with the Capitols, but my first record purchase was an unmarked (VeeJay?) "Please Please Me"/"Love Me Do" which I still have. (JC Penney's, eight years old, 1973, with less than two dollars of saved change, and I also got a Swan "She Loves You"/"I'll Get You" and "I Get Around"/"Don't Worry, Baby"). So years later, in high school years, I was walking through a room one afternoon with a Beatles cartoon playing on television when I heard "Misery" for the first time and nearly delivered a litter of kittens on the spot. An unheard Beatles song! The discovery of "There's a Place" soon followed.
always loved the raw feel of this album, so fresh and still after 50plus years I play it often. I always felt John's Theres a Place was so far ahead of it's time, and could easily been on Rubber Soul or Revolver with more psychedelic music. another great video thanks
Yes, There's A Place is a much underrated song. Too bad they didn't do it live. Thanks Robert P!
Great review Matt. There's A Place is a great song! I noticed on the song writing credits on the singles it's McCartney, Lennon. Didn't remember that. Your new set up is pretty sharp too! Looking forward, as always, to your videos.
Thanks st.rose. I'm still getting set up in the new place but it is coming along!
GREAT job Matt! When I got "Introducing The Beatles" as a kid, it changed my life, and for that reason, it has always been my favorite Beatles album. Your right, a masterpiece! Back then I remember getting "Meet The Beatles" a couple weeks later and for some reason, at the time I kept thinking, "Introducing" was better, and still do . No it's not Pepper or Abbey Road that's for sure, but in many odd ways, it surpasses them. I always thought "Anna" was a killer cover as well.
This particular version (with Please Please Me) and NO liner notes just makes more sense than the UK version, although you can't beat the balcony cover!
Matt, I like that you’ve decided to do some album reviews and thought your first choice was excellent! For me, I always find myself switching between this LP and Capitol’s ‘Early Beatles,’ as I find they have different ‘feels’ even though they comparatively have the same songs. What also comes to mind is I believe Vee Jay put out 2 different versions of this album, swapping ‘Love Me Do’ and ‘PS I Love You’ with ‘Ask Me Why’ and ‘Please Please Me.’ I also notice that on my vinyl versions, the count-in to ‘I Saw Her Standing There’ omits the 1-2-3 and begins with ‘four’. Always interesting and looking forward to your next review. Thanks.
Thank Mr. Joe!
The 1963-1964 Era is probably my favorite Era of The Beatles and this album show case there pop sound I really wish they would have recorded where have you been all my life such a great cover they did in Hamburg Star Club I do agree that Ask Me Why is an underrated gem always loved the harmonies and the jazzy guitar at the end.
Thanks for this upload, Matt! All these decades later, the album is still something special. From McCartney's instinctive knack for melody, to Lennon's compelling voice, to the group's amazing ear for harmonies and arrangements, it was readily apparent that, while the boys were having fun, they were undoubtedly serious about their musicianship. Some numbers have aged better than others, but songs like "Twist and Shout", "There's A Place" (which anyone else would have likely performed as a lachrymose ballad),"Baby, It's You", and the impeccably crafted "Ask Me Why" indicated that they were already capable of creating something timeless.
Some reviewers may be more than willing to dismiss this album simply because it isn't Rubber Soul or Revolver, but even if the group had never followed up this album, never gone to America, never conquered the world, those lucky enough to have discovered the set would still marvel at how good it is!
All good points, Russell. Agreed about how they delivered There's A Place - honest and with balls.
I find reviewers often repeat the same tired lines and cliches about these albums. Or in this case, ignore it completely 'because the British albums are how they were intended', as if they are taking some moral high ground! This album pack a punch and though it has 2 fewer tracks than the UK album, I think this one is the better compilation.
Another excellent video Matt! Love all your other 60s group Bios, Discographies. Can't talk 60s without including The Beatles! Glad to see you do this video. Looking forward to more of what you do best!
Much appreciated, Randall!
Ask Me Why is one of my favorites. This album always reminded me of Beatles for Sale in terms of its rawness and Lennon’s darker lyrics
My first by them was Meet the Beatles , and it still sounds fresh today.
The album is eclectic without a doubt. The Beatles always were. I'm always astonished when I go back in my mind to being a kid and thinking of what radio was like just before the Beatles were known in the USA. With radio in those days, you could hear on one station, Folk, Rock & Roll, Motown, Jazz (songs like Take 5 were played on mainstream pop radio), Country, Ska (the Israelites), even Classical music. All on the same station! I think the eclecticism of the Beatles could be attributed, in part, to this phenomenon. In those days, categories weren't really separated. To my mind, that's much more satisfying and even more educational than the way things evolved over time, with rigid categories and even categories within categories. God, this record is like a time machine for me! It takes me all the way back to being a little boy and the magic that was in the air when the Beatles made their presence known in America. You could feel in your bones that the world was about to change. And change it did. Incredibly rapidly. As rapidly as the Beatles changed within a few short years. They were a perfect mirror of what the world was going through at the time.
Eclectic for sure! I can still feel the effect of the snow melting in early spring and walking around with my coat open because I felt warm. AND I had a crush on a girl named Vicky, so this album reminds me of her every time!
I should've mentioned that these recordings were given to us more 'straight' without the reverb Capitol insisted on adding. Thanks Vinnie!
@@popgoesthe60s52 does the ' early beatles' have the capitol treatment , or is it exactly like introducing ? btw little richard says it was he that brought these tracks to v.j at the request of brian epstein ??
Hearing bits of this album reminded me how exotic The Beatles sounded to fresh ears. My best friend and I were ten when this was released, both loved music, and were starting to learn guitar. We laughed at the oddity of their weird sound- the harmonies, the falsettos, the raw musical joy they expressed-and then, of course bought every record, learned every song, and treasure their music to this day. While later albums comprise the bulk of their musical legacy, their very early work demonstrates why they became famous. What they went on to accomplish in the next seven years is nothing short of miraculous.
I just bought this album this past summer in Colorado. I’m assuming it’s not a bootleg. I know they exist. I’m still happy to have it.
So glad you changed your mind, this was an awesome detailed darn good review. One of my favorite Beatle albums and really love the Vee Jay label and its history, plus its the label my favorite band started on, The Four Seasons. It’s mind blowing to hear this great music and in as little as two years (1966) where The Beatles had taken their art and the change music had taken. I think today 2022 and going back to 2020, I can’t tell the difference and this is just one example, great review, thank you.
Thank you, George!
I remember vividly as a 5 year old the excitement when the older sibs brought this album home and we played it for the first time. My 2 older sisters were avid Beatles fans getting each album and single as it came out. Their room was full of Beatles stuff. Although my older brothers were more into Stax, The Rascals, Mitch Ryder, Everly bros, Motown, we all loved the Beatles. To this day I just need to hear a few notes and I know the song. Although I went through my Small Faces, Kinks, Stones, The Who, period, now that I am 64 I appreciate the fab 4 even more. No one can top The Beatles. So glad I got to see McCartney this year. My 2nd time. First was with Wings in 1976 at the Kingdome. He is a showman and his love of music radiates. I’ve never truly has a fav Beatle. I love them all.
Hey Lori - thanks for the comments and memories!
I bought the 1st version with Love Me Do as a teenager back in 1975 at a discount record shop. I had already bought the red and blue greatest hits album but this really opened my eyes to their early stuff. I wish that I still had it! Thanks for the memory revival
Also one of my early favorites, for me because all tracks were so catchy to me and so singable. Very underrated
I’ve loved this album for 50 years. And Baby it’s You and Anna are among my favorite Beatle songs. I always guessed that Anna was another late in the day song because Johns voice is just about as shredded as on Twist and Shout and the “ oh oh oh oh oh” part kinda has a Ronnie Spector vibe. And of course I Saw Her Standing There is just one of the best rockers ever.
Thanks for putting this record in my head this morning :)
My pleasure!
Loved that album as a kid. No wonder we were blown away as kids in '64. Meet the Beatles, Introducing the Beatles, Beatles 2nd Album, Hard Day's Night - all within a few months. Mind blowing
It's hard to believe the amount released in such a short time. Americans were drinking from the Beatle fire hose!
@@popgoesthe60s52 I know I'm biased but I love the American releases. Can't imagine Meet the Beatles without I Want to Hold your hand like With the Beatles. Love the 2nd album
Growing up in France one of my brothers was older and at some point started taking us to the lake a few summers in a row, that was around 1980, and the bands of his teen years were the Beatles and others. When parked at the lake he would just blast their songs out for all to hear and he was obsessed with making sure we would NOT exit the car before the tape/cassette was over once we were back home hee hee. We were some type of hostages of this music and I can safely say it had a big influence on me and developed my musical ear, so much so I have perfect pitch but my point here is that we most likely were lucky to enjoy this very album without knowing it (I will actually ask him the question in the coming days).
What a fabulous time to be alive!
Thank you for such a wonderful review Matt!
My pleasure, Sandrine!
In the UK this wasn't called rock'n'roll or rock, it was called beat music from '60-'65. The southern bands like the Stones were usually classed as rhythm'n'blues. It's a fine album, but I'd say that it didn't take long to top it. 'With The Beatles' doesn't even have any singles on it.
Very good and well researched vlog, brought back memories of buying the Please Please Me album in 1963, loved the Beatles from when their first single Love Me Do got played on Radio Luxembourg in October 1962. I recently heard Paul McCartney say how Bob Dylan started to influence the band even in 1963, as he mentioned that he listened a lot to the first two Dylan albums when they were released! Also remember John being interviewed during a tour of the US in 1964 mentioning some blues R&B singers that would be completely unfamiliar with most English fans like Big Joe Williams, Bobby Bland, Larry Williams etc, one reason was that living in Liverpool back then had ships full of cargo coming direct from the States docking at Liverpool Harbour including imported records, they were much more aware of current music at the time than most English people! By the way apart from Twist and Shout, Money would be my favourite cover!
Interesting how you are using your new space. I am sure I can speak for all here and say we wish you bountiful happiness and peace in your lives. Thank you for sharing time and knowledge of the bands we love, and some bands and topics that we need to delve deeper into with us.
Why, thank you. I hope to get this place into shape over the holidays. I'm looking forward to a productive 2023!
Brother Matt. My mom got me this album 💿 when I was 10. I could have sworn that I got it for my birthday in 1963, which was December 18th. President Kennedy was assassinated a month earlier. Boy! Did we need the boys from Liverpool. Thank you for sharing. Have a great evening. God bless.
A great record to have at age 10. Changed my life. Much thank, Blaze!
Thank you for highlighting an often overlooked early Beatles recording. The energy and harmonies on the early stuff was a definite strong point. With the Beatles is another great early lp.
I knew there was a reason I lived this long...thank you, my brother!
Great review! I look forward to more of them. I have to say- I don't believe I have seen John and Paul look worse than they do on that cover.
I would have thought there were more takes to choose from? Oh well.
Great review Matt! Another way to tell a counterfeit copy from the original... the counterfeit has an unusually wide trail-off area near the spindle hole on each side. And thanks soooo much for including the fact that the photo was reversed on the cover (see John's watch on his "right" wrist? Most folks overlook that. Thanks for all the good info/opinions you put out there!
Thank you, Mike - I appreciate the comment!
I think doing album reviews is a cool idea. Definitely something I will be interested in to see what I might want to add to my library. Coincidentally, I had a very similar experience to yours, except it was with Meet the Beatles. A friend's brother had it and we would go over to his house and listen to it.
Excellent review! It's classical music at this point in history. I remember sitting on the living room floor listening in delighted disbelief to their first 45's on our little record player. She Loves You, I wanna hold your hand, I saw her standing there, PS I love you. How could four guys make such huge sound? Watching them on Ed Sullivan in Feb 1964, sensing a bright new era as we were all emerging from the dark funk of the JFK assassination just a few months earlier in Nov 1963. Then, seeing them live at Maple Leaf Gardens in 1965, and realizing that even their musical energy couldn't penetrate the screams. Sound amplification and recording equipment couldn't evolve quickly enough to keep up with them. They themselves evolved rapidly, giving up the deafening insanity of touring, in favour of the studio. Their youthful innocent exuberance seemingly out of sync with the age of Vietnam, anti-war protests and more assassinations, their music then became even more complex and beautiful. The sadness of their breakup closed out the decade and seemed to end a most troubled era during which they had been the leading rays of hope. Decades later, in 1980, waking up to the news of John Lennon's death. Two more decades and the passing of George in 2001. Like everything in life, it all looks like it happened in a flash when viewed from compressed memory. Yet, unlike anything else, their music endures as the soundtrack of so many of our lives. I often wonder if John Lennon, so cynically dismissive of their early and even later songs, would have eventually come to appreciate the incredible gems they had created together from start to finish.
I like the audio in your video because their music sounds warm
I like Mr. Postman from their next album because John really kicks it.
I 'discovered' The Beatles in the late 60's, when I must have been 5-6 years old. My two older sisters had acquired the first several American Beatles albums, but by the time I stumbled upon them my sisters had moved on to other music like Led Zeppelin and Carole King. I absolutely wore out whatever life was left in those albums. And I'm with you Matt in that -- for whatever reason -- "Do You Want to Know a Secret" made an immediate connection. Those quirky chromatic changes and harmonies... Looking back on it, John and Paul were probably showing off and trying too hard, but dayum...! That song sparked something in my young brain that has made me a fan of left field arrangements ever since.
Matt,
Your fans and subscribers are so sharp they've already said it all! But I'll sing harmonies behind all their KUDOS ("kudos, we love you, ooh, ooh ooh...")!
Now I've gotta run downstairs and compare my two copies for the DETAILS! Thanks Matt, you TOTALLY bring it!
My pleasure, Glenn!
My copy is the Please Please Me version. I also have a 45 on Tollie (?) that has Twist And Shout b/w There's A Place.
I inherited these. I was born in 1961 and was the last of 8 kids. There was a community record collection that my older siblings had put together, and when they all moved out one by one, my mom held on to them. When she passed away I got all of her records because nobody else wanted them and I was the only person in the family that still collected vinyl.
Also included was a copy of Chipmunks Sing The Beatles.
I do have that Chipmunks album too!
This was a really stimulating little review. I never realised how similar it was to the UK original. But as a kid in England in 1963 just looking in record shop windows at the cover changed everything I felt about music. Your review reminded me why, despite its weaknesses, it's arguably the most important album ever made, paving the way for everything interesting that followed. And A Hard Day's Night is a masterpiece. So there.
Important indeed. Music was never the same after it! Thanks for the comment, John!
Great job Matt, I'm a bit behind, it is good to hear some perspective on songs I haven't listened to in years, perhaps decades. I can't imagine any other artist's album having so many great songs, you can just drop the needle and let it play.
This is a great twist on an album review. I was born in the mid-80s and grew up in the CD era with the British albums, so those are my “defaults.” I also have some of the early Capitol albums (don’t love what the engineers did with the reverb, by the way). The Capitol albums are often talked about since that is what many fans grew up with. But this Vee Jay album is often overlooked and is so similar to Please Please Me that it was a great choice for an album review. I really enjoyed it.
I’d love to see more on the early Beatles, Matt. Reviewers tend to focus so much on the Rubber Soul through 1970 periods; if you want to go in an early Beatles direction I’m “all ears.” They were creating masterpieces from the beginning.
Thank you, David. Yeah, I notice many reviewers simply do ranking videos which people love to click on but they don't offer much in the way of a review! The Beatles early catalog doesn't get the same attention as the 'box set' albums so maybe I will address that. Just because the early stuff sounds 'simplistic' to the lay person, some of them are as complex as their later songs.
awesome review of a great overlooked (somewhat) album...done in one day...amazing..thanks Matt...
My pleasure, David.
I agree. This is a fantastic LP. I have a counterfeit copy that doesn't even have the rainbow on the vinyl label but that's okay. The music contained can't be counterfeited. What "really got a hold on me" when I first heard these songs (at the impressionable age of 14) was how REAL it all sounded. Yeah, the Beach Boys were exceptional, but their songs were refined and glossy whereas the Beatles were raw but not punks. Their musical tightness and amazing vocals set them apart from anything I'd ever heard, and their sound changed my musical tastes forever. That they did this in one session still blows the mind and what they accomplished that day will never be duplicated. Glad you pointed out how amazing this album is from start to finish. Bravo.
Thank you, Flirolas!
I spent this holiday playing the new Revolver Deluxe start to finish and decided to replay Sgt. Pepper, Abbey Road, and now I am on the White Album deluxe. Never gets old to me.
Great Job Matt! I was 6 when I was in introduced to these songs via my sister playing the 45's at bedtime stacked on her little player. We had open doorways and a connecting hallway. later got the album at a garage sell when i was in college. To me this IS The Beatles! What a breakthrough sound!! Have to check now to see if mine copy is legit.
Great video.. This was the 2nd Beatles album i ever heard. Meet the Beatles was the 1st. Great memories.
I remember that album cover very well, but I didn't have the album. In 1964, my budget dictated singles, and I had the VJ singles; I don't know the songs or how many records. I also had one or more other non-Capitol singles on the yellow Tollie label. I feel sure Please Please Me could have been a song released in the U.S. as a Tollie single, possibly Lover Me Do also. Do you know if these are correct? I got the Capitol I Want to Hold Your Hand and it like all the other singles (I think) had decorative covers. The Capitol releases had stock photos and at least one of the others had a painting of the group on it. No, I don't have any of them anymore. Great review. Its a great album with important early songs. And my candidate for the short list of great singles: Money, the reason I bought my first Beatles album (The Beatles Second Album). As a beginning guitarist I was hooked on the Kingsmen's version with its driving guitar riff. The Beatles played the riff on piano, but I had to have it.
Twist and Shout and Love Me Do were on the Tollie label. I do like the Kingsmen's version of Money too.
Thanks, Matt. I've always felt this album, in all of its myriad release forms, deserves more credit than the usual 'not as good as' claims. It's the closest properly recorded album we'll ever have of how the sounded during their club days, when they had to play everything under the sun to fill out an 8 hour night on the Reeperbahn. A little rough around the edges? I don't care. They were barely out of their leather jacket days by this point of their career. Even if this was the only album they ever did, it's still arguably the best record to come out of 1963/64. The sound is fresh and alive. The groundbreaking blend of Rock 'n' Roll with Folk chords and structures turned the music world on its collective ear. I still keep in mind that, at the time they recorded this album, they weren't even sure how long they would last. Yet, with that in mind, they still made certain that every song was a good one. The Beatles changed so much more than just the music when, amongst many other things, they showed that every track on an album should count. Prevailing label attitudes held that an album contained the recent hits, plus a lot of general filler.
Thanks Fab Gear, yes, I'm glad I did this review first because it certainly deserves special attention. I prefer it to the Please Please Me album.
@@popgoesthe60s52 Thanks, Matt. It's certainly better quality than the muddied sound Capitol would inflict on the original Beatles recordings.
What first attracted me to your channel Matt, was of course the Fab content but I soon realized that you had a great delivery of pertinent information, mostly about songs and albums which held mine and obviously other's interest. I cannot do what you do though you did kinda inspire me to create some Beatles related videos of my own. BTW, I'd luv it if you could interview Ron Furmanek and Mark Lewisohn but by all means, continue these album / ep reviews and single highlights, no doubt that their value will be appreciated!
I appreciate your feedback. I think more of the people that get involved with this channel and leave well-thought out comments SHOULD start their own RUclips channels. The percent of really good Beatle content is low on RUclips and one has to plow through multiple videos just to find something fresh and interesting. I may do a video to help people jumpstart their own channel because there is a lot of great analysis out there.
The VJ press you got there has a gorgeous sound.
I wasn't to excited to watch a review of an old album, so many you tube channels already have done these but I would have to I was wrong. I throughly enjoyed your perspectives, can't wait for the next one!!!
That's very kind, TOM s - much thanks!
This channel definitely found its own niche
@@mikemcconville2495 I'm glad you said this, Mike. I have been careful to avoid pushing out quantity over quality. I has hurt my views and subscriptions, but has fostered a great following that I am quite happy with.
@@popgoesthe60s52 I'm glad that you have chosen this approach, separates you from the rest.
Thank you for this review. My first Beatles album was "Meet The Beatles" but I did have some of the non-Capitol singles. Do you know how VeeJay was able to acquire these recording/distribution contracts? Also, do you have any information on Beatles singles from this time period on the Tollie and Swan labels? Great job, Matt! Looking forward to more Beatle reviews.
I know Mark Lewisohn's next volume will sort through the VJ-Tollie- Swan labels. I can tell you for sure that Capitol wanted nothing to do with the Beatles because EMI was headquartered in London (Capitol was a subsidiary) and Capitol hated taking orders from England, hence Capitol released albums like "Mrs. Mills Sings the Roaring 20s" to spite the parent company. Capitol passed on I Want To Hold Your Hand twice before being forced to release it.
Always loved 'Ask me Why'. Thanks Matt, time to revisit this album.
When VEE JAY time ran out ,all CAPITAL RECORDS had to do was put their name on the INTRODUCING THE BEATLES album
That album would still be in print today
Delightful album. The Beatles leaning into many of the influences that helped shape their early originals.
Cool review. You made me smile a lot. Thanks!
My pleasure - more to come.
Always thought John's vocals on There',s A Place were exceptional often overlooked due to his stunning performance on Twist and Shout . There's A Place has an emotional power and deepness to it packed into one short running time plus koodos to Ringo for providing that brief but brilliant drum break just before the middle eight . One has to remember this album was recorded in one day with very little time to fix or edit ' mistakes ' let alone overdubs to me it stands alone :its revolutionary
Yes, it's a very raw song that is also somewhat philosophical.
@@popgoesthe60s52 Great observation on that point
Nice review Matt. You're a natural.
Two weeks ago I discovered a box and was surprised to find that I kept some Beatles Albums when I sold my 6,000 Album Collection to a local Record Shop. I think I have 3 copies of the Vee Jay album. When I get home I'll check and see if they're each the same. If I have "copies" of both VeeJay album I'll send you one. 🍎
Thank you, Rich!
Great album! I had the LP and wore it out. Always loved the sepia album cover photo.
Great episode, Matt, have you ever reviewed 'Beatles For Sale'? Another overlooked gem...
This is my first review, so I will eventually get around to For Sale. Thanks Lee!
What you're calling blues I would maybe call minor key or melancholy. Their use of minor chord vocal harmony is unbeatable no matter what else it might be called. During the summer -- fall -- winter of 1964 they recorded a few more songs in minor key oriented modes, or simply dropping in a well placed minor chord transition in an otherwise upbeat major key song. 'I'll Be Back,' 'Things We Said Today,' 'And I Love Her,' 'I'll Follow the Sun,' 'If I Fell.' Wow. There are others of course. Really just some of the best singing they ever did. Great post, Matt.
Hey syater2 - yes, those minor chords sure give those songs depth!
Excellent ! Thank you Matt for sharing this with us. 🙂👍
George's guitar playing at this time was a little bit country and a little bit jazzy, like the chords on "Do You Want To Know a Secret." He got more rockin' as time went by, it seems like to me. I was 14 when this album came out, my friend Robby Jones got a copy, and, man, I don't know how many times we spun that thing on the turntable.
3:42 the transition of Ask Me why into Please Please me is Good they can be combined into one song by a remix.
(edited)
I really was please with that one! Thanks for noticing.
I think you're right - Ringo's vocal on "Boys" were his best.
I always loved that album with its perfect opening " 1-2-3-4" (which the Ramones later adopted😊) and rousing finish with Twist & Shout. Apart from their own compositions Ringo's Boys is another Highlight🎉
There’s a place is one of the most underrated Lennon/McCartney songs in my opinion.
It's a great song.
I agree. It rocks and is sad at the same time.
The first time I heard this song, my dad sang it to me acappella… We didn’t have a recording of it at the time… it wasn’t until many years later that I heard the Beatles version of it
This was interesting good vid from ya got my copy out and with ya love the early Beatles they had rnr grit
I'm with you Matt, I love "Ask Me Why" too.
Obviously it's not the greatest song ever, but for their first album, it's a really nice and sweet track.
Nice chord changes too :)
Matt, I really enjoyed this presentation. The themes of isolation, loneliness and loss are all consistent with two young men, who were writing shortly after the loss of their mothers. Again this theme could take up a whole episode. It reoccurs in every album, with John's lament about "losing" someone. In Rubber Soul it's the "lovers and friends" in In My Life. In "Help" he's going to lose that girl. Another girl has left him in a Ticket to Ride. And who is the girl in Lucy in the Sky? "Look for the girl with the sun in her eyes and she's gone"?? I would suggest it's Julia. In this album there is the masterpiece "There's a Place", the precursor to "Strawberry Fields Forever".
Thank you, Dee Jay. Yes, John's lyrics certainly have a recurring theme.