Guide to British Music of the 1960s

March 2003

CD Review

The Beatles - Please Please Me

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The Beatles mid-period three of Rubber Soul, Revolver and Sergeant Pepper are more often said to be the key works in the Beatles catalogue, at least if one had to choose. However, it could also be argued that Please Please Me was the album that had the most impact and the most influence on the course of popular music. One notable fact about the Beatles is that many of their album tracks are better known that most artists' singles. Please Please Me supports this with tracks such as Twist & Shout and I Saw Her Standing There proving the point. The former is an Isley Brothers original that is probably more renown for its version by the Beatles. 

The reason that Please Please Me broke the mould was that it turned around the way in which albums were approached. The traditional way of working when an artist had a hit single was to rush out an album with the single and the remainder being largely covers of known standards. However, even at this early stage John Lennon and Paul McCartney were writing songs and being recognised as talented in this area. The second single, album title track and, sometimes, the first number one was Please Please Me. George Martin had wanted the Beatles to record How Do You Do It? but the Beatles had insisted on doing one of their own. While Gerry & The Pacemakers scored a number one with the track, Please Please Me launched to the Beatles at the top of the charts with a very powerful track that has endured.

I Saw Her Standing There is one of McCartney's oldest songs and a powerful opener in anybody's book. At this time Lennon and McCartney were not as strong lyrically as they later would become but the combination of vocals and powerful beat rhythms make the track incredibly strong and exciting even 40 years later. I Saw Her Standing There and Please Please Me were already proof that writing talents of Lennon and McCartney were emerging. 

Around half of the titles are Lennon/McCartney originals. The two singles from the album are the title track and the Beatles' debut Love Me Do. Both b-sides are also included and these are the Lennon/McCartney songs PS I Love You and Ask Me Why. George makes his recording vocal debut with another Lennon/McCartney song  Do You Want to Know a Secret. This was picked up by Billy J Kramer who was also managed by Brian Epstein and it became his first hit single. Ringo Starr sings lead vocals on Boys. 

A Taste of Honey shows the start of experimenting in the studio with Paul McCartney's lead vocal double-tracked to give a chorus effect. The Beatles had been playing this track in Hamburg. There's a Place is one of the more uptempo tracks on Please Please Me. 

The climax of the album is the storming Twist & Shout. Already a long-standing favourite of the live show, the track was recorded at the end of the studio sessions and this meant that Lennon's voice was more raw and hoarse, giving the track its rough and distinctive edge. 

The album does showcase different sides of the Beatles' repertoire and this reflects, to some extent, the range of material they used to play live to please everyone in the audience. The rockers like Twist & Shout and I Saw Her Standing There are balanced with the ballads Anna (Go To Him) and Ask Me Why. This mix of material and styles is something that would continue throughout the Beatles' career and is one of the elements that would set them apart from everyone else. 

This is a perfect pop album, possibly the first real taste of British pop that could appeal to adults and well as the emerging teenager generation.