The Beatles, With the Beatles, 1963
Label: Parlophone
Producer: George Martin
Released four months after the Fab Four’s debut LP, the sophomore set With the Beatles arrived as Beatlemania was starting to gain additional ground in the United Kingdom, and still a full three months prior to the band’s infamous arrival in the United States. Producer George Martin and his quartet had more time to record this album than they did its rushed predecessor. As a result, this collection is expectedly more accomplished technically, but loses the insatiable, loose atmosphere of Please Please Me. That environmental difference aside, With finds the group sticking to relatively the same formula by batching self-penned material with covers from their early set lists, running the gamut of early rock & roll, R&B and Motown hits of the period. Strangely enough, none of the tracks here saw formal release as singles, with the label’s promotions staff focusing their attention on stand-alone singles and future classics like “She Loves You” and “I Want to Hold Your Hand”. Nevertheless, several of these selections were performed during the Beatles’ legendary American debut on The Ed Sullivan Show in February of 1964, cementing this album as a pivotal piece of one of the biggest moments in rock & roll history.Boasting loads of pure and simple pop fluff, “It Won’t Be Long” proved to be a rollicking launch to the album. The cut overflows with layered harmonies, a deliriously hooky melody, and more stellar guitar licks from George Harrison, which brought an almost surf-rock tone to the proceedings. Similarly infectious was a selection that would be destined for the Sullivan stage, “All My Loving”. Paul McCartney’s signature charm is on full display while Harrison again demonstrates early signs of his legendary versatility by imbuing this tune with a solo that almost twangs with a subtle country & western flavor. Sandwiched in between these two rave-ups would be “All I’ve Gotta Do”, a shimmering pop chestnut that remains one of John Lennon’s best and most overlooked vocal turns. While his crescendo at the chorus offered plenty of the brimming youth and unbridled energy that made their young demographic swoon, it also suggested a maturity and depth that the band would unveil a surplus of in later years. Still, it’s no question that there isn’t anything here yet to foreshadow the drastic artistic evolution the band would undergo. At this point, they’re simply bringing a fresh energy to the standard pop and rock fare, but that renewed spirit cut like a knife once it made it to the American airwaves of the early 60s.
Following up the triple threat of the album’s opening sequence are a number of other highlights as well, as Martin did a commendable job building on that initial trifecta and fleshing out the remaining album. With “Don’t Bother Me”, Harrison makes his debut as a tunesmith. Offering up a mysterious and slightly more brooding vibe, the track adds nice depth and variety to the album and hints at the fact that Harrison would prove to be a diamond in the rough as a composer. Lennon and McCartney’s potent partnership takes another jaunty bow with the raucous “Little Child”, while “Not a Second Time” allows Lennon to demonstrate his ability at inflecting a little more down-trodden spirit into the group’s overall sound. Even an otherwise bright pop arrangement gets injected with a bit of melancholy in his hands. Elsewhere, an additional Lennon-McCartney co-write gives Ringo Starr his token vocal showcase with “I Wanna Be Your Man”. Per usual, the quirky drum master has no issue keeping the tempo squarely in the roadhouse domain.
As for the covers, the group once again dips into a diverse well of favorites. Motown’s library of girl groups once again gets attention with a read of The Marvelettes’ “Please Mr. Postman”, an enjoyable if not somewhat lightweight indulgence for lovers of 50s doo-wop. McCartney’s penchant for classic pop sentiments shines brightly on the lilting Broadway tune from 1957’s The Music Man, “Til There Was You”. Later, Lennon returns with another vocal gem by covering the Smokey Robinson standard, “You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me”. The harmonic climax where McCartney and Harrison join him at the song’s conclusion is pure gold. These sweeter, tender moments are complimented by higher octane highlights like “Roll Over Beethoven”, where the band capably matches the unadulterated joy of the Chuck Berry original, and album closer “Money (That’s What I Want)”, a frank but infectious rendering of the Barrett Strong original. Illustrating the group’s strength as a unit (as well as a prominent and persistent piano arrangement from Martin), it’s a fitting finale to a record that already demonstrated each individual’s credentials, once again showcasing the stellar results of blending each of those unique elements in their early stages.
More than a half-century onward, With the Beatles remains an eye-opening listen just as much, if not more so, for the time period it represents as it does for the actual content. After all, this is essentially the soundtrack for the beginning of the British Invasion. While one cannot argue with those that vehemently claim that these early recordings cannot touch what the group created with the latter half of their catalog, there is an electricity and effervescence to these selections that entertain in their own unique realm. Regardless of your generation and whether you lived through Beatlemania or not, these magic, simple, timeless melodies continue to live in all of our memories. This music wasn’t just the beginning of something special, it was an integral and defining part of it too.
Track Listing
- “It Won’t Be Long” (John Lennon and Paul McCartney)
- “All I’ve Got to Do” (Lennon and McCartney)
- “All My Loving” (Lennon and McCartney)
- “Don’t Bother Me” (George Harrison)
- “Little Child” (Lennon and McCartney)
- “Till There Was You” (Meredith Wilson)
- “Please Mr. Postman” (Georgia Dobbins, William Garrett, Freddie Gorman, Brian Holland, Robert Bateman)
- “Roll Over Beethoven” (Chuck Berry)
- “Hold Me Tight” (Lennon and McCartney)
- “You Really Got A Hold On Me” (Smokey Robinson)
- “I Wanna Be Your Man” (Lennon and McCartney)
- “Devil In Her Heart” (Richard Drapkin)
- “Not A Second Time” (Lennon and McCartney)
- “Money (That’s What I Want)” (Janie Bradford, Berry Gordy)
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