With the Beatles (1963)

‘Please Please Me’ turned out to be a nice, above-average record, but it was ‘With The Beatles’ that showed just how fabulous the Fab Four could be, the genesis of Lennon-McCartney’s greatest songs delicately placed throughout its Second job. Given the relative luxury of recording more than seven sessions in a matter of months (a huge improvement on the twenty-four hours allotted for ‘Please Please Me’), ‘With’ gave the band their first taste in art since Stuart Sutcliffe left. the band. , pleasantly adorned with his music, and wrapped in his cover, a trunk in black and white, the smiles disappeared, the eyes forward, three heads half masked in the shadow of Ringo Starr, his most iconic image only surpassed by ‘Sgt. Peppers Lonely Heart Club Band ‘.

Opening with a triple hat of fabulous songs (the first two by Lennon, the last by McCartney), ‘With’ exemplified the group’s fascination with the perfect pop sound, ‘It Won’t Be Long’ and ‘All My Loving’ the perfect combinations of jingle-jangle instrumentation, serious harmonization, and lyrical romanticism, the latter a welcome mainstay on McCartney’s tracklist, fifty years after its completion. ‘All I’ve Got To Do’ proved stronger again, Lennon’s ambition to write a full Smokey Robinson, the song is full of soul influences and the strongest track on the record.

Although Lennon-McCartney would be considered the driving force in the mid-1960s, ‘With’ finds the four as the ensemble they were always screened on. John Lennon’s voice dominates the record (he takes lead on seven of the fourteen tracks), although George Harrison received an unprecedented three vocal points, a habit that was not repeated until his masterpiece ‘Revolver’ three years later. Drummer Ringo Starr sang McCartney’s pop gem ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’, a song that was later covered (with less success) by The Rolling Stones. Starr (a much better singer than is often credited to him) brings ballast and blues to the upbeat, sparkling beat, his best voice until ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’ in 1967.

Harrison also proved to be a strong rocker, playing guitar and vocals with good precision on Chuck Berry’s ‘Roll Over Beethoven’. Refraining from his debut, Harrison produced his debut song ‘Don’t Bother Me’ for this album. While its lyrics may have left a lot to be desired (Harrison was reportedly so embarrassed by the track that he wouldn’t write another Beatles song for inclusion until 1965), musically, ‘Bother’ had that atypical melancholy of later records. Harrison’s, the perfect seismic contrast. to Lennon’s urge and McCartney’s ear for the tune.

Rock pianist ‘Little Child’ gave an excuse for his composers to show off his intricate vocal fabric and Starr to show off his knack for groove, ‘Not A Second Time’ an early indicator of Lennon’s honesty through music. As the duo’s songwriting grew, so did their ability to pay tribute to those who inspired them, the band’s rendition of ‘You Really Got A Hold On Me,’ the best version the Liverpudlians would ever record, the line of the choir is a testimony of the voice. Lennon, Harrison and McCartney prowess. ‘Please Mr. Postman’ ended the first face with fifties enthusiasm, ‘Money (That’s What I Want)’ closed the LP with a stomp (Starr’s drums leading the way). Only ‘Til There Was You’ flopped, McCartney’s nerves from singing such a delicate song were heard on the record (well, she was only twenty-one), though Meredith Wilson’s song is saved thanks to Harrison’s excellent acoustic work. Elsewhere, an error was not heard, ‘Hold Me Tight’, an example of McCartney’s wilder side, the genesis of ‘Helter Skelter’ revealed here.

Released in November 1963, ‘With’ sold a million copies in the UK, occupying the number one position for a staggering twenty-one weeks. Eight of the songs on the album would be released on the US show ‘Meet The Beatles!’ (a tradition the Beatles had to endure when they saw the American Record Companies dismantle their work on different records, a habit that continued until 1967), in 1964, where it also topped the charts. World domination at their fingertips, the Fab Four entered the world of music, walking in front of a world that was racing to catch up. And, in many ways, it never did!