Recorded in 1963, a mere 4 months after their debut album, "With the Beatles" continued the successful formula established on their debut LP "Please Please Me", by providing a balanced mix of original songs and American R&B covers. While providing a similar sound as its predecessor, this album begins to sow the seeds of experimentation that would define the latter part of The Beatles career. It is also interesting to note that the album did not include their hit single "I Want to Hold Your Hand", breaking stride from the practice of using established singles to sell LP's.
Before we get to the music, as always, let's take a look at the album artwork and packaging, faithfully recreated for this collection. The now iconic album cover is a bit of an artistic departure from other pop albums of the day. According to the companion book that is included with this release, record executives were not too pleased with the photo taken by Robert Freeman, but acquiesced to the bands wishes. This is the same photo that was later used for the bands debut American release on Capital Records "Meet the Beatles" as shown in the comparison below.
Cover comparison
These albums may have shared a cover photo, but many of the tracks contained on the albums were different. This practice would continue for many of the bands early American releases. The construction of the records outer sleeve is identical to the set's reissue of "Please Please Me", but this time we get a slightly different Parlaphone label on the LP.
Now that we have taken a look at one of the greatest album covers of all time, let's see if the music lives up to the cover.
The album charges out of the gate with "It Won't Be Long". I was not familiar with this song until recently, but it is becoming one of may favorites. There is no intro or slow build. The song begins full throttle, a trend that will continue to manifest itself on many of the songs on this record. The vocals are really in your face, and are truly the focus of the track. McCartney's bass seems to have been pushed farther back in the mix and is less noticeable than it was on this albums predecessor. This is a great track to open an album with as it cannot be ignored.
Next is "All I've Got to Do" which has a similar sound to the opening track, with guitars and vocals at the forefront of the mix despite a polar opposite arrangement and feel.
The third track on the album is one of the bands early hits "All My Loving" This is another track that comes charging in. Paul is handling the lead vocals, and the rhythm guitar has a bit of a flamenco feel. It seems more noticeable and punchier than the many times I have heard the song in stereo. It gives way to a guitar solo by George that goes a different direction, with a bit of a country feel that comes across very strong in the mono mix. This song is clearly one of the stand out tracks on the record.
Next is "Don't Bother Me", the first song written by George Harrison to be featured on a Beatles LP. Harrison takes vocal lead here, with his voice being double tracked for a bit of an effect. There appears to be an effect on his guitar as well, which gives the track a bit of a 60's surf vibe. The song also features some unique percussion. (bongos according to the album jacket) It's clear the aforementioned seeds of experimentation are on display here, but the result sounds muddier than most of the previous songs on these mono reissues.
Next up is "Little Child", which is a piano and harmonica infused rocker. It is followed by "Till There Was You", which may be the best sounding track on the record. Paul's vocals on this peaceful cover from "The Music Man", sound like a live performance in the comfort of your home. The bass is back in the limelight on this track most likely because the other instruments featured on the song are acoustic. Harrison's guitar solo sounds amazingly clean, and Ringo is banging the bongos once more. In my opinion, audibly, this is the stand out track on the album, I've never heard it sound so good.
The album side finishes with "Please Mister Post Man". This may be the worst sounding song (sonically) on the record. It is a bit pitchy and grainy. Lennon's voice however, seems to be tailor made for these early rock n roll covers. His vocal is the highlight of the track, and he really shines on this kind of material that stretches his range.
Track one of side two is a real treat for me, a cover of Chuck Berry's "Roll Over Beethoven" I am a huge fan of Chuck and he was a big influence on The Beatles music. They covered a few of his songs on their albums, and would often perform them live. I normally don't appreciate most Berry covers because I am such a fan of the man who sang them first, but The Beatles do a great job of capturing the essence of Chuck's song while putting their own stamp on it. Compared to the Berry covers that The Rolling Stones were doing around this time, The Beatles versions just seem to have more life to them.
Me and Chuck
As far as the mono mix is concerned, this track sounds phenomenal, one of the better sounding songs on the album. The guitars, sound awesome, especially the rhythm, which has an almost percussive quality about it. The boys are really hanging with Chuck here, which is a tall order since the man is a guitar legend.
"Hold Me Tight" kicks in next. The track features a great bass line and is the vocal showcase of the album. It is followed by another crooner, the Smokey Robinson classic "You Really Got A Hold On Me". The band showcases a lot of soul on this one. They really seem to be in the pocket, locked in a nice slow groove. The piano and harmony vocals really shine through the mix on this particular song.
Next up is "I Wanna Be Your Man", a rousing rocker featuring Ringo on vocals, much like "Boys" on the previous record. The guitar solo sounds a bit different in mono to me, I may need go back and do a comparison to see what is catching my attention. It's a very quick song though, the fade out comes much sooner than you'd like, and then it's on to our next track "Devil in Her Heart". I was not familiar with this song until I spun this reissued LP for the fist time. It is a super catchy tune that really gets your head bobbing. The song features back and forth vocal exchanges that had me singing along by the time I got to the second chorus.
After "Not A Second Time", which is not one of the albums stand out tracks, the LP closes with "Money" Much like the closing track on "Please Please Me", this rousing number ends the album on a high note, with another memorable vocal performance by John Lennon. His voice cuts like a knife on the track, and it's one of the heavier sounding songs on the album, For a beefier number, it sounds impressively clean in this mono mix, A great way to cap of the listening experience.
Final thoughts
Much like "Please Please Me", "With The Beatles" takes the listener on a trip through the bands many talents. Rock, pop, soul, ballads, you'll find a bit of everything on this record. It is truly a worthy follow-up to it's predecessor, and structured in a similar fashion. I am not sure if it's a better album than their debut, but it's at least as good. What stands out the most is the confidence the band had gained in the short amount of time since their first album had been recorded. This shows in the album cover, the song selection, and the songwriting. It is also an ambitiously recorded album, that shows a young band willing to expand on their sound and try new things. This trait would serve them well later in their career.
Things that stood out about "With the Beatles"
- It is a different sounding record than it's predecessor. Guitars and vocals have been brought forth in the mix with less emphasis on the bottom end. New instrumentation, especially in terms of percussion are utilized.
- The songs, while sounding familiar, are structured a bit different than "Please Please Me". There are lots of stops and starts. Songs crash in from out of nowhere, and arrangements are more ambitious.
- The band sounds great, but they are still finding their voice and filling out the album with material that is not their own. This would soon change.
Join me next time as I review The Beatles third LP "A Hard Day's Night" Happy New Year!
Great article! I enjoyed reading it.
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