Every band has to start somewhere, don't they? Listening to
Abbey Road and
Please Please Me are like listening to albums from two completely different bands. One is a pure britpop album, with catchy lyrics, upbeat tempos, and high strung vocals. The other is a mature rock album, with serious themes, slowed down tempos, and even a song featuring Capella singing. That's not to say
Please Please Me is bad, it's just not as impressive as their later work. The album is influential, and, as stated by rolling stone magazine, it invented the idea of the self contained rock band, who played their own instruments and sung their own songs, since only six of the fourteen songs on the album are covers. The cover songs, with the obvious exception of
Twist and Shout, don't offer too much.
I Saw Her Standing There is an amazing song, and one of the songs that would lead to
The Beatles' conquering of the american musical market.
Ask Me Why, which is a Beatle original, is one of the group's weaker numbers throughout their career, and a failed attempt at a bossa nova type of song.
Please Please Me is a good and catchy number, as is
Love Me Do. Do You Want To Know A Secret is the first Beatles' song to feature George Harrison on vocals. It is a pleasant song, but not great.
Twist and Shout is a cover song, but it might as well be an original. The way that
The Beatles changed this average song into one of the best rock and roll songs ever recorded is just amazing. It remains one of the group's most popular cover songs.
Overall, there are some great songs on this album. Most of the originals are good, but the covers aren't too much. A good start to a band which would eventually become a national phenom, and eventually be widely considered one of the greatest bands ever.
★★★★★★★☆☆☆
(7 out of 10)
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