Please Please Me

d bestwhkibb (December 31, 2007)

Despite the Beatles obvious superiority to every group in existence, they didn't quite begin that way. Not to say the album is bad or even mediocre - it's fantastic for its day and age (though I reckon a contemporary album by the Zombies would have nailed it into the dirt, were that possible) - just that it isn't at all a clear picture of what the Beatles were. Its best purpose is to show the humble beginnings from which the group sprung so powerfully. The fact that in less than a year, they went from writing songs like 'Ask Me Why' and 'Boys' to songs to like 'It Won't Be Long' and 'All My Loving' is absolutely shocking (with no disrespect towards the first two). Buy it only if you're a big Beatles fan, which everyone should be..

Bruce Beatlefan (September 30, 2005)

A historical landmark, and fully deserving of this status. It is not, however, the album I would employ to introduce a young person to the fabulous Beatles (probably the Red/Blue compilations). The energy and joy packed into this album still reverberate for me over forty years after being made. Their subsequent success has caused some of the glory of this album to dim a little, but much of this album stands up proudly right alongside the likes of Hard Days Night
or Sgt. Pepper or Abbey Road.

With the increased knowledge of the Beatles' early years due to Mark Lewisohn's books and the BBC/Anthology albums it is fascinating to ponder two questions concerning this first Beatle's album: (1) Can we take the creative effort of this album and from it anticipate or speculate later heights such as "Strawberry Fields Forever", "Hey Jude", etc.? and (2) Can we improve on this album, given the Beatle's vast library of songs (both original and cover) available to use at the time?

My answers, after much thought: (1) No. I think the earliest one can do this is "A Hard Day's Night". (2) Yes. I'm sure everyone would have a differing opinion on exactly the maximum Beatle's debut album. Shoot, they could have released a double-album! I would definitely drop "A Waste of Money--oops--A Taste of Honey" and maybe "Chains" and replace them with "Besame Mucho" for Paul's vocal and "Cry for a Shadow" for greater Harrison exposure. What do you say??