Meet the Beatles! [US]

Bruce D. Beckett (October 29, 2005)

Well I see that I mistakenly commented on "Meet the Beatles" under the "With the Beatles" screen, so I'll use this space to comment about "With the Beatles", okay? Having established myself as not too bright, I will now confirm that by declaring that my favorite track on this album is "Devil in Her Heart"--a song written off as a mediocrity by nearly everyone else.

"With the Beatles" proves that the greatness of "Please Please Me" was not just catching lightning in a bottle as many debut albums are..."It Won't Be Long", "All My Loving", George's debut "Don't Bother Me", and Ringo's "I Wanna Be Your Man" are terrific Beatle originals from young men barely into their 20's (the latter three songs sound so fitting and cool in the nightclub scene in the "Hard Day's Night" movie). The six covers dovetail smoothly with the eight originals, which you cannot say about any other Beatles album. The greatest advancement from "Please Please Me" would have to be in their vocal arrangements: "It Won't Be Long", "Please Mr. Postman", "You Really Got a Hold on Me", "Money" are all intricately and skillfully and passionately sang. That brings me to "Devil in Her Heart"...man I love this song. Here for the only time in his career George Harrison sings dramatically ("no no no oh this I can't believe...) rather than aloofly. Everybody reading this knows some otherwise reasonable young man who fell for a woman who was an absolute b****. This old tale is never dramatized as well as it is here...John/Paul's pleading and George's denial and determination are done so convincingly...you can imagine at the very end of the song George covering up his ears and muttering in his low voice, "no, she's an angel sent to me". For the Beatles to take such an obscurity (who on earth is Richard B. Drapkin?) and make it into such a jewel speaks well of their greatness.

The Beatles 1st album on Capitol records. (March 22, 2004)

The Beatles first American album was "Introducing the Beatles", however, as Capitol passed on the rights to the album they were snapped up by Vee Jay records...the album was only a minor hit. In 1964, By now superstar's in their homeland, England, The Beatles were about to conquer the world. "I want to hold you hand" was the Beatles 5th Number 1 single in the U.K and their 1st chart-topper in America. Capitol, who could now see the potentail of The Beatles quickly snapped up the rights to their 2nd album and released it as "Meet The Beatles" (on the cover it claims it's "the first album by Englands #1 pop combo", what they really mean is, it was the 1st on Capitol). The album shot to #1 as well and the debut Vee Jay disc stalled behind it at #2. In Britain "Meet The Beatles" was called "With The Beatles" and has a slightly diffrent tracklisting. "Meet The Beatles" has long been deleted in the USA, in favour of a US relese of "With The Beatles". That said, whatever version you buy, it is great music by the greatest rock n roll band of all-time!