The Beatles - With The Beatles (Remastered)

By: Daniel Griffiths

The Beatles
With The Beatles (Remastered)

(EMI)

SOUNDS LIKE: An improvement over the debut, and a sign of things to come.

Listening to With The Beatles and comparing it to Please Please Me, it's hard to put your finger on just where The Beatles improved. And boy did they improve.

The album kicks off in spectacular fashion with the raw "It Won't Be Long", showcasing John Lennon's maturing vocals; the clean tones making way for an almost angry bite, a ferocity that wouldn't have fitted in on Please Please Me. The opening five tracks, all in-band compositions rather than covers, are stunning pieces of work and a marked improvement over anything that appeared on the debut. The Beatles also managed to make the cover versions that appeared on the album their own, fitting in so seamlessly with the bands' own compositions With The Beatles just wouldn't be the same without them. Imagine this album being closed with "Not A Second Time" rather than "Money". It just doesn't work.

Somehow, in the four months it took to record the album, The Beatles added an extra-dimension to their music; the vocals sound more inspired and more energetic, George Harrison continues to shine in his guitar work, pushing himself while sticking to a successful framework. Even the drums sound different with Ringo adding a few more complicated patterns here and there. The albums highlight though is the continuing improvement of the bands' own songs, which were going from strength to strength, and The Beatles could now rely on them much more than the covers. On With The Beatles, The Beatles took the baby steps needed to show they were a force to be reckoned with, and so much more than a singles band.

More from Beatles Week here.


Video: "All My Loving" by The Beatles