If there is one trait that runs through The Beatles’ career it is that, more than any of their peers, they were self conscious about their forming legacy. This was true for many other bands – after all fellow British Invasion kings The Who made an album called The Who Sell Out – but as we will discuss throughout this series they were able to present that narrative control from album to album, right up until the last days. The cover of the band’s second album, With the Beatles, is a more slight example of this awareness, but its useful for understanding the evolution of the band. First is that title, an acknowledgement of their popularity and invitation to their growing and fervent fanbase. Then there is that picture. After Please Please Me’s cover, a bright, cheerful cheeky picture which like most of the album was a last minute choice, here there is a deliberate shift. Robert Freeman’s photography black and white photography, stark, sparse and with serious face, does all it can to move from the image that made their first album a success.
That cover does not really represent the drastic change of direction for the band musically, though. True, many of the songs on With the Beatles express more melancholic moods than the mostly jovial first album, but the band, George Martin and Brian Epstein had hit upon a formula and they were sticking to it. In that manner this is the point where it becomes almost too self conscious, sticking to both the same ratio of original songs to covers and even the dynamics between the rockers and the ballads. But of course it was an enormous success. With the Beatles is the album on the explosion point of Beatlemania. So much so that in America it came with the title Beatlemania! With the Beatles. That is even in spite of the fact that the song most touted as being the tipping point for their American success, “I Wanna Hold Your Hand”, does not appear. Because, as will become obvious, The Beatles were gifted at throwing masterpieces on even the B-Sides).
When I said for the Please Please Me review that this album had more time devoted to it, I meant in the context of a band that would come to be famously overworked. Unlike their debuts’ one day recording job this was done over the span of months, in different recording sessions, which allowed John, Paul, George and Ringo to explore their Motown, R&B and of course rock and roll influence in a much more holistic way. But in spite of being an objectively finer product than the one that came before it, With the Beatles is the album of the Beatles early work that I find myself coming back to the least (another opposite to its predecessor in that way). Not that it isn’t a really good album, it has a Beatles logo on it, but it lacks both the raw and unfixed appeal of Please Please Me, and it does not reach the artistic or auteur status of the record that would follow. What it does have, however, is the thrill of hearing the band grow in confidence and artistic vigour, through a collection of great songs that we will look at now.
Track by Track
“It Won’t Be Long”: Unlike songs from the previous albums, the opening track forces through immediately with three of the band members taking vocal duties. John Lennon provides the catchy lead melody, whilst Paul and George oscillate with those piercing “yeahs” that feel like missiles pointed at teenage girls souls, and would become a trademark of many future Beatles compositions. It’s also a more complex song in how the chords are constructed, and with the lyrics reflecting loneliness and hope until the final, rewarding verse, it is the sign of the changes that the band had made within the span of a few months.
“All I’ve Got to Do”: As the opener was a rocker, we have to counteract that with a ballad. Here the vocal duties are prominently Lennon, who fluctuates between both longing and joy within in instance, matching the songs drastic change of tempo and feel between the verses and chorus (mainly supplied by Ringo’s evocative working of the hi hats). Supposedly the song was never actually performed in a live setting, which sees the band even now get use to writing songs specifically for a studio environment.
“All My Loving”: Unlike the last album, With the Beatles does not move to the covers, instead moving to what is probably the best song on the whole album. Beyond the first pace guitar work, beautiful harmonies and bluesy bridge section, I just simply adore the melody to this one. Paul’s chorus with its poetic rhythm and accentuates has the forcefulness of a declaration of love, and the almost childish innocence of a nursery rhyme (though not with the ultimate simplicity that implies). It was the first song the Beatles played in their iconic performance on The Ed Sullivan Show, and at that time I don’t know if they could have come up with a better opener.
“Don’t Bother Me”: Speaking of firsts, “Don’t Bother Me” was the first instance of George Harrison writing a song for the band to perform, and it brings a refreshing change of pace and tone. George is always seen as the most serious and spiritual of the band, and this song with its title declaration certainly helps to accentuate the former. That doesn’t mean the music is not bright and colourful, with almost surf rock guitar ringing in the choruses, and the canisters giving a kind of creeping sensation, as though we are trying to move to George to cheer him up in any way possible.
“Little Child”: This song is among the weakest and more simplistic tracks on the whole album, but it is still perfectly enjoyable, and provides a good template for the album as a whole. It has more layers of instrumentations, with both piano and harmonica both making it into the mix. And that high pitch mix of the “I’m so lonely” vocals stand out, and emphasise that theme of loneliness that is present throughout.
“Till There Was You”: Now the covers rear their heads! This one is from the musical The Music Man, so it has the distinction of being the only Broadway song that the band ever covered. With that responsibility also came more stepping up instrumentation wise. Ringo puts down the traditional drum kit for the good old fashioned bongos, and the acoustic melody has the feel of Spanish guitar. In many ways it was good thing that Paul did not know it was a Broadway song, as it lets him be more intimate and vulnerable in the vocals (though he could be a belter when he wanted to)
“Please Mr Postman”: First things first: no, this is not as good as the original song by The Marvelettes, which is a goddamn classic of early Motown. That said, like all good covers, the song manages to be tailored to fit the mood of the band. The bouncing guitars and varying harmonies are all great, but my favourite moments when the rest of the band drops out, and we get the sparse delights of John voice and Ringo pounding on the toms.
“Roll Over Beethoven”: Maybe the main issue with this album is that the covers are two lopsided in the second half, but if there was another problem is that they were not yet able to overtake their more loftier influences. The fact is, Chuck Berry is one of the most iconic guitarists who ever lived, with an equally iconic sound, and even compared to the previous song are paying tribute, but cannot move much beyond that. With that said, this is a mighty fine tribute, with that fast paced, classic rock sound coming from all guitars – particularly Paul’s bass – and George’s springy lead vocals.
“Hold Me Tight”: This was the only holdover from the Please Please Me sessions, where after a couple dozen unsuccessful takes they finally got the sound they wanted here. Or, at least, they did then. Both John and Paul both actively expressed their dislike for this song as “filler” in particular, but I think it has its charms. This is particularly in the rough, live sounding version they ended with, with a groovy bass line from Paul and guitars and clapping percussion which follows suit. It certainly isn’t the strongest composition on the album, but with the rumbling toms and darker harmonies I think it is one with a great mood.
“You Really Got A Hold Of Me”: With this cover the Beatles (especially John) come out to vocally express their Smokey Robinson influence. This is the best of the iconic artist/individual sound combination, with the muted guitars reflecting John and George’s vocals with a vulnerability that, for being the prototypical boy band, wouldn’t be seen in most of their forbearers. Also, I think you can find some lineage between the line “I don’t like you/But I love you” to the opening line of Radiohead’s “House of Cards” (“I don’t want to be your friend/I just want to be your lover”).
“I Wanna Be Your Man”: “All My Loving” might be my favourite song on the album, but this is the most joyous and instantly rewarding on the entire record. This was originally written for and recorded by The Rolling Stones, and the Beatles seem to take both their own work and the energy of that band and fit it all into one nice package. It also very clearly wears the influence of Bo Diddley on its sleeve, but with a guitar line and performance this good by Ringo, the strongest of pre-Revolver Beatles, who wants to complain?
“Devil In Her Heart”: I think if you had to pick a Beatles song that would win you a few points at a pub quiz or on Pointless, it would be this one. I mean the original artist, Richard Drapkin, doesn’t even have a Wikipedia page. And although it is not some uncovered masterpiece it is a very soothing piece, with clean and more delicate plucking of the guitars that with the maracas given an almost tropical vibe. The the rock and moody harmonies win out.
“Not A Second Time”: Another strong, melancholic and vibrant number, with the key feature in this one being the prominence of the piano, here one of many future appearances by George Martin, who for my money with his future compositions is the “fifth Beatle” title that of all of them holds the most weight. I don’t think it was advised to give solo in the bridge to the bass notes of the piano, but it definitely adds some variety to the compositions.
“Money (That’s What I Want)”: It’s pretty much common knowledge that the placement of such a rip-roaring song at the end of the album, with John’s screaming vocals, was a way to replicate the success of “Twist and Shout”. The problem with that of course was that this is not as strong a song as “Twist and Shout”, put with more piano overdubs by George Martin, the forceful harmonies and swinging drum work this track still has a lot going for it. Though here they say money is all they want. With the next album they would write a song called “Can’t Buy Me Love”. There is definitely a correlation.
With the Beatles has a less effecting track listing than its predecessor (with a stronger first half), and just as the highs are higher, the lows are lower. Well, not lows so much as “s’alights”, because the quality of individual and more complex compositions more than show not just the transitions the band would make in their music writing, but how those individual songs hit with such a massive audience. After this album Beatlemania, and many a production company would try and capitalise on that success. United Artists would help push the band into a motion picture deal, and an album made exclusively of their own material as a soundtrack. What came out of all that work would be the height of their pop powers…
What did you think, though?
The Beatles Album Rankings
- Please Please Me
- With the Beatles