A HARD DAY'S NIGHT

This is a joyous album from the height of beatlemania. All songs were written and performed by the band which was actually unheard of at the time. The title track's opening chord has been analysed a lot. It still clangs hugely across the decades; no other band of that period could convey this kind of power. "A Hard Day's Night" literally intimidated the group's peers. Listen to other British beat groups of the Sixties, and you will soon realise how most of them would have killed to write a melody as catchy as 'I Should Have Known Better'. Lennon later said that it's a song about almost nothing, but who cares when the sheer sound of it makes you feel happy?

This record is melodically and harmonically more sophisticated than the first two records. There are some more intricate arrangements too. I love the vocals on "If I Fell" and "I'll Be Back" which are wonderful tracks. The Beatles' love of girl groups and Motown comes through with 'Tell Me Why' and funky, cowbell-driven stomps like 'You Can't Do That' and 'When I Get Home'. These numbers are not bad at all but more greats include the classy "And I Love Her", "Can't Buy Me Love", the quirky "I'll Cry Instead" and "Things We Said Today".

In 1964, The Beatles were still more famous for being famous than for being the greatest band in the history of popular music. Nobody could have guessed that they'd produce stuff as extraordinarily diverse as the later output. Right now, this is the sound of the band surfing their fame, although you can hear the unfolding genius. Their greatest work was still ahead of them, in a year or two they had become quite a different band! This album had to happen first and was very important in the development of music. Great buzzing stuff too. Four solid stars.