WITH THE BEATLES

Quickly following up a successor to their chart busting debut, WITH THE BEATLES was released only eight months later and succeeded in knocking their own "Please Please Me" off the number one position on the charts. The Fab Four were on fire and the world was eating it up big time. Unlike the debut which was recorded in one day, this album had the luxury of taking three months to record although the music is very similar to the previous one that being mostly based on late 50s / early 60s pop. This album boasts 8 originals and 6 covers. There are a few firsts here for THE BEATLES. George Harrison makes his debut as a contributing member as singer and songwriter on "Don't Bother Me." The track "All My Loving" was the first song ever heard by Americans when they appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show which launched Beatlemania in the USA. Also it was their first album to sell a million copies in the UK. The second album ever to do so.

For me I like this second release better than the first simply because I like most of the songs on here unlike the debut. The originals are catchy and show how THE BEATLES were masters of their game in the simplified days before they got all freaky and creative on the world. The harmonies are sublime and the music is marvelous. The covers are good choices that add to their sound and an air of confidence is taking root. This is not the band reinventing their sound just quite yet but simply a slightly improved take on what they had been doing throughout the early 60s, namely pumping out some of the best pop rock music of that era. The band was still a few albums away from their best output but as with the debut I find this a mandatory piece in my collection for it is beautifully crafted and charmingly catchy hooks and was a minor step up in THE BEATLES' decade long career. 3.5 rounded down