WITH THE BEATLES

Before The Beatles recorded with Parlophone Records (which was directed by George Martin), this label, which belongs to EMI Records, was mostly known as a little label which released Comedy albums by Peter Sellers and others. With the success of The Beatles` "Please Please Me" album, EMI gave more budget and more studio time for the recording of this, The Beatles`second album. Maybe, without being The Beatles in Parlophone, this label could have disappeared, but The Beatles, IMO, helped "survive" this little label, which became an "historical" label being part of the history of The Beatles as a band.

Their second album is better in songs and it is more "poilished" as they had more days to record it. Some of the lyrics are very good (particularly in "All I`ve Got to Do" and "Not a Second Time"). "All My Loving" is one of the best songs of the album, with a very good bass part by played by McCartney. "Don`t Bother Me" is a very good song composed by Harrison, apparently the first song that he wrote and the first of his songs to appear on record."Little Child", another good song, with harmonica and good vocal arrangements."Hold Me Tight", one of the weak songs, which it is good, but sounds more as a filler."I Want to Be Your Man", composed by Lennon/McCartney and given to Ringo Starr to sing, is a good Rocker. My favourite song in this album is "Not a Second Time", with a piano solo played by George Martin, and very good double-tracked lead vocals by Lennon.

There are also some covers ("Till There Was You", with a very good acoustic guitar solo by Harrison;"Please Mr. Postman", composed by Carole King;"Roll Over Beethoven", a very good Rocker composed by Chuck Berry and sung by Harrison; "You Really Got a Hold on Me",a very good song composed by Smokey Robinson;"Devil in Her Heart", with a good guitar and lead vocals by Harrison; and "Money", a Rocker with good lyrics and sung by Lennon).

This is a more enjoyable album than their first, IMO.