Since September 2010, this blog has recorded the journey of this music junkie as I attempt to listen to all the music in my CD collection. CDs revisited in their entirety from start to finish - no skipping tracks, no shuffle. Compact Discs only - no vinyl, no tapes, no files.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

The Beatles - Please Please Me (1963)


"One, two, three, FAHHH!" This debut album kicks off with my favorite count off ever recorded. It's high energy and the rest of the album is just as energetic. This is basically a recording of a set of the band's 1963 live act done in the now famous Abbey Road EMI studios. Producer George Martin has written that "It was a straightforward performance of their stage repertoire — a broadcast, more or less." Except for the previously recorded singles Please Please Me and Love Me Do, the album was recorded in three sessions over ten hours on February 11, 1963 for £400. I prefer the band's later work, but there's some great stuff here.


Peak on the Billboard Pop CD chart: #2
Peak on the CashBox Top CD chart: #2

Tracks:  14 songs in under 33 minutes, no song reaches the 3 minute mark. There are 6 covers here, along with 8 originals. My top choice tracks are I Saw Her Standing There, Please Please Me, Do You Want To Know A Secret, and Twist And Shout (famously recorded completely on the first take). Overall, I prefer the original material, but I do love the inclusion of the definitive version of Twist And Shout.


Personal Memory Associated with this CD:  In college, I would play and sing (scream) along to Twist And Shout at almost every party I attended. Hey, can you blame me for wanting to be Ferris Bueller? It got to the point where people would request performances and they would normally sing back up. Funny thing is, my performance was horrible to begin with, but when compared to John's singing, I should have just been embarrassed. As They Might Be Giants sing in their song Lucky Ball & Chain: "I was young and foolish then; I feel old and foolish now."

Previously revisited for the blog:
Love (2006)
Anthology 1 (1995)
1967-1970 (1973)
Abbey Road (1969)
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
Help! (1965)

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