Daveportivo's Cultural Evaluation Facility

So we kick off our Beatles reviewathon with the album that started it all, the album that spawned Beatlemania; Please, Please Me. Now I've lumbered myself with the task of reviewing all twelve Beatles albums in a week, and that is a mammoth undertaking, but considering The Beatles and George Martin unleashed twelve LPs in the space of roughly six years, I really should man up and get on with the job at hand. Now I'm going to try and avoid phoning it in, as when it comes to Beatles albums there is a tendency to give out a history lesson rather than a music review, and it's clear why, the story of the Beatles is a truly great story, and I won't patronize by even attempting to do it justice. If you'd like a really good back story I recommend Pitchfork media their recent series of reviews are excellent and informative. I'll try to fill in the basic gaps in the story and explain where the Beatles were at but this will be a pure musical evaluation through 21st Century ears. Anyway enough waffle lets get to reviewing.

What strikes a listener from the moment this album kicks in is just how well produced and polished it sounds. The sound is so sharp and crisp, it feels as though it's been delicately arranged and expertly produced however this is far from the truth. Please, Please Me was recorded in just under ten hours in three recording sessions, it was designed to capture the live experience of the Beatles legendary Cavern club and Hamburg shows, yet remarkably with one notable exception, this doesn't feel frantic and visceral, it's controlled, calculated and smooth, everything it shouldn't be. It's a testament to the quality of the band that they could turn out this remarkable level of precision with such little studio time, every little touch is right on the money. On the Ringo led Boys one of the albums less remarkable covers, everything bubbles and simmers perfectly and Paul McCartney's background howls chime in at the perfect moment. Then of course there's Twist And Shout, it's hard for a song so well known, and frankly so dated to sound thrilling but here it kicks like a mule. It's known as the most famous one take in history, John Lennon with a soar throat goes out there and absolute tears into the track with unmatched vigour serving as a stark contrast to McCartney's soft coo. It's become apart of musical mythology and rightly so, the animalistic desperation in Lennon's howl is unmatched and it's in perfect juxtaposition to such a sweet and charming track.

Twist And Shout also stands out for another key reason, it's the only cover that truly stands up to The Beatles originals. The album is split between six covers and six Beatles originals, and it's a testament to the songwritting of Lennon & McCartney that a cover as well judged and beautiful sung as Anna (Go With Him) feels like a chore. It's gorgeous and catchy as hell but you just want to powerful and get to the next Beatles original. There's a great depth to Lennon's songwritting and a sense of tragedy in his voice that could only be achieved by singing one's own words, and it makes tracks like Misery & Ask Me Why clear standouts. There is a wonderful contrast between the classic sugary sweet lyrics and this added dimension of tragedy to the vocals, that gives the Beatles that extra added punch. There's something so true and emotive about even these most basic and charming pop songs, Ask Me Why starts out like a standard dare I say cheesey pop song "I love you woo woo woo, because you tell me things that I want to know", that went straight for you gag reflex right? But the song builds and becomes very touching and honest;

It's a simple honest sentiment and really this song should be joyous and uplifting but the sombre guitar line gives this track a tragic air. They've capture that notion of happiness making you cry so perfectly, and it really highlights the subtly of their songwriting in even such a simple and disarming pop record.

When it comes to Please, Please Me it truly is a case of groove is in the heart. This is a classic beat record designed to get people dancing and grooving. Paul McCartney is clearly in a mood to show off some of his slickest basslines, while vocally they turn perceptions on their head. Misery is an absolute blast, how ridiculously is that statement? But it's true as Lennon delivers the albums most desperate and tragic lyrically performance, while Paul lays down this funky surfaramma bassline and what should be the albums darkest song is transformed into a pure pop gem. When it comes to laying down the grooves and the albums standout it simply has to be the album opener Saw Her Standing There it's just a perfect pop song, it's grooves, it rocks, it swings, and Paul just nails it vocally from his trademark "wooo" to the ridiculous highnotes, the track just buzzes perfectly, hand claps and all. The amazing thing about Saw Here Standing There and Please, Please Me as a whole, is how well it holds up. It does have a nostalgic charm but it never feels like an antique, the harmonies, basslines and subtle guitar work are as immediate as ever. While a times it feels like a period piece, it's just too infectious and simply too well crafted to be denied it's a remarkable feat.

Please, Plese Me is remarkably well structured, I'm not sure if this was by design or whether this was a genuine reflection of the bands live setlist. But both sides of Please, Please Me start with a bang, the sick groove of Saw Here Standing There on side one and that booming utterly unmistakable howl of Harmonica on Love Me Do kicks of side two. Again it's all about contrasts, the gorgeous harmonies of Lennon and McCartney up against the raw blues howl emanating from the harmonica, it's just a perfect song. The cover choices are more deft on the second half of the LP, Lennon's take on the R'n'B and doo-wop classic Baby It's You sounds instantly timeless and charming, trends may have changed and doo-wop maybe as dated as it gets but gorgeous pop music is gorgeous pop music in any decade. Unsurprising it's Harrison who ends up with the coolest sounding track on the record, Do You Want To Know A Secret should be the sweetest of sweetie pie pop songs but there's something about Harrison's hushed croon that gives him the air of a sleazy seducer. You wonder just how many different girls he's told his little secret to. It's followed by a cover version of A Taste Of Honey that sounds even more menacing and dark, it's a quiet delight.

Please, Please Me is a remarkably fresh listen all these years on. While it will never match up to the incredible albums released between 65-67, it still has a vital place in the Beatles canon. The record that started it all, that spawned Beatlemania, the record that made them bigger than life. There was plenty of evidence of what was to come, superb arrangements and some really subtle flourishes, but at it's heart Please, Please Me is a great pop record. That is how it should be seen, it may even be the best pure pop record of all time, every track is so lush, so immediate, so irresistible and so damn charming, yet buried beneath those layers of charm is something darker, more sophisticated and more intriguing. Whether it's Lennon's howl, McCartney's bass lines or that incredible harmonica there's just something special about this record. It's perfectly crafted timeless pop music, yet we know it wasn't perfectly crafted, it's rawest thrill was a one take, yet it's these little contradictions that give his album it's depth and ultimately brilliance. Much like the great Motown records, great immediate pop music never really ages, and this quick little record forged by a little Liverpudlian beat group still thrills and charms as effectively as it did in the way back when.