A Hard Day's Night

Pretty good. Do these guys have any other albums?

It's about damn time. 136 albums and I finally get a Beatles album. I calculated the probability and there was supposed to be a nearly 2/3 chance I should have already got a Beatles album by now. But finally. This album is underrated. I said it. Why? Just look up people's reviews on this page or on reddit or wherever. They'll say, "Oh well I prefer this later Beatles album" and of course you do, the innovation in instrumentation, songwriting, and production spirals out of control following Rubber Soul. But you can't unfairly give this a lower rating cause you have to compare it to something entirely different. Anyway... This is my favorite pre-Rubber Soul album. No covers. Full on McCartney-Lennon pop songwriting genius from start to end. There's something to love about each track. Let's start with the songs I think are perfect. "A Hard Day's Night", "If I Fell", "And I Love Her", and "Can't Buy Me Love". Between superb vocals, complex chord progressions, impactful lyrics, and a fistful of energy and punk, these songs reflect exactly why they're so loved. It's hard to even come close to mimicking these songs, even if you knew their secrets. There are some interesting quirks here and there, like how in "Any Time At All" it feels a bit empty, and yes it is supposed to have more lyrics, but it doesn't detract the power in Lennon's voice, McCartney's high pitch support, and catchy melodic tune. Even "weaker" songs like "I'll Cry Instead" have interesting chord changes and instrument choices that don't make for a dull experience. The Beatles are a pop sensation, and I swear it's really hard for me to write what I love about Beatles albums. I discovered the entire Beatles discography when I was 10, and I never listened to any other album until I was in college. I kept playing those same albums on repeat for years, and even now they're my most frequently visited. I can sing along to every song in their discography. So how can I tell this is worthy of the 5 stars? I can measure how much I like each song but how excited I am to sing along to each of them. So a song like "Dizzy Miss Lizzy" I don't feel much a push to sing along to, and likewise "I'll Cry Instead" I'm the least enthusiastic about. Is this a bias toward catchy pop songs? Well, after knowing all the lyrics to the Abbey Road Medley or the unusual picks in Sgt Pepper or White Album, I don't believe that's the case. Just the ones that really grab my attention. And with this album, more so than any other pre-Rubber Soul album I can belt all the lyrics with some degree of intense enthusiasm. There was nothing that even came close to The Beatles in the early 60s. At least later in the decade you had rock albums by Rolling Stones, Beach Boys, Pink Floyd, Love, etc... but not this early. You were dealing with the likes of Bobby Vinton and Andy Williams... who cares? This album more so than the other pre-RS displays their incredible level of innovation that everyone would follow and adapt to. It's important not to disregard these early Beatles albums. When I'm looking for classic rock n roll, early Beatles albums will always be the first place I look.

This does nothing to dispel my belief that The Beatles are one of the most over rated bands ever. Sound like a slightly updated version of the Everly brothers. I think their position in pop culture buys them a lot of good will.

they're horny and annoying

Haven't really done super-deep dives on any pre-Rubber Soul Beatles records, so this was fun - every song under three minutes and the whole record done in 30. Even the songs I wasn't familiar with were immediately catchy. Rightfully thought of as the pinnacle of this era.

Top of the pile of the early Beatles albums, and also technically a soundtrack. John has a lot of machismo throughout the record, while Paul seems a bit more coy and smitten. You start to get a small taste of things to come as the songwriting starts to get more focused.

Possibly the best of the Beatles Pop albums. Features all time great tracks like ‘Hard Days Night’ & ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ as well as some lesser known greats like ‘I Should Have Known Better’

The perfect early Beatles album. Has a ton of classics and some hidden gems too. The harmonies on this one are unmatched and the instrumental is improved from "With The Beatles" (although even that was good). This album is pretty significant for The Beatles because it is the first one to feature only songs written by them. The lyrics are an improvement from previous albums but don't compare to later ones. Still, it's an album I like to listen all the time. Also the cover is great! Favorite songs: A Hard Day's Night, I Should Have Known Better, If I Fell, And I Love Her, Tell Me Why, Can't Buy Me Love, Any Time At All, You Can't Do That, I'll Be Back

The first Beatles album containing only original compositions finds the greatest songwriting duo of all time still honing their craft. They won't get it perfect until Help! one year later, but there's enough on this record to show that this lot are here to be taken seriously as composers, not just mop-haired pop stars. Lennon's wicked tongue launches its two pronged attack on, 'I'll Cry Instead' and, 'You Can't Do That', fueled by insecurity and childhood resentment, which contrasts superbly with McCartney's more refined and palatable, 'Can't Buy Me Love' and, 'If I Fell'. They're on their way.

Dumb beatles >>>>>> Introspective Beatles

The Beebles

1 Ah fuck here we go. I have a complicated relationship with The Beatles - in that I generally really don't care for The Beatles. However, after sitting down and giving A Hard Day's Night a good listen... Yeah not much has changed. This is The Beatles at their most bubble gum-poppy, and I just really can't say I see the appeal. Don't have much else to say on this one. Favorite songs: ???? Any Time at All I suppose

A John album, but Paul gets to share lead vocals with him on the perfect title track. The George song is fine, but he's not trying to take you home as much he's just looking for someone to dance with. Not much for Ringo to do, although he allegedly originated the album's title, which in turn means he originated the movie's title, where he's featured prominently. Plus I enjoy his cowbell on the title track he inspired. This is either the sixth or seventh best Beatles album, but it's a landmark album: the first one where every song was written by Lennon/McCartney. It's also 30 minutes of pure bliss.

"A Hard Day's Night" is the third studio album from The Beatles and the first album with all Lennon/McCartney originals. The writing and recording of the album coincided with the filming of their movie with the same name. Side one contains all songs written for and from the movie and were recorded before the filming. To complete an album, additional songs were recorded both before and after the filming. As for the music, yeah, they're all pop classics. "Sputnikmusic"'s Dave Donnelly said it best and I have nothing to add: "short, peppy, pop songs characterized by layered vocals, immediate choruses and understated instrumentation." The US version is different with songs from the George Martin's film score. I admit I would need a diagram of all the US and UK early Beatle album differences. This is the first album with George Harrison using a 12-string Rickenbacker guitar which had great influences on bands like the Byrds. Also, of note, no songs sung by Ringo and no Harrison written songs. Oh, Ringo is credited with the album'/film title with a comment he made during filming. Fun fact. Hard to critique classics and side one starts out with three bona-fide classics: "A Hard Day's Night" with Harrison's guitar starting note. Here's your short, peppy, pop. Oh, McCartney on the cowbell. "I Should Have Known Better" has that great harmonica start and those harmonies. Speaking of harmonies, the third song "If I Fell" has plenty of them and is a ballad of sorts. And, the first side ends with the first single and McCartney song and composed "Can't Buy Me Love." What I can say? Although not as hit-packed, the second side continues the great pop songs. Two favorites for me are the McCartney "Things We Said Today" with his lead singing and the harmonies and Lennon's "You Can't Do That" - I'm a sucker for cowbell. This album is an obvious classic and I admit it's the first time for me listening to it from start to finish. I've listened to their albums starting with "Rubber Soul" multiple, multiple times. Not so much their very early stuff. Well, that's changing.

The best of the early Beatles records, and the peak of their early pop, Beatlemania years. The quintessential pop album by the quintessential British band. First album of fully original material and every song is a winner from the opening iconic chord of the title track, to the unexpected and premature fade out at the end of 'I'll Be Back'. What's staggering is this would be most bands high point yet the Beatles would get better than this, albeit their best albums would be purely studio affairs. Much has been written elsewhere about this album, it's influence and legacy but all you need to know is that it is that good and is easily a 5 star affair.

Great stuff.

’m a much bigger fan of John than Paul mostly due to the Beatles post touring years. Regardless, a John dominated LP suits me just fine. Very solid album with only a  few minutes of filler.  And HDN is from the days when few bands (particularly white bands) putting out  a lot of pumping music.

Not the Rolling Stones.

A pretentious-free honest straight up rock pop album. Amazing what the Beatles could from the beginning. I know nowadays songs like You can’t do that are impresentable, and with good reason I guess but it’s an almost 60 year old album! Give it a break and enjoy the sound of simpler times, also, Can’t buy me love and the title track rock hard af. I wonder how this album will sound once they make the “stereo 2024 mix”, for me the top was the Mono edition from 2014

The Beatles’ first record to feature entirely original compositions, and the only one written solely by Lennon-McCartney, A Hard Day’s Night finds the songwriting partnership realizing its full potential, and the band in full swing. George’s jangling guitar had an immeasurable influence on the folk-rock movement, and Ringo’s propulsive rhythms serve as a driving force throughout. Although the group would achieve a higher degree of artistic and critical success in later years, this record stands as the pinnacle of their early work, the purest form of Beatlemania to be heard, and a sign of wonderful things to come. Standout Tracks: A Hard Day’s Night, And I Love Her, Can’t Buy Me Love, Things We Said Today, I’ll Be Back

One Direction’s “Midnight Memories” for Boomers – two timeless singles and then boardroom-crafted teenybopper filler. Actually, scratch that, because I like the 1D album better overall, and both "A Hard Days Night" and "Can't Buy Me Love" are low-tier Beatles singles, even for the first half of their career. Important for what the Beatles became, sure, but it's the least essential original material in their whole discography, in my opinion. At least the film is actually fun.

The Beatles were a staple of the music played in our house when I was growing up. My parents had quite a few of their albums on vinyl (my dad had an opportunity to purchase The White Album on white vinyl, but passed because the person selling it wanted like $20 for it. But yet he and my mom spent thousands on Thomas Kinkade paintings...), we would play "Birthday" on every birthday, and Beatles' lyrics were often quoted in conversation. I still listen to The Beatles every now and then, but I don't think I've ever listened to an entire album of theirs from start to finish (maybe I've listened to all of Revolver or The White Album). I definitely prefer their later works (everyone makes better music when they're on drugs, and I will not be swayed from this), but I really enjoyed sitting back and giving this album a thorough listen. John and Paul really did a great job of writing this album. The lyrics are incredibly catchy and fun to sing along too, and the instrumentation is great too. I love that you can hear so much going on instrumentally; at times it sounds like there's closer to eight people in the studio, rather than a quartet. It's easy to see how these guys started off making "typical pop music," but then evolved so much artistically over their career. Even though the instrumentation may seem rudimentary, every note is executed with perfection, and it all blends together seamlessly to make a sound that was often imitated, but never duplicated. Recently, it seems like The Beatles have been labeled as 'overrated' by a lot of people, but that's utter bullshit. No one has had the career that these guys had, and the sheer volume and quality of their catalog over less than a decade is a marvel and will never be duplicated.

The first Beatles album with all songs written by Lennon and McCartney, the album and film combo kick started the rock and roll/folk music explosion in the 60s and opened up the door for British musicians to get big in the US. MEGA influential in other words. There's something so charming and appealing about this album. It makes me feel safe and cosy and nostalgic because all these tracks remind me of endless hours of drinking wine and working through the Beatles chord book with friends. The fact of how freaking difficult to play/complicated their tunes mostly are is confirmation of the song-writing genius, even if they sound like simple catchy songs. It sounds great, the 12-string electric guitar gives it something very unique for the time and the signature layered but very close harmonies add to those feelings and make it very distinctive. They had such a knack for writing extremely relevant and catchy tunes, this album was kind of the first time they show cased those skills after two albums of mostly rock and roll covers. A Hard Day's Night is iconic, I love the fact that Ringo always said really weird things like this and they just built it into their songs, it makes me want to be part of the group because it just sounds so nice and funny. And I Love Her is also a top banger. The artwork is excellent. This vintage photography style makes them all look like statues/busts which is cool.

The quintessential Beatles album. Filled to the brim with catchy tunes and full of the energy that brought them to the top of the music world.

1. + 2. + 3. = 4. + 5. = 6. - 7. = 8. + 9. = 10. + 11. - 12. + 13. +

While my heart lies with post-Rubber Soul Beatles, this album is probably their best showcase of their early sound. A strong and well done collection right here.

5 stars! A rare occasion that every single song is a bonafide hit.

Comment je pourrais ne pas mettre 5 à cet album ainsi qu'à toute la discographie des Beatles ? J'ai littéralement été éduqué avec, donc niveau attachement émotionnel c'est dûr de faire mieux. Même si je dois reconnaître que certaines chansons ici ne sont pas les plus mémorables, je ne peux vraiment pas mettre une autre note

Qu'est ce que je peux dire sérieusement ?

I used to say I had 3 favorite Beatles albums all tied for first and A Hard Day’s Night was one of them. These songs may not be as complex as the ones they’d make in 2-3 years but they are all pretty much perfect pop gems.

my favourite beatles record. the red canadian version was one of my first lps. this version has more songs, unfortunately including "you can't do that," one of john's spousal abuse anthems.

Taas kerran Beatles näyttää. Hyvä ja tehokas levy täynnä just sopivan mittasia poprock-ralleja. Kyl tälle femma irtoaa.

It's a remarkable album gleaming with youthful exuberance and inexhaustible creativity—fabulous harmonies, fabulous lyrics, and fabulously on-point. The Fab Four certainly earned the name here!

Classic. Iconic. Amazing.

A great album. One of the best Beatle albums from the first half of their career.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐+⭐ An extra star for being almost perfect.

Finally! A Beatles Album! Album 27 on my queue. A true classic - and nice to hear their first true Lennon/McCartney major effort. Lots of hits you know and love. Good to hear some lesser knowns (when I get home) . I forgot how short these albums were - 33 minutes for 13 songs?! Video clip at the end a nice bonus! Enjoy

Of course like many fans I prefer the later Beatles period but this album is probably one of their best early-years ones. First of all it’s all original songs. Some of them sound even more « modern » than others from 1964. McCartney/Lennon prove their songwriting talents and their ability to create simple yet not that simple melodies. Though not as elaborated as their later period albums, A Hard Day’s Night still shows some audacious chords changes and original arrangements. Of course my favourite song is “And I Love Her” which for me could totally have been a post-Rubber Soul song. Brilliant album. Loved it.

I mean...

I listened to this on an eerily warm day in December. The day before the last day of the year. I felt like I was already in a liminal space, and this album was like an optimistic radio broadcast cutting through the last 40 miles of a long road trip. Bright, sad, handmade, a simpler era. I’ll have to listen again to really absorb the music - because it’s so engrained as The Beatles, icons, I take it for granted.

Plus habitué aux mélodies indie rock des années 90, notamment la vague britpop et post-britpop, j'ai une grande estime pour les beatles, qui sont de purs génies créatifs. L'album commence bien et on sent tout de suite un esprit positif et coloré, porté notamment par la voix de John Lennon (I should have known better, If I fell). On voit bien que Liam Gallagher s'est inspiré de sa façon particulière de chanter :) les chansons sont courtes, mais mélodieuses, souvent festives (tell me why), mais aussi plus romantiques (And I love her, I'll be back). Très rock n roll, can't buy me love chantée par Macca est une des meilleures chansons de l'album. Pour un album de 1964, il n'a rien de suranné et reste très plaisant et accessible. le style est cohérent et plutôt "attendu", mais la mission est remplie pour les fab four; du rythme, de la créativité et pas mal d'audace.

"We piss all over the Beatles"-- Liam Gallagher, 2024 so after liverpool beat man city at the beginning of december, i began erasing the evidence of me being a beatles fan that i was in middle school and tried to focus on good old big O. but, i had to admit that any beatles album just brings me loads of good memories of me in that period of life. there's a snapshot of me when i decided to talk about them in the chinese class's pre-class sharing, and the teacher made all my classmates share a topic that we are interested in turn. (well, about the chinese class... i think that i should mention that i am east asian. I mentioned that in an earlier review, but now it's edited out.) i end up with a serious overtime, stretching the 5 minute sharing limit to a 8 minute piece about their whole history, from john and paul's meeting to the death of George. also, "Now and Then"wasn't released back then. and there i was, listening to "and i love her", sitting outside a shopping centre at 8 in the morning in England, summer 2023. another one is me watching many video of Paul's live concerts on the way to liverpool, all from the recent times, starting with either "can't buy me love" or that hell of a chord in "a hard day's night". those silly love songs are not the beatles' most musically complete works, but they're good soundtracks for a teen going through the ups and downs in her life. only half a year has passed since i finished middle school, and i miss those days. 3/5 for the music itself, but 4/5 for the memories it bring.

It’s The Beatles: of course it’s going to be great

Its the Beatles...but not one of their best. Sadly, because they are the Beatles, they get judged against themselves.

A good album but they hadn't hit their creative stride quite yet

It was better than I thought. Sometimes the simplicity in the music just makes you feel good and it made the vocals stronger

This record couldn’t have been recommended on a better day. The Best Show is doing a 24 hour marathon show, and I am way more interested in that than hearing The Beatles for the 100,000th time in my 42 years. I know this record, grew up with it thanks to my Mom. So I don’t have to listen again to have an opinion on this one. If you love the Beatles, you’re gonna like this record. Hell, if the Beatles walked in to your house and dropped a deuce in your cereal bowl, you’d probably like that, too. If you don’t like the Beatles, you’re probably not gonna like this one either. Like most everything else, the truth is somewhere in between…it’s an ok record. Now if you’ll excuse that gross over-simplification masquerading as a review of an album by a band most people think can do no wrong, the last three hours of the Best Show 24 hour show are calling my name.

Not a fan ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢰⡿⠋⠁⠀⠀⠈⠉⠙⠻⣷⣄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣿⠇⠀⢀⣴⣶⡾⠿⠿⠿⢿⣿⣦⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⣀⣀⣸⡿⠀⠀⢸⣿⣇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠙⣷⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⣾⡟⠛⣿⡇⠀⠀⢸⣿⣿⣷⣤⣤⣤⣤⣶⣶⣿⠇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣀⠀⠀ ⢀⣿⠀⢀⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠻⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠿⣿⡏⠀⠀⠀⠀⢴⣶⣶⣿⣿⣿⣆ ⢸⣿⠀⢸⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠉⠁⠀⠀⠀⣿⡇⣀⣠⣴⣾⣮⣝⠿⠿⠿⣻⡟ ⢸⣿⠀⠘⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣠⣶⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠁⠉⠀ ⠸⣿⠀⠀⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣠⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠟⠉⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠻⣷⣶⣿⣇⠀⠀⠀⢠⣼⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣛⣛⣻⠉⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿⣀⣀⣀⣼⡿⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⣿⣿⡿

They dabble stylistically into everything from bossa nova, mersey beat, pop, and straight up rock and roll and it is glorious.

A classic of early Beatles. Yeah it’s not as amazing as their later stuff, but it’s nostalgic and fun

First full set of Lennon-McCartney originals. A mythic album.

Need we say more.

01) A Hard Day's Night - 10,0 02) I Should Have Known Better - 10,0 03) If I Fell - 9,0 04) I'm Happy Just to Dance with You - 9,0 05) And I Love Her - 10,0 06) Tell Me Why - 9,0 07) Can't Buy Me Love - 10,0 08) Any Time at All - 9,0 09) I'll Cry Instead - 9,0 10) Things We Said Today - 9,0 11) When I Get Home - 8,5 12) You Can't Do That - 8,5 13) I'll Be Back - 9,0 TOTAL: 9,23 (92/100) Current ranking: 24/461

Early Beatles is always kinda punk to me, great album!

Of the first three Beatles albums, this one is the strongest

Here we are again. Another Beatles album I know front to back, that I’ve heard a hundred times. Go back and look at my other Beatles review to see how I feel about them (top 5 favorite band; basic, I know). This was their first album of all original tracks and man does it shine. From kicking off hot with the title track, to bringing it down with tracks like “If I Fell” and “And I Love Her,” this album keeps the infectious energy of the Beatles while also showing a more mature, refined sound and attitude. They know what they’re doing, the recording quality is superb, and John and Paul are just absolutely kicking ass here. Yes, most of the songs are still about love in the most vague and naive way. But not all of them are. “And I Love Her” shows a more mature take on the subject, and “Things We Said Today” takes a darker, more negative look at it. Same with “You Can’t Do That.” Hence, the maturity I mentioned, as well as more complex songwriting and arrangements. There are lighter moments, too. The falsetto line in “Tell Me Why” sounds like something they had a ton of fun recording and comes out of left field. I always smile at that line. And “Can’t Buy Me Love” is just a fun, high energy romp. This isn’t the best Beatles album, but it’s definitely the best of the early period. It’s a trip to listen to through these albums in chronological order and see the evolution of them as songwriters and musicians in an insanely short period of time. I love this album. Five stars. Standout Tracks: A Hard Day’s Night, I Should Have Known Better, Tell Me Why, Can’t Buy Me Love, Things We Said, You Can’t Do That

This was the start of the transition from mop top to serious artist.

very wholesome. el boyband de mi abuela vibes

They really figured out who they were for this one. Perfectly perfect light pop. Maybe not one serious thought except how to make a seriously made showcase of what they could do. 5 because I'm hooked and know what's coming. I'll be back indeed.

Frühlingsgefühlenachdemlangewinterzeit (literally--that feeling of spring after a long winter) I was trying to come up with a word for the coziness that this album brought to my life for 30 minutes. German is a beautiful language in that you can put words together so effortlessly to come up with something that smacks a feeling right in the face with precision. Those opening notes! Ahhh...I didn't realize how comforting and so familiar that opening chord is. Boom..I was taken right back to my pre-adolescent bedroom and my LP. Young girls didn't have Taylor Swift in the late 70s to put all those feelings to a beat...we had The Beatles. And a Hard Day's Night effortlessly captures yearning, love, youth in 30 tight minutes that stay with you a lifetime. And then they go and write another killer song that completely captures Frühlingsgefühlenachdemlangewinterzeit just 5 years after this! _________ I read something recently that if The Beatles coming to America in February 1964 were at the start of COVID, they would have released Abbey Road this year. That view of time and what The Beatles accomplished in their short time span just blows my mind.

Super pleasant. Honestly a little boring and sheltered compared to their later albums, but I think that makes me appreciate their later innovation that much more.

Great album.

This is my favourite early Beatles album (where Rubber Soul marks the beginning of their middle period.) So I think it's pretty good.

A great one

5 stars because it is the Beatles (one of the greatest bands ever)!!

I was 2 when this was released and my parents played it none stop for many years… it’s like a comfort blanket. 13 tracks in 30 min, you can’t ‘beat’ it!!

BEAAAAAAAATLES BABYYYYYY!! Iconisch met een reden. Dit is het album waar hun pop-sound echt begon te rijpen, en tevens hun eerste album met alleen maar eigen materiaal. Kinda biased maar easy 5/5.

All I can think of is the word "uplifting". Also, cowbells!

A lot of great songs

The crazy thing to remember about A HARD DAY'S NIGHT, both the album and film, is that it wasn't meant to be good — and certainly not some of the greatest work this band would do in either medium. 'Coz let's recognize, when United Artists got The Beatles under contract to do all this, all they were expecting was a quickie exploitation film; a cashgrab. At best, they probably figured, they'd get something like Elvis's movies: some cheap rush job with flimsy plot meant to do nothing more than to prop up the boys galavanting about and singing songs. They didn't care; the fans would come to see their boys on the big screen regardless of if it was good or not. Heck, they'd buy the **album** regardless it was good or not — which would promote the film, while the film promoted the album... It was a genius strategy. Or at least it was until the Colonel had it milked dry by the middle-end of the 60's. Seriously, you didn't wanna be Elvis in the middle-late 60's — but that's a story for another day... So imagine everyone's surprise, then, when The Beatles and director Richard Lester pulled up with a film that was actually really, **really** good. Instead of Elvis driving cars or doing the clam around Hawaii, they got a cinéma vértié-style look into 36 hours into the band's life at the time ("[A] train and a room, and a car and a room, and a room and a room"), which is kept from being depressing by the witty and clever dialogue dispensing Liverpudlian humor and some brilliant songs. Add in how charming The Beatles were on screen, plus some innovative camera work during the musical sequences, and you have a movie that'd wind up in the Criterion Collection for being a precursor to MTV and music videos. In short, besides YELLOW SUBMARINE (a personal favorite), it's the best film the band would ever be involved in. And about those songs (this **is** supposed to be an album review, after all)... Frankly, I consider this album a triumph; the peak and pinnacle of their first three albums — their "beat"/"boy band" phase, as I think of it. I mean, come on, it's the only album in their entire discography written solely by Lennon and McCartney: a whole 13 songs worth! Not even SGT. PEPPER'S can make that claim thanks to George's "Within You Without You" (which is a fantastic song, of course). And the fact that they all came out as strong as they did — goodness! The title track is among the best album openers this band has ever had. I mean, the iconic opening chord alone would be enough to cement that fact, but then you get into how frenetic the rest of the song is, from those bongos to the guitar/piano duet solo that had to be recorded at half speed for how fast it is. "I Should Have Known Better" is one of my favorite harmonica rollicks from the band, "If I Fell" and "And I Love Her" are both beautiful acoustic ballads... Goodness, that one high backing vocal on "Tell Me Why" ("If there's anything I can do-ooo-ooo") gets me every time, it's great. Honestly, among the first side, the weakest song here might be "I'm Happy Just To Dance With You", but I enjoy George enough as a singer that I can hardly mind it. Besides, when side A closes with another of the band's best-ever songs, "Can't Buy Me Love", I bet you're hardly thinking about the weak points. Which brings us to the second side of the record. In what was apparently tradition for British soundtracks at the time, it consists of a bunch of extra songs. Y'know, a just-under-equal smattering of bonus tunes to go along with the ones from the movie. And they're... I mean, I'm not gonna lie; they **are** a bit of a step down. In fact, if there's anywhere you might miss the covers the band included on their first two albums, it's here. But all the same, I think they're generally strong enough that my earlier remark about this being the pinnacle of their beat phase stands. I mean, heck, at one point "I'll Cry Instead" was considered good enough for the movie itself. It only didn't end up on side one because they figured "Can't Buy Me Love" was tonally a better fit for the scene it would've scored — and even then, it still wound up on the American version of the soundtrack, even if by accident. I do like "Any Time At All" as a side opener. Jus' the way it goes "THUMP!" and, well, we're off running. Plus, I've always had a soft spot for "You Can't Do That", in part because of its early inclusion on another American release, THE BEATLES' SECOND ALBUM. That's not on this list, unlike MEET THE BEATLES!, but I still wanna recommend it anyway for being a good encapsulation of the band's early rock n' roll songs. As for the other three, they're all pretty enjoyable. I like how "When I Get Home" walks, with its "WAOH-OH-IIIIII"s; "Things We Said Today" has a nice vocal from paul, and I enjoy that "hard strum" riff it has; and I think "I'll Be Back" plays as a nice album closer, what with the repeating riff it fades out on. Not to mention, as a meta-promise to the fans... Boy, would they ever be. At any rate, I kinda doubt anyone would find the songs on side B weak enough that they'd actively bring side A down. Side A is just such an incredible run of songs, making it easily the music from this phase I've returned to the most often. By itself it gives this whole album a 5. Like, sure, PLEASE PLEASE ME has originals like its title track, and WITH THE BEATLES has covers like "You've Really Got A Hold On Me", but put them in context of their entire record side and they can't quite compare. And for real, if you haven't seen the movie yet, what're you even waiting for? Go do yourself a favor and watch it. I know I'll be watching it, and singing along as loudly as I can. Goodness.

What is there to say that hasn't been said already, both in the terms of artist and album? Of course, with the Fab Four being early in their careers, it doesn't really have as much influence as Sgt. Pepper's and beyond in their catalogue, but it's still a hell of a track list, nonetheless. Solid 5 Stars.

I’m at a 5. The first time I ever heard the Beatles as a kid was from a little jukebox toy – you can look this up, just Google “Golden Oldies Jukebox Coin Bank” or something like that, it’ll pop up. One of the songs there was Can’t Buy Me Love – it only played the chorus, out of a really crappy speaker, and yet it was the song I always gravitated to. When it wasn’t that song, I’d just keep pushing the button until I heard Can’t Buy Me Love again. I suppose it’s only right that the song is on this album, then. I already had it in my big playlist, but I just wanted to tell that story. How about the rest of it then? Obviously, “A Hard Day’s Night” might start with the single most memorable guitar hit ever, but the rest of the tracks here are… pretty good, for the most part. This is obviously not the Beatles at their peak; this feels more like say, some of the solo albums Michael Jackson released before Off the Wall sent him into the stratosphere & Thriller sent him into another plane of existence. It’s a little more raw, a little less defined, and still within the growing pains of it all, throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks and what doesn’t. I do think the DNA of a lot of their future monstrous success is on this album, though, and it certainly helps that this was a gigantic hit in its own right. You don’t get the rest of Beatlemania without starting here, and you certainly don’t get it without the rest of the tracks living up to the weight of the two biggest ones on this album, and I really think they did, even if they’re not quite as good. “I Should Have Known Better” has some solid harmonization & lyrics, and the harmonica feels super rare for a Beatles track. “If I Fell” has a really cool Bossa Nova vibe, even if the vocals do drown it out just a bit. “I’m Happy Just To Dance With You” has a really nice percussive pattern that evokes The Beach Boys. “And I Love Her” is an absolute standout – the Spanish guitar adds so much. “Tell Me Why” is the most 50s sounding track on the album, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing; I really liked the big band / nightclub feel of it all. “Any Time At All” has a really nice grit to John’s voice that makes it stand out, even though it feels pretty instrumentally close to say, The Byrds or other contemporaries. “I’ll Cry Instead” has a lot of obvious influence from Bob Dylan, but it’s got a really nice melody and a good tone in the vocals. “Things We Said Today” has great lyricism, even if it’s slightly repetitive, and it’s just a super catchy track. “When I Get Home” has a lot of the DNA that would later be present on Paul’s solo stuff with Wings, even though John’s got lead vocals on it. “You Can’t Do That” is a really bouncy track with some great harmonization & backing vocals. “I’ll Be Back”’s acoustically driven soundscape, as well as their harmonizing vocals blend really, really well, and I think it’s a really nice closer. I’m not at a 10 like I was with Abbey Road & The White Album – it’s not as good as those albums, and I’m sure most people would agree with that. However, what’s here is still fun, and I can totally understand why The Beatles blew up before & especially so after this. It’s pretty damn good rock & roll, and it shifted the blueprint for everybody for the rest of the 60s. They became the bar for success, and they set the tone for what to strive for musically. I’m not saying everyone tried to be the Beatles, but everyone had to be a little more Beatle-y, across all genres. I’m just glad it’s a short one – I don’t know that I could handle another 90 minute masterclass from these guys, so I’ll take 30 minutes of “pretty damn good” as the alternative. It’s an easy 5 for me. Still several more to go from these guys.

für mich sonen classic dass gwüssi lieder gfühlt mini erste erinnerige a musig sind :o cha mi teils ned ane ziit erinnere, woni 'hard days night' noni kennt ha. bi einige vo dene lieder hani au lustigi erinnerige, woni englisch glernt ha und checkt ha, wasi für strubi helvetisme zumene englische klangbild am zemegschustere gsi bi. und denn überraschts natürli au wie zb bi anytime at all im B-teil wos plötzli dissonant abegaht. ah und em paul mccartney sini stimm isch super ☝️🙂‍↕️

Not the best beatle album but certainly a banger one

The very first album to contain solely Lennon-McCartney compositions still rips as hard as the day it was released. (And the movie it’s attached to is worth a watch!)

Staple

The Beatles suck.

I mean, its great. Classic and easy to listen to, it really holds up. It is kind of wild that this was considered edgy rock-and-roll back in the day!

The peak of Beatlemania. Bright, fresh, happy, energetic. Fills me with good feelings. Best song: If I Fell

Oh I’ve been waiting for this one. This album proves to me why the Beatles are such an influence. Classic after classic, hits front to back. Flawless, truly.

First time that I seriously listen to The Beatles, and I was absolutely not let down. It's actually crazy how good this album sounds even today, considering that it's 60 years old. And to think that this is apparently not even one of their best albums... mental!

This album is fantastic and show that there isn’t really much evolution between this and the White Album.

best early beatles album (pre-rubber soul) just good all the way through. grown up yet poppy enough to be loved by all ages. some production techniques like the cowbell in you cant do that, or the weird tom rolls (in tell me why?) hint at the band they would become the next year

Already one of my favourite early Beatles albums. Great album, great film It's the Beatles

Its hard to give a Beatles album anything less than a 5. So many hits and my wifes wedding dance with her father song.

I had forgotten all the songs I love on this album Beautiful from start to finish

It’s the Beatles

Burned into memory by parents, radio stations, road trips, and more.

My mom just passed away. She loved The Beatles. I miss you mom. So very much. I hope I made you proud.

Amazing. This still sounds so good. A funny coincidence this album came up after a Rolling Stones album. For the age old question of “Beatles or Rolling Stones?”, I am firmly in team Beatles.

not my fav beatles album but pretty high up there

I mean, does it get better than this? This is like a turning point of music and possibly even society. This is the beginning of their albums not really having any duds or forgettable takes. And the movie is great.

Hard to complain about this one. Tons of excellent singles, and a few really great deep cuts. The movie is also pretty fantastic. “Can’t Buy Me Love” is one of my favourite Beatles tunes, the wistful chorus melody is one of the best things to come from the Lennon-McCartney songwriting partnership. I think the only complaint I can come up with is that this album isn’t Rubber Soul. There’s a good reason that the Beatles were far and away the most popular band in the world for a very long time. There’s really not much more to say about this record, it’s just super enjoyable to listen to. 4.5*

Always great

I love this album and I love this movie. I know a lot of pop stars have stints as film actors, but I don’t think anyone can do it with the same style as the Beatles. Extra fun with my 10-year old singing along in the backseat.

Forgot how much I liked this album

I'm at home listening and Everything seems to be right.

Earlier Beatles is obviously a different proposition than the later records, but this is still an album full of lovely melodies and harmonies. We're starting to see more intricate or offbeat compositions with some darker tones. A Hard Day's Night is a strong start and the next few album cuts are all good to excellent. And I Love Her is one of the great early Beatles ballads. Can't Buy Me Love closes out of the first half. Onto side two, and Any Time At All is a great lesser known song with a strong chorus. Things We Said Today is another very good one with a darker feel to it, mostly in a minor key. We close with I'll Be Back and it might be my favorite song here. Haunting and beautiful. They always manage to start and finish both sides of a record with really strong pieces and this pulls everything together. Not my favorite from them, but still gets top marks.

Superb, a real band

30 minutes of utter perfection. There isn't a duff track here. They're all so well-written and precisely tooled.