Editorial Review

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Reviews (569)

a killjoy CD
This rubbish is trually an killjoy CD, what with no hi-pitched girls voices and sexy rhythms??? you call that music?? you must be mad for starters and crazy on top of that. One good song : Think for yourself, but don't care much for the performances at all.
Rock + Folk + Beatles = GREAT!
Although I don't own this album, my dad does and I listen to it all the time. Songs like "I'm Looking Through You", "Drive My Car", "Wait", and "The Word" rock! Other soft songs like "In My Life", "Nowhere Man", "Norwegian Wood", and "Michelle" are good to. So if you don't already have it, go out and get it!

RUBBER SOUL IS AS REAL AS IT GETS
I purchased this album in 1966 and was blown away, but first had to readjust from the Fab's earlier works and learn to appreciate how different Rubber Soul was from Help, yet still analogous. I mean, we all knew it was the Beatles when I've Just Seen A Face (American release) leaped into our ears upon our first listen, but they had transcended their classic sound a year earlier, surpassing anything they or anyone else had come close to perfecting prior to Rubber Soul. I'm still marveled by these lads, who were in their early 20's during the time Rubber Soul was composed and recorded, and their incredible sophistication for only being barely out of their teens. It's always been difficult for me to listen to anything new without comparing it to their standards. I guess that's not a grumble. I was so lucky to be elevated to this level of music appreciation at such an early age that it has forever changed my manner of thinking. This is one heck of a classy album and my fave forever! It just keeps getting better with every listen. If I may borrow John's line - "In my life...I love them more!" ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bass    2. British Invasion    3. England    4. Folk-Rock    5. Pop    6. Pop/Rock    7. Popular Music    8. Rock    9. Rock & Roll    10. Rock/Pop    11. Singer/Songwriter   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (776)

Landmark
If all documentation of music was destroyed (99% of today's music should be anyways)this album would be the only blueprint needed for an ALBUM.

Definitely the best
Even more than Pepper, I think this was the album that changed pop music forever. I was in the UK and a teen at the time, and I have to admit it took several listenings and a healthy dose of illegal srimulants to figure it out. Today the music is still revolutionary and I no longer need the stimulants (sniff) but it ranks as one of the best 5 albums of all time

Whose Top 10?
I've no designs on being iconoclastic or a hater or anything like that, so before you read on, please understand that. I fully understand that Beatles fans can be a fanatically loyal bunch who back up their beliefs with scores of critical support from the "experts" who have annointed the Beatles as kings of rock and roll music and innovators of all sorts of styles, production values, and other musical milestones. One reviewer even had the audacity to say that this album was "unquestionably" one of the greatest works of art of the 20th century. Well, I certainly question it. Am I able to say that "Road to Ruin" by The Ramones is unquestionably one of the greatest works of art of the 20th century as well? Why not? It's all subjective no matter how much one wants to convey their expertise. This album is good but there are dozens I'd rather hear instead and that criterion alone is the sole one I use to rate albums. As with so much of the Beatles, a bit less of the excessive banner waving and veneration would be a nice change.
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Subjects:  1. British Invasion    2. British Psychedelia    3. Drums    4. England    5. Pop    6. Pop/Rock    7. Popular Music    8. Psychedelic    9. Rock    10. Rock & Roll    11. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

Proving yet again their willingness to dice 'n' slice their burgeoning legacy into new--if not exactly fresh--product, the Fab Four Minus One have released this single-disc compendium of their No. 1 hits. Though obviously superfluous to the faithful (who may also find themselves quibbling over the precise definition of "No. 1 hit" and the exclusion of seeming contenders like "Please Please Me" and "Strawberry Fields"), newly arrived visitors from the Pleiades star cluster and other neophytes will find it a concise and generous (nearly 80 minutes) single-disc introduction to the band's career-spanning, unparalleled dominance of pop music in the 1960s. But beyond being a mere trophy case of commercial success (and it won't be hard to find critics who'll argue that these singles aren't even the band's best work), it's also a Read more

Reviews (1078)

the idiots ruined it for themselves
these idiots ruined it for themselves. Hello dearest friends, yes that's the title of my review. Why, you ask? Well that's a hard one.
parents beware!!! rock music sucks!
parents beware. One moment it is I wanna hold your hand and the next it is forceful sex. One moment it is from me to you and the next it is a shrapnel wound. On Monday it is Can't buy me love and on Friday it's a harem and a broken marriage.
An apt title.
I understand why the Beatles are the top sellers in rock music as they suck. They only made about two decent songs in their "Hey Jude" a pretty song, and "Ballad Of John And Yoko". The sixties was a horrible decade of rock music. I would have to be said that only very few good songs came out in the sixties, which one of them is Neil Young's "Down By The River".
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Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Britain    3. British Invasion    4. British Psychedelia    5. Folk-Rock    6. Merseybeat    7. Pop    8. Pop/Rock    9. Psychedelic    10. Rock    11. Rock & Roll    12. Rock/Pop    13. Singer/Songwriter   

Editorial Review

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Features

• Deluxe Edition

Reviews (1051)

The Cornerstone Of All That Came Behind It
My title says it all.As a music historian, the release of this album is one of my top 10 moments in the history of recorded music, because it did something that only a handful of other albums ever did - it changed the entire industry.Until 1967, albums by "youth-oriented" artists were rarely more than collections of singles and never seemed to have much flow or continuity - in other words, nothing more than miniature greatest hits collections.But on June 1 of 1967, the Beatles changed everything.Other artists were expanding their horizons as well - the Beach Boys had released Pet Sounds, a bold experiment of sounds mixed with songwriting we had never realized was possible from a young artist.But the mammoth success of Sergeant Pepper would make other albums like this marketable - and it would lead to other recording stars to become artists as much as entertainers.
or better, none!
One star is waaaaaaaaaaaay too much for this funny fart CD,
yes, you read right: ONE star
Hi dear muzak lovers, yes, you read right: ONE star for this CD is ab-so-lutely enough, no actually it is over the top for try listening to this junk without dangerous mind-altering substatiaries and you're left out in the cold. NO ONE should even dare to attempt to digest this collection of laughable concoctions like Fixin' a Whole (drug related), She's leaving her home (because of a drug habit) and Within and without you (sexual lust caused by bad trip), Good morning (a wake up call to use drugs), LSD (need I say even more????)
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Subjects:  1. British Invasion    2. British Psychedelia    3. England    4. Hard Rock    5. Pop    6. Pop/Rock    7. Popular Music    8. Psychedelic    9. Rock    10. Rock & Roll    11. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

Sloppy in conception, and even sometimes in the playing, Read more

Features

• Soundtrack

Reviews (339)

Okay, but Let It Be Naked is what you want...
When George Martin was asked if he wanted his name as the producer of this album, he reffused. I can't blame him. The Beatles intended Get Back, or Let It Be, as it was finnished, to be pure rock without overdubs and that junk. Thanks to Phil Spector and his "Wall of Sound", this back to the basics album was ruined. Although it wasn't that good for beginers, some of these songs would have been better. Then,in 2003, the seldom played Let It Be Naked... was released, the way it was intended. If you want REAL Beatles' music, buy Let It Be Naked... and get your money's worth.

The Beatles let loose
I've always thought that the "Get Back" sessions were one of the most fascinating periods of the Beatles' history. The back-to-basics concept; the infighting; the iconic rooftop concert; the multiple attempts to create a finished album from dozens of songs and hours of aimless tapes; the treasure trove of bootleg material that surfaced years later. The album that finally did emerge from the sessions, "Let It Be," is as intriguing a document as any other produced by the band. The Beatles have such a reputation for perfectionism that it's refreshing to hear them let loose and bash out a few jams. And despite the palpable strain of the sessions (captured in the "Let It Be" film), their musical partnership was still strong and capable of producing amazing collaborative efforts.
Excellent
The Beatles were definitely always at the top and their music is still there. Long live Rock 'n Roll. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. British Invasion    3. Pop    4. Pop/Rock    5. Popular Music    6. Rock    7. Rock & Roll    8. Rock/Pop    9. Singer/Songwriter   

Features

• Import

Reviews (37)

Kinks - 'The Ultimate Collection' (Red X)
The title of this 2-CD Kinks compilation says it all,'Ultimate Collection'.Total of 48 tracks for our listening pleasure. Sound quality is over the top, which is to say it is simply S-U-P-E-R-B! The FM radio hits you all have 'etched' in the back of your minds like I do are all here,like "You Really Got Me", "All Day And All Of The Night", "Tired Of Waiting For You" (my personal Kinks favorite), "Sunny Afternoon", the so-so "Come Dancing" (I like the video better than I do the song), "Lola"," Mr. Pleasant" and the unforgetable "Celluloid Heros". Just all around great British Invasion rock&roll. A must-have.

The best of all the Kinks' greatest hits compilations
This is a quality double CD that tracks the history of one of the most talented and influential groups ever, not just of the 60's and 70's. There are some great "B" sides with all of their major hits included. There are a few songs left out that, if included, would have made this an even better collection - Misfits, 20th Century Man, Destroyer, Low Budget come to mind. But the Kinks have such a vast repertoire' I guess only a boxed set of 3-4 CD's could contain the entire depth and span of their music that many of us would like. But this is a gem for what it is.

One Of The Best Compilations Ever For Any Band
This cd, which I have been looking for for ages, is a truly awesome collection of all The Kinks' best stuff. These two discs contain just about everything you need if you only want one Kinks cd in your collection. Everything from "You Reallly Got Me" to "Lola" to "Celluloid Heroes" to "Come Dancing" and so much more is included. There's a great wealth of lesser known tracks (including some Dave Davies solo material) that are just as good as their biggest hits, there's a great essay for the liner notes and the sound quality is pitch perfect.
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Subjects:  1. Baroque Pop    2. British Invasion    3. Garage Rock    4. Hard Rock    5. Heavy Metal    6. Mod    7. Pop    8. Pop/Rock    9. Rock    10. Rock & Roll    11. Rock/Pop    12. Singer/Songwriter   

Editorial Review

The album feels even more like a collection of singles (instead of an actual movie soundtrack) than Read more

Reviews (435)

they should call it quits
this band is so godawfully bad if they had any minds they should call it quits i am sorry to say. even josephine thimberlake is better than these old sissies! God, and I'd kick for a night with a juicy brot instead of getting asphyxation from hearing this old bum music. Hey I'm no fool i been a lifelong fan of neil reed and the sunborn playboys but they kicket the bucker in 1957!!!!
Strawberry Fields Forever
As a progressive rock fan who happens to have an interest in the genre that extends beyond listening to albums by the major players themselves, e.g. Yes, Genesis, ELP, King Crimson etc., I have started exploring those psychedelic bands that gave rise to the progressive rock style, e.g. The Beatles.Although the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album (1967) is widely recognized to have laid the groundwork for prog, not to mention providing inspiration for English psychedelic/proto-prog bands such as the Moody Blues, Pink Floyd (debut album only), and even the Nice (debut album only), it is the Beatle's Magical Mystery Tour album (1967) that is a personal favorite.
The Magical Mystery Tour is coming to take you away...
Not my personal favorite Beatle's album, but includes some of my favorite songs. The strongest tracks are "Strawberry Fields", "I am the Walrus","The Fool on the Hill", and "Hello Goodbye", but that's not saying that the others aren't any good. Even the weakest tracks like "Blue Jay Way" and "Flying" are still very acceptable. Fitting right in with the phscidelic era and "The Summer of Love", this album is a must for people who like good music. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. British Invasion    2. British Psychedelia    3. England    4. Pop    5. Pop/Rock    6. Popular Music    7. Psychedelic    8. Rock    9. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

How John Lennon's confessional song became the title for a silly JamesBond spoof I really don't know.The funny thing is, it works both ways--as ayoung man's personal statement about learning to open up to others, and as thefrantic theme for an exotic espionage chase comedy starring those lovable mop-tops (this time in Read more

Features

• Soundtrack

Reviews (220)

Love it till you burn your laser out..and beyond
What's not to love about these 4 guys from Liverpool????Their whole history is like a movie in itself...
movie-songs and the rest
The first seven songs on this CD featured in 'Help!', the Beatles' second movie (1965). Sounding great & coherent, they fully show the fab four's progress in making increasingly complex arrangements.
Last one star reviewer can go S*CK IT, Beatles rock!
Triple H: Fed Up, Help came out in 1965 and Yoko didn't enter The Beatles camp until 1968 and John Lennon was married to Cynthia in 1965! Shawn Michaels: You are right Triple H! Triple H: Now we did history lesson, this album features classics like the title cut, Ticket to Ride, I Need You, Another Girl and Act Naturally. Shawn Michaels: Don't forget You've Got to Hide Your Love Away. Triple H: This was the second of EIGHT BEATLES ALBUMS IN A ROW TO TOP THE US CHARTS(a streak that has not been broken). Shawn Michaels: You ain't whistling in Frankfurt! If you are not down with The Beatles or DX, WE GOT TWO WORDS FOR YA(crowd yells "S*CK IT!") ... Read more

Subjects:  1. British Invasion    2. Drums    3. England    4. Folk-Rock    5. Pop    6. Pop/Rock    7. Popular Music    8. Rock    9. Rock & Roll    10. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

While they took their name from blues musicians Pink Anderson and Floyd Council when they started out as an R&B combo in the mid-60s, Pink Floyd's leader, guitarist Syd Barrett, soon began piloting the band through unprecedented sonic excursions typified by the title of their 1967 debut album's most celebrated track--the outsized instrumental "Interstellar Overdrive." Equally adept at composing catchy-sounding, Gothic-themed pop songs such as "See Emily Play," "The Scarecrow" and "The Gnome," Barrett seemed destined for greatness--that is, until psychedelic drugs got the best of him, and he abandoned the band to bassist Roger Waters and new guitarist David Gilmour. The rest, as they say, is history. Read more

Reviews (371)

A swirling mass of psychedelia, experimental sounds, and instrumental freak outs
Released on August 5, 1967 (about two months after the June 1 UK release of the Beatle's Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band) this excellent debut featured a heady mixture of experimental and avant-garde tendencies, psychedelia, and lengthy instrumental passages that placed Pink Floyd alongside instrumental bands active at the time such as the Soft Machine (debut album 1968).This album, as many people know, featured the late Syd Barrett, who was the primary driver behind the Piper at the Gates of Dawn.Although quite different than the later material that made the band famous, I actually prefer the rawer, more experimental side of Pink Floyd and find it to be a very satisfying example of the proto-progressive rock style.
the only Floyd for me
The stuff with Syd Barrett is the only Pink Floyd that interests me.After him it was a different band.This is absolutely one of my all-time favorite albums.Yes, it's very psychedelic, but I think it is totally unique and defies any attempt to categorize.There simply isn't another album like it.
fits right in
this album fits right in with all those other psych rock bands of the late sixties. it is magneficent. i listen to it between love forever changes and the doors ... Read more

Subjects:  1. British Invasion    2. British Psychedelia    3. England    4. Pop    5. Popular Music    6. Prog-Rock/Art Rock    7. Psychedelic    8. Rock    9. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

Even as the Beatles began heading toward an inevitable breakup, their prolific ways continued; this two-disc look back only skims the surface of their later achievements. Excerpts from Read more

Reviews (217)

La mejor introducción a la música de The Beatles
Si sólo quieres tener un álbum de la discografía de The Beatles, creo que debería ser éste. Abarca los tres últimos años del cuarteto (en el año 1970 no grabaron ninguna canción como grupo), lo que, discográficamente, nos lleva desde "Sgt. Pepper's lonely hearts club Band" (1967) hasta "Let it be" (1970) (si bien las canciones de este álbum se grabaron en 1969). Incluye la mayoría de las grandes canciones de ese periodo, y escribo "la mayoría" porque, en mi opinión, faltan algunas: Getting better, She's leaving home, Blackbird, Julia, Two of us, You never give me your moneyy, sobre todo, la secuencia final de Abbey road: Golden slumbers, Carry that weight y The end, el perfecto epitafio para el mejor grupo de todos los tiempos. Intuyo que, si estas canciones no se incluyeron fue porque magnificarían el trabajo de McCartney durante esta época (de las canciones anteriores, todas son suyas salvo Julia) en detrimento de, seguramente, algunas canciones del resto de los componentes y, aunque este disco (editado en 1973) no contaba con el beneplácito de ninguno de los integrantes del grupo, intentaba reflejar la importancia de cada uno de ellos. (De hecho, de las 28 canciones incluidas, trece son de McCartney, una es una composición conjunta Lennon-McCartney, nueve son de Lennon, cuatro de Harrison y una de Starr).
A Terrific Introduction to the Fab Four
Supervised by producer George Martin, this 1973 compilation introduced many second-generation fans to the timeless music of John, Paul, George and Ringo. "The Beatles: 1967-1970" covers most of the essential tracks from "Sgt. Pepper" through "Let It Be" -- along with hit singles not featured on the original LPs. Incidentally, the memorable cover photograph was intended for the group's aborted "Get Back" album.

VERY GOOD,FOR PEOPLE WITH GREAT TASTE
WELL I LOVE THE BEATLES WHOM I ALWAYS THOUGHT WERE THE BEST BAND IN THE WORLD.EACH AND EVERY SONG ON THIS COMPILATION IS GREAT.SO BUY IT TODAY.THE BEATLES ROCK,GREEN DAY SUCKS. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. British Invasion    3. British Psychedelia    4. Folk-Rock    5. Hard Rock    6. Merseybeat    7. Pop    8. Pop/Rock    9. Popular Music    10. Prog-Rock/Art Rock    11. Psychedelic    12. Rock    13. Rock & Roll    14. Rock/Pop    15. Singer/Songwriter   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (236)

Best of the Early Beatles
'A Hard Day's Night' is not only a great rock album and great soundtrack, it is rightly regarded as the best of Beatlemania itself.There is enough of the familiar and hidden classics to make this puchase worthwhile.Certainly the title track, "Can't Buy Me Love," "And I Love Her," and "If I Fell" are worthy classics. ("If I Fell" is one of the best of the Beatles' love songs--maybe one of the best love songs period, for that matter.)Rock songs and ballads are masterfully made and mixed on this, their first album to contain all original compositions.The quality is consistent throughout.To paraphrase British writer Roy Carr, the second half is even more worthwhile."Any Time at All" is great hard rock; "I'll Cry Instead," is a fine country-rock song(foreshadowing the next 'Beatles for Sale' album) and the closer "I'll Be Back Again," is a classic Lennon ballad waiting to be unearthed. The second half also has a fine McCartney ballad, "Things We SaidToday". The exhuberant spirit never wanes on this CD and is extended with songs like "I'm Happy Just to Dance with You" and "I Should Have Known Better".Song for song, the mix, the quality, and energy are solid on this album.For those who only buy Beatles' collections, this C.D. will not seem redundant.

Surprisingly Good after 40+ Years
If you are a classic rock fan who has exhausted the Beatles' later catalogue and aren't sure if you like the early stuff as much, listen to this CD. It will convince you of how great the early Beatles were (something that people born after the 1960s might find harder to believe than those who were alive then). "I Should Have Known Better" was one of the first songs I tried to figure out on guitar. But I never bought the CD until much later. I purchased A Hard Day's Night to get closer to being a Beatles completist. I didn't expect it to be as good as it is. It's great. As Albert Goldman said, this was the closest that John came to making a solo record while he was with the Beatles. Paul's work is not nearly as strong, but George showed potential here as a songwriter. A Hard Day's Night is perhaps the Beatles' crispest and cleanest album. It rocks, has great harmonies, and crackles with the energy of guys on the top of the world. After listening to Pepper for the millionth time, you might need some good old rock and roll. A Hard Day's Night delivers that.

You've got to love everything that they do!
The Beatles' 1964 album A Hard Day's Night not only is titled after a weird phrase once said by Ringo Starr, but it also symbolizes the fab four in their teenybopping, world conquering heyday long before the highly artistic and sophisticated efforts of Abbey Road, Sgt Pepper, and The White Album saw the light of day.
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Subjects:  1. British Invasion    2. England    3. Merseybeat    4. Pop    5. Pop/Rock    6. Popular Music    7. Rock    8. Rock & Roll    9. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

The closest the Beatles came to a greatest hits package, this document of the early part of their career features hit singles (in chronological order) and selected album tracks, running from "Love Me Do" through the groundbreaking Read more

Reviews (191)

beatles 1962-1966
I love the Beatles and really enjoyed this album, already have the later one.I was hoping for a few other songs on it like happy birthday to ya, but anything Beatles is great.

The Red Album and Blue Album..."The All-Star Team" for Beatle songs
I grew up with these compilations,my sister practically wore them out!! Later shortly after Lennon was murdered...I became a fan when I got Magical Mystery Tour and a cheap vee-jay knock off of 1962-1963 stuff("Love Me Do","Please,Please Me",ect;)..for Christmas 1980.....well I was always familiar with the Beatles hits ...but not familiar as much with stuff "that didn't make the red/blue album".....so I listened to and bought alot of the Capitol stuff such as Beatles 65,Rubber Soul,Yesterday and Today ,ect;.....Long story short....I became a fan....................The Red Album as well as The Blue Album feature songs that were #1's on the charts,standout songs from albums,and singles (which alot went to #1)....Why I compare it toan 'all-star team' is because it has it's snubs..........."If I Fell" "I'll Be Back" "I Should Have Known Better" are definately 'snubs'...."What You're Doing" from Beatles VI/Beatles for Sale was a 'snub'......No George Harrison songs made the Red Album..."If I Needed Someone" and "I Want To Tell You" could be 'snubs'..........I'm not counting 'cover songs' such as "Twist and Shout" ...I agree that they don't belong on THIS album .....My point is.. they all can't make it....No matter how worthy ...Great compilation to start with.

Maravilloso, pero podría ser mejor
Esta recopilación de la primera época de The Beatles (desde el primer álbum (1962) hasta Revolver (1966)) tiene una maravillosa colección de canciones pero, como indica el título del comentario, en mi opinión, podría ser mejor. Y me explico...
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Subjects:  1. British Invasion    2. Folk-Rock    3. Merseybeat    4. Pop    5. Pop/Rock    6. Popular Music    7. Rock    8. Rock & Roll    9. Rock/Pop    10. Singer/Songwriter   

Editorial Review

The band that proclaimed itself "The Greatest Rock & Roll Band in the World" has long since represented rock's most overarching confluence of art and commerce--with a distinct emphasis on the latter in recent decades--a notion this 40-track, five-decade-spanning anthology can't completely escape. While this is the first anthology to gather hits from the band's entire career, it's the early tunes that highlight one of the Stones' central ironies: virtually their entire "bad boy" reputation was built working for The Man. That original '60s musical arc bounded from '50s rock and R&B revivalism ("Not Fade Away," "The Last Time") to anti-Mop Top aggression ("Satisfaction," "Get Off My Cloud," "19th Nervous Breakdown") to proto-goth cynicism ("Paint It Black," "Have You Seen Your Mother Baby") and psychedelic minstrelsy ("She's a Rainbow," "Ruby Tuesday") to the epitome of blues-based cock rock ("Street Fighting Man," "Jumpin' Jack Flash") in quick succession. Wresting control of their own destinies--and future copyrights--at the end of the '60s, they'd spend the next 30 years largely recycling their earlier incarnation ad infinitum--their music sprinkled with occasionally successful forays into contemporary club and disco fodder ("Some Girls," "Shattered")--and resting on their well-paid laurels. Unfortunately, the listless quartet of new tracks that flesh out this collection seems little more than another business deal to hype their 2002-03 world tour, with "Don't Stop" arguably the weakest in a long string of post-'80s Stones McSingles. If Jagger seems typically detached here, Keith Richards injects some welcome, craggy warmth into the closing barroom lament, "Losing My Touch." But it's also a performance that suggests his legendary band has become little more to him than "The Greatest Day Job in the World." Read more

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (328)

YUK! YUK! YUK!
I do not like the Rolling Stones!
'Forty Licks' Satisfies
'Forty Licks' isn't the best conceivable Stones' compilation, but it isn't just a commemorative anniversary celebration either.There is little to criticize for the first C.D.They don't mess around.They start with "Street Fighting Man," "Gimmie Shelter," and "Satisfaction" with enough confidence that they won't run out of great material.Good call.They do smart things.They kick out "As Tears Go By" and "Out of Time" which are dated period pieces and put in better songs like great early R&B favorites like "The Last Time," "It's All Over Now," and "Not Fade Away".Subjectively, I love sides one and four from 'More Hot Rocks' because I love their early songs like "Fortune Teller" and "Poison Ivy".Every sixties classic is represented.Who can do without "Get off My Cloud," "19th Nervous Breakdown," and "Paint It Black"?There's just so much fun.
It's great but....
I really love this package. It has all of my fav. Stones tunes from ICGNS to SFTD to Wild Horses and so on. The second disk is less enjoyable, but better than anything. I wish they could've put "Saint of Me" instead of "Anybody Seen My Baby". The new songs are ok. But not terrible. This is worth every penny. To me, they strated going downhill in the 80s, but their music is way better than what's on MTV right now. Mick is the ultimate frontman. Every new rock band should take lessons from him, IMO. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Blues-Rock    3. British Blues    4. British Invasion    5. British Psychedelia    6. Hard Rock    7. Pop    8. Pop/Rock    9. Rock    10. Rock & Roll    11. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

Their first-ever album, raw and rough and still very rock & roll. Lennon and McCartney begin to flex their writing muscles and had already scored two UK hits when this appeared, but they still relied heavily on the cover material to see them through. Their insecurity about their own abilities seems curious in hindsight since they'd pulled the title song and "I Saw Her Standing There" (with thanks to Little Richard) out of their hats. But they were an unknown quantity, still to launch a million bands and take pop music to places it had never dreamed off. A small step for four men, a giant leap for music. Read more

Reviews (204)

Average
As much as it pains me to call a Beatle record average (they're my favorite band ever), that word sums up Please Please Me pretty well. Don't get me wrong, it has its moments - album-opener I Saw Her Standing There is certainly one; Ringo's showcase Boys is a blast, one of my favorite Ringo-sung tunes; the justly legendary title track; Love Me Do (the group's first #1 hit in America) and especially the high-energy cover of Twist And Shout. But there are one too many weak tracks. For one, A Taste of Honey is arguably the worst thing the Beatles ever did, not counting Revolution #9 - in the Beatles' defense, they hated it, it went as far as John singing "A waste of money" instead of the title phrase in concert. The rest is middle-of-the-road pop. It's inviting, quick, and catchy as hell, but doesn't nearly measure up to the high standards the later records set. I guess I made a mistake by listening to this after the late '60's classics. So you won't miss your $15 if you pick it up, but don't expect Abbey Road.

Press Start to Continue
Here's where to start your Beatles CD collection: at the beginning.This is pre-'Meet the Beatles' Beatles; their first album in England.Americans now get to collect the Englishalbums on CD, achieving added freshness and perspective.This first one features Stephen Hawking's fave Fab Four tune.You guessed it, 'Please Please Me'.

Good collection of early Beatles tunes!
While mainly covers, it is still clear that from the three beatle-written songs on the album that they would become the greatest band of all time. And the covers are great too, although "Boys" really doesn't make sense because they started changing the genders in the lyrics. Still really good album, but go for the real classics first. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. British Invasion    2. England    3. Merseybeat    4. Pop    5. Pop/Rock    6. Popular Music    7. Rock    8. Rock & Roll    9. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

They still had plenty of covers to fill out the running time, but the Lennon-McCartney writing team was gathering steam and beginning to knock out pop classics as if they were pulling them out of thin air. "All My Loving" and "I Wanna Be your Man" come from this record, issued hurriedly to capitalize on English Beatlemania. But even when they were laying into some classic Chuck Berry, by this time the Beatles had acquired a unique sound in the blend of John's and Paul's voices, while George was coming on by leaps and bounds as a guitar player. While not absolutely essential, as a snapshot of a band in a place and time, Read more

Reviews (164)

Puffin, get your facts right
Obviously, Puffin has no idea what he's talking about.The album COVER was "Meet the Beatles" when it was released in the USA in the early days of Beatlemania but when it was released by the Fab 4 in Britain (as they wanted it released) it was "With the Beatles".Puffin, if you're going to act like a know-it-all, then get the facts straight

On the cusp of the global Beatlemania epidemic...
The Beatles have now faded into legend. Future music historians will doubtlessly classify them as the most popular, innovative, and important rock group of the twentieth century. But the group that produced Sgt. Pepper, the White Album, and revolutionalized western culture began as a slick pop group that sang mostly love songs. In late 1963, when "With The Beatles" was released in England, the brunt of the British invasion had not yet pummelled America. In fact, the Beatles had released two full albums, "Please Please Me" and this one, by the time they appeared on the Ed Sullivan show in early 1964. Parlophone's American affiliate, Capitol, then blasted the album "Meet The Beatles" into the American market almost instantaneously. Though the albums share the same cover photograph, they remain very different albums. Thus began the dichotomy between the "American" releases and the "British" releases that would last all the way up to Sgt. Pepper (which supposedly led the band to protest with the controversial "butcher cover" in 1965).