Music Review - The Beatles - Hard Days Night

With Hard Day's Night things start to get really interesting. The iconic opening chord of the album and title track, long debated as to it's actual structure (but confirmed by George as being a Fadd9 with a high D played by McCartney) announces that something has changed. Some of the change is the absence of any covers, a very good thing in my book. Also leading the charge is George's Rickenbacker twelve string which adds a chimey tone throughout. Often Paul will double his bass line with the piano, expanding the sonic palate in a subtle but satisfying way. The songs are also a bit more sophisticated than the simple jingles found on the first two albums.

And then there's the cowbell on the title track. I need say no more.

There are a number of hits, including "Can't Buy Me Love", "I Should Have Known Better" (which sports Lennon's harmonica) and the suave "And I Love Her" which is totally made my George's Spanish flavored melody line. But even the non-hits exhibit a kind of self-respect, like they know they are strong stuff but only pale next to the sprinkling of timeless classics. No filler. Who can refuse to fall under the spell of the gentle melody of "If I Fell"? Or how about the heart-wrenching two-party vocal harmonies in "Things We Said Today"? Even "Tell Me Why", which sounds like it could have been off the first two albums, has a greater depth thanks to the bands progression in the studio.

NOW it only gets better from here!