Friday, February 7, 2014

Music Review - The Beatles - With The Beatles

I was wrong about things only getting better from here.

With The Beatles was recorded a mere four months after Meet The Beatles and to my ears, they used their best originals on their first album. Eight originals on this one and six covers. Of the eight, the bestest is “All My Loving” which totally slays. I love the walking bass line so much that I actually learned it and am able to play it well enough that it has become one of my few “Guitar Center” songs. You know what I’m talking about… the little riff or song you practice to death so that when you go to Guitar Center and plug in a guitar and lay down some killer bit and everyone thinks you’re amazing and they start offering you product endorsements. I’ve actually never played “All My Loving” in a Guitar Center or any other song. Well, I did awkwardly strum on an acoustic for a few minutes until some kid interrupted by solitude and started jamming away with HIS Guitar Center song so I left.

But anyway… “It Won’t Be Long” is raucous and energetic enough but it lacks a clear hook in the melody. “All I’ve Gotta Do” has a nice vocal harmony part (so nice that J. Geils Band lifted it for their song “Desire” off the Love Stinks album) but otherwise there’s not much to speak of. Well, there’s the covers “Roll Over Beethoven” and “Please Mr. Postman” which are decent but in my book covers don’t count. At least this album sold well for the boys and allowed them to continue making records.

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