Songs and Albums of The Beatles

Let's go back to the childlike days of 1963, and remember fondly just how innocent it was and too, how much fun these days were. Remember? This was back in the days when teenagers who possessed a 45 rpm record was like currency was to adults. As a teenager, you carried these singles proudly like gold, and if you were lucky, you just may have had one of the few EP's, those extended play 45's with four and perhaps more tracks. These were the days when singles cost about twenty-five cents, which is all most teenagers could afford. Albums, or LPs as they were commonly referred to in the 50s and 60s, were generally beyond the financial reach of most teenagers. Generally, most LPs cost between three and four dollars, which was only for mono. If the stereo version was available, it cost one dollar more - -much too expensive for most.

This album was The Beatles debut album, released on March 22, 1963 in the United Kingdom. Had it not been for the total faith of George Martin in The Beatles, they never would have had an album released, at least not this soon. The Beatles had two singles released in the United Kingdom prior to this album. They were: Love Me Do/P.S. I Love You on October 5, 1962, followed by Please Please Me/ Ask Me Why on January 11, 1963. With their moderate success, and not having conquered America yet, they actually did not warrant an album. During these times in the early sixties, the only performers who were allowed the artistic freedom to record albums with any songs they liked were Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald. All the other performers did albums that were supported by their one hit song, or perhaps a film soundtrack. If you go back and look at all the pop albums from this period, they generally consisted of their one hit combined with merely filler songs. It is also true that many times some of these filler or hackwork songs came to be bigger hits than the original hit for which the album was made.

During this same time period in the United States, The Beatles had released only one single prior to their first album, which was Please Please Me / Ask Me Why released on February 25, 1963. The United States counterpart to The Beatles first UK album was on Vee-Jay records titled, Introducing The Beatles. The albums were different not only in title but also in picture and design, with the US version having only twelve tracks to the UK's fourteen.

What makes this US release even more fascinating is that the two songs that were left off were Please Please Me / Ask Me Why. I guess since Vee-Jay had released these on the single earlier, they felt it was not necessary to include them here. The US album's cover reads exactly, "Introducing The Beatles, England's No.1 Vocal Group." I guess not too many people have this album or have perhaps have seen it. I am fortunate, I feel, to have a copy, as well as have the stereo version. When EMI released the CD version of "Please Please Me" they chose to release it in the mono version, and as of this writing in the year 2001, the stereo version has not been released, other than on the original vinyl.

When EMI released the original debut album "Please Please Me," they wrote on the cover, "The Beatles - -Please Please Me with Love Me Do and 12 other songs." This idea was that which supports the sixties thinking that albums had to contain and support previous single hits.

Of the fourteen tracks on "Please Please Me," only eight were written by The Beatles, that is, Lennon and McCartney. As with all my articles on The Beatles in this column, only those actually written by The Beatles are cited herein with the lyrics. One of the amazing facts about this album, especially by today's recording standards, is that ten of the fourteen tracks were recorded and completed in one day, on February 11, 1963 in a 15-hour session. This was more of a standard operational fact in the record business during this time, as the companies wanted to ensure the LP reached the teenage market as soon as possible, hopefully before the group died out. They didn't know it then, but this was certainly the last thing to worry about with The Beatles. But still, this album was a risk, because at the time of it's release, The Beatles had not yet had a number one hit. We can all credit George Martin for having the insight to believe in The Beatles. It is true however, that George Martin at this moment in time, believed that rock n'roll was a thing of the past, and would not last much longer. This is one of the reasons The Beatles included six songs written and previously recorded by others on this album.

When this album was recorded, it was done so on a two-track recorder at Abbey Road. When George Martin mixed the album, it was done first in mono, then a very rudimentary stereo version. Audiophiles, or more exactly, stereophiles today are still requesting a stereo version CD of this album. But, The Beatles themselves thought that their mono versions captured their true sound, and that these were the best representation of their work at the time, and George Martin agreed. Based on this, I think that if The Beatles had been asked, which they weren't, whether to release this album CD in mono or stereo, they would have chosen the mono version.