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With the Beatles

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For the Alistair Taylor autobiography of the same name, see Alistair Taylor.

Untitled
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
The A.V. ClubA[6]
Blender[7]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[8]
MusicHound3/5[9]
Pitchfork Media8.8/10[10]
Paste87/100[11]
Record Collector[12]
Rolling Stone[13]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[14]

With the Beatles is the second studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. It was released on 22 November 1963, on Parlophone, and was recorded four months after the band's debut Please Please Me. The album features eight original compositions (seven by Lennon–McCartney and "Don't Bother Me", George Harrison's first recorded solo composition and his first released on a Beatles album) and six covers (mostly of Motown, rock and roll, and R&B hits). The cover photograph was taken by the fashion photographer Robert Freeman, and it has been mimicked by several music groups over the years.

The album became the first Beatles album released in North America when it was released in Canada on 25 November under the augmented title Beatlemania! With the Beatles, with additional text on the album cover, and issued only in mono at the time, catalogue number T 6051 (a stereo Canadian release would come in 1968, catalogue number ST 6051). With The Beatles was unevenly "split" over the group's first two Capitol albums in the United States; nine tracks were issued on Meet the Beatles! (the eight original compositions plus "Till There Was You"), and the remaining five, all "covers", were placed on The Beatles' Second Album.

The LP had advance orders of a half million and sold another half million by September 1965, making it the second album to sell a million copies in the United Kingdom, after the soundtrack to the 1958 film South Pacific.[15] With the Beatles remained at the top of the charts for 21 weeks, displacing Please Please Me, so that the Beatles occupied the top spot for 51 consecutive weeks. It even reached number 11 in the "singles charts" (because at the time UK charts counted all records sold, regardless of format). EMI Australia did not receive the cover art, and used different shots of the band in a similar style to the black-and-white photograph on other releases. The Beatles were unaware of this until fans showed them the cover during their only Australian tour, and informed the EMI publicity staff that they were not pleased with the substitution.[16]

On 26 February 1987, With the Beatles was officially released on compact disc (in mono only, catalogue number CDP 7 46436 2). Having been available only as an import in the US in the past, the album was also issued domestically in the US on LP and cassette on 21 July 1987. Along with the rest of the Beatles' canon, it was re-released on CD in newly re-mastered stereo and mono versions on 9 September 2009.

The album was ranked number 420 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2003,[17] and was included in Robert Dimery's 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[18]

Recording

Unlike Please Please Me, whose tracks not previously issued on singles (10 of the 14) were recorded in one day (11 February 1963),[19] With The Beatles was recorded over seven sessions across three months, from 18 July to 23 October. None of its 14 tracks were issued as singles in the UK. In between sessions, as Beatlemania took off across the UK, the group were busy with radio, TV, and live performances. The sessions featured:

  • 18 July: "You Really Got a Hold on Me", "Money (That's What I Want)", "(There's A) Devil in Her Heart" and "Till There Was You"[20]
  • 30 July: "Please Mister Postman", "It Won't Be Long", "Money", "Till There Was You", "Roll Over Beethoven", and "All My Loving"[20]
  • 11 September: "I Wanna Be Your Man", "Little Child", "All I've Got to Do", "Not a Second Time" and "Don't Bother Me"[21]
  • 12 September: "Hold Me Tight" "Don't Bother Me", "Little Child" and "I Wanna Be Your Man"[22]
  • 3 October: "I Wanna Be Your Man" and "Little Child"[23]
  • 17 October: "I Want to Hold Your Hand", "This Boy", and "You Really Got a Hold on Me". This was the Beatles' first session to use four-track recording. "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "This Boy" were the A-side and B-side of the Beatles' next single, released on 29 November.[24]
  • 23 October: "I Wanna Be Your Man"[25]

Packaging

Impressed with Robert Freeman's black and white pictures of John Coltrane, Brian Epstein invited the photographer to do the cover image.[26] The Beatles requested him to take inspiration from the pictures Astrid Kirchherr had previously taken of the Beatles in Hamburg between 1960 and 1962, featuring the band in half-shadow and not smiling.[27] To achieve this result, on 22 August 1963 Freeman photographed the band in a dark corridor of the Palace Court Hotel, Bournemouth, England. To fit the square format of the cover, he put Ringo Starr in the bottom right corner, "since he was the last to join the group. He was also the shortest".[28] The original idea was to paint the picture from edge to edge, with no bleeding or title, but the studio vetoed it, on the grounds that the Beatles were not yet famous enough to carry a nameless cover. (The first album to carry an edge-to-edge cover was the Rolling Stones' self-titled debut, released a few months later.) The studio also tried to pull the cover because the Beatles were not smiling, and it was only after George Martin intervened that they won the day. Freeman was paid £75 for his work (three times the normal fee).

Track listing

With the Beatles (side 1) – Parlophone yellow and black label.

All tracks are written by Lennon–McCartney, except where noted

Side one
No.TitleLead vocalsLength
1."It Won't Be Long"Lennon2:13
2."All I've Got to Do"Lennon2:02
3."All My Loving"McCartney2:07
4."Don't Bother Me" (George Harrison)Harrison2:28
5."Little Child"Lennon with McCartney1:46
6."Till There Was You" (Meredith Willson)McCartney2:14
7."Please Mister Postman" (Georgia Dobbins, William Garrett, Freddie Gorman, Brian Holland, Robert Bateman)Lennon2:34
Side two
No.TitleLead vocalsLength
1."Roll Over Beethoven" (Chuck Berry)Harrison2:45
2."Hold Me Tight"McCartney2:32
3."You Really Got a Hold on Me" (Smokey Robinson)Lennon and Harrison3:01
4."I Wanna Be Your Man"Ringo Starr1:59
5."Devil in Her Heart" (Richard Drapkin)Harrison2:26
6."Not a Second Time"Lennon2:07
7."Money (That's What I Want)" (Janie Bradford, Berry Gordy)Lennon2:49

Personnel

According to Mark Lewisohn:[29]

The Beatles

  • John Lennon – lead, harmony and backing vocals; rhythm and acoustic guitars; handclaps; harmonica on “Little Child”; nylon-string acoustic guitar on "Till There Was You"; tambourine on "Don't Bother Me"
  • Paul McCartney – lead, harmony and backing vocals; bass guitar and handclaps; piano on "Little Child", claves on "Don't Bother Me"
  • George Harrison – lead, harmony and backing vocals; lead and acoustic guitars; handclaps; nylon-string acoustic guitar on "Till There Was You"
  • Ringo Starr – drums, tambourine, maracas, handclaps; lead vocals on "I Wanna Be Your Man", Arabian loose-skin bongo on "Till There Was You" and "Don't Bother Me"

Production

Charts and certifications

Release history

Region Date Label Format Catalogue
United Kingdom 22 November 1963 Parlophone Mono LP PMC 1206
Stereo LP PCS 3045
16 February 1987 CD CDP 7 46436 2
United States 26 February 1987 Parlophone CD CDP 7 46436 2
21 July 1987 Capitol Records Mono, LP CLJ-46436
Worldwide re-release 9 September 2009 Apple Records Remastered stereo CD 0946 3 82420 2 4
Remastered mono CD
13 November 2012 Remastered stereo LP 0094638242017

References

  1. ^ O'Dell, Denis; Neaverson, Bob (2002). At the Apple's core: the Beatles from the inside. Peter Owen Limited. p. 27. the first truly convincing British rock and roll album, With The Beatles
  2. ^ Harrington, Richard (6 February 2004). "It was 40 years ago ..." The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 5 January 2013. Retrieved 5 January 2013. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ Howlett, Kevin; Heatley, Mike (2009). With the Beatles (CD historical notes). p. 12.
  4. ^ SHINDIG! Issue 35, page 30
  5. ^ With the Beatles at AllMusic
  6. ^ Klosterman, Chuck (8 September 2009). "Chuck Klosterman Repeats The Beatles". The A.V. Club. Chicago. Archived from the original on 26 May 2013. Retrieved 26 May 2013. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ Du Noyer, Paul. "The Guide: The Beatles – With the Beatles". Blender. Dennis Digital. Archived from the original on 4 May 2006. Retrieved 25 December 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 1. Muze. pp. 487–489. ISBN 978-0-19-531373-4.
  9. ^ Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds) (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide (2nd ed.). Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. p. 88. ISBN 1-57859-061-2. {{cite book}}: |first2= has generic name (help)
  10. ^ "Album Reviews: The Beatles: With the Beatles". Pitchfork. 8 September 2009. Archived from the original on 6 October 2013. Retrieved 13 August 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ "The Beatles: The Long and Winding Repertiore". Paste. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 5 January 2013. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ McCann, Ian (December 2013). "The Beatles – With the Beatles". Record Collector. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  13. ^ The Beatles: With The Beatles at the Wayback Machine (archived 8 March 2007)
  14. ^ "Rolling Stone Artists: The Beatles". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 20 September 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  15. ^ "Wide Screen Movies Magazine". Widescreenmovies.org. Archived from the original on 6 June 2013. Retrieved 13 August 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ Baker & Dilernia 1985.
  17. ^ Rolling Stone 2007.
  18. ^ ^ Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (23 March 2010). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 978-0-7893-2074-2.
  19. ^ Lewisohn 1988, p. 99.
  20. ^ a b Lewisohn 1988, p. 117.
  21. ^ Lewisohn 1988, pp. 121–122.
  22. ^ Lewisohn 1988, p. 122.
  23. ^ Lewisohn 1988, p. 123.
  24. ^ Lewisohn 1988, p. 125.
  25. ^ Lewisohn 1988, pp. 125–126.
  26. ^ Beatles fans eye rare display of Fabs photos
  27. ^ Carlin, Peter Ames (2009). Paul McCartney: A Life. Touchstone. p. 91. ISBN 978-1-4165-6209-2. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  28. ^ Lewisohn, Mark (1996). The Complete Beatles Chronicle. Chancellor Press. ISBN 0-7607-0327-2.
  29. ^ Lewisohn 1988.
  30. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Beatles – With the Beatles" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  31. ^ "The Beatles | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  32. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – The Beatles – With the Beatles" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  33. ^ "Ultratop.be – The Beatles – With the Beatles" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  34. ^ "Ultratop.be – The Beatles – With the Beatles" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  35. ^ "The Beatles: With the Beatles" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  36. ^ "Italiancharts.com – The Beatles – With the Beatles". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  37. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – The Beatles – With the Beatles". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  38. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – The Beatles – With the Beatles". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  39. ^ "Swisscharts.com – The Beatles – With the Beatles". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  40. ^ Whitburn 2007.
  41. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2009 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  42. ^ "Canadian album certifications – The Beatles – With The Beatles". Music Canada. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  43. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (The Beatles; 'With The Beatles')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  44. ^ "British album certifications – The Beatles – With The Beatles". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 15 September 2013. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type With The Beatles in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  45. ^ "American album certifications – Beatles, The – With The Beatles". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  46. ^ "Beatles albums finally go platinum". British Phonographic Industry. BBC News. 2 September 2013. Archived from the original on 12 February 2014. Retrieved 4 September 2013. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

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