The Beatles - Please Please Me - 50 Years On

Fifty years ago today, The Beatles took to the studio to start and finish recording sessions for their debut album 'Please Please Me'. Little did they or we know, they were embarking on a journey that would lead them to becoming the biggest band on the planet, and making them among the most famous people of all-time. The recording sessions have become the stuff of legend; the four Beatles and producer George Martin did the entire album in 12 hours, and the record went on to top the UK Charts for 30 weeks. But has that debut effort stood the test of time?

It is true that you can tell the difference in the quality of the recording, and a couple of the songs aren't among the band's greatest hits, but 'Please Please Me' contains such an innate charm, that is still easy to see how and why Beatlemania hit these shores. Bright and vibrant, refreshing and simple, with remarkably vibrant vocals and full of uncomplicated pop songs, The Beatles hit the ground running with a mixture of good covers and even better originals.

Has there ever been a better start to a debut album, than Paul McCartney's '1, 2, 3, 4!'? Probably not, and opening track 'I Saw Her Standing There' shows how vibrant and potent The Beatles already were as a live band. In a time where albums were made up of hit singles, covers and filler, 'Please Please Me' is pleasingly full of high-quality songs as the Lennon-McCartney partnership began to blossom. 'Misery' is the Fab Four at their swooning best and 'Love Me Do' is a brilliantly simple but loveable first single. 'Ask Me Why', 'P.S. I Love You' and 'There's A Place' all do the job well; it's the sound of The Beatles as they searched for originality amongst a very limited pop scene. 'Do You Want To Know A Secret' was written as a vocal workout for George Harrison, but he excels with an upbeat and strong vocal, promising much from someone very much deemed as just a guitarist. The title track is the highlight however; that unmistakeable harmonica intro, up-tempo and a hooking melody, George Martin certainly knew what he was talking about when he told the band - 'Well done boys, you've just recorded your first number one'.

The covers were mostly from The Beatles live-set, and complete a very good debut effort. The voice-shredding 'Twist And Shout' is fantastic to listen to, as you can almost hear Lennon tearing his voice over another roaring performance. Listeners get their first helping of Ringo's droll vocals on the toe-tapping 'Boys', with the bobbing 'Chains' and 'A Taste Of Honey' pleasurable if not show-stopping. Capped off with 'Anna (Go To Him)', a low-key tale of lost love with wailing vocals, and the luscious 'Baby It's You', it is a very easy listen, that still brings a smile to the face fifty years on.

There's no doubt that it now drips in nostalgia and sentimentality, and the story of the album's production is full of legend and myth, but 'Please Please Me' is beneath it all a good debut effort. It's difficult to consider now, but you can still see why this was the album that first launched Britain into a state of Beatlemania. It's true that you still hear the likes of 'I Saw Her Standing There', 'Love Me Do' and 'Please Please Me' nowadays; an incredible feat, and the songs themselves have crossed over to another level of music canon. The Beatles were going to get a lot better, but here the potential was there on their debut - and that has lost none of its shine, fifty years on.


It's still a joy and a pleasure to listen to every now and then, and as a special treat, here's the whole damn thing. The Beatles, and 'Please Please Me' - take it away, boys. 1, 2, 3, 4!!!!!

NWR