The Beatles: 'Please Please Me' - Why I still Love This Album!

[@debbiebosetti5723]

They turned me onto music at 8. Their songs still make me so happy. ❤🎉❤🎉

[@grantsclassicsongs8122]

"...and Jerry Lee Lewis was doing his cousin." This is why I never miss an episode. Plus the great analysis of course. More power to you, Barry.

[@FuturePast2019]

Daughter of cousin. Not illegal in Texas

[@stormbringercoming8105]

There’s a hope and joy to the music that cannot be extinguished.

[@neilwinchester9187]

One! Two! Three! Four! And the world changed!

[@PhilBaird1]

Superb analysis as always Barry. The '60s started here. The title track still sounds fantastic all these years later.

[@mattgaskell945]

There’s A Place is an underrated gem.

[@glennprangnell5767]

Agreed. One of my all time favourites.

[@debbiebosetti5723]

Yes

[@stuartshire]

The debut album I can think off . Superb performances - brilliantly recorded .

[@DavidCritchley-i6u]

The greatest opening of any album ever

[@Stonecutter334]

Because it’s still great

[@nickcooper1260]

Thanks for this marvellous presentation on an album that truly changed the World.

[@classicalbum]

Thanks for listening

[@bryter00]

One of my favourite Beatles albums. Now the world knows of the perfect storm that was to come, makes it an album full of hindsight and foresight.

[@BeatlesEddieV]

It Sounds so fresh and innocent

[@beatlebrian4404]

"She was just seventeen you know what I mean" yes we all know you bloody mean!

[@nervo6321]

It’s still magic 60 years on…your review of it said it all…

[@danielebowman]

"And the time was just right. The USA rock and roll was in crisis, Elvis had been drafted, Little Richard had found God, Chuck Berry was doing time and Jerry Lee Lewis was doing his cousin." That had me in stiches. LOL. Great review.

[@DaleBaker-e3u]

I so agree with you. This is excellent, like so much of the beatles stuff was. Everything recorded in a few hours, by four young lads, who had no idea how bloody brilliant they were even then. Your videos are the stuff of legends. More power to you my friend.

[@classicalbum]

Glad you enjoyed it! And thank you for watching

[@RichardCook-on3gf]

This is one of my favorite Beatles albums.

[@ilabelle1]

I consider this album as the one that launched rock music as a serious medium. A touchstone album.

[@Octavian7771]

If the benchmark for the "greatest LP" is the "best debut," then Please Please Me deserves the top spot. This album captures a pivotal moment in The Beatles' early career, showcasing their raw energy and the promise of their future greatness. Its freshness and power make it a defining snapshot of who they were at that time.

[@Foul_Quince]

A title it may have held for exactly 390 days, before the Rolling Stones epic debut dropped (still their best album, IMO)

[@99tonnes]

@@Foul_Quince You're joking, I take it.

[@Foul_Quince]

@@99tonnes I never joke. You have what is known as BDS, which is like TDS except with The Beatles. Common condition on the internet.

[@Octavian7771]

@@Foul_Quince Nice try Mr. Troll. The Stones first LP reflected a band that had been playing together for only 18 mths, had played a few dozen shows and knew a few blues standards. The Beatles first LP reflected a band that had been together five yrs, played a thousand hours in Germany & UK, could perform over 200 various covers at the drop of a hat,, and had performed live on TV. While the Stones were stickily doing blues covers, Beatles were writing original songs. Tell me that anything on the 1st Stones LP matches the energy of Twist and Shout.

[@Foul_Quince]

@@Octavian7771 All that and they still made an album with "Do You Want To Know A Secret", "Misery", "Ask Me Why", "Chains" and "A Waste of Money". And no, there is nothing on that Stones Album that matches a Twist and Shout, but a) at least 9 songs come darn close and b) apart from the opening track, there's nothing else on PMP that comes close to matching that energy. What's more concerning though is your knee jerk reaction that criticizing or holding an opinion contrary to the "everything they did was wonderful" narrative The Beatles is akin to trolling. That shows a stunted sense of critical faculty and a misdirected sense of investment of self. BDS is a real thing! Seek help today!

[@LLYMYNT]

Definitely a great introductory debut album. And the rest his history. 😊

[@TigerRogers0660]

Indeed!! A very spontaineous album full of charm!!

[@ajpp9]

Another great vid! I can still feel the energy of this album and absolutely agree with you, Thanks!

[@jlspindler]

Agree so much. Love your analyses, opinions, culled information, etc.

[@allanforrester2612]

An excellent evaluation. I agree that it's the fact that it is pretty much a" live in the studio" that gives it its continuing freshness. You can sense their excitement in finally getting to do what they'd been longing to do for years, though of course they had no idea what was coming. And they were all so very young!

[@Rollietom890]

What a coincidence! Just this afternoon while watching college football I listened to a lot of the early Beatles recordings and you nailed it. Their talent-driven enthusiasm and excitement bursts through the speakers like no other group ever has or will in the future. Bottled lightning in every track. It never gets old...

[@robbhahn8897]

John recommending Embassy as their recording label is pure Lennon humor, sarcasm at its best.

[@mjanovec]

Nearly three months passed between recording “Please Please Me” (the song) and Please Please Me (the album). The song had already been a hit by the time they got around to recording the remaining 10 songs to complete the album. George Martin was feeling much more confident about the Beatles’ abilities by that time… especially as hit singles were the priority and the Beatles already had a #17 and a #1 (or #2, depending on the chart) behind them. Less than two weeks after recording the Please Please Me album, the Beatles returned to record their next single, “From Me to You.” Less than three weeks after their debut album was released they already had a a new hit single in stores that wasn’t even on the album. Can you imagine something like this occurring today?

[@ChadBest-ug8uo]

If this is the album with "There's A Place, Misery, and Anna" than this is absolute classic.

[@VagueRANT100]

Australia loved the Beatles.......walking through the outback with I Saw Her Standing There belting out of my tinny little AM transistor radio was a revelation....the MOP TOPS were TOP MOPS!!!!

[@OohMyHead]

My first Beatles album. I wore the grooves down.

[@progman14-q7i]

The Beatles are easily the best band in the world not just in rock but in any kind of music 🎶 Every album was a masterpiece which showed of the bands instrumentation and talent John,Paul,George and ringo created the best music and art in the world And after the band they still pushed out masterpiece after masterpiece . Great video

[@pedromarques7457]

You're absolutely right!

[@riogorgos]

Agree 100%.

[@48musicfan]

Excellent episode!!! - Roger

[@jtt8886]

The early Beatles albums were exciting and fun. Good stuff if you ever want to cheer up.

[@gregcurtis295]

Still my favourite Beatle album, and Please Please Me is my number 1 Beatle track of all time. Great Review!

[@daytripper9222]

Excellent video. I love this album matter of fact I'm going to play it right now.

[@bddrex]

I need to revisit this album. It's been decades since I've listened to it from beginning to end.

[@adamfindlay7091]

In the winter, I lay back listening to this, surprised at the mellow/ ballads and wonder how can it still retain a toughness. I don't know but it's full of groove and the harmonica adds a punky jab.

[@stoptheworldiwannagetoff4780]

The joy in the songs reflected the mood at the time. I was only a small kid but I remember it well.

[@alwylie4252]

Sir Richard Starkey, ta very much!!! 😮

[@SteveOSpielberg]

The Beatles and Elvis Presley debut albums are must haves for any record collection

[@NelsonMontana1234]

Genius in its infancy.

[@handsomestik]

It was so good.

[@romangarcia608]

i love this album, early Beatles is so fun and enjoyable. it’s amazing to think that this was recorded in 1 day and fairly in sequence as i understand - John’s voice is fried by the time we get to Twist and Shout and, by his own admission, “was just screaming the damn thing”. There’s A Place is one my all time favorite Lennon songs, absolutely brilliant! love your videos btw 🙏🏼

[@HieronymousCheese]

Marvellous review. Cheers!

[@DrWrapperband]

I was surprised recently how rockin the Beatles were in 1961 on the Tony Sheriden LP .....

[@richardayrton2697]

Love this video. Up there for me from The Beatles. My 16 year old daughter's favourite Beatles' track is Do You Want to Know a Secret. High praise. 😃

[@julianwalch3567]

Love this L.P.

[@OldDavo1950]

I have a UK vinyl pressing of this album. Still in excellent condition. Apparently worth quite a bit of money.

[@davidowen3543]

This is a lovely review, lots of background info that I didn’t know, or maybe forgot.

[@craigphillips884]

Again you nail it,,love the content, and your explanation of the music..

[@classicalbum]

Thank you so much 😀

[@debbiebosetti5723]

Their covers were better than the originals. Especially Baby its You and You Really got a Hold on Me. 💙💙💙💙💙

[@pedromarques7457]

Thanks for the video. You should review all of the Beatles albuns..

[@MrSomethingElse]

I don't even need to watch this to know what you are going to say, this was my gateway drug, (Going to anyway) ok ok yep, we concur big pal, but I'm off to listen to the record k? Love your work, keep at it! I appreciate you sir, you always remind me of whats missing in my day!

[@Guedingen]

Wonderful, many thanks.

[@classicalbum]

Thank you too!

[@TZ1000-zu7ki]

Another excellent review. Please Please Me an Elvis' debut are the two finest and most significant debuts in the history of Rock. 'n' Roll. The energy and enthusiasm with which The Beatles performed these 14 tracks is unequaled. The story of how The Beatles were signed by EMI is actually quite different (and salacious) than the legend. The true story was first recounted in Mark Lewisohn's Tune In and expanded upon by Kenneth Womack in Maximum Volume, part one of his two-volume biography of George Martin. At the time that Epstein approached Martin in an attempt to get The Beatles signed to a recording contract, Martin was an unhappily married man with two children. He also was having an affair with his secretary, Judy Smith (later his wife and mother of Giles). As you noted, Archmore & Beechwood, EMI's publishing arm, were interested in obtaining the publishing to Lennon & McCartney's Like Dreamers Do. The heads of A&B were lobbying Len Wood, EMI's records division managing director. When Wood, who was conservative and frowned upon affairs, learned of Marin's and Judy's affair he essentially ordered Martin to sign The Beatles. It wasn't something Martin wanted to do. The Beatles initial EMI contract was for one year with three option years. It required them to record 6 sides (three two-sided singles) in the first year. The June 6, 1962 EMI recording date was not an audition, they were already under contract to EMI. It was their first session. Ron Richards was in charge of the session. He was not impressed. But at the conclusion of the session, he informed Martin of the results. Martin came to the control booth and listened to the playback. He was not impressed either. He proceeded for the next 20 minutes to explain in detail what was wrong with the recordings. The Beatles never interrupted him or offered any pushback. It was at the conclusion of this harsh critique that he asked if they had any response that George Harison uttered his legendary response, "I don't like your tie". According to Martin, they then talked easily and with plenty of humor for several minutes, giving Martin a favorable impression of their personalities. Between this first session and their next one on September 4, 1962, they replaced Pete Best with Ringo. Ron Richards was in charge of the session again. He was no more pleased with Ringo's drumming than he was with Pete Best's. They recorded that day a version of Love Me Do with Ringo on drums that was eventually released as their first single. For their third session, a week later, Richards hired session drummer, Andy White. They redid Love Me Do and P.S. I Love You. For some reason, however, for Love Me Do's subsequent release on the Twist & Shout EP and the Please Please Me LP, it was replaced by the version recorded on September 11, 1962 with Andy White on drums. Their second single, Please Please Me/Ask Me Why was recorded on November 26, 1962, not on February 11, 1963, when the bulk of Please Please Me was recorded, so while John's voice may have been harsh or strained (I don't hear it) on the A-side, it wasn't because he had a cold that was caught while on the February 1963 tour with Helen Shapiro. Four of the 14 tracks that make up Please Please Me were the four sides of their first two singles. The rest of the album was recorded on February 11, 1963, in a day off from the Helen Shapiro tour. And John's voice was indeed hoarse from a cold and his day of singing in the studio. The legend is that they needed one more song. They decided Twist and Shout would serve. John delivers one of the most exciting and powerful vocals of all time. That vocal is the definition of rock 'n' roll. If The Beatles had not become successful, that track would still be remembered as a classic.

[@timsinnott386]

13 hours to make ! Just amazing really!

[@QuesoWatt]

Their second album took even longer.

[@johndowling5850]

The album was not all recorded on the same day. 10 tracks were but the other 4 had already been recorded for the first two singles.

[@timsinnott386]

@@johndowling5850 i said it took 13 hours to make didn’t mention one day ! Still amazing regardless?

[@johndowling5850]

@@timsinnott386 I beg your pardon. And yes, it was quite an achievement.

[@timsinnott386]

@@johndowling5850 no worries 😉

[@tonymiller3182]

I've still got my original mono copy of this, the first LP I ever bought, early sixties. Despite all the abuse it suffered, it still sounds terrific!

[@spaceengineer1452]

I'm Wishing/ Know a Secret...I can't hear a similarity. Enjoyed yr review.

[@DEE-o4v]

I tend to gravitate towards their earlier work rather than their later work. Agree that their later work is obviously incredible and amazing and I love it dearly , but I just happen to love their earlier stuff much more.

[@DAVYMAC]

A good podcast and album!

[@1rwjwith]

One of the greatest albums ever recorded! It is my favorite of all their pre- Rubber Soul albums.

[@debbiebosetti5723]

Here in America it was called Meet the Beatles which my mom bought. Loved them since I was a little kid. ❤❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@stuartshire]

Wonderful review 👌👏

[@positiveimageltd]

Thanks for shining a light on this little known group who get nowhere near enough coverage some 60 years on.

[@theeniwetoksymphonyorchest7580]

Ah, you must be from an alternative universe.

[@positiveimageltd]

@theeniwetoksymphonyorchest7580 or just a touch of irony perhaps? 🤣

[@theeniwetoksymphonyorchest7580]

@@positiveimageltd possibly

[@pappachook]

Really enjoyed that.

[@kevinchavey8289]

Excellent commentary/perspective.

[@Gavin-qs4cq]

I haven’t watched the video yet, but is the answer “Because it’s a f**king great album.”

[@anthonyclarke5579]

One, Two, Three, Four!.....Well she was just seventeen.

[@johnlorinc2081]

Please Please Me, for 1963 standards, is stellar. However....because of the Fab albums that would come over the next few years, PPM suffers in comparison. However it is gem, starting with Paul's legendary "1, 2, 3....FAHR!" intro into I Saw Her Standing There and ending with Lennon's throat-shredding Twist and Shout. Sure, A Taste of Honey is, well, hot garbage....and Do You Want to Know a Secret and the cover of Chains are passable.....but Misery, the title cut and others more than make up the difference. Great video once again!

[@astolatpere11]

I play this lp pretty regularly - it's excellent.

[@christianhaynes1954]

Great video Barry 👍

[@classicalbum]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@lennon1482]

brilliant barry lad

[@catmando7262]

The Beatles were more punk at this point than many who jumped on the punk bandwagon in 1976.

[@debbiebosetti5723]

I don't think punk at all

[@davidskidmore4189]

she was just 17, and you know what I mean. They were witty and with a wink from the beginning.

[@phillipburton8055]

There a lot of so called great bands today that would give there left nut to be able to produce an album as great as this,as a band they are the goat!!!

[@gary6514]

Sex was invented in 1963 with Lady Chatterley's Lover and The Beatles first LP....McCartney's One Two Three Four count in to I Saw her Standing There effectively ushered in the 60s....

[@ricknorris1466]

Not their best Album but it is very close to my favorite. It’s very well recorded for its time. Lennon’s solo Vocal work is outstanding in its emotion and energy. He kills on Anna and Baby It’s You. This is probably the closest thing to hearing what they sounded like on a good night in some dingy Club like the Jacaranda in 1962. This era of The Beatles Story is my favorite part of their never ending legacy. Beatles forever!

[@matthewashman1406]

The energy of this album is infectious. Regardless of the quality of some of the weaker songs. Lemme of Morehead said it was the best Rock n Roll album ever made. I don't know about that but I get was a young man from then would think that. I think Keith Richards said Anna one of the best covers ever. And he still plays please please me on guitar when jamming 😊

[@lennon1482]

syd barret walked around telling everyone he met you have to hear please please me

[@Mercurius34]

I'd love it if you did a live stream with Andy Edwards maybe chewing the gristle of Yes or Pink Floyd

[@kw19193]

Cheers Barrie. Am I correct in assuming that you are the painter of the canvases that we see behind you in your recent vids? If so how about a video featuring your paintings? What do you listen to when you paint? Any music that may have inspired particular paintings? Regardless, great work as ever. Cheers!

[@classicalbum]

My wife is the artist

[@glennprangnell5767]

A great and often overlooked album and one of my favourites. They were still Liverpool/Cavern Beatles at this point and George Martin captured that on 'Please Please Me'.

[@andrewhudson8966]

Though there contract with Parlophone wasn’t great,they didn’t have much option,there was one serendipitous benefit in the contract which was going to be a great plus in the future and that was that EMI would pay for all recording costs,so when The Beatles were spending great amounts of time recording,it was costing the group nothing.

[@MFisher7346]

I bought this album when I was 17. My friend and I had gone into a local record shop and asked to hear "the new Beatles album". We went into a booth and the next thing we heard was Paul's "woon two three FOUR!" heralding I Saw Her Standing There. We were both knocked out and I got out my wallet and paid up. I think it cost about two pounds. For the next few months, whenever you went to a party there was just one record on the turntable. When one side was finished it was turned over and the other side started. This was a real milestone. I must confess that I was initially disappointed by the 2nd album (With the Beatles). It seemed a little *too* polished - lacking the raw energy of the first album. If I'd ever heard the phrase "over produced" I might well have used it, but I don't think that phrase had been invented yet. Compared to their later recordings, this album might sound a little naive and simplistic, but I still love it.

[@davidrauh8118]

I always preferred PS I Love You over Love Me Do. But really they are both weak compared to Please Please Me and I Saw Her Standing There. But the hidden gem for me is There's A Place. Great harmony and interesting lyrics for the time.

[@russelljdj]

And as Eric Burdon said in The Story Of Bo Diddley(the original American Pie type), Rock died due to circumstances beyond our control such as Payola.

[@paulthew2]

With the luxury of hindsight, It's amazing to hear about the questioning of the things that we take as obvious today. No Ringo? Unbelievable.

[@phillipanderson7398]

The entire album Please Please Me pleases me.

[@hansvandermeulen5515]

Of course I was aware of The Beatles prior but the song Please Please Me was an ear opener for me in 1990 or '91, I would've been around 20. Priot to my discovering of the most influential band that ever was I listened to metal, p-funk and hip hop. On the album in this video I like their originals better than the covers with a possible exception being Twist and Shout.

[@SpaceCattttt]

20 is pretty late to discover the Beatles...

[@hansvandermeulen5515]

@@SpaceCattttt before that I thought it was lame, old folks music. The harmony vocals in the verses and chorus of the title track piqued my interest. There are folks here on yt that are discovering them now. Plenty of reaction vids on the fab four.

[@SpaceCattttt]

@@hansvandermeulen5515 And isn't it sad that the little kiddies need to watch Reaction garbage to learn about this stuff, when they have all the world's music on their phones? They don't care to look for themselves. Someone always has to tell them what to do and how to think. It's pathetic. When I went to school in the 80s, we learned about the Beatles in music class. We played and sang their songs because it was considered important music. But we already knew those songs from way earlier. All of us did.

[@jimmycampbell78]

@@SpaceCattttt it really depends on your age and what you're exposed to. I was born in 1979, as a child I became aware of McCartney, Harrison and Ringo from Paul's solo work, television and music in the 1980s, I remember George's "When We Was Fab" coming out, at some point in late 80s my parents showed me Sgt Pepper and mentioned the name John Lennon, and I was aware he was one of the Beatles and he had died...but I didn't get into properly listening to the Beatles music until about 1993 or 1994, a schoolfriend had the Red & Blue albums on vinyl record and then the Beatles Anthology happened...that was when I properly got into them- retrospectively- and I was in my mid teens.

[@tawnieriekena7]

There's a Place was not from Westside Story. It's an original written by Lennon.

[@ernger531]

Yes, but the Idea was from Somewhere, this musicpiece contains the line There s a place for us, the inspiration for Paul

[@tawnieriekena7]

@@ernger531 That's not what he said in the video. He said the song was from West Side Story, not inspired by it. Also , John wrote it, not Paul. You are wrong on both points.

[@ernger531]

@@tawnieriekena7 Read the Bio Many Years From Now, you are wrong.

[@Robert_St-Preux]

Starkwell????? 🧐

[@trevorpugh6475]

I thought I was hearing things… it’s STARKEY!!👉🙄🙃

[@jips123]

Yes Lord Starkwell.

[@QuesoWatt]

That was a bit of a fou pas.

[@jimmycampbell78]

Yes wasn't Ringo born Richard Starkey? And his son is Zak Starkey....

[@alanbarrow7447]

Heard that too! Also it's not "Please Please ME" (as opposed to pleasing someone else), it's "Please PLEASE Me" (as opposed to not pleasing me)🙄

[@lawrenrich-nf3ni]

Richard starkwell ?

[@philipbrooker8388]

Did you call Ringo Ringo Starkwell instead of Starkey? Maybe my ears need a good cleaning😊

[@maxwelleddison6717]

Richard Starkey. Not Starkwel.

[@strathman7501]

Ritchie Starkwell?

[@SpaceCattttt]

Why shouldn't you love this album? It's brilliant. And while it may be the band's first album, it's also from their early, superior period when they still played together as a BAND rather than as grumpy studio musicians. Of course, With the Beatles is MUCH better, but that's a different story.

[@99tonnes]

I dunno about MUCH better, but I agree WTM deserves a lot more love than it gets. Second child syndrome I suppose. There's songs that leave me cold on there, the 2 or 3 trad rock'n'roll covers basically, but the rest is great.

[@SpaceCattttt]

@@99tonnes No, I think it's much better. I suppose I could point at "Money (That's What I Want)" as a lazy rehash of "Twist and Shout", but it's still a good song and you can't go wrong with Lennon screaming his head off. Please Please Me is an impressive album in the sense of how much they achieved in just a few hours. With the Beatles is what Please Please Me would've sounded like if they had the time to do the songs justice.

[@dennisneo1608]

The Beatles earlier work was, to me, their best.

[@trevorbrown2813]

You got some of your info wrong. Please Please was not played at the audition but played on September 11th. Mark Lewisohn says it wasn’t an audition it was there first recording session. As punishment for George Martins infidelity with his secretary. I won’t go into other mistakes. Sorry.

[@doncampbell7487]

Starkwell????

[@richardhewitt4252]

Still a fabulous listen, although I do skip “Boys”, one of their lesser covers not helped by Ringo’s vocals(!)

[@giorgiopalmas7934]

Kind of weird singing about boys as well.

[@giorgiopalmas7934]

These early songs really cheered up us Americans after JFK's death. Hearing Please Please Me takes me back. 🇬🇧