Customer Reviews

The Beatles' Second Album

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"The Beatles' Second Album" was my first real record album (records having to do with television shows like "Mr. Ed" and "Top Cat" do not count). I actually managed to avoid buying another Beatles' album until "Abbey Road," although I did pick up "The Chipmunks Sing the Beatles Hits" and my father made copies of "Sgt. Pepper" and "Magical Mystery Tour" at the reel-to-reel tape club at the base. So when the Beatles albums came out on CD and they went with the original British albums rather than the ones that Capitol started cobbling together on this side of the pond, I had to put together a play list of the album that I knew so well. "A Hard Day's Night" is still my favorite Beatles album, all things considered, but this is the Beatles album that makes me wax nostalgic. My cousin Donna, who got to see the Beatles in concert, had "The Beatles First Album," but all I really did was listen to "I Want to Hold Your Hand" a couple dozen times in a row, which is why that song but not that album play a larger role in my memories of the Fab Four.

The tracks for this 1964 album, which hit #1 on the "Billboard" album chart, are as follows:

1. "Roll Over Beethoven"
2. "Thank You Girl"
3. "You've Really Got a Hold on Me"
4. "Devil in Her Heart"
5. "Money (That's What I Want)"
6. "You Can't Do That"
7. "Long Tall Sally"
8. "I Call Your Name"
9. "Please Mr. Postman"
10. "I'll Get You"
11. "She Loves You"

"She Loves You" is the #1 hit single that was most associated with this album, although "Roll Over Beethoven" also charted (#68). Those two songs define this album, which offers a mix of rock & roll with rhythm & blue, and original songs as well as covers. Actually, there are only five Lennon & McCartney tunes on the album, but except for "I Call Your Name" (written by John back in the Quarry Men days), they were all songs really co-written by the pair. "Thank You Girl" was originally intended to be the B-side for "From Me to You" but ended up being the A-side. "I'll Get You" was the B-side to "She Loves You," and John and Paul actually thought it was the better song. But "She Loves You" would prove to be the best-selling single in the U.K. for the entire decade and represented everything that the early Beatles were all about musically ("Yeah, yeah, yeah"), although it is different their previous singles by being about other people rather than the singer (cf., "Love Me Do," "Please, Please Me" and "From Me to You"). The song was actually covered by Peter Sellers on three different versions representing three different accents (the Irish one is my favorite), but I digress.

What really makes this "second" album stand out from the other early Fab Four efforts is that it has so many covers of songs by black American artists and songwriters, from Chuck Berry ("Roll Over Beethoven") and Little Richard ("Long Tall Sally") to Smokey Robinson ("You Really Got a Hold on Me") and Barrett Strong ("Money"), not to mention "Please Mr. Postman" originally done by the Marvelettes. This was the first album that Capitol Records put together for the American market, pieced together from "With the Beatles" (tracks 1, 3, 4, 5 and 9), and assorted singles. If you want to recreate the album from your current collection of Beatles CDs, then in addition to the aforementioned you want tracks 2, 7, 8, 10, and 11 from "Past Masters, Vol. 1" and track 6 from "A Hard Day's Night." Those of us who had the original vinyl album will be most inspired to do this, but even those of you born after 1964 might be curious to hear the album you would have been listening to if you had been around way back when. You might not be able to totally appeciate the nostalgia that makes me round up on this one, but you will have a much better idea of why I still of think of "The Beatles' Second Album" as number one.

This is not an import as it is listed. It's the original second album release in the United States. The USA and Britain had entirely different released albums, mainly because Capital Records in the states (Which EMI owned) thought they knew how to market to USA consumers better.

The Amazon write-up is confusing. This purportedly Russian-release CD sold by jammin_recordings has all the songs from 2 albums, "Beatles Second Album" AND "Something New" as well as some low-grade bonus tracks (33 total tracks). HOWEVER, the songs are NOT the Capitol (USA) versions but the UK versions. I have been searching for Capitol's versions on CD but didn't want the $170 box set, which gives you both stereo and mono versions of each song (for what purpose?). Capitol added some echo to many of the songs as well as an occasional embellishment (extra guitar chord in the intro to "Any Time At All" and harmonica at the end of "Thank You Girl") and these were the versions I remember so well. My vinyl versions aren't worth salvaging and I still hope to find some USA-version CD's.

When my parents called to me to leave washing the dinner dishes and come look at the TV -- on that Ed Sullivan Sunday evening in 1964 -- I gladly complied. But I couldn't believe what I saw on the screen. I looked over to my family and asked, "Is this suppost to be funny? Like comedy?" Mom said, "No, it's real." I noticed Dad wasn't smiling. Their music seemed flat; poorly mixed for TV transmission. Yet the audience reaction was as one long shriek. At the end of their performance I got up, slung my dish towel over one shoulder and returned to the kitchen sink, saying aloud, "They'll never get anywhere."

About a month later, my cousin got his Mom to buy him "The Beatles Second Album" and we played it to death on their big old console stereo. It was then I got a real taste of The Beatles' big-beat sound and I became as hooked as the rest of my young generation. Today, at 57 years, I have my own copy of the Second Album. I can feel that same excitement at hearing, again and again, George's precise opening guitar attack on "Roll Over Beethoven," taken up by Ringo's machine-gun drumming. The only reason I can't give the Second Album 5 stars is because I wish producer George Martin hadn't mixed in the silly hand-clapping on that particular track. Otherwise, I think the Second Album perfectly reflects the mania that permeated baby-boomers upon discovery of "these four youngsters from Liverpool who call themselves The Beatles."

This issue of the album has all the tracks in both mono and stereo.

"You Can't Do That" is the Fab Four's strongest hard-edged R&B-style original ever. There's a raw 12-bar blues verse, melodic bridge w/minor chords, nasty-ass lead guitar riff locked tight with driving rhythm strum, persuasive John vocal, urgent backup harmonies, powerhouse funky groove propelled by Macca's relentless 1-note bass line + Ringo's 4/4 cowbell. Not to forget a totally filthy George guitar solo, some syncopated drum kicks exactly where they belong, all wrapped in a swirl of shimmering echo-ey cymbals courtesy of Dave Dexter Jr's engineers in Hollywoood...a very very complete record.

Regarding the Motown covers: the Beatles approached the Hitsville liturgy much the same as did hundreds of other bar bands during those years: awestruck and clueless.

The year of 1964 was a real whirlwind for The Beatles. Not only did they conquer America in February; they also conquered the rest of the world, as well. In America, Capitol records pushed the envelope for them in a big way, launching a massive promotional campaign that is still unmatched in music history. Follwing the release of the "Meet The Beatles!" album and Vee-Jay's "Introducing The Beatles" LP, Capitol issued its next offering, appropriately titled "The Beatles' Second Album". Unlike every other Beatles album released by Capitol during the 60s, this one truly rocks out from start to finish, with all 11 tracks included having a cheerful, up-tempo feel to them. What is notable about this album is the great amount of cover versions that were featured. This album cracks along at a break-neck pace, enabling the listener to really enjoy what the boys were known for at this time in their career. Even for a 1964 release, it still holds up very well, retaining a freshness and a spark of fun that is undeniable. Opening the festivities is their cover of Chuck Berry's "Roll Over Beethoven", with lead vocals handled by George Harrison. "Thank You Girl" is the same recording that was first released on the Vee-Jay single; however, this album features the song with extra harmonica riffs, which are notably absent from other releases of the same song, making this version the best one ever released. The tempo slows down a bit with "You Really Got A Hold On Me", first recorded by The Miracles. A lesser-known song is "Devil In Her Heart" which was previously performed by The Donays. Barrett Strong's "Money" is also given first-rate treatment here, moving along like wildfire. "You Can't Do That" was first issued as the B-side of a hit single. Paul McCartney outshines on the cover of Little Richard's "Long Tall Sally". The quick pace continues with "I Call Your Name", a Beatles original. The fifth and final cover tune is a rollicking version of The Marvelettes' "Please Mister Postman". This is follwed by 2 more Beatles-penned compositions; "I'll Get You" and "She Loves You", which were first released together as a hit single which went all the way to number one. This album truly defines 'Beatlemania' in a very big way, and even more so on this CD, with all 11 tracks presented in both Mono & Stereo, bringing the total to 22 recordings. "The Beatles' Second Alnum" is pop music defined as a fun time to be had by all.

I REALLY WISH THESE REVIEWERS WOULD TAKE THE TIME TO GET THEIR REVIEWS RIGHT! IF YOU HAVE A COMPLAINT ABOUT THE RUSSIAN ONE ,REVIEW IT ON THE RUSSIAN ONE ,NOT THIS ONE YOU PUTZ! TO THE OTHER PUTZ - THE JAPANESE DID ISSUE THIS ,PLEASE CHECK YOUR FACTS . IT ISN'T THAT HARD TO DO . I REALLY HOPE YOU GUYS ARE NOT SELLERS WHO DIDN'T GET HOOKED UP TO SELL THESE-MIGHT I REMIND SOME OF YOU SELLERS THAT THIS IS AMAZON , NOT EVILBAY ! YOU WANT TO PLAY THIS GAME I SUGGEST YOU SELL ON THAT TRICYCLE SITE , NOT HERE ON AMAZON,WHICH IS A MERCEDES BENZ BY COMPARISON.

this album was out after thier debut "please please me" and before "with the beatles" back in england.it has 3 #1s on it including from me to you,she loves you and cant buy me love.its yet another outstanding piece of the beatles puzzle.i would definately recomend this and every other beatles album there is.just buy the originals,not all the post 1970 phonies.