Please Please Me
Ok, lets get on with the first proper album.
1.
I Saw Her Standing There - Nice early rocker, but I admit that I get tired of this song easily for some reason. First thing I noticed are the handclaps throughout the whole song. Not needed. They sound weird and off somehow. George’s guitar solo was passable. I liked John’s rhythm guitar sound and playing throughout. Ringo was tight as usual. Pauls voice was good and I like the constant moving bass. Decent song.
2.
Misery - Not one of my favorites and not a lot to say about it. I think the piano sounds stupid in it and should have been a guitar, but that’s just me. Song has good harmonies and tight playing. Really not much else to add.
3.
Anna (Go To Him) - I hate, I mean absolutely hate the backgound Anna’s in this song. They sound almost comical. Like long and drawn out burps before you puke dumb if you can get my meaning. In the same breath, the AH’s are nice and the polar opposite. John’s voice was decent enough for the song and Ringo was solid again.
4.
Chains - Nice Ringo shuffle throughout. George’s voice is nice here. Good song for him. John’s rhythm guitar has a neat distorted sound to it. Sounds almost like a fuzz bass in my opinion. Paul’s higher background harmonies works on this song too. 1:28 John or George say something like Wow or something else. I couldn’t quite pick exactly what it was out, but its neat.
5.
Boys - 0:31 I like Pauls scream. Thought George’s guitar sound and playing was kind or shaky throughout. Like the busy bass again. Background vocals are nice. Ringo does alright for what it is (singing that is).
6.
Ask Me Why - Woo Woo Woo’s annoy me bad. George and Paul sound good in the background together on this one. 0:51 mark the voices don’t mesh together. Not a whole lot more to add. it’s a decent enough song, but the ending sucks. They should have been able to come with something better than that.
7.
Please Please Me - I’ve always liked this song. I don’t like the harmonica and guitar together part though. Just me though. Ringo kills on the skins. Backgrounds are good. 1:19 George ends the bar with a high note on the guitar. Really nice. Never noticed it before. 1:27 mark, obvious screw up with John and Pauls vocals. 1:33 mark, John sings the ’Come On’s’ half laughingly and with authority. Sounds funny. Wonder if it was due to the mess up at 1:27? At the 1:44 mark you can hear the song being played on top of a slower version and its awful. Its really obvious. I don’t know if its due to the remasters or if it’s a studio blunder. I havent listened to the other version to find out.
8.
Love Me Do - Tighter version than the Pastmasters version. Andy White must have had them on their best behavior.
9.
PS I Love You - Another song I’ve liked forever. Pauls voice just sounds suited for this tune. He does a nice job. It doesn’t get much better than when Paul, John, and George takes a turn at the vocals. Love it. One thing that bothered me was the shaker throughout the song. Get rid of that and add some hi hats and I’m good to go.
10.
Baby Its You - Love John’s ‘Uh Oh’s’ in this song. Don’t know why, but he nails that. George and Pauls backgrounds are good. Like the rhythm guitar sound. The xylephone (SP?) or whatever the hell it was during the solo kills the song. I seriously think it’s the reason why I never liked this version better.
11.
Do You Want To Know A Secret - I like the guitar playing and tone on this one. I know I’m going to be crucified for this, but I think George’s voice is weak here. He does a fine job, it just feels weak to me. I cant explain it any better than that so I’m sure its only me. Moving on, the ‘Do Dah Do’s’ are silly sounding. Song killer for me. Probably could have done without the woodblock or drumstick tapping together at the 1:08 break too.
12.
A Taste Of Honey - Here their voices together do not sound good in my opinion. I realize it’s a cover, but I think it’s a bad choice for them. Pauls voice on its own is good though. Go figure. Like the time change at 0:42. Did not like the messed up guitar strum at 1:14 mark. Don’t know if its George or John, but whoever it was tried to get fancy here and add another note or two and blew it. Not real noticeable, but its there. Backgrounds are good. Like Ringos use of the brushes.
13.
There’s A Place - Not a fan of that harmonica. Pauls higher background voice is nice on this one. George’s voice sounds kind of monotone throughout. Ringo plays well throughout but I hate his ending fill at 1:40 where he goes to the toms. Sounds dumb. A very average, vanilla song in my opinion.
14.
Twist And Shout - The Beatles made this cover song their own. Johns voice gets a lot of credit on this song, but its deserving. George and Pauls backgrounds are good together. 1:09 mark, I like what Pauls doing with the bass line. Sweet. 1:23 Paul gives the bass 3 short stabs to end the bar. Very cool. Guitars are solid and sound good. At 2:09 theres that song on top of a song effect again. You can hear the echo of the the song being played at a different speed beneath the original again. It stops at the 2:18 mark though. Its not as bad as Please Please Me, but its there. Studio or remaster issue. Probably the latter.