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Beatles forums => Albums => Microscopes => Topic started by: tkitna on March 18, 2011, 04:11:00 PM

Title: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: tkitna on March 18, 2011, 04:11:00 PM
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.
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: nyfan(41) on March 18, 2011, 04:50:02 PM
good post  ;yes

@saw her standing - was this one of the first rock songs with the bass taking such a driving role?

@misery - enjoyable to me mostly because of john's vocal and what's common knowledge now about his life and childhood - also the falsetto near the end

@anna - come on man -  -this song creeeeps up on you so cool and sly. ringo is super syncopated

@ask me why - see, those woo woo woos are what i like -> they have this album showing diverse roots and influences. this is kind of like a showtune to be honest

@please please me - yeah, the tone of voice on john's later 'come on's make the song intelligent

@love me do/andywhite.... disagree - i think they had just played/practiced it more times by the andy white take

@psiloveyou - this song is everything i like about the beatles. it's like an old time song.. a bassonova,,, a gleeclub singalong... it's like nothing else, when pauls sings "you know i want you to" in a high voice at 1:27 . . . it's his musicality in a nutshell

@babyit'syou - the bbc version is a far better vocal take in my opinion. check it out

@do you want to kno a secret - i think this song lyrically carved a niche for george female fans and depicted him 'shy guy'..... when he sings 'for a week or two'... it's abstactly atonal.

@taste of honey - sounds tongue in cheek to me ala mr.moonlight

@there's a place - weird harmonies on one part . . introspective lyrics for such an early song .... and..... i think the beau brummels stole the sound of this song for 'laugh laugh'  . . . . and 'in my room' by the beach boys was influenced by it as well

@twist and shout
call the priest, build the casket, dig the hole...... all competition is officially dead !  ha2ha


my only criticism of your posts thusfar is that some of the things you don't like can be attributed to the times, the music industry, recording conditions, the state of rock when it came out etc
-
but hey -> at the end of the days it's all about the ears!!



Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: Hombre_de_ningun_lugar on March 18, 2011, 05:42:24 PM
In "Do You Want To Know A Secret", the bridge that says "I've got a secret for a week or two, nobody knows just we two", John wrote the lyric using the same word ("two") twice to make the rhyme. A little "sin" of him, but it actually works.
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: Gary910 on March 18, 2011, 06:46:19 PM
From your comments you are reviewing the Stereo version.

I have always admired the drums in 'Boys'. I think it is one of Ringo's best performances. He rocks.

'Please Please Me' does not have harmonica (What are you smoking, Gary...???) It is a mouth organ. Slightly different. I wish I could find the reference, but there is speculation out there that Ringo did not play drums here or on 'Ask Me Why'.

I admire John's vocal in 'Twist And Shout', but it isn't a song I am in love with. I do think it is amazing that John did such a good job in only two takes. I like John's cough/gag at the end. You can just feel his sore throat.
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: 7 of 13 on March 18, 2011, 07:05:22 PM
1. I Saw Her Standing There
floor rocker and a half. i don't think enough good things can be said about this song, the rocking bass line, the perfect harmonies, the trademark beatles chords and lyrics. a deceptively simple boy-meets-girl tale, exhuberant and sweet, to the point. it doesn't slow down, a bluesy offering with the trademark falsettos throughout. a masterpiece.
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: nimrod on March 18, 2011, 11:34:19 PM
Quote
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.

I think there is quite a lot to say about misery  ;D...the solemn intro is a bit misleading as it then continues to bump along in a G  major kind of happy beat  :) so its like john is miserable but he's telling us in a happy almost perky way. (imagine listening to the verses without the vocals)

Now heres a little quiz guys....was this the first melisma (ba-aaa-ad and dr-aaa-ag)) on a beatle song ? ( i like melisma's)  ;D
 
Also theres an interesting kind of key change in the middle section "i remember all the little things weve done" is a descending dorian e minor as opposed to the happy g major of the verse (the sadder dorian fits beautifully with the lyric) so thats a very interesting move by john, a forerunner if you like to his later songs that change key (and time signature)

A fine song IMO and enhanced by the little piano riffs that come in to give an accentuated feel to the 2 middle sections, i can imagine john & paul polishing this one off in about 30 minutes  ;D
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: Hello Goodbye on March 18, 2011, 11:36:52 PM
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.

As I write this letter (Oh)
Send my love to you (you know I want you to)
Remember that I'll always (yeah)
Be in love with you.


I love when Paul did that.  I love this song!

Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: tkitna on March 18, 2011, 11:44:57 PM
From your comments you are reviewing the Stereo version.

That’s correct. I didn’t buy the mono set because I prefer stereo.

Quote
'Please Please Me' does not have harmonica (What are you smoking, Gary...???) It is a mouth organ. Slightly different.

Hmm, interesting. I was unaware of that nor do I even know what that instrument is.

Quote
I wish I could find the reference, but there is speculation out there that Ringo did not play drums here or on 'Ask Me Why'.

I never heard this, but I’m glad you brought it up. I forgot to mention that Andy White played the drums on ‘PS I Love You’.

Quote
I admire John's vocal in 'Twist And Shout', but it isn't a song I am in love with.

Yeah, me either.
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: tkitna on March 18, 2011, 11:46:54 PM
I think there is quite a lot to say about misery  ;D...the solemn intro is a bit misleading as it then continues to bump along in a G  major kind of happy beat  :) so its like john is miserable but he's telling us in a happy almost perky way. (imagine listening to the verses without the vocals)

Now heres a little quiz guys....was this the first melisma (ba-aaa-ad and dr-aaa-ag)) on a beatle song ? ( i like melisma's)  ;D
 
Also theres an interesting kind of key change in the middle section "i remember all the little things weve done" is a descending dorian e minor as opposed to the happy g major of the verse (the sadder dorian fits beautifully with the lyric) so thats a very interesting move by john, a forerunner if you like to his later songs that change key (and time signature)

A fine song IMO and enhanced by the little piano riffs that come in to give an accentuated feel to the 2 middle sections, i can imagine john & paul polishing this one off in about 30 minutes  ;D

Now thats technical. I'm only a drummer so your speaking beyond me, but I do agree they probably finished that one off in 30 minutes or less.  ha2ha
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: 7 of 13 on March 18, 2011, 11:48:06 PM
11. Do You Want To Know A Secret
pure. heaven.
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope Please Please Me
Post by: Hello Goodbye on March 18, 2011, 11:49:58 PM
Now heres a little quiz guys....was this the first melisma (ba-aaa-ad and dr-aaa-ag)) on a beatle song ? ( i like melisma's)  ;D

Ther...r...r...r...re......There's A Place and Misery were both recorded on 11 February 1963.
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: tkitna on March 18, 2011, 11:51:07 PM
my only criticism of your posts thusfar is that some of the things you don't like can be attributed to the times, the music industry, recording conditions, the state of rock when it came out etc
-
but hey -> at the end of the days it's all about the ears!!

Yes I suppose I am guilty of this now that you mention it. Your 100% right and I cant deny it.
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope Please- Please Me
Post by: nimrod on March 18, 2011, 11:57:14 PM
i'm a tad dissapointed that we have moved on from past masters as i was going to listen to it this weekend and comment, maybe the mods could make each album have its own thread ?

and maybe a spell checker  ;D
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope Please Please Me
Post by: tkitna on March 18, 2011, 11:58:23 PM
Listen to it, we'll talk about it.
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: Hello Goodbye on March 19, 2011, 12:02:54 AM
'Please Please Me' does not have harmonica (What are you smoking, Gary...???) It is a mouth organ. Slightly different.

I had to look that one up and found that a mouth organ has two reeds per note with a set vibrato.  A harmonica has one high quality reed per note that allows the player to create his own vibrato at a speed that suits the music being played.
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: nimrod on March 19, 2011, 12:06:13 AM
Ther...r...r...r...re......There's A Place and Misery were both recorded on 11 February 1963.

haha which was written first ?
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: Hello Goodbye on March 19, 2011, 12:13:20 AM
i'm a tad dissapointed that we have moved on from past masters as i was going to listen to it this weekend and comment, maybe the mods could make each album have its own thread ?

and maybe a spell checker  ;D

Done, but no spell checker.  ;)
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: nimrod on March 19, 2011, 12:19:19 AM
Done, but no spell checker.  ;)

thanks HG, my spellings always been very bad  :-[
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: Hello Goodbye on March 19, 2011, 12:22:01 AM
haha which was written first ?

Looks like they were both written in January 1963.
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: Hello Goodbye on March 19, 2011, 12:25:35 AM
Note to all - The edits by me which appear at the bottom of everyone's posts are just my changing the thread topic name.

Todd, let me know if you'd like your Beatles under the microscope threads to be moved to "Albums."

Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: Hello Goodbye on March 19, 2011, 12:55:03 AM
OK, it looks like There's A Place was written before Misery.  Paul said the song was based on There's A Place For Us which he heard on a West Side Story LP he bought.
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: tkitna on March 19, 2011, 01:04:59 AM
Todd, let me know if you'd like your Beatles under the microscope threads to be moved to "Albums."

Makes no difference to me. I guess it could since the albums are getting reviewed as wholes. Whatever you think.
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: nyfan(41) on March 19, 2011, 01:12:39 AM
i got dibs on this thread's frequent flyer miles  ha2ha ha2ha ;D
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: Hello Goodbye on March 19, 2011, 01:21:02 AM
Ok, they're both moved to Albums.
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: Hello Goodbye on March 19, 2011, 03:15:28 AM
i got dibs on this thread's frequent flyer miles  ha2ha ha2ha ;D

Wow, that was nerve-wracking.  On the way the paper bag was on my knee, man I had a dreadful flight.  I was just hoping I was clicking on the right buttons to do that and that the entire threads wouldn't disappear!
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: Hombre_de_ningun_lugar on March 19, 2011, 03:31:22 AM
'Please Please Me' does not have harmonica (What are you smoking, Gary...???) It is a mouth organ. Slightly different. I wish I could find the reference, but there is speculation out there that Ringo did not play drums here or on 'Ask Me Why'.

For what I know, Ringo played drums in both songs. At least that's what is said in all the sources I saw.
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: nimrod on March 19, 2011, 03:40:42 AM
Wow, that was nerve-wracking.  On the way the paper bag was on my knee, man I had a dreadful flight.  I was just hoping I was clicking on the right buttons to do that and that the entire threads wouldn't disappear!

and a fine job you did HG, I salute you  ;)
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: nyfan(41) on March 19, 2011, 04:22:35 AM
Wow, that was nerve-wracking.  On the way the paper bag was on my knee, man I had a dreadful flight.  I was just hoping I was clicking on the right buttons to do that and that the entire threads wouldn't disappear!
-
so HG . . .  are you a 'mod'?........................or a rocker?
(answer - BOTH !)  ha2ha
  ;yes well done sir
-
(i think as the beatles albums get progressively more interesting -> so will the microscope threads !  :D )
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: tkitna on March 19, 2011, 05:59:32 AM
(i think as the beatles albums get progressively more interesting -> so will the microscope threads !  :D )

Yeah, I agree. The earlier songs and albums are a tough read due to their simplicity sometimes.
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: KelMar on March 19, 2011, 07:40:28 AM

@babyit'syou - the bbc version is a far better vocal take in my opinion. check it out


I agree! There is just something about that BBC album overall that is really special
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: Ovi on March 19, 2011, 08:51:58 AM
I'm not a big fan of "Please Please Me" but I have to admit :
-"Twist and Shout" is Lennon's voice at it's best.Pure brilliance.Love the song, it always puts me in a good mood. John should've used that voice more often in my opinion.
-"I Saw Her Standing There" is pure rock n' roll. An all-time classic in my book. I like pretty much everything about it.
-"Please Please Me", "Anna", "Baby It's You" - all fine songs, nothing much to say about them. They're good Lennon tracks.

Except for these 5 tracks, I don't really like any other songs on PPM. They are some pretty good ones, but they do nothing special to me.
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: glass onion on March 19, 2011, 09:17:00 AM
i have a couple of highlight songs on PPM.....'p.s i love you' is a personal fave of mine,lovely tune.i also like the title track of the album,the other songs are good on the album as a whole i feel............i do actually like PPM as an album,i think it's the best one up until help!but then again i could be a little biased,as it is my dads' favourite beatle album and i was introduced to it early on in my childhood/teenage years.PPM always brings to mind that john,paul,george and ringo had had their noses pressed up against the sweet shop window for so long,then somebody unlocked the door and just said 'help yourself lads'.lots of laughing,smiling fun,energy,and some good songs that still get rated 50yrs on.not bad...................
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: tkitna on March 19, 2011, 09:26:28 AM
I think 'A Hard Days Night' is their first real great album. 'PPM' is a nice introduction, but with all the covers and some weak originals, it doesnt hold up as well for me.
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: Ovi on March 19, 2011, 09:29:00 AM
I think 'A Hard Days Night' is their first real great album. 'PPM' is a nice introduction, but with all the covers and some weak originals, it doesnt hold up as well for me.

Same opinion here.
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: glass onion on March 19, 2011, 10:32:20 AM
I think 'A Hard Days Night' is their first real great album. 'PPM' is a nice introduction, but with all the covers and some weak originals, it doesnt hold up as well for me.
Same opinion here.
i can appreciate that,like i say i think it's because there is a big soft spot for the album from my angle.i would agree on the hard days night opinion.
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: nyfan(41) on March 19, 2011, 11:46:23 AM
for me, Hard Day's Night launched them into the stratosphere but PPM honors their bar-band roots
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: nimrod on March 19, 2011, 02:11:36 PM
-

(i think as the beatles albums get progressively more interesting -> so will the microscope threads !  :D )

I dont agree nyfan, as I said before about Misery, if you really think about the early songs they are in many ways very interesting musically with all sorts of things going on, they might sound simple but in a lot of cases they are intriuging.
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: 7 of 13 on March 19, 2011, 08:00:44 PM
I dont agree nyfan, as I said before about Misery, if you really think about the early songs they are in many ways very interesting musically with all sorts of things going on, they might sound simple but in a lot of cases they are intriuging.
the early songs are excellent and superior musically in many respects. i don't think alot of bands today could actually do what the beatles did on their first few albums, they had musical integrity and weren't out just to make a buck or shout some trashy lyrics at their reality-addled/complacent audience. interesting point about sounding simple to simple ears, it's just like some people get peppers, some don't. there is nothing in-between really.
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: Hello Goodbye on March 19, 2011, 10:36:29 PM
I dont agree nyfan, as I said before about Misery, if you really think about the early songs they are in many ways very interesting musically with all sorts of things going on, they might sound simple but in a lot of cases they are intriuging.

Right.  And their early songs are historically important as many were innovative.  I think we'll see this again and again as the microscope threads continue through their albums.
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: Hello Goodbye on March 19, 2011, 10:48:13 PM
and a fine job you did HG, I salute you  ;)


  ;yes well done sir



(http://oi56.tinypic.com/2cxzuhj.jpg)
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: nyfan(41) on March 19, 2011, 11:06:09 PM
yeah i actually prefer their early stuff - songs like misery or soldier of love
not sure if it's because a) i havent heard these songs on the radio a jillion times   b) the beatles were younger and rocking harder  or c) the material is just uncut musical gold

as to my comment -> i guess i meant the later stuff has more diverse instrumentation etc so there's more to react to in a way
-
-
am i the only one - but the way the PPM album is so raw, direct and stripped down with no fancy overdubs, it almost reminds me of a punk rock group
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: Mr Mustard on March 19, 2011, 11:12:17 PM
I realise I will probably be slaughtered for this, but am I the only Beatles fan who finds I Saw Her Standing There one of their most overrated songs? It's a decent enough rocker and a lively enough opener, but it really does very little for me and I've always been puzzled by its popularity.

Misery is a jaunty enough number... am I correct in thinking it was the first Lennon & McCartney number to be covered by another artist (Kenny Lynch)?

Anna, Chains and Boys I regard as fillers to be honest, although Lennon's supreme vocals lift the first and I love Ringo's energy on the last.

I have always really liked the two B sides, Ask Me Why and P.S. I Love You which for me demonstrate the emerging idea that latin rhythms were destined to be "the next big thing". Typically The Beatles were always ready to explore emerging trends and new directions.

as for the A sides... Love Me Do obviously has its own special place in Beatle lore but for me it is rather too pedestrian (even for then), timid and turgid. By contrast Please Please Me ranks for me as one of the high points of the first half of their career. Surely few tracks can rival it as a prime example of the exhilarating, zestful sound of the early Beatles? It was so in your face and brimming with confidence and gusto... that guitar break which ushered in the "Come on.." barrage was simply fantastic. I'm not old enough to remember first hand, but it MUST have been apparent with this song that here was something refreshingly new and different. Thank God George Martin prevailed in his idea to vamp it up from John's original perception of the song as an Orbisonesque operetta!

Baby It's You is yet more padding to my mind, but with Do You want To Know A Secret the album hits its low point...I don't like the way the guitar following George's tremulous opening falters and slows the momentum in an instant. It pains me to say it but this is one of very few examples where a cover version (by Billy J Kramer & The Dakotas) easily demolishes the fab four original.

However, in my opinion the album finishes on a three part high... A Taste Of Honey showcases Paul's adroitness at handling show tune standards and he delivers a sterling vocal, though I'm less keen on John and George's rather cold and overloud repeat lines in the backing.  There's A Place is one of the greatest early Beatles album tracks recorded. It is so quintessentially John & Paul. McCartney paid homage to this fact many years later with "My Brave Face" and his collaboration with Elvis Costello.

Of course these tracks were the build up to John's climactic tour de force. Twist And Shout became the fabs' showstopper throughout 1963 and little wonder. Lennon quite simply devoured it and in a couple of takes cemented his reputation as one of pop music's greatest ever vocalists. Paul was a terrific rock and roll singer but largely due to his talent as a mimic...close your eyes and it could actually be Little Richard singing "Long Tall Sally" or "Kansas City". But Lennon copied no one's voice, and no one could copy his. He put his inimitable stamp of confidence on the album's finale and sealed Please Please Me into place as a raw, fresh, and truly wonderful debut album.  
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: Hello Goodbye on March 19, 2011, 11:37:25 PM
I realise I will probably be slaughtered for this, but am I the only Beatles fan who finds I Saw Her Standing There one of their most overrated songs? It's a decent enough rocker and a lively enough opener, but it really does very little for me and I've always been puzzled by its popularity.


During "The British Invasion" I Saw Her Standing There spent 11 weeks on the charts but never made it higher than #14.  We heard it often but I Want To Hold Your Hand and She loves You were their big hits here in the United States staying at #1 for 7 and 2 weeks respectively. 

It was Please Please Me that I liked most in early 1964.


This is something we'll never see again:

(http://www.beatlebay.com/images/GGG/DisplayADBillboardHot100April41964-closeup.jpg)


Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: nyfan(41) on March 19, 2011, 11:42:06 PM
I realise I will probably be slaughtered for this, but am I the only Beatles fan who finds I Saw Her Standing There one of their most overrated songs? It's a decent enough rocker and a lively enough opener, but it really does very little for me and I've always been puzzled by its popularity.

 Paul was a terrific rock and roll singer but largely due to his talent as a mimic...close your eyes and it could actually be Little Richard singing "Long Tall Sally" or "Kansas City".  
-
never really struck me until reading what you posted . .
but i saw her standing ther is like a generic type elvis song
the screech in pauls voice on 'heart went boom' is like a send up
it's like someone took heartbreak hotel, jailhouse rock, too much, dont be cruel (handclap rhythm) and teddy bear and smushed them all together
...
paul said he took the bass line from a chuck berry song but....
paul's not doing little richard,,,,, he's doing elvis !
brilliant yet derivative down to the last note
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: Hello Goodbye on March 19, 2011, 11:48:23 PM
Of course these tracks were the build up to John's climactic tour de force. Twist And Shout became the fabs' showstopper throughout 1963 and little wonder. Lennon quite simply devoured it and in a couple of takes cemented his reputation as one of pop music's greatest ever vocalists. Paul was a terrific rock and roll singer but largely due to his talent as a mimic...close your eyes and it could actually be Little Richard singing "Long Tall Sally" or "Kansas City". But Lennon copied no one's voice, and no one could copy his. He put his inimitable stamp of confidence on the album's finale and sealed Please Please Me into place as a raw, fresh, and truly wonderful debut album.  

Twist And Shout was my second favorite because of John's delivery.  I liked it better than The Isley Brothers' version.
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: tkitna on March 20, 2011, 12:09:32 AM
i don't think alot of bands today could actually do what the beatles did on their first few albums, they had musical integrity and weren't out just to make a buck or shout some trashy lyrics at their reality-addled/complacent audience.

Not sure I agree with all of this. They had a few hits and had some momentum so they ran with it. If they didnt care about money, they would have taken more time on a lot of this earlier stuff, but they rushed it so they could cash in. Thats why 'With The Beatles' is littered with covers. They had to get something to the public to keep up the momentum. It worked, but we as listeners suffered somewhat in my opinion.
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: nimrod on March 20, 2011, 12:27:36 AM
Ive always really loved 'I saw her standing there', for one, the energetic bass line is completely awesome, fast & fluid and it drives the song along at a great pace, pity imo that this wasnt theyre first single..(its a good exercise for budding bass players to play this and sing it as paul did, it takes a while to master)

Regarding the song itself, simplicity is the key, but simplicity in life is what life was in early 60's england, the words to the song are plainly obvious about fancying the pants off a girl, i believe it was lennon who suggested the 'you know what i mean ' line instead of 'never been a beauty queen', a BIG improvement and it gave the song and edge. I like the way the simple lyrics are met by the simplicity of the melody, i think the verse has only 4 notes, tonic, 2nd, 5th, 7th , curiously the 7th is flattened in the verses and the 2nd is only used once. Ive always thought  the 'Ohh' at the end of the pentatonic upward surge 'I'll never dance with another'  Ohhhhhhhhh.........thats a real beatles style hook just there imo  ;D, the middle section, where his heart goes zoom, also has yet another melisma !! 'held her hand in mi-yine-----ine and this melisma brilliantly enters the falsetto which stands out and hooks you in.
I think the recording is quite perfect, even the handclaps  ;D theres not really much for the boys to do, Ringo just has to keep the beat, Georges solo is erm............adeqaute  ;D nothing flash, couldve been better of course. All in all a perfect example of brilliant pop songwriting 10/10

Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: Mr Mustard on March 20, 2011, 12:30:30 AM
-
never really struck me until reading what you posted . .
but i saw her standing ther is like a generic type elvis song
the screech in pauls voice on 'heart went boom' is like a send up
it's like someone took heartbreak hotel, jailhouse rock, too much, dont be cruel (handclap rhythm) and teddy bear and smushed them all together
...
paul said he took the bass line from a chuck berry song but....
paul's not doing little richard,,,,, he's doing elvis !
brilliant yet derivative down to the last note

Paul drifts into a half-decent Elvis pastiche here and there during Lady Madonna  ;)
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: tkitna on March 20, 2011, 12:35:54 AM
I realise I will probably be slaughtered for this, but am I the only Beatles fan who finds I Saw Her Standing There one of their most overrated songs?

Its an alright song, but like I said, I get awfully sick of it really quick. It does seem to get a lot of attention for some reason though.

Quote
There's A Place is one of the greatest early Beatles album tracks recorded. It is so quintessentially John & Paul.

Cant agree with you here. I think the song is filler material.

Quote
Paul was a terrific rock and roll singer but largely due to his talent as a mimic...

Paul was a great rock singer period. Sure he tried to mimic some voices once in awhile, but that was on purpose. Theres endless examples of Paul singing some kick ass rock n roll without the mimicking aspect.

Great post though Mr. Mustard.
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: Mr Mustard on March 20, 2011, 12:37:08 AM
Ive always really loved 'I saw her standing there', for one, the energetic bass line is completely awesome, fast & fluid and it drives the song along at a great pace, pity imo that this wasnt theyre first single..(its a good exercise for budding bass players to play this and sing it as paul did, it takes a while to master)

Regarding the song itself, simplicity is the key, but simplicity in life is what life was in early 60's england, the words to the song are plainly obvious about fancying the pants off a girl, i believe it was lennon who suggested the 'you know what i mean ' line instead of 'never been a beauty queen', a BIG improvement and it gave the song and edge. I like the way the simple lyrics are met by the simplicity of the melody, i think the verse has only 4 notes, tonic, 2nd, 5th, 7th , curiously the 7th is flattened in the verses and the 2nd is only used once. Ive always thought  the 'Ohh' at the end of the pentatonic upward surge 'I'll never dance with another'  Ohhhhhhhhh.........thats a real beatles style hook just there imo  ;D, the middle section, where his heart goes zoom, also has yet another melisma !! 'held her hand in mi-yine-----ine and this melisma brilliantly enters the falsetto which stands out and hooks you in.
I think the recording is quite perfect, even the handclaps  ;D theres not really much for the boys to do, Ringo just has to keep the beat, Georges solo is erm............adeqaute  ;D nothing flash, couldve been better of course. All in all a perfect example of brilliant pop songwriting 10/10



I think it's one of a handful of McCartney compositions that Lennon probably wished he'd written... no coincidence that he chose it to close his guest spot on Elton John's stage show in 1974.

I can't really dispute any of what you've written in that excellent post nimrod, perhaps an even bigger mystery to me than why it's so popular with so many people is why it just fails to grab me?

But for whatever reasons, it never has.
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: glass onion on March 20, 2011, 01:25:46 AM
i always felt 'i saw her standing there' was good.not brilliant and not poor,just good.it's the energy and the feelgood factor that gets you,and with it opening the first beatles album,well you can't deny it can you?i must disagree with tkitna on the opinion of 'theres' a place',i think this is a real forgotten gem of a song from the beatle cannon and one that deserves a little more mentioning.i like the album as a whole,i really do.the band must have really been 'cooking' live around this time,certainly a lot better than the live act they were destined to become....through no real fault of their own.
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: tkitna on March 20, 2011, 01:37:27 AM
It must just be me with 'There's A Place'. Even my buddies band played the song when they played out and I asked why. He said he loved it. What can I say?
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: Gary910 on March 20, 2011, 03:13:25 PM
That’s correct. I didn’t buy the mono set because I prefer stereo.


I know there are discussions ad nauseum about mono vs. stereo, but as I know has been brought up here, mono is a different listening experience.
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: tkitna on March 21, 2011, 12:02:52 AM
I know there are discussions ad nauseum about mono vs. stereo, but as I know has been brought up here, mono is a different listening experience.

Agreed, but its a lot easier to pick things out in stereo in my opinion. I cant tell you how many times i've shut one side off to hear the drums better when learning songs and stuff like that.
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: Ollie on March 21, 2011, 12:18:46 AM
I once read a book and inside of it, it proclaimed: "Not even Bob Dylan was writing lyrics like that in 1963"

Said of "There's A Place"...

I tend to agree...
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: peterbell1 on March 21, 2011, 11:00:13 AM
I once read a book and inside of it, it proclaimed: "Not even Bob Dylan was writing lyrics like that in 1963"

Said of "There's A Place"...

I tend to agree...

Yeah. The first verse is an amazing piece of work when you think that The Beatles were still a relatively new and unknown band when it was written and recorded.
It's a shame they didn't have the confidence to carry on with the theme in the second verse and bridge.
The second verse goes back to the old love song angle. And the bridge section ("In my mind there's no sorrow...") doesn't really fit with either of the preceding verses!
I still really like it as a song though. Love Paul's harmonies on the "and it's my mind" bit.
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: nimrod on March 21, 2011, 11:10:12 AM
Quote
Now heres a little quiz guys....was this the first melisma (ba-aaa-ad and dr-aaa-ag)) on a beatle song ? ( i like melisma's) 

so, on please please me, there are melisma's on..

I saw her standing there
Misery
Anna
Ask me why
Do you want to know a secret
Theres a place

the place is full of them  ha2ha
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: peterbell1 on March 21, 2011, 11:14:57 AM
There's a few instances on this album of John and Paul saying "sh" instead of "s" (some examples are "shend her back to me" in Misery and "shweeter than wine" in Taste of Honey).
Where did that come from? Were they copying some other singer of the time?
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: nimrod on March 21, 2011, 11:28:46 AM
I guess I always feel that PPM is the album that sounds most dated of them all due to the production values, for example theres way too much reverb on some vocals and the band sounds really 'thin' the bass is too low down in the mix, sometimes its hard to tell who voice is who's on the backing vocals.........although it has to be said the remasters adresses some of these issues, like the bass levels.
The song that really stands out is the title track, what a magnificent song and a qauntum leap from Love me do, everything about it is fresh and when John sings the c'mon's, it really sends shivers down my spine his voice is so good..
Theres a curios noise on the remaster at about 1.08 where john sings but you know theres always pain in my heart, it sounds a bit like a twangy jews harp, my hearing is quite shot after years of playing in bands, can anyone tell what it is?

and at 1.47 on the last lines of the outro the reverb goes up to ridiculous levels for some reason, Mr Martin mustve thought it was a good idea at the time ha2ha
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: peterbell1 on March 21, 2011, 11:33:46 AM
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.

I have heard that voice at 1.28 before, but still can't work out what it says.
The What Goes On anomalies list suggests it might be ....

1:27
    Maybe John - "S'at enough?"/ "S'at the rhythm?".

It sounds like George's voice to me though.
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: Gary910 on March 22, 2011, 05:13:20 PM

1:27
    Maybe John - "S'at enough?"/ "S'at the rhythm?".

It sounds like George's voice to me though.

It sounds like John to me. I spent some time isolating/analyzing with Audacity and it sounds like John saying something like "blahh".
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: nimrod on March 29, 2011, 04:43:51 AM
It sounds like John to me. I spent some time isolating/analyzing with Audacity and it sounds like John saying something like "blahh".

he's saying 'i bet they'll be discussing this on a forum in 2011'  ;D
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: 7 of 13 on March 29, 2011, 06:01:06 PM
apparently i have been ip blocked and/or banned from this forum.
but as far as the song Don't Bother Me goes, i like the guitar and bass intro section, and the song is based on a clave rhythm.
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: nyfan(41) on March 30, 2011, 03:58:53 AM
i think there's a forum for people who got banned from beatles sites


(http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh315/THEDecepticon/1291664255_obama-kiks-door-open.gif)
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: Bobber on March 30, 2011, 07:23:45 AM
apparently i have been ip blocked and/or banned from this forum.

You have not. You could log in, couldn't you?
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: tkitna on March 30, 2011, 07:25:28 AM
In all fairness, i've been having trouble logging in also the last couple days. Not sure why.
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: Bobber on March 30, 2011, 07:27:40 AM
In all fairness, i've been having trouble logging in also the last couple days. Not sure why.

I will call Dmitry.
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: nimrod on March 30, 2011, 09:14:22 AM
its now past 7 pm in Oz and I havent been able to log in all day, Ive tried about 5 or 6 times..
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: 7 of 13 on March 30, 2011, 04:29:50 PM
i think there's a forum for people who got banned from beatles sites


([url]http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh315/THEDecepticon/1291664255_obama-kiks-door-open.gif[/url])
i was hoping it was this one, kind sir.  :)
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: 7 of 13 on March 30, 2011, 04:32:04 PM
You have not. You could log in, couldn't you?
*whew*  well.. that's exactly true. i went home and thought about it , and realized it might be a server issue, a computer issue, or something.
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: Bobber on March 30, 2011, 07:02:07 PM
*whew*  well.. that's exactly true. i went home and thought about it , and realized it might be a server issue, a computer issue, or something.

Apparently it was something like that. I asked Dmitry to have a look at the matter.
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: Gary910 on March 30, 2011, 07:09:20 PM
he's saying 'i bet they'll be discussing this on a forum in 2011'  ;D

Or, "Why are they belaboring the analyzation of this song to death?"
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: 7 of 13 on March 30, 2011, 07:10:07 PM
Apparently it was something like that. I asked Dmitry to have a look at the matter.
thank you, this had me worried.  :-\
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: 7 of 13 on March 30, 2011, 07:14:14 PM
Or, "Why are they belaboring the analyzation of this song to death?"
maybe it belonged on another song.  ;)
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: nimrod on March 30, 2011, 10:04:45 PM
Apparently it was something like that. I asked Dmitry to have a look at the matter.

Its no big deal, Im admin on a prog rock forum and the server is always going down, its a feature of these forums, no need to have a panic attack like 7 of 13  ha2ha
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: Hello Goodbye on March 31, 2011, 02:37:05 AM
Last summer this website was down for two weeks...

http://www.dmbeatles.com/forums/index.php?topic=5005.320 (http://www.dmbeatles.com/forums/index.php?topic=5005.320)

http://www.dmbeatles.com/forums/index.php?topic=5005.340 (http://www.dmbeatles.com/forums/index.php?topic=5005.340)
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: nimrod on March 31, 2011, 08:14:30 AM
Or, "Why are they belaboring the analyzation of this song to death?"

 ha2ha
Title: Re: Beatles under a microscope - Please Please Me
Post by: Hombre_de_ningun_lugar on March 22, 2013, 03:38:43 PM
It was 50 years ago today...