With The Beatles
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Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review
They still had plenty of covers to fill out the running time, but the Lennon-McCartney writing team was gathering steam and beginning to knock out pop classics as if they were pulling them out of thin air. "All My Loving" and "I Wanna Be your Man" come from this record, issued hurriedly to capitalise on Beatlemania. But even when they were laying into some classic Chuck Berry, by this time the Beatles had acquired a unique sound in the blend of John's and Paul's voices, while George was coming on by leaps and bounds as a guitar player. While not absolutely essential, as a snapshot of a band in a place and time, With the Beatles is good for a smile. --Chris Nickson
Reviews
A STRONG FOLLOWUP ALBUM - REMASTERED IN STEREO (FINALLY!)
Review date: 2010-02-24 Rating: 8 out of 10
The 2nd album from The Beatles finds them more self assured in the studio and the performances here show it. There are more original tracks and they are stronger than those on Please, Please Me. Paul's "All My Loving" for one would have been hit single (as it was in many other countries) though it was eventually further released on an EP of the same name in the UK & other territories such as here in Australia. That they chose not to release a single off this album speaks volumes for their prolific work ethic and productivity. The classic "I Want To Hold Your Hand"/"This Boy" 45 was actually released a week after this album came out.
I again listened to this on headphones. Due to the 2 track recording technology of this album the remastered sound is along the same lines of Please, Please Me, though it's actually an improvement in many ways in that the Instrument/Vocal left/right mix doesn't seem as pronounced even though it's still there. The echo while on some tracks isn't as evident either. In fact "Money" has a more centred stereo mix and sounds very strong because of it. Others such as It Won't be Long, All My Loving, Don't Bother Me, Not A Second Time, You Really Got A Hold On Me, Till There Was You, Please Mr. Postman & Roll Over Beethoven among others really benefit from the remastering. What is really evident to me is the thump from Ringo's bass drum...it never sounded more solid in previous issues. George's guitar work is outstanding and his development is very evident. John was very a very dominant vocal force on these early LP's (up until around Help!) and he sings lead on most tracks.
I've been comparing the 2009 Stereo & Mono remasters with their 1987 counterparts and the results are interesting. Overall both newly remastered versions sound fuller while the 1987 (Mono) CD sounds a little shrill by comparison. There are some differences in a couple of the mixes on this album particularly on Money where the guitar comes in prominently after the opening piano riff whereas on the Mono it's not as evident.
This is an ideal starting point for those new to the Beatles as it really captures the excitement of those times. With The Beatles 2009 remastered is an ideal addition to your CD collection.
With The Beatles - Remastered
Review date: 2009-11-17 Rating: 6 out of 10
If you don't have a copy of this album, it's well worth buying for the melodies. If you only have a mono copy, then the new remix should prove enjoyable although the original production was done with monophonic reproduction in mind.
As for the sound, don't expect more than a 1960s recording with the remix presenting a rather bright, even edgy sound on many tracks. Some of the music though is undeniably beautiful.
No Four-Track Available, so STOP MOANING!
Review date: 2009-11-09 Rating: 10 out of 10
It's impossible not to love this energetic early offering. The Beatles own compositions are more assured than on the debut, showing how fast they developed as songwriters, and the cover versions are first rate. I defy anyone not to be swept along by the exuberant blasts through 'Roll Over Beethoven' 'Money' 'It Won't Be Long' etc. George makes his songwriting bow with 'Don't Bother Me', a moody, atmospheric piece that is very different from what Lennon/McCartney were coming up with, which helps to create slightly more variation on this album compared to the first. As for the new Remaster, it's very good but still a bit bass-light compared to other albums. A word to those complaining about the stereo mix still being left/right and nothing in the middle, it could not be done any other way. Contrary to what you may have read on this page by others, the Beatles did NOT have four-track facility for this album, they were still using two-track and consequently when mixing for stereo the music could only be seperated the way you hear it to make it stereo. 'Money' is the exception as it was impossible to create a stereo mix without synching two seperate two-track mono mixes together which is why it sounds very different to the mono. Because of this limited technology, a more palatable stereo re-mix cannot be done. It's unfortunate that the mono mixes are not being made available seperately but thats EMI for you.
Brilliant early period Beatles!
Review date: 2009-10-27 Rating: 8 out of 10
I was really surprised when I listened to this album again after buying the mono boxset. In years gone by I'd dismissed it as not that worthy of attention.
It really is brilliant and better than I remembered. The Beatles took a leap forward from their debut Please Please Me on this one and went more out and out pop. The results were exciting, less restrained pop. The songs are just so catchy and you can see how they've influenced some of the indie bands of today.
Opening tracks It Won't Be Long and Any Time At All are pure pop classics. The most familiar track on the album All My Loving would surprisingly not even feature in my top tracks.
Their choice of covers too are particularly excellent, Til There Was You is a lovely ballad, Please Mister Postman is merserybeat/motown perfection and Money probably rates with the best of their covers.
If you can hear it in mono, then do so otherwise explore the stereo version (discounting the bad panning issues) and get carried away with the early 60s excitement of Beatlemania, by album number two, they really had arrived!
Product Details/Specifications
Artist(s):
The Beatles
Recording label: EMI
Manufacturer: EMI
EAN: 0094638242024
Binding: Audio CD
Format: Original recording remastered,
Release date: 2009-09-09
Universal product code (UPC): 094638242024
Number of discs: 1
Disc 1 Tracks:
1. It Won't Be Long
2. All I've Got To Do
3. All My Loving
4. Don't Bother Me
5. Little Child
6. Till There Was You
7. Please Mr Postman
8. Roll Over Beethoven
9. Hold Me Tight
10. You've Really Got A Hold On Me
11. I Wanna Be Your Man
12. Devil In Her Heart
13. Not A Second Time
14. Money (That's What I Want)
15. With The Beatles Documentary
Publishers: EMI
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