There is really not much to say. Everyone knows the beatles and their music. There is very little that I would not like. There is always a song or two that don't particularily empress but for the most part it's a good album or should I say CD.

hey, this album is special for those of us who lived this era - it is not meant to be evaluated for anyone else except as a passing fancey - those of us who lived this era have a special place for this album. this was one of my first albums, released a few days after my 10th birthday and i played it to death.........PLAYED IT TO DEATH!!! and thank god my mom loved the beatles, too! i DO NOT CARE if you think this is not up to your standards because, in most cases, you were not a part of this fantastic new experience starting at that time, so you are clueless about this whole thing here. just like i was clueless at ten, but i know there was something cool, fun and fascinating here...and it blossomed in time just like i did! so if you did not grow up while the BEATLES grew, then you have no clue as to why this is near and dear to those of us who have a fondness and gratefulness to have been there at the beginning of this era! Thank you Sweet Lord, for letting me grow up when i did as life from the 70's forward just wanked out and been going down ever since!!! thank you, thank you, thank you! btw, i have the Japanese release and am so pleased with this in my collection! Enjoy, for those who know what i mean from living those times!

ESSENTIAL ALBUM!!! One of rock's greatest debut albums. This album exploded on the charts in Europe but took a few months to do so, domestically. Great songs included here: "When I Saw Her Standing There", "Boys", "Please Please Me", "Love Me Do" & "Twist and Shout". The Beatles were such originalists & talented leaving their mark on any song that they covered. They proved that the band itself could write great songs without depending on the so-called "professional" songwriter; but, still, even George Martin at this stage still tried to impose that yoke upon them. It wouldn't take very long for Martin & the powers-that-be at Parlophone Records to realize that they had two of the greatest songwriters on contract. Just enjoy the ride & realize how fresh this still sounds; also, consider the technology of the day (this was recorder live in about 13 hours, without much sound separation & on a two track machine!!!). Folks, that's an incredible piece of business!

Not The Beatles best record, but still a damn fine album. It does include one of the greatest rock 'n' roll songs of all time "I Saw Her Standing There". You should own all of The Beatles albums.

The Beatles's first album, Please Please Me, sure did do a whole lot more than just pleasing people. Listening to the album remains an emotionally charged experience; and people instinctively knew from the start that a great star was born in a band called The Beatles. The sound is great on this CD; and we get plenty of early tunes from the best of the best!

The track set begins with the rockin' hard number "I Saw Here Standing There." The Beatles belt this one straight out of the ball park for a mammoth grand slam! The electric guitars, the percussion, the drums and voices of these young musicians create an exciting number that you will remember for a long time to come. Awesome jamming on "I Saw Her Standing There," too. "Chains" features some really good harmonica at the beginning; and they harmonize well as the guitars, drums and percussion carry the bulk of the musical arrangement. The Beatles's cover of "Chains" really rocks; and the slightly increased tempo they use enhances the ballad even further. Great!

"Boys" gives us another early number that the band covered; and they make "Boys" all their own with their awesome natural style and creativity! Good harmony and a few subtle key changes make "Boys" an even stronger number. "Please Please Me" also uses harmonica with the guitars and drums to make the melody strong; and they sing great of how they want romantic time alone with their sweethearts. Moreover, "Love Me Do" mixes rock with a twist a country to create a strong ballad about love; and "P.S. I Love You" uses awesome percussion to inject a slightly Latin flavor into the melody. They sing passionately with all their heart and soul.

"Do You Want To Know A Secret" gives us a great early Lennon/McCartney song about the joys of a young love blossoming; and the CD ends strong with "Twist And Shout." The Twist was still relatively hot at that time; and The Beatles manage very well to blend rock with a slight twist flavor to it--the arrangement rocks! The Beatles sing this to perfection; and the guitars, percussion and drums enhance "Twist And Shout" greatly.

The liner notes include great artwork and the song credits. Tony Barrow adds a good essay about The Beatles and this album.

The Beatle's first album was nothing to sneeze at--just one listen at this track set amply proves it all. We are all better off for The Beatles sharing their singularly beautiful talents with us; and it goes without saying that their music will remain available to people everywhere for ages to come.

Thank you, Beatles!

Since the release of the Beatles' first-ever album, "Please Please Me", there's been scores of articles, interviews, etc., singing (pardon the pun!) the praises of this phenomenal four-man band.
But, do they deserve the credit? ABSOLUTELY!
And Ringo Starr must be the luckiest drummer on earth: On the eve of the signing for their first recording, he just happened to be available when original drummer Pete Best dropped out (old Pete must've been kicking himself for that!). Imagine, instead of those four familiar first names, the line-up might have been "John, Paul, George & Pete"?? It wouldn't have been the same.
This debut effort still has the raw performance flavor of their club days, head-bopping those mop-tops to good 'ol rock & roll. The rousing "And I Saw Her Standing There" kicks off the set, defying you not to dance around the room, as if firing the starting gun to a runaway smash career. Sandwiched between are some pleasing Lennon-McCartney collaborations (the title song, "Love Me Do", "P.S., I Love You", "Do You Want To Know A Secret"), indicating that the best was yet to come in future albums. Appropriately book-ending the album is the raucous "Twist And Shout", driven by Lennon's scorching vocals. So memorable a rock song is it that it inspired a moment from an 80's teen comedy (who can forget Matthew Broderick lip-synching to it atop a parade float in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off"?).
A rousing & promising start to the greatest band ever.

Amazing to think that this is the same group of lads that would give us their swan song Abbey Road a mere 6 years later. However, the youthfulness and exuberance on this album makes it a great beginning. I haven't had this in my collection for a while and listening to it again I marvel at the innocence of this release. Being a huge fan since childhood this isn't one of my top Beatles albums but it sure is a fun listen and definitely a record to purchase.

Good luck on locating these Russian CDs. Exceptional material, sound, and stereo separation.

Welcome to the birth of Beatlemania!!! this was the first shock that the most popular musical group made to the world! their first example with very powerful and magnificent songs, from the "1,2,3,4" in I SAW HER STANDING THERE (wonderful rock'n'roll song) to the romanticysm of DO YOU WANT TO KNOW A SECRET; this disc has the great hit LOVE ME DO, The very strong rock of TWIST AND SHOUT, many excellent covers like ANNA GO TO HIM and BABY IT'S YOU, the Ringo's debut as a singer in BOYS, the beautiful ballad P.S. I LOVE YOU and their first No.1 hit in UK charts PLEASE PLEASE ME; if you don't have beatles records or you are beginning to meet this group, you have to buy this cd first. ¡Enjoy the birth of the Modern Music!

This, The Beatles debut LP, was released in the UK in the spring of 1963. In my native Toronto it was released as Twist and Shout in February, 1964, two months after With the Beatles! My vinyl release includes From Me to You and She Loves You and omits I Saw Her Standing There and Misery. The liner notes are completely different from the UK and the US LPs.

Has any band launched its album career more auspiciously than The Beatles? Paul shouts "1 2 3 4", George enters the picture with his guitar, and then Paul begins to sing "Well she was just 17. You know what I mean..." Thirty seconds later the first loud "Whooooo!" Ladies and gentlemen, fasten your seat belts for the commencement of a six year musical ride of this or any other lifetime.

There are eight originals and six covers - a pattern continued with their next LP. I have always felt that the covers here are more interesting than on With The Beatles. There is a miss-step (Honey) just as there would be later (Till There Was You). However, John's searing rendition of Twist and Shout more than makes up for that lapse of judgment. They also do a terrific job with the two Shirelles' songs, Boys and Baby it's You, making the songs their own rather than just parroting the original material. The original material is mostly very strong. Has anyone noticed that on the cd the credits for their own compositions are McCartney-Lennon while on the vinyl (my vinyl anyway) there are five where Paul's name comes first and three where John receives the lead credit. It is amazing what one discovers forty-three years and two months after buying the album! On With the Beatles all eight are L-M on both the record and the cd.

The emergence of the Beatles in 1963 was a seminal moment in the history of popular music. From that point forward everything changed. Suddenly, and seemingly from nowhere, rock and roll groups (the word "band" didn't replace "group" for several decades) appeared. They certainly looked different. They played their own instruments and wrote much of their own material. They sang with abandon. They screamed and they whooped and they hollered. They had strange accents. As much as I loved, and still love, the professionally penned hits that seemed to dominate the early sixties ( Goff in-King, Lieber-Stoller, Neil Sedaka and many more) popular music had somehow lost its way after the mid-fifties when rock and roll burst upon the scene. It seemed as if we, the young, had discovered a form of music that we could call our own and then had it appropriated from us. The Beatles grabbed it and gave it back to us. Our parents were once again forced to start shaking their heads in bewilderment. As long as parents continue to do so music is on the right track!

As a record of immense historical importance Please Please Me deserves the highest rating available. It deserves its own category. Had the Beatles never released another recording this would deserve five stars. However, we all know where they went so quickly and what they were capable of. And there is the fact of six covers and A Taste of Honey! If I give this five then what do I give Rubber Soul? Five with and asterisk? Four and a half seems appropriate

In 1963 the greatest band rock'n'roll ever produced released their first album Please Please Me. It's not their best album ( listen to Sgt.Pepper and the White Album) but it is a nice collection of rock'n'roll in its ealrlist form. I Saw Her Standing There is a fast upbeat rock type of song that is one of my favorites. Please Please Me is another good song and it is their first #1 hit in England. I'm 13 yrs old and it's still fun to listen to this CD when I was a growing 9 year old.

I lived in England and I had my 15th birthday a month after 'Love Me Do' was released as a single. I first heard it on a short-wave radio broadcast on Radio Luxembourg, from the other side of the English Channel. At that time the only radio available in England was the BBC, which had 'Pick of the Pops' on Sunday afternoon and that was about it for pop music. I loved this bouncy, fresh sound, which was unlike anything else in pop at that time.

In January 1963, 'Please Please Me', the single, was released. A few weeks later, the Record Mirror said 'Wow! The Beatles challenge.' as they went from #16 to #3 in one week. By April, The Beatles were grabbing the imagination of every teenager in Britain. The debut album, 'Please Please Me', was released, went to #1 in the album chart and stayed there for 29 weeks until it was replaced by 'With The Beatles', the boys' second British album. In America, Bobby Vinton had the last number one hit ('There! I've Said It Again') before The Beatles hit the US charts in a way never seen before or since.

This album is an historic milestone in popular music. It established so many new features that changed music forever. First and foremost, it was the first album produced by a young pop band where the artists wrote the majority of the songs- 8 of the 14 were originals. These days, it's hard to remember that this just didn't happen back then. Second, this was a white, British band not only playing real rock and roll, but writing it, too. 'I Saw Her Standing There' opened a whole new vista for bands all over the world. Third, the variety on this album is amazing- rock, pop, ballads, harmony songs, even adult contemporary. Nobody else had even attempted to cross boundaries in this way. Fourth, this was an album where all the members were featured- not a lead singer with the rest backing him. All four band members sang lead on at least one song, and it was clear from the start that the band had two completely different but complementary lead singers, both of whom sang rock and ballads. Fifth, this was an album that sounded as though the band was performing, as indeed they were. No lush strings, no overdubs, no backing singers other then the group members. It was the band's record, not the product of the producer.

Finally, this was the first record where the personality of the band was as important as the songs. The Beatles were uniquely and distinctly themselves- they sounded like no-one else and no-one ever sounded like them. They turned popular music from the property of the studios to the property of the artists. Every singer-songwriter recording today owes a massive debt to them..

I was there. I heard them at the start of their recording career and followed them until they broke up. I was a member of their fan club. I saw them live, at their first Christmas show. I'm not sure it's possible for anyone who didn't live through it to understand exactly how tremendous the change was that they wrought and how all-encompassing their popularity and influence were. They changed, not only music, but broadcasting, fashion, culture- the way of life in the Western world. This was the album that started it all and for me every track is a memory of a time when things changed forever. Pop music was a minor, largely ignored part of youth culture- and then came The Beatles.

I was so happy when I found this album. In the past when I looked for certain songs, they couldn't even be found on "The best of The Beatles..." or whatever the compilations are called. I'm happy I found an album for under $30 with such great songs. I just wish it had more. Perhaps, they didn't produce big albums in the '60s like they do today.

i now have all the official beatles cd's...i only regret emi and the fabs have not remastered these for us...maybe someday...

Straight from Hamburg, the little known at the time beat band plays their current stage set in the Abbey Road studio and records their first album in ONE 12 hour session, what an amazing beginning.

The Beatles first album "Please Please Me" is a gem of a first album with Lennon and MCcartney (or McCartney/Lennon on this album)penned songs such as I Saw Her Standing There, Misery, Ask Me Why, Please Please Me, Love Me Do (their firs Aussie hit) P.S. I Love You, Do You Want To Know A Secret and There's A Place. It also features the Carole King and Gerry Goffin song Chains and songs by other writers such as Anna, Baby It's You, A Taste of Honey and Twist and Shout. 14 great songs on a very well crafted album. Highly recommended for any Beatles fan. Great Rhythm and Blues from the Merseyside "Kings of EMI".

First class service with a good follow-up, telling me it was on it's way. Product arrived well packaged and in great shape

The Beatles first album boasts strong Lennon/McCartney tunes, such as its hit title track, "Please, Please Me," as well as "I Saw Her Standing There," and "Love Me Do." It also shows the Beatles' ability (and early tendency) to do covers such as "Chains" by Carole King and Gerry Goffen.

The album was rush-released by EMI in 1963. In fact, the whole album was recorded in a famous one-day session. The final track recorded during this session was "Twist and Shout," by Phil Medley and Bert Russell, a favorite Beatles cover from their Hamburg and Liverpool nightclub days. On this album, "Twist and Shout" was recorded in a single take with Lennon already suffering from a sore throat after eleven consecutive hours of recording. This apparent weakness actually helped enhance the edgy sound of Lennon's lead vocals on this track.

Significant moments in history always fog hindsight. With a swift machete-chop they bisect an era into mutually exclusive units of "before" and "after." People firmly situated in the "after" of such a Krakatoa event must contort their brains to conceive of life "before" that historical line was etched. For instance, those born long after the Viking raid of Beatlemania probably have trouble conceiving of pop music culture before the Fab Four's inexorable arrival. After all, those deities of the 1960s mainstream were once nobodies. They once could traipse down the street without being hogpiled by screaming flailing fans. Before 1963 few wanted pieces of their clothing, their autographs, thier underwear, or even less mentionable things. "Please Please Me," their first album, changed that with a zap. Thousands of flat vinyl cylinders whirling at 33 1/3 sliced into the conscious of a generation. And then nothing seemed the same in the eternal "after." The "before" became, and remains, almost incomprehensible.

People across the ocean from Her Majesty's domain hadn't yet felt the tremors. They would soon be bowled over, but "Please Please Me" remained a British phenomenon even after the Ed Sullivan Show. Americans instead received a hybrid album, called "Meet The Beatles," made up of singles and other bits. In fact, all of the songs on their first British album weren't released in the U.S. until 1965 with "The Early Beatles." Even in the LP era, "Please Please Me" remained difficult, but not impossible, to find in the United States. The CD releases of the 1980s forever corrected this piece of marketing butchery. Now we're all on the same page.

This album has a naked and raw sound compared with their subsequent releases. Going back again to that murky time when they were relatively unknown, Parlophone, their British label, had no reason to see cascading dollar signs under those Counsin Itt moptops. To the suits, this was just another band riding the industry conveyor belt. On a budget for the first and last time, the group recorded the entire album, with George Martin behind the glass, live in a single breakneck session at Abbey Road. No overdubs. No studio tricks. They played No. 2 Studio like they played the Cavern Club. As such, this album captures the young band's live sound better than any known recording. Their energy and skill is undeniable. The frenzy that followed remains somewhat understandable.

From this innocent beginning The Beatles would revolutionize the music and recording industries. Going forward, the band had progressively more control over the studio recordings and even over the album art. This cover, taken at EMI's Manchester Square offices, remains their only cover that was somebody else's idea. Six years later, a cosmic eyeblink, they would reprise it for an unused "Let it Be" cover before fading into legend (the picture ended up on the cover of the 1967-1970 "Blue" album). "Please Please Me" stands on that historic threshold dividing the eras of "before Beatles" and "after Beatles." Something made them different. Something about them spoke, and continues to speak, to millions. Those of us forever stuck in the amber of the "after" will continue to reap the benefits of the changes they made while pondering just how they pulled it off. It all started with a frenetic countdown.

This is an album of early Beatles songs and is a different compilation than was available in America at the time it was released. Some were released here on "Introducing The Beatles" on the Vee-Jay lable and some on "The Beatles Second Album" on the Capital lable as I recall. They would take the British Parlophone releases which had more songs and split them up into different contents here so they had more albums to sell. There are some of the early hits here and others that didn't get deserved airplay like "Misery" and "Ask Me Why". But they had so many great songs coming out that the radio programmers probably didn't know what to do! And back in those days they spun single 45's not album tracks.

This Cd stays in my car always! John's voice gives me chills just like he did in the 60's! I was lucky enough to see the Beatles sing in 1966 in Memphis, and it was amazing. My favorites are "No Reply" and "I'm a Loser".This CD shows pure raw talent that was created by these 4 geniuses! It always lifts my mood.

As much as it pains me to call a Beatle record average (they're my favorite band ever), that word sums up Please Please Me pretty well. Don't get me wrong, it has its moments - album-opener I Saw Her Standing There is certainly one; Ringo's showcase Boys is a blast, one of my favorite Ringo-sung tunes; the justly legendary title track; Love Me Do (the group's first #1 hit in America) and especially the high-energy cover of Twist And Shout. But there are one too many weak tracks. For one, A Taste of Honey is arguably the worst thing the Beatles ever did, not counting Revolution #9 - in the Beatles' defense, they hated it, it went as far as John singing "A waste of money" instead of the title phrase in concert. The rest is middle-of-the-road pop. It's inviting, quick, and catchy as hell, but doesn't nearly measure up to the high standards the later records set. I guess I made a mistake by listening to this after the late '60's classics. So you won't miss your $15 if you pick it up, but don't expect Abbey Road.

Here's where to start your Beatles CD collection: at the beginning. This is pre-'Meet the Beatles' Beatles; their first album in England. Americans now get to collect the English albums on CD, achieving added freshness and perspective. This first one features Stephen Hawking's fave Fab Four tune. You guessed it, 'Please Please Me'.

While mainly covers, it is still clear that from the three beatle-written songs on the album that they would become the greatest band of all time. And the covers are great too, although "Boys" really doesn't make sense because they started changing the genders in the lyrics. Still really good album, but go for the real classics first.

This is where it all started. Recorded in one day, this is the Beatles live and raw. The goal was to capture whatever the Beatles had that was driving Liverpool kids nuts at the Cavern, and I would say they succeeded. This is not the slick, well-produced Beatles that would come later, this is the sound of a young rock n' roll band that had been slugging it out in Hamburg clubs that most sane people would be scared to death to even go in. However, what's most striking considering the year this was released (1963) is that the majority of the songs here were written by Lennon and McCartney. That just WAS NOT done in those days. Most rock n' roll bands in those days were forced to rely on outside writers or covers of songs that were already hits for other artists. The originals already show glimpses of what the Beatles were to prove themselves capable of later.Please Please Me is justifiably considered their first classic, Misery shows what an excellent rhythm guitarist John Lennon was and the guitar style that would define their "mop top" era, and McCartney's famous "One Two Three FAH!!" countdown at the beginning of I Saw Her Standing There is quite possibly the coolest opening to a rock n' roll album ever. All in all, a great early 60's rock n' roll album, and ESSENTIAL if you want to understand just where the Beatles were coming from and why they were so unique.

Every Beatles album showcased a new phase of music--for them and often for popular music. "Please, Please Me", their debut, is unique: Most of their recordings are very slick and accomplished. This recording only represents the latter. It's hallmarks are well documented, however. The title track and their rendition of the Isley Brothers' "Twist and Shout," are unforgettable classics. What makes this C.D. so worthwhile are the songs seldom heard. "I Saw Her Standing There," (with McCartney at the vocal helm) used to be a standard song, but now is seldom heard even on Oldies radio. It is a great rocking song. More power can be attributed to other nuggets, such as a cover of the Shirelles' "Boys," and their own composition "There's a Place," (sung with admirable gusto by Ringo and John respectively).

Otherwise, there is a subjective element for evaluating this C.D. Many songs from these sessions have a fifties feel to them (their own era afterall). Their covers of "Baby It's You," "Anna," and "Taste of Honey" seem old, but this is a description, not a criticism. (Some selections are an acquired taste.) They also demonstrate more than a mastery of good, hard-rocking songs. Their originals "P.S. I Love You," "Do You Want to Know a Secret," and "Love Me Do," showcase a variety of forms which they were beginning to master. "P.S." and "...Secret" are gems, but "Love Me Do," seems subjectively like a slow start for such a remarkable band. (Although, it does broaden the scope of the album with a folkie feel to the love song.)

Anyway you assess it, "Please, Please Me" is a remarkable and unvarnished debut by what we know as a historical band. Here they start off with a sense of urgency and great energy. Later, John Lennon would quip, "I hope we passed the audition." He was referring to "Get Back" from "Let It Be," a song and an album that undoubtedly tried to recapture the spirit of this record. They indeed did pass their first major public audition with "Please, Please Me".

The world changed forever in 1963 with the explosion of Beatlemania and the ensuing British invasion. Almost instantly the Beatles become the world's most popular band, releasing critical and commercial smashes throughout the decade. The Beatles debut "Please Please Me" (1963) is the album where it all began.

Is "Please Please Me" the Beatles best album? No. Compared to such classics as "Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band," (1967) "The Beatles" aka "The White Album," (1968) and "Abbey Road" (1969) among others, "Please Please Me" seems trite and one-dimensional by comparison. But as the saying goes, Rome wasn't built in a day. The Beatles had to start somewhere. And while the Beatles later work is in most regards superior, the output of the Beatles early albums has much to offer.

Some detractors have commented that the Beatles were a "boy-band" of their day. This is somewhat accurate in a superficial sense. Their music was infectious, poppy, and radio-friendly, the girls screamed and their image was pretty clean-cut. But unlike, say INSYNC or the Backsteet Boys, the Beatles actually played all their own instruments and wrote a lot of their own material. And while about half of their songs early on were written by other people, they weren't written by professional hit-makers, they were written by artists that the band loved. But the biggest difference between the Beatles and later-day boy bands is that the Beatles wrote and covered authentic rock n' roll songs. Everything about the early Beatles was authentic, sincere, and organic. "Please Please Me" and the Beatles other early records wasn't mass-produced schmaltz, it was something real.

Part of the charm of "Please Please Me" is its nativity. Released in 1963, the 50s was just a glance away in the rearview mirror. The real 60s, with all its turbulence, activism, protests, and social progression, had not yet begun. "Please Please Me" reflects the era of innocence in which it was released.

While the technical and studio wizardry of the Beatles later work is undeniably groundbreaking and impressive, there is much to appreciate and enjoy from the organic meat-and-potatoes early albums. For the classic rock purist, it doesn't get much better than this. Being that there was so much hype and frenzy at the time of Beatlemania, and that so much has been written about the band since, it's easy to forget what all the hype was about; a really great rock n' roll band. Rooted in the gritty rock of the 1950s, the Beatles took the R&B based formula of such greats as Chuck Berry and Wilson Picket, and molded a sound of their own. The Beatles carefully and meticulously crafted songs that were infectious, melodic and full of lush harmonies. One of the great things about these early albums is how organic they sound. They just sound like four guys playing live in the studio, without a lot of overdubs, doing what they are do best.

The chemistry of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr was, pardon the tired cliché, magic. When these four went into the studio together and made music, there was just something wholly unique and special about it. The sound of the Beatles was pure, fresh, and it just made you feel good. It's no small wonder why even the worst of the Beatles is still better than 90 percent of what has been popular ever since.
While much of "Please Please Me" are cover songs, unless you look at the credits, it's hard to know which are covers and which are original compositions, as the Beatles had a way of making anyone else's song their own. And while later-day Lennon/McCartney songs were written, more or less, by one or the other, on these early albums, collaboration between the two is more apparent. Even at a very early age, on their first album, the pop-craftsmanship of the two shines bright with such classic songs as "I Saw Her Standing There" and "Love Me Do."

There are some bands where all you really need is the "greatest hits" or where you need only a few essentials, there are some bands, however, where you need to buy the entire catalogue, and the Beatles are one of those bands. While "Please Please Me" may not be their best work, it's still a classic album that offers some of the best compositions and covers of early 60s pop.

Geez, can't anyone hear McCartney's count-in that opens the first track, "I Saw Her Standing There"? It's "one...two...three...five!".

This album is bookended by two of the best rock'n'roll tracks ever recorded: "I Saw Her Standing There" showing the band in top form on a timeless McCartney classic, and "Twist and Shout", a cover which blows away the original and features Lennon in top vocal form, and one of the best rock vocals ever recorded.

In between is a mix of originals and cover tunes, including the excellent "Please Please Me". The Beatles were not going to be so bold as to release an album of all original material on their first outing. But we get a first glimpse of the Beatles, and they were very tight from the get-go, with excellent vocals throughout, both solo and harmony, George's excellent lead guitar, and Lennon's accomplished harmonica parts.

This did not even give us a hint of what was to come as they grew musically, honed their songwriting skills, and eventually gave up live performance to venture deeper into the possibilities of the recording studio. But taken on its own, it is an excellent debut album that shows a wide range, from wild rock'n'roll to mellow pop music.

My daughters and I very much enjoy this CD. We have every Beatle CD made, and this one brings us back to the voices of the early Beatles and how they sounded before Sgt Pepper and after. I love John's young voice singing "Anna" and "Misery"--I haven't heard these songs since I was 14.
JLF

Despues de haber debutado en 1962 con los sencillos "Love me do" y a principios de 1963 con "Please, please me", The Beatles lanzan este magnifico primer disco titulado "Please please me". Con la mitad de los temas que son covers y otros de autoría de Lennon y McCartney.

El primer tema que es "I saw her standing there", un tema puro rock and roll, cantado por Paul McCartney, luego la balada "Misery" que se destaca por su melancolía y un piano que al parecer es de George Martin. Luego vienen tres covers: "Anna", "Chains" y "Boys", estas dos ultimas cantadas por George Harrison y Ringo Starr. Despues, viene los dos temas que fueron parte del segundo single del grupo: "Ask me why" y el eterno "Please, please me", esta ultima influenciado por Roy Orbison.

La segunda parte del disco, comienza con "Love me do", con una letra simple, pero efectiva, principalmente por la harmonica de John Lennon; esta version no es la versión single, y es tocado por un baterista de sesión llamado Andy White, y Ringo Starr en los panderos. "P.S. I love you", tambien cancion de amor simple, Paul dijo que se baso en una chica que tenía los nombre iniciales "P.S."; este tema fue el lado B del single "Love me do" en 1962. Entre casi tema por medio entre covers y temas originales, siguen siendo excelentes como "Baby it's you", "A taste of honey". "Do you want to know a secret" uno de los pocos temas de la dupla compositora, cantado por George Harrison. "There's a place", un tema no muy menor, gracias a las harmonías vocales y especie de secuela de "Love me do". Al final, "Twist and shout", un tema clasico de lo cuál es imposible que nadie lo sepa.

Al final, este gran disco debut del cuarteto de Liverpool, mantiene esa linea hasta "Beatles for sale", ya que "Help!", aunque todavia estaban en la etapa beatlemaniaca, comenzaban a surgir nuevos estilos.

Many people say this wasn't one of the best beatles albums, to that i say , right ok, whatever you say. This is a great album. The recording budget may have been cheaper than what the label would later spend and the recordings somewhat rushed to get an album out "while the beatles were still hot", but i listen a lot to this album, infact i listen to it more than Revolver and Sgt. Pepper.

This is a classic and along with "With The Beatles" probably gives a better insight to the early beatles than the red album ever could.

What a crime against art. The music is great, the cover is great, but the digital production stinks. Shame on EMI and George Martin for settling for this kind of sound quality.

01. I saw her standing there 10/10
02. Misery 9/10
03. Anna 7/10
04. Chains 7/10
05. Boys 8/10
06. Ask me why 9/10
07. Please, please me 10/10
08. Love me do 10/10
09. P.S. I love you 10/10
10. Baby it's you 8/10
11. Do you want to know a secret 10/10
12. A taste of honey 9/10
13. There's a place 9/10
14. Twist and shout 10/10

What an amazing feat to record your first album in twelve hours. Though to be honest four of the songs (Love me do, P.S. I love you, Please, please me & Ask me why) had already been recorded and released.

This is obviously a 5 star album, but with such poor "digital" production it gets 1 star. So that looks like 3 stars.

The covers are average to above average(except for "Twist and Shout", which is a great Lennon vocal). What makes Please Please Me work is the early Beatles classics that are on display. "I Saw Her Standing There" is one of the best album openers out there. It works extremely well. Even though Lennon/McCartney had yet to really show their songwriting chaps, they penned some fun, energetic songs. "Please Please Me" and "P.S. I Love You" really stand out on the album. Just a sample of what was to come on later albums.

one, two, three, FOUR!!!!

these four historical lines are found at the very beggining of the very first song of the fab fours very first US album, and odly enough, they are located on one of the only great songs on the album, basically, we've got ALOT of covers (which is forgivable when you've got John screaming his lungs out on a glorious "Twist and Shout" ) you've got two of the best loved early Beatles songs, Please Please me and Love me do, which hold up nicely. You've got a couple fairly good, but forgettable Lennon McCartney songs, and thats about it, its fairly good on its own right, but remember, the Beatles had not yet changed pop culture, and had not yet become, well, fab, so the vocals are off, theres one to many covers, and the JL/PM songs besides the two I mentioned are fairly forgettable, still, its alot better then alot of the crap being released today, and it is an essiental part of any Beatle collection, just don't expect an Abbey Road or Sgt. pepper's here.

this, their first album,isn't the greatest debut.it does have some classics though.the beatles are my favorite band and i firmly believe that they are the best band of all-time,but even i can admit that this isn't one of their best.