An underrated gem

When people talk about The Beatles, “With the Beatles” is one of the most consistently overlooked and underrated albums. Released at the height of their early U.K. fame, it peaked at No. 1 on the charts. While not terribly remarkable in any one aspect, it’s still a significant album.

Slightly more refined than “Please Please Me,” “With the Beatles” showed that the group was beginning to take an interest in the construction of their albums as a whole.
The opening track, “It Won’t Be Long,” became a crowd favorite at concerts with its interactive cry of “Yeah!” and its high-energy vocals. “All My Loving” was a signature McCartney composition, featuring tender lyrics and a sound suggestive of many of their early hits.

This is followed by George’s first song, “Don’t Bother Me,” which is slightly more up-tempo than many of his other Beatles songs. From this point, all The Beatles’ future albums would include at least one Harrison song.

The ballad “Till There Was You” features the soft vocals at which Paul would later become so practiced.

“With The Beatles” also contains several notable covers. Similar to “Please Please Me,” covers make up about half of the album.

The harmony in “Please Mister Postman” is pretty striking as the group does an impressive job of replicating the female pop style vocals of the time.  “Roll Over Beethoven” and “Money” are two solid rock numbers that give the album a good balance.

Overall, “With The Beatles” has too many covers and pop material to truly be considered a classic. However, the album is imperative to understanding the maturation of the band and is an incredibly enjoyable listen.