I wouldn't down play the massive impression these albums made. As youngsters at the time we all studied everything about them. And we never heard nothing like it, it was mesmerising
The Beatles were one of the greatest cover bands ever, evidenced by their covers of Twist And Shout, Money and Please Mr. Postman. They OWNED these songs after delivering these blistering versions.
while the covers are fantastic I must disagree with what you said about owning them.. huge Beatles fan here but I do prefer the originals.. that being said this is just an amazing album
I became a Beatles fan when I was about 16 in the late 70s. This was one of the first albums I bought. Loved the cover. I grew up in an anti-Beatles home. My parents were WW2 generation parents who thought they were a bunch of long haired hippies. My oldest brother who lived thru Beatlemania…he was a big Stones fan. The 1962-66 album was what got me hooked on the Beatles. Some people have an almost mocking attitude towards that era of the Beatles but I think they had many great songs during that time period.
Although there are lots of tracks that sound a bit dated from the early period...there are more that give the hint of the sophistication to come and are quite advanced compared to the other stuff that was out there.
Hi Matt, great point about Ringo's drumming on the early songs. The intro fill on 'She Loves You" is amazing and another example of tasteful playing is 'All I've Got To Do".
@@popgoesthe60s52 agree I never knew they were right and left handed drum kits, till Ringo mentioned in on a video I saw. he is till one of my fav drummer sadly for me I can only play in my mind there was also an old Beatles EP record as well
Matt, one thing you might look into was the Beatles on juke boxes in the early 60s. Like many of my pals, I had no record player and our local AM radio station didn't give the Fabs much airplay. So I walked down the beach to a penny arcade where we'd play the Beatles records over and over at a dime a pop!
This LP is a treasure. I was 14 when the Beatles roared into the US like a hurricane. I and my buddies couldn't get enough of what we were hearing from them on the airwaves and this album was non-stop excitement from beginning to end. To me, "I call your name" is my favorite. It's a powerhouse of a song and you are so right about Ringo's drumming. He drives this record like a souped-up hot rod. I can understand why you think there's a couple of less-than-stellar tunes included but I don't recall ever wanting to skip over a single track. As for the reverb that Capitol added, it doesn't diminish the overall quality at all. A friend of mine at the time had a reverb unit installed in his car and we thought every song that came on his radio sounded better because of it. Go figure. The cover didn't bother me. In those days it was the music that mattered, not the packaging. Anyway, this LP was the one that sealed the deal for me as far as the Fab Four went. It convinced me that they were the real thing and not a flash in the pan.
Nothing better than growing up with their music in real time. An album came out and we had 3 months to absorb it until the single or next album came out. We got to know these records inside and out because we played them every day! I still listen to them daily.
Well, it WAS their second album - on Capitol Records. Having been an 11-year-old when this album came out I can tell you that no one thought that the album cover was cheesy at the time. That was the way marketing was done in those days. In fact, that is one of my favorite album covers of their entire catalog! I loved that there were a collection of pictures instead of the usual one picture on the front and maybe one on the back. In those days you couldn't get enough pictures of the Beatles. My vote for the best add-on song for the album would easily be "Leave My Kitten Alone". Lennon does some fantastic vocals on that one! I really enjoy your channel, thank you for the time and effort you put in to make them informative and fun to watch!
'I Wanna Hold Your Hand' and 'She Loves You' still sounds electrifying and fresh to this day, the forgotten masterpieces, the genesis of their legend...
Thanks Matt, Yes, these US albums were wonderful because they included the singles. Had the She Loves You Swan single, my first single purchased for me by my mom. Still love John's vocals on Please Mr. Postman. The Second Album did include a lot of covers, but those are what launched they club successes. I loved this album, the energy was so evident in these recordings, after this they did phase toward ballads, changing from the hard electrics that made them so exciting and switch to the softer acoustic guitars.
I was 10 years old in 1964 and I loved the cover of the Beatles Second Album. It perfectly captured the excitement that many of us young Beatles fans (their target audience, after all) were feeling at that time. I still like the cover today.
@@robertstewart239 Indeed I was. Sunday night in Feb. 1964, My sister was screaming and taking pictures of the TV screen while Dad sat cross-armed and scowling.
@@stuharris9993 I hadn't been born yet, but i've seen the clip many times. I liked the way they described it on Wonder Years. Kevin said that on that evening "73,000,000 people sat in front of the TV set and looked into the future." At 56, I've seen many momentous events on TV, but I don't suppose anything would ever quite measure up to that. BTW, I hope your dad came round to the band and stopped scowling!
I love The Beatles "Second Album", reverb and all! Much later in life, when the actual Parlaphone records came over, I wondered what happened to all that echo??
Roll Over Beethoven is one of my favorite George Harrison covers. Guitar work is exciting and George-ish in nature. Again, my ears. The album in mono is the best because that's how I first heard it in 1964. It IS more energetic than " With The Beatles " (Meet the Beatles). Great review of an album I always, and still do, love. Beatlemania lives , man.
Up here in Canada, She Loves You the single was in the Top Five just before Christmas 1963 and it was HUGE. The Canadian lp containing She Loves You (Twist and Shout) was released about a week before the Ed Sullivan appearance. I remember us watching the show on TV and laughing as my older sister went completely bonkers! I think Devil in her Heart is a gem. One of my favourites in 64. Great job as usual Matt.
@@farrellmcnulty909 It was written by Ricahrd Drapkin and recorded originally by a Detroit group, The Donays in 1962, Their release sank like a stone and never charted. I think it is remarkable that the Beatles had even heard it - thanks to Liverpool sailors bringing back 45 rpm records from America. They rejuvenated it completely. Of course the lyrics seem quaint to us now (even funny as you say) but I have always found it engaging, and it has a great backbeat and strong harmonies.
I really liked the "Second Album". It's probably my favorite of the first phase Beatles records. I'm surprised you thought Roll Over Beethoven was a bad version. It's always been one of my favorites on the album and when they did it live.
Nice one Matt. These albums, which included stuff not in the original British album releases are charged with some unbelievable vocal sounds, and yes, the raw energy is palpable. Also interesting to hear your thoughts on the outtakes and demos. Ty,
Thanks Matt, well prepared and insightful. I've loved this music since I was a kid listening to my older brother spin them. Their music (along with many others) inspired me to play guitar...and play professionally for years. You know when you play these classics live you always have a crowded dance floor. Thanks, appreciated.
I like all your reviews, Matt, but I was really looking forward to this one. I too got to know these US releases first, & this is one of my faves. Always liked the pace & sequencing, and the inventiveness is evident even this early on. I do agree about the cover’s cheesiness factor (especially the copy), but it just serves to emphasize their evolution, in a way. Keep up the great work!👍
I turned 15 in July of 1964 so hearing these songs takes me back to those times, not just the Beatles but how life was back then in all it's innocence. I never had the album but I had Capital Records 45's of some of their hits. I went completely nuts when I saw them on the Ed Sullivan Show but now my tastes have gone in other directions and I really don't pay a lot of attention to them anymore. But I certainly appreciate your videos and learn a lot from watching them. Thanks for all that you do.
Back when I was a kid, my teenage aunt played me her Swan 45 of "She Loves You" and that was it for me. The Second Album was one of the first albums I bought and is still a favorite. The whole album is one big Beatle blast and I think really captures the excitement and fun of Beatlemania. The UK mix of "Roll Over Beethoven" never sounds right to me without the reverb!
This really brings back memories. I was 10 years old in early 1964, but I managed to acquire my very first record album, "Meet the Beatles", and then "The Beatles Second Album", when they came out. I played them everyday, and I was well on my way to becoming a full-fledged Beatlemaniac. It's hard for me to pick my favorite tracks from this album because I pretty much loved them all (with the possible exception of "Devil in her Heart"). I'm really diggin' these Beatles album reviews, thanks Matt!
Hi Amanda, yes, these all bring back a flood of great memories and for that reason, these albums should be given a bit more respect than they've gotten in the cd era.
Definitely worth calling out the Beatles songs Classic Rock forgot. And I do like George's earnest if shaky delivery on "Devil In Her Heart," the same way I do John's on "MiIIIIIIIIIIISTER MOOOOONLIGHT"
Yes, hearing the early Beatles recordings IS fun! I listened to the first two albums over and over and then purchased all the studio albums as they were released. The Beatles, and the British Invasion that followed, added immense joy to my middle school and high school years. Simply love your channel!
I had heard that Capital Records was leery about using any of the Motown covers on Meet The Beatles. They felt the American audiences would not buy an album filled with American artists songs they were already familiar with. With the off the charts success of Meet The Beatles, Capital execs had become far less reticent about the contents of their oh so uninspiring titled "Second Album" (really ?) I love this album. I think starting Side 1 with From Me To You and Side 2 with She Loves You would have been a smart way to showcase the bands previous 2 singles and balance out the two sides running order.. I am looking forward to your United Artists "A Hard Days Night "album, instrumentals and all!! Great video Matt. Take care, RNB
In 1980 I was 13. The onlyBeatles Album in the family collection was the Red Album…So that year I really discovered them My first cassette was Sgt Pepper because my father told me to get it. From that point on I started with Meet The Beatles and then bought the cassette in chronological order. I still have a soft spot for the Capitol releases because the song sequences are imbedded in my memory. Later that year my mother left and my parents divorced…Then John was killed. I also moved to a new school…. The Beatles were my friends in this period….in hindsight thinking about all of that they really kept me optimistic and grounded…as I write this I remember buying the Yesterday and Today right at that period. The memories of buying those Beatle cassette had me commenting on a personal level…….Beatles Forever….
Great review! And brought back a memory! I was in 5th grade and went to the record store to buy, "Introducing the Beatles." The store was playing "The Beatles' Second Album" (just released) and I chose this instead while hearing the middle eight of "You Can't do That."
Brilliant rediscovery. I'm old enough and owned this album. You pointed out how fun and energetic these songs were. Gonna make some great "car listening" as I drive to my shows this summer. Thank you!
I'm glad to hear you will be doing more of this American releases era. Just seeing the covers of these albums can set off memories of how we first experienced their music. And, as you indicate, at that age and era, who knew or cared that the track lists had been shuffled and patched together for maximum sales in the U.S. It also reminds me that I was eight years old when Hard Day's Night came to the theaters in the summer of 1964. The theater was electric and a pretty good substitute to seeing them live, all things considered. The impact can still reverberate in many nervous systems to a greater or lesser degree decades later when triggered. My friends and I were compelled to reenact scenes from the movie when we returned home from the theater. To say these albums were in heavy rotation is an understatement.
I did feel ripped off after Illustrated Record hit the book stores in 1975 and i discovered the real LPs. Having said that, however, the truncated and mish-mosh Capitol catalog has aged surprisingly well, with its MMT LP even supplanting the Beatles EP, now extinct.
great work you’re doing on The Beatles here, Matt..! I was in Southern England in the summer of ‘65, and one day my cousins took my brother and I on a steam-powered train and a double-decker bus into London to see Help! - it was a large movie theatre and totally packed - and from the time the movie started, we could scarcely hear it for the screaming, and a few minutes later the ambulance attendants arrived and began hauling girls that had fainted out on stretchers - what a sight! but it certainly made an impression on me… by 1970 I had pestered my parents enough that they relented and got me a Sears violin bass guitar and a Vox bass amp - five years later I was out of school and working a day job - and playing weekend gigs in local bars with two brothers that could harmonize beautifully - playing four 45-minute sets a night, with the 3rd set being all Beatles songs… and no matter how slow the night was that Beatles set *NEVER* failed to get the crowd up and dancing - no matter what age group eight years later, we were playing better clubs full-time - 5 or 6 nights a week and 3 one-hour sets a night - with the second set being all Beatles, and still filling the dance floor humble beginnings, true - but it was the best time of our lives…
I have this album (in mono), purchased not long after it was released. The original price tag of $2.99 slipped out of the cover when I removed the album to look at it after watching your video. The inner paper sleeve is long gone. My copy has a printing malfunction on the rear cover. The right 1/3 or so is fine, but the rest of it has ghost images offset from the actual images making it kind of fuzzy.
Thanks, Matt, for this enthusiastic look at a record that is central to my creation story as a Beatles fan. I was four when the group came to the states, and, luckily, I had older sisters who were twelve, thirteen, and fourteen years old--the prime market for Beatles records. Therefore, my earliest memory of coming into consciousness as a music listener is hearing the sounds of those earliest American releases wafting through the house, especially The Beatles Second Album. For whatever reason, the song I associate most strongly with this primal experience is "Thank You Girl," so I especially appreciate your words about its irresistible ebullience. I still love that song, in part because whenever I hear it I am immediately transported back into the mind of that four-year-old who was first discovering a source of joy that has been central to my life ever since.
Hey, I'm loving these album reviews as well as the Beatle solo efforts. I've been studying The Beatles career since 1981 (16 yrs old) and have strong opinions on the subject. I really enjoy your honest and objective views on them. Please continue.
Great review Matt - you're right about the early albums, Please Please Me pretty much forgotten. Those of us brought up on the British albums find these US combos weird but I guess they have become collector's items!
I do like the cover now as a giggle as it represents the crass old school show-biz hype machine at work. Of course, the Beatles did present their work in the UK more artistically and the USA afterward, there is a fun, high-energy elation in most of the rock'n'roll & rhythm & blues originals and cover songs on the 2nd album.
If all the vinyl collectors are like me, the most common Beatles single I see on my vinyl safaris is "She Loves You". That sucker must have sold in massive numbers, and I think it would be fair to say it was their best seller of '64. But the picture sleeve is rarer than the Capitol sleeves.
Shyman, i'm curious, since i picked up a She Loves You with picture sleeve in very hood condition quite some time ago. Do you have an idea what theu go for nowadays? Thanks.
Fantastic review Matt I fully understand you guys grew up with these Albums but in Australia we had the UK versions I have always felt Capitol Records disrespected the work of George Martin and The Beatles. The running order of albums was very important
My sister had both the Vee Jay and Tollie singles, nothing at the time sounded like that. This album and Meet The Beatles were pure magic at the time, we played the grooves off them. To this day, you'll never find a tighter group of musicians.
I can't agree with "She Loves You" being overlooked. At the ripe old age of eight, I watched them on the Sullivan show and that was the song that really got my attention, especially the three part harmony of the first Yeah Yeah Yeah. It still gives me shivers. When I went to school the next day, "She Loves You" was the song all the girls were singing on the playground.
When I was growing up and learning my craft I LOVED and still do love looking at this cheesy cover. Why? Couple of reasons. I always loved the effect over the photos. A kind of pseudo aged look. It was different. Other reason was as a young musician, like a LOT of musicians I became a gear hound. Still am and of course ANY picture you could get your hands on then that had anything resembling a close up of Beatles instrumentation well, THAT was a huge plus and there are a couple of good shots on this album. The music as always spoke for itself and Matt did his usual thorough job breaking it all down. I will ADD though as a fan and drummer that Ringo's 5 stroke opening to She Loves You is every bit as iconic as the openings of Fireball, We're an American Band or Rock n Roll. That PERFECT deep, resonant, warm and crisp floor tom pounding through and heralding the coming of Beatlemania was just perfect. As usual, Ringo had it JUST RIGHT.
Thanks for doing a deep dive into this record Matt! This is one of my favorite US albums. I got it as a Christmas present in 1983 and was excited to have it on CD when it came out on the Capitol albums box in 2004. Not a lot of Paul lead vocals but still a strong collection. She Loves You might be my favorite Beatles single but I agree it sort of fell under the radar with I Want To Hold Your Hand and Can’t Buy Me Love. Thanks again!
GREAT SHOW!as 1 of the millions of ‘Beatle-Maniacs,, I must honestly tell you that these 3 albums are perhaps my faves by the FABS.!!!their energy and primal force as a unit, really seem to be at a peak,,and I always loved John’sharmonica playing,,,and wondered why in later years -he abandoned it, I felt it added a grittier rawness too their sound, Well done, MATT!
Thank you, Jerry. Those early records are even underrated by Beatles fans! I am working on my next Beatle album review, which will be out soon so stay tuned!
Thanks Matt: my second Beatles LP. I loved it in 1964. Great covers and originals. Today I hear the weakness of Roll Over Beethoven and agree Devil in her Heart isn’t the greatest but I liked it. I guess what I am saying is that I agree with you.
As a child of the sixties I can say even if the marketing was CHEEZY , it contributed to their massive commercial success. You still , however, have many who see the band as not much more than a teeny-bopper group who got a little freaky after they took LSD. The most cheezy was the Saturday morning cartoons (1965-1967) which I don't remember watching too often. This prompted the band not to lend their voices to The Yellow Submarine. Oddly enough even though they appeared to hate it at the time years later George said "I always kind of liked [the cartoons]. They were so bad or silly that they were good, if you know what I mean, and I think the passage of time might make them more fun now."☮
The most impactful thing I remember about the Beatles TV cartoon series was that, in what must have been a later season, it opened with "And Your Bird Can Sing." I couldn't figure out where the song had come from since it wasn't on the U.S. version of Revolver and I didn't know about Yesterday and Today. I'm not sure, but I suspect it wasn't even the entire song. But what a song!
I'm a fan of Thank You Girl - but I'd only heard the US version and not the UK version (the difference is in the harmonica in the middle eight), so finally hearing that other version was my entry into the world of alternative Beatles mixes or takes. I always thought that Devil In Her Heart was more of a filler, but Roll Over Beethoven was one of the songs that I practised when learning guitar. I think that this album, the US Rubber Soul and of course Magical Mystery Tour are better narratively than the UK ones.
Excellent Analysis. Especially how earlier albums were ignored by “ classic rock” radio stations. Love some of capitol stereo mixes. Especially Roll Over Beethoven.
I was nine years old when this album was released. It brings me RIGHT back to that time with the great photos. I used to go into the bathroom and mimic the Beatles faces. 😅 This in also same time that I decided to become a drummer, which I still am at 68 years of age! Plus, I STILL use the "windshield washing" style that Ringo used at the time. I've had quite a few people through the years telling me, "wow! I love your playing style!" Thank you Ringo!
I'm forced to take umbrage with you, Matt. This cover is great because of the many pictutes, which were entitely unavailable at the time. And that's what we wanted. Great sound AND pictures.
I’m so glad you decided to focus on this album, my parents had this album, so it was one of the first by them I ever heard by them, that and The Early Beatles (funny title for a “new band”), and Something New. Thanks for yet another excellent show! And you gotta love all that reeeeeeevvvvverrrrrrrrrbbbbb!” 🪲
She Loves You established the Beatles as the top British pop force, but it didn't work everywhere in continental Europe. The French were reluctant as were the Germans, where the Please Please Me album only appeared after With the Beatles and a couple of singles had paved the way. I believe that I Want to Hold Your Hand was the single that constituted The Beatles as a worldwide phenomenon, not only in the US. BTW, in Germany It Won't be Long, Please Mr. Postman, and Long Tall Sally appeared as singles (and many others), and the first two of those were my first contact with the Group that wrote the soundtrack of my life. The Second Album is the only US release I regularly play (because of its energy and track list), although for me, who grew up with the British albums, it is obviously a compilation album. In terms of the track list, a very similar and possibly even better compilation is the later (1965) The Beatles in Italy or The Eskimo cover/Swedish Greatest Hits. And one more thought: Long Tall Sally is, in my view, their best rock'n'roll cover. Or cover of any kind. That second solo is breathtaking, and after it they sound as if they were tumbling down a flight of stairs, barely maintaining their equilibrium, untill they come to a shrieking halt, possibly right in front of a glass door. They had worked out that arrangement in Hamburg, before George Martin had a say, and it shows how they tried to inject even more vitality into their covers instead of slavishly imitating them.
I wasn't aware that She Loves You didn't work in France or Germany - thank you for that info! I can't argue with you about Long Tall Sally, though I would rate it a tie with Twist And Shout.
@@popgoesthe60s52 I didn't quite say it didn't work, I meant to say it was not their breakthrough. In the Netherlands as well as (W.) Germany, it got to No 7 on the charts, in France it initially appeared on an EP but reached No 1 later on. The first Beatles No 1 in most continental countries was IWTHYH, and that was in the beginning of 1964. (I don't know all chart positions by heart, mind you, so I might have overlooked something, but I'm pretty sure). I agree with you that Twist And Shout is a contender for best cover. I'd also consider Please Mr. Postman. Its so Beatlish, people thought it was a L/McC composition!
There's an interview with John at a radio station somewhere here in the States in the 70's, and the DJ pulls out the "Second Album." Lennon says, "I don't even know what that is!" They were unfamiliar with the American releases.
One of the biggest reasons to buy the albums which included the singles was that the albums normally included the Stereo versions of those singles. "She Loves You" was a rechanneled Stereo version. I've never seen a true Stereo version of that song or the flip side, "I'll Get You".
I'm so glad you reviewed this; it's an important one for me. In 1964, spending $3.99 for an album was a little out of my reach, so I bought the singles (with the now-collectible slip covers), except for this one, my first Beatles album. I loved the songs, but the reason I sprang for the album was the song "Money," not available as a single. I was an aspiring guitar player at the time and really liked the Kingsmen's version of this particularly the distinctive guitar riff. When I found that the Beatles had also covered it I had to have it, even though the riff was on piano in the Beatles' version. My continuing favorite from this album is "You Can't Do That."
glad you are back you will shoot me but gave away all my old Beatles LPs except this one it is still my fav Beatles LPs loved Ringos drumming on Thank You Girl also loved Roll Over Beethoven still have some of my old VJ 45s
This is the second record I ever bought. An original 64 mono in 1984 with a mighty scratch on side two during 'You've Really Got A Hold...'. That's the way I always hear it even now. With that scratch. I still have it. I still have strong nostalgia for Dexter's massive reverb. I love Ringo's tasty fills.
The song that should have been included was From Me To You. I had heard that Capitol had an acetate of the song for this album, but decided at the last minute to use it. We had to wait until the Red & Blue compilations to get that one.
Good point. Would have fit perfectly and given us 12 songs. If they had the acetate why didn't they press and release it? There must be a story behind that.
"The Beatles Second Album" was the first album I ever owned. I was a little kid at eight years old, but a Beatle fan like everybody else at the time! I had every picture and word memorized. Great memories from a million years ago!! lol PS: I think "Thank You Girl" was my favorite from teh album. Even being so young I was so completely wrapped up in those very cool vocal harmonies.
Nice to hear the Duophonic She Loves You here, which has been praised for hiding the edits on the mono mix and having a beefier sound than the fake stereo UK mix. The one mix I didn't like on the stereo Second Album LP was You Can't Do That, which sounded muffled and boxy.
In my opinion, the missing original song that would make this album even better (and a bit longer) is “From Me To You.” After all, they included its British b-side “Thank You Girl.” Capitol passed up another chance to use “From Me To You” when they released “The Early Beatles” the next year. What were they thinking?
The first two albums I acquired, simultaneously on birthday#9 (1974), were this one and "Yesterday and Today", so neither can do any wrong: track by track, jacket design, all 100% magic- to me. An older brother came into my room and threatened me to stop me playing them over and over, but Mom intervened and Blue Meanieism was averted.
@@rudolphguarnacci197 Within a year I had the White Album (and nearly everything else), and yes, I loved "Revolution 9"- it was like a "Night Gallery" episode to me. Still love it,
Devil in Her Heart figured prominently in the cartoon TV series. Don't see the problem w/ Roll Over Beethoven; so emblematic of the sounds if that era. Yes, nobody could touch Chuck Berry..
I’ve heard Chuck turn in a few questionable performances of Roll Over Beethoven over the years. 😉 I have no issues with George’s performance on that track. I just wish his guitar hadn’t been recorded with such a thin sound. It should have been beefed up a bit!
Once again Matt, an EXCELLENT review. Yes, other countries just don't "get it". These are the albums we grew up with. I went for a short while in the late 70s through the 80s thinking the Capital albums suck. I've come full circle and sometime in the 90s I rediscovered these albums & I love them all & even embrace the reverb. Keep up the great Beatles US albums reviews! (and all your other videos as well!)
I have to disagree re, Devil In Her Heart and Roll Over Beethoven. The only problem for me is the tagged on final chord to Roll Over Beethoven which I still don’t understand.
Another very well put production, Matt. I have always found that I've agreed with your stance on your video productions. However, as a guitarist in a variety of fields (and having learned much from the Fab Four in terms of chords and their unique approach to changes in progressions) I would truly disagree with your comments on Harrison's solo on "Roll Over Beethoven." If you've learned to play the solo at all, I think you would appreciate his taste and approach to the Chuck Berry tune. He pulls off those licks really well. As to "Devil in Her Heart", well ... there is no solo, but some well played double stops in the intro. I thought it considerably more melodic than "Money" (which was one song I had rarely played from that LP. I thought it too repetetive.... my opinion). I should mention that Lennon's guitar solo in "You Can't Do That" is really well constructed with several "color points". I'm not trying to be contentious. I just thought I might share my thoughts. You've got such an interesting channel, and your material is well thought out and the narrative always carries me through to the end.... Thank you!
Thank you George, I appreciate the candor. With regard to Roll Over, I was referring to George's intro to the song specifically, not the rest of the song which is fine. Guitarists I speak to have found those first couple of bars amateurish as do I. I'm disappointed he didn't work harder on that. Oh well, no accounting for one's taste! Lennon's solo is very good and on that track we hear George's electric 12-string for the first time. Keep the comments, coming, George!
@@popgoesthe60s52 Thank you for taking the time to reply, Matt (I know you have a lot of folks to deal with on your channel!). I know precisely what you mean as to the intro; but I think in such matters a musician may be confined somewhat to stay close to the cliche "Chuck Berryesque" motif. You, in retrospect (as to your comment on Harrison playing the Rickenbacker 360/12 on "You Can't Do That"), what a difference that 12-string made in the Beatles' sound. When you figure how different they were, it was just another notch up! The fact that they rode that on the wave to fame made all other guitarists' attempt to own that sound second hand. Again, I know I speak for everyone who follows your channel when I say how well-crafted your narrative is! As I've said in previous times, you are the Ken Burns of the genre... you have a real natural talent for these things!
@@georgemixis2172 That is high praise, George and I really appreciate it. I must say that I am partial to the electric 12-string and what a game changer that was for the band. Now I'm excited to review A Hard Day's Night!
The Beatles Second album is a great early rock and roll (and R&B) album. Yes it's a Capitol hodgepodge.....but like you said.....it's the one I grew up with. Capitol (rightly) gets bashed for butcher jobs on Fab albums, but there are three times when they REALLY came out with something special. That would be the Magical Mystery Tour album.....putting "I've Just Seen a Face" as the lead track on its version of Rubber Soul......and the Beatles Second Album.....which, for the most part, is a full-throttle blast from start to finish. Great video once again.
Hey, I DISAGREE with your ROLL OVER BEETHOVEN assessment ! I remember hearing this song, their version and I thought they wrote it. I was about 10 at the time and I though we’ll that song is pretty cheeky, my father was a big classical fan, I also thought the lyrics were very clever..it was when I read the credits that I saw it was by Chuck Berry! It was through this I went back and discovered Chuck…anyway I think George did a great job on this..I like the guitar intro a lot even though it’s not perfect. The album is a great one …thanks.
Excellent review. And I'd forgotten how gear was the intro to Thank You Girl! Listening to these early records always makes me lament that the fab four all but abandoned the mouth organ as their career progressed.
Meet the Beatles,The Second Album,A Hard Days Night, Something New, Beatles`65, The Early Beatles, Beatle VI, Help, Yesterday and Today, I had ,between the ages 5 to 7, all these albums and LOVED the album covers. Except for Beatles For Sale, none of the British covers can come close. The significance of those covers to a baby boy cannot be overstated and helped make me the Beatlemaniac I remain to this day.
As a Canadian,we had different albums in 1964 as others have commented. But in stores we still had the American albums as well. I enjoyed your review as usual and I have my favourites on this album, in particular, I'll Get You. Love the harmony on that song. I enjoy Roll Over Beethoven, I had the 45 when it came out. Since I was a preteen at the time I hadn't heard the Chuck Berry version. However, I think they did a great job,,,maybe not the vocal performance but the energy with the handclaps is impressive.
Terry Tutor here-"The Beatles Second Album " is the first album I procured when I was 4 years old ( Christmas 1966); I love this maximum Rock-N-Roll album and for my part feel that it's like the Rock-N-Roll side of the Everly Brothers on steroids...Yes, Ringo's drumming on "Thank You Girl" is sensational ( try and imagine any of the drummers on pop records at the time, with Hal Blaine and Earl Palmer being exceptions, being able to execute what he plays on this)....Peace and Love, Terry Tutor
Another point I agree with Matt , is Ringo"s "63 "64 drumming. A video of the Lads playing Shout on Ready Steady Go shows how powerful and exact the man was His brilliance is why they picked him over Pete. No comparison . McCartney knew what was required and Lennons superb rhythm guitar is a perfect foil .
Dude you nailed it. I do remember as a 10 year old who was purchasing the 45's that I thought the cover was as you say "cheesy". Did not come close to the Meet The Beatles album. Although I know I could not have verbalized at the time it seemed like a money grab to me with all the covers. Thank you for jarring that memory loose!
Gotta disagree with you on "Roll Over Beethoven". I think it's one of their most exciting and energetic performances on record. And I really like George's guitar work. It's very (early) "Beatley" sounding, and I think George and The Beatles surpassed the original by Chuck Berry.
