Please Please Me (Remastered)

Paul McCartney’s exuberant count-in to “I Saw Her Standing There” is the perfect opening to the album legacy of The Beatles. You feel the excitement of a group making their first LP; turning a dream into reality. As Ringo Starr reflected: “You’d sell your soul to get on a record. A piece of plastic was like gold.”

Two singles had been recorded in 1962. While “Please Please Me” the follow-up to their debut “Love Me Do” - was rising to number one, The Beatles made their fifth visit to EMI’s studios in North London. Their task on 11 February 1963 was to record all ten extra tracks required to complete an album. By this time, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison had been playing together for five years. Hundreds of gigs at The Cavern in Liverpool and all-night sessions in the clubs of Hamburg had honed their talent. The hard-working group was able to rise to the challenge.

Alongside the Lennon/McCartney songs already released, four more originals were recorded. “Do You Want To Know A Secret,” when covered by Billy J. Kramer with The Dakotas, soon became another number one for the composers. George takes the lead on The Beatles’ version. Six songs learnt from recent American rhythm and blues records were also selected. None had been a British Top 40 hit. The last track to be recorded on the productive day was The Beatles’ rocking reinvention of the Isley Brothers’ hit ‘Twist And Shout’. It became as well-known as any of their 1963 hit singles.

'Please Please Me’ was released on 22 March 1963, when the pop music market was still in its infancy. For young pop fans, the exciting action was on singles not albums. The Beatles’ immediate and unprecedented success on Long Players vividly demonstrated the artistic and commercial potential of an album aimed at young record buyers. Paul’s count-in to “I Saw Her Standing There” was not only an exciting start to The Beatles’ first LP, it launched a musical revolution that still reverberates to this day. — Kevin Howlett