Dec 05, 2001 10:08 AM
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(Updated Dec 05, 2001 10:08 AM)
A Hard Day’s Night was the first truly classic album the Beatles put out. Not to say that Please Please Me and With The Beatles were bad. Not at all. Both of them had great songs on them. But this was the first Beatles album to show that they were no teen band, this was an important group.
Both of the previous albums featured a mixture of covers and originals. On A Hard Days Night all the songs were Lennon/McCartney originals. In fact, this was the only Beatles album to consist solely of Lennon/McCartney songs. It's also the only one to not feature any lead vocals from Ringo, which is either a good or bad thing depending on your position.
I remember when I first bought A Hard Day’s Night at the local (now defunct) Blockbuster music. Then, on the way home I stopped at a sub shop and picked up lunch. The woman behind the counter asked to see what I had bought. So I handed over the bag.
She pulled the disc out. ''Ah Beatles! Do you young people today still like them?''
I made an observation about good music being timeless. She smiled and handed the CD back to me along with my lunch.
A Hard Day’s Night begins with the classic title track. The song starts with the now customary guitar chord, then John Lennon's voice comes in, singing the classic lyrics (''It's been a hard days night/And I've been working like a dog/''). These were among the first real mature lyrics that the Beatles wrote.
“I Should Have Known Better” which has become another Beatles classic follows this. The song features some superb harmonica playing from Lennon and his vocals give it an upbeat feel (''I should have known better with a girl like you/That I would love everything that you do/And I do/Hey hey hey/And I do''). One song that always makes you feel good.
''If I Fell'' is an excellent ballad that features harmony singing by Lennon and McCartney. The song is being sung to a girl whom the singer loves and is trying to leave his wife for. The carefully played acoustic backing mixed with the lyrics make this a timeless classic.
Another great ballad on here is the McCartney penned and sung ''And I Love Her''. This one features acoustic backing that has a kind of Latin type sound to it. Ringo supports this on the bongo drums. The lyrics are a simple love dedication. But they are not trite or goopy like much of Paul's solo material.
McCartney also wrote and sang the hits ''Can't Buy Me Love'' and ''Things We Said Today''. The first one is another radio staple that I'm sure everyone has heard. The song begins with McCartney singing over a rocking backbeat about how ''I don't care to munch for money/Money can't buy me love''. ''Things We Said Today'' begins with a carefully strummed guitar riff, backed by some good drumming. The lyrics are being sung to a girl that Paul has to go away from for a while. He tells her: ''Someday when we're dreaming/Deep in love/Not a lot to say/Then we will remember/Things we said today''.
Lennon offers ''Any Time At All'', ''You Can't Do That'' and ''I'll Be Back''. The first one is an upbeat rocker that features a great drum rhythm from Ringo. ''You Can't Do That'' is a fun pop rocker and ''I'll Be Back'' ends the album with some superb guitar playing and lyrics that detail a fluctuating relationship.
While nothing on here warrants the skip button, there are a couple low-key tracks. ''I'm Happy Just To Dance With You'' while not bad is more or less a generic pop song. ''When I Get Home'' kinda meanders along without really going anywhere. ''Tell Me Why'' is nothing exceptional, despite being fun to sing along to.
A Hard Day's Night is a classic Beatles album, one that would set the stage for later masterpieces such as Rubber Soul and Sgt Pepper.
