The Beatles

Meet The Beatles - Capitol (US) 1964

Tracks: 1. I Want to Hold Your Hand / 2. I Saw Her Standing There / 3. This Boy / 4. It Won’t Be Long / 5. All I’ve Gotta Do / 6. All My Loving / 7. Don’t Bother Me / 8. Little Child / 9. Till There Was You / 10. Hold Me Tight / 11. I Wanna Hold Your Hand / 12. Not a Second Time


Comments:

"Meet the Beatles" was the first Capitol Beatles album. The album was released in January 1964, at a time when the group had already released two albums in Europe, "Please Please Me" and "With the Beatles". The cover photo of "Meet the Beatles" is the same on European "I With the Beatles " and nine of the album's twelve tracks are also collected on this album.

The first three songs, the singles "I wanna hold your Hand" and "I saw her standing there" as well as the b-side ballad "This boy" are however taken from the group's first album and from a non-album single.

Compared to "With The Beatles", "Please Mr Postman," "Roll over Beethoven", "You've really Got Me", "Devil in Her Heart" and "Money" are missing, which is hardly a coincidence since all five songs are coverversions.

"Meet the Beatles" comes out amazingly strong with no less than three classic numbers one singles, "I wanna hold your Hand", "I Saw her Standing there" and "All My Loving" - "It Won’t be Long" would probably have achieved the same status had it been given the chance.

Two of the group's finest early ballads are found here, "This Boy" and "All I Gotta Do". "Hold Me Tight" is a melodic charming upbeat song sung by McCartney. "Not a Second Time" is another strong song with Lennon vocally in top form.

In the lighter department you'll find "Little Child". Harrison's vocal on the otherwise solid "Don’t Bother Me" can not quite cope with Lennon's and McCartney's while Ringo’s on "I Wanna Be Your Man" is pretty lame. This song would probably have had another life with either John or Paul at the lead vocal. The album's only cover song is the ballad "Till There Was You", sung by Paul – which is quite nice but also pretty forgettable.


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