Strummmmm! That dramatic guitar chord that kicks of A Hard Day’s Night (album, song, movie) still jumps right out at you, slaps you in the face, and jump-starts your heart. And you know what? Both the music and the film are still as crisp and lively as they were in 1964. Of course, only the first seven songs are actually in the movie (and they are the strongest of the bunch, from the rousing rock & roll of the title track and the hit single “Can’t Buy Me Love,” to the beautiful [Read More...]
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And here it is - the very first (and only) album comprised of *all* Lennon & McCartney material, and what an excellent album it is. The Beatles’ third album, overall, the boys had already started out with some mightily impressive songwriting skills, chops, and infectious melodies with their first two albums, _Please Please Me_ and _With The Beatles_ (both from 1963.) However, unlike those two (which feature a mix of originals and covers), this album is comprised of *all* original material, and the songwriting is also a step up, overall, from their first two albums.
Something that seems to fly over the heads of many Beatles fans is the complexity involved in the majority of their music. Yes, their later material was not the only music to be complex. In fact, this aspect started from the beginning, actually, and this album is no exception: many of the chords, progressions and structures to the songs on this album are very advanced — especially coming from a rock band who wrote their own material back in the early ’60s, and what’s a hell of a lot more impressive is how they seem to make it all sound so seemingly simple; the complexity of the musicianship doesn’t overwhelm the music, but in actuality, it plays an important role in making their music as infectious and devouring as it was (and still is): the way they treat the melodies, and how they sequence and arrange them are so marvelous.
You know the title track, as it features that explosive, shot-in-the-dark strum of a chord (which is complex, by the way.) And from there, we are taken on an exciting ride. We get infectious rockers like the aforementioned title track, lovely, melodic-soaked ballads like “If I Fell,” more infectious rockers like “Happy Just To Dance With You,” which is sung by George Harrison, and features some stunning arrangements, but these arrangements make for some interesting, mysterious, yet infectious melodies, which lend the track a certain sexy, elegant and utterly classy quality. We also get Latin-infused numbers like Paul McCartney’s “And I Love Her.”
My favorite track on this excellent album is “Tell Me Why.” Many people on this page seem to bash this track, which is fine. It was rumored that John Lennon himself didn’t think the world of this track, and said that it was a song written without much effort, and that it was inspired by his love of the R&B “girl groups” from that time period. You can definitely hear the influence here (and in certain other Beatles songs), but the passionate, raucous, uninhibited, and alternately beautiful vocal harmonies, the sexy way in which they swing, and the jazzy basslines from McCartney are just a few of the things that contribute to the creation of something which is almost orgasmic to my ears.
Later, we get to see one of the earliest examples of The Beatles exploring their love of country-rockabilly in “I’ll Cry Instead,” while “Things We Said Today” is more of a melancholic-toned melody, which, ironically, features a fairly-fast tempo. “You Can’t Do That” features some ominous lyrics to a lover, but yet the melody and the song in general sounds so up-tempo, jovial and celebratory. And, to close off the album, we have “I’ll Be Back,” one of the most understatedly beautiful songs on the album.
The Beatles didn’t ever really put out an album that wasn’t filled to the brim with infectiousness, and impressive musicianship. This 1964 juggernaut is no exception. Highly recommended.
So much has been written about the Beatles later albums such as Sgt. Pepper, Abbey Road and The White Album, which all made your customer poll Top 100. It’s a real shame that the Beatles earlier(pre-Rubber Soul) albums are underappreciated because they are all first rate rock ‘n roll. A Hard Day’s Night is the best of the earlier albums and ranks right up there with their later classics and also should have been on your customer Top 100. Every track here is brilliant in consumate beat-pop style. Infectious joy just explodes out of every song. A friend of mine described this album as “a guaranteed bad mood buster. The unforgettable opening guitar riff of the title song sets the tone for what is to come. And I Love Her is arguably McCartney’s best love song. Lennon’s glorious harmonica never sounded better than in I Should Have Known Better. The songs are more complex than it may first seem so listen to them carefully. For instance, Tell Me Why is a great rocker whose backbeat has a syncopated snazz that gives it a swing sound as well. Hardly pop fluff. The most incredible thing about this album is that it was written on the run while Beatlemania raged around them and they were pressured to get a soundtrack out for the movie, unlike the later albums when they had more time to experiment in the studio. A Hard Day’s Night is a timeless classic that sounds as fresh and energetic today as it did 35 years ago. No serious rock collection is complete without it.
Filled with energy, hooks, and enough great songs to last a lifetime, “A Hard Day’s Night” is the ultimate document of Beatlemania. About the only thing missing from this unheralded masterpiece is the deafening shriek of adoring young fans. This is one for the history books because, in a nutshell, this IS 1964!!
Oddly enough, “Hard Day’s Night” is rarely mentioned as one of the Beatles’ best albums. What a shame, because this one is loaded with 13 unforgetable Lennon-McCartney classics. In fact, so cohesive are the tunes, that one could make a strong case for “A Hard Day’s Night” as rock-n-roll’s first true concept album. Lyrically, each song deals with love. Yes, it’s mostly simplistic, however, a growing sophistication sneaks in on “Things We Said Today” and the haunting finale “I’ll Be Back”. The instrumental landscape is graced with driving acoustic guitars, Ringo’s steady backbeat and of course, George’s ringing 12-string guitar. So influential was George’s playing — especially on the classic title song — that seemingly an entire generation of young guitar slingers made the 12-string a part of their arsenal. (The Byrds’ Roger McGuinn credits “Hard Day’s Night” as the inspiration for his love affair with the 12-string.)
All thirteen songs are wonderful. No filler– just classic power pop sprinkled with a pair of John and Paul’s most beautiful ballads (”And I Love Her” and “If I Fell”). The potent rockers “Any Time at All” and “You Can’t Do That” are purely lethal. John doesn’t merely sing these songs — he screams his bloody lungs out!! Paul shreds his vocal cords on “Can’t Buy Me Love”, letting out what is perhaps the most famous scream in rock’s history. You get the idea that the Beatles — not yet fed up with touring and riotous mobs — had a blast while recording “A Hard Day’s Night”. This is pure adrenaline and we, the listeners, are the lucky recipients. A must for any serious music fan, “A Hard’s Day’s Night” is not only one of the best albums of all-time, it’s also one of the most important.