Remembering When The Beatles Fortified Their Great Start on Their Sophomore Album in 1963

When you talk to Beatles aficionados about their greatest albums, you might not find too many of them mentioning With The Beatles. But in terms of important LPs in the band’s career, it has to rank way up there.

After all, as the second Beatles full-length album, it indicated that they weren’t pretenders after a hot start. And it also helped establish the long-playing disc as an entity separate from singles, another Fab Four accomplishment.

Following Up a Smash

The Beatles started their recording career a bit modestly, with “Love Me Do”, released in 1962, earning mild hit status. But “Please Please Me” followed that up with a bang, giving the group their first taste of nationwide success in England.

The group recorded the bulk of their debut album, also titled Please Please Me upon its release in 1963, in the course of a single night. But they also made sure to include the singles “Love Me Do” and “Please Please Me” as part of the package. That was pretty much standard practice at the time.

When they plotted out their sophomore release, they decided against such a policy. Consider that they easily could have included singles like “She Loves You” and “I Want To Hold Your Hand”, both recorded around the same time the sessions for With The Beatles were taking place, on the album.

Making an Album on the Fly

The Fab Four wanted the LP to stand separately, thereby giving it a bit more weight in the culture. It was a tactic to which they’d return on future classics like Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and The White Album.

Unlike the process for Please Please Me, The Beatles recorded With The Beatles piecemeal. Their schedule was incredibly busy thanks to countless live performances, television appearances, and radio shows. Any sessions were generally squeezed in on their rare free day.

That time crunch also put pressure on the songwriting duo of John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Yet even with the aforementioned singles coming in that stretch, the boys rose to the occasion with killer tracks like “All My Loving”, “It Won’t Be Long”, and “Not A Second Time”.

Another Winner

George Harrison received his first songwriting credit on With The Beatles as well, as he penned the sour rocker “Don’t Bother Me”. Elsewhere, the group went to the well again with a variety of cover songs that they’d already been playing on tour. You can hear the confidence they had in those numbers, based on their stellar studio versions of “Please Mr. Postman” and “Money (That’s What I Want)”.

With The Beatles has a few forgettable numbers. But overall, it’s remarkably consistent, especially considering the original tracks were scrounged up on the fly. No amount of pressure could slow these guys down.

The Beatles would up their game even more on their next album, as A Hard Day’s Night would feature nothing but top-notch Lennon/McCartney compositions. With The Beatles provided the springboard to that future while also proving that their recent past wasn’t a fluke.

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