The Beatles’ debut, Please Please Me, is an amazing sounding recording.
It’s clearly the best sounding title of their first five releases, if you have the right pressing.
Naturally, it’s a founding member of our Top 100 Rock and Pop List, along with five other Beatles classics: Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper, Magical Mystery Tour and Abbey Road.
Please Please Me (in awesome twin-track stereo no less) captures more of the live sound of these four guys playing together as a rock and roll band than any record they ever made again. (Let It Be gets some of that live quality too and makes a great bookend for the group.)
If you are interested in digging deeper, our listening in depth commentaries have extensive track by track breakdowns for some of the better-known albums that have gone through a number of shootouts.
For most of the major titles by The Beatles, scores of shootouts have been done, with our earliest efforts stretching all the way back to 2005.
Side One
I Saw Her Standing There
Like any of the boys’ most radio-ready singles, this song tends to be a bit bright. If this track sounds at all dull, there’s probably no hope for the rest of this side.
Misery
This track should sound lively and punchy. The best copies have excellent bass definition and superb clarity, allowing you to appreciate how the wonderful bounce of the rhythm section really energizes the song.
Anna (Go to Him)
Does it get any better? This is the real Beatles magic baby!
Chains
Note that the vocals on this track are not as well recorded as they are on the track above. As a rule they’re a bit edgier and not as transparent.