Please Please Me (1963)

Please Please Me (1963)

“Well she was just 17,” were the first words on a Beatles LP, and frankly the Fab Four were spring chickens themselves at that point. Youthful vigor runs rampant on Please Please Me, from the first vibrant seconds of “I Saw Her Standing There” to the final chime of “Twist And Shout.” It sounds like a revolution even without the backstory: With Please Please Me, the Beatles pioneered the concept of what Rolling Stone later dubbed “the self-contained rock band,” writing their own songs and playing their own instruments. They were their own hit factory, and business was booming; Please Please Me is stuffed with smash singles. Some of those were covers, yes — the aforementioned “Twist And Shout” included — but most the stunners here are mostly the originals. “I Saw Her Standing There,” “Love Me Do,” and “Please Please Me” are all foundational rock ‘n’ roll essentials, and album cuts like “There’s A Place” and “Misery” (that piano splice!) ensure the album is padded out with more than just filler.