On March 22, 1963, The Beatles He launched “Please, Please Me”which accompanied the brilliant start of the beatlemania, which had begun the previous year with the appearance of “Love Me Do” and “Please, Please Me”. The experience represented a challenge for Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison y Ringo Starrwho left several anecdotes in the making of their first album.
At the time, it was not common for groups to record their own material but the Liverpool four they composed eight of the 14 songs. The quality of the songs was the consecration of the presentations that the band made on the circuit underground of his own city and in Hamburg, Germany, and the work of the producer George Martinwho sought to get the best out of them.
January 30, 1969 was the last public appearance of The Beatles.
His first album changed popular music forever, at the same time as established the versatility of the quartetwhich included R&B ballads, the explosive “Twist and Shout” (written by Phil Medley and Bert Russell and well remembered in Argentina for being the musical opening of Videomatch) y temas propios como “I Saw Her Standing There”, “There’s A Place” y “PS I Love You”, entre otras.
Since the release of “Please Please Me”, The Beatles peaked at number 1 in the UK remaining in that position for 30 weeks until being replaced in the first position by “With the Beatles”, his second LP.
The cover photo
The famous image on the cover was taken in the patio of lights in the building of EMI Limited in it West End of London. The photo was taken by Angus McBean, a photographer specializing in theater. When the EMI offices changed their headquarters, they moved with everything and the balcony of the image.
However, this was not the first idea. George Martin loved the zoo and he had thought it would be good publicity for himself if The Beatles posed for the album cover in front of the zoo’s insect house, but the Zoological Society of London rejected the idea..
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The marathon session to record 10 songs
While four of the tracks had already been recorded in 1962, the band made the remaining ten in a remembered marathon session which took place on February 11, 1963 in the Abbey Road EMI studios.
Total, lasted 585 minutes (nine hours and 45 minutes)the cost of the recording was £400, roughly £15,000 today ($18,200) and each of the Beatles was paid £7.50 for each 3 hour session.
It is worth mentioning that Martin had also thought about recording the album live, in front of his audience, at the Cavern Club, a scenario that John, Paul, George and Ringo knew more than well. But not having much time, they canceled the project.
John Lennon’s cold
In that 585-minute session, the last song to be recorded was “Twist and Shout” when night had already fallen and the musicians were exhausted. Lennon had a cold and he had to take some throat pills and, according to other versions, a glass of milk with an alcoholic drink.
George Martin feared that if John sang the song under these conditions, it would ruin his voice if it was recorded earlier, but the record had to be ready by then. The second take of the song was excellent and they tried to do a third, but the beatle He stopped and said “that he couldn’t go on anymore”. Later Lennon recounted that he almost fainted and that recording “almost killed him”.
But McCartney/Lennon is Lennon/McCartney
That eight of the songs were composed by John Lennon and Paul McCartney was evidence of what the magazine Rolling Stone called “the idea of a self made rock bandwriting their own hits and playing their own musical instruments.”
The original vinyl release was the only time the original songs had the famous credit. McCartney/Lennon. In subsequent versions this was changed to Lennon/McCartney and so it remains so today.
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Although most of the songs were sung by Lennon or McCartney, solo or in duet, Harrison participated in the choirs and provided vocals for two songs (“Chains” and “Do you wanna know a secret”), while Ringo played one of them (“Boys”).
A milestone in the British rankings
At that time the British charts were generally led by music from film soundtracks and so-called “easy listening”, characterized by simple, catchy and relaxed melodies, with simple harmonizations, but very little rock and roll.
“Please Plese Me” reached number one in the UK charts and stayed there for 30 weeksuntil December 7, 1963, when “With the Beatles” took the throne from him.
FP/fl
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