Artist: The Beatles
Album: A Hard Day's Night
Year: 1964
A Hard Day's Night was The Beatles' third proper studio album. This was the first to feature originals only, and was a companion piece to their movie AKA extended advertisement of the same name.
The sound of this album is similar to that of With The Beatles. One advancement from the previous record was George Harrison's use of 12-string guitar, which The Byrds would adopt later in the decade. All of these songs are Lennon/McCartney-penned (no George/Ringo on this one), and it's a strong set. Call it blasphemy, but I prefer With The Beatles over this one. I feel it's a stronger set of songs and a little more exuberant. The first four tracks on With The Beatles are just knockouts. On A Hard Day's Night, the gems are a little more spread around and not as immediate.
There are a couple songs here that are totally worth the price of admission, though. The title track is, of course, legendary. It's a strong rock-and-roll song with a twisty melody and a soaring bridge. "Can't Buy Me Love" treads through similar terrain. The real winners in this collection are the shuffling "You Can't Do That," the minor-key ballad "Things We Said Today," and especially the gorgeous "If I Fell," which has such a simple melody but otherworldly harmonies. The question is, where does that song even come from? I've listened to forty-two of the best albums of the 1950's and 1960's now, and there's literally nothing I've heard that sounds remotely like the harmonies in "If I Fell." I guess The Everly Brothers are the most apt comparison, but even that's a stretch.
In listening to this album, I really can't fathom that this band would be capable of something as varied as The White Album in four short years, and would be broken up in a mere six. This is still The Beatles in their adolescent stage, refining their songcraft. It's good stuff, but there's no doubt the best is yet to come.
Rating: Worth repeated listens
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