The best of the Beatles' early efforts? (A Hard Day's Night - The Beatles)

Member Name: Sharpishglass

Product:	A Hard Day's Night - The Beatles
Date:	15/08/09 (10 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Some of the Beatles' best early songs coupled with numbers hinting at what the future would hold

Disadvantages: Anyone expecting a 'White Album' will be inevitably disappointed...

In my opinion, A Hard Day's Night is the pinnacle of the Beatles early records. Their third album and the first to feature entirely original compositions (a novelty in 1964), here the band can be found justifying their position as the most popular band in the world with a sparkling set of peerless pop songs.

Prepped as a soundtrack to the showcase film of the same title, the album zips by in just over 30 minutes, successfully conveying the sense of fun pervasive in the movie. The title track and songs such as 'I Should Have Known Better' and 'Tell Me Why' show this approach in full effect, jubilant harmonies and peppy, bright arrangements create a joyous whole.
What makes the album more remarkable then, is that its brief running time also includes detours into other moods. The taut 'Things We Said Today' brings a sense of urgency to proceedings, remaining a firm favourite of the band years after. Likewise, 'If I Fell' may be founded on a bedrock of sweet vocals and delicate instrumentation, but the poignancy of its lyric, one of the first to reflect on the band's personal lives, illustrates a new depth to the band's songwriting.
Being the first Beatles record to feature purely Lennon-McCartney tunes would be enough to give this album its space in the history books. The fact that it's also a fantastic pop album bursting with tunes and life, an album that saw the band stretching their wings to new musical territory while retaining that catchy immediacy that endeared them to so many, lifts the album above a mere period piece into an essential music collection staple.

Summary: The Beatles' best early album. Which already makes it one of the best of all time, really