This is one of the few Beatles records I don't know that well, whereas Chloe knew every word. The excitement of 'discovering' a Beatles album is massive, as they are a group who rarely disappoint in the quality of their material, however high expectations are.
A Hard Day's Night was the first Beatles album containing songs written entirely by Lennon and Mcartney, and it was released alongside a film of the same name. Whilst it's fair to say the latter is well regarded, it was again the music album that captred the iggest rewards, going on to reach number one in the UK and US, although they have very different compositions. Just before this album was released, the Beatles had singles filling the top 5 slots in the US chart, indicating their popularity. This album regularly features in lists of the greatest albums ever, with Rolling Stone having it in their top 500, and Q in their top 100, although there are few Beatles albums that can't make similar claims.
The title track kicks out of the traps like a greyhound. Between the Lennon led vocals and the tight-as (ass?) rhythm section, the song is well driven. The harmonica section in the subsequent song captures the imagination, and the simplicity of the guitar line indicates exactly what the band were about. If I Fell is built on great backing vocals, multi-layered guitar lines, and slightly over saccharine but teenage-heart melting lyrics. I'm Happy Just to dance With You is all wide-eyed innocence and simplicity personified, resulting in a track you cannot avoid dancing to. And I Love Her is a slower, more melancholy song which shows the band's increased confidence in dealing with more grown up, mature issues, although still revolving around love. There is some interesting percussion, and a slow, delicate Harrison guitar solo, and it sounds like some of their more Indian-influenced later tracks. Tell Me Why reverts straight back to high quality, sing-along bubblegum pop, but is eclipsed by the irrepressible Can't Buy Me Love, which has one of the great Beatles choruses, which means one of the greatest choruses ever. The jangly guitar sound, coupled with the soaring vocals made this a deserved classic. Any Time At All was one of my favourites off this album, with the insistence of the lyrics in the chorus leaving you in no doubt as to the intentions of the singer. I'll Cry Instead is a bit of a miss for me, in relative terms, and Things We Said Today hints at the later experiments in psychedelia. When I Get Home is a pretty threatening song, with a great guitar line and classic Beatles harmonies. You Can't Do That takes that threatening tone and steps it up a notch, with some fairly denigrating and possessive lyrics, although some great Starr percussion. I'll Be Back has a great, jangly Harrison guitar line, but doesn't quite do enough with it.
This is clearly a very good album, but not as great as I had hoped it would be. The simplicity of the songs cannot hide the quality of the writing, but it is the later, more adventurous Beatles sound that has appealed to me more over the years. The singles off the album are terrific, an there are some songs I hadn't come across before that are brilliant, Any Time At All being a prime example. Overall though, it isn't the seminal classic I was hoping it would be, with the hint of some filler in songs that fail to move me much at the end of the album.
Chloe's album rating: 7
Chloe's favourite track: 2. I Should Have Known Better
Olly's album rating: 7
Olly's favourite track: 7. Can't Buy Me Love
Next is the epic 802. Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness by the Smashing Pumpkins.
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