The Beatles 1 is, as you might have guessed from the title, a collection of all the Beatles no. 1 singles, 27 in all. John, Paul, George and Ringo in their eight year lifetime as the Beatles made so many great songs and Albums and this is a small snippet of what they achieved in that time.
Love me do: The Beatles first single. Not a bad song but it doesn't really stand out that much. The harmonicas nice and Lennon’s voice sounds great. There isn't really any guitar work in this song though. 3/5
From me to you: Another song with harmonica. I'm not really a fan of this one either. The verse and chorus is o.k. but there’s nothing that really grabs your attention. Fortunately though it's the shortest song on the album (1:56) so I can get through it with out falling a sleep. 3/5
She loves you: The song starts with the super catchy chorus which is just great. The guitar serves a better role in this song with some good riffs. 4.5/5
I want to hold to hand: Not catchy as the previous but still good. Hand claps in the verse for a change and John singing "haaaaaaand" before the choruses makes it a good listen. 3.5/5
Can't buy me love: Another catchy song with good lyrics. The bass carries the song along and the guitar comes in halfway with a solo. 4/5
A hard day's night: Quite a fast song with the singing dominating. A great solo in this one. The song ends fading out with a weird little riff. 4/5
I feel fine: The verse riff rules, it's really catchy and added with Lennon’s voice gives the whole song a sense of cool. The chorus is a bit of a let down but the solo makes up for that. 4.5/5
Eight days a week: An American single. It’s a really poppy tune and it makes for a nice listen. It's acoustic and the boys use a nice vocal range. 3.5/5
Ticket to ride: Heavier than previous songs. The guitars work well with each other and the pounding drums make it a louder, heavier song. 4/5
Help!: What a song! The intro with them singing help with the moody riff in the background. Written by Lennon in 20 minutes!! 4.5/5
Yesterday: An American single. Paul’s classic ballad that came to him in a dream. The most covered song in history. I really can't see what all the fuss is about. There’s 2 parts to the song and while there both quite nice with the string section there’s nothing to make you go wow! 3/5
Day tripper: Some good old sixties rock. A catchy riff and good rhythm that makes you want to dance. The best bit is the build up with the loud guitar and the 'ahhhhhhs' and it then all comes crashing back down in to the verse riff again. 4.5/5
We can work it out: its O.K. Acoustic guitar and an organ are the main parts of this song. Only bit I like is the faster part with the cool bass. 3/5
Paperback writer: A really simple and great song. It's really cool when their all singing "paper back writer" one after another. George Harrison also plays a really cool riff just before the verse starts. The rest of the song is just C and G. So simple! 4/5
Yellow submarine: The kids' favorite. A song with simple guitar and drums enhanced by the sounds of a brass band and a submarine. 3.5/5
Eleanor Rigby: Totally different from anything they'd done before. A sad haunting song. I think it’s played with violins. 4/5
Penny Lane: O.k. It's not that bad but it's just.... well it's got a brass band and pianos with effects and it's just not for me. 2.5/5
All you need is love; John Lennon’s casual message of love broadcast by satellite to millions of people. It’s quite good but the orchestra kind of wrecks it a bit. It ends with John singing "She loves you yeh yeh yeh". 3.5/5
Hello, goodbye: This song suffers the same as Penny lane. It's like there’s no guitar, just a big orchestra. Fortunately guitar does come in and this saves it a bit. At the end the song changes ends with a Hawaiian feel. 3/5
Lady Madonna: Amazing piano starts off and then....that bass line, it just rocks!. Thank God their past that weird pshycadelic stage. The guitar comes in making it rock even more. There’s also a refreshing sax solo. 4.5/5
Hey Jude: This starts off as quite a good McCartney ballad with piano and acoustic guitar. With backing vocals of "ahhhhhhhh". This one has a heavier feel because of the bass and drums. Now with all of that it’s a good song. But what makes it classic is the second part of the song. "Better, better, better, better.... Na na na nanananah na na na nah hey Jude". You just have to listen to it. It's so massively awesome, a work of art. This then goes into a fade out which at the time was the longest fade out ever. It just rules. 5/5
Get back: This song has a real American feel to it. The rhythm rumbles along with American styled vocals, guitar and piano. Entertaining enough. 3.5/10
The Ballad of John and Yoko: The song is about what John and Yoko were doing at the time, such as the bed-in and their marriage. It's good but John's voice isn't on top form and the guitars aren't much cop. 3.5/10
Something: George’s classic ballad. It all sounds so very soft; the guitars and bass, along with the orchestra. It's good when everything gets louder with the drums coming in. I also like the solo in this song which is also quite soft. 3.5/5
Come together: This is quite a bluesy, groovy song written by John. Very strange lyrics. The verse is bass and quiet guitar. The chorus comes in with slightly louder guitar and a good riff. The thing I like about it is that it's all very layed back. I especially like the end with the quiet solo and John singing repeatedly “Come together yeh!” 4.5/5
Let it be: A gospel inspired song and the last British single. Starts with piano and singing ladies. The song builds up with bass, drums and orchestra. I love the little riff that’s played on the guitar and then the organ, which then goes in to the kicka** solo. 4.5/5
The Long and winding road: The last American single and another Paul McCartney classic ballad. Quite a slow, sad song with piano and orchestra. Quite nice but I’m more into songs with guitars in them. 3.5/5
Overall: 4.5/5
Well that's it. 27 no. 1 singles spanning over eight years from 1962 to 1970. This album shows the impact the Beatles have had on music and why their still one of the most important bands today.
P.S. This is my first review (I didn't do any when I was called Rory says yes) so please tell me what you thought of it.
.
