Sometimes I get upset when I want to listen to early rock and roll and the Beatles come on. Also, I don't consider them 'oldies'. I consider them pioneers to modern music. This project has shown me exactly just how much the Beatles were in a league of their own. While there are times in their music they share similarities to the best of early rock and roll, the overwhelming majority is like nothing else heard before it was released.
It's easy to forget that originally the Beatles were a cover band. This song happened to be an early Motown song. While the song is a slightly updated version of the song to the early rock and roll style, this version really sets itself apart with the "Wait a minute, wait a minute - oh yeah" part of the song. It's really one of my favorite early Beatles songs.
The Beatles drew from everywhere. On this album you can hear Little Richard, you can hear close harmony country influences, some blues, and even this song from the musical 'The Music Man'. It's such a wonderful song and Paul sings it wonderfully. Even the guitar solo is among the best moments on the album, it's incredibly tasteful. Such a wonderful song.
It'd be a shame to write this review and not talk about one song written by the Beatles. McCartney and Lennon are the greatest songwriters in history. However, this album really shows just how far the Beatles came in such a short time. This song sounds nothing like the other early rock and roll albums I've heard thus far. There's a further mix of genres and there's the X factor. I don't know how else to put it, there's something new that's introduced on this album that's not apparent in other 50's and 60's albums. There's a 'new' sound that's just never been heard for. It's no wonder people went crazy for them.
All in all, I get it now. Now that I hear the context this album was released in, it's completely apparent why the Beatles were so big. I can only imagine never hearing anything like this and then all of a sudden this album changing the landscape. While this was not the Beatles début album, it had to have been just as influential (if not more) to the music community. It's not a must hear album, but it's historical influence is extremely important to pop music.
Tomorrow's album: Regina Spektor's What We Saw From the Cheap Seats.
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