The Beatles' debut album was just the beginning

It was history in the making.

“Well she was just 17 and you know what I mean,” sings Paul McCartney on “I Saw Her Standing There,” the opening track of The Beatles debut album, “Please Please Me.”

At the time it might have just been dismissed as a simple song of young love, or infatuation. It had an upbeat rhythm courtesy of Ringo Starr, a few tasty George Harrison guitar riffs and some of what would soon be considered legendary Beatles harmonies by John Lennon.

But it was a beginning of something special. Actually, it wasn’t just special. It was monumental. It was the biggest thing to happen to rock ‘n’ roll since its invention a few years earlier. It was the beginning of the greatest band in the history of not just rock ‘n’ roll but popular music.

In just seven years, these four lads from Liverpool would release 12 studio albums and change not only the face of music but also the face of pop culture history. And it all started with “Please Please Me.”

If you think 12 albums in seven years is impressive, consider this: The band recorded 10 of the 14 songs in a single, 13-hour studio session. Modern artists sometimes labor for years on a single album, but these boys knocked out the majority of their debut in less than a day.

Of the 14 tracks, eight of them were written by the stellar songwriting team of Lennon and McCartney. The remaining six tracks were covers, including the mega-hit “Twist and Shout.” It was the final song recorded during the session because Lennon had a cold and the “throat-shredding” vocal on the song required him to give it everything he had.

Like other Beatles albums, Lennon and McCartney tackle most of the lead vocals but Harrison and Starr also get a chance to show us their chops. The lead guitarist gives us the super-catchy “Do You Want to Know a Secret?,” while the drummer delivers an odd but delightful choice, “Boys,” which was originally performed by The Shirelles, an American girl group.

Perhaps one of the more magical moments comes at the middle of the album as Lennon and McCartney join forces for unified lead vocals on the title track, which was also the second single released by the band, and the band’s first single, “Love Me Do.” Those harmonies combined with the Lennon/McCartney knack for writing irresistible melodies make both tracks instant classics.

Another integral piece of the puzzle was a gentleman named George Martin. His name isn’t as well-known as the four official band members but he was known as “the fifth Beatle.” Not only did Martin contribute piano to the song “Misery” and celesta to “Baby It’s You,” he also brought it all together as the band’s producer.

Martin would continue to work with the band throughout its short but storied career, outliving both Lennon and Harrison, even though he was more than 14 years older than Starr, the oldest Beatle. He was among the many prominent names in popular music to leave us last year when he died in his sleep on March 8 at the age of 90.

While “Please Please Me” may not have been as groundbreaking as “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” or as exquisite as “Abbey Road,” its significance as The Beatles’ first album cannot be denied. It may sounded a little more dated than some of the band’s later, more experimental work but it remains a solid contribution to the history of rock ‘n’ roll and popular music, earning its spot at No. 39 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Past Backbeat Classic columns have focused on different artists each time but I’m thinking of possibly taking a look at each Beatles album in chronological order this year. There are 12 months and 12 albums, so it would work out perfectly. However, it all depends on whether there’s an audience for these columns or not. If we get enough hits online, we’ll keep them up.

And if you’re looking for new music, make sure to catch my regular Backbeat music review in print every Friday in the Where It’s @ entertainment guide or online every Tuesday in the entertainment section of TheSpectrum.com.

Email reporter Brian Passey at brian@thespectrum.com or call him at 435-674-6296. Follow him on social media at Facebook.com/PasseyBrian or on Twitter and Instagram, @BrianPassey.