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I’m on kind of a Beatles kick after seeing Love in Las Vegas, so I think I’ll plow through all the Beatles albums and post some thoughts. Since the songs are so familiar to me, I’ll rate each from one to five stars, and generate an amusing “Best Beatles Songs” list.

My ratings may seem a bit harsh - but they’re relative to other Beatles songs - two or three star ratings appear often because the four and five star songs are so incredible.

This CD is a compilation of Beatles’ singles from the years 1963 to 1965. They were in the habit of releasing singles that were not included on the upcoming LPs - pretty amazing if you think about it. Therefore, some of the best Beatles songs are hanging out in single form.

Note: I’m not including this CD along with the list of Beatles albums because of its compilation nature.

Love Me Do (Single Version)

= 5 stars

A classic but odd song, with the early Beatles harmonica as the center of my fascination. I’m also peculiarly drawn to the parallel octave harmonies of the bridge. It seems John Lennon sang a lot of low parts in the early days. It’s unique and has a distinctive, unforgettable sound.

From Me To You

= 4 stars

Some great moments here, the high harmony on “oh so true” and a “whoo,” that would be used to better effect in She Loves You There’s also that wailing harmonica.

Thank You Girl

= 3 stars

The harmonica introduces a neat number, but it’s a little too goofy for me. The “ohs” and teasing verse specifically.

She Loves You

= 5 stars

Beatles perfection. So much about this song is crazily-good: the M6 chord on “yeah,” the guitar hooks, even the triplet drums on the intro. The voices also diverge at certain times, maintaining interest throughout.

I’ll Get You

= 3 stars

“Oh, yeah.” Decent tune. Return of the harmonica.

I Want to Hold Your Hand

= 5 stars

Beatles perfection, once again. The intro preps us for the verse. But when the high harmonies on “hand” arrive, it’s like a wave washing over. The chorus is also nicely askew, a variation on the I vi IV V progression but starting on the IV. I always thought that was genius. The middle secion adds a nice contrast, John being a little nostalgic, and it’s repeated twice. To cap things off, just when things sound like they might run out of steam, the ending resolves in an unexpected way.

This Boy

= 3 stars

Mellow, and demonstrates how the group could sing three part harmonies. I like the part where John takes over, developing that “secret weapon” of John on lead and Paul and George backing him up - he’s nearly shredding his voice here. Unfortunately, it only comes around once.

Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand

= 2 stars

Pretty pointless German version of I Want To Hold Your Hand.

Sie Leibt Dich

= 2 stars

Pretty pointless German version of She Loves You.

Long Tall Sally

= 3 stars

Paul could belt out a rocker when he wanted to. This one is pretty hot and heavy, but nothing more than a cover.

I Call Your Name

= 3 stars

I think the Mamas and Papas recorded a version of this tune - which I think is better than this version.

Slow Down

= 2 stars

The John yelping always sounded a bit out of place in this frustratingly average rocker.

Matchbox

= 2 stars

Ringo takes a turn. Not one of his better moments.

I Feel Fine

= 5 stars

Perfect Beatles song, featuring a plunky guitar lick with a juicy amount of bass. The drums come in with a strange beat that just makes you want to shake your legs. The Beatle harmonies of Paul and George come in behind John to support the title lyric. The section starting with “I’m so glad…” - coated with all this juicy Beatles talent - takes this song into the stratosphere (and thankfully, it’s repeated). Following the guitar solo, the drums drop out to allow us to enjoy the guitar lick leading us back into the song. To me, this is a landmark of Beatles songwriting skill.

She’s a Woman

= 3 stars

Here’s Paul, bouncing around in that Another Girl style and I don’t particularly adore it.

Bad Boy

= 3 stars

John acts mean and snarls out this number. It reminds of Dizzy Miss Lizzy - decent enough but I can’t get behind these straight-ahead numbers when was clear by this point they could write great originals.

Yes It Is

= 3 stars

Yes it is a variation on This Boy.

I’m Down

= 2 stars

Paul seems a bit determined to rock before he sinks into the mush that is Maxwell’s Silver Hammer. Nice effort, but I don’t need any more evidence they can do this stuff.

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