This was the Beatles' second album in the U.K., following Please Please Me. It was released, somewhat intact and with the same iconic cover photo, in the U.S. as Meet the Beatles. The Fab Four drew heavily on Motown and R&B covers on this record (Lennon's treatment of Barrett Strong's "Money" is especially notable), while original material includes classics "All I've Got to Do," "All My Loving" and "I Wanna Be Your Man" as well as George Harrison's first contribution to the band's recorded canon, "Don't Bother Me" (although he did sing lead on Please Please Me's "Chains"). There's not much to hint at the White Album or Sergeant Pepper days ahead, but the material on With the Beatles cemented their place as rock's alpha dogs on both sides of the Atlantic. Interesting fact: This was the first record by a band to sell a million copies in the U.K. (it was beaten to that milestone only by the South Pacific soundtrack).
Some other thoughts:
#421, Buddy Holly & the Crickets' The "Chirping" Crickets: Holly's synthesis of country, blues, R&B and rock would prove a profound influence on both the American rock scene and the British Invasion that would predominate in the decade after his death. Classics on this disc include "Oh Boy," "Not Fade Away" and "That'll Be the Day."
#419, Portishead's Dummy: A defining work of Bristol's '90s trip-hop scene, Portishead's debut soared onto the charts and critics' lists largely on the strength of Beth Gibbons' plaintive torch singer delivery and Geoff Barrow's hip-hop infused production. "Sour Times" will be hooking listeners' ears like hapless trout for at least another generation or two...
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