Barely seven years spent in the studio. An immeasurable legacy whose influence remains intact. The Beatles are a unique case in pop(ular) music history. The musical mirror of the 60s, a momentous era of transition. With The Fab Four – and the aid of Bob Dylan across the pond – rock grew out of its angsty teenage years and entered into adulthood. The four beloved boys from Liverpool, naive and full of energy, were to become independent artists. A life that marched to the beat of their discography.

Please Please Me (1963)

Please Please Me, the first brick in the monument that is The Beatles’ discography – in long format – was laid on March 22, 1963. A number of singles released during the months prior had already kicked off the beginning of the Beatlemania which would eventually reach a magnitude that no one could have imagined…For this first entrée into the music world, John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote eight original songs, filled out by six covers, most of them rhythm and blues or soul, genres the two held particularly dear. A repertoire that The Fab Four would rattle off in the small clubs of Hamburg and Liverpool and whose nooks and crannies they knew all too well. With “I Saw Her Standing There”, “Please Please Me”, “P.S. I Love You”, and especially “Love Me Do”, The Beatles had already given birth to pop music that was unique and innovative in every way. Music that originated in rhythm and blues, girl groups, and Stateside rock and roll. And then there’s that sensational cover of Phil Medley and Bert Berns’ “Twist and Shout” that had been made famous a year prior by The Isley Brothers. However, it was the four young Brits’ version that has really defined the song. Fresh, authentic, intense, and trailblazing, this first anthology album remained at the very top of the British charts for over seven months…

With The Beatles (1963)

That record cover! The superb black and white photo by Robert Freeman was already quite iconic in and of itself…recorded only four months after their first album Please Please Me, With The Beatles, released in November 1963, is a sort of continuation. This second studio opus brings together seven songs by the Lennon/McCartney duo (and not just the minor ones, as “All My Loving” proves), one by George Harrison (“Don’t Bother Me”) and six covers, mainly vintage rock and roll as well as the kind of soul and rhythm and blues near and dear to Motown Records. New instruments, layered vocals, and sonoric eclecticism, With The Beatles shows a young ensemble progressively breaking away from the influence of their predecessors in order to create their own musical universe. In this way, this record’s original songs, although they don’t reach the level of those of the years to follow, they nevertheless show that The Beatles were already ahead of their time.

A Hard Day’s Night (1964)

As the original soundtrack for the eponymous film directed by Richard Lester, A Hard Day’s Night was a first for The Beatles: for this third album released at the beginning of summer, 1964, Lennon and McCartney wrote all of the songs, without a single cover! And what songs they are! “Can’t Buy Me Love”, “A Hard Day’s Night”, “I Should Have Known Better”, the bar was raised and the nonstop hits further reinforced the musical and artistic identity of a group that were no longer just national, but international, icons. Every little thing about this pop music in mutation is fascinating. The simply irresistible melodies brush up against guitars that dazzle with a naivety and melodic well-being that couldn’t be more full of joy. Hard Day’s Night also quintessentially represents the “Beatles sound” during this early period. And with ballads like “And I Love Her”, The Fab Four gave a glimpse of a certain musical maturity that was already captivating…a true joy.

Beatles for Sale (1964)

In time to be put under the Christmas tree, Beatles for Sale hit record stores on December 4 1964 when The Fab Four were already global superstars. The rhythm imposed on them was also completely inhumane. Contractually obligated to record two albums per year, nonstop marathons of tours and never-ending TV spots, Beatlemania was in full force! The consequences of this insanity begin to rear their head on this fourth album that includes six covers (Carl Perkins, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Lieber & Stoller…) and eight original songs. John, Paul, George, and Ringo look a bit pouty on the album cover, and with titles as explicit as “I’m a Loser”, “Baby’s in Black”, “I Don’t Want to Spoil the Party”, and “No Reply”, they appear charmingly melancholic, dark, even. In a way, The Beatles had (almost) become adults.

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