{"id":326,"date":"2020-04-30T20:35:55","date_gmt":"2020-05-01T00:35:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mirrer.com\/MirrerView\/?p=326"},"modified":"2020-04-30T20:35:57","modified_gmt":"2020-05-01T00:35:57","slug":"1-a-hard-days-night","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mirrer.com\/MirrerView\/2020\/04\/30\/1-a-hard-days-night\/","title":{"rendered":"1. A Hard Day’s Night"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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One of my sisters left her copy of this album (the American version) at the house when she headed for college (or marriage, depending on which sister it was).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Six-year-old me scribbled on it, “The Beatles \/ A Hard Days Night \/ Must be havering fun.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indeed, they must have been havering fun. As a listener, so am I. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If I had to choose The Beatles’ greatest album, it would be this one (the UK version, not the rejiggered one that came out in the States).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why this one, and not “Sgt. Pepper” or “Abbey Road”?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s easy. Look at the songs<\/em>. And the performances. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was only their third album and they’d been recording for only two years. And they \u2013 under the extraordinary guidance of producer George Martin \u2013 came up with…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The title track, opening with that chord sounding so complex someone did a scholarly paper<\/a> about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Can’t Buy Me Love.”<\/strong> Possibly the most perfect pop song ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BAM! goes Ringo’s snare and then we get “Any Time At All.”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

John Lennon’s absolutely brilliant rhythm-ish solo on “You Can’t Do That.”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I’ll Cry Instead”<\/strong> (“I’ve got a chip on my shoulder that’s bigger than my feet,” sings John). “I’ll Be Back.”<\/strong> “Things We Said Today.”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, yeah, “And I Love Her”<\/strong> and “If I Fell”<\/strong> for the fans of sappy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I still marvel at how young these guys were (George had just turned 21), how short a time they’d been known outside of Liverpool. And they wrote and recorded this 65 hours over 17 days \u2013 in between nearly endless touring around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still to come was “Help!” (a close second for me as The Beatles’ greatest – again, the UK version). And “Rubber Soul” and “Revolver” and “Sgt. Pepper” etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I’ll stay with “A Hard Day’s Night” with its melodies and harmonies, the limitless appeal of the guitar-bass-drum lineup and the energy and creativity and sheer fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I still can’t listen to it without getting a big smile on my face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Track List (all songs Lennon\/McCartney)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n