The Beatles - Please Please Me [180g Black Vinyl, Stereo]

When The Beatles needed to capitalize on the success of their "Please Please Me" single, they recorded ten songs in a single day and created rock history. The album, Please Please Me, reached number one on the UK album chart in May 1963 and held the top spot for 30 weeks before being replaced by With the Beatles. The album spent 70 weeks on the UK charts and remained in the Top 10 for over a year, a record for a debut album that stood for half a century. Rolling Stone ranked Please Please Me 39th on its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, while critics praised the Lennon-McCartney originals as early evidence of the band's invention of the self-contained rock band.

Recorded at Abbey Road on February 11, 1963, the album captures The Beatles' raw live energy across 14 tracks. Paul McCartney's iconic "One, two, three, fah!" count kicks off "I Saw Her Standing There," setting the tone for the entire record. The title track "Please Please Me" topped multiple UK charts, while "Love Me Do" had already reached No. 17 on the singles chart. John Lennon delivers throat-shredding vocals on their cover of "Twist and Shout," recorded in the final session as his voice gave out. Ringo Starr takes his first lead vocal on "Boys," while George Harrison showcases his voice on "Do You Want To Know A Secret." The Shirelles covers "Baby It's You" and "Boys" demonstrate the band's deep appreciation for American R&B, while originals like "Misery" and "P.S. I Love You" reveal the developing Lennon-McCartney songwriting partnership. Producer George Martin added overdubs to "Misery" and "Baby It's You" nine days after the marathon session.

This 180g black vinyl pressing was cut at Abbey Road Studios from the 2009 digital remasters, which were created from the original stereo analogue master tapes. The remastering team used the 24-bit unlimited digital masters without the limiting compression applied to the CD versions. Critics found the remaster an improvement, with Consequence of Sound's Alex Young calling it a "dance masterpiece." The pressing features replicated original artwork with the iconic Angus McBean photograph taken at EMI's Manchester Square headquarters. This is the album's North American stereo vinyl debut, as the first four Beatles albums were initially released in mono in the US.

• Format: 180g black vinyl LP
• Standout tracks: "I Saw Her Standing There," "Please Please Me," "Twist and Shout," "Love Me Do," "Do You Want To Know A Secret"
• Pressing details: Stereo, from 2009 digital remasters, cut at Abbey Road Studios from 24-bit masters
• Genre/style: Rock, pop rock, Merseybeat, British Invasion
• UPC: 094638241614

The Beatles' debut album Please Please Me spent 30 consecutive weeks at number one and launched Beatlemania from a single day's work at Abbey Road.

* The Spotify track list may not exactly represent the tracks and audio of this LP edition.

Track List:

Side A:

1. I Saw Her Standing There
2. Misery
3. Anna (Go To Him)
4. Chains
5. Boys
6. Ask Me Why
7. Please Please Me

Side B:

1. Love Me Do
2. P.S. I Love You
3. Baby It's You
4. Do You Want To Know A Secret
5. A Taste Of Honey
6. There's A Place
7. Twist And Shout