Great album. Many of the songs are good.

Really not a bad way to start off. Of course, it suffers from the fact it was recorded in a single day, the fact it was recorded to cash in on a single and the fact that the band were still finding their feet as songwriters, but overall it's still fun. Of course, much of the album is embarrassingly awkward and even the good parts are somewhat naive, but what do you expect from a 1963 pop album that, while it might draw quite heavily from early rock & roll, is still fairly primitive? Both the six covers and the eight originals are a mixed bag, but the best numbers are very tasty indeed: "I Saw Her Standing There" is a deservedly classic piece of timeless fluff, whereas "Please Please Me" shows the band already developing from their catchy but slight first single "Love Me Do", with the latter being good and the former being a wonderfully naughty slice of jangly pop. I really like "Ask Me Why" and "Misery" too: they're clumsy, but they're not without significant amounts of charm. On the covers side, while "Twist and Shout" would be arguably bettered by covers on subsequent albums, it's still a great achievement and adds a much appreciated dose of energy for the finale, especially with a wonderful vocal from John. Not bad at all, then: not essential and definitely not the Beatles album to pick up first, but pure fun all the same.

Track Pick: Please Please Me
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vZLVJwXP-U)

A nice debut album but doesn't live up to Beatles standards.

i just feel so much for this. my childhood. my youth. my favs were Misery and Twist.

Solid debut for sure. The originals, especially Please Please Me and misery and I saw her standing there are gorgeous. And most of the covers work really well as well. A fun record to play.

Great debut album. Showed the promise that The Beatles had as songwriters.

they re cute, but it's all

Couldn't they make the songs a little longer?

"There's a place" already contains the promise of the inner journey to come. One of the greatest debuts ever.10 of its 14 songs were recorded in one day- February 11, 1963- in live takes with minimal overdubbing.

What a great album ! (ok it is not Revolver or Abbey Road, but it is really great for a debut) . No weak track in here, and the best tracks are I Saw Her Standing There, Please Please Me and the cover song they made famous, Twist And Shout