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Oddly enough, "Hard Day's Night" is rarely mentioned as one of the Beatles' best albums. What a shame, because this one is loaded with 13 unforgetable Lennon-McCartney classics. In fact, so cohesive are the tunes, that one could make a strong case for "A Hard Day's Night" as rock-n-roll's first true concept album. Lyrically, each song deals with love. Yes, it's mostly simplistic, however, a growing sophistication sneaks in on "Things We Said Today" and the haunting finale "I'll Be Back". The instrumental landscape is graced with driving acoustic guitars, Ringo's steady backbeat and of course, George's ringing 12-string guitar. So influential was George's playing -- especially on the classic title song -- that seemingly an entire generation of young guitar slingers made the 12-string a part of their arsenal. (The Byrds' Roger McGuinn credits "Hard Day's Night" as the inspiration for his love affair with the 12-string.)

All thirteen songs are wonderful. No filler-- just classic power pop sprinkled with a pair of John and Paul's most beautiful ballads ("And I Love Her" and "If I Fell"). The potent rockers "Any Time at All" and "You Can't Do That" are purely lethal. John doesn't merely sing these songs -- he screams his bloody lungs out!! Paul shreds his vocal cords on "Can't Buy Me Love", letting out what is perhaps the most famous scream in rock's history. You get the idea that the Beatles -- not yet fed up with touring and riotous mobs -- had a blast while recording "A Hard Day's Night". This is pure adrenaline and we, the listeners, are the lucky recipients. A must for any serious music fan, "A Hard's Day's Night" is not only one of the best albums of all-time, it's also one of the most important.


A must for any serious collection   November 22, 1999
 32 out of 33 found this review helpful

So much has been written about the Beatles later albums such as Sgt. Pepper, Abbey Road and The White Album, which all made your customer poll Top 100. It's a real shame that the Beatles earlier(pre-Rubber Soul) albums are underappreciated because they are all first rate rock 'n roll. A Hard Day's Night is the best of the earlier albums and ranks right up there with their later classics and also should have been on your customer Top 100. Every track here is brilliant in consumate beat-pop style. Infectious joy just explodes out of every song. A friend of mine described this album as "a guaranteed bad mood buster. The unforgettable opening guitar riff of the title song sets the tone for what is to come. And I Love Her is arguably McCartney's best love song. Lennon's glorious harmonica never sounded better than in I Should Have Known Better. The songs are more complex than it may first seem so listen to them carefully. For instance, Tell Me Why is a great rocker whose backbeat has a syncopated snazz that gives it a swing sound as well. Hardly pop fluff. The most incredible thing about this album is that it was written on the run while Beatlemania raged around them and they were pressured to get a soundtrack out for the movie, unlike the later albums when they had more time to experiment in the studio. A Hard Day's Night is a timeless classic that sounds as fresh and energetic today as it did 35 years ago. No serious rock collection is complete without it.


The Beatles Best Rock Album (From The Early Years)   June 29, 2000
 23 out of 25 found this review helpful

A HARD DAY'S NIGHT is the best rock album from The Beatles early period (1962-1964). It is the only album to include exclusively Lennon & McCartney songs. As well as been the extraordinary soundtrack to their first legendary movie. What really makes A HARD DAY'S NIGHT exceptional is the remarkable songs on this album. The music is radiant, consisitent, and incredible. There's infinite energy on the performances of every track. The album opens with the trademark chord crash on the title track. It's a classic Beatles song. "I Should Have Known Better" has a bright melody, with the trademark harmonica. This classic appeared as the B-Side to the "A Hard Day's Night" single in the United States. "If I Fell" is a gorgeous ballad in the three-part harmony arrangements, it's one of my favorites of their early ballads, and the favorite of the three-part harmony series (including "This Boy", "Yes It Is", "Because"). George Harrison takes the lead vocal on "I'm Happy Just To Dance With You". One of Paul McCartney's earliest and most tender ballads is "And I Love Her", another Beatles classic. "Tell Me Why" is an aggressive rock song, a relationship that would again be described on "I'll Cry Instead" and "What You're Doing". The brilliant rocker "Can't Buy Me Love" has made it's mark as a classic. It was the first single released from the album. Since PLEASE PLEASE ME the songs released on singles did not appear on albums, this was the first song to be featured on both formats. "Any Time At All" and "When I Get Home" are terrific Lennon rockers with positive relationships. "I'll Cry Instead" reflects the same relationship as "Tell Me Why" except with a wistful country feel. "Things We Said Today", the B-Side of "A Hard Day's Night" single; is a great McCartney song. "You Can't Do That", the B-Side to "Can't Buy Me Love" is the first song in which Lennon writes and sings about jealousy and threats, a theme that would appear again later. "I'll Be Back" is a sterling piece, a great album closer. The first half of the album: "A Hard Day's Night", "I Should Have Known Better", "If I Fell", "I'm Happy Just To Dance With You", "Tell Me Why", and "Can't Buy Me Love" were featured in the film. The second half: "Any Time At All", "I'll Cry Instead", "Things We Said Today", "When I Get Home", "You Can't Do That", and "I'll Be Back" were written for the album, but left out of the film because of story and time requirements. There were fourteen Lennon/McCartney originals recorded during these sessions; "I Call Your Name" was released on the "Long Tall Sally" EP featuring: Long Tall Sally, I Call Your Name, Slow Down, and Matchbox. In the United States, A HARD DAY'S NIGHT was issued by United Artists included all the film songs plus "I'll Cry Instead", and four instrumentals recorded by George Martin. Capitol Records issued their own version on SOMETHING NEW. All the film songs except "A Hard Day's Night", "I Should Have Known Better", and "Can't Buy Me Love" (which were released on singles) were on the album. The six songs from the second half on the record (with the exception of "I'll Be Back") and the German-language version of "I Want To Hold Your Hand" were on the album. A HARD DAY'S NIGHT is the best of their early albums. HIGHLY RECOMMEMED listening by the band that changed history permenantly.


Most Underrated Beatles' Album   July 12, 1998
 10 out of 10 found this review helpful

If there is such a thing as an under appreciated Beatles Album, it's Hard Day's Night. Lennon's raw voice truly shines as the highlight with some notable favorites from McCartney too. John and Paul write all the songs on this one, composing an incredible number of outstanding originals. A true gem is the finale I'll Be Back, where John works magic on vocals. If I Fell is a classic example of John and Paul's uncanny ability to wrap their vocals around each other and sing in perfect harmony. Another lesser-known favorite of mine is Things We Said Today. Paul takes the lead on this one, with John contributing on backup vocals. Things We Said Today shows how The Beatles were able to take a few basic guitar chords and turn them into an unforgetable song. There are many other great songs on this album, most of which everybody has heard at one time or another. But it's the other songs, the B-sides if you will, that make Hard Day's Night a must for any music lover.