please please me oh yeah

Fifty years ago The Beatles released their debut album and the world of rock and roll was forever changed. To mark the occasion, we thought we’d share our favorite songs from the record.

Please Please Me

The harmonies. The edge to John’s “come on”s. The perfect balance of rock and pop.
Check out this live video to see some of the charisma our favorite foursome exuded at the height of their fame.

Love Me Do

A little bit bluesier and subdued with a not-so-subtle nod to the Everly Brothers.

Twist and Shout

Yes, it’s a cover, but goddamn if it’s not one of the best. We all wait for that “woo!” and we’ve all pretended to be Ferris Bueller at some point. The raw quality of John’s vocals abutting the sweetness of Paul and George’s backup efforts is incredible.

Baby It’s You

I almost didn’t include this as it’s another cover, but it’d be a lie to leave it out. There’s something so sad about it that I can’t help but love it. Damn you, Burt Bacharach!

I Saw Her Standing There

What a way to open a record. This is one of my favorites not just on Please Please Me, but of The Beatles’ entire catalog. If you can sit still through this song, I’m concerned that you’re not actually hearing it.

If you’ve got half an hour, go ahead and listen to the whole album:

i’d love to turn you on

Much like our recent post about Bon Iver, there’s no criticism here,  just a string of videos chronicling our whole-hearted love for Paul McCartney. The video quality isn’t the best, but the sound is pretty good. Enjoy these Beatles hits performed on August 1, 2011 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois.

The Night Before

Eleanor Rigby

A Day in the Life/Give Peace a Chance

Let It Be

Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End

 

SET LIST
Magical Mystery Tour, Junior’s Farm, All My Loving, Jet, Got to Get You Into My Life, Sing the Changes, The Night Before, Let Me Roll It, Foxy Lady (Jimi Hendrix cover), Paperback Writer, The Long and Winding Road, Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five, Let ‘Em In, Maybe I’m Amazed, I’m Looking Through You, And I Love Her, Blackbird, Here Today, Dance Tonight, Mrs. Vandebilt,  Eleanor Rigby, Something, Band on the Run, Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da, Back in the USSR, I’ve Got a Feeling, A Day in the Life/Give Peace a Chance, Let It Be, Live and Let Die, Hey Jude
ENCORE ONE
Lady Madonna, Birthday, I Saw Her Standing There
ENCORE TWO
Yesterday, Helter Skelter, Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End

favorites of two thousand ten

Instead of a “Best Of” list, M|H is presenting you with a favorites list. There were too many purportedly great albums, songs, and shows we didn’t get around to hearing/seeing. The albums are listed chronologically, but other than that there’s no particular order to our selection. Please point out our glaring omissions.

[ALBUMS]
Spoon – Transference – 01.19.10
-Essential Track: Written in Reverse
Mumford & Sons – Sigh No More – 02.16.10
-Essential Tracks: White Blank Page, The Cave, Sigh No More
Local Natives – Gorilla Manor – 02.16.10
-Essential Tracks: Wide Eyes, Airplanes
Horse Feathers – Thistled Spring – 04.20.10
-Essential Track: Cascades
Arcade Fire – The Suburbs – 08.02.10
-Essential Tracks: Suburban War, We Used to Wait
The So So Glos – Low Back Chain Shift EP – 10.12.10
-Essential Track: Lindy Hop

[SONGS]
Courtship – Ride
Delta Spirit – Bushwick Blues
The Naked and Famous – Young Blood
Cults – Go Outside
The Love Language – Heart to Tell
Yeasayer – O.N.E.
Let’s Wrestle – We Are the Men You Will Grow to Love Soon
Broken Bells – The High Road
The Shout Out Louds – Fall Hard
Ben Sollee & Daniel Martin Moore – Something, Somewhere, Sometime
Vampire Weekend – Run
The Black Keys – Tighten Up
The Soft Pack – Answer to Yourself
Frightened Rabbit – Swim Until You Can’t See Land

[ARTISTS WORTH PAYING TO SEE]
Paul McCartney
Owen Pallett
Janelle Monae
Yeasayer
The Antlers
Matt & Kim
Sleigh Bells
Horse Feathers
Great Lake Swimmers

Want a more in-depth analysis of some of 2010’s best? Keep an eye out for Jonk Music‘s Best Songs of 2010 list. Jon was kind enough to ask us to weigh in on some of year’s best songs.