Meet The Beatles![LP]

Here's the album that began with Beatlemania in America. With the opening track of "I Want To Hold Your Hand", the Beatles shot to #1 with this song as a single which prompted their first U.S. visit with three appearances in a row on the Ed Sullivan Show as well as a few shows[i.e. Washington Coliseum in D.C. and New York's Carnegie Hall]. The second track "I Saw Her Standing There" was the single's B-side[It opened the VeeJay Records album Introducing The Beatles and the their first British album Please Please Me-with similar track listing which appeared before Meet The Beatles]. "This Boy" is a fine example of the group's three-part harmonies. "It Won't Be Long" is chock full of "yeah-yeah's" in its refrain as with "She Loves You"[Go to the Second Album for that one!]. "All I've Got To Do" has an excellent chord pattern to it[Check out the opening augmented chord!]. "All My Loving" is an upbeat track for any bassist. Only Paul can anchor the bottom. George Harrison's first original "Don't Bother Me" appears here, which is one of two non-Lennon/McCartney originals. "Little Child" reminds us what John Lennon's very first instrument was-the harmonica. The second non-original Lennon/McCartney song and the only non-Beatle song itself was "Till There Was You" from The Music Man, sung beautifully by Paul McCartney. Ringo Starr takes the lead vocal on "I Wanna Be Your Man"[which John & Paul conjured up for The Rolling Stones for their follow-up single to Chuck Berry's "Come On"]. Concluding this state-side Capitol debut Beatles album is "Not A Second Time" featuring a piano break by their producer George Martin[who was considered to be the fifth Beatle on their sessions with his keyboard talents and later orchestrated their songs]. This is a great beginning for the Beatles' American market and I always admired the "color-band" black label used by Capitol Records until 1968 since it was so cool the way the image revolved on a turntable[No pun intended on the title of the Beatles' 1966 album Revolver!]. Great way for U.S. Beatlemania to begin and would get better from there.

Easily my favorite early Beatle album. Then again, perhaps my favorite Beatle album period. I was 14 when it came out. I'm almost 76. Ya, ya, ya.

The record arrived safely and on Time.. which Is great being an international purchase

The one that started it all in the U.S. Yes, this is technically their second U.S. release (“Introducing The Beatles” from Veejay beating it by two weeks). “Meet The Beatles” though had their biggest single at the time along (“She Loves You” wouldn’t appear on an album in the U.S. until “The Beatles Second Album” which was technically their third and once again not exactly imaginatively titled).The pressing here and remastering is exceptional. The former is quiet and is cut with a bit more bass than the original pressing where bass frequencies were often cut because vinyl couldn’t handle them at that time. This sounds glorious. The mastering has punch and replicates what Dave Dexter Jr. did to the original British recordings; he added reverb, echo and that is nicely reproduced here.The artwork, is very nice on good cardboard stock. The insert is a replica of a period insert from 1964 with advertisements for other Capital albums. There is also a booklet with details on the album.Dexter got their Capital debut right- his adjustments to the track listing front loaded with a massive hit single. The rejiggered track listing includes their original songs (not all of them though) from the UK “With The Beatles” couples with singles and b-sides. Dexter would also get their two biggest”second album right as well with a nice selection of covers and originals. I am not a fan of his practice of trimming material for later albums and “creating” new albums (though the rejiggered “Rubber Soul” is also terrific).,This is a solid release with excellent sound quality, a solid pressing and a nice reproduction of the original artwork. Highly recommended,

Originally I purchased this record at a separate store and the first one was defective. Track 1 would skip along with a few others on Side B. Then I replaced it with another at the same store. Brand new record; played it same issue. I then returned it all together. I decided to purchase it at Amazon thinking maybe it was the store selling defective Meet The Beatles album. I got the record and guess what? Same Defective Issue! Unfortunately I had to also return this record to Amazon. I really feel this needs to be looked at. It's a shame. It's a really good album.

Great early songs

Meet the Beatles was the first U.S. release on Capitol Records, and as many fans know, it differs significantly from its UK counterpart (e.g., different track selections and song orders). However, this album is the one that truly introduced America to the magic of The Beatles, sparking a cultural phenomenon.Although I was too young to own this record when it was first released, I’ve since made up for lost time. Disregard any negative commentary you might come across—this is an outstanding reissue. The recording has been carefully packaged and pressed on high-quality, quiet vinyl, with the clear intention of preserving the original sound and excitement of the U.S. releases rather than reimagining them with audiophile perfectionism.Sure, on a highly resolving system, you might pick up on some compression or tape hiss, but the vocal and instrumental details have been beautifully restored to suit modern audio systems. From the moment the needle drops (let’s call it what it is, not just a "stylus") and the crashing opening chords of "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" fill the room, you’ll be transported back to that innocent and unforgettable era of music history.This reissue series does an excellent job of staying true to the spirit of the original U.S. releases, and Meet the Beatles is no exception. Highly recommended for any music lover or Beatles fan!