Please Please Me (Original Recording Remastered)

The cd itself is awesome. I'd put it up there with Rubber Soul, (probably my favourite) and the White Album, possibly pipping Revolver. As well as being a great Beatles album the sounds are very evocative of that period in time with the harmonies and chord structures used.

However the cd was orginially recorded on mono as stereo was in its infancy at the time. I have no problems with this as it's an authentic replication and sounds fine on my stereo but if I listen to 'Twist and Shout' or 'Please, Please Me' cranked up loud on the headphones it sounds slightly strange to my ears with the vocals just being on the one channel and having heard a stereo mix where the vocals were centralised.

However other than that though the cd is great. 'Anna' and a 'Taste of Honey' (not actually wrote by the Beatles) are currently buzzing around my head whilst 'Please, Please Me' and 'Twist and Shout' showcase Lennons vocals at their visceral and primal best.

This is a real masterpiece with many immortal rock performances, e.g. I Saw Her Standing There, Boys and Twist and Shout. The band really put their soul into these songs; just listen to Ringo screaming "Boooyyys!!!", or John giving everything in Twist and Shout. The remastered sound is crisp and clear, wonderful job done.

I have only had the CD for a week and I can only commend the restoration work that George Martin and co have put into this. The CD comes in a cardboard sleeve which replicates the original album release.The booklet inside includes original photos of the lads taken at the time as well as Tony Barrows original 1963 cover notes.The recording notes added by George Martin and the principal engineer Norman Smith give details of how this album was recorded on 11th February 1963.Quote from George Martin "In just nine and three quarter hours and using seven half-hour reels of tape they completed eleven titles". Awesome talent and awesome sound that sets a standard that todays recording artists will find hard to beat. So crank up your amp and Twist and Shout!!!