On 22nd November 1963, The Beatles released their second album. It was the same day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas ā a coincidence that meant the album's release was largely overshadowed in America, though not in Britain, where it had already sold over half a million advance copies before it reached the shops.
With The Beatles entered the UK charts at number one and stayed there for 21 weeks. It was the second album in British chart history to sell a million copies ā the first had been the soundtrack to South Pacific. No rock and roll album had ever done it before. The Beatles had been a phenomenon for less than a year. They were already rewriting the rules.
At Beatles Fabdom, our officially licensed With The Beatles collection celebrates this landmark album and the extraordinary moment it captured.
The Cover: Robert Freeman's Masterpiece
The cover of With The Beatles is one of the most iconic photographs in music history. Shot by Robert Freeman in a hotel corridor in Bournemouth in the summer of 1963, it shows the four Beatles in half-shadow ā faces emerging from darkness, expressions serious, the mop-tops perfectly framed. It was a radical departure from the grinning, cheerful imagery of most pop album covers of the time.
Freeman had been inspired by the work of Astrid Kirchherr ā the German photographer who had documented The Beatles in Hamburg in 1960 and 1961, and whose stark, artistic black-and-white portraits had first given the band a visual identity beyond their music. The With The Beatles cover took that aesthetic and applied it to the biggest pop group in Britain.
The image ā four young men, half in shadow, looking directly at the camera with an intensity that pop music had never quite seen before ā communicated something important: these were not just pop stars. They were artists. The cover said it before the music did.
The Album: Fourteen Songs in One Day
The sessions for With The Beatles were conducted under extraordinary pressure. The Beatles were touring almost continuously throughout 1963, and studio time had to be fitted around concert schedules. The bulk of the album was recorded in a single marathon session on 18th July 1963 at Abbey Road ā ten hours, eleven songs. The remaining tracks were completed in subsequent sessions.
The album contains six Lennon-McCartney originals and eight cover versions ā a ratio that reflects the band's roots as a live act playing other people's songs, but also their growing confidence as writers. The covers include Chuck Berry's "Roll Over Beethoven" (sung by Harrison), Smokey Robinson's "You Really Got a Hold on Me", and Barrett Strong's "Money (That's What I Want)" ā all performed with a ferocity and commitment that transformed the originals.
The Songs
"It Won't Be Long" ā Lennon's opening track, built around a call-and-response "yeah" that became one of the defining sounds of early Beatles. Urgent, driving, and immediately distinctive.
"All I've Got to Do" ā Lennon's tender ballad, influenced by Smokey Robinson's falsetto style. One of the most underrated songs in the early catalogue.
"All My Loving" ā McCartney's most accomplished early composition, featuring a continuous triplet guitar figure from Harrison that was technically demanding for the time. It was the first song The Beatles performed on The Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964. It remains one of the most beloved songs of the early era.
"Don't Bother Me" ā Harrison's first solo composition to appear on a Beatles album, written while he was ill in a hotel room in Bournemouth. Moody, slightly sulky, and a clear indication of the songwriter he would become.
"Little Child" ā A Lennon-McCartney rocker written specifically for Ringo to sing, though McCartney ended up taking the lead. Energetic and unpretentious.
"Till There Was You" ā McCartney's show tune, taken from the musical The Music Man. Performed with a delicacy and charm that demonstrated the band's range beyond rock and roll.
"Please Mister Postman" ā The Marvelettes' Motown classic, given a harder, faster treatment by Lennon. One of the great Beatles covers.
"Roll Over Beethoven" ā Harrison's Chuck Berry showcase, performed with genuine rock and roll abandon. A reminder that before the studio experimentation, The Beatles were a ferocious live band.
"Hold Me Tight" ā An early McCartney composition, originally recorded for Please Please Me but left off. Straightforward and energetic.
"You Really Got a Hold on Me" ā Smokey Robinson's Miracles classic, sung by Lennon with real emotional weight. One of the finest vocal performances on the album.
"I Wanna Be Your Man" ā Written by Lennon and McCartney for the Rolling Stones ā the two bands were friendly rivals in 1963 ā and then recorded by The Beatles with Ringo on lead vocals. The Stones' version was released first; The Beatles' version is rawer and more powerful.
"Devil in Her Heart" ā A cover of a relatively obscure American girl group song, given a bright, energetic treatment by Harrison.
"Not a Second Time" ā Lennon's sophisticated harmonic structure prompted the music critic William Mann of The Times to write about "Aeolian cadences" in Beatles songs ā the first time a serious music critic had applied classical analysis to pop music. Lennon later said he had no idea what an Aeolian cadence was.
"Money (That's What I Want)" ā The closing track, Barrett Strong's Motown classic, performed by Lennon with a raw, almost desperate intensity that remains one of the most powerful vocal performances in the early catalogue.
The Legacy
With The Beatles is not the album most people think of first when they think of The Beatles. It sits in the shadow of what came after ā A Hard Day's Night, Help!, Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper's. But it matters enormously, for one simple reason: it proved that Please Please Me was not a fluke.
A million advance copies. Twenty-one weeks at number one. A cover photograph that changed the visual language of pop music. A set of performances ā covers and originals alike ā that demonstrated a band operating at a level nobody else in British pop could match.
By the time With The Beatles was released, Beatlemania was already in full swing. The album didn't create it. But it confirmed, beyond any doubt, that what was happening was not a passing craze. The Beatles were here to stay.
The With The Beatles Collection
Vintage With The Beatles T-Shirt (Black)
The iconic With The Beatles artwork on a premium black tee with front and back print ā Robert Freeman's half-shadow portrait, the most distinctive image of the early Beatles era. Shop now ā
With The Beatles Ladies T-Shirt (Black)
A fitted ladies cut with the With The Beatles artwork on black ā front and back print. Shop now ā
With The Beatles Apple T-Shirt (Black)
The With The Beatles design combined with the Apple Records logo on black ā bridging the early and later eras. Shop now ā
With The Beatles 8 Track T-Shirt (Black)
A vintage 8-track inspired design celebrating With The Beatles on black ā for fans who love the format as much as the music. Shop now ā
With The Beatles Album Cover Steel Wall Sign
Robert Freeman's iconic half-shadow portrait as a premium screen-printed steel wall sign ā a statement piece for any Beatles fan's home. Shop now ā
With The Beatles Album Cover Patch
The With The Beatles cover as a precision woven iron-on patch ā for jackets, bags, or anywhere that deserves the most iconic portrait in Beatles history. Shop now ā
With The Beatles Pin Badge
A quality officially licensed With The Beatles pin badge ā a small but perfectly formed collectible for fans of the early era. Shop now ā
With The Beatles Album Postcard
The With The Beatles cover as a quality collectible postcard ā perfect for framing, gifting, or adding to a Beatles collection. Shop now ā
With The Beatles Silhouettes Repeat Socks (Black, UK 7ā11)
The With The Beatles silhouettes in a repeat pattern on black ankle socks. UK Size 7ā11. Shop now ā
With The Beatles Silhouette Stripes Socks (White, UK 7ā11)
The With The Beatles silhouettes in a stripe pattern on white ā clean and graphic. UK Size 7ā11. Shop now ā
Read More: The Beatles Album Era
- Please Please Me: The Debut Album That Started Everything ā
- Beatlemania: The Story of the Greatest Fan Phenomenon in History ā
- A Hard Day's Night Collection ā
- Help!: The Album, the Film, and the Moment The Beatles Outgrew Beatlemania ā
- Rubber Soul at 60: The Album That Changed Everything ā
šļø Shop the full With The Beatles Collection ā
Shop all officially licensed Beatles merchandise at Beatles Fabdom.
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