A Hard Day's Night.
| The Beatles
A Hard Day's Night.
A Hard Day's Night is the third studio album by the English rock band the Beatles, released on 10 July 1964 by Parlophone, with side one containing songs from the soundtrack to their film of the same name. The American version of the album was released two weeks earlier, on 26 June 1964 by United Artists Records, with a different track listing. In contrast to the Beatles' first two albums, all 13 tracks on A Hard Day's Night were written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, showcasing the development of their songwriting partnership. -Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
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Mark Prindle
In this CD age where the American releases are obsolete for all but us measly vinyl collectors, you're gonna wanna own this CD. What a phenomenal song list. Fourteen tracks with only ONE ("When I Get Home") even approaching mediocrity.
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Starling
That one silly pop masterpiece to top all other silly pop masterpieces, you know.
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Warr
Indeed. I'm not a fan of "Any Time At All" and "When I Get Home" is possibly the worst Lennon-McCartney tune the Beatles ever recorded, but John's "You Can't Do That" is a relentless, powerful rocker.
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Adrian Denning
A pretty consistent album this, though some of the songs are just good rather than great. 'I'm Happy Just To Dance With You' falls into that category. Enjoyable, but no all time world beating masterpiece. The guitars sound sweet through the ballad 'And I Love Her', Paul very much to the fore with the vocal. 'Tell Me Why' brings back memories of the earlier Beatles style as displayed on their first two records.....
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Pitchfork
A Hard Day's Night is from an era when pop and showbiz were inseparable-- and if it doesn't transcend that time, it does represent its definitive peak.
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Consequence of Sound
Of all the reasons to remaster the Beatles catalog, plenty are evident on A Hard Day’s Night. It is a joyful, feels-like-the-first time re-entry into the band at the height of Beatlemania, a time that ought to be remembered for more than just screaming fans, and a collection of songs that can now be heard distinctly above the fray.
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BBC
This was the first and only Beatles album to be entirely composed of Lennon/McCartney songs, and that unheard-of-in-1964 cockiness shines through. Even the wistful songs – Things We Said Today and I’ll Be Back – were more confident than sad. This is, next to the White Album (a very different kettle of fabs), my favourite Beatles album, and has been ever since I heard it. The exuberance of the 1960s, the genius of The Beatles, and the total unstoppable confidence of the best band in the world realising that they were the best band in the world, are all contained here. Essential.
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Sputnik Music
A Hard Day's Night remains a diamond in a sea of emeralds, the one release of the startlingly prolific first three years that remains consistently of top quality throughout.
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AllMusic
Considering the quality of the original material on With the Beatles, it shouldn't have been a surprise that Lennon & McCartney decided to devote their third album to all-original material. Nevertheless, that decision still impresses, not only because the album is so strong, but because it was written and recorded at a time when the Beatles were constantly touring, giving regular BBC concerts, appearing on television and releasing non-LP singles and EPs, as well as filming their first motion picture. In that context, the achievement of A Hard Day's Night is all the more astounding.
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50thirdand3rd
The Beatles were on an intense creative high during the period of A Hard Day’s Night, and though tiredness would catch up with them during the period of their next release (proving that they were indeed human and not gods), there are few artists in any field who achieved what they did so early in their careers. We can use the word magical to describe this period, but really, it wasn’t magic at all—it was the full commitment of artists who refused to settle for the mediocre.
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neonmoderntimes
When compared to albums by British Invasion bands of the 60s in general this is one of the finest releases of the time and it does still have some absolute classic songs like ‘And I Love Her’ and ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’.
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Hokeyblog
The harmonies are lush and melodic, the key minor and mournful, the subject matter both heartfelt and obsessive. A powerful, almost haunting ending to a great album.
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The Atlantic
Yes, the music is wickedly good, and these are some of the best songs the Beatles would ever write. But if this was some mediocre band, or some invented band, A Hard Day’s Night would still be a legit, honking, gravitas-slathered cinematic masterpiece. It’s one of the rare works of art from the ‘60s that’s in the same league as, well, the Beatles.
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The Student Playlist
A Hard Day’s Night is perhaps their most undervalued album. Go back and listen it again, and enjoy the sound of The Beatles at the height of their imperial pop phase.
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Rebeat
long with accompanying film, which had heaps more wit, style, and creativity than the typical music movie cash-in, it served as evidence that perhaps these Beatles had a bit more going on than most flashes in the pan.
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