The songs on this album are classic mid-60s. "You Won't See Me", "Norwegian Wood", "Drive My Car", each classics Beatles songs that are staples of classic rock stations. "You Won't See Me" in particular has been covered numerous times by other groups.

"Nowhere Man" is excellent. A song about everyman, and a commentary on everyman. This song with its political overtones perhaps expressed some of the frustration the youth of the 60s had with the desire to change the world, and yet couldn't get the oldsters to understand what they were about, and changes that happened were too slow. It's funny looking back, because now we are the oldsters, and the wheel has turned once again. The most incredible thing about this song is that it has nothing to do with love, and ranks as one of the best Beatles songs of all time. The only flaw with this song is that it, like so many other songs of the era, was a paltry 2:44 long, which was LONG by the standards of those days. Think of what The Beatles could have done had they had CD's to work with!

I think "Michelle", "Girl", "In My Life" are excellent Beatles ballads, with outstanding harmonies on "Girl" and "In My Life". Classics in a different vein from the other songs on this album.

Of the remaining songs, "Think for Yourself", "I'm Looking Through You", "Wait", and "If I Needed Someone" offer quality Beatles music. Each of these are harbingers of The Beatles that would see one more transition album, "Revolver", followed by the revolution in rock music, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band".

"The Word" is very 60s pop music, with little to distinguish it other than it is a Beatles song. "What Goes On" is an interesting song for The Beatles in that it has a country flavor with Ringo taking the lead vocal. Clearly the idea of a concept album was yet to come. "Run for Your Life" finishes off the CD with some novelty. The "end" in the song is pronounced "end-uh", matching the music well. Note that in written lyrics this is written as "end-a".

The album is a little uneven in a couple of places. Following "Think for Yourself" with "The Word" is not a smooth transition. Similarly, following "Michelle" with "What Goes On" causes "What Goes On" to grate somewhat. Perhaps the biggest flaw with this excellent CD is that the order of the songs could have been changed to have some flow to the style and mood of the songs. However, as I noted earlier, the concept album was two years away.

The flaws in this CD are minor. The music proved once again that even with small bumps in quality, The Beatles were consistently able to fill an album with good to great songs. This album is a must have for any fan of mid-60s rock, and definitely for any fan of The Beatles.

Brian Wilson has admitted that it was this album which moved him and motivated him to create Pet Sounds. He was astonished that an album of all excellent and bold songs could be marketed to the public, gone were the days of filler. He was right to be astonished and little did he know what was to come!

The songs on this album are well written and intimate, the Beatles certainly brought a new edge and horizon to popular music. My personal favourite being "Norwegian Wood, This Bird Has Flown" because of its lyrical beauty and haunting sitar. This album is full of songs like it, each having the pallor and timbre of a painting. The themes maybe simple, but they are embellished with deep feeling and sensitive insight. "Drive My Car" is a perceptive rocker, "I'm Only Sleeping" is comical and light, but with a well knit lyric and harmonies. "In My Life" is a hauntingly blunt ballad and it is startling to consider that it was written by a 24 year old John Lennon. (an old soul, he was)