This particular album, in my humble opinion, is quite possibly the most significant in the history of the group. I've seen at least two different polls in which it was named their best album. It’s sold over 20 million copies since its initial release 45 years ago, making it one of the top selling albums in history. But, again in my humble opinion, it just might be . . . their worst album.
One thing is without dispute; in the history of this, the biggest rock band ever, it was the beginning of the end. From their first recordings up through Sgt. Pepper and even the ill-fated Magical Mystery Tour movie, it was always The Beatles against the world. The fame that threatened to consume and destroy them was always met with a united front. Manager Brian Epstein handled the business end, producer George Martin steered the ship in the studio, and John, Paul, George and Ringo provided the wind for the sails.
The years 1966 and 67 were full of upheaval for the band. In ’66 they decided to stop playing live. Their concerts were so big that they couldn't even hear themselves play, and the technology of live sound hadn't yet caught up to the needs. Plus, they were leading an extremely stressful life, going from the road to the studio and back again, over and over without a break, from late ’62 through most of ’66.
So 1967 was a year of relaxation and reflection, and their studio time was much more leisurely. They, along with George Martin, took the time to produce one of the most important rock albums ever, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Then, suddenly, Epstein died, leaving them somewhat rudderless. Their response was to take several tunes that had already been recorded and make a script-less movie called Magical Mystery Tour.
The movie got scathing reviews after being shown on British television the day after Christmas, 1967. But the album stands as one of their best and was a huge hit, with several of their most popular songs, from Penny Lane to Strawberry Fields Forever and even I Am The Walrus.
When the time came around to start the next set of recording sessions, tensions inside the group were beginning to build. They used to stand united, circling the wagons as the adoring public, the press, their competition, and everybody else came at them. Now, with nothing to do but create, their individuality began to take over.
It would not be altogether untrue to consider the White Album to be the first solo work by each of the Beatles. Four very creative, very strong personalities were free to do whatever they pleased. But then each of the four was required to fill the role of back-up musician to each of the other three. And when the slots on the album began to fill up, the dominance of Lennon and McCartney caused yet more tension. And there was no Brian Epstein to run interference, and no tour for a distraction.
One controversy of this album is that it’s their only double album. Many people, including producer George Martin and drummer Ringo Starr, felt that the best songs should have been used for a single LP. I think that is the tack I am going to take here and go through the album, track by track, and designate which should stay and which should go. Feel free to chip in your own $0.02 on the subject.
SIDE ONE
BACK IN THE USSR
This song caused quite a stir back in the day. A lot of people didn't like rock and roll to begin with, considering it The Devil’s Music and complaining that it was bad for the youth of the world. Lennon’s comment in 1966 that the Beatles were “more popular than Jesus” didn't help. Many of their detractors viewed this song as a smoking gun. Anyone this immoral obviously had to be communists too, right?
Frankly, I think it was simply what it appears to be, a tribute to (and maybe even parody of) Chuck Berry’s Back In The USA. It was written and sung by Paul McCartney. People had known for years that the whole Lennon/McCartney thing was fiction anyway. Sometimes the other would contribute a line or a snatch of melody or something, but for the most part their songs were written by Lennon OR McCartney.
Evaluation – Keeper.
DEAR PRUDENCE
John Lennon was in a pretty weird space by mid-1968. His marriage was on the rocks and he had publicly taken up with Japanese avant-garde artist Yoko Ono. He was also taking a lot of drugs, of a lot of different varieties. The previous year had ended with Brian Epstein’s death and the band’s famous trip to India with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, which turned out to be very disappointing for John.
Without the distractions of the road, he had to deal with issues dating back to his childhood; absent father, raised by a strict aunt, and a free-spirited mother who never quite had it together enough to take care of him. It has been speculated that Yoko took advantage of his Mommy issues, simultaneously controlling and liberating him.
The result was a body of work that was often unfocused but occasionally brilliant. He was by far the most intelligent and creative member of the band, but also had the biggest issues. Yoko arguably tied him to her and he spent the rest of his days in a rambling three-legged race to nowhere. Even so, the postcards he sent back could have some wonderful scenery in them. This was one of his better efforts in this collection.
Evaluation – Keeper
GLASS ONION
Another Lennon tune, and another pretty good one. Not great, but not bad. Letting a little of his anger out, and also playing with the Paul-is-dead idea, teasing the fans with a couple “clues.”
Evaluation – Keeper
OB-LA-DI, OB-LA-DA
Everybody loves this Paul McCartney composition. It’s cute, it’s bouncy, it uses the word “bra” in a strange context. Paul has a gift for taking some little piece of nonsense and making something out of it. I’ll bet he made the best, and most elaborate, lanyards at summer camp. Other moms would turn to their kids and say, “Why couldn't you make me one that nice?”
Yeah, but this song, well . . . it kinda sucks. Paul went through a period of really being into depression-era English vaudeville and dance-hall music. The kind his dad played. So, he made the lanyard for his dad. I’m impressed.
And yet, even with that . . . well, the damned thing is cute, it is bouncy . . . and frankly, again in my humble opinion, if bras aren't the greatest thing ever, they’re next to it. ;>
Evaluation – Maybe, maybe not
WILD HONEY PIE
What, are you kidding, Paul?
Evaluation – Throw it!
THE CONTINUING STORY OF BUNGALOW BILL
This is your brain on drugs. For those of you smart enough never to experience being really wasted, this is what happens to you. Listening to this song again, I can describe the exact process of how it was written; somebody said something and got it a little wrong. Bungalow instead of buffalo. A giggling fit ensues. Hey, Bungalow Bill! Then, John Lennon picked up his guitar and did this. And because he’s John Lennon, nobody had the balls to tell him to stop. Yeah, it’s cute. Filler at best.
Evaluation – Throw it!
WHILE MY GUITAR GENTLY WEEPS
An absolutely amazing, beautiful song, and proof that George Harrison was closing the gap with Lennon and McCartney. George’s friend Eric Clapton provided the uncredited guitar solo. The live version on Concert For Bangladesh was great, and so is Jeff Healey’s rearrangement in the ‘90’s. Btw, George played rhythm guitar on that recording, too.
Evaluation – Keeper
HAPPINESS IS A WARM GUN
A strange, disturbing, rambling little John Lennon tune. I certainly wouldn't release this as a single, but whether you like it or not, it drips genius. And sometimes, genius is almost intolerable.
Evaluation – Maybe, maybe not
SIDE TWO
MARTHA MY DEAR
It is appropriate that these two songs, Happiness and Martha, should be placed consecutively on this album. The former is John indulging his muse with great result but for no good reason. Same for Paul with this song. They were definitely headed in different directions at this time, but using the same road map.
Once again, Paul’s penchant for vaudeville comes through. And like everything that Paul McCartney does, he worked on it really, really hard, crafting it carefully and buffing it to a high gloss. Or, rather, making George Martin do it.
The difference is that this is a very worthy piece of music, regardless of where its inspiration came from. You can draw a straight line from the little love songs he wrote in ’63 and ’64 to this. The first few lines say “Tripe,” but then the song begins to blossom. It’s really rather good.
Evaluation – Keeper
I’M SO TIRED
One thing with John Lennon, you don’t have to wonder what he’s driving at. Damn, I’m tired. I’m so-o-o tired . . . wait, not so tired I can’t grab my guitar and a piece of paper, and immortalize being bushed for posterity. Then, the next time Bloody Damned George Martin is hounding me to do Just One More Take, I’ll sing him this. That’ll fix ‘im!
Evaluation – Maybe, maybe not
BLACKBIRD
One of the most revered songs that Paul McCartney ever wrote, and for good reason. He spits these things out like the lowly oyster spits out pearls.
Evaluation – Keeper
PIGGIES
Do I need to bring up that Charles Manson used this song as an excuse to murder a bunch of people? Nah, I won’t mention it.
This song puts me in an odd position. I really like George, wish that he’d gotten more songs on the Beatles’ albums, and by the end of the group a case could be argued that he was actually the best of the three songwriters. I also, in very general terms, agree with the theme of this song. Rich people do tend to behave like a-holes.
Unfortunately, it’s not one of his best efforts. My guess would be, he was just in a pissy mood and decided to get up on his Hare Hare soapbox and give a bunch of arrogant rich people what for. Not a bad thing to do, in and of itself. Just not a great piece of art. Taxman from Revolver was much better.
Evaluation – Throw it
ROCKY RACCOON
You really need to hear the early version from Anthology to appreciate this to the fullest. A bit of stoned rambling from Mr. McCartney. It would be easy to laugh off and dismiss . . . but it’s so damned catchy! I've been playing it live for 40 years, and people love it.
Evaluation – Keeper
DON’T PASS ME BY
This recording is a crime. Not because of the quality of the song, but the way it was treated. Yeah, Ringo wasn't a songwriter, but he spent an awful lot of time with three of the best of his era. So he tried his hand at it. And ya know what . . . it ain't bad! Nice simple little song, all the boxes checked, no major flaws . . . not bad at all, Ring.
And then they do THIS. Gaaakk! Hey, dudes, it’s the one, single, solitary piece of songcraft the boy ever contributed. The least they could have done is give it a fair shot. Just play it straight, two guitars, bass, and his drums.
I always liked the way the rest of the band treated Ringo. He was the worker bee, the guy who always came up with a good drum part, the guy who always followed along no matter what and gave his best. Listen to the latter half of Anthology, and the one constant is Ringo, nailing it, every stinkin’ time.
In return they would always let him sing a song. John and Paul would even sit down together and write him one, usually the only time they ever actually collaborated on anything. Yellow Submarine. A Little Help From My Friends. Octopus’s’ Garden. And now, our friend, the guy who holds it all together, ladies and gents give it up for . . . Ringo Starr!!
And then HE writes something, and it’s even good enough to include, and you do this. Might as well have rolled a calliope down a staircase. Shame, shame, shame.
Evaluation – Maybe, maybe not – if Keeper, purely out of spite.
WHY DON’T WE DO IT IN THE ROAD
Paul’s B-side for Wild Honey Pie.
Evaluation – Throw it!!
I WILL
Another little throw-away gem from Paul. I’d like to hate it because it’s so sweet and cute . . . but it’s so sweet and cute!
Evaluation – Keeper
JULIA
This John Lennon tune defines the term “achingly beautiful.” It is, quite possibly, the best song on the record. This, or While My Guitar Gently Weeps. It’s the song Blackbird and I Will wish they could be. Paul never even came close until My Love, and then barely, and never again. And it’s not even Lennon’s best work.
Evaluation – Keeper
SIDE THREE
BIRTHDAY
This should be one of the ones to throw away, but it’s so damned good! Especially Ringo’s little solo, and the kicker back in. Yeah, we’re goin’ to a party, party . . .
It may actually have been a collaboration, although I detect a lot of McCartney DNA. But there’s some Lennon as well. I've heard it speculated that there’s a Beatles song for absolutely every occasion. It just might be so.
Evaluation – Keeper
YER BLUES
This should be yet another for the dustbin. There was a blues revival in the UK about this time. John Mayall, Alexis Korner, Clapton, the Yardbirds, everywhere you looked some Brit was copping some blues record that an English merchant sailor brought back from the Colonies.
The Beatles grew up on that stuff, Liverpool being a port and all, and when it started getting really popular I guess John couldn't resist. The trouble is, to real blues people, there was some of this British blues that frankly sounded like a bad parody. And when this kicks off, it seems to fit into that category.
It’s one thing to pay homage to a whole musical style, something else entirely to seem to be making fun of it. The opening bars of Yer Blues really, really sounds like some white kid goofing on the whole thing, with no understanding whatsoever of where it comes from. It certainly doesn't ring of the respect that people like Eric Clapton, John Mayall, or even Keith Richards gave it.
But the deeper into the song you get, the more apparent John Lennon’s passion is. Not so much for the style he’s chosen, but for the subject. Once again, you never have to guess at what he’s thinking. When he says; “Lonely, wanna die,” you believe him. And that, brothers and sisters, is the blues.
The Abbey Road album had two of these types of songs, one by Paul called Oh, Darling that comes off as even more of a parody than the first verse of this; and another John composition, I Want You, that’s another passion-and-angst song, but for my money not quite as good as this one. You want to hear the Beatles try and do the blues? This is it.
Evaluation – Keeper
MOTHER NATURE’S SON
Another perfect little jewel from Paul. Not the depth of Julia, but certainly the skill, and flawless execution. The Beatles started out as a hot little R&B band, but then Paul wrote Yesterday and Eleanor Rigby. By the time they followed the Maharishi to India, they had become comfortable with the acoustic guitar. Many of this album’s acoustic songs were written there.
Evaluation – Keeper
EVERYBODY’S GOT SOMETHING TO HIDE EXCEPT FOR ME AND MY MONKEY
This should be John’s version of Wild Honey Pie, an easy call to make. But it’s not, dammit. You got to give it to him, when he’s on, he can’t fall off.
Let’s face it, if he wasn't John Lennon, there’s a lot of songs nobody would have ever heard. Things like Dr. Robert, Mr. Kite, and Tomorrow Never Knows were fine buried deep within an album full of number-one singles. They could be ignored until one got to really know an album, and then they would creep into your consciousness. This is one of those songs.
Evaluation – Keeper
SEXY SADIE
This was where John chose to spit his venom regarding his disappointment with the Maharishi. The Hindu holy man was caught making sexual advances toward actress Mia Farrow, who had made the pilgrimage along with the band. At that point everything the man had said became suspect. The incident should serve as a warning to anyone professing adherence to a moral standard; physician, heal thyself.
John’s sarcastic wit is at its sharpest here. Unfortunately, his feel for the craft of songwriting is not. The music is clever, but disjointed, and I’m afraid it fails as a song.
Evaluation – Throw it
HELTER SKELTER
This was the other song used as a teaching tool by His Holiness Charles Manson. It’s really an homage to a popular carnival ride. It’s also Paul’s attempt at capturing the burgeoning style known as heavy metal. Black Sabbath, Blue Cheer and the like were just beginning to make an impression. It’s not really that bad a song, but it’s not really that good either. U2 did a much better version, without even practicing it. Find that on Rattle & Hum.
Evaluation – Maybe, maybe not
LONG, LONG, LONG
George Harrison actually did two solo albums while still with the Beatles, Wonderwall Music and Electronic Sound, both quite experimental. After the breakup of the band he did his first proper solo album, a three-record behemoth called All Things Must Pass. Many of those songs were written while with the Beatles, some dating back to 1966. Those songs had all been rejected by Lennon and McCartney.
Many people, including myself, think All Things Must Pass is the best album by any of the former Beatles. This song sounds a lot like much of that album. And frankly, it probably would have sounded better if he’d saved it for later, produced by Phil Spector and featuring the Mad Dogs And Englishmen band. It’s a darned good song, and the Beatles did a pretty good job on it all the same.
Evaluation – Keeper
SIDE FOUR
REVOLUTION 1
Legend has it that this song was born of a luncheon meeting between John Lennon and Jerry Rubin, founder of the Yippies and a leader of the American revolutionary movement of the ‘60’s. He was one of the Chicago 7. Anyway, he was sharing his ideas on the socialist revolution that he, Abby Hoffman, and others were leading. Then a young waiter came to his attention and the great revolutionary starting hassling him. Lennon protested, saying that if the revolution was real, then it was for the benefit of people such as the young waiter.
What this song says is that Lennon agreed with the basic premise of the movement, but didn't appreciate Rubin’s hypocrisy any more than he did the Maharishi’s. John objected to the way the rich and powerful ran the world, but saw that the revolution might just replace one set of arrogant despots with another. Power to the people, right on.
John wanted to release this song as a single, but the others thought it was too slow. So a faster version was recorded, one that never appeared on a proper Beatles album but that Capitol eventually put out on its Hey Jude/The Beatles Again album. They also did a video for release to the Ed Sullivan show. After they gave up playing live, Sullivan became their favorite outlet for these videos.
I have to say, I do like the faster version better, but this one is worth including.
Evaluation – Keeper
HONEY PIE
Paul McCartney’s jones for ‘30’s dance hall music found no greater expression than right here, with the possible exception of Your Mother Should Know from Magical Mystery Tour. Hey, I’m as sentimental as the next guy, but c’mon already!
Evaluation – Throw it
SAVOY TRUFFLE
Another Harrison tune. He had learned his craft well, but that didn't always translate to a good song. This is an example. We’re dealing totally in the realm of my opinion here, but George, bless his heart, had a number of songs that were well done, good melody, proper chord structure, but . . . well, they just didn't work.
Old Brown Shoe from Let It Be is a good example. It seemed like, for every If I Needed Someone there would then be a Think For Yourself. To me, this falls into the latter category. Play it back to back with While My Guitar Gently Weeps, and you’ll see what I mean.
Evaluation – Throw it
CRY BABY CRY
A rather strange little Lennon tune that seems to have no beginning or end. What we are left with is a pleasant little romp of a song that’s really a lot deeper than it initially seems. It’s one of those songs you almost don’t notice, but keep coming back to later. Still, if trimming this album down to a single LP becomes too difficult, this is one that wouldn't be too badly missed.
Evaluation – Maybe, maybe not
REVOLUTION 9
Musique Concrete is a genre that uses snippets of recorded sound, speech, and whatever to create its compositions. Lennon had liked avant-garde art long before meeting Yoko Ono. This piece was his way of introducing a wider audience to the style.
It’s difficult to know how to approach this, and most other of its ilk. It doesn't use melody, harmony or rhythm the way “normal” music does. You can just let it play in the background and allow it to invoke an emotional response, or you can listen carefully and attempt to analyze it and try to discern any meaning.
The latter approach makes it an interesting listen, although I've been doing it for 45 years and am no closer to figuring out what the hell he was trying to say. With the former approach, it’s just unpleasant. Still, it’s instructional.
There’s also the place it holds in the Paul-is-deal lore. As the story goes, Paul McCartney allegedly died in a car accident in 1966. The Beatles and their management, fearing the derailing of one of the greatest gravy trains ever, replaced him with a lookalike. I’ll spare you the rest, which probably is laid out in a wikipedia article anyway.
But Revolution 9, especially if played backwards, supposedly contains many clues. It escapes me why they would do such an elaborate cover-up, and then sprinkle all their albums with clues regarding the deception, but there are still people who actually believe it. Somewhere I've a cassette with a recording of the piece played backward. The clues as described in various sources can be identified, but for the most part it sounds a lot like it does when played forwards.
It’s important to note that all their albums before this one were done with a simple 4-track reel-to-reel deck at Abbey Road studios in London. Sgt. Pepper was recorded on two machines that were then synced by hand, by George Martin, for the mastering process. When the boys showed up to begin these sessions, they discovered a spanking new 8-track machine that hadn't even been taken out of the box. The insisted it be set up, and it was used for everything else they ever did at Abbey Road. That deck made Revolution 9 possible. Thank goodness it wasn't all they did with it.
Evaluation – Throw it
GOOD NIGHT
A pretty little lullaby with way-too-lush orchestration by Sir George Martin and sung by Ringo. If we’re trimming, it can go with no tears.
Evaluation – Throw it
And so we are left with the following keepers:
Back In The USSR
Dear Prudence
Glass Onion
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Martha My Dear
Blackbird
Rocky Raccoon
I Will
Julia
Birthday
Yer Blues
Mother Nature’s Son
Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except for Me And My Monkey
Long Long Long
Revolution 1
Hmm . . . that’s 15 songs. But there’s 30 to start with. George Harrison went on record as being one of the ones lobbying to make it a double album, because they had so large a backlog of songs. It’s hard to believe they left so many of his songs off and chose to include things like Why Don’t We Do It In The Road. Ah, well.
It’s tempting to simply trim it down to what would fit on a single CD. This is impossible with the entire original White Album, because there’s 93 minutes of music. If you wanted to go that route, you could probably include all the Maybes:
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
Happiness is a Warm Gun
I’m So Tired
Don’t Pass Me by
Helter Skelter
Cry Baby Cry
That would allow you to pull off the real drek, and I suppose you could even keep sentimental favorites like Bungalow Bill or Savoy Truffle.
But it should be remembered that in 1968 the album that George Martin was lobbying for would have had to fit on a vinyl record. That means an absolute maximum of around 50 minutes, as opposed to the 80 of a single CD.
This raises a controversy that followed the band’s early career; the difference between the UK and US versions. Up to and including Revolver, the UK and US versions of each album was different. Invariably, the US album had fewer songs. The songs left off were later put together as albums that didn't exist in the UK. This is where the US got records like Something New, Beatles ’65, Yesterday . . . and Today, and others.
One reason was pure greed. Everything with the name Beatles on it sold in huge numbers. At one point, the Beatles occupied the top three spots on the album charts and the top five places on the singles charts. So Capitol records would take the Parlophone album of 12-14 songs, pull off 2-4, re-order what was left, and presto. Do that a couple of times, and the leftovers got released as yet another album.
But there were other reasons as well, and pretty valid ones considering. One was that an album with fewer songs on it could be mixed to have more bass response. Bass notes take up more space, because the grooves had to be wider. This meant, fewer grooves would fit on a vinyl record. And so, the US releases tended to sound just a little better than the UK ones.
Plus, Capitol never just chopped off the last couple songs on each side. They were carefully chosen, and then the remainder were put in a different order. In my opinion, the US versions of Rubber Soul and Revolver were just better albums than the UK versions. And for those who absolutely had to have everything, the leftovers eventually got put out there anyway.
At any rate, the album that George Martin imagined would have fit on one vinyl disc, preferably coming in around 40 minutes or less, for release in both markets. Still, the fifteen songs I've picked would come out to about 46 minutes, which is doable. If you wanted to cut a few in order to improve the bass response, I’d recommend Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except For Me And My Monkey, and Long Long Long. And maybe Martha My Dear. But you could just as easily leave all three.
Ringo’s idea was to release the whole thing, but as two separate albums; The White Album, and The Whiter Album, as he put it. The smart play, of course, would be to mix Keepers with Tossers. But if you make the first one with the list I've provided, that makes the second one;
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
Wild Honey Pie
The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill
Happiness Is A Warm Gun
Piggies
I’m So Tired
Don’t Pass Me By
Why Don’t We Do It In The Road
Sexy Sadie
Helter Skelter
Honey Pie
Savoy Truffle
Cry Baby Cry
Revolution 9
Good Night
Now, think about it; on what planet would that be considered a proper Beatles record? How does that lineup stack up against Revolver? Or Abbey Road? Or Rubber Soul? Granted, in this setting, it sure makes Helter Skelter and Ob-La-Di look pretty good, but is this what we expect a Beatles album to be like?
What I’m saying, and what George Martin was trying to say, is that there was a lot of stuff on the White Album that isn't up to the Beatles’ usual standard. This is all stuff that belonged maybe on Anthology, or Past Masters Volume 3. These are the outtakes.
For that matter, look at the list compiled for the first one. The keepers. Now imagine going through Abbey Road, or Let It Be, or Magical Mystery Tour, or even Meet The Beatles. Which songs off those acknowledged classics would you replace with anything on my keeper’s list?
Which finally brings me back to my original argument; that this could well be the Beatles’ WORST album. In all their history, from their first recording session in 1962 up to the end of the sessions for Abbey Road, the White Album is the worst collection of songs they ever put together. Even compared to their earliest stuff, which was a gaggle of their singles, from two really young guys still learning how to write songs, interspersed with covers and other filler.
And yet, even if it IS their worst, it just goes to show how truly great the Beatles were. There’s a reason that, more than 50 years after Love Me Do, they are still the biggest band ever. Even their worst album is pretty damned good. And 45 years after its release, I’m digging it out for yet another play through, not even skipping Why Don’t We Do It In The Road or Wild Honey Pie.
As Paul McCartney famously said for the Anthology TV specials; It’s good, it sold, it’s the bloody Beatles’ White Album. Shut up.
So this is me, shutting up.
