Post by henryj on Apr 23, 2015 23:20:15 GMT
The name of this album is The Beatles. We alwaysjust called it “that white album.” It appears that EMI may have officially titled this “The White Album,” since the cover was plain white, with no pictures and no text. This packaging preceded generic packaging by a few years, if you are old enough to remember the generic (no-name) products you used to see in grocery stores in the mid- ‘70s
Our copy of The Beatles had an engraved serial number. I don’t know which of EMI/Capitol’s pressing plants was assigned which serial numbers.
The vinyl was a 2-record set, with 30 or so cuts. There are forums all over the internet with threads about “what 14 songs would you have put in a single-disc White Album?”
Most of the album was either written in India or inspired by the Beatles’ trip there to study transcendental meditation, along with other celebrities such as Mia Farrow and her sister Prudence, Donovan (who taught John, Paul, and George how to finger-pick) (and maybe Ringo, too, who knows?), Beach Boy Mike Love, and others.
Despite the fact that the Beatles were the first group to put out all-killa-no-filla albums, the White Album does have several pieces of filler which I suppose the boys considered novelties at the time. But these cuts are filler, to my ears. Just me.
None of the songs was released on single, although several cuts did get radio airplay.
Johnny Winter’s second album with Columbia was a two record set with music on just three sides, side 2 of the second disk being blank. Perhaps this is what the Beatles should have done with the White Album. There were more than 14 good cuts on this album.
Back in the USSR—The Album starts with the sound of a jet plane. It actually sounds like a jet plane, Unlike the vacuum cleaner that Roger McGuinn insists was NOT the sound effect in Byrds’ “Lear Jet Song” from their Fifth Dimension album. “USSR” has an up-tempo Beach Boy/Chuck Berry vibe to it, with the “oo-wee-oo falsetto” and “bow bow bow” bass vocal. Love once told an interviewer he co-wrote this song, but who knows what the real story is? Don’t know if he really co-wrote this or if he gets royalties but no album label credit. Love once sued Brian Wilson for unpaid royalties from Beach Boys songs, and Brian was so drug-addled that he couldn’t remember the truth, so he caved in and gave him part of the royalties.
For those too young to know, the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) was a mainly Russian nation known for its communism and lack of freedoms. Enemy of the free world. Beatle fame had cost the boys the freedom to come and go as they pleased without being mobbed, so it was like living in the USSR.
Dear Prudence—Story goes that the Maharishi made a move on Prudence Farrow, and that was why she would not come out of her cabin to attend the meditation lessons. For years Lennon and the others held this against the Maharishi, but it turns out the story may have been fabricated by John’s friend Magic Alex. Alex is a whole other story. Charlatan!
Example of finger-picking as taught by Donovan in India. Medium-easy tempo. Intro gradually fades in. This is a good song, and it gets more dramatically intense near the end. There are backup vocals that don’t sound like Beatles. Good song!
Glass Onion—I have no idea what this song is about. John Lennon song. John makes reference to other Beatle songs-- strawberry fields, the walrus, Lady Madonna, fool on the hill, Fixing a hole. I don’t know what this song is about or what John was trying to say calling out all those Beatle songs. Maybe he was frustrated about being a Beatle by this time.
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da—fun little song that is not one of Paul’s best. But lighten up; it’s fun.
Wild Honey Pie—Filler. I don’t think anyone has ever included this on in their hypothetical 14-cut single-disc White Album. There is a “Honey Pie” and a “Wild Honey Pie” on this album. Within the year preceding this album, there was a big hit by Bobby Goldsboro, “Honey,” which was a slow tear-jerker, and an up-tempo rocker by the Beach Boys, “Wild Honey.” I relate “Wild Honey Pie” to this fact. The mind of John Lennon at work! Especially since Lennon considered Honey Pie a granny song.
The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill—Part of the melody sounds like that of “I’m So Tired.” I don’t think this one would have appeared on a single-disk version of the White Album. One of the rare cuts on which Ringo can be heard singing backup vocals.
While My Guitar Gently Weeps—Some classic George Harrison. Not much can be said about this one that hasn’t been said before. One of George’s finest songs. As everyone knows, Eric Clapton played the lead guitar on this. George Martin put some intentional wow and flutter on the tape when Clapton was playing, so I wonder what this would have sounded like without the wow and flutter. Now that’s something you can’t do when recorded to a hard drive or solid-state drive.
It’s cool to say you prefer the Claptonless acoustic Anthology version, but I still like the White Album version better.
Happiness Is a Warm Gun—Absurdity from John. Another song that would not appear on my single-disk White Album.
Martha My Dear—In the vinyl 2-disk set, this leads off side two. This is one of my favorite Beatle songs. Full Disclosure—when this album came out I was a tuba player, often playing in small brass ensembles.
Martha My Dear has a small brass ensemble including a tuba, so I was gratified to hear and know that the Beatles had hired a tuba player to play on their record. Everyone knows that Martha was Paul’s sheepdog. There are several animal-based songs on the White Album. AFAIK this is the first. Great pop tune.
Somewhere I read that Paul named his sheepdog after lady who babysat him when he was a child.
I’m So Tired—I put this in a triumvirate of lazy Lennon songs, the other two being “I’m Only Sleeping” and “Watching the Wheels.” There were times when, in song, John didn’t seem to be all that energetic. Cursing Sir Walter Raleigh for getting him hooked on cigarettes! Brilliant. This is a good song.
Blackbird—Inspired by the Civil Rights movement. All acoustic. Another animal song. One of the first songs Crosby, Stills & Nash performed after getting together and can be heard on live recordings by that trio. Except they harmonized it three ways.
Piggies—When I was in the retail profession I thought this was a song opposing free enterprise. However, after a few years of toiling for Corporate America, I realized this song was a poke at corporate bigwigs everywhere. It might have been a poke at EMI for the Dexterization of their albums. Another good George song.
Rocky Raccoon—Mainly acoustic number from Paul. You can look at it from Rocky’s view that he is trying to get his girlfriend Nancy Lil Magill back from the evil Daniel. On the other hand, maybe Rocky is stalking Nancy. I like this one.
Don’t Pass Me By—I think this is more filler, this time from Ringo. The line “You were in a car crash, and you lost your hair” was ammo for the Paul-is-dead conspiracy theorists. (See “He blew his mind out in a a car.” And “I was alone, I took a ride, I didn’t know what I would find there.”)
Why Don’t We Do It in the Road—Three years after Rubber Soul, an album with absolutely no filler, and then they do this? This is Paul’s fault. One time, about 30 or so years or so after the White Album’s release, there was a TV show wherein Paul showed how to create a song, and it had the same chords as “Why Don’t We Do It in the Road.” I’m wondering if he had to pay royalties to Northern Songs, which at the time was owned by Michael Jackson.
I will—Ever hear this over headphones or earbuds? The bass is sung by Paul. Who does not have a bass voice. Another folksy acoustic number.
Julia—In this one, John is introducing Yoko to his deceased mother, Julia Lennon. He sings “Ocean child calls me.” Yoko means “Ocean Child” in Japanese. More finger-picking.
Birthday—leads off side three of the vinyl and disk two of the CD. Up-tempo rocker. Patti and Yoko are the female vocalists singing backup. Rather raucous and very engaging.
Yer Blues—This one is rather disturbing. I think John was on harder drugs when he wrote this. Feeling suicidal and makes reference to Bob Dylan’s “Ballad of a Thin Man,” an even more disturbing song.
Mother Natures’ Son—After Yer Blues, this is rather comforting. Another folksy acoustic number from Paul. With a brass ensemble added.
Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey—I thought about this song once while reading a book from the World War II museum in New Orleans. At one time, Japanese, the enemy in WWII, were sometimes referred to as monkeys. And Yoko is Japanese. Was Yoko John’s monkey? Was John referring to Yoko as his Monkey in this song? Was not having anything to hide a reference to that album cover photograph from Unfinished Music, Part 1?
And I can’t find the beat until John sings the title of the song.
Sexy Sadie—After the misinformation from Magic Alex regarding the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, John developed a very negative opinion of the Maharishi and wrote a stinging, libelous song called “Maharishi.” After the others told him they would be sued if he did that, he renamed it “Sexy Sadie.” Same rhythmic accents as “Maharishi.”
Helter Skelter—Another disturbing rocker, this time from Paul. Paul wanted to make something louder than the Who, so he came up with this. In America, the crazed Charles Manson interpreted this as a prophecy of an American race war.
I saw and heard Sir Paul play this at his 2014 concert in Dallas. It was the loudest number he played.
Long Long Long—Just me. There’s something not quite right about this song. Maybe not loud enough. George song.
Revolution I—Alternative version of the single. It starts acoustically, then there is an initially spare distorted lead guitar along with horns. For some reason, I imagine this particular performance being performed out in the woods.
Honey Pie—John would have considered this one of Paul’s granny songs. I rather like it. Done in the style of 20s-30s music, I thought this would have been a good one for Tiny Tim, who gained fame shortly before the White Album release with “Tiptoe Through the Tulips.” Nice saxophone ensemble work done in period style of long bygone times.
Savoy Truffle—Protest song about chocolate. George song. George said he wrote this because his dear friend Eric Clapton was eating too much chocolate. Clapton would eat a lot of chocolate when visiting George and Patty. I suspect being in love with Patty caused Clapton’s chocoholism, because chocolate is associated with being in love. On an unrelated note, Clapton once said that sweets eventually led him to heroin addiction. So blame Patty for Clapton’s heroin habit.
But man, that girl sure was beautiful!
The sax section break helps make this song. Impeccable octave intonation between the alto and bari saxes.
Cry Baby Cry—One of the better John songs. Interesting lyrics only John could write about the goings on in the house of a king and queen.
I used to think the :”Can you take me back” part was the beginning of Rev 9 until a couple of years ago when I was listing to my mp3 player at work, with all the songs played in alphabetical order. I was surprised to hear that this was “Cry Baby Cry” instead of “Revolution 9.”
Revolution 9—sound collage by mainly John. Did Yoko assist in this? If you are familiar with the name of John Cage and some of his music, or, if you prefer, “music,” then perhaps you can understand this better. I believe Yoko and Cage were acquaintances.
Good Night—Ringo song. I don’t know that John, Paul, or George is even on this recording.
Random thoughts about the White Album:
The above probably comes across as by someone who likes pop but not rock, but the case is that the hard rock on this album was not the boys’ best, but the pop stuff was really good pop.
While most two-record vinyl sets have been issued on one CD, the White Album clocks in at a littler over 90 minutes, so the CD requires two disks. How about putting as much White Album as will fit into the 76 minute capacity on the first disk, putting the rest on disk two, and fill up the rest of disk two with the four new songs from Yellow Submarine? (Sometimes I wish I were an EMI exec.)
Another option: Put “Monkey” on the same side as the other animal songs, put them all in order, and add “Hey Bulldog” from Yellow Submarine to the sequence, replacing one of the filler tunes with “Bulldog.”
Our copy of The Beatles had an engraved serial number. I don’t know which of EMI/Capitol’s pressing plants was assigned which serial numbers.
The vinyl was a 2-record set, with 30 or so cuts. There are forums all over the internet with threads about “what 14 songs would you have put in a single-disc White Album?”
Most of the album was either written in India or inspired by the Beatles’ trip there to study transcendental meditation, along with other celebrities such as Mia Farrow and her sister Prudence, Donovan (who taught John, Paul, and George how to finger-pick) (and maybe Ringo, too, who knows?), Beach Boy Mike Love, and others.
Despite the fact that the Beatles were the first group to put out all-killa-no-filla albums, the White Album does have several pieces of filler which I suppose the boys considered novelties at the time. But these cuts are filler, to my ears. Just me.
None of the songs was released on single, although several cuts did get radio airplay.
Johnny Winter’s second album with Columbia was a two record set with music on just three sides, side 2 of the second disk being blank. Perhaps this is what the Beatles should have done with the White Album. There were more than 14 good cuts on this album.
Back in the USSR—The Album starts with the sound of a jet plane. It actually sounds like a jet plane, Unlike the vacuum cleaner that Roger McGuinn insists was NOT the sound effect in Byrds’ “Lear Jet Song” from their Fifth Dimension album. “USSR” has an up-tempo Beach Boy/Chuck Berry vibe to it, with the “oo-wee-oo falsetto” and “bow bow bow” bass vocal. Love once told an interviewer he co-wrote this song, but who knows what the real story is? Don’t know if he really co-wrote this or if he gets royalties but no album label credit. Love once sued Brian Wilson for unpaid royalties from Beach Boys songs, and Brian was so drug-addled that he couldn’t remember the truth, so he caved in and gave him part of the royalties.
For those too young to know, the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) was a mainly Russian nation known for its communism and lack of freedoms. Enemy of the free world. Beatle fame had cost the boys the freedom to come and go as they pleased without being mobbed, so it was like living in the USSR.
Dear Prudence—Story goes that the Maharishi made a move on Prudence Farrow, and that was why she would not come out of her cabin to attend the meditation lessons. For years Lennon and the others held this against the Maharishi, but it turns out the story may have been fabricated by John’s friend Magic Alex. Alex is a whole other story. Charlatan!
Example of finger-picking as taught by Donovan in India. Medium-easy tempo. Intro gradually fades in. This is a good song, and it gets more dramatically intense near the end. There are backup vocals that don’t sound like Beatles. Good song!
Glass Onion—I have no idea what this song is about. John Lennon song. John makes reference to other Beatle songs-- strawberry fields, the walrus, Lady Madonna, fool on the hill, Fixing a hole. I don’t know what this song is about or what John was trying to say calling out all those Beatle songs. Maybe he was frustrated about being a Beatle by this time.
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da—fun little song that is not one of Paul’s best. But lighten up; it’s fun.
Wild Honey Pie—Filler. I don’t think anyone has ever included this on in their hypothetical 14-cut single-disc White Album. There is a “Honey Pie” and a “Wild Honey Pie” on this album. Within the year preceding this album, there was a big hit by Bobby Goldsboro, “Honey,” which was a slow tear-jerker, and an up-tempo rocker by the Beach Boys, “Wild Honey.” I relate “Wild Honey Pie” to this fact. The mind of John Lennon at work! Especially since Lennon considered Honey Pie a granny song.
The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill—Part of the melody sounds like that of “I’m So Tired.” I don’t think this one would have appeared on a single-disk version of the White Album. One of the rare cuts on which Ringo can be heard singing backup vocals.
While My Guitar Gently Weeps—Some classic George Harrison. Not much can be said about this one that hasn’t been said before. One of George’s finest songs. As everyone knows, Eric Clapton played the lead guitar on this. George Martin put some intentional wow and flutter on the tape when Clapton was playing, so I wonder what this would have sounded like without the wow and flutter. Now that’s something you can’t do when recorded to a hard drive or solid-state drive.
It’s cool to say you prefer the Claptonless acoustic Anthology version, but I still like the White Album version better.
Happiness Is a Warm Gun—Absurdity from John. Another song that would not appear on my single-disk White Album.
Martha My Dear—In the vinyl 2-disk set, this leads off side two. This is one of my favorite Beatle songs. Full Disclosure—when this album came out I was a tuba player, often playing in small brass ensembles.
Martha My Dear has a small brass ensemble including a tuba, so I was gratified to hear and know that the Beatles had hired a tuba player to play on their record. Everyone knows that Martha was Paul’s sheepdog. There are several animal-based songs on the White Album. AFAIK this is the first. Great pop tune.
Somewhere I read that Paul named his sheepdog after lady who babysat him when he was a child.
I’m So Tired—I put this in a triumvirate of lazy Lennon songs, the other two being “I’m Only Sleeping” and “Watching the Wheels.” There were times when, in song, John didn’t seem to be all that energetic. Cursing Sir Walter Raleigh for getting him hooked on cigarettes! Brilliant. This is a good song.
Blackbird—Inspired by the Civil Rights movement. All acoustic. Another animal song. One of the first songs Crosby, Stills & Nash performed after getting together and can be heard on live recordings by that trio. Except they harmonized it three ways.
Piggies—When I was in the retail profession I thought this was a song opposing free enterprise. However, after a few years of toiling for Corporate America, I realized this song was a poke at corporate bigwigs everywhere. It might have been a poke at EMI for the Dexterization of their albums. Another good George song.
Rocky Raccoon—Mainly acoustic number from Paul. You can look at it from Rocky’s view that he is trying to get his girlfriend Nancy Lil Magill back from the evil Daniel. On the other hand, maybe Rocky is stalking Nancy. I like this one.
Don’t Pass Me By—I think this is more filler, this time from Ringo. The line “You were in a car crash, and you lost your hair” was ammo for the Paul-is-dead conspiracy theorists. (See “He blew his mind out in a a car.” And “I was alone, I took a ride, I didn’t know what I would find there.”)
Why Don’t We Do It in the Road—Three years after Rubber Soul, an album with absolutely no filler, and then they do this? This is Paul’s fault. One time, about 30 or so years or so after the White Album’s release, there was a TV show wherein Paul showed how to create a song, and it had the same chords as “Why Don’t We Do It in the Road.” I’m wondering if he had to pay royalties to Northern Songs, which at the time was owned by Michael Jackson.
I will—Ever hear this over headphones or earbuds? The bass is sung by Paul. Who does not have a bass voice. Another folksy acoustic number.
Julia—In this one, John is introducing Yoko to his deceased mother, Julia Lennon. He sings “Ocean child calls me.” Yoko means “Ocean Child” in Japanese. More finger-picking.
Birthday—leads off side three of the vinyl and disk two of the CD. Up-tempo rocker. Patti and Yoko are the female vocalists singing backup. Rather raucous and very engaging.
Yer Blues—This one is rather disturbing. I think John was on harder drugs when he wrote this. Feeling suicidal and makes reference to Bob Dylan’s “Ballad of a Thin Man,” an even more disturbing song.
Mother Natures’ Son—After Yer Blues, this is rather comforting. Another folksy acoustic number from Paul. With a brass ensemble added.
Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey—I thought about this song once while reading a book from the World War II museum in New Orleans. At one time, Japanese, the enemy in WWII, were sometimes referred to as monkeys. And Yoko is Japanese. Was Yoko John’s monkey? Was John referring to Yoko as his Monkey in this song? Was not having anything to hide a reference to that album cover photograph from Unfinished Music, Part 1?
And I can’t find the beat until John sings the title of the song.
Sexy Sadie—After the misinformation from Magic Alex regarding the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, John developed a very negative opinion of the Maharishi and wrote a stinging, libelous song called “Maharishi.” After the others told him they would be sued if he did that, he renamed it “Sexy Sadie.” Same rhythmic accents as “Maharishi.”
Helter Skelter—Another disturbing rocker, this time from Paul. Paul wanted to make something louder than the Who, so he came up with this. In America, the crazed Charles Manson interpreted this as a prophecy of an American race war.
I saw and heard Sir Paul play this at his 2014 concert in Dallas. It was the loudest number he played.
Long Long Long—Just me. There’s something not quite right about this song. Maybe not loud enough. George song.
Revolution I—Alternative version of the single. It starts acoustically, then there is an initially spare distorted lead guitar along with horns. For some reason, I imagine this particular performance being performed out in the woods.
Honey Pie—John would have considered this one of Paul’s granny songs. I rather like it. Done in the style of 20s-30s music, I thought this would have been a good one for Tiny Tim, who gained fame shortly before the White Album release with “Tiptoe Through the Tulips.” Nice saxophone ensemble work done in period style of long bygone times.
Savoy Truffle—Protest song about chocolate. George song. George said he wrote this because his dear friend Eric Clapton was eating too much chocolate. Clapton would eat a lot of chocolate when visiting George and Patty. I suspect being in love with Patty caused Clapton’s chocoholism, because chocolate is associated with being in love. On an unrelated note, Clapton once said that sweets eventually led him to heroin addiction. So blame Patty for Clapton’s heroin habit.
But man, that girl sure was beautiful!
The sax section break helps make this song. Impeccable octave intonation between the alto and bari saxes.
Cry Baby Cry—One of the better John songs. Interesting lyrics only John could write about the goings on in the house of a king and queen.
I used to think the :”Can you take me back” part was the beginning of Rev 9 until a couple of years ago when I was listing to my mp3 player at work, with all the songs played in alphabetical order. I was surprised to hear that this was “Cry Baby Cry” instead of “Revolution 9.”
Revolution 9—sound collage by mainly John. Did Yoko assist in this? If you are familiar with the name of John Cage and some of his music, or, if you prefer, “music,” then perhaps you can understand this better. I believe Yoko and Cage were acquaintances.
Good Night—Ringo song. I don’t know that John, Paul, or George is even on this recording.
Random thoughts about the White Album:
The above probably comes across as by someone who likes pop but not rock, but the case is that the hard rock on this album was not the boys’ best, but the pop stuff was really good pop.
While most two-record vinyl sets have been issued on one CD, the White Album clocks in at a littler over 90 minutes, so the CD requires two disks. How about putting as much White Album as will fit into the 76 minute capacity on the first disk, putting the rest on disk two, and fill up the rest of disk two with the four new songs from Yellow Submarine? (Sometimes I wish I were an EMI exec.)
Another option: Put “Monkey” on the same side as the other animal songs, put them all in order, and add “Hey Bulldog” from Yellow Submarine to the sequence, replacing one of the filler tunes with “Bulldog.”