It’s been awhile, but I’m finally picking up where I left off (Magical Mystery Tour) with my series on who was the “Most Valuable Beatle” for each Beatles album which, of course, boils down to a John Lennon vs. Paul McCartney battle. There’s no disrespect meant to George & Ringo as they were valuable parts of the band as well but clearly John & Paul were the biggest creative forces within The Beatles.

Like most Beatles fans I’ve been distracted by The Beatles in Mono & The Beatles in Stereo box sets. But I’ve only got four albums left to do (counting this one) so it’s time to get to work and finish this series off.

After Lennon won the “MVB” title for the first six albums (Please Please Me through Rubber Soul, McCartney has now won the last three (Revolver, Sgt. Pepper, & Magical Mystery Tour.)

Without further ado, it’s time to take a track by track look at The Beatles only double album, since there are a total of 30 tracks on this album, this will be quite a task. In my opinion The White Album isn’t just the band’s longest album, it’s also their best. And it sounds fantastic in both The Beatles in Mono & The Beatles in Stereo box sets.

And to any confused folks who think that The Beatles 1 is “all you need” by The Beatles (yes I’ve actually heard people say this) please note that not a single track from The Beatles 1 compilation is included on this album. The Beatles thought of their singles and their albums as two separate things and both their singles and their albums were absolutely brilliant. But to me it’s their albums that are even more rewarding.

LP 1

01. “Back in the USSR” – Paul

A lot of people have a rather “soft” impression of Paul as the guy that wrote “Yesterday” & “Let It Be” but he was also behind a lot of the band’s best rock songs including this one, “Get Back,” and “Helter Skelter.” I love the jet noises that run throughout the song, the satirical lyrics, and the tongue in cheek Beach Boys harmonies during the “the Ukraine girls really knock me out” bit.

02. “Dear Prudence” – John

One of my favorite Beatles songs. Everything about this song is perfect to me. This is a great example of the contributions of Beatles other than the main songwriter (John.) Paul’s bass part is incredible (as his bass lines often were) and I love George’s lead guitar licks as well.

03. “Glass Onion” – John

I love the heavy sound of this track (pretty ingenious use of strings – George Martin probably deserves some credit for that) and the nonsensical self referential lyrics. Plus the creepy ending is absolutely delicious (particularly considering the tune it goes into.)

04. “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” – Paul

This is one of those “fruity” songs of Paul’s that John & George grew frustrated with. Personally I think these “fruity” songs are an essential part of what made The Beatles who they were. And while there is a “fluff” element to a song such as this, there’s also a lot of really great musical things going on along with some funny lyrics. I think some people just don’t get where Paul was coming from, they take him too seriously with these types of songs. They don’t seem to realize that he was really doing the whole Ween thing along before Ween ever did.

05. “Wild Honey Pie” – Paul

Further proof of the “Ween thing.” What an absolutely absurd song. There are those (George Martin) that would have preferred this type of song was cut from the album, but then it wouldn’t be what it is. This song is essential to establishing the “anything goes” feeling of the album.

06. “…Bungalow Bill” – John

This may actually be my least favorite song on the album. I’m not sure why, but it’s always rubbed me the wrong way a bit (and no, I don’t think it’s Yoko’s backing vocals – I’m not a Yoko hater, how cliche is it to be a Yoko hater? No, I’m not down with that.) I think it’s a bit funny that John would get upset over a “fruity” song like “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” while he was bringing a song like this to the table which is really like a bit like a children’s song. Sure, a demented version of a children’s song, but then “Oba-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” includes a reference to cross-dressing. Anyway, this song has actually grown on me a lot over the years and I do appreciate it now even if it’s still not among my favorites.

07. “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” – George

Assist from George’s pal Eric Clapton with the great “weeping” guitar solo.

08. “Happiness is a Warm Gun” – John

Brilliant. I just love everything about this song. The way John attached three “bits” together to make this song was very influential. In fact, Radiohead credited this song as their inspiration for the structure of “Paranoid Android.”

09. “Martha My Dear” – Paul

How great is the variety on this album that we go from the darkness of “Happiness is a Warm Gun” to the very light “Martha My Dear.” The lyrics were apparently inspired by Paul’s dog (named Martha.) It sounds absolutely fantastic in remastered stereo.

10. “I’m So Tired” -John

This one has always been one of my favorites. The woozy feel of the music is so perfectly suited to the lyrics. And what a great song to sing along with. Love it.

11. “Blackbird” – Paul

I still remember the very first time I heard The White Album (many years ago now.) When I got to “Blackbird” I stopped the CD and played the song for a second time. I found it so stunningly beautiful that I had to take a second listen. And now it sounds even better (remastered.) It really sounds like Paul’s just sitting in my room playing his guitar and singing.

12. “Piggies” – George

“Piggies” has been a real “grower” for me. For a long time it was one of the few songs on this album that I didn’t love. While I still wouldn’t say it’s among my favorites, I do really appreciate it now. It’s such a weird song, I have to appreciate that. Plus the bizarre ending (after “one more time…”) is worth a few extra points.

13. “Rocky Raccoon” – Paul

This is one of my favorite Beatles songs to sing along with.

14. “Don’t Pass Me By” – Ringo

OK, this beats out “Bungalow Bill” as my least favorite White Album song. But I do appreciate the effort in trying to prop up this slight Ringo song by the rest of The Beatles (and Jack Fallon on the “fiddle.”) Plus the “you were in a car crash and you lost your hair” lyric is so awful that it’s actually really great.

15. “Why Don’t We Do It In The Road?” – Paul

This stripped down track is another great sing-a-long. Trying to match Paul’s wild vocals on this one is a great challenge (one I never meet.)

16. “I Will” – Paul

I absolutely love the sequencing here. Having the super sweet romantic “I Will” come in after “Why Don’t We Do It In The Road?” is such a great White Album moment. Also I love this song. I don’t care how cute it is. It’s perfect.

17. “Julia” – John

John wrote this song for his mother (who was named Julia.) She killed by a drunk off duty police officer when he was just 17. It’s the only Beatles song that only John sang & played on. Some find this song to be too dreary, but I like a good sad song from time to time.

LP 2

01. “Birthday” – Paul

I’ve never thought LP 2 was quite as strong as LP 1. Not that it isn’t great, just that I love LP 1 so much. “Birthday” isn’t as good as “Back in the USSR” but it is a fun song and it does sound pretty awesome in the newly remastered stereo version included with The Beatles Remastered Stereo Box Set.

This is actually a good song to use as an example of the mixing differences between the mono & stereo mixes. In the stereo mix there’s that bad vocal edit on “dance-ance” at about 2:09 in, that bad edit isn’t on the mono version. What this shows is that there are more differences between the mono & stereo mixes other than just panning. There are actually different takes (and different effects) used in some cases.

Another point I’ll bring up now that I’m talking about the mono mixes is that The Beatles Remastered Mono Box Set is actually the first time that the mono version of The White Album has ever been released in the US. In 1968 only the stereo version of the album was released in the States but both the mono & stereo versions were released in the UK.

02. “Yer Blues” – John

It’s great how John’s vocal is barely audible for the 40 seconds or so. Like he’s singing in another room. I believe that effect was achieved by turning off his vocal microphone and what we hear is just bleeding through the other mics (drum mic probably.)

03. “Mother Nature’s Son” – Paul

It’s really just hitting me now how freaking ridiculously good this sounds on the new stereo remaster. Damn. This is really a beautiful song.

04. “Everybody’s Got Something To Hide…” – John

I think this is a really underrated song. I think some people dismiss it because of it’s ridiculous name but it really rocks something fierce. It’s loaded with great guitar riffs.

05. “Sexy Sadie” – John

There’s a lot of great bits in this song, but I think my favorite thing about it is the backing vocals (especially when they get really “phased.”)

06. “Helter Skelter” – Paul

Maybe the best example of how much different the mono versions and the stereo versions can be in some cases. The mono mix is just 3:39 long while the stereo mix is 4:29. Clearly with a whole minute cut off, the mono mix must be significantly different. Most noticeable is that the mono version has no “blisters on my fingers!” bit.

07. “Long Long Long” – George

This is probably the best example of how much better the new remastered stereo versions compare to the stereo versions on the old Beatles CDs. It’s really a great song that one used to have to really strain to properly hear. That is no longer an issue. All of it’s elements can now be easily heard.

08. “Revolution 1″ – John

I think if it comes down to it, I’d have to say I prefer the faster single version of this song (heard on Past/Mono Masters.) But this version does seem like it fits with the album a lot more (of course that’s probably just because that’s how I’ve always heard it.) There’s a lot of great “tongue in cheek” stuff going on in this song. Sometimes people don’t get just how great a sense of humor these dudes had.

Also listen closely to the “allllriight” at the end of the song (you can hear that again in “Revolution #9″)

09. “Honey Pie” – Paul

I really dig it when Paul does his “music hall” thing like this. I know it really irks some folks, but I think it’s great. Again, you have to sort of get the “tongue in cheek”/comedic aspect of it to fully appreciate it. Really Paul is taking the piss out of the music of his parent’s generation. But what makes it work is that while he is poking fun at the style, he also seems to like genuinely like some aspects of the music which is what makes the song so much better than just a “joke song” (like say, something like Richard Cheese would record.)

10. “Savoy Truffle” – George

Another George song (like “Piggies”) that I’ve grown to like a lot more over time. A rock song about eating sweets? Brilliant! A little bit of trivia for you: The song was inspired by George’s friend Eric Clapton (I think you may have heard of this fellow) who apparently had (has?) a big sweet tooth.

11. “Cry Baby Cry” – John

This is one that never had to grow on me, I’ve always loved it. What a great combination of bizarre lyrics, catchy melody, and subtly psychedelic atmosphere. Plus Paul’s “Can You Take Me Back…” bit at the end is fantastic (and the perfect segue into “Revolution #9.”) It also sounds stunning in the remastered stereo version, I think it’s a bit like “Long Long Long” in just how much clearer it sounds.

12. “Revolution #9″ – John

Probably the most hated Beatles song of all time. It’s just too experimental & weird for most people. And I must say that I often stop the album at the end of “Cry Baby Cry” but that’s not because I don’t like “Revolution #9″ but just because it’s not the type of track I want to listen to as often as the rest of the album.

I actually really dig this track and have greatly enjoyed the experience of listening to it on many occasions. I love picking out all of the crazy sounds that are in it. It’s a very interesting listening experience. And if you’re properly out of your mind, it can be a genuinely disturbing experience as well (which I think was the intention.)

I love that they included it on The White Album and it wouldn’t be the same album without it. It’s inclusion sort of hovers over the rest of the album and imbues the whole thing with a lovely flavor of pure insanity. It’s like a bit of garlic my food, it flavors the whole thing (for the better, I love garlic.)

I think it’s great that (as far as I know) no more experimental song has ever appeared on a #1 album in history of popular music (if anyone knows of a more experimental track on a #1 album, let me know about it.)

“Good Night” – John

John wrote this tune for Ringo to sing. The contrast between “Revolution #9″ and “Good Night” it’s the ultimate contrast in style and this one-two punch is a great example of the essence of The White Album.

VERDICT: John.

John wrote 14 of the 30 songs on The White Album while Paul wrote 12. George wrote the other 4. Sure one of John’s songs was “Revolution #9″ which some people may want to dismiss, but on the other hand Paul wrote “Wild Honey Pie” which many people would similarly dismiss. I love both of those very experimental tracks, they are an important part of what makes this album what it is.

Anyway, perhaps it’s a bit of a cop-out to just say whoever wrote more of the songs is the winner. What if I prefer Paul’s songs to John’s? But really, I pretty much dig all of the songs on The White Album, so it seems as good of a way as any other.

That being said, while I am giving John the victory for this album since he contributed two more tracks than Paul, I do think a “tie” for this album feels more right as far as how I actually experience this album. It feels like they are both contributing about the same amount to it.

By winning this controversial (to me) “MVB” award for The White Album, Lennon now holds a 7 to 3 advantage over McCartney. There are only three albums left so that means Lennon’s lead is insurmountable. But if you go back and look at the album by album results you’ll see that John has won a lot of squeakers (including this one) so it hasn’t been the blow-out it may appear to be.

Also, perhaps I should include the Past Masters set in this comparison? After all those non-album tracks are not being accounted for (obviously) …

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