If I had to pick just one album as my all time favorite I’d have to go with The Beatles 1968 self titled double album which is best known as The White Album.

Many say they like The White Album but with reservations. I don’t have those reservations. To me part of the album’s charm is that it’s not “perfect.” I love the “anything goes” feeling of the album. Like there was no idea or song (well besides “What’s The New Mary Jane” apparently) too crazy to put on the album.

The “Solo” Beatles Album

Sure in a way it sounds like a combination of John, Paul, & George solo albums with the rest of The Beatles as their backing band. But I don’t see that as such a bad thing. At least not in 1968. And plus having The Beatles as your backing band is better than having Wings or the Plastic Ono Band. It makes a big difference.

For example; “Dear Prudence” is a great song and would probably have sounded just fine on a John Lennon solo album but without Paul’s awesome bass line (one of his best and that’s saying a lot) it wouldn’t have been the truly brilliant song that it is.

John Lennon’s Songs

John wrote a truckload of great songs for The White Album. The aforementioned “Dear Prudence” possibly being my favorite. But you can’t go wrong with “Happiness is a Warm Gun,” “I’m So Tired,” “Revolution,” “Sexy Sadie,” “Julia,” “Glass Onion,” & “Cry Baby Cry,” “Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except For Me & My Monkey.”

What about “Revolution #9″? I love it. I’ll admit that I don’t listen to it every time I put the album on (I often end it at “Cry Baby Cry”) but when I do listen to it, I find it to be a fascinating “trip.” I think it’s brilliant that they included something so “avant-garde” on one of their albums. It’s a great song to play for anybody who is ignorant of The Beatles later work and thinks of them as that “She Loves You”/”I Want to Hold Your Hand” band.

If John did write any not so great songs on the album, I think they are “Bungalow Bill” & “Goodnight” (which he had Ringo sing.) But even these songs I think have their charms and have actually grown on me over the years (somewhat like a fungus.)

Paul McCartney’s Songs

Paul brought it all to The White Album from the rock n roll of “Back in the USSR” to the beautiful acoustic balladry of “Blackbird” & “I Will” to the underrated 20s inspired “Honey Pie” to the country fried story telling of “Rocky Raccoon” to the bouncy pop of “Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da” to the groundbreaking heavy sound of “Helter Skelter.” I don’t think he had a weak song on the album. And of course his great musicianship made John & George’s songs even better than they already were.

Some folks give ol’ Paul crap for “Birthday,” “Mother Nature’s Son,” “Honey Pie,” & “Wild Honey Pie” but I dig ‘em all. You just have to sort of “get” what he’s going for with these different tunes. “Birthday” is just a good bit of fun. “Honey Pie” is very tongue in cheek. I look at it as sort of a prototype for Ween. “Wild Honey Pie” is just a good bit of insanity for insanity’s sake and I think it works nicely. “Mother Nature’s Son” may be a bit too “hippy dippy” for some but I love the mixture of the acoustic guitar with the orchestration.

George Harrison’s Songs

George’s most famous song on the album is definitely “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” (which features a brilliant guitar solo by his friend Eric Clapton) and for good reason as it’s one of The Beatles greatest songs.

I’ve always thought that the meditative “Long Long Long” is an absolutely beautiful follow-up to “Helter Skelter.” On the other hand “Piggies” & “Savoy Truffle” have been songs that have grown on me over the years and I now enjoy them much more than I used to.

Each of these songs has a feel and a style all of it’s own. And that really goes for all of the songs on the album. How many other bands can you listen to their albums and it all starts to sound like one long song after awhile? A lot of them. Not so with The Beatles and particularly not so with The White Album. It’s all about variety.

9/9/9: The Mono Mix Released In The US For The First Time

When The White Album was released in 1968, mono had already been completely “phased out” in the United States so the mono mix of album was not released in the US like it was in the UK.

On 9/9/9 the original mono mix of the album will finally be released in the US as a part of The Beatles Mono CD Box Set. Unlike with the remastered stereo version, it will not be available for individual purchase but only as a part of the mono box set.

It was actually the final Beatles album that was mixed in mono at all, because from then on they would only release their albums in stereo (Yellow Submarine, Let It Be, & Abbey Road are the only Beatles albums which are not included as a part of the mono box set.)

Buy The Remastered White Album Online

Buy The Beatles Remastered CD Stereo Box Set
(includes every song The Beatles released from ‘62 through ‘70)

The Beatles, 1968

Become A MusicByDay.com Music Blogger.