"White Album" - what are the best things about it?
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I just heard this cover on the radio & it was sooo quirky that I had to look it up on youtube & post it here for you to have a listen: Back in the USSR
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Scarlett14:
JoeySmith:
Paul's piano intro to 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' is 1 of the highlights of that song. Paul never got his due. Has George ever thanked Paul publicly for his contribution?
I had never paid to much attention to the piano in this song I'm ashamed to say so I found this YouTube tutorial of Paul's piano track in this song. The person playing explains that Paul plays arpeggiated chords on the song's bridge. I'm not a musician at all so that means nothing to me....sure sounds interesting though!
As neither John or Paul were trained musicians everything they did was an organic creation they pulled out of thin air, so I doubt even he knew what it was. Some music critic would write some serious review about one of their songs having "pentatonic clusters" and they'd crack up laughing!
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My dad likes this album quite a bit not sure why I will have to ask him. The guitar playing on this album is very nice especially Georges song While My Guitar Gently Weeps. I noticed that there are some light and heavy songs on it which is nice there are also happy and sad songs it. I like how they put a variety of different melodies on the album.
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Found a wonderful site (from another site) about the White Album. It says it is a comprehensive look at their sprawling self titled... masterpiece. I found their take on the songs particularly interesting...especially side 2 songs. http://www.thewhitealbumproject.com/songs/side-two/
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Interesting reading there, 00bu24. Thanks for sharing!
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There are a few quiet pieces on here and work overall is more individually-driven.
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there is some junk on here but the good dongs i really do like. the single version of revolution is better than the lp version but i like both. everbody's got something to hide except me and my monkey i love. ?warm gun, so tired, back in the ussr, dear prudence, RR, BB, glass onion, martha my dear, i will, blackbird, ?guitar gently weeps all quality.
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The Beatles has a much heavier, darker sound. Hard to believe its the same band that released Pepper a year earlier. I just wished they had put Hey Jude/Revolution on the album, replacing Ringo's garbage song & Revolution #9.
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This is a whopper of a thread about the White Album !! Whoa, Nelly ! Interesting
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Everything! The whole album is GREAT! Songs such as "Back In The USSR," "Dear Prudence," "Glass Onion," "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," " Martha My Dear," "I'm So Tired," "Happiness Is A Warm Gun," " Rocky Raccoon," "Piggies," "Birthday," "Mother Nature's Son," " Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except For Me And My Monkey," Sexy Sadie," " Cry Baby Cry," " I Will," "Julia," "Revolution 1," "Savoy Truffle," "Revolution 9" and "Good Night" just to name a few, ARE MASTERPIECES! John Lennon called The White Album the "Son of Sgt. Pepper!"
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jl4761 wrote:
Everything! The whole album is GREAT! Songs such as "Back In The USSR," "Dear Prudence," "Glass Onion," "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," " Martha My Dear," "I'm So Tired," "Happiness Is A Warm Gun," " Rocky Raccoon," "Piggies," "Birthday," "Mother Nature's Son," " Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except For Me And My Monkey," Sexy Sadie," " Cry Baby Cry," " I Will," "Julia," "Revolution 1," "Savoy Truffle," "Revolution 9" and "Good Night" just to name a few, ARE MASTERPIECES! John Lennon called The White Album the "Son of Sgt. Pepper!"
I forgot to put "Helter Skelter" in my list, all of these songs contributed in making THE WHITE ALBUM the great legendary album it became!
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toris wrote:
beatlesfanrandy:
toris:
If they wanted to "mix it up" and put something daring on there, I'm happy for a "What's the New Mary Jane"... that at least evoked fun.... And I like it.... And I love the later "You Know My Name".... that makes me laugh....Whereas Revolution #9 makes me feel like I should be buying a coffin to bury myself and my great-great-great Grandparents in. All people I've never met. A terribly depressing piece of tripe. It is crap on every level. Depressing piece of shite. Masquerading as "art".... pullease.
Well I disagree, and you're welcome to skip it. Too bad this is turning into a negative discussion. It was interesting. How about that song of Paul's - Back In the U.S.S.R. - quite a ripping rocker wouldn't you say? Bold lyrics at the time too!
I lurve that song! Paul and John rocking it together! Love the intro.
The critics seem quite pleased with all regerences to the Revolution pieces and the Helter Skelter pieces. They like that it's all a weird and avante garde and the feelings they have...deep, dark, depressing... after listening. It's all like nothing before and seems as relevant today as 50 years ago. I'll accept it all on that bases even if I don't listen....
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Beatles4Ever&Ever wrote:
moptops wrote:
JoeySmith:
Paul should have never allowed John to release Revolution #9. Or at least, give it a 3:00 minute edit - not 8 minutes of noise better suited for 2 Virgins. Big mistake by Paul.
PAUL PAUL PAUL... FFS!!! It was The Beatles! NOT PAUL. "PAUL should NEVER ALLOWED???"
:Well, I might agree if John had never allowed Paul's "Honey Pie," Actually, I'm pleased it's all there. They were exploring all musical ideas.....brilliantly. I want all of it! (I do wish they had considered the less lush "Good Night" with the four of them singing over George martin's piano. Perfect end to the album either way....but it would have been great to have the harmonies. That may have prevented "this is the album that was recorded when the group was breaking up" speclation/assumption over the past 50 years. They were very much a band working together to create a great album. They got in a room together and played as a group again....a band again....take after take after take, unlike Sgt. Pepper. They succeeded. Not sure how/why that didn't happen.....with the song, "Good NIght" however.
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Erik in NJ wrote:
Take a listen to the little snippet of backwards conversation between "I'm So Tired" and "Blackbird." What does it say? Maybe someone here can digitally reverse it and post it here. I'm surprised that this "intentional" feature of the White Album is rarely discussed.
I believe it's just John mumbling essentially nonsense about "his being so tired." ....making weird noises we all may make when we just want to go to bed. Maybe it doesn't need so much importance attached to it????? Just a thought. It is a nice transitiono to Blackbird, however.
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Beatles4Ever&Ever wrote:
Erik in NJ wrote:
Take a listen to the little snippet of backwards conversation between "I'm So Tired" and "Blackbird." What does it say? Maybe someone here can digitally reverse it and post it here. I'm surprised that this "intentional" feature of the White Album is rarely discussed.
I believe it's just John mumbling essentially nonsense about "his being so tired." ....making weird noises we all may make when we just want to go to bed. Maybe it doesn't need so much importance attached to it????? Just a thought. It is a nice transitiono to Blackbird, however.
Somewhere on this board, someone posted a link to an article about the White Album which mentioned the phrase John supposedly said. It started with “Monsieur, Monsieur” and it didn’t say that the last thing he says is “Julian” but you can hear it with headphones. If you play it backwards (like I did a hundred times!) it sounds like “Paul is dead. Miss him, miss him, miss him.”
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It looks like Giles Martin is going to start another "PAUL IS DEAD" rumors!
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I love Paul's "Wild Honey Pie" and also his "Honey Pie" both "pies" and I agree it would be nice to hear a "stripped down" piano-based "Goodnight" without all the lush strings...does Ringo sing that? It would be sweet to hear them all harmonize on "Goodnight." I love the "lush" version with all the violins, too. My sister remarked she loves Ringo's singing and wishes the Fabs had let him sing more on their albums and said she loves "Octopus Garden" and likes that it's on "Abby Road," doesn't mind that it sounds like a children's song. I like that it's a bit more complex sounding musically, unlike "Yellow Submarine" which to my ears sounds too "same-y" and plain and repetitive. Though come to think of it, I like "Submarine" too, pretty much. Its child-like innocence and spirited playful manner. I love "White Album" for its great, dazzling variety of musical genres and sounds, something for everyone. It's a true enduring classic. I wish they had come out with another double album.
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SusyLuvsPaul wrote:
I love Paul's "Wild Honey Pie" and also his "Honey Pie" both "pies" and I agree it would be nice to hear a "stripped down" piano-based "Goodnight" without all the lush strings...does Ringo sing that? It would be sweet to hear them all harmonize on "Goodnight." I love the "lush" version with all the violins, too. My sister remarked she loves Ringo's singing and wishes the Fabs had let him sing more on their albums and said she loves "Octopus Garden" and likes that it's on "Abby Road," doesn't mind that it sounds like a children's song. I like that it's a bit more complex sounding musically, unlike "Yellow Submarine" which to my ears sounds too "same-y" and plain and repetitive. Though come to think of it, I like "Submarine" too, pretty much. Its child-like innocence and spirited playful manner. I love "White Album" for its great, dazzling variety of musical genres and sounds, something for everyone. It's a true enduring classic. I wish they had come out with another double album.
I haven’t had a chance to listen to my copy yet, but I believe there is a stripped down version of Good Night on it. Yes, Ringo sings it. I wish he would sing Octopus’s Garden in concert and drop Yellow Submarine which I am so sick of.
Here’s everything that is on the deluxe set I got:
https://shop.udiscovermusic.com/products/the-beatles-white-album-super-deluxe-edition
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Scarlett14 wrote:
I have started my journey this week through "The White Album" for the very first time. Yes, I know the "greatest hits" songs but not the others really as I have never been much of an album person. I have listened to the first half of the songs but it was tough because there were ones I really didn't care for. Where is Bruce? I know you said that "Happiness is a Warm Gun" is one of your favorites, right? Please tell me what I'm missing with that song because I just don't see it. Even the words kind of upset me when I think about how John died at the hands of a gunman. But I can't look at this album in the present day, I should judge it solely on its merit from the time it was made, I know this. "Glass Onion"....just didn't like it. "Wild Honey Pie" - what was THAT? "I'm So Tired" made me REALLY tired, couldn't wait for that one to end. "Bungalow Bill" - was that song actually mocking the American student (and his mom) who shot the tiger? "Piggies" I just had to skim through, when I think back on all of the Sharon Tate stuff it's pretty upsetting. Trying to keep my mind back on the time this was made though as I said earlier. So these are my first impressions of side one and two....still have a lot more to go. What strikes me most is how often I need to refer to Wikipedia to see what was going on when these songs were written. I've said this before a few times too many but I'll say it again. If I were a singer/songwriter I'd want my songs to be easily understood by the masses and relate-able without having to have a handbook nearby to translate them. And nothing would be the result of drugs or meditating with the Maharishi either. It would just be about real life. But that's just me. Different strokes for different folks. Please tell me the most positive things to look for in "The White Album". I am not a musician at all so it's possible I'm missing some really creative stuff instrumentally because I'm concentrating on the lyrics too much. On an uplifting note, I really love "Julia" which I had never really paid attention to before. Liked the music to "Bungalow Bill". "Dear Prudence" is getting to be one of my favorites.
I guess I will just go with one of the quotes I read recently: You're either hip to it or you're not. To me, it is the greatest album ever made by the greatest band that ever existed. I've thought that since I got it in 1968 when I was 12. The Deluxe Anniversary set only confirms it for me. It was special then, and it is just as special now.
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Scarlett14 wrote:
Nancy R:
Scarlett14:
Nancy R:
If you want to talk about the PID stuff, start another thread. This one here is supposed to just be about the White Album.
I don't understand, Nancy. The "Paul is Dead" theory came about in a big way because of the White Album! This is the most appropriate place for it IMO. The myth started (I mean really took hold) with "Revolution 9" being played backwards to hear John saying "Turn me on, dead man". So we should talk about all of the other crazy sounds on that "song" but not anything related to the "Paul is Dead" theory? I would just really like to know if anyone besides me believed the myth back then, even for just a short while. I also never suspected Bruce Willis was really dead in that Shyamalan movie. Gullible, I know.
First off, the PID theory did not "come about in a big way" because of the White Album. In 1969 when all the crap hit, it was mostly about Abbey Road and how he was barefoot and George was dressed like an undertaker and the license plate said 28 IF (he was 27 anyway) blah blah blah. Then everybody started combing the older albums and finding more "clues" like the "turn me on dead man" and other junk. I just think if you want to talk about all the nonsense you should start a new thread. Sorry, I just have very little patience for all this, and I apologize in advance.
Nancy - I'm not planning on starting a "Paul is Dead" thread. Perhaps if someone else wants to, they can do that. I lived through all those clues in the 60's, I remember them, I don't need to rehash them. I think if I were younger I might want to discuss some of that subject matter in depth though because I had missed that experience first-hand and it really WAS rather significant in the history of The Beatles. I'm just going to say one thing about the myth/hoax. I believe that although The Beatles may not have started the rumors, they did very little (nothing?) to stop them for quite a while until here in the US it had become quite the frenzy. It would have been very easy to dispel the myth really. For me it was just a marketing ploy to sell more albums -in the end it's all about business/profit.
I saw the magazine that came out in 1969 which was titled "Paul is Dead", and it had all the clues, blah, blah, blah. And I got upset about it for a short while, being a 13 year old youngster. Then Paul himself was on the cover of Life Magazine and he was interviewed in Scotland and he said he wasn't dead. So that was that, and Paul wasn't dead. Enough said. End of story.
