"White Album" - what are the best things about it?
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Erik in NJ:
Realistically, there's a lot of stuff that could have been left off this album and no one would have missed it (a lot of it created by Lennon--I think he was falling under Yoko's spell at the time and his artistry was really beginning to suffer). E.g.: Wild Honey Pie Bungalow Bill Piggies Don't Pass Me By Why Don't We Do It In The Road Long, Long, Long Honey Pie Revolution 9 Good Night Realistically this should not have been a double album--had it been a single album it would have been a much bigger album, i.e., more accessible to the general public. Most of the big hits were Pauls and of course George contributed some good stuff (While My Guitar & Savoy Truffle), John had a couple nice ballads, but no blockbuster hits on this album which is unusual. I'm surprised you don't like "Savoy Truffle"...great song. Clever lyrics, great melody, very tonge-in-cheek. It's written about the contents of a box of "Good News" chocolates and Eric Clapton eating all of them and having to have his decayed teeth pulled out due to his sweet tooth
I have to disagree about Long Long Long. I think it's a fantastic song that is underrated. I love it. All the others I agree with though. If George Martin had his way it wouldn't have been a double album.
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I respect your opinion, I'm just curious what you like about Long, Long, Long...it's a bit of a dreary song, no?
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Scarlett14:
Bruce, I did not realize that John wrote "Happiness" after Bobby Kennedy was killed. I'm going to do a little more reading about this one. And listening. Randy, I have never heard anyone say before that heavy metal started here. I am not much of a heavy metal fan (any time I have heard Helter Skelter in the past I most likely would have turned it off immediately). I just always figured it was bands like Led Zeppelin or Black Sabbath that started it. Or maybe Jimi Hendrix? But The Beatles? That's a pretty strong assertion. Does everyone agree with that here? I must admit, I'm having trouble coming up with a heavy metal song before this one. Nancy, those two polar opposite songs are that way for me in the sense of one being a song I really love ("I Will") and the other a song I've always avoided ("Helter Skelter")! Does Paul do "Helter Skelter" at his concerts now? I've been to two of his shows and I don't recall although I'd think not as the song would be very taxing on his vocal cords. Apollo, I haven't had a chance to really listen to "Revolution #9 yet....I've heard it a bit over the years on Beatles-related radio shows only. Sounds very creepy, other-worldly like some background music they would have used on the old TV show "Twin Peaks". I will give it a try and report back. Taxman, I'd love it if Paul sang "Penny Lane" too. Have always enjoyed that one. What does it mean to you ...above all his other songs I mean? Steven.....Amen!
Good question! To be honest every Beatle song I'll hear Ringo and Paul play I'm going to let sink in on just how I am watching legends perform songs written almost fifty years ago. Songs that have brought so much joy to so many people! I try to think about things like during Get Back on how they performed that song on top of the Apple Corp Roof. With Penny Lane I love the video and the cheerfulness of memories of their childhood. It is one of my favorite Beatles songs for sure.
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Erik in NJ:
I respect your opinion, I'm just curious what you like about Long, Long, Long...it's a bit of a dreary song, no?
I love the jazzy drumbeat to the song. It is also about his finding of god, which whether or not you are religious is a humbling experience to believe you have found something greater then yourself. I don't find it as much dreary as much as I find it has a ghostly quality.
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dappa-macca:
Erik in NJ:
Realistically, there's a lot of stuff that could have been left off this album and no one would have missed it (a lot of it created by Lennon--I think he was falling under Yoko's spell at the time and his artistry was really beginning to suffer). E.g.: Wild Honey Pie Bungalow Bill Piggies Don't Pass Me By Why Don't We Do It In The Road Long, Long, Long Honey Pie Revolution 9 Good Night Realistically this should not have been a double album--had it been a single album it would have been a much bigger album, i.e., more accessible to the general public. Most of the big hits were Pauls and of course George contributed some good stuff (While My Guitar & Savoy Truffle), John had a couple nice ballads, but no blockbuster hits on this album which is unusual. I'm surprised you don't like "Savoy Truffle"...great song. Clever lyrics, great melody, very tonge-in-cheek. It's written about the contents of a box of "Good News" chocolates and Eric Clapton eating all of them and having to have his decayed teeth pulled out due to his sweet tooth
I have to disagree about Long Long Long. I think it's a fantastic song that is underrated. I love it. All the others I agree with though. If George Martin had his way it wouldn't have been a double album.
Why Don't We Do it in the Road is one of my favourite Beatle songs. I love the vocal. And I think Honey Pie is full of charm, showcasing more of McCartney's versatility.... And Long, Long, Long has grown and grown on me through the years.... so, I've got to have them on the condensed White Album. It's a shame Revolution 9 didn't get bumped to a B-side. It's a rather depressing collage of nonsense. But that's hardly groundbreaking news.
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Regarding "Revolution 9" being a "collage of nonsense", I was reading in my trusty Beatles lyric back story book that Paul was upset when he had heard that this song was going to be included on the album as Paul had been working on some collages on his own and did not like John getting the credit for his collage first. I'm para-phrasing but that's the gist of it, or what I got out of it anyway (please correct me if I'm wrong). What I'm wondering is, was John ever jealous of how Paul apparently created the new genre of heavy metal music with "Helter Skelter"? And just how competitive WERE John and Paul? There are 30 songs in the two album set of the "White Album", some of which were just okay in my book. If I were producer "Georgine Martin" I'd cut it down to one album (just my own personal preferences) and these would be my choices: 1) Back in the USSR 2) Dear Prudence 3) Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da 4) Bungalow Bill 5) While My Guitar Gently Weeps 6) Blackbird 7) Rocky Raccoon 8 ) I Will 9) Julia 10) Birthday 11) Mother Nature's Son 12) Helter Skelter 13) Revolution 1 14) Honey Pie I would leave a little empty space at the very end of the album....then proceed into John doing "Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me and My Monkey"...only I'd want him to do it with the same style of speed, passion and screaming vocal that Paul used on "Helter Skelter" (just because I'd like to see what John would have done with that musical challenge). And God forgive me, I'd want Yoko to stay off to the side being just emotionally supportive as this is just a John challenge.
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That's a pretty darn good list of songs for a single White Album....I would only exchange Martha My Dear for Bungalow Bill and Savoy Truffle for Honey Pie and then you would really have something! I might change the sequencing of the songs a bit.
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I must have Happiness is a Warm Gun, I'm so Tired, Cry Baby Cry, Long Long Long, Yer Blues, Sexy Sadie, and of course Why Don't we do it in the Road. And I can't delete any of the mentioned songs, therefore a double-album it must be.
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I knew somebody would ask me about my sequencing. I'm no good at that....don't know how they decide such things really. So I just went down the list of the 30 songs on the album and removed the ones I didn't want. Actually I'd call my chosen list of 15 songs"The White Album". The other 15 songs that didn't make the cut I'd put them all on one album and call that "The Off-White Album".
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Erik in NJ:
Realistically, there's a lot of stuff that could have been left off this album and no one would have missed it (a lot of it created by Lennon--I think he was falling under Yoko's spell at the time and his artistry was really beginning to suffer). E.g.: Wild Honey Pie Bungalow Bill Piggies Don't Pass Me By Why Don't We Do It In The Road Long, Long, Long Honey Pie Revolution 9 Good Night Realistically this should not have been a double album--had it been a single album it would have been a much bigger album, i.e., more accessible to the general public. Most of the big hits were Pauls and of course George contributed some good stuff (While My Guitar & Savoy Truffle), John had a couple nice ballads, but no blockbuster hits on this album which is unusual. I'm surprised you don't like "Savoy Truffle"...great song. Clever lyrics, great melody, very tonge-in-cheek. It's written about the contents of a box of "Good News" chocolates and Eric Clapton eating all of them and having to have his decayed teeth pulled out due to his sweet tooth
You've included several of my favorites on your "should have been left off" list!
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Erik in NJ:
Realistically this should not have been a double album--had it been a single album it would have been a much bigger album, i.e., more accessible to the general public. l:
EH???
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We can blame Patti for Wild Honey Pie. She was so fond of it, that the drivel made it to the album.
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I don't care much about lyrics. Music (or musicianship) comes first. When it comes to musicianship, no-one is better than the team-up of the Beatles and Sir George Martin. I love artists who aren't lazy to overdubb things to make the song better. And considering the technology at that time: 4-track or 8-track recording. There are these things called "reduction" and "bounce" so naturally the song will become cloudy or low in fidelity.
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Erik in NJ:
I respect your opinion, I'm just curious what you like about Long, Long, Long...it's a bit of a dreary song, no?
I don't hear the dreary. I hear George connecting to his spirituality. I think it's actually a very happy song. He's saying he's found god, but he's been there the whole time. It's very simple but it feels very "full" to me, especially how it builds. Really unique layered sounds that work well, and I love the ending with the rattling of the bottle I don't know, it's one of those songs I love to listen to on headphones with the lights low. I think it just beautiful.
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Scarlett14:
Don't care for "Yer Blues"...What am I missing?
"My mother was of the Sky, my father was of the Earth. But I am of the Universe, and you know what it's worth..." If you don't get that, I can't help you sister!
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Erik in NJ:
Realistically this should not have been a double album--had it been a single album it would have been a much bigger album, i.e., more accessible to the general public. Most of the big hits were Pauls and of course George contributed some good stuff (While My Guitar & Savoy Truffle), John had a couple nice ballads, but no blockbuster hits on this album which is unusual.
I'll just quote Paul from The Beatles Anthology to anyone who thinks the White Album is too long or has "too many"..."It sold. It's the bloody Beatles' White Album... Shut up!"
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beatlesfanrandy:
Erik in NJ:
Realistically this should not have been a double album--had it been a single album it would have been a much bigger album, i.e., more accessible to the general public. Most of the big hits were Pauls and of course George contributed some good stuff (While My Guitar & Savoy Truffle), John had a couple nice ballads, but no blockbuster hits on this album which is unusual.
I'll just quote Paul from The Beatles Anthology to anyone who thinks the White Album is too long or has "too many"..."It sold. It's the bloody Beatles' White Album... Shut up!"
Ha ha, I love it when Paul says that.
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dappa-macca:
Nancy R:
And I read that Paul wrote Helter Skelter in response to The Who supposedly coming out with the "raunchiest, loudest, most ridiculous rock 'n' roll record you've ever heard." (wasn't it "I Can See For Miles?") For the trivia buffs, John & Paul both played bass and lead guitar and George played rhythm guitar. John also played saxophone, and Mal Evans played trumpet! P.S. I LOVE this song!
The bass on this song is so not Paul, you can tell it's John and it's a perfect fit. And I love this song too. Really rocking, powerful stuff. Love Paul's raw vocals. It feels like a really great jam session. (a too long one for Ringo's poor blistered fingers. )
My book says both Paul & John played bass, not just John.
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toris:
I must have Happiness is a Warm Gun, I'm so Tired, Cry Baby Cry, Long Long Long, Yer Blues, Sexy Sadie, and of course Why Don't we do it in the Road. And I can't delete any of the mentioned songs, therefore a double-album it must be.
Yeah, toris, I'm with you!
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beatlesfanrandy:
Scarlett14:
Don't care for "Yer Blues"...What am I missing?
"My mother was of the Sky, my father was of the Earth. But I am of the Universe, and you know what it's worth..." If you don't get that, I can't help you sister!
Agreed. A belter of a song. And there's a lot to say about those songs that have a title, where the words are actually never even mentioned in the song!... now, that could be a separate thread in itself... But this is a great Lennon track. John's contribution to this album is very, very underrated.