That's hardly the extent of their contributions, however. Also, it's inherently fascinating to hear McCartney develop the charming domesticated tunesmithery ("I Will," "Blackbird," "Mother Nature's Son") that would come to distinguish his solo work, while Lennon rocks ("Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey") and rants ("Revolution 1," "Happiness Is a Warm Gun," "I'm So Tired") into his own solo style. Never before had a rock record been so self-reflective, or so ironic unlike Zappa, who wore his satire on his sleeve, the Beatles deliver the Beach Boys send-up "Back in the USSR" and the British blooze parody "Yer Blues" straight-faced, so it's never clear if these are affectionate tributes or the wicked satires they really are. Then again, the White Album needs to spread out, it needs to have its loose ends and detours, because what is interesting about the album is its sprawl. It's certainly the reason why the record became a double album - no one had the desire to sort through the material to craft a single record. Perhaps this is because the four members were so possessive of their own musical ideas that they wanted to devote all their energies to their own tracks. No idea - not even the minute-long dissonant rant "Wild Honey Pie" or the simple vamp "Why Don't We Do It in the Road" - is simply thrown away instead, it's milked of all its possibilities.
#THE BEATLES WHITE ALBUM CD SERIES#
Furthermore, the filler isn't so much filler as it is a series of disconnected ideas, all executed brilliantly and elaborately. There certainly is filler littered throughout the record, but all the filler has a purpose, contributing to the overall feel of the album. Pepper - the White Album simply sprawls forth, touching on anything and everything it can.įor some, particularly fans of the seamless Pepper, this makes for a frustratingly scattershot record, but for other listeners, the White Album is a singularly gripping musical experience. There is no internal logic, as there was on Sgt. Each song is an entity unto itself, trying its own distinct style. Although it's blessed with the same studio trickery and segued sequencing, none of the songs replicate the sophisticated pop synthesis of that record in fact, very few of the songs on the long, sprawling double album sound as if they're full-fledged band efforts. Pepper, they couldn't have done better than The Beatles, also known as the White Album because of its plain white cover. If the Beatles were consciously trying to distance themselves from the layered, whimsical sound of Sgt. Nor did it jibe with what the group achieved on their groundbreaking 1967 album. Pepper, they had already begun to splinter, with each member doggedly pursuing a musical vision that didn't necessarily jibe with the others'. Track 31: Making of THE BEATLES (WHITE ALBUM) (film documentations).By the time the Beatles reconvened to record the follow-up to Sgt. Track 30: Good Night (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (3:14). Track 29: Revolution 9 (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (8:15). Track 28: Cry Baby Cry (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (3:11). Track 27: Savoy Truffle (George Harrison) (2:55). Track 26: Honey Pie (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (2:42). Track 25: Revolution 1 (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (4:13). Track 24: Long Long Long (George Harrison) (3:08). Track 23: Helter Skelter (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (4:30). Track 22: Sexy Sadie (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (3:15). Track 21: Everbody’s Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (2:25). Track 20: Mother Nature’s Son (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (2:46). Track 19: Yer Blues (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (4:01). Track 17: Julia (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (2:57).ĬD 2: Track 18: Birthday (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (2:40). Track 16: I Will (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (1: 46). Track 15: Why Don’t We Do It In The Road? (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (1:42). Track 14: Don’t Pass Me By (Richard Starkey) (3:52). Track 13: Rocky Racoon (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (3:33). Track 12: Piggies (George Harrison) (2:04). Track 11: Blackbird (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (2:20). Track 10: I’m So Tired (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (2:01). Track 9: Martha My Dear (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (2:28). Track 8: Happiness Is A Warm Gun (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (2:47). Track 7: While My Guitar Gently Weeps (George Harrison) (4:46). Track 6: The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (3: 05). Track 5: Wild Honey Pie (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (1:02). Track 4: Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (3:10). Track 3: Glass Onion (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (2:10). Track 2: Dear Prudence (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) (4:00).