White Album: As Is? Or Should It Have Been Shorter?

"It's the bloody White Album; shut up." – Macca

 

A triple, yes, seriously...and quite easily actually...one of the threads I listed below was even founded on the premise of a second volume that would have been another double- making it, operationally, a quadruple- I went conservative with the triple
While I don't claim to know how often these silly reductionist/revisionist making The White Album a single album threads appear...it does appear these expanding The White Album threads pop up about every three years, so I look forward to next year's 2016 version


As in...
The original triple album thread from a few years before mine even (2007)...
http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/the-white-album-the-three-lp-version.117725/
My thread from a couple years ago (2010)...
http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threa...ite-album-expand-it-to-a-triple-album.228312/
the 2nd double album thread (2013)...
http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/white-album-another-two-discs.334318/#post-9637929

 

Electronic Sounds excerpt in place of Revoluion 9? ;-)

 

For years I've been buying that argument about overcoming Sgt. Pepper by releasing unpolished double album with songs in all available styles. Now I rather think the album represents the state of the band at the time. They stopped writing together, they stopped helping each other. Yes they were still more helpful than hired hands, but now they did not help each other tomove the songs to higher level. And the reduction to single album would not solve this.

But the album still could be stronger. I like Lennon's idea of Revolution 1/9 as a early summer single. It's perfect for summer '68. The b-side of Hey Jude is than free for a song left out from following single album

Back in the USSR
Dear Prudence
Obladi Oblada
Cry Baby Cry
Blackbird
Honey Pie
While My Guitar Gently Weeps

Happiness Is a Warm Gun
Glass Onion
Savoy Truffle
Yer Blues
Helter Skelter
Good Night

 

As I said in another thread, sides 1 and 2. That's it.

OK, if you have to include "Birthday" and "Helter Skelter," knock out a song each from sides 1 and 2.

Nothing from side 4, though. Unless you add the "Revolution" single,

 

I started a thread in my early days that I caught some serious hell for posting. All I did was make it fit onto a single CD by eliminating 3 tracks. I have learned not to play around with the Beatles music by speculation.

http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/i-fixed-the-white-album.81786/

 

Wouldn't want to change a thing.

 

That's why instead of starting a thread about it, I waited until everyone was tired of this one before posting my idea.

 

OK, so only if you raid their singles/b-sides and Yellow Submarine and if you use songs that weren't really complete at this point and that would resurface on later albums like "Child of Nature" or "Polythene Pam", in addition to substandard (IMO) outtakes like "Mary Jane". So we're talking purely hypothetical fantasy land here, not a semi realistic possibility. Like I mentioned previously, I definitely think it's for the best that John waited to come up with some better lyrics and arrangements for "Jealous Guy", rather than cranking out "Child of Nature" in it's raw form, and fragmentary bits like "Polythene Pam" and "Mean Mr. Mustard" worked better in the context of the medley than as stand alone pieces. There's good reason that a lot of this material didn't see the light of day in 1968--it wasn't ready.

 

I agree completely with Paul McCartney's "It's the bloody Beatles White Album, shut up!" comment. I can never understand why some people (including George Martin and maybe some of the other Beatles) thought this should have been a single album. At the time The White Album was issued, it was such a change for The Beatles... so different to have a DOUBLE album, and with so many interesting odds and ends and variations skewed all about. I mean, The Beatles were always trying new things, and if you want a "perfectly tight single album", they'd already offered up plenty of those.

 

to me aside from side one its a bit of a shambles, however i think there is enough for a decent double album but a lot of the tracks would need much more work as they sound almost as grim as Glyn Johns Get Back, However the sequencing is also key to this imho...better squencing, the longer version of Sexy sadie plus the combined Rev 1 rev 9 ( rev 20 is it ? ) which is shorter

There is a good double album in there somewhere I am certain

 

I've put together a single disc (perhaps in the 60 minute range) of tunes from the White album, plus "Hey Jude" and the electric "Revolution,," that to my ears is an absolute powerhouse...did something similar with Sgt. Pepper but just added Penny Lane" and "Strawberry Fields Forever" to elevate the otherwise largely minor tunes on it....

 

Yep

 

Yeah, that's pretty much it. The point being that they had plenty enough material around to expand it if they'd wanted to. The thing is they tended (at least I think they did) to approach albums uniquely & older songs hanging around might possibly be up for consideration, but more than likely (most especially if they were already finished) not. The main point was about being expansive, rather than reductive, in one's view of the album, due to the wealth of great material (as opposed to the idea that an editor was desperately needed for the greatest double album of all-time).

I agree that the fragments worked wonderfully on "Abbey Road", but... there are a few fragments hanging about The White Album as well- "Wild Honey Pie", some would argue "Why Don't We Do It In The Road", the guitar intro to "Bungalow Bill", "Can You Take Me Back" etc., etc. . , so I think any of those could have fit into the strange ebb & flow of the album.

I adore both "Child Of Nature" & "Jealous Guy". I think a fully finished "Child Of Nature" could have been an amazing arrangement, & it would have been interesting, if they had included it, to see how they would have placed it in relation to "Mother Nature's Son". There's lots of not fully realized sonic ideas floating about on the demo that are fascinating sketching (love the different grooves & versions of "Jealous Guy" out there too). I think sometimes they had great songs, but it just wasn't time, or didn't fit what they envisioned the flow of the album that was in the process of becoming. Part of what I gather created those albums was that creative process wherein some things just came together & felt like they spoke to being on that album louder & clearer as things continued to develop & unfold- a unique & mysterious process to be sure.

As I stated earlier this remains my favorite double album ever...but if I'm Monday morning quaterbacking it... I can say I prefer "Revolution Take 20", even though I think "Revolution 9" works wonderfully on it's own. For repeated listening it's pretty long & "Revolution Take 20" has a Sgt. Pepper/Mystery Tour/SMiLE feel to it that's just amazing. I'd also vote for (at least) 3 Harrison songs per album, a la "Revolver"- something which I'd love to have seen happen on any & every album honestly. My faves for additions to the simple standard double being "Sour Milk Sea" & "Dehra Dun"- working out the fantasy triple brings "Not Guilty" & all sorts of other possibilities into play.

 

I would have put Revolution 1 on side one as the opener. Cut Goodnight and Revolution 9 and have Hey Bulldog, Back In The USSR and the the "B" side Revolution single version end side 4.

 

Sexy Sadie was track 8, side a. No Happiness is a Warm Gun because I think it's crap.

 

Fine as it is. It needed to be a double album to live up to the blankness of the cover.

 

Well, I think we can agree that this was an extraordinarily fertile, creative period for the band. Personally, I'm happy with the way things turned out, both in terms of The White Album and other releases that featured material originally conceived in this era.

 

Absolutely...while I half-joke about what I could/would mess with, I still think of it as the greatest double album ever released, & arguably the greatest album ever released period (lots of total faves for me on that top level, but The Beatles catalog from "Rubber Soul" onwards remains a sentimental fave)...I'm a gigantic Wilco fan, & recently saw an interview with Jeff Tweedy & his son Spencer where they were both asked the infamous Desert Island Disc question....Spencer agonized & then said something about it possibly being a Dylan album, then Jeff chimed in with saying it'd likely have to be The White Album, & Spencer laughed saying that that might have to be right, & that it's the first thing that popped up for him too.

I do love how the other songs eventually appeared...though I still hope that some "lost" tracks still might see the light of day on official releases... As in- how did "Revolution Take 20" not get released at all yet? Why not consider releasing "Dehra Dun" & the mash-up version of "Sour Milk Sea" with George's vocal & the Lomax backing etc., ... at least they're around, in some decent quality, for those willing to search a bit...

 

Revolution 9 (and maybe Wild Honey Pie) helps justify the decision to make 'The Beatles' a double album. Such an experimental track couldn't find a home on a single disc, it would be too much. Why have the luxury of two discs if not to try something really 'out there'? We don't need two "Carnival of Lights" sitting in an archive, unheard and talked about ad infinitum.

The only thing I might have suggested re: Wild Honey Pie is, maybe it shouldn't have been titled, and therefore not classified as a proper song. It could exist as a coda to something else, the way Paul did with those instrumental links on Wild Life (they weren't titled until the album was issued on CD).

 

The White Album is my favourite album by The Beatles, in fact is one of my favourite lps period. But if I could just loose one track I'd lose 'I Will.'

 

I wonder how many threads here have been on this premise........its (almost) fine as it is. I would remove Macca's tacky 'Honey Pie' and put in 'Not Guilty' (the long version on the Peter Sellers tape).

Edit: For the record, I like 'Wild Honey Pie'. Infinitely better than its 'civilized' cousin. Plus it's a left-over from the improvised jams at their Indian meditation sessions.