The White Album

Just a fabulous album. I think this one shows how much talent the Neatles actually had.

A must listen to with headphones. Great use of stereo

Decent early hippy rock

Excellent album - first time I've listened from front to back

Excellent. Amazing variety of songs and also a lot of depth.

Dude so many bangers on this on this one. It’s a bit long and it’s hard for be to listen to but like there’s so fucking GOOD SONGS on here. Quality Beatles.

In amongst the flotsam produced by a band beginning to crash onto the rocks and break apart, a truly stellar album could be found, if the crap was removed and the gems truly allowed to shine for what they are, a shame that it's not as good as it could or should be.

"The Beatles," more commonly known as "The White Album," is the ninth studio album by the Beatles, released on November 22, 1968. It's a double album with a total of 30 tracks and stands as one of the most eclectic and complex works in their discography. The album's plain white sleeve has no graphics or text other than the band's name embossed, which starkly contrasts with the colorful and intricate cover art of their previous album, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." "The White Album" represents a departure from the psychedelic themes of the previous album, diving into a broad array of musical styles and themes. ### Lyrics #### Themes and Content The lyrics on "The White Album" cover a wide range of themes, from personal introspection and social commentary to whimsical narratives and avant-garde expressions. John Lennon's "Happiness Is a Warm Gun" weaves together surreal and fragmented imagery, reflecting the influence of drug culture and personal turbulence. Paul McCartney's "Blackbird" is a gentle, acoustic piece with lyrics that metaphorically address the Civil Rights Movement. George Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" expresses a deep sense of spiritual longing and disillusionment with the world, while Ringo Starr's "Don't Pass Me By" offers a more straightforward, country-influenced lament about loneliness and missed connections. #### Notable Tracks - **"Back in the U.S.S.R."**: A playful pastiche of the Beach Boys and Chuck Berry, featuring lyrics that humorously blend Soviet imagery with rock 'n' roll bravado. - **"Dear Prudence"**: A serene and inviting song urging a friend to embrace the beauty of the world, inspired by Prudence Farrow, who was meditating with the Beatles in India. - **"Revolution 1"**: A slower, bluesier version of the politically charged single "Revolution," reflecting Lennon's ambivalence about violent protest. - **"Helter Skelter"**: McCartney's attempt to create the loudest, rawest rock song possible, with chaotic lyrics that match the intense musical delivery. ### Music #### Stylistic Diversity Musically, "The White Album" is a tour de force of genre exploration. It incorporates rock, blues, folk, country, reggae, avant-garde, and music hall, showcasing the Beatles' versatility and willingness to experiment. This diversity is both a strength and a point of contention, as the album can feel disjointed to some listeners. #### Instrumentation and Arrangements The album features intricate arrangements and innovative production techniques, thanks to the Beatles and producer George Martin. Tracks like "Glass Onion" and "Happiness Is a Warm Gun" demonstrate the band's ability to create complex, multi-part compositions. "Savoy Truffle" includes a horn section that adds a rich texture, while "Good Night" employs a lush orchestral arrangement to close the album on a soothing note. #### Notable Tracks - **"Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da"**: A bouncy, reggae-infused pop song with catchy melodies and playful lyrics. - **"Julia"**: A delicate and hauntingly beautiful acoustic song written by Lennon for his mother, blending tender lyrics with intricate fingerpicking. - **"Yer Blues"**: A raw and powerful blues track with anguished vocals and heavy guitar riffs, showcasing the band's ability to delve into darker emotional territory. - **"Cry Baby Cry"**: A whimsical and eerie song with nursery rhyme-like lyrics and a haunting melody. ### Production #### Recording Process The recording of "The White Album" was marked by significant internal tensions and conflicts within the band. The sessions, which took place at Abbey Road Studios and Trident Studios, saw the Beatles often working separately rather than as a cohesive unit. This fragmentation is evident in the diverse musical styles and varying production techniques used across the album. #### Innovative Techniques Despite the tensions, the album features numerous innovative production techniques. The use of the eight-track recording system allowed for greater flexibility in layering sounds and effects. The experimental "Revolution 9" is a notable example of avant-garde production, with its sound collage of tape loops, spoken word, and random noises. ### Themes #### Personal and Political "The White Album" reflects the Beatles' individual and collective responses to the turbulent social and political climate of the late 1960s. Songs like "Revolution 1" and "Revolution 9" address the political unrest and cultural upheaval of the time, while "Piggies" offers a satirical critique of the establishment. #### Spiritual and Philosophical Many tracks delve into spiritual and philosophical themes, influenced by the Beatles' experiences with meditation and Eastern philosophy. "Dear Prudence" and "Long, Long, Long" convey a sense of spiritual seeking and introspection, while "Mother Nature's Son" celebrates the simplicity and beauty of nature. #### Whimsy and Absurdity The album also contains a fair share of whimsical and absurd elements, evident in songs like "The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill" and "Rocky Raccoon." These tracks add a playful, surreal quality to the album, highlighting the Beatles' ability to blend serious themes with lighthearted humor. ### Influence #### Musical Impact "The White Album" has had a profound influence on countless artists and genres. Its eclectic mix of styles and willingness to experiment with unconventional sounds paved the way for future innovations in rock and pop music. Bands like The Pixies and Radiohead have cited "The White Album" as a major influence on their work. #### Cultural Significance The album's impact extends beyond music, influencing broader cultural trends and movements. Its exploration of political and social themes resonated with the counterculture of the 1960s, while its avant-garde elements contributed to the development of experimental art and media. ### Pros and Cons #### Pros 1. **Eclecticism**: The album's wide range of musical styles showcases the Beatles' versatility and creativity. 2. **Lyricism**: The lyrics are rich with imagery, emotion, and social commentary, reflecting the band's evolving perspectives. 3. **Production**: Innovative production techniques and arrangements enhance the album's artistic depth. 4. **Influence**: Its lasting impact on music and culture underscores its importance as a groundbreaking work. #### Cons 1. **Cohesion**: The album's diversity can be seen as a lack of cohesion, making it feel disjointed to some listeners. 2. **Length**: At 30 tracks, the album can be overwhelming, with some songs considered filler by critics and fans. 3. **Tension**: The internal conflicts during recording are sometimes reflected in the music, leading to uneven performances and production. 4. **Accessibility**: The experimental nature of certain tracks, like "Revolution 9," may not appeal to all listeners, making the album less accessible to some. ### Conclusion "The White Album" by the Beatles remains a monumental achievement in music history. Its ambitious scope, lyrical depth, and innovative production techniques have solidified its status as a timeless classic. Despite its occasional lack of cohesion and the challenges posed by its length and experimental elements, the album's strengths far outweigh its weaknesses. "The White Album" is a testament to the Beatles' unparalleled ability to push the boundaries of popular music and create a work that continues to inspire and influence generations of artists and listeners.

Would be 5 stars if not for Revolution Nine. Lots of good songs.

It covers a lot of sonic territory, and shows the individual visions of the Beatles as John becomes more John, Paul becomes more Paul, and George gets to spread his wings. Ringo is, classically, still Ringo. Having said that, it is a coherent piece of work, with some lovely spaces in the arrangements and harmonies.

Not a very good album, I don't know who these beatles are but they have a lot to learn! The one redeeming song was Number 9, fun little piece!

It's the white album. Go read other people's reviews if you want detailed analysis. Or better yet, just put on some headphones and immerse yourself in quality.

Fantastic! 5/5

Gema

hmmmmmmmmm. Maybe controversial but I don't think this is a 5*. Not quite. 85/100

mid ass

Just amazing. Might be my favorite

I think that this album is interestingly filled with hits. So many of the songs that are here are could be a classic of their own. Strong stuff.

Great album with some absolute masterpieces, but I can't give it a five because it's just so long, and on a such long album there are bound to be a couple of tracks I feel lukewarm about. There's also Revolution 9 which has got to be one of the worst things I've heard in my life... Highlights: Ob-la-di, ob-la-da, While my guitar gently weeps, I'm so tired, Back in the USSR, Yer Blues and many more 4.5 stars

Terrible mess. Good to hear music by other members, but then you have something like Revolution 9.

Not my favorite Beatles album, but still has a lot of great songs on it. It is certainly a mix of styles of music. They do have some songs on the white album that could have been omitted.

Definitely an underrated album by the Beatles but towards the end I started to question why they did a double track. The second track was extremely subpar from the first because they were just putting stuff together and hoping it will go together

This album never really had a chance to be a 5 star because it’s a double. It’s just so long. Sure there’s some really solid songs on here. “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da”, “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” is just incredible love Harrison’s melancholy voice it’s perfect for this song. I also really liked “Yer Blues” and “Helter Skelter” hadn’t heard those before. But it’s just so long and “Revolution 9” is not what I want to be listening to towards the end especially since I wasn’t high as a kite while listening so really didn’t like that. Overall a solid album but not necessarily a great one.

Some great & classic tracks on here. Do feel like it lags in few spots & really, really did not care for Revolution 9 at all

Ah, now that's a familiar one. If I’m being honest it's probably a little too indiscriminate for its own good, as if every Beatle became infected with Paul’s frivolous songwriting spirit. At the same time however, there is scarcely a single moment that I don't enjoy or vibe to on at least a superficial level, Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da/ Piggies/Rocky Raccoon and all. (Though this applies more strongly to Disc 1. That said, even Revolution 9 has its interesting spots.) And then of course you have the highs of Back in the U.S.S.R, Dear Prudence (a previous blindspot), While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Happiness is a Warm Gun, I'm So Tired, Blackbird, Yer Blues, Long, Long, Long (which was my favorite Beatles song for a long, long, long time). The diversity is a big strength, and the album is a rather delectable cornucopia, for the most part.

I've been critical of how the Beatles are overrated in the context of modern music, but this album was really good. Certainly it didn't have a natural flow or a cohesiveness between the different tracks, but it showed the groups ability and interest in multiple genres. Not a perfect album, but very well done. 4/5.

Beatles at their most bloated with their stonermost songs and most deserty mix, yet also incredible lulls and most questionable creative decisions, let's not kid ourselves. Could have been trimmed a bunch and released as two separate albums, as the double-album of it all was wholly unnecessary.

Honestly, it’s the Beatles. I expected to like this more but I found so many of the songs boring or tedious. Maybe it’s just really hard to like entire albums of anyone’s work.

Has interesting sounds, but overall boring

No words needed

What can you say about one of the greatest albums ever made…? To keep it brief, this is an exceptional piece of artwork. I listened to the 2018 Super Delux edition - the ‘extras’ are outstanding. Other bands must have been weeping at what the standard had been raised to with The White Album. Stunning.

Surely it's THE must-hear before-you-die album?

Who'd have thought listening to a Beatles album would be a chore. Living in fear of Ob la de ob la da bungalow bill and rocky raccoon. At least maxwells silver hammer isn't on this one.

I haven't actually listened to any album with this many tracks before. However, this album wasn't much of a chore. Many great tracks I added to my playlist immediately. So much quality. The highlights really are great. However there is also a tangled mess of tracks in between showing the different experimental ideas each member had, and some don't work so well. I have also been hypnotised by the number 9. Highlights: Back In The U.S.S.R. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da Martha My Dear Blackbird Yer Blues Revolution 1

I respect what the Beatles did for music but i don't like the Beatles.

Three songs into this album and I am honestly pretty bored. I do like the peppiness of ob-la-di. I also have loved While My Guitar Gently Weeps for a long time. Much of the instrumentation on this album is irritating to me. Very boppy, but in a grating way. I like more songs on this album than I did on Sgt. Pepper. Revolution 9 is maybe the most horrifying song in existence.

The powers that be have conspired to torture me with this god forsaken noise. For what crime am I subject to this? What a fallen world we live in that this web page subjects me to these annoying little men

It's much more weird and experimental(almost prog rock) than the vision I had in my head of what the Beatles are (mostly based on the greatest hits). I would agree with Frankie that there isn't alot of genuine emotion in most these songs; but to me some are pleasant or fun to listen to. An exception for me is 'while my guitar gently weeps' which I think is a beautiful song. Happiness is a warm gun also has a satisfying arch/cresendo when it gets to the title stanza for me. It could have been 8 songs IMO. but i like this one more than Sargent pepper.

ta bueno pero no había submarino amarillo así q 9/10.

9/10

Something for everyone on this one

- this album has aura - insane variety of sounds and talent keeps all 90 minutes interesting - The Beatles are the greatest

- this album was much better than I expected - the songs are tight and well made - loved the variety in sound, especially Helter Skelter

Some great songs on here but too many filler tracks. In terms of their discography this lands in the middle.

This could have been a 5-star album based off of the greatness of Dear Prudence, Blackbird, I'm So Tired, I Will, Happiness Is A Warm Gun, While My Guitar Gently Weeps and Sexy Sadie, but they had to add filler and knock it down a peg. The first disc is excellent outside of a couple throwaway tracks but the second disc falters. If they just moved Helter Skelter, Revolution 1, and Sexy Sadie to the first disc and didn't make it a double album, this might have been the best record of all time. Revolution 9 is one of the worst "songs" ever recorded and including it at all really takes you out of the album right at the end. I wanted to give this 5 stars but the inclusion of the nonsense that is Revolution 9 will not allow me to do so

Really solid tracks throughout, even if it was a bit long and rough around the edges

There's Beatles I like - with Revolver and Abbey at the top. Then there's Beatles I don't like - the early stuff and this. The white album shows a band talented enough they could piss about in the studio and throw out folky melodies and experimental noise and it'd all be great. And I don't like it. It's just too rambling, too campfire singing, too haphazard.

From Wikipedia: "I'm So Tired" was written in India when Lennon was having difficulty sleeping. Lennon wrote [Dear Prudence] about Mia Farrow's sister Prudence Farrow, who rarely left her room... So... Lennon was always just writing about himself? I couldn't stand his solo albums, largely for that reason. Maybe what made the Beatles so magical is that they could get the best out of Lennon while curbing his ego. Anyway, it's the White Album. Five Stars.

True classic. Demonstration of their desire to evolve and experiment. The Beatles were ahead of their time.

This was a good palette cleanser after the album I got yesterday (Limp Bizkit's CSatHFW). This album includes one of my fave if not the fave song from The Beatles, While My Guitar Gently Weeps. That opening bass gets me every time. So many great songs on this, and a Beatles record I think I could listen to anytime, anywhere.

I knew this day would come- I cried out when I saw this one LMAO not looking forward to it Halfway through and still don't understand how people enjoy them. I'm just waiting for Helter Skelter to start.

Honestly, there’s no point in me writing a long, in-depth review of this album. Everything that can be said about this iconic album has already been said. Its influence, diversity, and groundbreaking nature have been analyzed and praised countless times.

Some of their strangest and some of their most beloved songs. Absolutely love Rocky Racoon.

Incredible songs with a bunch of bloated filler that makes it drag on for too long.

Insane record, and I mean insanely good. There are no words to describe how impactful this album (that I own in at least 5 formats) is for me. The first album I bought of my own money, when I was about 11 years old.

Possibly the greatest album in the history of music!

I forgot how quirky it can get at times.

1st half great, 2nd half ok.

Only ever heard a handful or so of these (probably 2ish handfuls) of these 30 tracks before. Quantity AND quality? Among the most beloved and influential albums by perhaps THE most beloved and influential rock bands of all time? 5.

Glass Onion Happiness Is A Warm Gun Blackbird Rocky Raccoon There are better albums then this one. Not particularly a fan of this one but it is still not bad. I call her average at best.

I enjoy some songs, but Sgt pepper is far more enjoyable

Number 9? more like number 2-3 on our hearts. Late Beatles > Double LP with plenty of familiar hits and strong deep cuts. Love it.

No es la mejor obra de The Beatles, pero igual contiene algunos de sus temas más emblemáticos que se entrelazan con varios otros que se sienten como de relleno.

I almost gave this a 5, but it could have been trimmed a bit. There are some great songs, though.

A bloated mess of an album with all time greats and Revolution 9

Didn't listen to all of it since I've done that a few times before. Obviously solid, the beatles are geniuses

Maybe their 6th or 7th best album - odd filler tracks.

Noteworthy songs - 808080808 Magical Dream - Kinda catchy synth, but the rest is bland. Ancodia - Good background noise. Cobra Bora - Actually kind of cool, reminds me of Bomberman Hero. Pacific 202 - N64 vibes, but melody isn't great. Donkey Doctor - Nothing too special, weird ending. 808080808 - Really cool beginning. A little slow in the middle but stays interesting enough. Sunrise - Nothing remarkable. The Fat Shadow - Eerie. Very short.

Some great stuff, some weird stuff. While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Don't Pass Me By, and Happiness Is A Warm Gun are two standouts. Also enjoy Rocky Raccoon. Listened to this a lot my senior year of high school (1988).

I always love this. Broad mix of songs and they are clearly willing to stretch creatively.

Second in my own personal Beatles ranking only to Abbey Road. Thanks Dad, for sharing your appreciation of side three.

I decided to refrain from commenting on 5 stars, I decided I only give 5 or 1 to those I am missing words for.

weiterhin großartig

My favorite Beatles album. Other two in my top-3 would be Rubber Soul and Revolver.

Beetles, whatever

One of the best albums ever.

Great album

so long but manages to never be bad

This is undeniably an incredible album. To have been alive and just gone to a record store and brought this home and then just been amazed at the songs one after another would have been incredible. I haven't listened to this album in years, but it's amazing how much I knew. The songs just kept coming back and back to me. 5 stars for sure.

Wow this is good. Aside from the obvious hits, theres some 'wow wtf' moments, as well as the 'ew wtf' moments but for a double album it does not drag.

What can you say... More ideas on one side of this album than you might get in 5 years from another artist.

Not bad

One of the most influential and enduring albums of all time. Still prefer Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

So. Obviously huge album. And as a result the point I'm going to make has been made about a million times before. But if you took 2/3 of disc 1 and 1/3 of disc 2 you'd have one of the greatest albums of all time. The rest could have been red meat for b-sides and cash in compilations in the 90s. Or some of the weaker solo albums. Can you complain that there's a perfect album tucked in amongst the less good stuff? Yes. Yes you can

Legendary classic. So many songs, so many bangers, so many classics.

Name a more iconic LP

This album is so. Bloody. Long. I thought most of the songs were not all that interesting — not rubbish or technically incompetent, simple not very memorable and lyrically bizarre. However, I recognise the wide and disparate experimentation in virtually all genres and thus the influence this album has exhibited on all of popular music. I will not revisit this. ‘Revolution 9’ is the best track.

C'mon, it's The Beatles White Album! 🥰💯❤️😍

Yes

I haven’t listened to this front to back since my teens. Like most double albums there is some bloat but even the weaker songs have interesting musical or lyrical ideas (or are just plain weird)

The cracks had begun to appear, the dam ready to burst. Having established dominion over the music world with the one-two punch of Sgt. Pepper's and Magical Mystery Tour, seeking and failing to achieve transcendence in the form of Rishikesh and fully coming to terms with how to grasp and conduct business, The Beatles were now ready to go their own ways. Their eponymous double album is proof of that. Back to basics rock and roll, stray ruminations on complex topics masked by relations to animals, schizo genre hopping from reggae to baroque to country to musique concrete, the creativity flourishing from the sojourn to India paying dividends and a written song from everyone's favorite neutral Beatle. It is all gathered here in its messy, glorious, confounding, enlightening, rollicking, barebones best. Much has been said, much has been condensed, much has been imagined to be whiitled down to proper digestion. It's still great, it still sold, it's still the bloody Beatles White Album.

Not my favorite Beatles album but some of my favorite Beatles songs.

I think this music would scare the girls obsessing over them in their early days

A good chunk of this album was unfamiliar to me prior to listening, so its was refreshing being able to fill in these "listening gaps" per se. Long gone is the LSD-fueled psychedelic rock and now enters a wide array of musical genres and styles. This almost feels like a compilation album as a result and add in the fact that the group was largely at odds throughout the duration of the album's recording, then things start to connect. Tough to say if this hurts or strengthens the album, as each Beatle was able to feature their own musical creativity. However, it is hard to ignore just how much this album zig-zags as a result of the aforementioned infighting. I do appreciate the different sounds offered ("Helter Skelter" among others) but there were a few tracks that felt like filler or had a completely asinine premise (See: "Wild Honey Pie" or even "Why Don't We Do It in the Road?", inspired by Paul seeing two monkeys porking in the street). An uneven, roller coaster of an album...but it's still the Beatles at the end of the day. The signature songwriting and composition is still there. Some of their greatest works and personal favorites of mine are also found here (i.e. "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" & "Blackbird"). Maybe this would've worked better compacted into a single album, who knows? Reading about the background and production of this album was very enlightening, though. (Side note: that's the first and only time I'll ever listen to "Revolution 9". I neither gained nor lost from that experience.)

Not my fave. Too much satar.

One of the greatest records. Always reminds me of my late [British] father who introduced me to the Beatles at a very early age. The range of musicianship on display is practically unparalleled and we understand why the Beatles are considered one of the best. Such elite-quality diversity spun throughout this project which is why I give it such a high rating. The band was on a high and they rode it so well in the studio and elsewhere.

I don’t think I’ve listened to this all the way through since the first time. So many classics, and some stuff which is them fucking about but would be other bands absolute best work. Such trailblazers but try not to think how briefly they were even a band because it’s freakish levels of productivity. Album of the year and then Abbey Road was the next fucking year?!!! Madness. Also McCartney invented heavy metal on this album!

This has a flawless 45 minutes on it but about half of this is not very exciting folk ballads. I will rate it higher because some of the best songs I've heard are on here. A

I'm not a Beatles fan but I understand the art of it all. That being said this my favorite of their records.

Enjoyed this very much. A few strange little tunes especially the last song, which quite frankly I couldn’t listen to but overall enjoyed the album a lot. So much talent, creativity…and a lot of mind expanding drugs were had in the creation of this album.

What's with the part where he goes "Happiness is a warm, yes it is, gun" What is pretty amazing about this is how short yet iconic countless songs on this record, and their other records, are - they feel like snippets, don't overstay their welcome, and yet they are long-remembered as significant works... very cool! And impressively modern, I almost can’t believe Helter Skelter is a Beatles song! I probably prefer the first disc but overall a truly great album. Revolution is also a very catchy song but it sounds like Bill Maher wrote the lyrics

Really brings out the certified hater in me. I like a lot of the quirky production in this that I used to be quite cold on and I do like a few of the songs but sitting through this whole this is not my idea of a fun time. I do like that it’s consistently weird but the only weird that I can really tune into at all is the noisier stuff at the end of Side 2.

The White Album is an absolute freakfest. Especially compared to the beatles preceding album Sgt. Pepper's which is so sunny and schmaltzy that it sounds like children's music... Listening to the The White Album to me has always felt like you can hear the seams of the 60s unraveling and the hippie movement collapsing in upon itself. It's very raw and frantic at points, it veers into a psychedelica that borders schizophrenic and Revolution 9 will always stick with me for what it meant for the most popular band on earth to put out a Fluxus-esque piece of music concrete at the height of their fame... it would be the equivalent of like if one direction made a collab album with merzbow in 2014.

Предисловие: я хуй знает как оценивать альбомы Битлов, потому что в их дискографии как будто нет промахов. Ставить всем 5 не хочется, а низкие оценки - издевательство. Возможно, один из их лучших альбомов. Масса песен на любой вкус и цвет, каждый из битлов авторски преисполнился. Альбом без лишних студийных заморочек, просто красота

I was a massive Beatles fam in my teenage years. I listen much less nowadays but it was nice to revisit these albums after some time and to find a renewed appreciation. It’s clever album with tons of favorite songs. The album not only captures the period of time but the state of the band as well. It still feels fresh to me in so many ways even if it’s not a perfectly packager double album with disjointed songs all within the umbrella of one album. Favorite Tracks: Dear Prudence Glass Onion While My Guitar Gently Weeps Happiness is a Warm Gun Blackbird Helter Skelter Revolution 1 “I’m so Tired” is a new favorite. Might listen to it more. I forget how much I like “Long Long Long”. Least favorite: Piggies

Coulda definitely trimmed the fat

One of most prolific bands ever to make music. Too many hit songs to count, each member is/was a genius musician in their own right. Amazing!

There is a reason why you have not heard the majority of songs on this album - They just are not good enough. Much as though I love The Beatles, this could and should have been an extraordinary single album. Why did they add the weak numbers? Because they thought they were invincible. For these reasons its a 3

A classic album.

Opinions seem to differ over this more than over any other Beatles album. It's many people's favourite. I'd put it behind Hard Day's Night, Help, Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt Pepper's, Magical Mystery Tour and Abbey Road. But it's still by The Beatles and some of it is beautiful.

Take this, brother. May it serve you well.

Previously rated: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (5/5) Rubber Soul (5/5) With the Beatles (5/5) A Hard Day's Night (5/5) ************************************************** Every Beatles album is probably going to get 5/5 from me, but they aren't all perfect. This one is a good example. Several songs took a few listens before they grew on me (Dear Prudence, I Will, Mother Nature's Son, Sexy Sadie). Some I loved right away (Back in the U.S.S.R., Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, Happiness is a Warm Gun, Birthday, Everybody's Got Something to Hide, Helter Skelter). But there a few I will never like (Piggies, Long, Long, Long, Revolution 9 (ugh), Good Night). I would usually stop the album after Cry Baby Cry, but if I made my own song order, I'd put Helter Skelter at the end. It seems like the perfect exclamation point. By the way, I love Ringo's drumming here. He undeservedly gets guff for being the least talented Beatle, but it's all good on this album. I even like the goofy, fun Don't Pass Me By that he sings. (I already mentioned I didn't like Good Night though.) I don't know how many more Beatles albums there are on this list -- Abbey Road and Revolver will for sure be here, and I like those albums better than the White Album, but I still love it. Low 5/5.

This album is home base for me. Anytime I need a pause & reset, I come here. It's a masterpiece.

I own a copy of this. It is good.

One of my favorite albums of all time

I’m not as moved by this collection of Beatles tracks as I am after hearing other albums of theirs. The White Album is ok but I don’t find it astounding.

Lots of fillers on this album but there’s still so many iconic songs not to rate this album 5/5

This is the album I've probably re-listened to the most since starting this. There's a lot going on here! As a cohesive album of tunes, it's pretty bad - it feels more like a collection of B-sides with a few A-sides thrown in but the A-sides are so good it's worth the wait, and the B-sides are all very diverse and interesting. There's some they should probably have left off however, so it's hard to give it a 5, but it's a solid 4.

One of the GOATs.

The high points are high, but man I didn’t realize the amount of filler on this album. But I can’t go lower than a four, despite Rocky Raccoon and Bungalow Bill tempting me.

Some great stuff on here, but some guff (Bungalow Bill for one) and it's too long.

It was good. I have knew a lot of the songs.

60’s don’t care

ADOROOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Otro álbum mítico, desde la portada hasta la última nota. Se trata de un disco controvertido, del que siempre se ha dicho que hubiera sido el mejor álbum del grupo de haber quedado como sencillo en vez de doble, lo que implica descartar temas como Revolution 9 (recordemos que estamos en 1968), un tema experimental fuera de los registros de los Beatles (y de casi cualquier grupo coetáneo, también posterior) pero que en este doble disco aporta un carácter poliédrico muy importante. También otra gran canción como Long, long, long tiene su punto experimental. Al margen de conocidas y estupendas canciones como While my guitar, Helter Skelter, Hapiness in a warm gun, etc. hay que valorar como se debe temazos como Blackbird, Rocky Raccoon (que se hubiera quedado fuera del disco según G. Martin!!), o Why don't we do it in the road. En realidad este disco es un caleidoscopio que incluye múltiples estilos, todos ellos resueltos con la maestría que solo The Beatles podían lograr. Por si había dudas del nivel de inspiración en las sesiones de este álbum, decir que se quedaron fuera del mismo himnos como Hey Jude o Revolution. También Child of nature (luego fue Jealous guy), Mean Mr. Mustard, Polythene Pam, The Long and Winding Road y Across the Universe. Imprescindible. Más discos excelentes de 1968: THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE - Electric ladyland, Odessey and Oracle de The Zombies, THE VELVET UNDERGROUND - White light, white heat, THE KINKS - The Village Green Preservation Society, VAN MORRISON - Astral weeks, THE ROLLING STONES - Beggars banquet, CREAM - Wheels of fire, THE BYRDS - Sweetheart of the rodeo, THE SMALL FACES - Ogden's nut gone flake, THE PRETTY THINGS - S.F. Sorrow, OTIS REDDING - The dock of the bay, BLOOMFIELD , KOOPER & STILLS - Super Session, JAMES CARR - A Man needs a Woman, Dance To The Music de Sly & The Family Stone, Safe As Milk del Capt. Beefhart, Surrealistic Pillow de Jefferson Airplane, Lady Soul y Now de Aretha Franklin, The Notorious Byrd Brothers y Sweetheart of the rodeo de The Byrds, We're Only in It for the Money de Zappa, Idea y Horizontal de los Bee Gees, For Once in My Life de Stevie Wonder , A Saucerful Of Secrets de Pink Floyd, Spirit de Spirit, Bookends de Simon and Garfunkel, In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida de Iron Butterfly, el Soundtrack to 1968 TV special de Elvis, Nuff Said! de Nina Simone... Debuts de BLOOD SWEAT AND TEARS (excelente disco y también su continuación de ese mismo 68), JEFF BECK GROUP, NEIL YOUNG, THE BAND, CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL, OS MUTANTES, SILVER APPLES...

Some of The Beatles best work is on this album and there are patches where it's amongst the finest works ever committed to vinyl/CD/mp3, but there are some bad tracks on here, too. It just seems criminal to have tracks like Ob-la-di on the same album as Happiness is a Warm Gun etc.

I guess I never knew that the album name really isn't really the name of the album. I guess if the color of the cover had been red, it would have been known as the Red album? It's amazing to me that some albums transcend time. When Rick Astley performed at Glastonbury in 2023, all the kids there weren't born before the album was released,, and yet they knew every song word for word. The Beatles fall in that category. While My Guitar Gently Weeps is one of the all time best songs.

It feels too long and a bit too experimental at the end for its own good. There's at least 5, up to 10 tracks that could be dropped and this would be improved. However, what is left is a pretty amazing library of great and interesting Beatles tracks. Compelling.

You know what? This doesn't hit the way it used to. Don't get me wrong...it's a great album -- a great SINGLE album. I mean, it's kinda fun to hear the lads basically given carte blanche to do whatever they want sonically. The hits are there, but there's a lot of filler to wade through as they explore the studio space. They could have trimmed this, but they were the fucking Beatles. Anyway, it belongs on all the lists. Yer Blues is still one of the most underrated Beatles tunes, and it was fun being stoned and listening to the album on headphones -- which really is the medium of choice.

Amazing album. Heard many times but not fully through. Was a pleasure

Remembering this one from my childhood as something epic, but listening to it now i realize it's not that epic. Maybe a song named "Why don't we do it in the road" was too inspiring for a boy.

The Beatles are amazing and The White Album has some of my favorite tracks. There are moments where I easily can imagine their music coming out in more recent years and others where their sound is squarely in the sound of their time. I think there are more experimental efforts here and, in particular, Revolution 9 sounds like a fever dream. Overall this is a great album and I would give a 5 without a few of the skips.

The most eclectic set of songs from the greatest band to ever play. Tons of interesting creative choices around a still-great foundation of pop songwriting. I can appreciate the back-to-basics approach they began here and completed on Let It Be. The Beatles were such a gift. It's a testament to them that this isn't even one of my very favorite records of theirs, and it's still an easy five stars.

What more can I say about perfection??

One of the classics

There's too much going on here. You can feel the lack of cohesion in the band. There are some incredible songs here but the influence of everyone creeps in one by one resulting in some great, some okay, and some pretty bland songs.

This is like a potluck. George brought a casserole, Paul brought mash potatoes with gravy, John brought a watermelon and Ringo brought nacho cheese doritos. Sure you will probably feel satiated, but these things didn't compliment each other. A couple of the best 5 star songs don't make this a 5 star album.

Never understood what the fuss was about this 60s boy band. Most of the hits are just silly love songs.

didnt know a good chunk of the songs on here but definitely knew most

Duh

It's been a really long time since I listened to the White Album. It's a combination of some of my favorite Beatles songs and some songs I had completely forgotten existed. It feels like the perfect culmination of all the experimentation they did in the preceding albums. They still play around with different sounds and genres across the double album, but each song has a clear, consistent identity.

Of course I had heard a lot of the songs on this album, but I don’t think I had ever listened through it as an album. I’m honestly not sure how much sense the songs make as an album—side one is a lot of fun, short songs (some with a little social commentary) that are great to listen to as one offs. Side two gets a little more experimental and psychedelic and overall seems more cohesive. Worth a listen, but I think most people are familiar with at least a handful of the tracks on this album as singles.

A lot of nonsense but also some gems (Glass Onion my beloved!). Favourite track: Honey Pie.

The Beatles make such excellent music for children. The variety is enough to teach while keeping interest and relating to higher themes that are learned later. Listening to this in its' entirety reminds me of that. The diversity is especially notable with the double album, as are the influences of both India and Yoko. Not the top 2, but an important step of the Beatles journey. Not every tack is perfect: many are great, but mom always used to skip Revolution 9

Das Album zeigt den Wandel von der Übergruppe zur sich nicht immer einigen Allerweltsband auf. In Teilen wunderschöne Musik, andere, experimentelle Songs eher mäßig.

The hippies must have lost their minds when this came out

Great album with some Of the Beatles best songs on it, but it’s just too long for me to give this full marks. Half the album of the best songs and it’s arguably the Beatles best album, but that’s maybe just my bias against double albums.

George: "Hey, I was wondering if a couple more of my songs could be put on the album?" John: "Nah, sorry mate. We gotta have room for Yoko and I's 8-minute noise session."

Would have been a 5 star single album.

I like the Beatles but I'm not as fond of the white album. It always feels scattered to me. A collection of good songs but no cohesion

Classic

The first half of this album made me understand the hype around the Beatles more. Absolutely fantastic music. Blackbird is a beautiful song, though Piggies is certainly a choice for follow up. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da is super catchy and different from what one would expect. Throw in that no one else had done much of what they did and it is even more impressive. I thought the back half of the album got a bit winded at times but still had some solid entries like Revolution 1 and Helter Skelter. I think this album is probably a 4.5.

Maybe a bit long and could cut some tracks to concentrate the greatness of this album. However, I think this is one of their more impressive records and I've already listened to it a few times before and love it.

Going into this I was going to rate this album a 4 but you know what it doesn't fall off it stays good it's a 5 for me

The Beatles wrote some of the most annoying songs on earth and this album is jam packed with them. 4 songs in and you get this exasperating trifecta: Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da Wild Honey Pie The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill They turn it around for a couple tracks, then…look out, the cabaret-rock that plagued Sgt. Peppers’ boils to the surface on “Martha My Dear” and they invent Harpischord-rock, an ungodly hybrid that no one on earth asked for, in the form of “Piggies”. Let’s be real here, a lot of these songs are glorified children’s songs and that’s fine, but it’s a little weird how many full-grown adults will get mad if you have anything negative to say about them. Oh, fuck…I kind of forgot that they occasionally let Ringo sing a few songs. Like I said…children’s songs. Don’t get me wrong, there are several excellent songs here: While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Helter Skelter, Dear Prudence, and many others…but there is a lot of silliness to wade through on this nearly two hour Beatles record.

Well it would be the best Beatles album if you cut it down to a single album...some brilliance (Ussr, Guitar Weepss)and some chaff.(Rocky Raccoon, Bungalow Bill etc) Its gonna be a 4 obviously.

Not my favorite of their work but still a good album all around

Lots of their big hits in this one. A bit long and repetitive but the bangers saved it.

Number 8 [Belch] Number 8 [Belch] Number 8 [Belch] There are some truly brilliant Beatles tracks here. And some utterly abysmal. Overlong and incohesive as an album - if they hadn't immediately preceded this with Sgt Pepper's, it wouldn't have had the same punch.

I know the beatles are beyond classic but this double album is a lot of music to swallow. Some of these tracks are catchy but so dated in ways I don't really care to appreciate. Other songs like dear prudence are incredible to this day. Songs like wild honey pie could've done better on the cutting room floor. At least to me, it feels like this album is loaded with filler songs. Best songs: dear prudence, while my guitar gently weeps, blackbird,

Classic. Duh.

Classic

Bili su bili vrhovi planina bila je košulja paulovog sina😃

Average

Sorry, I’m a Beatles boy. This is probably one of the albums I’ve listened to most in my life. I had it on CD in high school and would play it all the time! I didn’t even need to download this one on Spotify yesterday, it was already downloaded!!! Has been for years!!! I love the Beatles!!!

Lot of great songs. Also a lot of filler songs.

Everything was great until revolution 9. Dang near perfect album

Genre exploring, psychedelic, crunchy riffs

Crown jewel of the Beatles catalog

Pretty good. Shows its age, but stands well against rime. Back in the USSR is a banger

USSR- Groovy track, cool opener Glass Onion - BANGER Really interesting instrumentals (sounds very experimental for the 60s) When My Guitar Gentley Weeps - Loveeee the transition into this song. This song is CHEFS KISS MWAH

The Beatles... trying to keep an open mind. JMW While my guitar gently weeps is a banger I forgot about. RIP George Harrison Talk about an album you won't get bored of. It's impressive to have such a variety of music. KW

A good album by a great band that would be a great album by a great band if they had even a just alright editor

maybe it would be a five if it was shorter and more tight... great album but suffers from some not so great tracks. not a big beatles fan but this album lives up to the name

Very chill album, would listen to it for a beach trip or something to relax too

I'm always very torn on this one. On the one hand there are some incredible pieces of music on here. On the other hand, it's a hot mess, and you can almost hear the band falling apart behind the scenes. Songs written and performed by only one member, random songs, overlong..... It's easy to see why this is considered the weakest of the peak era Beatles albums. I do still love it though. So confusing!

ask charles manson to rate this instead

This album was like spaghetti at the wall. Some sticks, some not so much. It’s probably my least favorite album of theirs from the second half of their career.

classic - great album with dear prudence, bungalow bill, birthday and blackbird!

LP

A really great album. I’ve never heard the White Album in its entirety. Abbey Road and Sergeant Pepper are still my favorites, but this one is great too! 4/5!

Confirmed that I don’t enjoy the Beatles except maybe their first albums where the music was simpler. Listened to it twice and couldn’t get into it properly. A nice few songs though, blackbird specifically.

Just a wee bit boring

So overrated I'm sorry. Said it before say it again. And why is the album so long?

No need to even listen. One of the greats of all time.

A truly amazing album with some absolutely classic songs. Eclectic in many ways but truly great.

The highs are high. I do not like how long it is.

this is variable, which is what happens when 4 writers/singers are in a band - some excellent songs, some quirky, some mediocre

I'd been away (not the USSR) and had a few albums to catch up on. Left this one to last- an album so familiar to me I can't really look at it objectively. Pretty every track on the double album has had an influence on the culture we live in today. Iconic.

If this album did not have The BEATLES on the cover, it would never, ever have been even considered for a list like this. There's a couple of good tracks, but the rest is just grab-bag of whatever the dudes felt like throwing at the wall. We get everything from embarrassingly bad fake American accents to eight minutes of a random dude saying "number nine" - what artists! On the plus side there's one less The Beatles album left to suffer through on the road to 1001 albums.

I don't want to say this album is over hyped, but a widely acclaimed album doesn't mean it's a perfect album. It's interesting to hear the Beatles perform in different genres with various influences. However, at 30 tracks, there are edits that could've been made. "Why Don't We Do It In the Road?" more like why don't you cut it from the album? I was not a Beatles fan before, and I am not a Beatles fan after listening to this, but it was insightful to hear prominent 60s rock and pop.

Great stuff! 5.

This is actually one of my least favorite Beatles albums, though Yellow Submarine takes that cake. I feel like it runs a little long and there are some fillers like Revolution 9. I really dislike Why Don't We Do It In The Road? Relevance for this list: 5/5 Personal enjoyment: 4/5

Oh boy. There is a lot to say about this album, mainly because of how much there is in this album. This is my first 90+ minute-long album for this project. I've gotta say, I'm pretty happy this was the first one. If my first one had been something I was unfamiliar with, it may not have been an easy listen. Fortunately, this is my fourth Beatles album, so I'm very familiar with the Beatles at this point. I've also thoroughly enjoyed all of their albums until now, and the White Album is no different. This is a great album, but it's not perfect. First off, let's get the obvious out of the way. This thing is really REALLY long and a lot of the tracks are kind of filler songs. Between that and the cultural impact, this is kind of the One Piece of albums. Now I'd much rather listen to 90 minutes of the Beatles than most other artists, but a 90 minute album is still very long and many tracks could've been cut. Anyways, the musical contents are great as always. You can't really go wrong with a late Beatles album. There are some truly amazing songs on here. From beautiful thought-provoking tracks like "Blackbird" to fun and heavy tracks like "Helter Skelter." There are definitely some weaker tracks though. Fortunately, most of them are short and fairly insignificant like "Wild Honey Pie" and "Why Don't We Do It In The Road?" Even then, those songs aren't really confusing or anything, just kind of there. The same can not be said for "Revolution 9." Back in my OK Computer review, I brought up the idea of "weird songs" like that album's "Fitter Happier" or "The Murder Mystery" from The Velvet Underground. "Revolution 9" might just be the most infamous "weird track" of them all. I didn't care for it, but I somewhat respect it in a similar vein to the latter of those two earlier examples. While I'm talking about the "weak tracks," some of you might be wondering, "What about Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da?" You know what, I don't get the hate for that song. It's perfectly fine. Anyways, the sound of this album is great, the writing is good, and the best songs are masterpieces. This is a Beatles album. I don't think I need to explain anything else. The White Album is a great, albeit needlessly long and bloated album. High 4/5.

Long album! Really loved some, others not so much. A very mixed bag, but overall I liked it.

Es una locura compositiva, quizá sobre extendida.

There are some truly amazing songs on here, but it's weighted down by some pretty dismal stuff (at least by Beatles standards). The sequencing of tracks is questionable as well; why are we going from Bungalow Bill straight into While My Guitar Gently Weeps?

Some great songs up front. The b sides aren't as strong.

Exceptional songs. Only reason not 5 stars - Revolution 9

Even though I am a huge Beatles fan, the absolute best I can give this album is a four. There are terrific songs including While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Cry Baby Cry and Blackbird, there is just too much filler and too much in the way of studio shenanigans going on. There are also just some terrible songs (Bungalow Bill, Happiness is a Warm Gun, Wild Honey Pie , Why Don't We Do It On The Road and Revolution 9. There is a single great album here and at best a fair double album.

Some good, some trash. A classic example of "if you'd reduced it to a single album and got rid of the shite, it would be a hella lot better lads"

I can't in good conscience give an album that has 10 songs you could easily dump in the trash anything higher than a 3

The Beatles were so advanced that "Why Don't We Do It in the Road" predicted everything Electric Six did

way too much filler

Innovative, goofy and timeless. One of the best albums every produced. Lots of classics on here that still hold up today. Standout Tracks: Back in the U.S.S.R., Dear Prudence, Glass Onion, Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Happiness is a Warm Gun, Blackbird, Rocky Raccoon, Julia, Birthday, Helter Skelter, Revolution 9

I mean, let’s be honest, it’s not very good is it? Sure, there’s a handful of classic songs on it (Helter Skelter, Dear Prudence and While My Guitar Gently Weeps). But there’s so much shit on here, it virtually makes it unlistenable as an album. Had they got so massive that they just threw any old crap ideas on it knowing that people would worship it?

One of the Beatles best efforts. Some misses, but mostly hits. 'While my Guitar', 'Helter-skelter', 'Back in the USSR' are some of their finest efforts. But there is some trash. So only a 4.

fun pop hits, not “old sounding” like I halfway expected. really long, a couple tracks that I don’t get yet. I can see how each song became so iconic and meaningful, but I think I’m still getting there.

My favorite Beatles album. Although all four Beatles are not playing together on all of the tracks, there is a lot of varied types of songs. Rockers, acoustic, piano and an orchestral piece. So many great songs from the band and solo pieces such as Blackbird and I will.

Can I give this more than 5 stars?! Absolutely amazing showcase of all 4 "lead men" and an array of musical styles, all during a time of high tension for the band. Masterpiece!

Some absolutely lovely songs here but no album needs to be 30 songs and 90 mins

It’s the most Beatles album, so it must be the best! Despite the seemingly overstuffed tracklist, I do like most if not all the songs. Shows off their versitility more extensively than any other release and every beatle gets to shine. It’s not their best album though… it’s their second best

Som ett hem.

thumb up

The White Album explodes with raw energy, a hodgepodge of styles from psychedelic rock to country ballads. Each Beatle shines with individual songwriting, showcasing their evolving talents.

Some absolutely terrific tracks! Probably let down slightly by being a bit too long. Splitting hairs, i know!

I mean, it’s The Beatles 💙

Disc 2 turned this weak 4 into a strong 2. Disc 2 is mostly garbage. Disc 1 has some good songs but I think USSR and Obla Di are very overrated. However While my Guitar Gently Weeps and Blackbird are heat. Shame they made a double.

Nautinto saattaa loppuun kaikki tämä tässä

Well it’s a classic album - I know it but also - not as much as other Beatles records. It’s rather mature and feels like the pinnacle of their career and while it has some their best songs, it’s not my favourite. Still awesome but not a 5 to me.

Yes, the Beatles are good, but come on they could have cut some of these songs.

Perfection

very creative and formally well composed

Plenty of gems but also a bit of experimental filler. Perhaps would have not been a great loss if it were a single album.

I like the odd listen to the White Album, not too often, as it gets a bit dull, but once in a while it's a bit of fun. I even like "number 9", "number 9". It's not a 5 star album in my opinion, but a pretty strong 4 star one.

The double whammy of being both good and interesting. WHAMMY!!

is it... crazy to say there's like, quite a bit of filler on here?? feels insane to say about the Beatles but there were definitely a few kills in the hits for me. full of a bajillion other iconic tracks though, so this is super hard to rate. don't be mad at me!

this is 93 minutes of music across two albums, but most of it is really solid and has stood the test of time. the first disc here is like wall-to-wall bangers until about the halfway point, and there are just so many iconic tracks here. the beatles are in their element and cranking out the hits, along with some super weird shit in between. there's definitely filler here, a lot of it on disc two (PSA: can we stop with the double albums already, they're just not worth it) but the sheer volume of classic singles is enough to make me give this a 5. definitely deserving of its spot on the list. favorites: back in the USSR, dear prudence, glass onion, ob-la-di ob-la-da, the continuing story of bungalow bill, while my guitar gently weeps, happiness is a warm gun, blackbird, birthday, everybody's got something to hide except me and my monkey, helter skelter, savoy truffle

Obviously

So for me to love an album it has to be somewhat cohesive. Ignoring the fact that this is a Beatles record there are a few songs I like. But there's more messy songs than good songs.

Listened Before? Y What can I say about this one that hasn't been said? It's the Beatles at the top of their game. Maybe a little long, but otherwise awesome. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Blackbird

Truly great. May as well be a "best of" compilation.

5 stars for while my guitar gently weeps

This is my first time actually listening to the Beatles, and I got to say I'm confused. As of right now, I don't get what the hype is about with their music. The album has some good tracks, but the whole thing is really longwinded. Many songs don't feel like they fit with the rest of them or as if they were a part of separate projects that got merged into one really long album. Objectively, I don't feel comfortable giving this album higher than an 8/10.

Too Beatles-y

Does it deserve to be a double album? Certainly not in 2025. In 68? Very possibly. Anyways. There are a lot of great songs in here, but I have to remove a star because there are so many songs that I just do not care for (Revolution 9, Wild Honey Pie, Rocky Raccoon to name a few), but there are some of the greatest songs of all time (Blackbird, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Helter Skelter).

In a nutshell: It’s not their best, and it’s not their worst. This was recorded when the band was fracturing so there’s a lot of material that is “let’s mess around and see what sticks”. That’s the vibe I got anyway. John goes bluesy and avant garde, Paul indulges more in self penned ragtime/vaudville-esque tunes. George truly shines with While My Guitar Gently Weeps* (which is easily one of my top ten favourite Beatles songs of all time) and Ringo does a solid job of closing the album with Good Night. Should it have been a double album? No. I think it could have been a great single LP**. Yet again, we would not have known that The Beatles could still record downright weird and batshit crazy music without LSD. Overall: 6/10 *If you haven’t seen the 2004 R&RHOF live performance of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”, find it immediately. It’s a loving tribute to George on his induction as a solo artist and you get to see Prince shred at the end. **This is my contribution to the “what if The White Album was released as a single record?” argument. With this cut, we get two George songs, Paul’s strongest tracks are there, a “John with Yoko” track is included and we finish with a Ringo song: SIDE A: Back In The USSR, Dear Prudence, Glass Onion, Mother Nature’s Son, I’m So Tired, Blackbird, Julia, I Will. (Side A length: 20:44) SIDE B: While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Happiness Is A Warm Gun, Sexy Sadie, Helter Skelter, Long Long Long, Goodnight. (Side B length: 21:39) Tracks relegated to singles and B-sides: Birthday, Cry Baby Cry, Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da, Don’t Pass Me By.

Bin kein Beatles-Fan

Awesome

All of the good stuff.

Good music but didn’t seem cohesive as an album

A few songs I would take off if I had to but still a Beatles masterpiece.

6/10 el disco 1 está muyy bueno, apartir del disco 2 el álbum se me hizo raro

Ah, the weird one. The beginning of the Beatles' end. This, and the cover artwork is so fitting, is their shoebox. Filled with random bits and bobs. Some are great, some are not. Lift the lid, take a look inside. This is them, "The Beatles", both the group and the four dudes. What they're about. Or were. All of it. No filters. And this is fine. It's not Abbey Road or Sgt. Pepper but it doesn't have to be. I wouldn't have rated this a 5, maybe, but just a few weeks ago, I happened to listen to the Esher demos, raw versions of these songs they recorded when they were hanging out at George's place, as friends, still or again, having fun and with those in mind, how can I not.

The Beatles are not particularly important to me personally, however the influence and the popularity of the Beatles can not be denied. This record has some really great songs on it. Like most double albums there is a fair amount of filler. I seem to gravitate to the quirky tracks. My favorite song is "Rocky Raccoon" which is due to it being a song that my friends and I would often break into singing together. Somewhere in the world is a cassette tape that has several acapella arrangements of us having a great time taking it on. The making of that tape is one of my favorite teenage memories.

This is the only time I'm going to do this, but as a Beatle fanatic, it's a right of passage to rank the entirety of The White Album. It is definitely too long, but the ecclectic nature is part of the charm. Probably not a true 5 stars, but I'm biased. Back in the USSR- 9/10 Dear Prudence- 8/10 Glass Onion- 8/10 Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da- 7/10 Wild Honey Pie- 2/10 Bungalow Bill- 5/10 While My Guitar- 10/10 Happiness is a Warm Gun- 10/10 Martha My Dear- 10/10 I'm So Tired- 7/10 Blackbird- 9/10 Piggies- 6/10 Rocky Raccoon- 6/10 Don't Pass Me By- 5/10 Do it in the Road- 6/10 I Will- 7/10 Julia- 8/10 Birthday- 8/10 Yer Blues- 8/10 Mother Nature's Son- 7/10 Except Me and my Monkey- 7/10 Sexy Sadie- 7/10 Helter Skelter- 9/10 Long Long Long- 6/10 Revolution 1- 8/10 Honey Pie- 7/10 Savoy Truffle- 7/10 Cry Baby Cry- 5/10 Revolution 9- ??/10 Good Night - 5/10

Can't beat something as iconic as this. However, in my opinion, there are a lot of skips on this and stuff that kinda gets tuned out.

brilliant

13/1001 This was the first album from The Beatles i've ever heard and i was a pretty good experience. I understand that the idea of this album is be a double album but in a point it feel pretty long and repetitive. I liked almost all the songs but like I said before it was so long without a purpose. I think that if a couple songs where put apart from this album and made them its own album could've been good overall, a pretty good album. I hope i like the others albums of them that are gonna appear in this list

Yeah there's some stinky stuff on here but that is more than made up for by the excess of all time bangers. Top 5 songs: - Back in the USSR - Dear Prudence - While My Guitar Gently Weeps - Happiness is a Warm Gun - Helter Skelter

Lol who hasn’t heard this?

Classic Beatles, but....listening to this again it feels like a bunch a stuff they each were thinking about and working on and then just stuck it all together. No sense of theme or forethought, or even much feeling of collaboration. A time they were starting to head in different directions and were working on stuff separately more, and it feels present in the music.

Terrific collection of songs from The Beatles Maharishi era. Superfans will enjoy the album knowing the stories behind the songs but casual listeners can appreciate the tunes all the same.

Who doesn't like the white album? It's got some of their best songs on it although I feel like there is a lot of filler. I've always loved this album and while I don't think it would really merit 5/5 it's definitely one of their best. Truth be told, I don't know if the Beatles really had a single album that would be 5/5 - lots of great songs but each album they made always had some slow spots.

I respect, understand, and see the greatness and influence the Beatles had on music. I will say that out of all the Beatles albums I've heard on this list so far, this was the one I enjoyed more than the others, but I just wish they really clicked with me more

4.6

My first time listening to this album, what a treat!

Complicated album to review, I'll start with the negatives, as there are far more positives. Songs I don't like; Piggies, Bungalow, Bill Rocky Raccoon (although it okay), Wild Honey Pie, Revolution 9. If Revolution 9 is some mad weird thing thats really influential, that's brilliant, but no thanks, i detest it, it's probably the worst song by an artist i really like I think its fair to say, of all Beatles albums, this has the most songs that i don't like. On the other side of the coin, of all the Beatles albums, this has the most songs on it that i like. If i was cutting the album, i wouldnt even remove the other songs i dont like, apart from Revolution 9, i would remove it in a heartbeat, and i will skip it on every re-listen today. Now the praise; Glass Onion, Dear Prudence, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Happiness, I'm So Tired, Blackbird, Helter, Sadie, Monkey, all some of my favourite Beatles Songs Special shout out to Long, Long, Long, which is a low key favourite. underrated Side two is better, but both have classics

There is not a single album in The Beatles’ discography that comes close to being as audacious, innovative, and inconsistent as The White Album. Is it perfect? Hell no. But it is extremely interesting. Whereas other albums have bad songs that you don’t want to listen to, The White Album has bad songs you can’t help but listen to because they are so varied and out there that to skip them would change the listening experience entirely. In isolation, some of the songs are downright stinkers. But combined, the album shines as the best example of talented artists throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks. That being said, one can only dream of an alternate reality in which The Beatles released a modest, 14 track album in place of the sprawling 30 track double album. Without hyperbole, it would probably have been the best album of all time. Here is my take on that track list: Side A 1. Long, Long, Long 2. Back in the U.S.S.R. 3. Dear Prudence 4. Rocky Raccoon 5. Don’t Pass Me By 6. I’m So Tired 7. Helter Skelter Side B 8. Revolution 1 9. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da 10. Happiness is a Warm Gun 11. Martha My Dear 12. Blackbird 13. While My Guitar Gently Weeps 14. Julia

Ok it’s the Beatles sooooooo

There are many lenses through which to look at a Beatles album. Having been a huge Beatles fan since toddlerhood, I have an inherent bias which automatically places their entire discography in a tier unto its own. A 6-star so to speak. Having said that I want to see it from different angles and offer the impression it gave me this time around. Musically speaking, The Beatles have always commanded a balance of pop sensibility, lyrical prowess, and catchy rock rhythms. They also were notorious for flourishing as the apex of studio experimentation and pioneering how pop music could not only reflect the larger world but influence it as well. This album feels very stripped down compared to some of their other works. There is a lack of anthemic songs that soar from their other albums. Even though we do hear some classical instrumentation, there isn’t as much orchestral influence. The last few albums were decidedly psychedelic, and this album feels more post-psychedelic. It also presents itself as perhaps the least pop of any of their former releases as even “Sgt. Peppers”, as surreal as it can be, has excellent production value indicative a strong pop record. The songs on “The Beatles” have a very scattered and less cohesive feel to them. I always wonder if it isn’t due several factors. The recent death of their manager and friend, Brian Epstein could have exacerbated the sudden fractured energy between the group. Their recent travels to India brought about new and personal, individual inspirations that we hear begin to take shape in the songs of this album. We hear more than ever before, songs with simple vocals over simple instrumentations that seem almost more like solo material rather than the tight collaborative music of the past. Musically and lyrically, this album contains some of the most inventive and whimsical music in their entire career as well as some of the most forgettable and downright unpleasant material as well. Many of the narratives largely revolve around various stories and characters that are both timeless offer insight into the spirit of the 60s. I find myself loving even the offbeat songs on this record and it almost feels like this album is more of a close friend who is on your level and who is brilliant but clearly has flaws, rather than a larger-than-life album. This album also features collaborations with others that were not previously part of the Beatles style like Eric Clapton and Yoko Ono. Even though it may not be their best album by far, more of a personal favorite, I do thoroughly enjoy this record and would recommend it to anyone. So many moments bring me such joy. It is slapped with the ironic name “The Beatles,” having so many disjointed and individual efforts rather than cohesive wholes. And despite that, these tracks feel as quintessentially The Beatles as anything. Part of the review by my family and I was us stripping down the album into our own all killer no filler mix trying to aim to be no longer than approx 40-50 mins, with at least 1 ringo and 2 georges: 1. Back In The U.S.S.R. (The most epic intro song) 2. Dear Prudence (Soft and reflective, hopeful, perfect composition) 3. Glass Onion (Meta, self-referential, full of symbolism) 4. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (Masterful storytelling, gripping harmonies, chorus and bridge) 5. While My Guitar Gently Weeps (incredible composition and guitar work) 6. Happiness Is A Warm Gun (personal Top 5 Beatles song, unique song structure, harmonies) 7. I’m So Tired (one of the most satisfying late stage Beatles song) 8. Blackbird (masterpiece, social commentary, new finger-picking style) 9. Rocky Raccoon (timeless drinking song of sorts) 10. Julia (hauntingly beautiful and gentle poetry) 11. Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey (raucous and amazing bass) 12. Sexy Sadie (Arguably the best song on the album, referring to historical events sung in metaphor) 13. Savoy Truffle (Honestly it was just because I needed a second George and I know Piggies is really great too, but this one just hits me, great lyrics, rich textures) 14. Revolution 9 (Incredible Avant-Garde composition, bizarre and worth noting, has infamous recognition) 15. Good Night (The Ringo track and natural end to the album especially after Revolution 9, sorry Sean but “Don’t Pass Me By” is one of my least favorite tracks of theirs historically) This was hard because I omitted songs that I truly love as well, as I am sure all of you had done. Even though there are clunkers in the album, I still give it a 5 star because it is just excellent in so many ways and I recommend it stronger than I would the other fours I have given.

A few shit songs (Wild Honey Pie, Revolution 9, Don't Pass Me By), but still has to have more strong tracks than any other album in history. Can't mark it down any, honestly. 5/5

I was really surprised to discover that I have not heard this whole album before, but know about half of it very well. The highlights are some of the best songs ever written, but the lows are so stupid “let’s do Julia in the road 100x” that’s it’s so hard to rate. I would rate it 4.5 if I had the option

Exceptional

Dit is het Beatles album dat het dichts bij 5 sterren komt. Het is wat mij betreft te veel opvul muziek (die hier een soort van kinderliedjes zijn), naast de soms wat schaarse top nummers. Daardoor nooit vervelend om naar te luisteren, maar ook geen 5 sterren.

Simply iconic.

Extremely forgettable/average, disc 2 clears disc 1

no

Best album I've been given so far!

Easily the Beatles most experimental album. It flows effortlessly

All time classic

Vjerojatno najdrazi od Beatlesa.

The seemingly random track order (especially compared to their previous proggy albums) grew on me. Still, a lot of filler. Obla Di Obla Da makes me feel ill, but Revolution 9 is a favourite. Hot take: Yoko Ono is a better artist than John Lennon ever was.

One of the best of all time

Didn't love it as much as Abbey Road but it was still excellent

Again some great songs but as an album it’s got room to grow on me

So good!

I wish I could give this one 4.5 stars, because it’s not a perfect album (I’ll never understand “Revolution No. 9”) but it comes close. I suppose you could say that if they’d just been willing to do some editing (or were working better as a team - we all know that their breakup was impending at this point), there’d be no need for a double album. However, I appreciate that they had the space to work in multiple genres. I love their homage to The Beach Boys in “Back in the USSR,” and truly enjoy their forays into other styles on this album, especially the folkiness of “Ob-La-Di.”

Always loved this album, in my top 3 Beatles album. I love the uniqueness of some of the songs & how we get almost every musical style. I liked songs like Rocky Raccoon & ob-la-de, again for such originality. But I really liked all the songs. And what is in my top 5 Beatles songs, While my Guitar Gently Weeps.

Great album! Loved how experimental they started to get in the later years. I liked almost every song.

As fresh, original and brilliant as it was upon release a lifetime ago. Many, many really good songs here and massive innovation.

Losing one star purely because while this is a masterpiece it's not the Beatles BEST album

grew up on these guys

Part classic. Not for me.

One of the most important records in the history of music, no doubt. Would also be a sure Five star record with ten songs less. Why anyone would think it was a good idea to put Revolution 9 on the same record as While my guitar gently weeps and Blackbird, two of the most beautiful songs ever written, is beyond me.

Always very enjoyable

A bunch of diverse songs - stating the end of the Beatles.

Some of my favorite Beatles songs are on this album - Blackbird has to be one of the greatest songs of all time. Only one skip, otherwise a flawless album.

Siento honesto, escuché la mitad pero ya no lo termine, creo que es un álbum largo y no sabe mantener la atención del oyente así que en cierto punto lo sentí algo monótono. Si hubo canciones que disfrute pero tampoco es que me hayan encantado, ese tipo música que escuchas de fondo mientras haces cualquier otra cosa. Simplemente no mi estiló.

Love this album. I got it on vinyl from someone who was selling it on Facebook in Chatham, shout out to my mom for finding it. Lotta great bangers: "Back in the USSR", "Helter Skelter" as well as low key tracks: "Revolution 1", "". It's got it all. Damn near perfect album. The book I'm reading just cited "Revolution 9" as an early appearance in rock music of the sample-based "musique concrète" form of avant-garde classical music

My first thought was how disjointed everything was, some songs were good, some pretty terrible (bungalow bill, piggies?) but then after listening to everything it kind of makes sense cohesively as a collection with some nonsense thrown in there. One or two of the songs are just arctic monkeys songs so shows you the influence. I really like savoy truffle. Also, while I like the song for its insanity, if I were a good Christian parent in 1968 who heard my kids listening to Revolution 9 I would also be concerned.

Love the Beatles, love this album, first time listening all the way through. My high school band teacher (Mr. T) always said, do not listen to the second disk of The White Album late at night. What I think he meant was do not listen to Revolution 9 on psychedelics because holy shit, what a trip that would be. Many bangers on this album including Blackbird (all time fav, listened to it outside on my daily walk and I shed literal tears bc I haven’t heard it in what feels like years), Sexy Sadie, Dear Prudence, and Happiness is a Warm Gun.

I do not like the beatles. The grungy songs are better than the soft ones. A few songs I went "hey this is pretty good" but most of time time it was "jeez this is terrible". Top songs: happiness is a warm gun (Arctic monkeys??), Martha my dear, I'm so tired

There’s a reason why “It’s like their White Album” is phrase when referring to an artist’s piece of work that is sprawling and overflowing with artistic expression, but in retrospect could be seen a sign of trouble ahead. Well, welcome to the OG. The energy in this double album is chaotic, avant-garde, and abundant. The White Album doesn't declare itself to be flawless but rather claims its imperfections as integral to its identity and therefore bolsters its gloriousness. Most importantly, this album is bursting full of life and is in alignment with the beautiful and fallible instinct of following inspiration and passion wherever it takes you. Fave songs: Back in the USSR While My Guitar Gently Weeps Happiness Is A Warm Gun Blackbird Rocky Raccoon Birthday Yer Blues Helter Skelter Revolution 1 Cry Baby Cry

Starts off super hot with back in the USSR. Followed by simple the most insane song ordering of all time. Not one smooth transition between songs and I respect that. Lots of bangers on this one but blackbird is probably my favorite

At the height of their commercial power and influence, the Beatles could not be bothered to exhibit restraint. It appears for this showing they set to dive into the depths of their subconscious for every snippet or half-baked idea for a song and record it. What that gets you is some moments of transcendent songwriting alongside some of their more esoteric bullshit (a ragtime tune, a Ringo Star lullaby, 9 min of unintelligible incantations and sounds, and a freakin Happy Birthday remix, really?!). True Beatlesheads will lap up every second, while the casual fans might find this 90 minute runtime a little bloated. For me, the White Album is not the paragon of a rock and roll album or a truly revolutionary force in the way your boomer uncle might describe it, but the Beatles know how to write good songs and on this album they are numerous. Solid 4. Fav songs: Back in the USSR, Dear Prudence, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Happiness is a Warm Gun, Martha My Dear, Blackbird, I Will, Helter Skelter

The whiplash on this album is insane (Blackbird to Piggies to Rocky Raccoon…)?! However, I enjoyed the disjointed insanity. Some songs on this album hold a certain nostalgia for me because 1. my dad is a Beatles fan, 2. I’m a gleek, 3. my sister had an intense Across the Universe phase growing up. I FaceTimed my parents yesterday and it was nice to be able to discuss this album with my dad. He showed me his original White Album vinyl with the artwork inside and said that he put the picture of John Lennon that came with the album in his window the day he died. 🫶🏻 Overall, some songs on this album were ahead of their time (Revolution 9) and others make complete sense for the time (random Birthday song) and I liked it.

The hits are good, but overall the sound of this album is really all over the map.

I find this album hard to listen to, mostly because of all the memories. It was among the first couple of albums I purchased and I listened to it quite a lot, though even then I remembered struggling to some of the songs (now I struggle with even more!). Mother Nature's Son is a favorite and it inspired in me a deepening of my own love for nature as a boy. Overall, an incredibly important masterpiece of music. Certainly groundbreaking and important.

It’s very hard for double albums not to wear out their welcome. But the Beatles’ White Album manages it, even with several silly or bizarre songs that seek to derail the momentum. It helps that each of those oddball tracks is followed in short order by an absolute classic, and also that the Beatles may have been the last masters of the short, concise rock song that didn’t overstay its welcome. (At least until punk took on that mantle.) With so many notable tracks, I can’t single out any of them to extoll its virtues. Different things stand out to me on different listens, and this time around I paid more attention to “Yer Blues” than I think I have before. I do think it's interesting, though, that as many times as I’ve heard the White Album, there are still bits where I’m confused because I’m expecting the Jay-Z mash-up from Danger Mouse’s “The Grey Album” to kick in.