Reviews (page 6 of 15)
There’s a reason they’re the GOAT. Great album with a lot of genre variations. Maybe not my favorite Beatles album but amazing non the less.
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
Excellent album - first time I've listened from front to back
Excellent. Amazing variety of songs and also a lot of depth.
"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.
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
Just amazing. Might be my favorite
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?
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
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.
Some of their strangest and some of their most beloved songs. Absolutely love Rocky Racoon.
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.
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.
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.
Didn't listen to all of it since I've done that a few times before. Obviously solid, the beatles are geniuses
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.
One of the best albums ever.
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.
Legendary classic. So many songs, so many bangers, so many classics.
Name a more iconic LP
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.
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!
I'm not a Beatles fan but I understand the art of it all. That being said this my favorite of their records.
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
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!
A classic album.
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.
I own a copy of this. It is good.
One of my favorite albums of all time
Lots of fillers on this album but there’s still so many iconic songs not to rate this album 5/5
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...
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.
Amazing album. Heard many times but not fully through. Was a pleasure
What more can I say about perfection??
One of the classics
Duh
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
Classic. Duh.
Bili su bili vrhovi planina bila je košulja paulovog sina😃
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!!!
Everything was great until revolution 9. Dang near perfect album
Genre exploring, psychedelic, crunchy riffs
Crown jewel of the Beatles catalog
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!
classic - great album with dear prudence, bungalow bill, birthday and blackbird!
LP
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.
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.
Great stuff! 5.
Es una locura compositiva, quizá sobre extendida.
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
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!
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.
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.
I mean, it’s The Beatles 💙
Perfection
very creative and formally well composed
The double whammy of being both good and interesting. WHAMMY!!
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
Truly great. May as well be a "best of" compilation.
5 stars for while my guitar gently weeps
Awesome
All of the good stuff.
A few songs I would take off if I had to but still a Beatles masterpiece.
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.
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
brilliant
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?
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.
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
Simply iconic.
Best album I've been given so far!
Easily the Beatles most experimental album. It flows effortlessly
One of the best of all time
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.
As fresh, original and brilliant as it was upon release a lifetime ago. Many, many really good songs here and massive innovation.
grew up on these guys
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.
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
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.
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
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.
Maybe not the "best" Beatles album because there is a lot of weird on here. But it's the album in my parents collection that I wore out. It's got my favorite individual Beatles songs and some fantastic storytelling.
I happened to watch Yesterday yesterday. It’s a movie about a struggling musician that wants to give up. Something happens (I’ll spare you the details) where the whole world forgets that The Beatles or their music ever existed. So this guys starts playing Beatles tunes as if they are his own and his career blows up. Ed Sheeran loses a 10 minute song writing contest to him. Anyway. The point is that the plot was meant to allow the whole movie to be filled with covers of The Beatles greatest hits. It helped me appreciate just how large their catalogue of hits is. And while they aren’t my favorite band, they put an indelible mark on music forever. The Beatles (aka the white album) is filled with songs I love. It’s a bit silly and a hell of a lot of fun. Being a double album, there are a couple tunes that don’t keep my peak interest, but overall it’s a great album. I used to listen to this on the record player at home with my sister when we were young and I love Back In The U.S.S.R. and Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da just as much as I did as a kid. This is my second favorite Beatles album behind Sgt Peppers.
Legendary album by reputation, and when I opened it up to stream I assumed it was a super bonus edition because of the 30 tracks, but no that was what it came with at the time. Crazy. "Back in the U.S.S.R" is a great opener, has so much going on with the parody, melody, drum situation. That screech is kind of rough, but still a great song. With this being one of the biggest band's albums, there is a whole backstory to every song, a little footnote about who wrote it, what the studio was like while recording, how the lore of the song came about. It's all very fascinating. There is also a wide variety of music here with all 4 taking a hand at writing, singing,and I can't think of another band that has quite that kind of rotation. This kind of approach also gives way to several different genres and tones, ranging from rock, folk, blues, songwriter and satire, love, or nonsense songs. Favorite tracks "While my guitar gently weeks" "Revolution 1""Back in the USSR" "Blackbird" 6/6
This album was truly amazing. There are however some very odd songs on there a well. If I could give half stars I'd give this a 4.5, but in this case I'll round up.
Listened!
I have never listened to this album all the way through. I know pretty much all of the songs. Such a classic!
Not as great as other Beatles albums but substantially better than many of the albums this project is making me listen to.
Yea, it's the White Album. It has everything - every idea any band has ever had since stems from this work. It's nearly 60 years old for christs sake. Why doesn't anyone try to make anything interesting any more?
So much to say. As an album, it makes no practical sense. Songs styles are all over the place. This would never work for any band but The Beatles. And maybe that’s because they do every style so well. Paul’s voice! How can he sing both “Helter Skelter” and “I Will” and sound perfect for both? Same for John. “Yer Blues” and “Julia” - so different! I’d be curious to learn how they landed on a song order. They don’t try to transition the listener smoothly from one song to the next. Maybe that’s the secret sauce of the album. The fact that there were no singles from it?! Mind blown. So many classics. It’s a masterpiece. 5.0
Los Beatles, como siempre, maravillosos. Mi grupo favorito por siempre!
Classic album. I think their best. I've gotten Sgt Pepper and Rubber Soul already and this is just leaps above.
10 very strong 10 easy 10 Best: all Worst: wild honey pie, rev 9
The best
Discazo tiene unos temazos y no esta tan inocente como otros discos anteriores, más rockero, otras progresiones de acordes. Si, no entiendo porque tantos animalitos, pero aparecen cosas muy copadas como Helter Skelter que les da otro sonido. Es doble asique lleva su tiempo, pero vale la pena es una piezota!
who doesn't like the Beatles!! love to have this album for today!!! So rightful
In Moby-Dick, one of the reasons white is said to be terrifying is that by signifying so many things it begins to signify nothing, a meaningless void. This album is weird not in spite of tight, popular ballads amidst the other stuff but because of them. Nor are they taking 'weird music' and dumbing it down for the masses. They really are asking us to accept anything the Beatles could be, without trying to contain themselves within a narrative. Annoying thing to do, actually.
All time banger
5.8. Masterpiece
Damn near impossible to say something original or pertinent about this album. What fascinates on a deep dive listen is the approach the band take to song writing, especially given the producing complexity of Sgt Pepper before it: much here is stripped back, straightforward rock'n'roll - a band returning to where they first set out. And yet, there is still experimentation with form and style and structure, as well as forays into pastiche and parody. The Beatles challenge the listener - if we stray from our sound will you come with us? The answer is resoundingly yes - the magic is retained, the band turn sound into art.
They really did just throw everything at the wall here to see what sticks. And the crazy thing is that almost everything sticks. Even the silly throwaway songs are good. And the great songs are great. Except for Revolution 9. That song is just stupid and nobody should have to listen to it.
Upon hearing Sgt. Pepper's for the first time, Bob Dylan is reported to have said, "Oh, I get it. You don’t want to be cute anymore." That transition started with Sgt. Pepper's (and maybe even a little before that), but it really takes force on this album.
Beatles.
Loved it all the way through, despite having very little cohesion between songs - almost felt more like an anthology. So rare to have a 90 minute album hold my attention the entire time.
Fistly i'm suprised that the original name of the album is not "The White Album", it's just "The Beatles". Musically it's a masterpiece, The Beatles never disappoints with their music, they can make different rhytms and music genres without stop sounding like themselves. LOVED THIS ALBUM!
My favourite Beatles album.
A re-listen for me. One of the finest sonic journeys of the 20th century... Right up until Revolution 9. No but in all seriousness, stellar album, so many hits and gems. Favorite tracks: Yer Blues
The best album by the best band, top 5 stuff
Awesome album. One of the best.
Across the board, there are so many insane accomplishments from this release. The Beatles spanned styles and depth to create this masterpiece.
This is my all time favorite album of any band. This is by far a top 3 album for me. This album is just perfect. So many different styles they play. You can really tell by this point who wrote what song. This is 5 star easy!
This one is good.
Amazing! Of course! Classic. The songs are odd and delightful. They lend you a story for you to return.
I'm biased of course because I listened to this album quite a bit growing up. What a delightful mess of boundless creativity. I love it.
One of the greatest and most varied albums of all time.
Classic album
i mean, c'mon. probably the best.
TOP!!!!!*
Don't have to listen to give it 5 stars, but I will.
Very diverse, diplomatic Beatles album. All the boys get songs on. Excellent, no filler
It’s a long long long lil album … number 9, number 9,number 9. 5/5
Classic
Great album. A lot of classic numbers.
Progressive. Huge tunes. Classic
Probably their best album despite the fact that Abbey Road is perfect.
my favourite Beatles: especially "Helter Skelter" 🤘
Listening to this on vinyl this weekend. Yeahhhhhhhhh
A top 3 Beatles album for me.
9/10 Seamless listing experience With a hectic ending
Fav songs: back in the ussr, while my guitar, blackbird, piggies, good night
Tons of fun musical ideas, gathered from all over the spectrum, and assembled with humor. Probably I don't find any deep connection to anything here, but its influence is undeniable
The Beatles are a classic, always welcome and a joy !
One of the best Beatles album (not the very best, in my opinion). Really straddles the crazy psychedelic Beatles and the rock Beatles, and I think it kind of nails it perfectly.
I never appreciated the Beatles until I had a guitar teacher who was a huge fan. I wrote them off as boomer pop music and didn't bother to listen closely outside of the few hits I couldn't avoid. Then my teacher asked me to learn While My Guitar Gently Weeps. I had never heard of it before. I know, I know, Eric Clapton played guitar on the recording, so I can't claim that the guitar on this song is what opened my eyes to the Beatles. Well George Harrison wrote it so it still counts. I learned the song, but to this day never can come close to Clapton's performance (or Prince's, for that matter). Regardless, this is now one of my favorite songs of all time. Later my teacher showed me how to play Blackbird, and on top of just being a beautiful song, it is SO MUCH fun to play on guitar, and easy to loop over and over. I sometimes sit around and just play Blackbird idly while watching TV or something. Plus, it impresses the hell out of my friends who don't play. This album opened my eyes to the brilliance of the Beatles, promoting them from \"basic boomer band\" to regular rotation. Highlights (besides the aforementioned): Dear Prudence; Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da; Julia; Birthday; Helter Skelter, Revolution 1
A glorious mess
Beatles at the height of their creativity! Wonderful work
Cómo todo: lo mejor.
Incredible, but probably 4th overall
First time I‘ve heard a whole Beatles album as a whole. Loved it!
Never realized blackbird and piggies were on the same album. Obviously an incredible album.
C'mon, its the White Album. What else was it gonna get? To be honest though, I was suprised at how many non-mainstream songs there were here, I seriously didn't know a good portion of this, unlike other Beatles albums so far. Still great though.
This album is chock full of classic tracks. It's the gold standard of classic albums. I could list all the ones I enjoyed but it would be most of the album. So I will go with my favorite track, which would be While my guitar gently weeps, but Blackbird would probably come in a close second. The only songs I could do without on this are Wild Honey Pie, and Revolution 9. O understand it was experimental and ground breaking at the time, expanding the definition of what music is, but I can't listen to it, random recordings while someone repeated number 9. In spite of those 2 songs this is a top album for me
This album reminds me of childhood and listening to it with my parents. Good upbeat tunes and classics like black bird. Lots of excellent hits with catchy tunes but an expansive and diverse collection. Fits any mood.
Not the best Beatles album, but near the top
I'm excited to click through and get mad at the bad reviews!
Another album where every single song is a jam! You really can’t go wrong throwing this album on. I will be listening to this one a lot more.
This was the first album I listened to on this list and never truly appreciated it as much as I should have until much later. This album is objectively insane. I'll never understand how one band can do this much and still manage to make it all so good. Absolute banger from front to back, especially the Garth Merenghi cameo when he sings "Good Night". Really appreciated having an aspiring horror author come in to sing that before he made it big.
The world wouldn't be the same without it, although I have to think that Revolution 9 is the Beatles thinking they have such god status that people will just listen to any old noise they happen to make haha
Back In The U.S.S.R. Dear Prudence Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da While My Guitar Gently Weeps Blackbird I Will
A gem among gems. Disparate songs that nonetheless work. 5 stars
One of the best albums from one of the best bands ever.
I struggled with this rating. Do most Beatles albums get an automatic 5? I think there are between 15-17 songs on this album which are absolute bangers, including some of the greatest songs ever written. Even though not every song is on par with the best Beatles songs, I’ve decided it’s dumb to penalize this album for having some songs that are not on par with the greatest songs ever written. If you gave any other artist a year to write 31 songs and put them on an album, it’d probably stink. People knock this for its varied musical styles - I actually think that’s its greatest asset.
It's hard to say anything that hasn't been said already about the White Album. It is without a doubt the most important album ever produced not just for its artistic or cultural merit, but because of the historic implications of it. It is *THE* album you need to list to before you die. It's hard to think of another album that could merit that number one spot, even if many deserve a high ranking on this list. Historically the White Album led to the break up of the Beatles, with had huge implications for the future of music. Culturally, the White Album experimented with a dozen different musical styles and served as proto examples of some of several unique genres of today (including pre-heavy metal in Helter-Skelter, punk, and more). Artistically, it's simply a masterpiece and features some of the Beatles best work from Happiness is a Warm Gun, to Blackbird, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Back in the U.S.S.R, and more AND THAT'S JUST DISC ONE. It's also delightfully weird at times, and even when not every song hits, it's hard to ignore the shear musical mastery in each and every song. For folks who are not into the Beatles, and I can understand why - not every band is for everyone - I would encourage you to look into the history of this album. The influence of the Beatles on modern day music cannot be overstated, and almost every band today has been influenced in some way by them, especially by the White Album. Those of you interested in music theory may actually get the most out of this, because there's just such a rich array of techniques, melodies, scales, and more and the Beatles have always demonstrated a rich and nuanced understanding of what makes music music.
Great classic album, albeit given the double album length and 30 songs the inherent variety contains a few fillers
It is a classic. I like the Beatles and some songs are great (Dear Prudence), but some are meh.
Great old memories
I hadn’t listened to this before, for my shame. Really enjoyed it, particularly while my guitar gently weeps but it had a lot of great moments.
The pastiches don't really work -- the guitar solos on Yer Blues are (intentionally?) terrible. But the rest does, and it's impressive how they're bringing all these new styles to an audience. Parts of the context are not great. While My Guitar Gently Weeps is probably my favorite track out of the entire Beatles discography. Maybe like 4.6/5?
Non si può certo recensire uno degli album più importanti della storia della musica!
Great Album
A little crazy but has many really amazing songs
This album contains some of my favourite Beatles songs (Blackbird, Back in the USSR), as well as some of my least favourite (Revolution 9, Obladi oblada). Even with those annoyances it's a clear 5 though.
Outstanding! I cannot add the accolades that already exist of the album - it was a seminal work of the Beatles and you can hear how the selection of songs hint at the upcoming event demise of the group as each Beatle really flexes their independent styles ( Ringo's "Don't Pass Me By" is an example). I had this as a vinyl album in my youth and loved all 4 sides (maybe side 4 was a little less liked)
In the midst of hostility and tension, The White Album's creation stands out as a testament to the Beatles' resilience and artistic brilliance, navigating internal challenges to produce an eclectic and groundbreaking collection of songs. The period of strain adds a captivating layer of complexity, highlighting the band's ability to create enduring art despite the looming separation less than a year later. McCartney's contribution of Hey Jude, not on the album, clearly indicates the exceptional quality of the material they were working with. The White Album, dislocated, long, and sometimes downright weird, is simultaneously glorious, uplifting, and magically unique. NUMBER OF BANGERS - 15 STAND OUT TRACK - Blackbird
Listened to it many times, it's an absolute classic, I love it a lot.
Great Beatles Album!!!!
So many classics. Lyrics are with delving into.
Awesome album, classic.
One of the best albums ever recorded. There are so many hits on it. Is it maybe the best album of all times?
In the twilight of their career, The Beatles finally made their self-titled album, more commonly known as the “White Privilege Album” in which they drew on their experiences from their gap year in India, some good and some bad. John, Paul, George and Ringo returned from their holibobs overflowing with ideas, some epic and some throwaway. The cliche goes that the combination of both is what makes The White Album what it is. The ridiculous jostles with the sublime for ninety minutes, and to me the overall effect is phenomenal. Much greater than the sum of its parts, “The Beatles” is an album it’s near-impossible to grow tired of. Using the studio as their fifth member, this time the band branched out entirely from each other, often writing and recording whole songs in isolation. The White Album is a battle ground. But who won? Lennon had just learnt clawhammer fingerpicking from Donovan, and plasters it all over his tracks as he starts to move towards the raw, unflinching songwriting displayed on “Plastic Ono Band”. He makes a strong opening with “Dear Prudence”, which has long been one of my favourite Beatles songs: a sincere, simple ballad with a knockout of a final verse. “Happiness Is A Warm Gun” is sublime, and a fan-favourite for its multi-layered approach. Later, there’s the lovely, lethargic “I’m So Tired”, plaintive “Julia”, eviscerating “Sexy Sadie” and all-out-thrill of underrated gem “Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey”. Also, “Revolution 1” is my personal favourite version of the song, if only for the heavenly “shoo-bi-doo-wop” backing vocals. Meanwhile, McCartney is in buoyant and jaunty form as ever, taking more cues from music hall than ever before. “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” is absolutely NOT a fan favourite, but it’s so irrepressible that I can’t not like it. And then there’s “Martha My Dear” (a sprightly piano track about Paul’s sheepdog), “Rocky Raccoon”, and “Honey Pie”. “Granny music” critics assemble, but shame on them: I think all these tracks earn their place on such an eclectic album. And for all the showtunes, McCartney also rocks HARD here: he’s inspired enough to open with the rip-roaring ride of “Back In The USSR”, a Beach Boys parodying Russian surf-track. “Why Don’t We Do It In The Road” may be asinine, but who could fault that powerhouse, shredded vocal? And he penned “Helter Skelter” after hearing The Who’s “I Can See For Miles” was the heaviest song ever written, and felt determined to beat it… consider it done. As if that weren’t enough, we also have the underdogs in their corners: George Harrison comes out swinging with “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” (a contender for the signature song of his career), and “Long Long Long”, which is a beautiful, haunting comedown after “Helter Skelter”. And Ringo gets his first solo writing credit with the totally clunky (but somehow charming) “Don’t Pass Me By”, and contributes winningly earnest vocals to the closing lullaby “Good Night”. Oh, and the elephant in the room? “Revolution 9”. It would have been a stinker if it appeared on any other Beatles album, but here all bets are off the table. It’s ambitious and ridiculous and horrifying, and I like it. You know what? It’s a draw.
Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9,
If you have to pick one Beatles album to listen to, it would be hard, but the While Album should be in the running. It has some of the best materials from the Beatles psychedelic period (Dear Prudence), still has elements of their Power Pop stage (O-la-di, Oh-la-da) while pointing to the late stage of the band as well as future solo work (While My Guitar Gentle Sleeps, Back in the USSR). A double album like this usually has some filler, but that's kept to a minimum on the White Album. There are at least 9 songs on this album that are still in rotation on Classic Rock stations. A true classic and great place to start if you are wondering why the Beatles were so great,
So many of my favourite Beatles songs are on this album, and then you get to the songs on this album that aren't as good as the others, and even those are really good songs. On top of that, I think it's crazy that the Beatles were able to make a plain white square one of the most iconic album covers ever.
#3
Favorite album!
i aint listening to this shit fuck john lennon
Banger
The haters are plain wrong here. This album is more consistent than given credit, and flows quite well for the vast majority.
Own
The beatles.
What to say about this that hasn't been said? It's a masterpiece from top to bottom. This is the first double album that I've listened to on here that I haven't been bored at any point, it's just consistently high quality. Now it's certainly weird at times, and there are a few songs here and there that didn't quite work for me. I feel like the fun of something like this though is to see what resonates, and often the weird ones are standouts (I know this isn't a hot take or anything, but "Ob-La Di, Ob-La-Da" is such a banger). I will say that "Revolution 9" (second to last song) was an interesting artistic choice, you have to take some chances sometimes though. This is just really polished, consistently good across a long album, and has multiple standouts (Blackbird, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Helter Skelter, Birthday, I Will...). While it's diverse as a whole, each song is fairly consistent on this one (unlike some other Beatles songs that are like 4 songs in one). This is really great, one of the better albums I've listened to. It's very famous, and very rightfully so. Favorite song: Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da Other: Back in the USSR, Dear Prudence, Glass Onion, Bungalow Bill, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Happiness Is A Warm Gun, I'm So Tired, Blackbird, Don't Pass Me By, I Will, Julia, Birthday, Mother Nature's Son, Helter Skelter, Long Long Long, Revolution 1, Honey Pie, Cry Baby Cry, Good Night 12/15/23
Can I give this album a 5 while also acknowledging the fact that it is incredibly flawed? Yes, yes I can. Let's be honest, there are some real garbage tracks on here, maybe more so than any other Beatles album, and a single LP probably would have fixed most of this (which is true for almost every double LP I can think of). But it does have Martha, My Dear, Dear Prudence, Rocky Racoon, Blackbird, Julia, etc. which more than makes up for Honey Pie (fuckin' Honey Pie, am I right)?
Not my boldest 5
Oh obvs amazing
5 il più disco mondo tra i dischi mondo di tutti i mondi possibili passati e futuri.
Yeah. Iconic. 1968. Blackbird. Back in the USSR. And on.
Number 9.Number 9.Number 9.
It's a hot mess of an anti-album and, me being a pro-post-modernism douchebag, I'm here for it. ✌️ Fave tracks - well, "Rocky Raccoon" is one of my karaoke go tos. 😆 "Back in the USSR", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", "Why Don't We Do It In The Road?", "Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey", and "Helter Skelter" are all monster tunes. Even the "filler" tracks feel less fillery than on their previous albums. And then we have "Hey Jude" recorded in the same sessions!
Amazing: a really quite long album from the Beatles but nearly every signal song hits the spot. There are only a few skips on this whole project which just shows the overall creative genius in some of these songs. An iconic album cover, songs and from the most famous band of all time. Perfect.
best album by the best band
Why don't we give it 5 stars?
Probably my favorite Beatles album and one of my favorites of all time
# Beatles, White Album 5*. I think this is the first 5* album for me on Album a Day. My favorite songs: Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da While My Guitar Gently Weeps Dear Prudence Back in the U.S.S.R. Blackbird ## 1. \"Back in the U.S.S.R.\" McCartney 2:43 5* Slaps. Great guitar, piano, vocals. Background vocals are fun too. Some great audio tricks in the track that sound at home in modern-day like the ending electronic whistle. Sort of a play on Back in the USA. ## 2. \"Dear Prudence\" Lennon 3:56 5* Love the bassline and the acoustic guitar/sitar on top. The guitar licks over the top are great too! So good! ## 3. \"Glass Onion\" Lennon 2:18 4* I wasn't very familiar with this song and I really liked it. ## 4. \"Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da\" McCartney 3:08 5* Might be my favorite on this album. That bassline....the drums, how can you not start nodding or dancing. Sooooo great! I learned that this was McCartney's attempt at ska. John and George hated the song, calling it \"Granny music.\" ## 5. \"Wild Honey Pie\" McCartney 0:52 2* Just a weird song. A jam the group had in India, just recorded it out of boredom. ## 6. \"The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill\" Lennon, with Yoko Ono 3:14 4* Inspired by the band's trip to India. Only track in the Beatles' catalog that features background vocals from Yoko Ono, who offered musical advice to the other members of the band. ## 7. \"While My Guitar Gently Weeps\" (George Harrison) Harrison 4:45 5* I've always loved this song. Great guitars wailing away. Eric Clapton played lead guitar on the solo. Clapton was the only guest artist to ever contribute a guitar solo to a Beatles album. Loved that he chastises himself in the lyrics. ## 8. \"Happiness Is a Warm Gun\" Lennon 2:47 4* Banned on the radio because it was thought it was advertising drugs. It took 70 takes to record this song, with all the tempo changes. It's like an opera with different movements and style changes. I hadn't noticed this before. ## 9. \"Martha My Dear\" McCartney 2:28 3* Not as great as the others, but really good. ## 10. \"I'm So Tired\" Lennon 2:03 4* Recorded in India. ## 11. \"Blackbird\" McCartney 2:18 5* Love it. I didn't realize it was about the ending of racism in America. ## 12. \"Piggies\" (Harrison) Harrison 2:04 3* Loosley based on Animal Farm but instead of focusing on communism, he lampoons capitalism. ## 13. \"Rocky Raccoon\" McCartney 3:33 4* Based on American folk music. Catchy. ## 14. \"Don't Pass Me By\" (Richard Starkey) Starr 3:51 3* Ringo wrote this one! His first song. Country sound, but weaker vocals. ## 15. \"Why Don't We Do It in the Road?\" McCartney 1:41 3* Paul wrote this after seeing two monkeys have sex in the middle of the road in India. ## 16. \"I Will\" McCartney 1:46 4* McCartney's song to his future love interest. One of Pauls' best reviewed songs. ## 17. \"Julia\" Lennon 2:57 4* One of Dave Grohl's favorite Beatles songs. John's deceased mother was named Julia, and this song is about his love for his mother and to his new love Yoko Ono. ## 18. \"Birthday\" McCartney with Lennon 2:42 4* Just a jam between McCartney and Lennon. I don't remember how good the song gets after the initial verse. ## 19. \"Yer Blues\" Lennon 4:01 3* Fun song, but Lennon wasn't having fun, hence to why he says he's so lonely he wants to die. ## 20. \"Mother Nature's Son\" McCartney 2:48 2* Upbeat acoustic song about living in nature. ## 21. \"Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey\" Lennon 2:24 4* A wild rock song by Lennon, that he considered a throwaway. ## 22. \"Sexy Sadie\" Lennon 3:15 2* Originally about the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi who made an inappropriate pass at one of Lennon's friends: Mia Farow. ## 23. \"Helter Skelter\" McCartney 4:30 4* Paul tries to make a raunchy, loud rock and roll song. Based on the name of a fairground ride. Charles Manson thought it was a prediction of an apocolypse between blacks and whites. They played so long their voices were cracking and you can hear Ringo saying, \"I've got blisters on my fingers.\" ## 24. \"Long, Long, Long\" (Harrison) Harrison 3:08 2* Pretty. ## 25. \"Revolution 1\" Lennon 4:15 4* Not as good as the one I grew up with. ## 26. \"Honey Pie\" McCartney 2:41 4* Catchy. ## 27. \"Savoy Truffle\" (Harrison) Harrison 2:54 4* George wrote this song for Eric Clapton who was said to eat too much chocolate. ## 28. \"Cry Baby Cry\" Lennon, with McCartney 3:02 3* Nice. ## 29. \"Revolution 9\" Speaking from Lennon, Harrison, Ono and George Martin 8:15 1* Too psychadelic for me. Yoko made it get weird. ## 30. \"Good Night\" Starr 3:14 3* Nice orchestra sound. Lullaby for Julian, sung by Ringo.
It's been said of this album that everyone agrees it's full of amazing Beatles song and filler Beatles song but no agrees on which is which. I happen to enjoy most of the stuff on here and it is still the Beatles at a creative peak. Revolution 9 still sucks.
Transformative in my music taste.
I mean it’s the Beatles. They are one of if not the most popular band of all time. Not my favourite album they ever put out but still a classic.
You already know
One of the best albums in the history of contemporary music. Classics that can not be missing in any list of music lovers.
A bit overly long and it definitely feels like it could be two albums at various points but even despite all that- it's the White Album. Probably The Beatles at their best.
Beautiful! So innovative and the use of stereo is a bit weird but, it was a new technology and they were experimenting. The best part is revolution 9, the sounds the panning, the cuts, the baby cries, the reverse audio, the chatter. Damn!
First time listening all the way through, did not want it to end. Even the goofy songs had so much more to them as a part of the album than independently. I felt so many emotions and will probably continue to use this as a sonic experience whenever I have a spare 93 minutes.
Way too long, this should've been two stellar albums; fortunately the album is redeemed by the sheer strength of the songs. Savoy Truffle really impressed this time, but my favourites remain: -While my Guitar Gently Weeps -Don't Pass me By -I'm So Tired -Happiness is a Warm Gun
I mean, duh. The first few times I listened to this album, I thought it could've done with some trimming (songs like Wild Honey Pie, Don't Pass Me By EGSTHEMAMM, Revolution 9), but I've come to seriously respect the charm these tracks add to such a disparate and diverse album. The stylistic diversity in this album is mind-blowing, and yet all (most) of the songs sound uniquely Beatlesque. Most tracks get better on each listen (but a few, like Ob-La-Di, get significantly worse). There are countless little details to keep repeat listeners interested. The playing is complex yet laid-back; very self-assured. The track ordering is freaking awesome, as it is in nearly all Beatles albums.
Any other group, this would be a masterpiece that defines the band. As it were, it almost broke up the Beatles. That being said, it’s still the Beatles and it’s — as usual — next to perfection.
Only the best
Here’s an album I’ve listened to many times. While not my favorite Beatles album, it’s definitely in the top five and it contains some of their best, most mature work. As a major Beatles fan, I know these songs like they were old friends.
Beatles
One of my Favourite Beatles albums, too many bangers, great listening - 9.8
A very long and at times, unhinged album. Full of great songs and experimentation. after listening to this I can understand why that Charles Manson thought John Lennon wanted him to murder people
Me gusta mucho
A sprawling and eclectic catalog of a band falling apart that I love and Geoff Emerick hates.
Ive probably mentioned this before, but I tried listening to a load of The Beatles as a teen and thought they were rubbish. Admittedly, listening to them in the mid-noughties would have certainly felt different to listening in the 60’s. Since listening again more recently, I’m finding myself loving them. I’m looking forward to this album today. Songs I already knew: Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Blackbird, Helter Skelter Favourites: pretty much all of them Usually, a double album would put me off before even listening due to my fairly poor attention span. However, having lost of The Beatles to listen to doesn’t feel so bad. This album felt a lot more rocky than some other albums where they leaned more into psychedelia. They truly do demonstrate remarkable versatility over the few years that they were a working band.
classic
A kooky, incredibly diverse, rambling masterpiece.
love
I like the fact that this double album is all over the place. The quality of the tunes is very high, regardless if we're talking "Blackbird" or "Helter Skelter". This is one of my favorite Beatles records.
I’ve never really gotten the Beatles before. They certainly had good catchy songs but there’s hardly a shortage of them…then I listened to this and I can see why the are held up the highest. I’m only about 50 years too late but I can say that this may be one if the greatest albums ever made. I had to stop adding songs to my regular play playlists for fear that it would just be the whole album taking it over for over an hour (not Piggies though). Martha My Dear, Rocky Racoon, Everybody’s Got Something to Hide…, Helter Skelter the stand outs for me if I had to pick.
I think this is an hour of material that would rank among their best, interspersed by half an hour they would have lost under normal circumstances. By this point they were the band equivalent of sleeping in different beds so it was easier to include everyone's stuff rather than have fights about what would make the cut. John and Paul being in competition with each other and George trying to establish himself as a songwriter means they were all absolutely going for it. I'd take Happiness is a Warm Gun, Blackbird, While my Guitar... as my top picks but I love almost all of it. I skip Revolution 9 and Wild Honey Pie every time though.
Certified classic, fun and diverse throughout the entire album
Total all-timer. Revolution 9 notwithstanding...
Omg
The extra songs on the remastered version are kinda weird but as always it is the Beatles so we love it
Love it. I think everyone could find AT LEAST one of their new favorite songs on this album.
While The Beatles' guitars weep, our hearts sing along. So much creativity back in the U.S.S.R.
Probably not even in the top 3 Beatles albums but still a great record! Some of the best songs, and really a huge collection of material, albeit not as cohesive. 4.5
definitely my vibe but i'm biased lolllll i like the rustic tunesss
Albums do not get much more fun to listen to.
My 2nd album of this project and it's one that I've spent a good amount of time with already. Some of the greatest songs of all time are on here and are enough to outshine any tracks that underperform.
Really great album with a lot of legendary songs but ideally it should not have been a double albu..
Really missing Beatles rock band
One of my all time favorite albums ever. Listened to the record in Anna's dorm room a bunch in high school. Good memories. Favorite songs: Back in the USSR, Rocky Raccoon, Blackbird, Julia
Best and worst Beatles songs all in one
Brilliant and eccentric-the divisions between McCartney and Lennon’s musical visions are apparent, as is Yoko’s influence and Harrison’s growth. An album that takes you on a ride for sure! Not my favorite Beatles album, but does have some of my favorite songs on it.
It doesn’t get better than this
Iconic. Back in the USSR, Revolution 1, Helter Skelter, While my guitar gentley weeps. Some odd songs in between. Album is a little bloated. 5/5
A classic album for me. Or maybe three solo albums jumbled up. Lennon is on top form and as a Beatles geek I love the mythology. This album I had on double cd at school - really contributed to my musical taste.
Great arrangements, the Beatles rule. some goofs that could have been cut Martha my dear is really good Rocky Raccoon is a banger goof Julia is so pretty the album has a bunch of minisongs that feel almost unfinished, but they just have 1 really good idea songwriting feels shockingly modern pretty sure this is my favorite Beatles album
Amazing! Not a track I consider bad here. At worst, it gets questionable. So many good cuts! The praise this thing gets is deserved. Fabulous!
Strange yet somehow marvellous
A classic, lots of solid songs. Great cover as well.
My fave album by the Dan Four
the MF white album baby!!! just absolutely iconic. so many good beatles songs. WHILE MY GUITAR GENTLY WEEPS MY DEAR GEORGE MY BDAY TWIN. a lot of good wedding songs. can’t get better
# 77 : What Can I say! It's the Beatles,
A classic
Certainly among the most legendary albums, full of classic songs that still sound fantastic more than a half century on. One of the things I was thinking about was the length of this album, 93 minutes, and the fact that it's their only double album. On one hand, like almost any album this length, some things could have been cut to possibly make it stronger. But if that had been the case we probably never would have heard Revolution 9. Would they even have made it to Helter Skelter had they not been stretching out in this way? It's amazing that they produced this much great music in a time so tumultuous within the band.
This might be my favorite Beatles album - warts and all. Raw creativity just flooding out of them. A musical rollercoaster ride of the highest order. All over the place in the best way. Like an exquisite buffet. "Oh I'll try some of that, and some of this, and a couple of those, and what's this???" So much fun to hear them really cut loose and just let it all hang out, even if they were falling apart at the seams in the process. This is the sound of exceptionally talented people with complete creative freedom, going in every direction at once. I'd also like to point out one more thing: sometimes people rip on Paul, hell, even John did, saying his tunes are soft, etc... Dude wrote "Helter Skelter." It's called range.
Probably my favorite Beatles album. Has a ton of range and some songs are basically genre-creating. Sure, there are a few somewhat forgettable tracks but it definitely hits more than it misses. I don't think I really have anything else to add the the general dialogue around this album but... what an album for sure.
Easiest 5 stars ever.
I mean, it's The White Album
Class
Vraiment beaucoup de hits qui marchent bien en standalone (While my Guitar, Back in the USSR, Blackbird, Sexy Sadie, Helter Skelter...), mais aussi une cohérence d'ensemble impressionnante. Un statut culte tout à fait mérité.
J'adore. Écouté moins régulièrement que d'autres albums des Beatles, peut-être parce qu'il est plus long, mais c'est à tort, tout est bien de bout en bout (sauf la piste expérimentale à la fin mais bon). Je suis en général plutôt John Lennon, mais mention spéciale à certaines chansons non-Lennon et néanmoins fabuleuses sur ce double album : While my guitar gently weeps, Blackbird, Helter Skelter. Un 5/5 sans réfléchir, comme probablement les autres albums des Beatles à suivre.
Cat: it’s the Beatles White Album. I think you start with perfection and talk your way back, which is really hard to do. Beautiful songs. Rock and roll songs. Fun songs. Love songs. There are other albums I say I like more, but this has everything.