brendan2's Full Review: The White Album by The Beatles
It is very rare for a double album to be an amazing piece of work. In my experience with double albums, I have always been left thinking, "Wow, that would have been a good single album if they had left some of the trash off." But one double album that is widely hailed as one of the best albums of all time (or is it two of the best?) is The Beatles' 1968 self-titled effort, more commonly known as The White Album.
Hopefully, everyone knows who the Beatles are. Even if you think you don't know the Beatles, you must have heard at least one of their songs on the radio. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr made up the group that is quite possibly the best rock 'n' roll band ever. The Beatles had 27 number one hits and influenced just about every musician who came after them.
Of course, the Beatles were not untouchable gods. It may be hard to believe, but they were actually human, and like other people, they had their share of problems. During the making of The White Album, there was a lot of fighting between the members of the group, causing Ringo to pack up his drums and quit for a period. John had met Yoko Ono and insisted on bringing her into the studio, Paul was starting to take over the group, and George was becoming frustrated as his songs were ignored by Lennon and McCartney. The group was beginning to fall apart, and there are tracks on the album that feature only the lead singer. Harrison later said that he, John, and Paul would all be in separate studios working on different songs as they recorded the album.
Somehow, this album is still a masterful work featuring hard rockers, sappy ballads, show tunes, and country-tinged songs. Sure, this album has its flaws, but who is going to argue that The White Album is not a great album? Some songs from this album include "Back in the U.S.S.R.," "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da," "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," and "Helter Skelter," and most of the lesser-known songs are as good as or better than these.
Back in the U.S.S.R. begins with the sound of roaring jet planes before the Beatles (minus Ringo, who had quit) join in. This is an upbeat rock number that good-naturedly spoofs the Beach Boys, with lines like "Well the Ukraine girls really knock me out/ They leave the west behind." The background vocals are very Beach Boys-esque, and Paul does such a fine job on the drums that you probably wouldn't even realize Ringo wasn't there. Very fun and energetic, this song was one of the first tracks I loved from this album.
The album shifts gears with Dear Prudence, which John wrote while the Beatles were in India visiting guru the Maharishi. The song was inspired by Prudence Farrow (Mia's sister), who refused to leave her room and join in the fun activities at the retreat. Paul's bass guitar and piano, John's acoustic guitar and lead vocals, and George's electric guitar create a wonderful rhythm, and this was another of my early favourites.
Glass Onion is another Lennon composition, but this one is much harder than "Dear Prudence." The lyrics were written to give the fans who searched for hidden meanings in Lennon's lyrics something to talk about. And the fans managed to find many clues to support the theory that Paul was dead ("The walrus was Paul"). "Glass Onion" includes mentions of many other Beatles songs like "The Fool On the Hill" (complete with the sound of a flute), "Fixing a Hole," and "Strawberry Fields Forever." Musically, Ringo's drums and tambourine dominate, and this is a great rocker.
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da is typical Paul. It's very sweet-sounding, happy, and easy to sing along with. My favourite part is when Paul messes up the lines and says, "Desmond stays at home and does his pretty face." Also listen for George and John's shouts of "Arm!" and "Foot!" when Paul says, "Molly lets the children lend a hand." Wild Honey Pie is another Paul song, featuring mostly stringed instruments and shouts of "Honey pie! Honey pie!" over and over. It's pretty weird, and I know a lot of people hate it, but I kind of like it.
The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill is about a tiger hunter named Bungalow Bill, but it could be about war, too. "The children asked him if to kill was not a sin/ Not when he looked so fierce, his mommy butted in/ If looks could kill it would have been us instead of him." The lyrics are very good, but Lennon's almost nasal voice and the chorus singing "Hey Bungalow Bill, what did you kill?" over and over can get annoying. And Yoko Ono "sings" backup and even gets a line.
George finally gets to contribute a song, with While My Guitar Gently Weeps. This is often hailed as one of his best, and it really is an amazing song. The lyrics are some of the best Harrison wrote to this point: "I look at the world and I notice it's turning/ While my guitar gently weeps/ With every mistake, we must surely be learning." The beginning piano and guitars sound wonderful, and George's friend Eric Clapton does a fine lead guitar solo. The early acoustic version of this on the Anthology 3 CD is a keeper, too.
Happiness is a Warm Gun is one of my favourite Lennon songs on this album. It actually sounds like three different songs, starting out as a slow love song, switching to a rock song with shouts of "Mother Superior jump the gun," and finally ending up as a doo-wop kind of song, with the background vocals "Bang bang shoot shoot." It's strange and experimental, the guitar riffs are perfect, and the lyrics include lines like, "Lying with his eyes while his hands are busy working overtime/ A soap impression of his wife which he ate and donated to the National Trust." Simply superb.
Martha My Dear is a McCartney composition featuring some nice piano work. It's not a masterpiece but it's a catchy, enjoyable song. I'm So Tired features Lennon singing about how tired he is. The song is sort of droning during the verses, then it gets loud for the chorus. It probably sounds bad, but I really like it. Paul's acoustic ballad Blackbird is simple and beautiful, featuring lyrics about the civil rights movement in the 1960s.
Piggies is a social satire from Harrison, featuring lyrics like, "Everywhere there's lots of piggies, living piggy lives/ You can see them out for dinner with their piggy wives/ Clutching forks and knives to eat their bacon." Then comes Rocky Raccoon, the third song in a row to feature an animal in the title. This Paul contribution is a country-western song, featuring a humourous intro. The melody is very catchy, and it sounds like a saloon song, complete with John's harmonica and producer George Martin's honky-tonk piano.
Don't Pass Me By is the first Beatles song written solely by Ringo Starr. It's not bad at all, especially for a first-time writer, and Ringo does some powerful drum work. It's a country song, but the lyrics are pretty dark and provided more clues to the "Paul is dead" theory. Why Don't We Do It in the Road? sounds like John, but it's actually Paul. The lyrics are just the title repeated over and over, coupled with, "No one will be watching us." There's no deep meaning to this song, but it's still pretty cool.
I Will is another Paul number, this time a gorgeous ballad. The acoustic guitars and soft percussion are perfect, and the song is simple but wonderful. Another ballad follows, this time one of John's, the acoustic Julia. The song is about Lennon's mother, who sent him to live with an aunt, then, as John was re-establishing a relationship with her, was killed by a drunk policeman. As John sings, "Half of what I say is meaningless/ But I say it just to reach you, Julia," in an almost-whisper, you can't help but be moved. This closing number of the first disc leaves you waiting for more.
Disc two begins with the upbeat McCartney rocker Birthday. Paul's bass guitar and Ringo's drums sound great, and you can almost hear Paul's vocal chords tearing as he screams the lines. This is a strong track, but it's not as good as Lennon's Yer Blues, which follows "Birthday." This song, a spoof of blues numbers, features depressing lyrics ("Black cloud crossed my mind, blue mist round my soul/ Feel so suicidal, even hate my rock and roll/ Wanna die"), powerful Lennon vocals, and amazing hard-rocking guitars and drums. This song is very underrated and is one of my favourites.
Mother Nature's Son is a pretty acoustic song about a country boy who sings songs in a meadow. This one was written after the Beatles heard a lecture about nature by the Maharishi. Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey provides a sudden mood change. John's hard rock song features some excellent guitar riffs and contradictory, repetitive lyrics. A great song, but not as good as Sexy Sadie, another Lennon composition. The lyrics are reportedly about the Maharishi, who turned out to be a sham and not the spiritual leader the Beatles were looking for. This is a slower song, featuring excellent piano and acoustic guitar work.
Helter Skelter is one of my favourite Beatles songs and is actually the reason I bought this album. This is one of the hardest-rocking songs the group ever did, and it's hard to believe it was written by the usually sappy McCartney. The heavy guitars and drums, Paul's wild lead vocal as he screams about riding a rollercoaster, and Ringo's song-ending shout of "I've got blisters on my fingers!" make this one of their best.
The blaring sounds of "Helter Skelter" are followed by the barely-audible Long, Long, Long. This Harrison composition is actually quite good if you can hear it, and the ghostly wail at the end is really weird but cool. The slow version of "Revolution" (the B side of "Hey Jude"), Revolution 1, is next. "1" is more bluesy, and it features Paul and George singing background vocals of "Shoo-be-doo-wop." This version was actually recorded first, but somebody thought it wasn't fast enough. I like the way Lennon says, "Don't you know that you can count me out - in" on this one.
Honey Pie is a charming 1920s-style tune from Paul. The lyrics are about a working girl who goes off to Hollywood, and the music is very oldies, with a piano and a brass section. It's impossible not to love it when Paul says, "Yeah. I like that. Ah-ooh. I like this kinda hot kinda music." Savoy Truffle is Harrison's fourth and last contribution to the album, a fun song written while looking at a box of chocolates. The lyrics describe a bunch of delectable treats, then warn us, "But you'll have to have them all pulled out after the Savoy truffle." Harrison's lead vocal and guitar sound great, and the blaring saxophones are a nice addition.
Even if you don't own this album, you've probably heard bad things about Revolution 9. John and Yoko created this together, and it's just a mix of random taped sounds. It starts off with some piano and a guy repeating, "Number nine, number nine..." over and over. Then we get some screams, feedback, and spoken words like, "The watusi, the twist... Eldorado... Take this brother, may it serve you well." Trust me, it's way worse than it sounds. This experimental track is over eight minutes long, and you will be better off just skipping it.
The album closes with the Lennon-penned lullaby Good Night. Even though John wrote this, he gave it to Ringo to sing, and Ringo is the only Beatle who appears on the track. His lead vocal is accompanied by orchestral instrumentation, and although the music can be schmaltzy, Ringo's voice is superb. This is a perfect way to end the album.
As you can see, The White Album is full of variety, and this is truly a legendary album. It's not my personal favourite of the Beatles' albums, but it does include a lot of my favourite songs. Some of the songs aren't masterpieces, but there are none that are so awful you have to skip over ("Revolution 9" doesn't count as a song, it's more an assault on the ears). Simply reading a review of this album won't do it justice. You have to hear this phenomenal work for yourself. So if you don't have it yet, get out there and buy it now.
Repeat (songs I can never get enough of): Back in the U.S.S.R., While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Happiness is a Warm Gun, I Will, Julia, Yer Blues, Helter Skelter... actually, just about everything Skip (songs I have trouble listening to even once): Revolution 9
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