The White Album - Everybody Has A Different Set Of Favorites

For me The White Album is a journey with the Beatles, each little piece is integral to the whole. Wild Honey Pie and Rev. 9 aren't the strongest Beatles tracks but each contribute to what is the White Album experience. The album certainly contains some of the best work of John/Paul/George and if you're cool with Good Night (I am) Ringo too.

 

"Glass Onion" is interesting in that I'm not an enormous fan either, and yet that droning pulsing orchestral outro may be one of the most important parts of the album. It fades away and away, letting us know that while there is beauty here, this album is going to be a little bit "off" and not quite what you expect. Then "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" bounces in and everything is right in the world. But, alas, only for three minutes...

 

So much has already been said that I agree with. There's this weird 'vibe' that I get from this album that I can't quite put my finger on, as if it's perfect how it is, but at the same time taped together so haphazardly that it's one step from disaster. There are some amazing tracks I can listen to on their own. On the other hand, there are some that do absolutely nothing for me individually, but if I decide to listen to the entire album I can't skip them as it throws out the entire overarching journey. Piggies, Rocky Raccoon and Don't Pass Me By on their own? No thanks. But listening in sequence between Blackbird and Why Don't We Do It in the Road? Yes please!

I love Ob-La-Di, but there's something about the pulsing rhythm throughout the whole thing that seems kind of sinister, like the innocent lyrics and upbeat music is covering something (I may be nuts...)

 

It saddens me to hear people say they always skip certain tracks on this album. There's no chance of re-evaluating or adjusting one's opinion if you just cut out part of the whole. This could be the only album that would elicit that kind of emotion.

 

The only song that marrs the continuity is the closing song Good Night (imo).

 

If I haven't listened to the album in a while, I might hear it in its entirety... even Revolution n.9 and Don't Pass me by. But if I listen to it again relatively soon, I'll skip several songs. The two mentioned above, Long Long Long, Savory Truffle, Piggies, Good Night, Sexy Sadie... maybe also Glass Onion and Wild Honey Pie.

 

Good night, U must B being sarcastic!

Since the "closing song" would obviously put a "close" to the "continuity"!!

Good night!!!

 

I've heard them enough times back when I used to listen to this album incessantly when I first got it, to know that I simply don't like "Ob La Di Blah Blah" as a song at all.

"Don't Pass Me By" isn't bad, but I think stands out the hardest. "Honey Pie" isn't terrible, but it's awfully corny Paul. "Wild Honey Pie" is pure filler to me.

Have we seriously gotten to page 2 and no one's mentioned "Helter Skelter" yet?

Speaking of creepy, I always found the vibe of the song "Cry Baby Cry" to be very spooky in a way, and it's even more disconcerting how it leads into "Can You Take Me Back", which itself leads into the utter tumult that is "Revolution #9". I think that's brilliantly sequenced.

 

Sleep tight.

 

Calling something UR "Least Favorite" on something as iconic as "The Beatles" ('White Album') may not B such a bad thing.
#debatable

 

I'm game. "Helter Skelter" is a great recording, but a rather mediocre song. The lyrics are meh at best, John's bass sloppy (probably unintentionally), along with Ringo's drums and the guitars (certainly on purose). However, that's not to say that I don't love the song. The chaos all somehow works very well (perhaps a microcosm to the macrocosm of the White Album itself?) and the sequencing of "Helter Skelter" going into "Long Long Long" is genius.

 

For me. it's the best album from the best band. Some of my favorites are Sexy Sadie, Dear Prudence, and Cry Baby Cry.

 

"Glass Onion", for me, was a fave from the get go.
Always totally enjoyed taking the trip w/John.

Lyrics & vocal were far out & drums and bass R banging!!!

 

The only thing I ever found creepy about the White album was the kinda/sorta Charles Manson connection. Of course none of that was the fault of The Beatles or even the album itself. That was crazy Charlie being, well, crazy. But the Manson murders absolutely terrified me as a child (I was 5) and the thought that Manson felt that album was speaking to him just always creeped me out. Not so much in recent years, I'm now able to completely separate the two, so that's no longer an issue for me.

 

Exactly right

Filler on other Beatles albums bothers me (and makes me reach for the skip button), but on The White Album it doesn't. Rather its all part of greater whole. Logically that makes no sense I know, but there ya go...

Having said that, I usually do shut it off after Paul asks to be taken back where he came from, but prior to that point I skip nothing.

 

I have a number of favorite tracks - about 14 in all. Hey - that would fill about exactly two sides of an LP. Has anyone ever considered that you could possibly reduce this thing to one great single LP rather than a double???

I didn't think so...

 

Rocky Raccoon !! I ADORE that song. The story is like an episode of Gunsmoke.

 

One I don't hear mentioned a lot is IMO one of Paul's finest moments on record with the latter-day Beatles: "Mother Nature's Son".

 

Great vocals too, by the way, check them out separated from the song. John also being funny and making "beee-aaa-a-a" noises and shouting "Fanny Cradock!". As for bass in this song, to me it's the whole pulse of it, because guitars are just droning. Separately, the bass track sounds kinda not pretty (to be honest in quite a lot of rock songs it's like that), but in the mix - it's great, it just grinds! By the way live Paul never plays it like that, he goes for 8th notes instead of 16th and in my opinion song loses some of the urgency because of that.

I also prefer version without fade out and fade-in (from Rockband).

 

I like almost everything on the White Album except for "Martha My Dear" (cutesy Granny Music- I don't care if McCartney played every instrument on the track), "Don't Pass Me By" (pure tedium, sorry Ringo!), "Everybody's Got Something To Hide..." (that clanging bell sound has driven my up the wall for almost thirty years), "Revolution 9" (it's at least six minutes too long) and "Goodnight" (Disney music). I pick up the needle on side four as soon as the "Can You Take Me Back" snippet fades out.

My favourite songs are "Dear Prudence", "Gently Weeps", "Blackbird", "Mother Nature's Son", "Honey Pie" (if only for Lennon's guitar solo) and "Cry Baby Cry".

 

You're absolutely correct

 

I forgot Glass Onion. One of my favorites, as well.

 

I love the White album as is, individually I like or love probably 25 of the 30 tracks. But that's not how I choose to listen to it anymore.

Ringo said in Anthology " that's a lot of information, we should have done two albums, white & whiter" he said. George Martin is heavily on the record saying " we have a really great 14 song album like Revolver"

But I don't want to waste anything, so for me 1st I add in Revolution/Hey Jude & Not Guilty, giving me 33 master quality tracks. Then I compile 1 -13 song album ala Revolver with my favorite, every track is hall of fame... Then I make a 2nd album that I've been calling Birthday, with most of the rest. .

There are some talented, inventive, intelligent writers & fans here, I love the posts in this thread, & all the reasoning & explanation of what's great about the album. All the heartfelt emotions it inspires in the posters.

But after 40 years listening, for me listening to it as 2 seperate albums works for me. I play the 1st one with its Revolver style culling down to 13 great tracks a lot more often. But I really dig at least 10-12 on the 2nd CD & play that instead sometimes. I've lost all the intent of the Beatles themselves, in terms of sequencing & just blam, here's 30 songs for ya...

My 13 song masterpiece is

1. Back In The USSR
2. Dear Prudence
3. Happiness Is A warm gun
4. Helter Skelter
5. Don't Pass Me By
6. Martha My Dear
7. While My Guitar GW

1. Sexy Sadie
2. I'm So Tired
3. Blackbird
4. Piggies
5. Revolution ( single )
6. Hey Jude

Now again I burn a 2nd disc so I don't lose anything. I really like or Love several cuts I left off my Revolver style super album. Obladi Oblada, Mother Nature, Long Long Long, Rocky Raccoon & more..
That's why I have a 2nd album.

The eclectic original as intended is on the shelf, I just personally enjoy it this way. Frankly if Geo Martin had still maintained the control to persuade or order it his way, the tracklist would of been different. What I don't know, I've never seen his preference published.

I picked Don't Pass Me By to represent Ringo & the full Beatle experience. I picked Piggies over Savoy & Long Long Long for several reasons. For one, it's a lot like a Revolver style tune, from that mindset. I used the Hey Jude/Revolution single for overall strength of material. I also paid close attention to parity between Lennon & McCartney. I wanted to add a 3rd Harrison track ( Long Long Long ) but there's no room with a 7 min Hey Jude & 1968 technology. Adding a 3rd Harrison would also ignore the strong Len&Mac songs still available, on Revolver there weren't another 6-8 great Len/Mac songs sitting in the can.

It's also tempting to use the 4 early 68 originals, Bulldog, Universe, Madonna, Inner Light.... Then your pushing towards 40 tracks & making the 2nd album a double of 25+ songs....Plus there's a couple more masters to arguably consider, to make sure you get a double. After lifting 13 tracks for the 1st one. Mary Jane, an outfake mix of Sour Milk Sea...

 

For me, Revolution 9 works best as a stand alone piece. I've learned to truly appreciate it in this way that I just couldn't when listening to the White Album as a whole. I've gotten used to it as the climax of the album but I really embrace it best one on one. On the other hand, I've grown to hate Goodnight over the years. I used to like it but as I learned to appreciate R9, Goodnight popping up after it just irritates me more and more.

 

It was my favourite Beatles album for a while when I was still in my teens. I still think it's great, but it is quite a demanding listen. I definitely appreciate 'Revolution 9', but I don't necessarily always enjoy it (if that makes sense). 'I'm So Tired' is a particular standout track for me. However, it's really the whole - with its mix of rock, ballad, satire and parody - that does it for me.