50th Anniversary Beatles White Album: Rank Songs 1-30 Mono or Stereo

In light of a possible 5.1 Beatles White Album later this year. I thought it would be fun to see who likes what songs more than others on the diverse double album and you can include if you prefer, decide whether you prefer the song in Mono or Stereo as well.

30) Don't Pass Me By ( doesn't matter although Mono has a sped up version, gets it over with faster)
29) Why Don't We Do It In The Road ( Stereo, the crazy high notes near the end is all I find interesting)
28) Wild Honey Pie ( Mono preferred and I'm betting Patti Harrison liked this version which is why it was included.
27) Honey Pie ( Stereo- John's guitar solo is the only redeeming quality for this song's inclusion. Any of George's 100+ versions of Not Guilty would have been better than any of the above four songs
26) Goodnight (Stereo- It is hard to believe John wrote this song. There was so much depth he kept hidden)
25) Revolution #9 ( Stereo- I have listened to this collage numerous times and it still amazes me)
24) I Will ( Stereo- The sung bass notes is cute, but the song is too cute overall. Almost an antidote for his previous song
23) Rocky Raccoon (Mono- Another overly cute song that wouldn't have made a single album)
22Martha My Dear ( Stereo Still another cute song, but this is about Paul's sheepdog so it's okay)
21) Piggies (Mono- Strange song in George's canon, Harpsichord is nice, some biting social commentary)
20) Glass Onion ( Mono- George Martin outdid himself here.)
19) Ob-La-De Ob-La-Da ( Stereo- A lot of work on this one, still don't think it was worth all the studio time)
18) Revolution #1 (Mono- Too many versions maybe? But I like this version anyway.)
17) Long Long Long ( Stereo- The rattling bottle of Blue Nun withstanding, lyrically been done before)
16) Helter Skelter ( Stereo- the stereo version is longer and better than its Mono relative)
15) Sexy Sadie ( Stereo- John at his sardonic best)
14) The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill ( Mono- The only time I don't object to Yoko's voice)
13) Mother Natures Son ( Stereo-One of two good to great acoustic McCartney songs)
12) Julia ( Stereo- The only Lennon solo song in the Beatles catalog!)
11) Cry Baby Cry ( Mono- Fun lyrics, some nice understated guitar, and McCartney's sneaky ending)
10) Birthday ( Stereo- preferred: This is an unheralded song full of energy and done in one night)
9) I'm So Tired ( Mono preferred- This rocks harder in Mono, you can feel the frustration of lack of sleep)
8) Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except For Me and My Monkey ( Stereo- This rocks!!!!)
7) Savoy Truffle ( Stereo- Mono version is botched near ending. This is Good Morning, Good Morning's little brother)
6) Yer Blues ( Either version!!! Awesome powerful song.)
5) Happiness is a warm Gun ( Stereo- Parts of three songs John put together to create one great song. Musically could be the history of rock and roll in less than three minutes.)
4) Back in the U.S.S.R. ( Mono- Paul can write great rock songs too!!!)
3) Blackbird (Stereo- For me, Paul's best song here)
2) Dear Prudence ( Stereo- Child-like with an undercurrent of powerful guitar work from John and George. The finger picking style courtesy of Donovan)
1) While My Guitar Gently Weeps-( Stereo preferred- George's first classic in the Beatle's canon. Paul's piano intro to Clapton's searing lead guitar work. Closing with McCartney singing in high falsetto behind George's pleas for help. This wouldn't be the last time George brought in an outside musician to help get the band rolling. Let It Be and Billy Preston were to come.

 

I thought the mono 'Revolution 1' was a fold down. Then again, the mono 'Revolution 9' is a fold down too, and I prefer that to the stereo as I find it more concentrated.

 

Interesting thread.
Wouldn't mind seeing other posts regarding prefered mono:stereo -song /mix choices.

 

Here's my ranking:

(there's not much to say about the mixes differences for me, to be honest)

30) I Will (Stereo)
29) Julia (Stereo)
28) Good Night (Stereo)
27) Don't Pass Me By (Stereo, if mono was not sped up I would prefer that)
26) Mother Nature's Son (Stereo)
25) Honey Pie (Stereo)
24) I'm So Tired (Stereo)
23) Yer Blues (Mono)
22) Sexy Sadie (Stereo)
21) Savoy Truffle (Stereo)
20) Long, Long, Long (Stereo)
19) Birthday (Stereo)
18) Blackbird (Stereo)
17) Rocky Raccoon (Stereo)
16) Revolution 1 (Stereo)
15) Why Don't We Do It In The Road? (Mono)
14) Cry Baby Cry (Stereo)
13) Piggies (Stereo)
12) Glass Onion (Stereo)
11) Happiness Is A Warm Gun (Mono)
10) Martha My Dear (Stereo)
09) The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill (Stereo)
08) Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (Stereo)
07) While My Guitar Gently Wheeps (Stereo)
06) Wild Honey Pie (Stereo)
05) Dear Prudence (Stereo)
04) Back In The U.S.S.R. (Mono)
03) Revolution 9 (Stereo)
02) Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey (Mono)
01) Helter Skelter (Mono, I wish the mono had the extended ending though)

 

I like this thread. I've only heard it in stereo unfortunately, despite owning a mono. I'll get back to you in a few years time.

 

i have never heard the mono, but i am certainly looking forward to the 5.1

 

I prefer the stereo mixes for most of the album, being these the exceptions:

-Dear Prudence (the obsessive riff being centered in mono makes the song hipnotic)

-Glass Onion (the drums drive this song much better in mono)

-Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da (in mono it sounds more frantic and joyful, not sure why)

-Bungalow Bill (The chorus sound messy in stereo, in mono the song is more consistent)

-Happiness Is A Warm Gun (the second and third segments sound much punchier in mono)

-Don't Pass Me By (the mono mix is better, and shorter! )

-Sexy Sadie (I just like the mono mix better)


As for Helter Skelter, I LOVE both mixes, for different reasons. I need both. I also like how in the mono I'm So Tired Paul's backing vocals are raised, although I prefer the stereo mix of the song.

 

I didn’t even know there were backing vocals on I’m So Tired.

 

They are mixed very low in stereo, but they are there, the part in "You'd say..."

 

I'm not going to as I know it wouldn't be popular or favourable, but now I want to do a mono vs stereo ranking thing like this for each and every album.

Cool. I'll try and listen for it next time.

 

This song (mono) also has a very up-front Paul vocal which is buried on the Stereo.

 

Not doing the whole list but Happiness Is A Warm Gun is 50 times better in mono.

 

30) Wild Honey Pie (Stereo). Why Paul Why is this on the album and Not Guilty is not?
29)Honey Pie ( Mono). John's guitar is surprisingly good for him. It is impressive that Paul could write in this 20's style but it is not a favorite of mine. I would love to here the Beatles do a straight version of this with just guitar/bass and drums.
28) Don't Pass Me By (Stereo). Ringo's first solo composition. It is a little long but not bad. The tape speed on the mono version sounds really weird and unnatural.
27) Why Don't We Do it In the Road? (Mono). Why Paul Why didn't you let John contribute to this one? This is another Paul song on the White Album that if only the whole band could have played on, it would have been better.
26) The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill (Stereo). Stereo version is easily better. The tape speed on the mono is off to my ears. The Kinfauns version although having some mistakes on it, is more interesting. This is one of those late 60's sing along songs that sounds dated today. The lyrics however are very good and is tell a story which is a very unusual type of song for John. I would love to hear an outtake of this one on the 50's anniversary version if there is one.
25) Martha My Dear (Mono). Paul doing it by himself again and the results are mixed. A very strong melody though. The mono mix has more bite to it.
24) Rocky Raccoon (Mono). Paul with a little help from John. The mono again has more bite and sounds more like a band performance.
23) Goodnight (Stereo). The stereo mix is beautiful here. A very lush version of a John song. Will one of John's demos of this song finally be released for the 50th?
22) I Will (Mono). The mono is missing the bass in the beginning but it is still my favorite mix of the song. Another beautiful melody and I think that 3 Beatles actually play on a Paul song here.
21) Yer Blues (Stereo). I am not crazy about either mix of this song. The mono sounds artificial and the stereo has way too much separation on a band performance of this overlooked John song. The Rock and Roll Circus version from December of 1968 with Keith Richards, Mitch Mitchell and Eric Clapton is fantastic and unfortunately smokes this version.
20) Glass Onion (Stereo). The mono mix from Anthology is probably my favorite version of the song as it sounds more rocking without the string overdubs. The stereo mix has lot of bass though and I prefer it to the mono mix from 68.
19) Revolution 9 (Stereo). This is my favorite recording of John's sound collage recordings. There stereo does a lot of cool things and a 5.1 mix could be really a cool listen if it can be done.
18) Piggies (Mono). The mono mix sounds again, more like a band version.
17) Sexy Sadie (Stereo). A strong Lennon song with the full band doing a good job with it. The stereo mix is pretty well thought out for a Beatles stereo mix.
The mono mix sounds weird.
16) Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (Stereo) A very fine stereo mix. The mono is missing some hand claps at the beginning.
15)Everybody's got something to hid except for me and my monkey (Stereo). The bass on the stereo is loud and sounds great! This is the band sounding good.
14) Long, Long, Long (Mono). The stereo mix sounds like it was done in about 10 minutes where as the mono sounds like the one that the Beatles really tried to mix and get right.
13) Revolution No 1 (Stereo). The stereo mix is a classic and the separation is very good. The drums and bass are actually pretty centered on this. The mono is a fold down of the stereo mix.
12) Back in the USSR (Mono). The best mix of this one is the one Love DVD version that edits out the stupid jet sounds except for the beginning and the end. The mono is the next best thing though as it has the Beatles sounding more like a band than on the stereo mix.
11) Helter Skelter (Mono) The Beatles sound mean in the mono but the stereo has some booming bass in the stereo that the stereo lacks and the mono also is missing the second fade out with the now iconic; "I've Got Blisters on my Fingers" from Ringo. The stereo separation on the stereo is just too aggressive and it doesn't give the impression of the band playing like a band like the mono does. Paul seldom ever sounded this dangerous again in his whole career.
10)I'm so Tired (Mono). The mono version just smokes the stereo. The band sounds great in mono.
9)Mother Nature's son (Mono). The mono version just smokes the stereo.
8) Savoy Truffle (Mono). A very overlooked classic by George. The mono mix rocks. The stereo has the lead vocals completely mixed to one side which just sounds weird.
7) Cry Baby Cry (Mono). The mono mix again sounds like a band and just has more bite. The stereo mix has some of the lead vocals completely panned to one side, which I do not like. A spooky lyric from John and uncharacteristic for him.
6)Blackbird (Mono). Mono is the only way to go on a solo acoustic number. A great song by Paul.
5) Birthday (Stereo). One of the best stereo mixes of the Beatles career. A great band recording.
4) Julia (Mono). The mono is the only way to go here. As a guitar player, I have always found this song to be really hard to play. John's version of the beginning D chord is hard to form. It sounds like John had really big hands to form some of those chords on this one.
3)Happiness is a Warm Gun (mono). The mono mix of this would have to rank in the top Beatles songs ever. The mono rocks as hard as anyone did in 68.
2) While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Stereo). A masterpiece but this is a song that I feel like I have never really heard a proper mix of. The mono sounds kind of dull and the stereo is missing a bottom end. The Rock Band remix does not fade out which is cool. I am very excited to hear outtakes of this track on the 50th anniversary.
1) Dear Prudence (Stereo). Actually, look up the Rock Band remix on this one. It has the beginning guitars not fading in or out. The mono's bass just sounds too quiet. A classic track.

 

Nice work!!

 

all S t e r e o...no mono...not a single song.

 

The Mono mix on the harder songs rocks harder. U.S.S.R. . Monkey, I'm So Tired, Birthday, etc...

 

yea, we need a 5.1 to emulate the mono mix...go giles go! crush it! crush it! crush it! LOL...

 

Any official Apple statement confirming its release?

 

Not yet

 

Has anyone heard Giles is even working on it? Would probably release it arouind the date it originally released in 68.

 

His recent tweeter feed reveals nothing cept his Sonus speakers plug.

November release date sounds about right.

 

I had asked this on another thread and had gotten a few good responses but I can’t remember what the general answer was, sorry. So I’m not sure.

 

Log into Facebook | Facebook