The Beatles – White Album…..Desert Island Albums

https://slicethelife.com/2020/07/09/2020-album-draft-round-1-pick-4-badfinger20-selects-the-beatles-the-white-album-the-beatles/

The White Album was released in 1968 and peaked at #1 in the Billboard Album Chart, #1 in Canada, #1 in the UK, and #1 about everywhere else…and it would be #1 as well on “Max’s Desert Island.”

Is this considered the Beatle’s best album? Probably not but if I had to take just one with me to that proverbial desert island…this would be the one. They have albums that are considered better like Revolver and Sgt Pepper but I relate to the rawer songs on this album. The album’s actual name is “The Beatles” but for obvious reasons, it will forever be known as the White Album.

When John Lennon was killed in 1980 there were three albums I bought that long winter. Double Fantasy, The White Album,  and Abbey Road. I’m back there again in that 1980-81 winter and spring when I hear this album.

The White Album is as diverse as you can get… Pop, Rock, Country, Folk, Reggae, Avant-Gard, Blues, Hard Rock, and some 20’s British Music Hall thrown in the mix. It has plenty of songs that you have heard of and many that the masses have not heard as much. John Lennon wrote one of his best songs for this album… Dear Prudence.

The Beatles more than many bands could bend to a style of music and play that style well.

Some critics said they should have taken the best of the two albums and slimmed it down to one…but as a Beatles fan…Nahhhhh. It’s the friggin Beatles White Album!

My favorite songs: Sexy Sadie, Dear Prudence, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Cry Baby Cry, Helter Skelter, I Will, I’m So Tired, Revolution 1, Yer Blues, Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except For Me and My Monkey, Back In The USSR, Rocky Raccoon, Happiness Is A Warm Gun and Glass Onion.

Are all of the 30 songs up to the Beatle’s high standards? No, but more than enough are to make this a great double album.

Although the songs differ in style they all have that Beatles touch to them whether it be the hard Helter Skelter, country Rocky Raccoon, or even the fairytale-like Cry Baby Cry.

The sessions were not the happiest time for the band but they came up with the most eclectic batch of songs they ever produced.

  1. Back In The USSR
  2. Dear Prudence
  3. Glass Onion
  4. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
  5. Wild Honey Pie
  6. The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill
  7. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
  8. Happiness Is A Warm Gun
  9. Martha My Dear
  10. I’m So Tired
  11. Blackbird
  12. Piggies
  13. Rocky Raccoon
  14. Don’t Pass Me By
  15. Why Don’t We Do It In The Road?
  16. I Will
  17. Julia
  18. Birthday
  19. Yer Blues
  20. Mother Nature’s Son
  21. Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey
  22. Sexy Sadie
  23. Helter Skelter
  24. Long, Long, Long
  25. Revolution 1
  26. Honey Pie
  27. Savoy Truffle
  28. Cry Baby Cry
  29. Revolution 9
  30. Good Night

The #Beatles, The White Album - Fab Four Art- See ArtMythicaShop ...

Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player.

21 thoughts on “The Beatles – White Album…..Desert Island Albums”

      1. Nice and that’s a good son! lol
        Did you jsut see the Stones are puting out Goats Head Soup in a deluxe version. That new old tune Criss Cross is quite good.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Dude!!! I didn’t know about it…LOVE that damn song! I love the new old stuff. It’s been sitting on a shelf for almost 50 years.
        Thanks dude you made my day!

        Liked by 1 person

  3. I commented on the other site as you know so won’ t repeat myself other than to say good writeup! And Hans’ is worth checking out, an album a day for 100 days from 10 music writers.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  4. I am about ready to start collecting some Beatles Vinyl. I have slowly picked up some or found some in a collection I’ve picked up so I only have about 4 albums. This is not one. Their catalog is so vast with all the reissues and such so I don’t know where to really begin and which ones to get.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. The ones I always recommend to people are Rubber Soul and Revolver…if possible the UK version. If not a popular collection is Yesterday and Today… it is a great companion piece to those albums that has the songs that America didn’t include on those two albums.

      Until Sgt Pepper…America (Capitol Records) messed with their albums…Sgt Peppers, Magical Mystery Tour, White Album, Abbey Road, and Let It Be are all good and each version is the same as far as songs in the UK and America.

      Thats probably more info than you wanted.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  5. Not The Beatles’ best album but actually The Beatles’ best album…I say that, because I, like you and most other people I know always select this one as their desert island album. It just showcases the wide range of what they could do and though it has a kind of chambered feel to it, it still has the Beatles vibe–things hadn’t turned totally ugly between them yet

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thank you. I am so glad to hear someone else say it. I didn’t mention this but I will say also…I’m not big on remixes but as this one in 2018 is incredible. It’s like they are in the next room.
      Most people would pick Revolver…and I would not say that is wrong but like you said this gives you so much. It’s like a Beatles sample platter…This is my desert island album.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      2. Yes I should have mentioned the Esher demos! My son is 20 and I never pushed him but he purchased the 2018 White Album Remix on Vinyl…one of my proud dad moments lol.

        Liked by 1 person

  6. Pingback: December 28 – Fab Four #1 At Being #1 – A Sound Day

Leave a comment