Well, all good things must eventually come to an end. Back when I started, I had ideas for about a dozen albums, and I never dreamed that it would continue for seven years with more than 150 albums! For the final entry, I decided to end this blog with the way it started: a take on The Beatles' "White Album."
Way back in the good ol' days of 2017, I reimagined the While Album as three separate albums that I felt better organized the songs:
There are many ways you can slice and dice the album. But I find it both surprising and enlightening that of the 30 tracks that make up the White Album, only 16 (slightly more than half) actually feature all four band members performing.
And there doesn't seem to be any consistency of one member missing from a track. Lennon is the only no-show on Starr's "Don't Pass Me By" and Harrison's "Long Long Long." McCartney and Starr collaborated as a duo on "Why Don't We Do It in the Road?" while Lennon and Harrison were the only Beatles on "Revolution 9." Songs such as "Julia" and "Blackbird" are basically solo efforts for Lennon and McCartney respectively, and so on.
So, I put together the tracklist below if you want an actual, true "Beatles" White Album, with the full band contributing. The only problem is that one track had to go if you want to keep within the time constraints of a vinyl album.
SIDE A
1. Glass Onion
2. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
3. The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill
4. Birthday
So, I put together the tracklist below if you want an actual, true "Beatles" White Album, with the full band contributing. The only problem is that one track had to go if you want to keep within the time constraints of a vinyl album.
SIDE A
1. Glass Onion
2. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
3. The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill
4. Birthday
5. Happiness is a Warm Gun
6. Piggies
6. Piggies
7. Rocky Raccoon
8. Cry Baby Cry
8. Cry Baby Cry
SIDE B
1. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
2. Yer Blues
3. Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey
4. Honey Pie
5. Sexy Sadie
6. I'm So Tired
7. Helter Skelter
Interestingly, John Lennon's songs dominate this version of the album. So much so that when it came time for me to determine which track to leave out, I chose one of his: "Revolution 1." I figured that "Revolution" was released as a single, so jettison the slow version. Maybe it could have been the B-side of a single.
No band member performs on all 30 tracks of the White Album. Paul McCartney leads with 24, followed by Ringo Starr with 22, and both George Harrison and Lennon with 20 each.
The familiar album opening with a jet plane sound on "Back in the U.S.S.R" is not included because Starr walked out in a huff during the recording sessions, and McCartney handled drums instead. The same goes for "Dear Prudence." So, I ended up starting this album with tracks three and four.
I mixed up the order a bit, using "Cry Baby Cry" with its "Can You Take Me Back" closing tag as a nice way to end the first side. "My Guitar Gently Weeps" is given more of a spotlight as the opening track of the second side. And I closed the album with the metal "Helter Skelter"—the "I got blisters on my fingers!" line is a great way to end the album as a whole.
Overall, it's an interesting twist and mix.
Overall, it's an interesting twist and mix.
And so we end the blog. Thanks to all of those who've taken the time to read the entries and post comments. I'll leave the blog as is for the foreseeable future so that newcomers can find it and maybe be inspired.
Thank you so much for your efforts. I have enjoyed reading your blog over those years and have eagerly looked forward to each new post. Wishing you the best and hoping that this is only just a sabbatical rather than truly and end. Either way, however, the best to you in your future endeavors. JB
ReplyDeleteHi JB. Thanks so much for your comments, and glad you liked the blog. I had fun doing it, but I'm concentrating on other things. Thanks again
DeleteA rather fitting end to your blog; you started with an alternate version of The White Album; now you end with another version! I've just put together a companion piece that I've titled John, Paul, George and Ringo (a.k.a. The Black Album, to further contrast it), since most of the remaining songs were basically solo anyway:
ReplyDeleteSide A
Back in the U.S.S.R. (John, Paul and George)
Dear Prudence (John, Paul and George)
Mother Nature's Son (Paul)
Don't Pass Me By (Paul and Ringo)
Blackbird (Paul)
Julia (John)
Long, Long, Long (Paul, George and Ringo)
Side B
Martha My Dear (Paul, George and Ringo)
Savoy Truffle (Paul, George and Ringo)
Why Don't We Do It in the Road? (Paul and Ringo)
I Will (John, Paul and Ringo)
Wild Honey Pie (Paul)
Revolution 9 (John and George)
Good Night (Ringo)
So Paul, being the most dominant, shows up on 11 tracks (the only ones where he's absent from are all John's, with "Good Night" being written for Ringo), Ringo on seven, George on six and John on only five (again, "Good Night" is debatable since he wrote it, but he doesn't appear on the actual recording).
It's almost crazy how there appears to be a few occurring lineups in the songs, isn't there? Only six songs have three Beatles, and Paul is a consistent presence. (Five are with George, four with Ringo, and three with John.) Three songs feature half of the band, and John and Paul never play together. The remaining five are pure solo recordings.
I would also like to thank you for this work. I have been here for 4 weeks and will remember the blog fondly. A wonderful idea for music lovers. Thank you very much and whatever you do now, I wish you only the best.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for your inspiration and your work that means a lot to me. Even as a longtime music fan I discovered a lot thanks to you. Regards from central europe
ReplyDeleteAEC, thanks for all the power pop memories. Most enjoyable.
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