Reviews (page 10 of 14)
The Good: The BEATLES The Bad: no revolution 2 through 8 The Ugly: too much of this, not enough of that Yes, "the white album" is viewed by critics as one of, if not THE best album ever recorded. I am not a critic, I just enjoying listening to music and finding out if my head will sway left and right... more importantly, whether or not I will find myself yearning to listen to the album again for the coming days. For the moment, I have not found myself yearning too much. Though I have to say that Revolution 9 is an AWESOME recording, and will most likely be the tune I pick as selection for my 1001 album playlist. Though initially I thought I would choose While My Guitar Gently Weeps, I have to say that I was disappointed in the terrible guitar playing--Prince just raised the bar too much with his solo in this version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SFNW5F8K9Y Anyway, yes, great songwriting, and the fab4 are/were great musicians, but this is not my favorite Beatles album. 4* stars due to the classic tunes on here, but it should be 3*
I love the Beatles and I love this album. It's not my favorite album, it's a bit all 'over the place', which is probably a reflection of how the band was during this tumultuous period, Ringo quit the band for a couple of weeks! It's WAY TO LONG! Fav's - Happiness is a Warm Gun and While My Guitar Gently Weeps. I also like annoying people by claiming to like Revolution 9 lol
What a crazy album! I enjoyed this one more than the Revolver album (which could be because I listened to it while tipsy, in a hot tub, with a Beatles loving friend, who was singing along to every track!) Its pretty bizarre in places, unhinged lyrics, and I imagine it was released in a time where no one could say 'no' or edit down the track listings! Its a bit long and I didn't enjoy every track, but I'm giving it a 4 Fave Tracks: While my guitar gently weeps and Blackbird
Didn’t love this as much as I thought I would. Still pretty good though.
This album is (almost) wall to wall excellent. The percentage of songs on this double album that are iconic is hard to fathom. It pains me to have to give it four stars though, thanks solely to Revolution 9. I once jumped over a couch to shut this song off it’s so awful. To justify this one song taking away a full star, to me it is like someone who everyone knows to be a really nice guy - a friendly, shirt off his back kinda guy. Just the best guy. But then you find out he also runs a dogfighting ring. It’s just that bad of a song.
this is a groundbreaking album, but its not a perfect 5
The highs are tempered by some objectively mediocre to bad songs (even in the context of the time). Still a great album, but needed a brutal cut to 3 sides at the very most
Not my favourite favourite Beatles album but still a classic.
They're high on their own supply at this point in their career, but it's pretty good supply so there're lots of good songs on here. My god, the hype is out of control, though - get a grip, people!
The monkey DEFINITELY has something to hide.
So many songs, some very trippy
Favorite Tracks: While My Guitar Gently Weeps Back In The U.S.S.R. Helter Skelter
IMO, it has all their best stuff on it. But, boy, does it need an editor.
I am ungodly excited for this. The first song kicks anything Franz Ferdinand had to say yesterday to fuckin Pluto. Back in the USSR rips. Meat and potatoes rock that is somehow thought provoking and exciting. What at time feels like an interlude is still somehow so invigorating. That lead guitar rules. Glass onion grew on me. Ob-La-Di-Ob-La-Dull. Music that plays at a swinger retreat at an affordable Sandals. Possibly a cruise ship Wednesday dance lineup in an empty ballroom. Raffi for sad adults. Pass. Weird interlude makes me happy. TikTok distortion sounds were, wait, done BEFORE TikTok???? Good stuff. Bungalow bill is kids music with heartbreaking folk verses and a bunch of weird voice changes. God it’s sick. Mild applause outro is the cherry on top. Time for some guitar tears without the pomp of Yngwie Malmsteen or Steve Vai pretending they’re able to convey a single emotion via their rigidity. This is great. The riff is heavy, the guitar is soulful. This album has excellent songwriting Blues mixed with nostalgia mixed with soul. Every song is hitting for the most part. The vocals both lead and backing rule so hard. These guys aren’t overrated. I said it. I’ll have a sasparilla Mack. Oh wait, that was just the open. Violins being introduced now? A little saccharine here but there’s still such dynamism in the vocal lines. Not a highlight here, but the structures keep you waiting for what’s next. I’m so tired. Speak for yourself Beatle, I’m pretty excited still. Another nice blues-y song. Blackbird is a hit and probably plays at millennial weddings, but it is very nice. There are just such excellent songwriting ideas. Quiet and beautiful. Back to early hints of psychedelia. Kids songs with odd macabre elements. Gripping. Especially the pig sounds. Impersonating our young neighbours to the south??? I won’t have it. Yes I will. I lied. Why is this song about a gunslinger raccoon so beautiful. Despite the abhorrent practice of performing human surgery on what I can only assume is abominant anthropomorphic raccoon, this song makes me want to kick down a saloon door and reinjure this raccoon if only to hear another song. Wet circus music is the only way I can describe the next song. Distorted kids album from hell is kind of fitting this album. Mixed in with some of the best songs ever, this puppy is rolling along. Then it’s somehow a bluegrass song? Man I hate all other music now. I’m an insufferable Beatles dad. Do WHAT in the road??? Blues classic. Somehow so good. White guy blues has the potential of dipping into Hard Rock Cafe core, but this feels genuine. Of course it does. It’s their main influence. In a song title that could be a response to the last song, I will is another gentle moment following the raucous outpouring of blues power in the previous track. Although this is a little bit cheesy, the odd instrumentation keeps things gripping. End of disc 1 pretty much. Have to get past the first obnoxious chorus of the day. Ah well. Can’t all be hits. WHOA. It’s a birthday. And a recognizable riff from what feels like a 1000 movie montages. It’s not my birthday nor is it any member of the Beatles (I checked). This was mid. Now lonely and wanting to die?? That’s a sentiment people can get behind. This rules. More excellent blues with heavy guitar and PROMINENT bass. That main riff rules. This album has so many ideas that would be done worse as time went on. Sometimes with pioneering stuff, you hear rudimentary versions of what would become better. Just the opposite here which is impressive. Saying that, this song IS fairly boring, but it predates even more boring stuff that would rip this off. That monkey seems like he’s hiding something. Namely weird screaming and a bizarre interlude. Nothing much to say about this. Apparently Helter Skelter invented metal. It did not, considering the song Black Sabbath was released ONE year later. Still. The song rules. It makes me mad that people who have never listened to metal have determined this to be its birth because it’s loud. Anyway, I have blisters on my fingers from writing this poorly conceived schlock about these albums. I need a diary. This album is long long long. I’m sure this could have been like three albums or maybe had a few songs cut as there are some dragging points. This is one. Slow revolution! This song is great in all forms. The peanuts style horn is a choice. This song invented doo-wop (helter skelter callback, relax). This is certainly a less wild honey pie. 20’s nostalgia?? these are Benny Goodman hours. What a strange end to this. Kind of lurching to a finish. Still fascinating, but less musical. Yeah I’m running out of inane things to say. For now. I’m sure I’ll recharge. But this one is sort of limping to the finish. Hoping for a big final two songs. Number 9. We’re taking music to strange new places pal. I’m a pretentious nerd so I like this. Sue me. Man the mushrooms did indeed hit in the last couple tracks. A psychedelic children’s hymn closer. What else? HIGHLIGHTS: Back in the USSR, The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill, While my Guitar Gently Weeps, Rocky Raccoon, Yer Blues, Helter Skelter, Revolution 1, Revolution 9
The sheer volume of songs is impressive.
люблю пару песен с альбома, но в целом больше Дон Дрейпер в его отношении
I was surprised by how diverse this album was and how many songs I enjoyed. Still not a Beatles fan, lover, or anything close to that, but I was able to pull some fun out of it. The double album does drag near the end, but there is a good peppering of those good songs. Standouts: While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Martha My Dear, Blackbird, Rocky Raccoon, Don’t Pass Me By, Everybody Has Something To Hide Except Me and My Monkey, and shelter Skelter.
I think this is pretty easily the band's most divisive record, and that makes a lot of sense. It's proof that the double album is always a risky endeavor that in my honest opinion hardly ever pays off. Don't get me wrong, there are great double albums out there, but even The Beatles show that it's very easy to jam pack them with filler. Too much of this album feels like The Beatles' Appalachian Vacation, and if you're a familiar listener, you know exactly which tracks I'm talking about. Not to mention no one is arguing that Birthday is a generation-defining masterpiece. Even if you're a diehard fan, you have to be questioning what some songs are doing here. That said, The White Album is responsible for producing some of the most iconic songs in the catalog. Blackbird, Back in the USSR, Helter Skelter (arguably the first "metal" song), Happiness is a Warm Gun with its insane time changes, and WMGGW are undeniably great. It also almost single-handedly changed the direction rock music would go in for the next 40 years. So I guess there’s that.
Great stuff. Justifiably famous. Some silly tracks on here that could definitely have been left on the cutting room floor (e.g. the totally unnecessary "Rocky Racoon", "Revolution 9", "Everybody's Got Something..."), but overall really decent music that really showcases their creative and musical ability.
good album would be better if you trimmed off at least 10 of the filler tracks
Très longtemps que je ne l’avais pas écouté, comme si le côté « enfantin » et joyeux des Beatles ne collait plus à l’ambiance du monde actuel alors que c’est un très bon album De tres bons morceaux surtout sur le CD1, bons morceaux sur le CD2 Réel plaisir à réécouter l’ensemble Sauf Revolution 9 … au secours ! Je préfère le pourtant très décrié Obladi-Oblada à ce collage sans queue ni tête
Its the fucking Beatles White Album. If it were 45 mins shorter, it would be the best Beatles album far.
Good album with some great tracks
Again, not my favourite Beatles album, but a fascinating look into how their music changed over the decade or so they were together. I hate Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da with a passion.
Rarely do I give albums 2 listens before reviewing but I really missed the beauty of this album on the first listen. Really enjoyed this despite not have many hit songs on her.
Disc 1 is great, maybe not my style 100% but my highlights would be While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Back In The USSR Disc 2 is worse, but the highlights are; Helter Skelter, Revolution 1, Savoy Truffle
Classic, many hits. Some filler
No review needed. Great from start to finish. There are a number of songs on this album that seem like they were experiments and could have been cut. E.g. Revolution 9
I struggle to really get heavily into this album. I love the variety of sounds and experimental vision, I just don't think the songwriting is up to par with my favorite Beatles albums. A classic nonetheless, just not top tier.
I felt high
Could have been 5 stars for 'while my guitar gently weeps' alone, but then 'revolution no. 9'....!
Really really good
It's the White Album. What more needs to be said.
This is probably the weirdest mishmash of styles and tone I’ve ever known put on an album. But it all works. That’s just a massive testament to The Beatles’ songwriting abilities (collective and individual) that they were able to channel something amazing while the band was falling apart. From any other artist, a double album with so little cohesion would have been a disaster (e.g. Bob Dylan’s Self Portrait), but somehow an hour and a half of songs as varied as the proto-metal “Helter Skelter”, folksy “Mother Nature’s Son”, completely avant-garde “Revolution 9”, and borderline novelty songs like “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” and “Piggies” actually fit well together. This album is far from flawless, but its flaws help define it.
Enough variety to be interesting; too many weird ones for a full 5. Some really good ones on here, though, and I'll always have a soft spot for it. "I Will" is the lullaby I sing to my kiddo at bedtime <3 4/5
Back in the U.S.S.R, Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Di, While Me Guitar Gently Weeps, Helter Skelter, Blackbird och Revolution är 5or allihop. Allt på denna skiva är inte det. Psykadelika hits hard eller olika iallfall. Bungalow Bill är inte en höjdare t ex eller Wild Honey. På Bungalow Bill hånar man tydligen en amerikan som mediterar i Indien och avbryter meditationen för att döda ett lejon och sen återvända till meditation. Kul grej att håna. Om man inte är engelsman och världsmästare i kolonisation. Lol. Och måste Yoko Ono köra? Inte bara jag som undrar. Resten av The Beatles gjorde det också. Hur som helst. The Beatles är The Beatles och det får bli en 4a för det som är bra är ju sjukt bra och det andra är en 3a så 4a blir ett medel.
Lång. Men bra. Vissa låtar är snorbra. Andra bra, en del ok. Hade med lätthet gått att släppa ett album med bara bra låtar. Men ändå kul med många låtar. While my guitar gently weeps är bäst.
Väldigt mycket bra på den här skivan, men också några bottennapp. My guitar gently weeps, som jag verkligen älskar, är dock för mig den enda absoluta fullträffen. Som helhet ändå en fyra.
A great album
Took many years to get into this, but glad I finally did. The ingenuity and innovation is extremely impressive, but the one thing holding it back is it's insistence on including songs that are too far out there and too far removed from musical reality it detracts from the rest of the album. Some songs aren't great but allow the album to push it's boundaries (Bungalow Bill, Honey Pie, etc.), but others take that too far and ruin it a bit. I think if they excluded Wild Honey Pie, Piggies, Revolution 9 etc. The latter inclusion are the only thing holding this record back from being 5*.
Good, Very sentimental
Decent early hippy rock
Dude so many bangers on this on this one. It’s a bit long and it’s hard for be to listen to but like there’s so fucking GOOD SONGS on here. Quality Beatles.
Would be 5 stars if not for Revolution Nine. Lots of good songs.
It covers a lot of sonic territory, and shows the individual visions of the Beatles as John becomes more John, Paul becomes more Paul, and George gets to spread his wings. Ringo is, classically, still Ringo. Having said that, it is a coherent piece of work, with some lovely spaces in the arrangements and harmonies.
hmmmmmmmmm. Maybe controversial but I don't think this is a 5*. Not quite. 85/100
mid ass
I think that this album is interestingly filled with hits. So many of the songs that are here are could be a classic of their own. Strong stuff.
Great album with some absolute masterpieces, but I can't give it a five because it's just so long, and on a such long album there are bound to be a couple of tracks I feel lukewarm about. There's also Revolution 9 which has got to be one of the worst things I've heard in my life... Highlights: Ob-la-di, ob-la-da, While my guitar gently weeps, I'm so tired, Back in the USSR, Yer Blues and many more 4.5 stars
Not my favorite Beatles album, but still has a lot of great songs on it. It is certainly a mix of styles of music. They do have some songs on the white album that could have been omitted.
Definitely an underrated album by the Beatles but towards the end I started to question why they did a double track. The second track was extremely subpar from the first because they were just putting stuff together and hoping it will go together
This album never really had a chance to be a 5 star because it’s a double. It’s just so long. Sure there’s some really solid songs on here. “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da”, “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” is just incredible love Harrison’s melancholy voice it’s perfect for this song. I also really liked “Yer Blues” and “Helter Skelter” hadn’t heard those before. But it’s just so long and “Revolution 9” is not what I want to be listening to towards the end especially since I wasn’t high as a kite while listening so really didn’t like that. Overall a solid album but not necessarily a great one.
Some great & classic tracks on here. Do feel like it lags in few spots & really, really did not care for Revolution 9 at all
Ah, now that's a familiar one. If I’m being honest it's probably a little too indiscriminate for its own good, as if every Beatle became infected with Paul’s frivolous songwriting spirit. At the same time however, there is scarcely a single moment that I don't enjoy or vibe to on at least a superficial level, Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da/ Piggies/Rocky Raccoon and all. (Though this applies more strongly to Disc 1. That said, even Revolution 9 has its interesting spots.) And then of course you have the highs of Back in the U.S.S.R, Dear Prudence (a previous blindspot), While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Happiness is a Warm Gun, I'm So Tired, Blackbird, Yer Blues, Long, Long, Long (which was my favorite Beatles song for a long, long, long time). The diversity is a big strength, and the album is a rather delectable cornucopia, for the most part.
I've been critical of how the Beatles are overrated in the context of modern music, but this album was really good. Certainly it didn't have a natural flow or a cohesiveness between the different tracks, but it showed the groups ability and interest in multiple genres. Not a perfect album, but very well done. 4/5.
I haven't actually listened to any album with this many tracks before. However, this album wasn't much of a chore. Many great tracks I added to my playlist immediately. So much quality. The highlights really are great. However there is also a tangled mess of tracks in between showing the different experimental ideas each member had, and some don't work so well. I have also been hypnotised by the number 9. Highlights: Back In The U.S.S.R. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da Martha My Dear Blackbird Yer Blues Revolution 1
- this album was much better than I expected - the songs are tight and well made - loved the variety in sound, especially Helter Skelter
This could have been a 5-star album based off of the greatness of Dear Prudence, Blackbird, I'm So Tired, I Will, Happiness Is A Warm Gun, While My Guitar Gently Weeps and Sexy Sadie, but they had to add filler and knock it down a peg. The first disc is excellent outside of a couple throwaway tracks but the second disc falters. If they just moved Helter Skelter, Revolution 1, and Sexy Sadie to the first disc and didn't make it a double album, this might have been the best record of all time. Revolution 9 is one of the worst "songs" ever recorded and including it at all really takes you out of the album right at the end. I wanted to give this 5 stars but the inclusion of the nonsense that is Revolution 9 will not allow me to do so
Really solid tracks throughout, even if it was a bit long and rough around the edges
Honestly, there’s no point in me writing a long, in-depth review of this album. Everything that can be said about this iconic album has already been said. Its influence, diversity, and groundbreaking nature have been analyzed and praised countless times.
1st half great, 2nd half ok.
I almost gave this a 5, but it could have been trimmed a bit. There are some great songs, though.
A bloated mess of an album with all time greats and Revolution 9
Maybe their 6th or 7th best album - odd filler tracks.
Noteworthy songs - 808080808 Magical Dream - Kinda catchy synth, but the rest is bland. Ancodia - Good background noise. Cobra Bora - Actually kind of cool, reminds me of Bomberman Hero. Pacific 202 - N64 vibes, but melody isn't great. Donkey Doctor - Nothing too special, weird ending. 808080808 - Really cool beginning. A little slow in the middle but stays interesting enough. Sunrise - Nothing remarkable. The Fat Shadow - Eerie. Very short.
Great album
One of the most influential and enduring albums of all time. Still prefer Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
So. Obviously huge album. And as a result the point I'm going to make has been made about a million times before. But if you took 2/3 of disc 1 and 1/3 of disc 2 you'd have one of the greatest albums of all time. The rest could have been red meat for b-sides and cash in compilations in the 90s. Or some of the weaker solo albums. Can you complain that there's a perfect album tucked in amongst the less good stuff? Yes. Yes you can
This album is so. Bloody. Long. I thought most of the songs were not all that interesting — not rubbish or technically incompetent, simple not very memorable and lyrically bizarre. However, I recognise the wide and disparate experimentation in virtually all genres and thus the influence this album has exhibited on all of popular music. I will not revisit this. ‘Revolution 9’ is the best track.
Not my favorite Beatles album but some of my favorite Beatles songs.
I think this music would scare the girls obsessing over them in their early days
A good chunk of this album was unfamiliar to me prior to listening, so its was refreshing being able to fill in these "listening gaps" per se. Long gone is the LSD-fueled psychedelic rock and now enters a wide array of musical genres and styles. This almost feels like a compilation album as a result and add in the fact that the group was largely at odds throughout the duration of the album's recording, then things start to connect. Tough to say if this hurts or strengthens the album, as each Beatle was able to feature their own musical creativity. However, it is hard to ignore just how much this album zig-zags as a result of the aforementioned infighting. I do appreciate the different sounds offered ("Helter Skelter" among others) but there were a few tracks that felt like filler or had a completely asinine premise (See: "Wild Honey Pie" or even "Why Don't We Do It in the Road?", inspired by Paul seeing two monkeys porking in the street). An uneven, roller coaster of an album...but it's still the Beatles at the end of the day. The signature songwriting and composition is still there. Some of their greatest works and personal favorites of mine are also found here (i.e. "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" & "Blackbird"). Maybe this would've worked better compacted into a single album, who knows? Reading about the background and production of this album was very enlightening, though. (Side note: that's the first and only time I'll ever listen to "Revolution 9". I neither gained nor lost from that experience.)
This has a flawless 45 minutes on it but about half of this is not very exciting folk ballads. I will rate it higher because some of the best songs I've heard are on here. A
Enjoyed this very much. A few strange little tunes especially the last song, which quite frankly I couldn’t listen to but overall enjoyed the album a lot. So much talent, creativity…and a lot of mind expanding drugs were had in the creation of this album.
What's with the part where he goes "Happiness is a warm, yes it is, gun" What is pretty amazing about this is how short yet iconic countless songs on this record, and their other records, are - they feel like snippets, don't overstay their welcome, and yet they are long-remembered as significant works... very cool! And impressively modern, I almost can’t believe Helter Skelter is a Beatles song! I probably prefer the first disc but overall a truly great album. Revolution is also a very catchy song but it sounds like Bill Maher wrote the lyrics
The White Album is an absolute freakfest. Especially compared to the beatles preceding album Sgt. Pepper's which is so sunny and schmaltzy that it sounds like children's music... Listening to the The White Album to me has always felt like you can hear the seams of the 60s unraveling and the hippie movement collapsing in upon itself. It's very raw and frantic at points, it veers into a psychedelica that borders schizophrenic and Revolution 9 will always stick with me for what it meant for the most popular band on earth to put out a Fluxus-esque piece of music concrete at the height of their fame... it would be the equivalent of like if one direction made a collab album with merzbow in 2014.
Coulda definitely trimmed the fat
Opinions seem to differ over this more than over any other Beatles album. It's many people's favourite. I'd put it behind Hard Day's Night, Help, Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt Pepper's, Magical Mystery Tour and Abbey Road. But it's still by The Beatles and some of it is beautiful.
This is the album I've probably re-listened to the most since starting this. There's a lot going on here! As a cohesive album of tunes, it's pretty bad - it feels more like a collection of B-sides with a few A-sides thrown in but the A-sides are so good it's worth the wait, and the B-sides are all very diverse and interesting. There's some they should probably have left off however, so it's hard to give it a 5, but it's a solid 4.
The high points are high, but man I didn’t realize the amount of filler on this album. But I can’t go lower than a four, despite Rocky Raccoon and Bungalow Bill tempting me.
It was good. I have knew a lot of the songs.
Some of The Beatles best work is on this album and there are patches where it's amongst the finest works ever committed to vinyl/CD/mp3, but there are some bad tracks on here, too. It just seems criminal to have tracks like Ob-la-di on the same album as Happiness is a Warm Gun etc.
You know what? This doesn't hit the way it used to. Don't get me wrong...it's a great album -- a great SINGLE album. I mean, it's kinda fun to hear the lads basically given carte blanche to do whatever they want sonically. The hits are there, but there's a lot of filler to wade through as they explore the studio space. They could have trimmed this, but they were the fucking Beatles. Anyway, it belongs on all the lists. Yer Blues is still one of the most underrated Beatles tunes, and it was fun being stoned and listening to the album on headphones -- which really is the medium of choice.
Remembering this one from my childhood as something epic, but listening to it now i realize it's not that epic. Maybe a song named "Why don't we do it in the road" was too inspiring for a boy.
The Beatles are amazing and The White Album has some of my favorite tracks. There are moments where I easily can imagine their music coming out in more recent years and others where their sound is squarely in the sound of their time. I think there are more experimental efforts here and, in particular, Revolution 9 sounds like a fever dream. Overall this is a great album and I would give a 5 without a few of the skips.
didnt know a good chunk of the songs on here but definitely knew most
It's been a really long time since I listened to the White Album. It's a combination of some of my favorite Beatles songs and some songs I had completely forgotten existed. It feels like the perfect culmination of all the experimentation they did in the preceding albums. They still play around with different sounds and genres across the double album, but each song has a clear, consistent identity.
Of course I had heard a lot of the songs on this album, but I don’t think I had ever listened through it as an album. I’m honestly not sure how much sense the songs make as an album—side one is a lot of fun, short songs (some with a little social commentary) that are great to listen to as one offs. Side two gets a little more experimental and psychedelic and overall seems more cohesive. Worth a listen, but I think most people are familiar with at least a handful of the tracks on this album as singles.
The Beatles make such excellent music for children. The variety is enough to teach while keeping interest and relating to higher themes that are learned later. Listening to this in its' entirety reminds me of that. The diversity is especially notable with the double album, as are the influences of both India and Yoko. Not the top 2, but an important step of the Beatles journey. Not every tack is perfect: many are great, but mom always used to skip Revolution 9
The hippies must have lost their minds when this came out
Great album with some Of the Beatles best songs on it, but it’s just too long for me to give this full marks. Half the album of the best songs and it’s arguably the Beatles best album, but that’s maybe just my bias against double albums.
George: "Hey, I was wondering if a couple more of my songs could be put on the album?" John: "Nah, sorry mate. We gotta have room for Yoko and I's 8-minute noise session."
Well it would be the best Beatles album if you cut it down to a single album...some brilliance (Ussr, Guitar Weepss)and some chaff.(Rocky Raccoon, Bungalow Bill etc) Its gonna be a 4 obviously.
Not my favorite of their work but still a good album all around
Lots of their big hits in this one. A bit long and repetitive but the bangers saved it.
I know the beatles are beyond classic but this double album is a lot of music to swallow. Some of these tracks are catchy but so dated in ways I don't really care to appreciate. Other songs like dear prudence are incredible to this day. Songs like wild honey pie could've done better on the cutting room floor. At least to me, it feels like this album is loaded with filler songs. Best songs: dear prudence, while my guitar gently weeps, blackbird,
Classic
Pretty good. Shows its age, but stands well against rime. Back in the USSR is a banger
USSR- Groovy track, cool opener Glass Onion - BANGER Really interesting instrumentals (sounds very experimental for the 60s) When My Guitar Gentley Weeps - Loveeee the transition into this song. This song is CHEFS KISS MWAH
The Beatles... trying to keep an open mind. JMW While my guitar gently weeps is a banger I forgot about. RIP George Harrison Talk about an album you won't get bored of. It's impressive to have such a variety of music. KW
maybe it would be a five if it was shorter and more tight... great album but suffers from some not so great tracks. not a big beatles fan but this album lives up to the name
Very chill album, would listen to it for a beach trip or something to relax too
ask charles manson to rate this instead
A really great album. I’ve never heard the White Album in its entirety. Abbey Road and Sergeant Pepper are still my favorites, but this one is great too! 4/5!
This is actually one of my least favorite Beatles albums, though Yellow Submarine takes that cake. I feel like it runs a little long and there are some fillers like Revolution 9. I really dislike Why Don't We Do It In The Road? Relevance for this list: 5/5 Personal enjoyment: 4/5
Oh boy. There is a lot to say about this album, mainly because of how much there is in this album. This is my first 90+ minute-long album for this project. I've gotta say, I'm pretty happy this was the first one. If my first one had been something I was unfamiliar with, it may not have been an easy listen. Fortunately, this is my fourth Beatles album, so I'm very familiar with the Beatles at this point. I've also thoroughly enjoyed all of their albums until now, and the White Album is no different. This is a great album, but it's not perfect. First off, let's get the obvious out of the way. This thing is really REALLY long and a lot of the tracks are kind of filler songs. Between that and the cultural impact, this is kind of the One Piece of albums. Now I'd much rather listen to 90 minutes of the Beatles than most other artists, but a 90 minute album is still very long and many tracks could've been cut. Anyways, the musical contents are great as always. You can't really go wrong with a late Beatles album. There are some truly amazing songs on here. From beautiful thought-provoking tracks like "Blackbird" to fun and heavy tracks like "Helter Skelter." There are definitely some weaker tracks though. Fortunately, most of them are short and fairly insignificant like "Wild Honey Pie" and "Why Don't We Do It In The Road?" Even then, those songs aren't really confusing or anything, just kind of there. The same can not be said for "Revolution 9." Back in my OK Computer review, I brought up the idea of "weird songs" like that album's "Fitter Happier" or "The Murder Mystery" from The Velvet Underground. "Revolution 9" might just be the most infamous "weird track" of them all. I didn't care for it, but I somewhat respect it in a similar vein to the latter of those two earlier examples. While I'm talking about the "weak tracks," some of you might be wondering, "What about Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da?" You know what, I don't get the hate for that song. It's perfectly fine. Anyways, the sound of this album is great, the writing is good, and the best songs are masterpieces. This is a Beatles album. I don't think I need to explain anything else. The White Album is a great, albeit needlessly long and bloated album. High 4/5.
Long album! Really loved some, others not so much. A very mixed bag, but overall I liked it.
There are some truly amazing songs on here, but it's weighted down by some pretty dismal stuff (at least by Beatles standards). The sequencing of tracks is questionable as well; why are we going from Bungalow Bill straight into While My Guitar Gently Weeps?
Exceptional songs. Only reason not 5 stars - Revolution 9
Even though I am a huge Beatles fan, the absolute best I can give this album is a four. There are terrific songs including While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Cry Baby Cry and Blackbird, there is just too much filler and too much in the way of studio shenanigans going on. There are also just some terrible songs (Bungalow Bill, Happiness is a Warm Gun, Wild Honey Pie , Why Don't We Do It On The Road and Revolution 9. There is a single great album here and at best a fair double album.
The Beatles were so advanced that "Why Don't We Do It in the Road" predicted everything Electric Six did
One of the Beatles best efforts. Some misses, but mostly hits. 'While my Guitar', 'Helter-skelter', 'Back in the USSR' are some of their finest efforts. But there is some trash. So only a 4.
fun pop hits, not “old sounding” like I halfway expected. really long, a couple tracks that I don’t get yet. I can see how each song became so iconic and meaningful, but I think I’m still getting there.
thumb up
Some absolutely terrific tracks! Probably let down slightly by being a bit too long. Splitting hairs, i know!
Nautinto saattaa loppuun kaikki tämä tässä
Well it’s a classic album - I know it but also - not as much as other Beatles records. It’s rather mature and feels like the pinnacle of their career and while it has some their best songs, it’s not my favourite. Still awesome but not a 5 to me.
Plenty of gems but also a bit of experimental filler. Perhaps would have not been a great loss if it were a single album.
I like the odd listen to the White Album, not too often, as it gets a bit dull, but once in a while it's a bit of fun. I even like "number 9", "number 9". It's not a 5 star album in my opinion, but a pretty strong 4 star one.
is it... crazy to say there's like, quite a bit of filler on here?? feels insane to say about the Beatles but there were definitely a few kills in the hits for me. full of a bajillion other iconic tracks though, so this is super hard to rate. don't be mad at me!
Listened Before? Y What can I say about this one that hasn't been said? It's the Beatles at the top of their game. Maybe a little long, but otherwise awesome. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Blackbird
This is my first time actually listening to the Beatles, and I got to say I'm confused. As of right now, I don't get what the hype is about with their music. The album has some good tracks, but the whole thing is really longwinded. Many songs don't feel like they fit with the rest of them or as if they were a part of separate projects that got merged into one really long album. Objectively, I don't feel comfortable giving this album higher than an 8/10.
Does it deserve to be a double album? Certainly not in 2025. In 68? Very possibly. Anyways. There are a lot of great songs in here, but I have to remove a star because there are so many songs that I just do not care for (Revolution 9, Wild Honey Pie, Rocky Raccoon to name a few), but there are some of the greatest songs of all time (Blackbird, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Helter Skelter).
Good music but didn’t seem cohesive as an album
The Beatles are not particularly important to me personally, however the influence and the popularity of the Beatles can not be denied. This record has some really great songs on it. Like most double albums there is a fair amount of filler. I seem to gravitate to the quirky tracks. My favorite song is "Rocky Raccoon" which is due to it being a song that my friends and I would often break into singing together. Somewhere in the world is a cassette tape that has several acapella arrangements of us having a great time taking it on. The making of that tape is one of my favorite teenage memories.
Can't beat something as iconic as this. However, in my opinion, there are a lot of skips on this and stuff that kinda gets tuned out.
13/1001 This was the first album from The Beatles i've ever heard and i was a pretty good experience. I understand that the idea of this album is be a double album but in a point it feel pretty long and repetitive. I liked almost all the songs but like I said before it was so long without a purpose. I think that if a couple songs where put apart from this album and made them its own album could've been good overall, a pretty good album. I hope i like the others albums of them that are gonna appear in this list
Who doesn't like the white album? It's got some of their best songs on it although I feel like there is a lot of filler. I've always loved this album and while I don't think it would really merit 5/5 it's definitely one of their best. Truth be told, I don't know if the Beatles really had a single album that would be 5/5 - lots of great songs but each album they made always had some slow spots.
Dit is het Beatles album dat het dichts bij 5 sterren komt. Het is wat mij betreft te veel opvul muziek (die hier een soort van kinderliedjes zijn), naast de soms wat schaarse top nummers. Daardoor nooit vervelend om naar te luisteren, maar ook geen 5 sterren.
Vjerojatno najdrazi od Beatlesa.
Didn't love it as much as Abbey Road but it was still excellent
Again some great songs but as an album it’s got room to grow on me
Great album! Loved how experimental they started to get in the later years. I liked almost every song.
Losing one star purely because while this is a masterpiece it's not the Beatles BEST album
Part classic. Not for me.
One of the most important records in the history of music, no doubt. Would also be a sure Five star record with ten songs less. Why anyone would think it was a good idea to put Revolution 9 on the same record as While my guitar gently weeps and Blackbird, two of the most beautiful songs ever written, is beyond me.
Always very enjoyable
My first thought was how disjointed everything was, some songs were good, some pretty terrible (bungalow bill, piggies?) but then after listening to everything it kind of makes sense cohesively as a collection with some nonsense thrown in there. One or two of the songs are just arctic monkeys songs so shows you the influence. I really like savoy truffle. Also, while I like the song for its insanity, if I were a good Christian parent in 1968 who heard my kids listening to Revolution 9 I would also be concerned.
Starts off super hot with back in the USSR. Followed by simple the most insane song ordering of all time. Not one smooth transition between songs and I respect that. Lots of bangers on this one but blackbird is probably my favorite
At the height of their commercial power and influence, the Beatles could not be bothered to exhibit restraint. It appears for this showing they set to dive into the depths of their subconscious for every snippet or half-baked idea for a song and record it. What that gets you is some moments of transcendent songwriting alongside some of their more esoteric bullshit (a ragtime tune, a Ringo Star lullaby, 9 min of unintelligible incantations and sounds, and a freakin Happy Birthday remix, really?!). True Beatlesheads will lap up every second, while the casual fans might find this 90 minute runtime a little bloated. For me, the White Album is not the paragon of a rock and roll album or a truly revolutionary force in the way your boomer uncle might describe it, but the Beatles know how to write good songs and on this album they are numerous. Solid 4. Fav songs: Back in the USSR, Dear Prudence, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Happiness is a Warm Gun, Martha My Dear, Blackbird, I Will, Helter Skelter
The whiplash on this album is insane (Blackbird to Piggies to Rocky Raccoon…)?! However, I enjoyed the disjointed insanity. Some songs on this album hold a certain nostalgia for me because 1. my dad is a Beatles fan, 2. I’m a gleek, 3. my sister had an intense Across the Universe phase growing up. I FaceTimed my parents yesterday and it was nice to be able to discuss this album with my dad. He showed me his original White Album vinyl with the artwork inside and said that he put the picture of John Lennon that came with the album in his window the day he died. 🫶🏻 Overall, some songs on this album were ahead of their time (Revolution 9) and others make complete sense for the time (random Birthday song) and I liked it.
I find this album hard to listen to, mostly because of all the memories. It was among the first couple of albums I purchased and I listened to it quite a lot, though even then I remembered struggling to some of the songs (now I struggle with even more!). Mother Nature's Son is a favorite and it inspired in me a deepening of my own love for nature as a boy. Overall, an incredibly important masterpiece of music. Certainly groundbreaking and important.
Great album with all time songs but they should have cut 6 or 7 songs from the second half as it becomes a slog.
felt very experimental, as in many different styles. it didn't feel cohesive but is still impressive
A lot of good songs on here and I wouldn't say I disliked any of them. Did it need to be an hour and a half though? C'mon now Paul & John. Other than the length, though, this album was solid.
This band has incredible range. They live up to the hype. Rock, swing, folk, blues, this album has all of it. With such a long album, a handful of the songs feel like throwaways. It's nonetheless impressive that they're able to write and perform in so many different genres. I would give us five stars, but the album as a whole felt disjointed because of the huge shift in style and mood between tracks. There are also some weird ones that not sure why they were included.
A classic album with some absolutely bonkers tracks, and then beautiful, simple pieces like Blackbird. Shows the real range the Beatles were capable of producing.
This is a great album and an undeniable classic. Still, it feels disconnected and forced together, much like a band that's about to break up (fittingly). But it's an album only the Beatles could have made popular - different genres and concepts that somehow work as a whole even if some of the songs don't stand on their own. They could have cut some of the fluff and made it tighter, but part of its charm is its disparate nature. It's great, but maybe not my favorite Beatles album. 4.4
As an album, it's a four, but it definitely has five star songs. All double albums struggle to be perfect.
I had never listened to the White Album before. Iconic. But I’m still not a Beatles fan.
Classic
It's wild to think how much their music changed over the 10 years of albums.
There were some great songs on here, but there were also plenty of songs that probably should’ve been cut from the album. I think the issues I had with this album stemmed from the fact that there was nobody who would say no to their ideas.
Sure, 90 minutes of Beatles is a lot. But the front half is full of bangers. The Revolution variants are weird. The rest is fine.
это было долго алкоальбом: 5 шотов текилы и потом пытаешься опохмелиться белым русским
Pretty standard.
It's good, but inevitably I anticipate a way will be found to not STFU about it even come heat death of the universe, which stops it being a 5.
Takes me back to when I first started smoking weed. Lots of really good songs on here although it’s longer than it needs
Already well known to me, great album
4.5 / 5 A Classic. The White Album. Some regard this as their best album, and this would be regarded as a correct answer. For me, it's not, but it's still a gorgeous album including some of their best work. Way beyond their time and pillars in the music world. Although there are some skips. For example 'Back In The USSR' or 'Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da' are filler songs. While they do have some charming aspects they are overshadowed by a lot of songs & not their best stuff. A personal favorite is 'Helter Skelter'. Absolute genius in the highest degree. A pioneer for 'heavier rock' tunes. Just classic Beatles paving the way for other generations to come. Not to mention the Manson controversy makes it more interesting. Pure brilliance, impeccable musicianship, and very catchy lyrics.
7/10 would listen again
If I had a time machine, I would go back to any time when a band or artist was contemplating making a double album and force them at ray gun point (because I assume if I have a time machine I also have a ray gun) to just make a really good single album instead. The only exceptions being Songs in the Key of Life, Exile on Mainstreet, The Basement Tapes and maybe Blonde on Blonde. The White Album is great, but you know what would have been better? Back in the U.S.S.R. Dear Prudence While My Guitar Gently Weeps Happiness Is A Warm Gun I'm So Tired Blackbird I Will Julia Birthday Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey Helter Skelter Long, Long, Long That album would be up there with Abbey Road as a near perfect Beatles album. Instead you've got this giant sprawling mess of a double album that includes a bunch of songs that nobody needs or wants. I get it, they were super famous and nobody could tell them no, they had fried their brains on acid, they had all just had a bad three-month-long weird cult vacation and they weren't getting along. Still, if you watch that Apple TV special where they recorded them for forty-something hours while they made Let it Be, Paul says something about how the band had been off its game since "Mr. Epstein" died because Brian Epstein kept them in line. I have to agree. These chuckleheads needed a grown up. The White Album isn't bad (I know, hot take) but it suffers from the classic double-album curse. It could have been an amazing single album.
post-modern fragments joined. Lyrics don't have to make sense particularly if they have a good sound hook. One finds nonsense, humor, and bits of what are probably political commentary spread throughout. Some beautiful pieces of music. Some bits of showing what you can do with new sound equipment on revolution 9--a pastiche with intent of some sort. To me, this is very much a turning point where art overtakes commercialism but still manages to be commercial. The album cover is interesting in its absence of everything except the band name embossed. In both the world of art and commercialism, the "signature"/band name/branding is, in one sense, more important than any content. And in another sense, the recording is more more important regardless of who created it.
Waar begin je met zo'n megalomaan album die van hot naar her gaat, en het ene naar het andere proto-genre introduceert. Ik heb deze plaat altijd gezien als de speeltuin van één van de creatiefste bands ooit, en dan krijg je als resultaat een onalledaagse wirwar aan ludieke meezingers en songs die de loop van de muziekgeschiedenis voor eeuwig zouden veranderden. Om een beetje grip te krijgen op ''The White Album'', ga ik side 1/2 en side 3/4 beiden apart reviewen, om vervolgens tot een eindoordeel te komen. Een geschikte methode, gezien de absentie van een duidelijke verhaallijn/concept. De eerste helft van het album opent met 'Back In The U.S.S.R.', die de luisteraar enigszins op het verkeerde been zet door terug te grijpen naar de stijl die de band had in de tijd dat ze nog optraden. Het is rock & roll in 'the vein of' Chuck Berry, met Beach Boys-achtige achtergrondvocalen. Het is een lekkere inkomer, maar bereidt je weinig voor op wat komen gaat. 'Dear Prudence' volgt, en geeft een beter kijkje in de wereld waarin de band zich op dat moment van de carrière bevond. De psychedelische ondertoon, en de hypnotiserende progressie die het goed gedaan zou hebben tijdens één van hun meditatiesessies in India, creëren een ambiance die haaks staat op het openingsnummer. Het album staat bol van deze tegenstrijdigheden. Want lang tijd om te bivakkeren in een staat van Nirwana is er niet, gezien de carnavalsnummers 'Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da' en 'The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill' voor de deur staan. Het klinkt alsof Ringo zich bovengemiddeld veel met de nummers op dit album heeft bemoeid, maar hij heeft tot dit moment verrassend genoeg nog geen credits gekregen. Speelse nummers als deze zijn ook toonaangevend in de speeltuin die 'White Album' heet, en geven een onserieuze draai aan een album die wel degelijk serieus genomen dient te worden. 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' herinnert ons daaraan, een hoeksteen in de grandioze discografie van The Beatles, en mijn favoriete nummer uit de pen van George. En dan in combinatie met 'Happiness Is A Warm Gun', veel betere back to back tracks ga je niet vinden in de 60s. Dit is het eerste nummer waar de band echt de experimentele lade opent; ze strooien met onorthodoxe ritmes, extravagante vocalen, en vreemde lyrics. En het werkt fantastisch, verveelt nooit, en verdient voor mij de ietwat problematische titel 'beste song van het album'. Wat bijna niet te voorkomen is, is dat ze daarna een beetje op de rem trappen, en voor hun doen ietwat saai werk afleveren. 'I'm So Tired' verdient nog wel een s/o, typisch werk van John, waarin hij oprecht doodmoe klinkt. 'Rocky Raccoon' is één van de band's weinige pogingen om echt Amerikaans te klinken, en het resultaat is enigszins sullig. Toch moet ik bekennen dat het voor mij echt de 'guilty pleasure' van het album is. Het nummer introduceert de honky-tonk piano die veelvoudig te horen is op de plaat, en symbool staat voor het Beatles-genre 'grandma rock', geopperd door John Lennon. Toch staan er net iets te veel ludieke, en bijna kolderieke, songs op de eerste helft van het album, en had ik wel iets langer in de stroomversnelling van 'Happiness Is A Warm Gun' willen blijven hangen. Alhoewel, 'Julia' de spirituele tegenhanger van 'Dear Prudence', geeft een fijn slotakkoord. 8,5/10 Highlights: While My Guitar Gently Weeps Happiness Is A Warm Gun Rocky Raccoon De tweede helft van de plaat laat de psychedelic-folk invalshoek van de eerste grotendeels achterwege, waarschijnlijk omdat Donovan weer terug naar Schotland was gevlogen. Deze zijde jaagt hun garage rock roots achterna, en het wordt allemaal wat losbandiger. Ringo ontwaakte uit zijn zen, nam een lijntje coke, en molesteerde bij tijd en wijle zijn drumstel. 'Yer Blues' staat symbool voor een belangrijke drijfveer van dit album, de cynische benadering van een tal aan muziekstijlen, en het doel om die genres als parodie neer te zetten. Als er dan toch een rode draad aangewezen moet worden, dan is dat er eentje. Echter is het effect vaak met The Beatles dat de parodie piekfijn wordt uitgevoerd, en nieuwe elementen integreert, dat het juist een verrijking is van het bestaande genre, en bedoeld of onbedoeld een 'ode wordt aan' in plaats van een 'parodie op'. 'Song 2' van Blur, maar dan met een artistieke twist. 'Helter Skelter' sluit de vermakelijkste zijde (side 3) af, en is misschien wel het beste voorbeeld van een nummer die de gek aansteekt met rock muziek, maar vervolgens 'onbedoeld' een moederplaat wordt voor vele hardrock/metal genres. Waanzinnig nummer. Helaas was de heilige energie van de Indiase guru's daarna opgebrand, en vinden we alleen nog het lichtpuntje 'Cry Baby Cry' terug op het laatste kantje. De mannen hebben een creatieve explosie weten om te zetten in één van de belangrijkste albums in de jaren 60, en deze uitspatting komt uiteindelijk tot een implosie op de koortsdroom die 'Revolution 9' heet. Deze bad trip heeft in plaats van een hoop toekomstige bands, vooral Charles Manson beïnvloed. Je krijgt het er gratis bij denk ik.. als je wil genieten van de tomeloze inventiviteit van een band, dan moet je ook af en toe de maniakale episodes slikken. 8/10 Highlights: 'Yer Blues' 'Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey' 'Helter Skelter' Alles in ogenschouw nemend is de dichtheid aan buitengewone songs op dit album ongekend hoog. Iets te vaak levert de ietwat frivole en lichtzinnige insteek van het album nummers op die me weinig kunnen bekoren, maar op het zelfde moment zorgt het ervoor dat weinig albums van ruim anderhalf uur zo snel voorbij vliegen, en na al die jaren nog steeds niet vervelen. De mix aan ruige bangers, introverte psych-folk klassiekers, jolige grandma rock, en meeslepende blues, zorgt er in ieder geval voor dat dit album hoog staat op het compleet nutteloze lijstje 'albums die je mee zou nemen naar een onbewoond eiland'. Eindcijfer: 8,5/10
Ja en dan moet je ineens één van de Beatles albums gaan recenseren. En misschien is the White Album dan nog wel de meest ingewikkelde. Het album begint ijzersterk met U.S.S.R. en Dear Prudence. De serie kinderlijke liedjes daarna vallen altijd een beetje rouw op mijn dak. Ja, McCartney is een koning van simpele melodieën een mee-fluit-liedjes. Maar het is zo lastig schakelen als na Ob-La-Di, Honey Pie en Bungalow Bill ineens While My Guitar Gently Wheeps instart. En zo gaat het de rest van de plaat door. Daarmee lijkt het meer de stapel van alle beschikbare liedjes, zonder na te denken wat nu echt een album maakt. En dat na Sgt. Peppers, waar dát juist zo goed is. Dat zal hier dan waarschijnlijk het idee zijn geweest. Want één ding op the White Album stijgt boven alles uit: het iedje. De liedjes zijn zo ontzettend goed. Ze zijn kort, lijken soms niet eens af en worden daardoor nooit een volledig nummer. Maar in dit alles zijn ze prachtig en ijzersterk. En het zijn er ook veel. Te veel. En een ook dit album is echt te lang. Daardoor wel veel highlights: Back in the U.S.S.R. Dear Prudence Happiness is a Warm Gun Yer Blues Helter Skelter
Det er the beatles det er bra men så kommer obla-di obla da takk skal du faenmeg ha. Den låten kan drite og dra.
Pretty good album. I think these lads are going places.
First half of the album is incredibly polished, the second half is rudder but has some real beautiful moments. One of the Beatles more ambitious works. 4.5/5 Will definitely listen again
Nice
My first beatles album! It was a really interesting listen and there were so many songs I really liked. It was interesting to see how versatile they were, and honestly I can 100% see the influence other bands got from them 3.5 maybe 4/5
This album is influential and iconic enough for 5 stars but it is ultimately a 4.5 due to a few songs that are just downright awful. You have an otherworldy song like While My Guitar Gently Weeps (the bassbline alone is an eargasm) and Helter Skelter (the godfather of hard rock) but then you have Wild Honey Pie (pretty sure this song would be used as elevator music in hell)
I don’t really want to list all my thoughts on the mf white album. Just call me if you want to talk about it
I feel awkward admitting that I am not a super fan of this. Obviously lots of nice songs though.
Uneven, but influential nonetheless. Condense the great songs into a single album and this might have been the Beatles’ greatest LP.
Let's talk about William Babinski's "The Disintegration Loops" album instead for a moment. The Disintegration Loops album https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Disintegration_Loops# (actually 4 albums spanning nearly 300 minutes) are a museum piece, not necessarily music. Babinsky is a sound artist who used tape loops a lot in his work to evoke feelings that traditional recordings do not. The disintegration loops are recordings of some of these sound loops - recordings of voices, old music, found tapes, etc. - literally disintegrating as they pass across the tape heads. Each time they pass through the machine, a little more gets worn off. It's really interesting ambient music. There is a haunting beauty hearing the music itself completely fall apart. The falling apart is the music. The rhythm comes from the loop repeating, the sound changing ever so slightly as it goes on. Certain sections are beautiful, others nasty. When I listened to this, as more and more of it goes away, the more I found myself wanting it to remain in the world even though the whole point was it's own destruction. Listening to something disintegrate works as a museum piece. As a rock album, especially from The Beatles, it just hurts a little. Three stars was a bit harsh - many of these songs are in the "Dark Side of the Moon" range, like Dear Prudence, While My Guitar, and others. What I'm referring to above is that it just doesn't hold together, it's more of a couple solo albums, and Ringo gets short shrift.
fully fine. it was good, yeah, but i listened to sgt peppers lonely hearts club right after and it definitely made the white album less sparkly 5/7
I was never a Beatles fan. But this really is fantastic.
There are a lot of really great songs on this album. Only complaint is some of it seems either disjointed from the rest of the album or just like filler. I'd give it 4 1/2 stars if I could.
•Owned •Massive effort of experimentation in genre and production. The differing voices of a band falling apart are all here: as a result, the album sprawls in emotion, tone. Even still, it's hard to imagine where "Helter Skelter" came from but it still burns as it plays. •4/4
Very diverse and partially ahead of it‘s time
Good album? For sure. One of best of all time? I disagree
Some of the best songs they ever made, along with a bunch more. Revolution 9 is interesting, but isn’t something I would choose to put on. Favorites are While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Black Bird, Happiness Is A Warm Gun, Helter Skelter, and Back In The USSR.
I like it there's alot of songs on here I know and like but had no idea this was the album thay were on so im going to be on the look out for it on vinyl
A classic for a reason. So many great songs, and a few weird ones
This one is hard to rate. It is a 5 in the context of music history, but a 4 when considered with Revolver, Sg. Pepper, and Abby Road. Are The Beatles the greatest band of all? Probably.
The Beatles' eponymous album, also referred to as the White Album, is a legendary piece of work which really needs no review. This album is well regarded as being a critical factor in the development of music across the globe for the past several decades. Songs such as "Back in the U.S.S.R.", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", "Blackbird", and "Helter Skelter" are incredible and hugely influential in music and pop culture. However, it should also be noted that, while the album has great writing and instrumentation, the tracks are disjointed and do not flow together very well. This is due to the fracturing of the band members and each member writing and recording separately. With this many songwriters, there is an overabundance of songs, some of which really do not fit the bill. This album's greatest weakness may be quantity and great variation in quality - for every success, there's another song which probably should have been left off the album.
Total classic! Nothing else to say
This list must know we are trying to finish this year, that we sped up the queue, because it is throwing classics at us, begging us not to go. Another great Beatles album, one I hadn't listened to prior. Obviously there are singles on hear I have heard, but this is that reminder why I love this list. Not a big Beatles fan but I respect them, and especially this album. 1968? Two LP? And I think this was during their experimentation phase. How cool to get such a unique album at this time in history. I'd have expected this from a lesser band in the 80's. Not every song is a banger, and there's ones I skipped, but overall this was great. I didn't know they were the ones who sang "They say it's your birthday!" that was cool. Keepers: While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Blackbird, Rocky Raccoon, Birthday, Revolution 1
Stoked to get another Beatles album, it seems the list has been rewarding us for making the switch to generate on the weekend. This is number four for us, and it's near the end of the Beatles' catalog, falling between the exceptional Revolver and the excellent (but not quite as tight) Abbey Road. This album is long; it's a double album at least, at 30 songs. As such, there's a lot of what I would describe as filler. Lots of whimsical, experimental little tracks that fall flat for me. No coherent voice, which is actually similar to Abbey Road - my impression is that post-Sgt. Peppers, these guys were just firing on their own cylinders and struggling to weave their styles without just doing their own tracks. So yeah, this one has a lot of one-offs that don't really accomplish much. On the other hand, some really excellent songs, classics like "Blackbird," "Revolution 1," and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," and some deeper cuts I'd never heard. "Revolution 9" is really awesome "plunderphonics" sort of stuff, "Dear Prudence" is really great, and "Good Night" is an absolutely welcome surprise from Ringo. I can't give it more than 4 stars because of how many duds this thing harbored, I shouldn't have to skip my way through a 90 minute album from the Beatles. But overall, and duds aside, it's pretty great. These guys really were once in a lifetime, huh? Favorite tracks: Blackbird, Dear Prudence, Revolution 9, Good Night, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Revolution 1, Everybody's Got Something to Hide, Long Long Long (you got that right). Album art: White. Well, this one's techinically called "The Beatles," so it's self-titled, but guess what: we call it the White Album. That's what it is. White. 4/5
Good but not there best effort.
The highs of this album are so high, but it needed some cuts. I appreciate its importance for the amount of musical experimentation underway, but it lacks cohesion
A little overrated out the Beatles catalog, too long, a lot of good songs but a lot of forgettable songs and some of the Beatles worst songs, Revolution nine should never had been made.
Classic Beatles
Some lovely songs and the scope of song, instrument, and tone is remarkable. But it’s got some pretty forgettable songs too over the 31 songs. It’s hard to even judge albums this seminal, because the ideas have permeated everything we listen to. But I’d listen to 5-10 of these songs before I just put the whole album on.
I enjoyed this album. It's by far NOT their best. But I had fun with it. It's their only double album but I truly think they could've trimmed the fat and made a really long album. And saved the rest for B sides. There are classics on this record that we all know and love. And some under rated songs that perhaps only fans would say are superior than the more popularized songs. I've listened to this record before but never "studied it" - that's a stretch to what I just went through.... But I thought I'd do a play by play, and share my thoughts track by track. If you don't care about that... Stop reading here. This album gets 4 Beatles out of 5. Back in ussr: Beach Boys vibe Dear prudence: guitar sounds dark, nice simple but complimenting bass riff, lyrics and vocal melody over top is great Glass onion: is this where the movie got the name from? Curious to see if there is a deeper meaning or correlation between the two. Lyrics referencing previous songs. Kind of a cool idea. Unsure of timeline for this idea, they probably came up with that idea, as they innovated a lot. - love the string part at the end. ob la di ob la da - is garbage. It's filler to me. I know a lot of people love it... And it's sung at weddings and group functions... It's just not good. Catchy, yes. Bleh? double yes.... Life goes On. Wild Honey Pie is filler and is stupid. Counting story of Buffalo bill: sick guitar intro followed by a mediocre song. Vocals are great. But falls off in the end. the refrain reminds me of work from John Lennon and Yoko ono.. Bad. Sounds like they didn't know how to end the song. While my guitar gently weeps: probably the best song on the record. Harrison was under utilized in the band. Lars and Hetfield ran the show... I mean McCartney and Lennon and it shows that their ego prevented a lot of good work. Happiness Is A Warm Gun - is it Lennon? Is it? How ironic this song tuned out to be. Martha My Dear: piano is great in this. Has a barber shop quartet feel to it. Vocals are on point. Horns and strings are well placed. I'm so tired - great song. Nothing stood out. Blackbird: McCartney doing what McCartney does best. Beautiful, timeless song. Piggies - another stupid filler song. Next. I get it's about greed... But maybe this is why Harrison's songs weren't taken more seriously? I don't know. Rocky Racoon - great story telling and great music to accompany. I quite loved this song. The nickelodeon piano was cool! I love McCartney's piano playing.. Also with his scat abilities. Haha if you want to call it that. Don't pass me by - the repetitive music in the background sounds very familiar... From a more contemporary artist.... Big Sugar. The ending to Turn The Lights On is this same melody. Crazy. Why don't we do it in the road? - repetitive. Good vocal delivery. Reminds me of Little Richard. Old school rock and roll. I will - back to that boy wonder romantic McCartney. Beautiful vocals and guitar work. Simple song. Pleasing to the ear. Julia - sounds like a Lennon written song. Guitar is great. Vocals are haunting. Looks like not a lot of thought put into lyrics. As there's not much substance there. Just a bunch of Julia's... Birthday - not a great song. Guitar work is awesome. Good ol' rock and roll. Lyrics were phoned in. I guess you can't write constant lyrical masterpieces. Yer Blues - this sounds like a cool dive bar hit. Well done. Shows how diverse they can be. To be honest, this whole album is quite diverse. This is one of the better ones for sure. I hear some Jack White in this. Mother Nature's Son - love the guitar work in this song. McCartney is one of the best. I can only imagine how much Lennon hated that these songs of McCartney's made albums. Ego vs ego. Everybody's Got something to hide: I used to love Lennon over McCartney... I guess I can blame his death on that. Lennon's death sort of popularized him.. I hate to say that. I could be wrong but that was sort of my take when I was in high school. It wasn't until I started liking the Beatles that I knew the true talent was Paul. This song backs my claims up. Sexy Sadie is just awful. Sorry John. Next. Helter Skelter: ok, this is my favorite. This is probably the first punk rock or metal songs. I'm probably wrong but it's grit. It's raw. It's in your face. Goodbye pretty boy Paul, and Welcome angry and angsty Paul. Love the I'VE GOT BLISTERS ON MY Fingers! From Ringo. Crazy how this song influenced Charles Manson and drove him even more crazy. Music is powerful. Long, long, long: just like this sad attempt of a track by track review. Harrison at his finest. Quite the change up from Helter Skelter. Revolution 1: great way to start the next side of the record. Classic Beatles song. Timeless. We all love it. Honey pie: at first, I get some sad undertones on this song... And then it's get kind happy with the music.. 1920s style. Savoy Truffle: is this song about chocolate? Cool music. Cry baby cry: loved the harmonium. Pretty good song. Lennon sounds great. Vocal delivery is awesome. One of my favourite Lennon songs. Revolution 9: I personally found it funny when the repeating "number 9. Number... Number ni... Nine" was happening. Some really cool effects and ideas in this song. It's random. Experimental. Quite disconnected from the album. Good night: We made it. The last song. Now it's time to say good night. Sleep tight. Ringo sings us to sleep with this lullaby. String arrangements are pretty.
Not their best work but it’s the Beatles White Album. A piece of art. A collage of songs. Brilliant, mundane, weird, rocking, wild, folky, freaky and unpredictable. The Beatles. White Album.
Première partie de l'album est incroyable, par contre la seconde partie c'est vraiment de la branlette intellectuelle
It was fine
A massive, fraught, fascinating album. Not necessarily any filler, but not all of it is stellar. You can hear that it’s a band going through it.
Some great songs and some absolutely unnecessary songs
There enough grade A songs in this album to make a 5 start album. But there’s also enough general fucking around by the Beatles with songs that sound like they should be on a kids album that it knocks it back just a tiny bit. 4.75
This is definitely tier 2 Beatles IMHO. Many classics with sooooooo much chaff. I've listened to this one plenty of times, but the urge to listen to front to back just isn't there anymore. Still real good though, it'd probably be a 5 if they shaved 20 minutes off.
Great album
This album has some of their best songs and some of their worst. It could have been an easy 5 star record if it was a lot shorter. Favorite song: blackbird
This was a good one. A very good one.
Prefer let it be
Absolute classic. Fascinating follow up to sgt peppers
Too big and bloated but still full of great tunes
Yes I’m giving a Beatles album a 4. And I do love this album and it has some truly excellent songs. While my Guitar Gently Weeps remains one of my all time favorites. But there a quite a few examples where it seems like they felt every thought that crossed their mind had to be committed to song. While Don’t We Do It in the Road remains one of the Beatles worst songs. I would really give it a 4.5 but lean more to the 4 than a 5
Has some great songs and is a classic
Really well produced and innovative, with some of my favourite Beatles tracks. However, it becomes a bit of a chore with to much Lennon-Yoko quirkiness.
Cool stuff
Very disjointed but there are some incredible songs on here. Revolution 9 pretty much depicts the fact this album was cobbled together, but it's definitely a worthy choice for 1001.
The White Album is not a straightforward album to review. There are so many pop-cultural ties to various tracks on this album, and so many classic tracks. Artists who have covered tracks from this album include U2, John Denver, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Alison Krauss, and the King's Singers did a Beatles album that heavily pulled from the White Album. Personally, I have learned half a dozen tracks from this album on the guitar and sung at least a couple more in choral groups. There is a strong cultural imprint from this album, and it is worth listening to. I will most likely come back for a re-listen at some point. There are tracks that I like from each member of the Beatles. "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" from George Harrison continues to grow on me over the years. With so much good music, the double album is uneven. You have some fantastic and some of my all-time favorite writing from Paul McCartney ("Blackbird", "I Will", "Mother Nature's Son"), enjoyable versions of McCartney's lighthearted song writing (e.g. "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da") and some tracks from McCartney that interrupt the flow of my listening experience ("Wild Honey Pie", "Honey Pie"). With various harsher sounding tracks, odd songs that I haven't figured out what to do with yet (e.g., "Piggies"), and ending the album with "Revolution 9", and "Good Night" the unevenness cements this album below a full 5 stars. The White Album is a great album, but it would be hard to sit down for a full listen on a regular basis. Dividing the tracks by my ratings I could put together a 5-star album and a 3-star album, so it looks like the overall rating is 4 stars from me.
Ok le classique! Ca fait plaisir de le réécouter pour le coup. Si y'a des trucs à jeter, comme sur beaucoup d'albums des Beatles, faut quand même reconnaitre le putain d'impact qu'a eu cet album, comme Helter Skelter qui reste mon coup de coeur.
its the beatles it was great i love all the songs on the album
This album starts off so strong and I'm like yeah this is easily a 5, good job Beatles. But by the end I'm so over it and the album is back to a 4. I guess considering I like 7-8 of the 30 songs ... if this was a 10 song album ...
Some of the more off the wall Beatles tunes but all pretty enjoyable 4.5
8/10
Not a huge fan of the beatles in general. Solid album though. 3.5.
I've considered this to be my favourite album by The Beatles since very early childhood. Big time nostalgia here. Not every song is amazing, but many are, and those that aren't are still quite good. An absolute landmark of an album, although it does fall off a bit on the back half.
This album is a lot of sounds and some of them are really incredible and some are down right annoying. I understand and fully respect the Beatles legacy and especially the legacy of this album but I'm not just going to give it a 5 because it's The Beatles. Some of the more avant-garde tracks just kind of annoy you till they're over. The highlights have to be George Harrison's guitar playing.
It's an incredibly diverse album, isn't it? It has some absolute classics, and, for the omst part is very enjoyable. I'm not a Beatles superfan however I was pleasantly surprised, particularly with the closer - Good Night - which is such a beautiful song, and sung by Ringo! Blackbird is hte true highlight for me, a stunning song that truly think is gorgeous. Then there are wimsical clangers like Ob La Di.. and all the animal-based songs ((excluding Blackbird, of course). Helter Skelter is awesome. Its a strong album that is clearly a momentus moment in rock adn pop music history. If it had done away with maybe five or six tracks, then it would be a five, but the 'filler' - which it not quite what I mean - reduces it to a 4 star for me.
I haven’t listened to this one front to back in a long time. Some parts are better than I remember, but the stinkers are still stinkers. It would still be a 5, but I need to put Beatles albums on their own scale for this.
White
Ist ok. Beatles einfach nicht so mein Ding ;)
Honestly just a little bloated for me
It's been a long time since I've listened to the entire album. It has some of the most essential Beatles songs on it. The way Dear Prudence swells on the final chorus is incredible. Glass Onion is a fun tongue and cheek song about other Beatles songs with an infectious rhythm. While My Guitar Gently Weeps is maybe the best Beatles song? The instrumentation is perfectly layered. The driving, chunky bass line is on full display. George's solo guitar is iconic, the tone is legendary. It is subdued, but also intense and emotional at the same time. The mono mixing of the track (the whole album actually) is superb. My only gripe with the album is it is extremely bloated. There are a lot of songs that have no reason to be on this album. None of them are necessarily bad by any means, but had they trimmed the album a bit, it could have been one of the greatest albums of all time. I guess it just goes to show the greatness of The Beatles, even their subpar songs would've been a highlight for most other musicians.
As a baseline, any Beatles album is a 4 to me, just out of respect. In that sense, The White Album ranks lower than others because its sheer length makes it hard to really be with it and, of course, it gives more space to songs that do not rise to the overall brilliance of Dear Prudence, Helter Skelter, Black Bird, Happiness Is a Warm Gun, or my personal favorite, WMGGW. Still, it’s unfathomable that so much talent was bestowed upon those four guys and an album such as this, had it been released by a lesser band, would be considered an indisputable masterpiece by me (yes, I know it’s considered a masterpiece as it is).
I used to listen to this a lot when I was a kid. But I feel like the music had lost some of its richness over the years. Like the recording could have had a fuller sound (maybe it was my phone, or the room I was in, or my memory being different).
Twice as long as it needs to be.
Fantastic album, particularly liked Black Bird and quite enjoyed Rock Racoon which I hadn't heard before.
Finally had my turn to this! Well... the first track was impressively vivid but later tracks are...well, just Beatles.
Wauwie
Heerlijk genoten
Classic. Sometimes weird. I dig it.
Goed album, met een paar heel sterke nummers. Maar ik heb al betere van de Beatles gehoord
A lot of quality songs on this album that i really enjoyed, there is a few weird ones in there. The songs "helter skelter" going straight into "long, long, long" has to be the highlight, really reminds me of the white stripes
Next 5 songs played by my Spotify Algorithm: Yusuf / Cat Stevens - Tea for the Tillerman The Beatles - Nowhere Man Steely Dan - Dirty Work Simon & Garfunkel - Feelin' Groovy Led Zeppelin - Tangerine
A lot of great ones and a lot of…ok ones.
Very timeless album, I enjoyed it and "Do it in the Road" is awesome.
If not for “back in the ussr” this would be a 5. That song starts the album and has no business being even in the album.
So much on this album. Love love love some of it. I never really cared for the frivolous silly songs but there is so much brilliant stuff with such diverse influences that this has to be rated well.
Like many of you, I grew up with this album. I always love being reminded of the goofiness and creativity they had in their music that you only really get when listening to their albums in full. When My Guitar Gently Weeps will forever be one of my favorites, and Blackbird will always have a special spot in my mind as the first song I ever learned on guitar. Great job Ringo, keep up the good work! 4.5/5
ngl this was pretty alright, def made me think i should listen to the beatles more but a lot of the tracks didn't hit super hard. Martha and I'm So Tired were some of my favs, most of the rest were pretty good but not amazing imo
she happiness on my warm gun until I bang bang shoot shoot
Really good album on the whole, but feels like it's a bit bloated. Could've trimmed down a few songs and had a much better overall experience
This album is ok. I've never really listened to a full Beatles album but I'm familiar with their popular songs. I've never understood the worship around them. I read some reviews that this is one of their weaker albums because it was near the end of the band. If that's the case maybe I will like some of their other albums and start to "get it". As of now its an ok album with a few stand out songs. I don't expect to be doing a full listen again anytime soon. 4 out of 5.
Day 2: This album is a fuckin classic so idk if I'm going to write any down. Ob-La-Di is the prob my favorite of the album Blackbird holds a special place in the heart <3 Mother Nature's Sun How could I objectively review one of the most well known album of all time. prob gonna give 4/5 cause there is some weird duds in there but still an album deserving its fame.
It's hard to judge the Beatles on anything other than their own merits, because obviously this is better than almost anything else, despite the variance in quality on the record. One of the things that struck me as I listened was that, even though I must be well into the hundreds in terms of number of times I've heard this, you still notice new and enjoyable things in songs. The bass in USSR, the backing vocals on any number of Paul's silly songs. It's just great. Got to feel like Decca would have knocked this down to a single album though. Lovely to have my once-a-decade attempt to listen to Revolution 9 all the way through.
Familiarity: 7/10 Lots of classic songs, but not an album I ever really feel drawn to listen to.
ABSOLUTE STUNNER OF AN ALBUM. Never got into the beatles but I get the mania now.
I love The Beatles. I grew up on them, and there are many nostalgic, iconic individual tracks on this album. But it’s so all over the place. It is not a cohesive album. Some songs can even be annoying or repetitive. For example, I got genuinely irritated listening to Why Don’t We Do It In The Road? I don’t know, Paul, why don’t we? 3.5/5
1001 doing me hecking dirty with the double beatles in the same week.... oh well, we'll give this a shot update: that was VERY NICE 4*
Some great songs, and then there's Revolution 9...
Raw Beatles. Way over my head musically. Beautiful and harsh. I give four stars because I had no idea what most of the songs were about. Maybe I am ignorant. No storyline unless I missed it. Fun to hear them just play together in a band 9/10
It might have been the greatest record of all time if it had been a single LP.
I like the Beatles just gotta be in the right mood for it
I like it but not my favourite Beatles. But too bloated maybe? And maybe less coherent as a result. The standout tracks are fantastic though- While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Glass Onion, Helter Skelter, Happiness is a Warm Gun. Didn't rate (or understand?) the lyrics on a number of them and the faux USA bits are a bit weird.
classic thing with good songs i like birthday
Been a long time since I listened. Surprisingly cohesive given how different many of the songs are
Good Album with some well known songs
-FIRST BEATLES ALBUM -i have listened to the beatles before, but i haven’t listened to any of their albums in full -also this is the first beatles album i have gotten from the random album generator list -great funky start to the album -one of my very favorite songs ever and of the beatles (blackbird) is on this album (im very excited) -lots of these songs feel silly fun which i like -ob la di ob la da was so cute -COOL GUITAR on happiness is a warm gun -god i love blackbird. its SO GOOD! -piggies????????? was that an OINK? -why don’t we do it in the road?? SO FUNNY -i will has got me like 😭😭😭😭 -okay revolution 9 felt very dystopian -i love when the rating is easy because the album is so good (hasn’t happened that often) (this is an easy 4 stars)
Some wonderful moments
Good album, I like Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, While My Guitar Gently Weeps and Blackbird the most. They're all songs I've heard before and loved, they were the highlights of this album. I also enjoyed Martha My Dear which I hadn't heard before.
4.5
All over the place but in a good way. 3.75/5
Given the reputation of this album, I was expecting it to be a no brainer 5 star, but I found it very uneven.
Meh
So many good songs and so many good weird songs. Nice to listen to the whole thing back to back.
What can I say? Near perfect album. 9/10
the beatles had such a strong "losing my mind from acid" vibe at this point in their career that really doesn't sit well with me on this album. I like it on Magical Mystery tour but on this one I feel like I'm being held hostage and fed tabs by Charles Manson's cult. But also it's got shit like while my guitar gently weeps and influential asf stuff so liek it's still a good album just weak for the beatles imo
it's always odd listening to a full Beatles album. There's always some absolute classics that you've known and loved for your entire life ; a few new ones that you've not heard and can be pretty good ; and then a complete load of filler / tosh - which is what you get when you release 2 albums a year I suppose. The White Album is no different - there's an incredible 12-track album in there somewhere, that would be an instant 5/5 if they'd applied some quality control / editing ; but this 30-track double album has just got too many tracks that have me reaching for the skip button
Not my favorite Beatles album, but it still has some absolute gems on it.
I love The Beatles, but this definitely isn't their best work. A ton of bangers, but then a lot of songs that would have been better left on the cutting floor or in some 'extended cuts' album after they broke up.
This is the Beatles' passage to India, popularizing the West's flirtation with the East and all things "exotic". Their spiritual guide in all this? Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who blew their English minds by telling them that “heaven is like electricity—you don’t see it; it is within you”. Such "wisdom" hooked the Fab Four, and they followed the maharishi to northern India, believing that this form of spiritualism offered real answers through meditation, relaxation, and peace after years of fame, fortune, and publicity. Let's just ignore the total irony of this situation--the fact that Lennon was always anti-religious. Could this respite in rural India help the Beatles rise above their worldly concerns and viewpoints? And can this actually be called a respite, since reporters and photographers followed them to the compound? The mere presence of the Beatles in India was enough to popularize Eastern spiritualism in the 1960s West. (Of course, after a few days of nothing happening, the reporters, in boredom, left.) This trip was pretty much inevitable, since it was nothing more than an extension of the drug experience. People were looking for euphoria, looking for god-figures in everything. Harrison actually took it seriously and grew quite devout through meditation. Devoted to what, though? The quiet Beatle wasn't giving away his secrets. Though Lennon, too, tried taking his seclusion seriously, he had trouble concentrating, what with the troubles in his marriage and the fact that Yoko kept sending him letters, with little poems like "I'm a cloud, look for me". Lennon was quickly smitten. McCartney and Starr weren't as keen as their two bandmates on the whole spiritual enlightenment thing, and besides, there was still music to make. Lennon and McCartney learned to fingerpick their acoustic guitars, the former writing "Julia" (a goodbye to his mother and hello to Yoko) and "Dear Prudence", the latter writing "Blackbird". Actually, most of the songs for The White Album and Abbey Road were written during their stay in India. It didn't take long for problems to arise, however. The maharishi started using the Beatles' name to promote himself through spoken-word albums, and he even had the stones to ask the band for 25% of their earnings. Add a bit of sexual predation of the female devotees and the maharishi found himself the subject of an absolute character destruction in the form of "Sexy Sadie". The album itself---hmmm, well the criticism that the double album has too much filler is a valid complaint. Many of the songs are substandard for the band, but I just don't think they cared. They didn't have to prove themselves anymore, and they were working more and more apart all the time. When they were in the studio, Yoko was always there, always interrupting sessions, not happy to just sit in the recording booth, and started giving her opinions as if she was a creative participant in the band. She "helped" Lennon with his songs, and then, as Harrison famously noted, "the rot set in". After India, the Beatles grew ever more insular, wanting to work alone, keeping to themselves, valuing their privacy above any public considerations. Lennon and McCartney continued recording while Harrison & Starr went to America, and Lennon was working on "Revolution 9" alone. McCartney was perfecting "Blackbird" alone. And then Lennon & Harrison completed "Revolution 9" while McCartney was in America. The dynamic of the band was being redefined (falling apart?). "Revolution 9" is the band's most unpopular track ever. McCartney and Starr were straight up pissed off about it, but Lennon's thoughts on it were that this was the music of the future, music without the necessity of instruments. As far as sound experimentation goes, however, this track is definitely the most relevant and enduring. It was influenced by two main sources, the first being social disturbances in England, the second being Yoko herself. Her art show displayed a new type of avant-garde, and Lennon, listening to her spoken word art, wanted to try something new. Naturally, Yoko helped make decisions on which tape loops to use. So what the hell is actually inside "Revolution 9"? About 100 fragments of classical music, opera, Lennon's voice, Yoko's voice, Harrison's voice, applause, gunfire, choir music, football fans, and of course a man saying "number nine". Lennon thought 9 was significant, it being not only in his address but also his birthday. Derp. "Revolution 1" grew out of a jam session of "Revolution 9", wherein all kinds of weird ideas were fielded, like how random sounds can be used to make music, like how fun it would be to sample sound bytes from other previously-recorded sources. "Helter Skelter" was McCartney's response to a criticism saying he was capable of writing only soft ballads, so he tried to create as loud and dirty a sound as he could. I've read critics who maintain this is the first "heavy metal" song. Bollocks! It's an infamous song, though, considering how Charles Manson chose to interpret a song about a carnival ride, a song about the rise and fall of an empire. America's most notorious mass murderer believed "Helter Skelter" contained prophecies about a coming race war between blacks and whites. Other notable tracks (for me) include "Mother Nature’s Son" (inspired by a maharishi lecture), "Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey" (John thought the other Beatles were paranoid about Yoko), "Honey Pie" (an homage to British music-hall style), "Savoy Truffle" (Harrison sniping Clapton for his love of sweets), and "Cry Baby Cry" (where George Martin plays harmonium).
I was prepared to be more critical. I don't consider myself big on the Beatles, despite enjoying Abbey Road, Sgt. Pepper's, and Rubber Soul (I've been thinking of taking a deep dive of their discography for a while to fill out the gaps). When I first heard the White Album years ago, it more or less glazed over me. I thought it was intriguing but was ultimately messy, overblown nonsense. This time, I gave it more of a chance, listened more intently, and found I was beginning to get sucked in and really enjoyed all of it. And not because I felt I was supposed to but legitimately found something worthwhile. It IS a weird and broken mess, but it's also oddly appealing and beautiful in a certain way. Even the goofy Yellow Submarine like stuff has a charm to it. A fun thing I noticed, too was how much of this must have been influential on Bowie, Zeppelin, Jeff Tweedy, Kiss, Elliot Easton, and probably Alex Lifeson. Maybe I am a bigger Beatles fan than I thought or I've grown to appreciate this for what it is: A broken, bleeding collection of songs birthed from exhaustion and inner turmoil. I wonder if this album was helped or hindered by the fact that all the band members at this point were going through serious issues. With this in mind, it is really quite tragic. 4.5
Amazing how diverse the songs are stylistically. Helter Skelter is probably the best smelling salt that the Beatles put out.
Didn’t love it all, but loved most of it. The great songs on here are truly great. Blackbird is an all-timer
shit
Other than being too long and the songs being too loosely coupled to form a cohesive whole, it's wonderful
I didn't think I would actually rate this one so high after a road trip listen, but I guess all it took was a second try, a pair of headphones, and a couple glasses of chocolate liqueur. After listening in the car with my parents yesterday (including my dad who is a Beatles superfan) I was pretty unimpressed, save for the standouts of "Blackbird," "Piggies," and "Mother Nature's Son." There were very few songs that I disliked, but it just felt like a lot of filler. My mom had a rather impassioned review, saying "all these years, I've questioned why everyone loved the Beatles except me and have asked myself 'what's wrong with me?' After this, I'm asking 'what's wrong with them!?'" I was ready to give it a 3 after yesterday for the standouts alone but gave it another attempt today. While those are still by far my three favorites, I found myself smiling along to the goofy lyrics and musical diversity, especially on disk 1. Songs that I thought I disliked, like "Ob-La-Di..." and "Rocky Raccoon" were actually really enjoyable. And of course, that doesn't speak for the great songs like "Dear Prudence" and "Back in the USSR." I'm still not fully convinced to be a Beatles fan, and it may not be my favorite album, but there's definitely something special here.
3-4
Back In The USSR // Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da // The Story of Bungalow Bill // While My Guitar Gently Weeps // Happiness Is A Warm Gun // Blackbird // Rocky Raccoon // Helter Skelter // Revolution 1 // Good Night 4/5
The best Beatles album.
Solid album. Not the Beatles best, but still lots of fun, and better than the early stuff
Classic! Amazing Loving: Back in the U.S.S.R; Dear Prudence, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Blackbird, Julia, Birthday.
I love the swing toward off the wall creativity on the white album. So much lore about the making of this collection. Not all winners, but a delight.
very strong album with many great songs, ranging from random goofy songs like Rocky Raccoon to Back in the U.S.S.R. Strays away from the 'love song' theme in the earlier albums. 9/10
Great Album! Haven't listened to it in years
All over the place. Bangers mixed with absolute dross. 4 stars for lack of coherence and the fact the mix is muddy af. Rocky Raccoon underrated, Helter Skelter still slaps hard, and the album at least inspired some good Simpsons jokes.
I won't be able to say anything that hasn't already been said. Certainly required listening
If Sgt. Pepper was an amazing night out of drinking, drugs, & late night conversations, The White Album is that night's hangover. Cynical, darker, and at times, random, the White Album bends and blends genres. After each song, it turns each corner to a different one. In the span of a few songs, you'll hit a blues song, an acoustic ballad, a cynical rock track and then a happy-go-lucky reggae inspired tune. Most of the orchestra instruments and complicated songscapes have been ditched for more traditional "rock n roll" arrangements. When they do appear, its much more subdued and limited. In order to really appreciate this album, you'll really need to listen to Sgt. Pepper and then get here. All the nonsense make more sense sonically and lyrically.
Even as someone who's not a fan of hour and a half long albums or the Beatles, this was actually like really good, easily the best Beatles record I've heard to date.
I enjoyed this one more than I expected to. Revolution 9 was by far my favorite song.
While this is a well-regarded Beatles album, it doesn't rate as highly for me as their other late-period albums (Rubber Soul through Let It Be). There are so many great songs, yet the album's overall feel is a bit of a miss-mash and has some definite skips. I think basically all of the Beatles albums deserve to be on this list (they had such a huge cultural impact that it seems shortsighted to skip any of their records), but I'm much more likely to reach for Abbey Road or Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Very strong album, almost perfect 4/5
Good album, great tracks a few fillers.
Probablement le meilleur album des Beatles que j'ai eu, même si je l'ai trouvé un peu long. Mais généralement je trouvais la qualité des compositions tellement meilleure, les chansons sonnaient plus originales, le musicianship est meilleur. Définitivement plus fan de cette période des Beatles que leurs premiers trucs. 8/10
TRACK LIST - 0.75x 1. Back in the USSR - 75 2. Dear Prudence - 80 3. Glass Onion - 49 4. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da - 68 5. Wild Honey Pie - 55 6. Story of Bungalow Bill - 36 7. While My Guitar Gently Weeps - 100 8. Happiness is a Warm Gun - 82 9. Matha My Dear - 73 10. I'm so Tired - 68 11. Blackbird - 80 12. Piggies - 37 13. Rocky Raccoon - 75 14. Don't Pass Me By - 63 15. Why Don't We Do It In The Road - 70 16. I Will - 65 17. Julia - 51 18. Birthday - 68 19. Yer Blues - 74 20. Mother Nature's Son - 65 21. OVERALL - 0.25x