The White Album may not be the Beatles' best album, but it's my favorite because it's a sort of chaotic journey into the world of a band that was falling apart at the seams . The songs are tender and personal, wild and unrestrained, straight up rockers and straight up ballads, blues and country, intelligent and stupid, witty and ridiculous, sublime and heavy. They threw just about everything they could churn out into a musical stew and let it cook into a glorious mess of a double LP. That's why I love it!
White Album is my favorite too. It would be my choice if I could only keep just one Beatles album. If Let it Be and Abbey Road were a double album, then that'd be the one.
i think is one of their best albums and i can understand some saying that isn´t good but it as some of the best beatles songs like my guitar gently weeps, revolutuion 1 or 2 and many others i was going to start writting and all songs have interest was also a change in the way beatles composed their songs ,there are stories about it but what matters is that all came alive from john lennon country house near london after a well passed weekend or week what they did or didn´t do there only concerns to them not us we only have the right to hear what was done as a real four menber band working together
I remember buying The White Album, as soon as it came out. I was 12. Me and my brothers opened the album in my bedroom and played it on my little plastic record player. I was the most excited because my brothers were not into music, and I was the only one that played an instrument (alto-sax). Oh, and I saw The Beatles, Live on my 9th b-day ! Aug1965Portland OR The Beatles can do no wrong and I love everything about The White Album. I wasn't that upset when they broke up. They had given the World soo much, already. People grow and move on.
I’m fuming with jealousy! I was 15 when the White Album was released, so I was 12 when the Beatles toured the US in ‘65, but my parents thought I was too young to see them when they played at Suffolk Downs (outside Boston), even though my older brother got to go. 😤 Many years later, however, a woman I worked with told me that she had been to the Suffolk Downs concert, but the screaming was so loud, you could barely hear them, and the stage was set up so far away from the audience that you could hardly see them. That gave me some consolation.
@@Kjt853 I'm sorry that happened or didn't happen to you. In Portland, there were 2 shows that day, 3:30 pm and 8 pm. I went to the first show. It was indoors, 12,000 people. I was very lucky, but I never talked about it because people didn't believe me or I made people feel bad, which I didn't want to do. They were on stage for 35 mins so it was over way too soon. Take care.
It was the only record my mom ever bought me and the last present she ever bought me; she became paralysed by MS in a month or two. I so loved it. But one day, I came home from school and found that the lyric sheet had been removed; why? Because of John and Yoko's naked pictures. I was 11; I couldn't see naked people yet ... or ever. We took that white album everywhere and soon the white cover looked like the bottom of a parkinglot floor. So we mixed up some dark blue paint and finger painted the covers. By the time I finished high school, the discs looked like we'd been eating pizzas on them.
Thank you, lots of laughter I had watching this. Some of the scripting reminds me of scenes right out of that great Mockumentary, "The Rutles - All You Need Is Cash." Lots of great songs on the White Album. I had a band in high school in 1971. I used to lead sing. As I got older and learned guitar the song that still brings a smile to my face is playing "Rocky Raccoon." Especially when: "The doctor comes in stinking of gin and proceeded to lie on the table... (Favorite verse) There are lots of emotions in Beatle songs, and they run the full spectrum of the human scale. Love, anger, peace, happiness, and yes, lots of humor...🎸😃
I wanted to reserve judgement but you nailed it. This is just like the Rutles parody...a lot of hype. The Album itself is great. Sure there are a couple of off tracks, but on the whole it's a fantastic album.
And "Magic Alex." X TV repair man and "John's new guru." Yeow, please write more about him and his influence with the Beatles. There has to be more stories on that guy! Paint that turns anything invisible, and X-ray glasses that can see through walls. He seemed to have more influence on the Beatles than the Maharishi did! Wonder if John ever wrote a song about him. " Alex talking gibberish, and John going along with him and pretending he understood what he was saying.." (I'm laughing almost insanely as I write this.) Did Magic Alex ever design a new Beatles recording studio?😃😃
Amazing. And It's fascinating that George Martin was probably "on to" Magic Alex from the beginning. But with the respect that the Beatles had for George Martin and the previous success he'd been with them with earlier album engineering it's hard to understand their thinking in not trusting his judgment. But with your excellent analysis of what was happening during the sessions, and with the reported alcohol and whatever else was going on (when they weren't fighting and "critiquing" each-others musical abilities) I guess it makes sense Magic Alex would fit right in. But please forgive me for not mentioning the beginning of this "Nightmare Story," Alan Stag! , shades of the Rutles!)"Clueless, arrogant and rude" (Here comes the laughter again) Turning off the power to Pink Floyds recording session because they went over 10:00 PM. Okay, I'm done. 😃
@@lensquires6580 George Martin got screwed in the power struggle between the individual Beatles. John saw Pepper as "Paul's triumph" and seemed to hold George Martin responsible for the power shift. All Martin was trying to do is produce good records, per the Beatles high quality of songwriting. It was Martin who presented the notion that their songs were more like classical music scores, and that even the arrangements needed to be cemented as definitive, much in the way classical composers decide upon specifc orchestral choices, counterpoint etc. IMO Beatles sngs are ruined by those who cover them. The original recordings are the way they should be performed, much like a Beethoven symphony is performed. Of course I am a classical musician so I bring that bias to the table. That's why I prefer the Analogues to all other Beatles cover groups. Stones songs? Give me Tina Turner's covers, or even the Devo version of Satisfaction over the originals any day.
Such B.S. Just because it's the Beatles they don't get a free pass when they don't live up to their reputation. The White Album is a mess. Far, far from genius. That word has become a word that can describe the most mediocre music. I don't see how the White Album can be classified as genius. Flawed works better.
@@SKYSAW59 did you were with them at the time to know about it ,it sems a lot of people here were close friends to one or all of them, i wouldn´t call a masterpiece but one of the best albuns imagine one record only it would be the best for some
The White Album was the beginning of the end for the Beatles because of the internal friction and stress going on with the band during the recording of the album but having said that this turned out to be a remarkable musical experience for the greatest band in the history of rock pop music I remember the first time I listened to it, it blew my mind, incredibly versatile one song different from the next there will never be anything like it again a timeless classic, the Beatles will never be forgotten!
I have two favorite albums of all time. One is 'The Golden Age of Wireless' by Thomas Dolby, and the other is the white album by The Beatles, which was my first favorite album, and if I had to pick only one it would be that one. It blows my mind that anyone ever makes arguments for it to be only one disc long, or that it may not be the best Beatles album. I know this may sound strange, but there is something even bigger and more important than the concept of 'the best' in art: the greatest, most meaningful art that there is is art that gets you up in the morning, that moves you, that makes you think, that excites and motivates you, even provokes you, but that is informed and smart and spirited, and emotional or emotive or eliciting emotions from you, and that somehow feels necessary. The idea of 'the best' suggests a set of criteria that critics have devised as a sort of test that can be graded. There's so much of importance and really intense connection with individuals in an audience that art can convey, and it's that part that matters most, I think, to an audience, and that's what should be weighted most heavily when evaluating great musicians and composers and music makers. The really difficult part is that the white album broke the mold when it comes to making such diverse albums. I can't think of any album since that has been as eclectic. I adore that quality of the album. It feels like a travelog. I feel as if I'd taken a train across India, and the solar system, and in fact the milky way...
@@rudolphguarnacci197 what can't you get about being sick and tired of hearing people want to strip away the white album so that it turns into a greatest hits album, and for the past several decades? A huge part of what makes the white album so extraordinary is that it is a journey, a rich musical travelog with a diverse range of moments and a tremendous breadth that a single disc couldn't possibly contain. It is a feast that takes a long time to experience. It is a multiple course dinner with aperitifs and hors d'oeuvres, and an amuse bouche and palate cleansers between courses. You don't just gorge on one dish and consume the next. Oh, wouldn't it be better if it were just an appetizer, main dish and dessert? It is exactly like this, and in fact the palate cleanser pieces on the album are elevated in importance and value because of their proximity to the great songs. They become more significant and memorable and enjoyable because of the way that they connect to the larger whole, and it makes the great songs have even more prominence. It adds to the dynamics of the album, the peaks and valleys. The white album is a trip across a continent of ideas and experiences and feelings. It is vast. It takes time. It connects so much more deeply with the individual listener than a single disc of greatest hits ever could. Apparently you just don't get this idea. Go ahead. Just drive through India or Europe as fast as you can, stopping only to eat, sleep and go to the bathroom. Knock yourself out. Wouldn't it be so much better if you could just see all of Europe in a weekend?
@@singlesideman The debate will go forever. I'm in both camps now. I appreciate both sides of the argument. What could be asked is if your favorite Beatles album is (fill in the blank), might it have been the white album if it was a single album?
The stuff about Blackbird being recorded outdoors is wrong, it was all done in the studio. The birds are from a sound effects tape. God bless Geoff Emerick but his book has a whole bunch of factual errors.
It's extraordinary how interested people are in the creation of Beatles' material. Digging into the psychological aspects, rumours and innuendoes surrounding the group. I simply enjoy the music.
The White Albums always been my favourite Beatles record. It’s incredibly eclectic and wonderfully imaginative.. some fantastic tunes that possibly wouldn’t have ever come to life had they worked together as one. Great video too btw - really well put together mate.. interesting, informative and nicely paced! 👏🏻
Maybe its the 'turmoil' that made it such a revolutionary double album. It remains one of the most turned on mixes ever made, an unintentional masterpiece .
Expertly edited. Extremely, well-sourced. Securely tied together by narration that tells its story, faithfully. Yours is among the very best Beatle-docs. Many thanks!
I had no idea there was so much behind the scene fighting going on in Abbey Road Studio between The Beatles, negatively affecting George Martin and the Sound Engineers during the production of The White Album, after the trip to India. With all of these awesome musical talents and sound engineers that worked together in harmony before The Beatles’ Trip to India, it would had been better not to go the Guru’s Compound in India, in the first place. 😢
when you hear Paul just jamming on Helter Skelter acoustic, you get that fly-on-the-wall re-realization of what an absolute monster he was...Paul is one of the greatest acoustic players ever, that;s not hyperbolic...his rhythm hand was ridiculous, a certain level of tasteful approach, James Taylor has it too..insanely underrated in that regard .great down tuned sound, you hear his brilliance in songs like Yesterday, Michelle, and I'm looking through you..
Its odd how Lennon came in contact with 2 toxic people in this era...Yoko and Magic Alex and how Lennon pushed both of those people onto the other band members.
What they should've done was take a year off from each other, each produce their own solo album, then get back to together and be the Beatles again. Time was simply moving too fast for them. They had to grow up, grow old and get tired of each other all in a span of just 10 years. They each changed and grew so much during that 10 year time span. Way more than most of us do.
It’s an interesting take, but I think their individual growth as individuals and musicians meant it was too late for the lads to return as The Beatles we knew. Still, I rejoice in their individual efforts on this album, then struggling thru the Let It Be sessions and coming back w/ an individual and The Beatles magic 11:40 encompassed in Abbey Road, a new gift to us all unlike any of their others.
Great video. I knew it was a troublesome time ( ironic since it was right after transendental meditation and India ) but I had never heard of this Alan Stag guy.
If they had the courage to take a year long break after finishing the White album, the “Let it Be” sessions would have had a different outcome. None of them were honest when they needed to be.
You have to feel sorry for George Martin and Geoff Emerick. They both threw up their arms in frustration due to the massive ego trip the group was on during these sessions.
Your videos are fantastic. I don't comment much but I had to tell you how much I enjoy them. The Beatles have always been one of my favorite bands of all time and unfortunately there are a lot of mediocre videos on their career but your videos are so well executed. Thanks for the work you put into it. Fucking brilliant!
A quote from John's song 'Julia' comes to mind: „Half of what I say is meaningless ...“ I think Paul and the others also knew that John could be moody, that he often changed his mind and that drugs also had an influence. In the end, they stuck it out together for a while and produced some more fantastic songs. PS: Thank you for this superbly produced story!
The problem with some of the narrative here is that pre-studio work hadn't been examined enough. A majority of songs that made it on the album were written in India or prior to that excursion, and as mentioned in the video, they actually recorded demos of good number of the songs at Harrison's home at Escher before going into the studio - and sounding like they were having a good time too. Esher Demos encompassed 16 of the 30 songs that would make it on the White album: Julia, Blackbird, Rocky Raccoon, Back in the USSR, Honey Pie, Mother Nature’s Son, Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da, Dear Prudence, Sexy Sadie, Cry Baby Cry, The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill, I’m So Tired, Yer Blues, Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey, Revolution, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Piggies. I Will was written in India; and as mentioned in the video, Ringo's Don't Pass Me By had been around a long time (since 1962/1963). John wrote to Ringo from India about having so many songs, and on the need for him to get ready to work. Yet, this video seemed to have passed over this rather quickly (pre-India song writing, India song writing, work on demos for Esher), and go off on the aftermath of the Rikikesh excursion, a Magic Alex tangent, John playing loud and getting unhinged, the usual Yoko anecdotes, drug use anecdotes (nevermind they had been using drugs since the early 1960s and supposedly took a bit of a break in India), etc. So the question is, what happened after May of 1968, to have things go down hill with the band (band dynamics, interpersonal relationships, professional relationships)? Seems the stream of anecdotes and side notes here didn't in the end really address that question. Nor really differentiate from other prior bouts of arguments and disagreements (which were apparent since 1963). And, one wouldn't know from the video that Hey Jude and Revolution came out as a single during this time - even with the shot of their Twickenham studio mini concert of those two songs at <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1464">24:24</a> in - (in August, with Hey Jude recorded at Trident), which were massive hits. Maybe in the end Apple Corp as mentioned proved a critical factor (tensions over money?). Now if they had stayed focused on setting up a publication business, and securing control of their songs from Dick James, it would have proven a quite constructive/positive investment from the start.
@RogerPeet 4 days ago I remember buying The White Album, as soon as it came out. I was 12. Me and my brothers opened the album in my bedroom and played it on my little plastic record player. I was the most excited because my brothers were not into music, and I was the only one that played an instrument (alto-sax). Oh, and I saw The Beatles, Live on my 9th b-day ! Aug1965Portland OR The Beatles can do no wrong and I love everything about The White Album. I wasn't that upset when they broke up. They had given the World soo much, already. People grow and move on.
@mpemberton7760 5 days ago (edited) The White Album may not be the Beatles' best album, but it's my favorite because it's a sort of chaotic journey into the world of a band that was falling apart at the seams . The songs are tender and personal, wild and unrestrained, straight up rockers and straight up ballads, blues and country, intelligent and stupid, witty and ridiculous, sublime and heavy. They threw just about everything they could churn out into a musical stew and let it cook into a glorious mess of a double LP. That's why I love it! yda yada obladi obladah
The White Album is the greatest package ever assembled...period. 2 albums. 30 songs. Gatefold. 4 individual posters of each member...PLUS.. A GIANT COLLAGE poster with all the lyrics printed on the back. Astonishing. And then some copies came individually numbered
@@annodeThank you for that. I just went and checked my copy, bought in London on release day, and there are four pristine photos l’d completely forgotten about. Not that l’m selling them, but are they worth anything?
@@larushka1 I'm sure some Beatles fans would be interested, but I don't think they aren't collectors items. There is this one Beatles poster I'd love to have. Actually two, one where they are standing not side by side but some or one is standing well in the background and the poster is narrow and long compared to typical posters. The other was the one that has four sections and each Beatle photo is very psychedelic.
The "Buffalo Springfield Again" album showed that band members didn't have to be unified to create a great album. Like the Beatles, Richie Furay, Stephen Stills, and Neil Young produced solo recordings and they became the album. Both albums were great, but ultimately both bands were finished within a year of those albums. Thank you for the great video!
Gosh, all those constant changes! I guess being four markedly different artists a split was inevitable, but Yoko finished them off by disrupting Paul and John's love affair. A fascinating window on something wonderful falling to pieces. Thank you!
Paul died 09/11/1966 in a Car Accident. Billy Shears took over Paul’s spot in The Beatles and became Paul 2. Paul’s death shook up John, George, Ringo, and Brian badly. The British Government/MI5 got involved with The Beatles after Paul’s death; forcing everyone connected with JPM to keep quiet about Paul being replaced by Billy.
Really great mini documentary. Still missing a few years 1965 and 1965; hope to see those soon :) I'm not even a huge Beatles fan but damn was this ride into complete dysfunctional behavior.
Geoff Emerick’s book is arguably the best at describing the tension while making the White Album. And it’s very telling that he describes that most of the tension was caused by two people: John Lennon and Yoko.
Emerick is not a reliable narrator, however. He has a distinct bias for Paul in his book and the other engineer present during the White sessions, Ken Scott, heavily disputed a number of the stories in Emerick's book. Also, some of the stories in Emerick's book have been debunked, or challenged as not happening quite the way in which he said. This documentary is interesting but seems to rely very heavily on Emerick's book, which means it's flawed--and there are other stories from those sessions that it misses.
The other guys were dealing with Brian's death and the animosity was definitely due to everyone in some type of PTSD. The guys were sick of each other by then, naturally.
@@milesmcmillan-kr6ti Agreed. Also one of the most important reasons, which to be fair is mentioned in the start of clip but then kind of dropped, is that the new Apple business was a disaster almost right from the start. They didn't know how to run a business and began to squabble during the board meetings--and then would have a recording session right after the meeting. Apple is what really killed them, and of course that's all down to Epstein's death because if he had stayed alive, he would have naturally run Apple and left the band to do what they did best, make music.
Emerick couldn't take anymore. The Beatles were on a huge ego trip and could barely stand to be in the same room together. The White Album was the precursor to the Beatles inevitable breakup.
Emerick is not considered to be a reliable source. He has been accused of being deeply unfair to the legacy of Harrison, Lennon, and anybody in the band other than McCartney. The guy he worked for after the band split up.
Very well done. It gives a lot of insight into the dysfunction at this time, particularly with John & Yoko, but they made a beautiful album (except for Revolution 9!😂)
The Beatles and their engineers were a group of raw creative and endless talent. Few people realize how much the engineering staff contributes to a groups success too. Each unique. Each with their own unique talents and input. Each self centered. It is amazing they lasted as long as they did. the drugs didn't help either. All that talent and unique drive can and did make for a often hostile and competitive work environment. Still, all things considered one of music histories most remembered groups and music that will last for ever. Their work created and crossed several genres of style from their beginning to their end. I often wonder if Yoko actually was a muse for John, a source of creative inspiration or just a leach/groupee and or just a just a drug sharing buddy for John??
i got into the beatles when i first heard a song and it happened to be "love me do" i wanted to find out who sings the song and to this day, i have always been a beatles fan, fell in love with the india story from 1968 and "Dear Prudance" is now my favourite song and accounting guitar sound, i was 15 back then, nearly 24 now
Well done, lad. Hits all the points. Magic Alex DID invent one thing that would have made millions. It eventually became "Macrovision" which was a copy protection method. The Beatles didn't go for it.
Congratulations. This is an intelligent and interestingly narrated video, steering clear of the crude sensationism that, for me, ruins these type of album retrospectives. Thank you for you time and expertise.
personally, i believe all the troubles the beatles experienced during the recording of "the white album" are greatly exagerated. regardless, they ended up producing THE BEST r&r album ever released. thanks for the video.
calm down--the best? Doubtful with such clunkers as "Revolution #9" "Happiness is a Warm Gun" "Everybody's Got Something to Hide" and "Savory Truffle" Chicago II, III and VII were better double albums
Love your work. Is there a plan to put all these together as one mega documentary in sequence at some point? You will have created the best independent Beatles doc since The Compleat Beatles in '82. Especially with a focus on albums embedded within the years like this. Every Beatles documentary ever has glossed over certain albums, barely mentioned actual songs, etc. I appreciate that you don't do that.
THIS IS AN AMAZING VIDEO! So well done with so much valuable information given relevantly and concisely. I've listened to the White Album for decades and never knew any of this background about its production--fascinating. It's shocking to me that every song on the album sounds perfect in its own way yet so many were controversial, disliked, argued over and retaken amidst what appeared to be chaotic and almost accidental recordings. Who would have guessed any of this. It's all a testament to not only the talent of the band but all those involved in its production.
@@goplad1 Why not? Music gets delivered in all forms, some sweet, some bad, some indifferent. "Why Don't We Do It..." was written after seeing two monkeys mating during the Beatles India trip. It's a straight three-bar blues. It's ok, it's even outrageous. I would definitely do this on guitar in a pub. Loud. People would love it, but maybe not you. We Beatles devotees would want the lot, you're obviously not one. But this was one of the reasons McCartney insisted putting them all out on the White album. I'm glad they did. Not that I like Revolution9. But many others do. A single album would have omitted many great songs, maybe even Harrisons incredible Long, long, Long? I know what I'd choose, but I'm 70. I bought this when it was released and still worship it.
@@maxwellfan55 First of all I don't worship pop music artists, not even the Beatles. I've been listening to the Beatles since the '60s and I too am a big fan. I am much too discerning about my music listening enjoyment then to simply accept bad music by anyone. Especially the Beatles since they set their own bar so high. There isn't one Beatles studio album that I don't skip at least one song I don't particularly care for. The White Album by far is my least favorite because I have to skip more than one song. The overall feel of the White Album is very lose and the tensions within the band are palpable in every song. I've always considered the White Album a tough listen, one that I stopped listening to many years ago. With the exception of Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" I don't particularly love any other White Album song. Several songs on the album I consider their worst. Does that make me any less of a Beatles fan? I cannot force myself to like music that doesn't move me.
This is AI Bringing regurgitated ideas and wrong notes to the mix. One note: Paul ALWAYS dubbed his bass lines to the recorded material. That's how he attained that amazing precise sound. This is an interesting post.
Well, there must be a whole lotta stories swept under the carpet about recording sessions . Allegedly they once smashed a mixing board or something else.
It's ironic that after returning from a retreat where the focus was meant to be losing the self, their egos were charged to the nth degree. It was a turbulent point in time both globally, and for them personally. When you think of how little time had actually passed since the release of "I Want To Hold Your Hand" and what an insane rollercoaster ride it had been, then they suddenly find themselves in the mountains, attempting to leave the world behind, only to plunge back into it. It's no wonder these sessions were such a frenzy.
Also misleading to newer fans is the studio was not known as Abbey Road at that time. It was simply called EMI - who later changed the name to Abbey Road to honer The Beatles after they titled their last studio album, (Let It Be was released later but recorded earlier), Abbey Road - the street where the studio was located.
everyones knows that and that´s why it´s known as abbey road studios, open the blue or red doble LP and look at the photo ,it´s people wanting to see them and all are in the midle of the crowd, if you say the name of the studio who never was called simply EMI, EMI is big company and record label and not only also Parlaphone and Aple when they created it, and is imopossible to release the record first and record it later so don´t get your coment, and yes Abbey road is how the studio is known by many, but EMI are you 14 years old?not to blame , Abbey road is the album that had songs recorded earlier on the let it be sessions, About Ringo left the band check their 90´s documentary and he explains it, not the truth said in this video ,well i even can say that this video is totally incorrect
I think the Beatles' members pretty much did their own mixing and recording w the techs present. Stagg would not be able to sway anything. The Beatles pretty much owned the studio by then..
whatever , but they made the recording at his house in the countryside near London a diferent interpretation as we weren´t there and only some footage available, did you talk to him, the next day?