The Making of the White Album with writer GLENN GREENBERG |  

Matt, not sure if we say this often enough, but a big thank you for these types of interviews and content. I know this is lot of work and it is very much appreciated.

What's the matter with some of these people? People need to stop taking everything so dang seriously: Martha My Dear has haters purely on the basis of Paul writing it about his dog? That's a beautiful topic to write about for a song. It's a beautiful song. People are ridiculous

The White Album, like Exile on Main St. is a State of mind. You need to listen to it as a whole piece. The Song sequencing is perfect.

My favorite Beatles album! So much room for each Beatle to develop some wonderful songs. My favorite song on the album is Dear Prudence!

Ian Macdonald’s summation of TWA in his masterpiece- Revolution in the Head - “ Certainly no other product of the noon bright idiom of Sixties pop offers as many associations of guarded privacy and locked rooms, or concludes in such disturbing, dreamlike darkness.”

Interesting discussion …at times. On Revolution 9…I always thought it was a fascinating SOUND COLLAGE or a avant- grade piece but it has nothing to do with a SONG or something a band could perform together. It’s perfectly valid as a sound piece but it is not a musical composition in any sort…it’s put together and I like to hear it occasionally. The White Album as a whole is an astounding collection. My favorites are the Lennon centric songs DEAR PRUDENCE. HAPPINESS IS A…., SEXY SADIE….REVOLUTION 1…all Masterpieces. I love WHILE MY GUITAR.. of the GEORGE songs, HELTER SKELTER, BACK IN THE USSR of the PAUL material. I am satisfied that it came out as a double album, I would not want to cut a thing!

I used to always try to listen to the White Album as a whole, start to finish. "Revolution 9" always seemed to me kind of like the "trip" sequence in Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey", before you get to the warm comfort of "Goodnight" and the beautiful image of the Star Child.

Here's my rainy afternoon taken care of

My take has never been that George had "worked out" a lead guitar part for Hey Jude which was rejected by Paul. I've always felt that George was just learning the song, and experimenting with ideas, which Paul was quick to criticize, pissing George off before he'd actually worked anything out, much like the interaction the two had in the early stages of Two Of Us. I think George thought "F it then" and went up to the control room. Some might think this is a small distinction, but I believe it's an important one.

A long distance from Please Please Me to The White Album in only five years.

Hands down my favorite Beatles album! Thanks for the interview Matt. Just ordered the book. PLAY LOUD

Revolution#9 belonged on a beatle album as much as Let it Be even though Lennon said Let it Be was not Beatle music. They were both Beatle music. Because their whole career is made of diversity and play.

I love your channel! As a professional musician of 40 years though, I have to disagree about the White Album material not being perform-able. Many of those songs are very doable live. As long as you can sing like the Beatles lol. That's the hard part. Keep up your excellent work!

I get very frustrated with anyone who says the White Album would be so much better as one disc. The 'stupid' tracks make the album work. I laugh every time 'Wild Honey Pie' plays. And though I do skip 'Revolution 9', I'm proud to be part of the No. 9 club, and have indoctrinated my kids into it. No. 9. No. 9. No. 9 :)

I would still love to hear a George Martin produced White Album

The discussion dealing with the rest of the band getting involved in Harrison's compositions reminded me how well produced While My Guitar Gently Weeps is. It's a blueprint for a number of 70s songs. McCartney's bass, especially when he starts playing chords in the second verse, rocks. As mentioned, it's serious songwriting, lyrically moving, to me it feels like a centerpiece of the album, to the extent that removing no other song would have quite the same impact on the gravity of record as a whole. Also I liked that you brought up Within You Without You as an earlier example of his serious songwriting - that's a magic track.

I was 12 when a friend invited me over one day because his older brother had just brought home the new Beatles album that had just been released earlier that day. "There's a new Beatles album?" 'Yes, and there are two records in it!" It hit my 12 year old sensibilities as the best of all possible surprises. We listened to every side without speaking, just exchanging looks of appreciation and near disbelief. After all four sides the older brother told us, "go ahead, play it again." -- Fast forward 54 years, listening to the previously unreleased takes from the White Album sessions on the Deluxe Edition--which was as near as possible to listening the album on first day it was released--I discovered that the guitar finger-picking pattern that Donovan reputedly taught John Lennon while in India--the pattern that is most prominent on 'Dear Prudence' but also evident on 'Julia' was also used for composing two other songs as well. 'What a revelation, at least for guitar players.'The other two songs: 'Happiness is a Warm Gun', (only one section) and most surprisingly, the guitar demo of 'Good Night' without the strings and choir vocals added.

In what context is Magical Mystery Tour considered a flop? Did I misinterpret this?

The white album I love..A glorious mess.. A lot of throwaway songs got on to this album..was to end their publishing contract..it was done to fix that problem..nothing artistic about that decision.. That’s the real reason we got songs like wild honey, bungalow bill..revolution 9, etc.. I think ringos statement about having two albums..the white album and the whiter album..tells how little he had to do with the creative side of this album… Paul came out with his best ever line about this album.. It’s the bloody Beatles white album..shut up! Ps..the white album is a precursor for their solo career!

Enjoyed this deep dive. Just one thing. I've never heard 'Yer Blues' as a parody. It's just a traditional take on the blues, which was one of many of Lennon's influences, with a Lennon-esque twist. And I really like the 'Dirty Mac' version too. You can't argue with that line-up.

I love your interviews. You find great guests, and your own depth of knowledge lets you guide the conversations very well. Another great video.

Esher demos are the holy grail. The Beatles unplugged. George and John’s songs especially. Amazing stuff.

The majority of the TWA sounds kinda spooky or haunting, imo. If you add in the lore of "Paul is dead", psychedelic drugs and tracks like "What's The New Mary Jane" and "Not Guilty" it adds even more to that feel.

I now love Revolutionary No 9 very much, but for a long time I skipped listening to it , I find it interesting ans full of surprises 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇬🇧✌️

22:00 About "Julia" and Johns solo work: But you hear Paul from the off, he was in the mixing room, if I remembering right from the Anthology track. So he sang alone, but maybe he got Paul's opinion. I would also call something like that teamwork. Anyway thanks for this great interview! PS: I also love "Dear Prudence," and one of the most overlooked songs for me is "Long, Long, Long"

Fantastic discussion. I always saw Yer Blues as a rewrite of Heartbreak Hotel! I delayed getting the White Album for many years, perhaps being discouraged by reviews referring to the disunity of the band in the sessions, but I think it's a fine album. I still think Revolution 9 is a self-indulgence, but it has its place in the history of the band, so at least we have the CD/streaming option to skip. The musical highlight for me is Paul's piano playing, which reached a higher level on this album- the lick on Sexy Sadie, the intro riff on While My Guitar Gently Weeps and the amazing piece on Martha My Dear. I also think that the solo version of Not Guilty is a fine track, which might never have been recorded if the band's version had been released.

Of course they've could have done 12 or so songs live from the White Album. Not even a question

My #1 favorite song is 'Dear Prudence'. The production is amazing, there's a video deconstructing the song that's very informative. As for future box sets why not make 3 for 1963, 1964 and 1965. That should yield enough material. I was wondering about Glenn's disparagement of the White Album box set. This morning I listened to the 2009 mix of 'Savoy Truffle' with the George's vocals in the left channel then the remix which has them in the center, definitely preferable. 'Long Long Long' sounds infinitely better too.

I know a lot of people try to cut this down to one album - but I can't. I've tried. And while The Beatles is my favorite band I'm not one of these people that can't be critical of their work and point out songs that I think aren't great and see as filler. It's just that I love the eclectic nature & personality of this album. Even the lesser tracks that people often site as something to be cut I really love. Like Why Dont We Do it in the Road, Rocky Raccoon, Don't Pass Me By, Revolution # 9 and even Wild Honey Pie ( which I don’t even think of as a song but a little connective tissue between two songs). That, and it doesnt sound like anything I've ever heard before. Its memorable. I've seen many people make their own single disc White Album and its crazy how different many of them are. To me, its incomprehensible to leave off Long, Long,Long, Cry Baby Cry, Birthday, Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except for Me & My Monkey. I've seen people jettison those songs. No way. 😆 If I absolutely HAD to I think maybe there's 2 or 3 I'd cut? But even so - it would still be a double album. The White Album is amazing and I love it more than Sgt.Pepper.

My feeling towards this album was that it sounded like a collection of demos, not a finished project. George Martin bailed on it at some point and I think it shows. It's as much the sound quality which is not up to snuff as the arrangements. I think they went from 4 to 8 tracks on this one, correct me if I'm mistaken. That was a new format in 1967-1968 and I'm wondering if that didn't throw them a curve as far as adapting to new equipment. This is the audio engineer in me talking. I felt that Revolver sounded pristine, full and blossoming. Sgt Pepper started sounding a bit "mushy" to my ears (listen to the drums, especially, Day In The Life being the exception). The White Album to me sounds "smeared" from an audio standpoint. From an artistic/performance standpoint Revolver, for example, sounds "peppy" and enthusiastic whereas the White Album sounds a bit tired and jaded. These are just my opinions, impossible to qualify or quantify, just the general sentiments that these albums evoke in me.

Great discussion guys, always interesting content, Matt. I do agree with you about the George comments, for example, I don’t think I Me Mine would have seen the light of day on a Beatles record if not for Paul’s input. But I really appreciate the “White Album, especially for its sequencing. You can see they put a lot of time into that, with all the different types of songs, it really flows well.

Mike Love remains one of the most hated figures in the rock industry and the fact that he's still a devotee of TM says a lot about the practice's efficacy in (a) leading to enlightenment or (b) simply leading to relaxation. I know: Paul and Ringo both say they still do it twice a day, too, so maybe it doesn't hurt as well as not help. 😂

"Understanding that this is a serious album", HELL YES!!! Revolution Number Nine!!!! That's very hard core!!! I don't think anyone before or after has ever done a song like that!!!

I love this video/topic! Best one to date!! But here are my questions. Was Paul McCartney and George Martin a little “pouty” during the White Album sessions because they didn’t have the control over the sessions that they were used to having? Was John over exerting himself because he felt like he was “thrown in the background” in their pst albums? Also, when did John start taking heroin? Because it seems that John was into it and “team member” but then I feel he started taking heroin and got all moody. But great show! Great topic! Keep ‘em coming!

I love the album there is so many diverse songs. That’s what I love about it.🤟🏼

Good night was a good lullaby. I was about 12 and my grandma was tired and I selected this for her to sleep by. She was asleep by the end of the song. She reminded me of it several times and how it help her relax. Ten years later, she joined the lord in heaven

When I bought and listened to TWA in 1968, I was overwhelmed by the amount and variety of music. All these years later it rates as my 4th favorite Beatles LP and 9th favorite LP all time. Songs I love that don’t get mention: Rocky Raccoon, Savoy Truffle, Cry Baby Cry….I guess my least favorites are the lighter/more mellow songs everyone seems to love….give me Happiness is, I’m So Tired, Sexy Sadie, Birthday, and all the top tier songs I haven’t even listed…Dear Prudence is my favorite.

They left marharishi because he was a man who enjoyed sex. What a “crime “ ! I paid a weeks wages to receive my tm mantra, which I had trouble pronouncing and it didn’t sound pleasant to me. The Beatles were all given the same mantra, I ing. Mal ( who was also given it) let it slip, one day.

Wait. I'm confused about Mr. Greenberg's remark at 34:00. In 1968 Paul was not just listening to but also DOING avante garde music?

Interesting about the acoustic/song writer songs they are my favorite songs of the album. I learned that Donovan in India one day after meditation, John Lennon noticed him fingerpicking and asked him to show him the clawhammer fingerstyle. The Beatles loved the sound and they wanted that sound on the Album. Thanks great Interview.

Just fyi - McCartney still meditates, probably using his TM mantra. He hasn't come out against it or the Maharishi. Jerry Seinfeld is a fervent advocate. I've taken the TM course, and it's definitely not some stupid cult. It's not Scientology. There's probably a cheaper way to learn to meditate, and there's probably no metaphysical or psychological significance to what your mantra is. But it's fun to think that it is. It's like getting married - you can just live together, but a ritual ceremony adds weight to the process. And motivates you (me) to keep up the practice.

as a kid I loved the diversity of the songs, so much good music and all so different from each other, ROCK ON Matt!

Slightly different topic which just dawned on me a few weeks ago. I always considered Let it be a step back after Abbey Road, even though I was aware of the sequence they have been recorded. What I realised (heh, I know I'm slow here) that if you look at White Album and Let it be, there is a lot more similarities going on than with Let it Be and Abbey Road, in terms of how it sounds for sure. You can feel the continuity between those albums. I always loved the fact that each of their albums was a little different from the previous and with the above re-ordering, you can see the progress without that anomaly.

Thanks Matt, i always enjoy your Beatles content. A whole video on The White Album, and no mention of the seminal `Helter Skelter`, or did my ears deceive me.

It’s a pity it wasn’t a triple album.

Not watched it yet, Matt, but that´s my late night Friday viewing sorted. Thanks for the videos, as always! :-)

I think the White Album is perfect

Great interview Matt. Glenn seems like a fun interview. Comes across that way. A few months ago I started wondering how much Beatles music does Paul McCartney have that's never been heard. I'm thinking a boat load! My favorite White Album track is Helter Skelter.

In October of 1967 Paul and George suddenly appeared in my hometown of Malmö, Sweden. They were on their way to see the Maharishi in the small village of Falsterbo but went to have some dinner before travelling there. They were refused entry to the first restaurant because of not wearing ties but had better luck with the second. The press showed up and the boys were kind as always. This is still reported as the time when the two boys were to meet Maharishi for a weekend of meditation, but that is false. They went there to tell the Maharishi to stop using the Beatles name for his promotion.

Love this video! I agree that the Dirty Mac playing “Yer Blues” - Clapton, Keith, and Mitch, great as they are - didn’t come close to what the Beatles did with that song. A song, by the way, that John said, “I MEANT it.” Apparently it was written when he was in emotional pain. As incredible as all the songs are on TWA, “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” seems to keep growing in stature as one of George’s masterpieces and to me, it towers over everything on the album. Had “Hey Jude” been included on the album, that would have been a contest. Thank for such a fascinating video !

TWA is a great Beatles album, but I would not say that it is a listen to from "beginning to end" like Rubber Soul or Revolver. I still believe that both of those albums were the greatest albums The Beatles ever made. Every artist tries to look for a new sound and TWA was an experiment. I think they came back to form on Abbey Road which is better than TWA, no doubt. I guess I would be in the minority with George Martin. They could have made an album with 14 strong tracks, but instead they wanted to experiment.

You said something that was interesting in that had Brian lived he would have had plenty to do running Apple. He would not have missed touring either. And I wonder, because of the tensions that were rising, had he lived, would he have not been a calming influence of some sort. I am not saying he would have kept them together, their artistic differences may have been too great. But without the business tensions, they may have parted as friends. The post break up would have been so much better...........

This is some great Beatle content.

Great conversation! I think it is fascinating to think about what a Jan 1969 White Album concert could have been in sort of "Beatles and Friends" format.

I love when you do long conversations with Beatles experts. Always super insightful!

I LOVED Let it Be album, except George’s solo for let it be wasn’t on the album, only on the single. I was 18 when it came out, I played it over and over, Kathy

I absolutley love, LOVE, Revolution No. 9. It is my go to number on the album and it picks me up when I am down. "Take this brother. May it serve you well."

Hi Glenn 👋 I always enjoy your Beatles discussions.

The Revolution 9 debate will go on forever. The experiment has validity, but did it have to be so long? On "The Who Sell Out" album, we got a lot of weird interludes, like the tape loop saying "more music" after "Heinz Baked Beans," and then there's that other tape loop saying "turn it round" after "Mary Ann With the Shaky Hands." It's not really avant-garde... well, maybe it is, I don't know. However, fans of the album love the little ditty of "Roto-Sound Strings" that introduces "I Can See For Miles" as the final track of side one. If the Beatles had dispersed those Revolution 9 tape loops and other stuff throughout the album, then it would have a different effect. Just some thoughts... Edit: I should point out that in the movie "Scrooge" (1951 starring Alistair Sim) there is a line in the film where Bob Crachit says, "Martha My Dear" in their home. Perhaps another Eleanor Rigby subconscious bubbling?

Side one of the White Album is among music’s perfectly sequenced sides ever released. If space aliens asking “Who are the Beatles” showed up at my door, this is what I’d play for them.

One thing I’m curious to get your ideas on when talking about John incorrectly blaming everyone for his problems and the breakup - something to note that he once said (I think about the touring era around the Jesus issue) that he viewed the Beatles as someone other. So maybe if you look at his complaints through the lens of “Beatle Paul” or “Beatle George” did this or that, it might be an interesting conversation. Frankly I think John is unreliable and Paul took way too much crap for everything and was the life of the late period, but I think the perspective switch for John could be an interesting route to explore

I love you, Matt, and I'm a guy.

There was a RU-vid video of "Revolution" which was an early version of the song which featured the song a s heard on the album - combined with the sound collage. It was a much moe compelling melding of the two sonic ideas. I wish they'd gone with that instead...

Age is also an important factor for how the listener receives the album. When I first heard it I was quite young and found myself drawn into the syrupy Macca numbers but within a couple of years, my distillation into a single Album wouldn’t include many of Macca’s tracks. I can never manage a single white album play list because I love #9 and that blocks out too many other favourite tracks. As for doing it Live, look up the Analogues, they did a brilliant job of playing the whole album live..

Just this past week I had finally decided that the White album must be my favorite. 40 years ago when I started really listening, I really did not enjoy their India influenced stuff. I had been flip flopping between Abbey road and Revolver as my top of the list. Now it is more White album then Rubber soul, then the rest.

Could I be the only person I know that totally embraces Revolution 9? My older brother had the cassette for the second record and as a kid, I accepted it. Didn't even question it. Thought it was very cool, I had the feeling I understand it. He also had Life magazines from that era, so I kind of knew what it was about. In a way, it's a profoundly true and real piece. And...totally justifies Good Night. Try to put Good Night follow any other tune. Doesn't work so brilliantly. I love Martha My Dear. Does any other song by whoever has in it a feeling of kindness and compassion? That's why it's a pearl.

As long as the album! Did I ever play Revolution No.9 more than once? Nope.

For me the White Album version of Revolution is the definitive one. I'm with you guys on almost everything else though .

A wonderful interview. And while I don't count "The White Album" among my favorite albums, I see it in a new light now. I see it as the real genesis of the beginning of the end of the band. It adds punch to the album. I can appreciate it much more now. Thank you.

This is an awesome format!

I think it was George or Paul who said the first concept for the White Album once they decided on minimal cover art was to have the vinyl and the cover sleeve all be clear. Which would have been very innovative at the time! But it wasn't possible or just wasn't supported by the record company to do that haha. So they went with a plain white cover. I still imagine the green Granny Smith apple logo floating in the middle of a clear vinyl though, and it does seem like that would have looked great! If tech was different back then, we might all be talking about the Clear Album right now lol.

I've never had free blocks of time to be able to see your long-form talks and interviews, but with this topic I had to make some. There's nothing like listening to two people who know so much generally little-known and detailed information about the Beatles discussing them and their recordings. There was so much here. I agree that Revolution 9, while not exactly often played (and it would have been unforgivable on a single album) was an important part of the White Album and its time. It gave it reach - that the Beatles were even taking on something like this was enough. The though of "What is Paul McCartney holding back" was a scary topic. So many things left behind by composers, writers and artists have been heavily censored and "adjusted" by surviving relatives. Thanks for sharing all this.

I don’t skip Revolution #9 anymore either… but I don’t really listen to it very close though. I think releasing a White album 1 and a White album 2 is a terrible idea - come on now! Dirty Macs version of Yer Blues kicks the Beatles version’s ass… The White album has been my fav Beatle album for almost 40 years.

Great discussion so far, and I love that Lennon and Harrison aren't above being called out!

GOT IT MATT!!! Watched the video last night, and went out this morning to get coffee and then to Barnes & Nobles bookstore to pick up Glenn's Making of The White Album. -The White Album for me was a coming of age, a transitional time in my youth, I was about 13, Discovering and experimenting things for the first time. When I first heard it, I knew this was not my mom and dad's typical Beatles pop songs like Michelle, In my Life, Yesterday etc... This was the album where I heard Helter Skelter, Revolution 9 and Dear Prudence for the first time. It was a treasure trove of songs. But you couldnt get around from feeling something dark and haunting about this album. And then you start hearing people tell false stories about how The Beatles were influenced by these murders by this crazy hippie guy called Charlie Manson and wrote the song Helter Skelter and The Beatles got in trouble for making that song. And about that time early in the 80's I remember watching the World premier on T.V. of the movie Helter Skelter with actor Steven Railsback, That movie sure gave me the Heebie Jebbies!!! -I know some 1st generation Beatle fans that didnt like this album. The main reason being that the songs were uneven and Not very joyful sounding. But for me its my desert Island album, right up there with Abbey Road as my All Time favorite Beatle album.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching this video. Best thing I ever watched about my favorite album. Excellent. Thank you.

Glenn is always a trip! I would explain that comment, but I took a "gummie" an hour ago. (Tee hee.) This was a fun retrospect, and I need to listen to The Beatles again. Now! This was very enjoyable Matt! I ran across someone on RU-vid, (sorry I don't recall their name). This person suggested that the next cleaned up albums will be the red and blue albums with the addition of the newly discovered song. My first thought was, Why? However would I buy those albums even 15 years after the original release? Yup!

I would respectfully very much disagree with the idea that "Revolution 9" is definitely NOT a Beatles track. I am 65 years old & have been listening to this album since the day it came out (my older brother had a copy). Other kids in the neighborhood (this was Newark NJ so there were many black families), even the black kids, were listening to the album. From Day One, I was fascinated with "Revolution 9" with all of its sounds & shifting 'scenes' all done with little to no recognizable music. I've always considered it a Beatles track because it seemed to be a logical extension of their interests in sound effects, sound manipulation & the use of recognizable sounds from life (the machinery sounds in "Yellow Submarine" for example). The Beatles were known for fabulous studio tricks & pioneering new effects with tape manipulations, like the use of backwards sound. I simply NEVER questioned "Revolution 9" as being so 'foreign' to what The Beatles were 'about,' to consider it as unworthy of them. In fact, it to my ears is very representative of all they stood for. I have always loved it as an ominous journey through the use of sounds themselves. It leaves one, me at least, with a definite satisfying emotion that equals the ones felt when hearing their more popular recordings. And the placement on the album is superb. The opening number that is uncredited to Paul ("won't you take me back where I came from?") is a natural eerie pathway to "Revolution 9" & I always considered those little snippets to very much be a Beatles' motif, especially in their later albums. Paul's opening bit always felt like it belonged to or was part of "Revolution 9" itself. "Revolution 9" begins after three of the more inconsequential tracks on the album. (They almost sound like "filler songs." Certainly, John never thought much of "Cry Baby Cry" which is probably the best of the three songs). So "Revolution 9" is then the needed SERIOUS statement for that final side of the double discs. And things suddenly become more 'real' somehow: as a listener I become involved in this sound tableau. Where am I? What is happening? There seems to be danger on every side & even in the moments of more peaceful respite there is a hint of impending doom. Then the horror & nightmare world of "Revolution 9" is proceeded by one of the most Hollywood-styled syrupy orchestral suites for film: "Goodnight." That in my mind is the perfect pairing, for expressive contrasts, that I have ever heard on vinyl. It demonstrates that The Beatles were so-ahead of other bands, that they could think artistically about an album's sequencing to make for an expressive & impressive artistic statement. Something akin to Lennon's decision on "Abbey Road' to have the tape cut, the sound suddenly cut, for his song "She's So Heavy" to end side one. It's an arresting & bold move. "Revolution 9" in its content & surrounding context - - as a setup for "Goodnight" - - gives me a similar feeling. I think the White Album would be a lesser thing if that track was not on the album in the place that it is. It fulfills a necessary role & has a vital spot on the album. It's like we've been brought to the depths of Hell only to find angel wings with the closing song, again another GREAT CLOSING song for an album. The perfect emotional salve for the preceding experience, with Ringo's reassuring voice telling us all is how it should be. It seems obvious to me that The Beatles were very much still thinking of a unified musical statement, in the same vein as "Sgt. Pepper" but in terms of the actual listening experience for the listener, with the journey's climax & then its release or resolution. "Revolution 9" is part of the dramatic ending for the final side of the album & I would miss it were it not there.

Great conversation guys....my favourite Beatles album....you've inspired me to do a response!!

Great job as always. The White album Is one of my top ten favorite albums ever.

I love all 4 sides of the White Album, but I’d say my top favorites are side 1 and side 3. I love the rockers a lot.!

Supreb stuff Matt. My all time favouite album and you and Glenn are spot on about Revolution 9. The White Album is a masterpiece because it includes Rev 9.

After the white album was Timothy Leary quote “I declare that The Beatles are mutants. Prototypes of evolutionary agents sent by God, endowed with a mysterious power to create a new human species, a young race of laughing freemen.”

Don’t know how spiritual Mike Love actually is as he is a big supporter of trump

I doubt that many arguments exist on tape. Engineers wouldn’t have thought to waste expensive tape on something that definitely wouldn’t be used on the finished record. Giles Martin claims about the White Album sessions is purely based on what he heard on the tapes. He most likely didn’t hear any arguments as they weren’t recorded (assuming they even happened).

Great discussion. References to hitting the eject button and fast forwarding highlight how differently the vinyl generation consumed music. We did pick up the tone arm sometimes to skip a track, but 90 % of the time we put the record on and let it play. We argued about whether it was bad for our records to use a stacking turntable, and about whether you should turn the inner sleeve 90 degrees so the record couldn't fall out. Yes, it was bad for records to drop them on each other, and it took longer to put an album on if you had to remove the inner sleeve. But LP's were expensive, so I took care of mine. Good luck getting that surround sound set up. I'm shopping now, lackadaisically because I use good headphones if I'm listening seriously. "Don't leave your records in the sun They'll warp and they won't be good for anyone They just won't play just won't play just won't play..." Ric Masten song

Yet again I find myself enjoying somebody discussing this stuff!! Blimey...so much garbage it talked and written about the Beats that I'd come to avoid the subject for my blood pressure stats. Matt and his regs really breather life back into all this and in a time before it is lost and distorted forever. I've re bought and read Revolution in the Head' due to Matt reminding me of it and tho I knew it had impressed me way back when, It impresses me even more now! Matt, Erin, Glenn and Jude has utterly restored value and dignity to this subject. I never regret listening to any of these interviews. Whats more there is even lots of info I'd never heard of or read!!Blimey...I didn't think it was possible! I'd stopped buying books on it all years ago because they were all so rubbish and cynical cashing in exercises. Thanks to all!

I actually bought this at Target - saw the beatles mag in line - had to buy it!

Nice discussion, very enjoyable. Thanks.

The base recording for Revolution 9 is Revolution (Take 18) which can be heard on the White Album deluxe box set, with a ton of sound clips and effects laid on top of the full band jamming. And you can still hear some of Paul's piano playing from Take 18 in the final version of Revolution 9 in fact! So actually all four Beatles contributed to Revolution 9. John - Vocals, Sound effects and mixing. Paul - Piano. George - Voice (speaking) & Sound effects. Ringo - Sound effects (and the sound of his infant son is on the track, too). Yoko - Voice (speaking) & Sound effects.

Not sure if you're aware but there was a 60s UK band called Nirvana. Not sure how sucessful they were (I have a soundtrack LP featuring them that's how I found out) but may make for an interesting video. You might get grunge Nirvana fans to watch.

It’s unfortunate they couldn’t have stayed together and still make solo albums too. You keep the family together

Dear prudence is a wonderful song, a real pop song but with edge.

I'm with Martin in that it could have made a great one disc record. But which songs do you leave off?

A really wonderful interview.

they were technically the Beatles but there was no Beatle music on that record--John said something like that

Great interview, just bought the book/magazine on Amazon. Thank you. 👍🏻

Love listening to you guys Beatling!

Fascinating deep dive. (two thumbs up)

Does anyone else hear George say something like "see, the problem with the telecaster" in Revolution 9? I've never heard it talked about