The Beatles - The White Album

We've most of us all probably heard all the cliches (truth) about the White Album. It wasn't called the White Album, but The Beatles. It came out in Nov.-Dec. 1968 with individually numbered LP jackets. George Martin thought it would be better to boil it down to one record, with only the best tracks included. The Beatles did more individual work on tracks and less ensemble work. Some of the songs were conceived on their trip to India. Etc.

It's never been my favorite Beatles album. But it has some very great songs on it. I didn't have the album as a kid, which is true about most albums. There was some talk about John and Yoko's Two Virgins album right about that time (in the newspaper, maybe TV) and some confusion about the white cover of the Beatles' album, that they were one and the same thing, with the white covering the offending picture. I remember around Christmas time going by the local music store and seeing a whole bunch of the White Album stacked around in the window display. But my Dad had made a new rule, because of the nude picture and, going way back, part of the roots, John's statement about being more popular than Jesus. The new rule, "Never will a Beatles record be in my house," something like that.

I don't know if the rule held up perfectly. I never had money for such things anyway. So it was a few years after, and after I was moved out anyway, that I ever got the White Album. Then the one that was issued on white vinyl. And in the used record market, somewhere along the way, I ended up with 0927160. So if anyone out there has 59 or 61, we're White Album companions! Then when it came out on CD, I was in Kansas City and went to some obscure, out of the way record store that probably doesn't exist anymore, and they had the CD (2 CDs) for like $9.99. No kidding. I'm sure it about had to be a mistake, but I didn't say anything and the guy ringing it up didn't say anything, so I walked out thinking how lucky I was. The cover (first disc's cover) was also numbered, and mine is 323,946. So, again, if you happen to have 45 or 47, hey!

There ought to be a White Album registry on the internet. Maybe there is, where we keep track of where each number is!

I've had other White Album run-ins over the years, including various sessions, mono versions, McCartney talking about it, etc., on usenet. I just saw some "Blackbird" sessions on one of the newsgroups today, but I'm not that interested in collecting everything there is!

I always thought the 8-track of this album was kind of attractive, high-contrast B&W versions of the 4 portraits on a little 8-track label and on the box. The 8-track was two cartridges.

My next post will be....me listening to the album on my Gigabeat and making a few comments. Of course I will not be able to avoid saying some of the things I've heard about the various tracks over the last 30 some years. One thing that is different, is I don't think I've ever listened to this whole album on headphones. And I was listening to a few tracks earlier and noticed hoots and talking, etc., that I don't recall just by listening with regular speakers.

So let me warble "Goodnight" to this post, and catch the next BOAC flight to Destination: Next Post!