Mr Tiggerlion, Steven C, NigelT and DFB (Vera, Chuck & Dave) have been storing up Beatles chat all winter, here comes the sun and it’s gonna be a double
Actually this podcast would fit nicely onto one side of a C90 if you edited out the music bits aka the glue in the sandwich but you’d be missing some groovy sounds from and surrounding ‘The Beatles’ aka The Beatles White Album from 1968.
Recreating a hippie commune in Penge we consult the Tibetan Book Of The Yeti and meditate on some far out schizzle
Were Ringo’s tins of Heinz Beans the only thing that got lost in Rishikesh?
Did the Beatles start to unravel before the fractious White Album sessions?
Were the clues to the dissolution of the group in their various contributions to the May 1968 demo tape at George’s gaff?
Which track should have stayed in demo form according to DFB AND NO ONE ELSE.
But most importantly – what Beatles gift did Nigel T get for Christmas?
Brilliant work, dfb!! Fab editing and sequencing job, almost as good as The White Album itself (and that took Paul, John & George Martin a full 24 hours to achieve).
It is a superb album. Its diversity and the juxtaposition of styles are its strengths. There is so much of it, you hear something new at each visit. For example, that Paul ‘can you take me back where you came from?’ link sounds so eerie but is easily missed. Long, Long, Long is a song that lay dormant for years before being fully appreciated.
We will await events. I just hope Giles Martin was listening.
As someone once said – “It’s The Beatles White Album – shurrup!”
You’ll have to listen to the cast to find out who.
Look forward to listening. But agree completely about Long Long Long. Actually today I was listening to a discussion about if you could only have one album for the rest of your life, which would you choose? Not necessarily your favourite one but one with so much diversity you wouldn’t tire of it. I would then choose The White Album (or maybe Exile or maybe London Calling …)
Damn just realised I edited the full take of ‘Can You Take Me Back out in favour of Child Of Nature and didn’t place it elsewhere. Or did I?
Oh well here is an idea for a way that it could be remixed
Yes you did. That’s why I mentioned it.
Phew
The great news is, I’m sure you’ll be delighted to hear, that this cast has helped me solve The Single White conundrum, a problem I’ve been grappling with for forty years.
Start with the premise that The Beatles would have got on a whole lot better if they had been content with the first version of Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, the one that involved a horn section, available on Anthology 3, instead of trying two remakes over several days. Edit off the first four seconds of count in.
Back In The USSR
Dear Prudence
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
Revolution 1
I Will
Everybody Got Something To Hide Except For Me And My Monkey
Why Don’t We Do It In The Road?
Long, Long, Long
Mother Nature’s Son
I’m So Tired
Blackbird
Sexy Sadie
While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Love Remix)
Helter Skelter
Happiness Is A Warm Gun
Good Night
Ringo vocal, check, two George songs, check, alternate John & Paul songs, check, each side is no longer than the actual White Album length, check.
It was hard to leave out three John songs: Julia too personal, Yer Blues too heavy and Cry Baby Cry too creepy (actually, Cry Baby Cry was really, really difficult to cut).
No Martha? Get out!!!!
Throw out Ob-La-Di for Glass Onion
And I’m in the Savoy Truffle fan club
See! Add Birthday (the only co-write on the album) and you have a full third side. The secret to a good Single White is ruthlessness.
Show me yours…
On Martha, I think it’s the weirdest track on an album full of weirdness. There is a confusing mixture of love for his dog and love for his girlfriend. I listen to it with a bewildered look on my face and question marks above my head.
‘Love me love my dog’ is far more troubling.
But that makes perfect sense. I’d feel the same way if I were in dusty California.
Using Martha’s name is just a smokescreen thou – its a rather touching * goodbye to Jane Asher
*if you call telling grown woman she’s a ‘silly girl’ touching
One minute he is rolling about the floor with her, saying “Who’s a silly girl, then!” and the next, he’s bidding his mooted fiancée a fond farewell for ever. Weird, I tell you, weird.
Replace Revolution 1 with the header version on the B Side of Hey Jude?
I’d also lobby to keep Don’t Pass Me By and Rocky Racoon included
(so shoot me!)
As I get older that B side distresses my brain because of the severity of the stereo separation. If ever there is a track that needs Giles’s magic touch, Revolution is it.
I’m ignoring your comments on Rocky & Don’t.
I’ve stopped listening to sides one and two completely. Growing up without them, I’ve never been able to grow to love them as an adult, I just find most of it annoying.
Sure, a few good tracks, naturally, but to me they just don’t belong on my White Album! 🙂
No make it a triple.
Sides 1-3 as is:
Side 4
Hey Jude
Child of Nature
Come and Get It
The Inner Light
Junk
Side 5
Sour Milk Sea
Goodbye
Not Guilty
Step Inside Love
What’s the New Mary Jane
Side 6 is the old side 4
How about a Lennon songs only Single White?
Dear Prudence
Glass Onion
Cry Baby Cry
Hey Bulldog
Across The Universe
Happiness Is A Warm Gun
Revolution 1
I’m So Tired
Sexy Sadie
Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except For Me And My Monkey
Yer Blues
Julia
38 minutes & probably the best album he never released!
And a Paul Single White:
Back In The USSR 2:43
Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da 3:08
Lady Madonna 2:18
Martha My Dear 2:28
Rocky Racoon 3:33
Helter Skelter 4:29
Mother Nature’s Son 2:48
Blackbird 2:18
Honey Pie 2:54
Why Don’t We Do It In The Road 1:41
I Will 1:45
Hey Jude 7:08
And a Ringo Single Single
Don’t Pass Me By / Good Night
released at the same time as Hey Jude, but sunk without trace (or reference in any official discography)
The Swinging through the Sixties podcast has done one for Paul, and John and a George/Ringo one. E.g.
1. While My Guitar Gently Weeps (acoustic & electric)
2. Piggies
3. Long, Long, Long
4. Don’t Pass Me By
5. Savoy Truffle
6. Not Guilty
7. Dehra Dun
8. Sour Milk Sea
9. Circles/Only a Northern Song
10. It’s All Too Much (long version)
11. Good Night
http://swingingthroughthesixties.com
The Lennon above is the first CD I ever burned (ca 1999)
Bloody Internet. There is always someone who has thought of it already.
Dehradun is an odd one. There are a couple of demo / studio recordings out there but I certainly had never heard mention of it before that clip of the Threetles discussing India in George’s garden as part of Anthology.
It’s such a “George” tune I am amazed that he never released it.
https://youtu.be/Krl—QD5dY
No room for ‘Going Down To Golders Green’? A little late I guess.
https://youtu.be/62fBldg9oGk
Yes would have interesting if those black n white portraits included with The White L.P. were used as covers for the seperate Fabs LPs.
Although I don’t think even George would have liked the Beatles to be portrayed as such disparate artists to the public
What happened to the little white square of foam that I got in my White Album CD box in 1992?
That’s what I want to know.
And who’s the huge spade in the bath?
I’ve still got mine. Square of foam that is.
**FOAM UPDATE**
It’s actually still there. Only it’s not white. It’s brown. Curse you, Old Holborn!
In other news, the “white” case has long since been replaced by a black one from, I think, Sandinista.
Does that mean Sandinista is in a white case, floating freely or long since departed?
For some reason it had come in a particularly groovy black case despite being a bog-standard Sony Mid-Price CD.
Sand’ was rehoused in a standard charcoal-grey type case that I must have half-inched from some freebie or other unwanted double.
Old Whitey’s case wasn’t that white any more, mainly because of my extended chimney-impersonating activities in the 90s. Ironically this was what happened to most of the once-white sleeves of the original album.
We med us own entertainment in them days thy knows.
Speaking of which…
My foam is a dull yellow colour.
Actually, yes, it always was. It wasn’t chuffin’ brown though. Imagine what my lungs must have looked like.
I can’t recall getting foam with any other double CDs, ever.
As always, the Fantabs give you more.
I can confirm my foam is also deep beige, and ne’re near a ciggy. White CD cases also discolour for some reason..? I nearly said in the podcast that my (nearly) 50 year old White Album is now a chazzer shop brown in places.
Beige… how 80s.
The 80s in my memory was terracotta walls, possibly rag rolled, with a border and/or a dado rail. Quite a lot to get on a CD cover.
Really the CD should have been pressed on a circle of baked-beans coloured pine.
Oh just noticed it’s missing from the original post – thank you to Tigger, Nigel and Steven for their invaluable contributions. I never underestimate the time, consideration and effort given to take part in these silly things.
All I did was sit on my backside for over an hour, talking rubbish. You did all the hard work, dfb. Thank you.
Indeed…! Talking is the easy bit – well done dfb!
Finally listened. Excellent stuff, I think most points made were incisive. However, pretty sure The Beatles were still the biggest band on the planet in 68, they may have lost some of the teenyboppers, but Hey Jude was absolutely massive and “The Beatles” was the fastest selling album in UK history at the time.
And @Tiggerlion I am certain that the 30th anniversary edition is exactly the same mastering as the 1987 CD, just different packaging. I think I have bought the album about 7 or 8 times and will probably do so again later this year, my favourite (stereo) version is a lovely 70s Swedish pressing. Had a mono edition for a while with a number of around 1000, bought it in Oxfam in Marylebone. Sold it for a reasonable profit on eBay though.
Thanks @dai – You are absolutely right of course. My recollection of the time (as I said on the cast) was that Pepper rehabilitated them in many ways after it was assumed they were finished – they stopped touring and (apparently to the outside world) had stopped recording as there was no single or album for Christmas 66, and it was compounded by the first ‘Oldies’ (ha!) compilation being issued instead. Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields then appeared but didn’t make number 1, probably because they had indeed left the teenyboppers behind. Image was important here – people still remembered Beatlemania, moptops and them being screamed at, and there were new ‘serious’ bands appearing, but what the hell was this? Things moved so quickly at that time, that it seemed an age until Pepper…and then that was just everywhere that summer. They connected with the serious music lover and became important again. It is hard to imagine now, but not everyone loved them from 1963 – 1970…I remember being quite alone amongst my peers in continuing to like them and buy them.
Interesting perspective from someone who was there. I can see the hiccups at end of 66 (and maybe 67), it is a testimony to their genius that they came back (arguably) stronger. My first memory of them was Yellow Submarine, probably when the film came out. Did not know any albums until the 70s though. I initially thought the White Album was a compilation.
That was the point I was trying to make. Because there was a different package with an improved touch & feel and visual appeal, somehow, it sounded better.
Ah, I did wonder.
Dress the @NigelT way and treat your feet to some fab socks
https://www.happysocks.com/uk/thebeatles
No they aren’t sponsoring us but we’d like some freebies