The Beatles
 BUY HERE! |
RRP: £21.99
Our Price: £11.49 (subject to change)
Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review
The White Album was meant to be the record that brought the Beatles back to earth after three years of studio experimentation. Instead, it took them all over the place, continuing to burst the envelope of pop music. Lennon and McCartney were still at the height of their songwriting powers, with Lennon in particular growing into one of music's towering figures. But even McCartney could still rock, and the amazement on "Helter Skelter" was that he had vocal cords at the end. From Beach Boys knock-offs to reggae and to the unknown ("Revolution #9"), this has it all. Some records have "legend" written all over them; this is one. --Chris Nickson
Reviews
shambolic culmination of brilliance and mediocrity
Review date: 2010-07-06 Rating: 6 out of 10
The uneven and shambolic nature of the record mirrors the individualistic egos of the band which by now had come to reach breaking point.
For me, the Beatles never came across as a coherent whole anyway, and this record more than any others of theirs simply reflects this overiding dissonance.
The Beatles ( November 1968 ), is very similar in spirit to the Byrds 'Notorious Byrd Brothers'( June 1968 ) in that it is a messy accumulation of 'singular' and disparate ideas that lack a cohesive whole.
It would be correct to say that this record is 'diverse' and 'eclectic' in both structure and form, but this ought not to be confused with aspiring towards 'quality'.
Having said that, unusually for a Beatles record, there are undoubtably some delights on here. Where their obsessive quest for progressive composition had resulted in nothing more than overblown pomposity in SPLHCB, they have (at least in part) succeeded with this offering.
Perhaps more than anything else, this record provided an outlet for blues-rock that had arguably been denied to them previously by Epstein prior to his passing.
Certainly, this new approach (for them) is evident in 'Rocky Raccoon', 'Why Don't We Do It In The Road' and, in particular, the dizzying hyper - boogie of 'Birthday' and 'Helter Skelter'.
The album also succeeds in terms of the other genres the band tackle. For example, the classical baroque Stephane Grapelli-esque inflections of 'Piggies' works a treat, as does the suggestive acoustic-folk of 'Blackbird' (for once McCartney sings with a vulnerability and believable deftness) and the stunning Harrison-penned 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps'.
But despite these highs, the usual Beatles dross is not far away. Just when it appears the band have finally laid the Vaudevillian superficiality that characterizes much of their work to rest, it raises its ugly head again with 'Do Not Pass Me By', 'Martha My Dear' and 'Obladi oblada'.
In 1965 the Rolling Stones recorded an eleven minute jam entitled 'Goin' Home' from the LP 'Aftermath'. Three years later the Beatles recorded the boring 'Revolution No.9', a full two years AFTER jams were common parlance.
The 'laid back' and 'traditional' nature of the 'White Album' reflected the changing mood of the times, but again the Beatles were late off the blocks.
'Sweetheart Of The Rodeo' by The Byrds, a record produced in a similar laid back vein, was released three months BEFORE 'The White Album' as was Bob Dylan's 'John Wesley Harding'.
White Hot Restoration of Beatles Landmark Album.
Review date: 2010-06-30 Rating: 10 out of 10
How much more can be written about a Beatles album that has been a national treasure since 1968? Quite a bit actually.This is one of my personal all time favourites, when originally released, the purchase price was such that I couldn't afford to buy it initially and we used to crowd around the Dansette of the most affluent ( paper round) member of our group like "A seance in the dark" listening to the album with repeat playing until the grooves were virtually worn out. At that time the Fabs themselves were going through disintegration and to all intents and purposes producing solo material for consolidation into this Double Album set. But what a set it is.
It's gargantuan in it's musical ambition and writing spectrum but when you listen to individual tracks as a microcosm of the entire album, the Beatles have never been more poignant in their lyrical and songwriting composition than they achieved here and acoustically with songs like "Julia" - a Lennon self exploration that equals "A Day In The Life" in sheer spine tingling creative excellence, one of the best tracks he ever laid down which exemplifies the use of acoustic guitar by both John and Paul as more pronounce upon this album than any other and the reflective time spent in Rishikesh, India permeates through the songs "I Will", Mother Nature's Son" and "Blackbird" being other near perfect remastering examples of what is so delightful about this edition.
It is also a very memorable album being the one so wide ranging in eclectic scope as to give George Harrison a shot at his proto " All Things Must Pass" phase, having paid third fiddle to a couple of half decent songwriters in Lennon - McCartney for the previous 5 years, what a fantastic outpouring it released "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and "Long, Long, Long" providing material that equalled anything his two prolific mates could produce having been straining at the proverbial creative leash internally for a long, long time. The re- mastering quality at work here is just exquisite in re-defining songs that cried out for better production on the original release.
And boy, do the Beatles rock on this album, "Back In The USSR", "Yer Blues", "Birthday" "Revolution" bring out the old Hamburg spirit despite the direction they were taking as individual artists and getting sucked into the legalities of business reality that must have sapped their cohesion so much in the years following the death of Brian Epstein, when the dream was over and the predators closed in.
Lennon was also at his most creative and imaginative peak at this point, the distillation of songs such as "Dear Prudence", "Sexy Sadie" "Happiness Is A Warm Gun" and "Cry Baby Cry" show where his mind was at that time and these musings could not have been penned by anyone other than JWL. His humour also comes across in abundance on "I'm So Tired" and " Bungalow Bill" in that unique form of expression that he gave voice to.
Also the move away from the overtly psychedelic artwork album covers of "Sgt Pepper's" and " Magical Mystery Tour" to the plain white cover design concept, marked a departure from this period to the clearing of the mind resulting from the Indian meditation sojourn that also gave birth to so many of these songs.
As I stated earlier, there has been so much material written about the phenomenom that has susequently become the Beatles myth that it is virtually a printing industry these days. When I hark back to that little terraced house where this album was given that communal listen by a group of mates back in 1968, some of whom went on to join Bands as diverse as the Specials and UK Subs then this album has a lot to answer for.
It's not only brilliant, it's iconic, it's a national treasure and the sound quality of this re-master means it's indispensable to anyone who cherishes it's creation. Improve the quality of your own life and listening experience and acquire it if you can.Then again if you cannot afford it - see if you can listen to it at one of your Buddies
gaffs! Highly recommended in the absolute.
Remastered Mono and Stereo
Review date: 2010-06-08 Rating: 10 out of 10
No band can release a 30 track collection of music and not include a bit of filler and there's no denying the fact that The White Album contains its fair share: Bungalow Bill, Rocky Raccoon, Honey Pie and Why Don't We Do It In the Road are my particluar choices for the rejection bin. But its 90 minutes long (ie nearly half an hour longer than other double sets like Exile on Main Street), so I think we can give them some lea way.
And what about the rest? Quite simply some of the greatest music ever recorded. Wildly inventive and widely diverse and often with such intricate and imaginative arrangements that I'm still marvelling at them and finding new things to hear 20 years since i first experienced this sprawling work of genius.
Which brings me neatly to the 2009 Remasters: the Stereo Remaster is superb, bringing out a whole array of sounds that had been rubbed away in the 1987 release. However, there are 5 or 6 of the rockier tracks where their wide stereo panning (ie drums shoved wide left instead of dead centre) means that they lose impact and on these the Mono Remaster is superior: Glass Onion, 'Monkey', Savoy Truffle really blew me away in Mono.
And for me this goes for the Stereo v Mono argument as a whole (apart from Please Please Me and With the Beatles where the Stereo is virtually unlistenable): Stereo Remasters if you're only going to buy one set/ both if you're a real Beatles fan and you can afford it, because about 20% of tracks (nearly always the rockier ones) are superior in Mono (eg Taxman, Revolution, Paperback Writer).
A sprawling collection of great songs
Review date: 2010-06-03 Rating: 10 out of 10
Disc 1
1. Back In The USSR (5 out of 5 stars)
Great rocking pop song.
2. Dear Prudence (5 stars)
Very pretty.
3. Glass Onion (5 stars)
Feels musically and lyrically dense so plenty to chew on.
4. Ob La Di Ob La Da (2 stars)
Not terrible but you have to be in the mood or it as it's a little too twee and jaunty for its own good.
5. Wild Honey Pie (4 stars)
I have no issues with this silly piece of short fun. I like it.
6. The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill (4 stars)
A good song, and the line about taking his mum with him in case of accidents is very funny.
7. While My Guitar Gently Weeps (4 stars)
Okay if a bit bloated and pompous sounding. I'm not overly impressed with it and consider it to be a little overrated.
8. Happiness Is A Warm Gun (5 stars)
Excellent ambitious prog-rock disguised as pop.
9. Martha My Dear (4 stars)
Very nice, though close to being high quality filler.
10. I'm So Tired (5 stars)
Great song.
11. Blackbird (3 stars)
It's alright, I neither like or dislike it. The tweeting bird samples used to annoy me, but now I have no problems with them.
12. Piggies (2 stars)
It's authentically and nastily misanthropic which isn't what you listen to The Beatles for. It's just not a natural fit for the band. Also musically it's no more than okay at best.
13. Rocky Raccoon (5 stars)
Although maybe not a massive triumph melodically, lyrically it's got something. Something that is oddly rare in the world of music - it has a story. A well structured story that has a start, a middle and an ending. And the jokes (there is more than one) are amusing even on repeat listens. I have to admit that personally I imagine Disney style raccoons playing out this Western story, but that's just me.
14. Don't Pass Me By (3 stars)
Harmless Ringo sung filler.
15. Why Don't We Do It In The Road (5 stars)
Brilliant experimental track. Supremely melodic.
16. I Will (3 stars)
It's okay.
17. Julia (3 stars)
It's okay if a bit plodding.
Disc 2
1. Birthday (5 stars)
Good rocking pop song.
2. Yer Blues (5 stars)
A really good, though not necessarily successful, attempt at a heavy song of torment and soul searching.
3. Mother Nature's Son (5 stars)
Very pleasant rustic acoustic folk-song.
4. Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey (5 stars)
Excellent up-tempo pop song.
5. Sexy Sadie (5 stars)
Very melodic. A great song.
6. Helter Skelter (5 stars)
A good, very entertaining attempt at early heavy metal. Although good, and was covered brilliantly by Siousxie and the Banshees, it's of no particularly great merit beyond the heaviness.
7. Long Long Long (2 stars)
A waste of disc space. So bland I struggle to remember it.
8. Revolution 1 (4 stars)
Decent pop song disguised as a protest folk-song. I'm not overly impressed with it and consider it to be a little overrated.
9. Honey Pie (4 stars)
Amusing and charming piece of old fashioned music hall silliness. I love the little Tannoy voice effect used on McCartney's vocals.
10. Savoy Truffle (3 stars)
Mediocre lyrics and music.
11. Cry Baby Cry (3 stars)
Some decent surreal lyrics, but overall rather so-so.
12. Revolution 9 (1 star)
The problem isn't the idea of it, but the execution. It really needs more interesting, more out there samples on the tape loops. And maybe some fragments of piano melody or something to come in and out of the mix wouldn't do any harm. As it is, it's a bunch of boring samples mixed together without any clear signs of inspiration Only a madman would put this sound collage on their iPod.
13. Good Night (2 stars)
Banal soft track that's only tolerable because it closes the album on an appropriate note (Smashing Pumpkins liked the idea so much they did it twice on their own double album, with similarly banal results).
FYI My one disc edit. Not that the album really needs or benefits from having more than just Revolution 9 removed from it as all the other tracks have something to offer.
1. Back In The USSR
2. Dear Prudence
3. Glass Onion
6. Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill, The
7. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
8. Happiness Is A Warm Gun
10. I'm So Tired
13. Rocky Raccoon
15. Why Don't We Do It In The Road
2. Yer Blues
3. Mother Nature's Son
4. Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey
5. Sexy Sadie
6. Helter Skelter
Product Details/Specifications
Artist(s):
The Beatles
Recording label: EMI
Manufacturer: EMI
EAN: 0094638246626
Binding: Audio CD
Format: Original recording remastered,
Release date: 2009-09-09
Universal product code (UPC): 094638246626
Number of discs: 2
Disc 1 Tracks:
1. Back In The USSR
2. Dear Prudence
3. Glass Onion
4. Ob La Di Ob La Da
5. Wild Honey Pie
6. Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill, The
7. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
8. Happiness Is A Warm Gun
9. Martha My Dear
10. I'm So Tired
11. Blackbird
12. Piggies
13. Rocky Raccoon
14. Don't Pass Me By
15. Why Don't We Do It In The Road
16. I Will
17. Julia
Disc 2 Tracks:
1. Birthday
2. Yer Blues
3. Mother Nature's Son
4. Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey
5. Sexy Sadie
6. Helter Skelter
7. Long Long Long
8. Revolution 1
9. Honey Pie
10. Savoy Truffle
11. Cry Baby Cry
12. Revolution 9
13. Good Night
14. Beatles Documentary, The
Publishers: EMI
Similar Products
Beatles Options
Featured Products