White Power
I've gone over some of the Beatles' albums on this blog, listing their songs from top to bottom. I thought about doing it with The Beatles, better known as the "White Album." But after looking at it, I realized there was so much mediocre material I wasn't sure if it was worth it.
So I'm going to put the songs into three separate albums, from strongest album to weakest. (The songs are listed within each album in the order they appear on the White Album.)
There were a few tricky choices on the edges, of course. Judge for yourself how you'd respond to each album.
White Album
Back In The U.S.S.R.
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
Happiness Is A Warm Gun
Martha My Dear
Blackbird
I Will
Julia
Birthday
Helter Skelter
Honey Pie
Off-White Album
The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill
I'm So Tired
Rocky Raccoon
Mother Nature's Son
Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey
Long, Long, Long
Revolution 1
Savoy Truffle
Cry Baby Cry
Good Night
Beige Album
Dear Prudence
Glass Onion
Wild Honey Pie
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Piggies
Don't Pass Me By
Why Don't We Do It In The Road?
Yer Blues
Sexy Sadie
Revolution 9
posted by LAGuy @ 10:00 AM
4 Comments:
Since I generally rate the later Beatles more highly than you do, it's not surprising that I feel you underrate many of these songs. So I'll just mention the ones that really stand out.
Two of the songs in your bottom list belong not only in the top tier of this album, but are in the Beatles top ten:
"Yer Blues" is one of the best Beatles songs ever. I find it odd that you like the early Beatles' blues-rock (more than I do, in fact) but don't care for "Yer Blues", which is late sixties / early seventies heavy blues-rock reminiscent of Cream or the Jeff Beck Group. And how can you not love a Beatles song that contains a Dylan reference?
"While My Guitar Gently Weeps" ... okay, now you're just trolling.
One thing that these two songs have in common: They sound like early seventies songs, not like sixties songs. "Yer Blues" loses nothing when John Lennon plays it with other seventies rockers instead of with the Fab Four.
Also:
"Don't Pass Me By" is an excellent song. It's not in the Beatles' top ten, but it's as good as "Ob-la-di".
You underrated "I'm So Tired" (the most overlooked great Beatles song) and "Mother Nature's Son", which belong in the top tier. And I'd move "Glass Onion" up to the middle tier.
On the other hand, I think you overrated "Birthday", which is massively overplayed.
Correction: If I heard "While My Guitar" for the first time and didn't know it, I would place it in the early-to-mid seventies. "Yer Blues", however, fits better in 1968 or 1970, with Cream's last albums, or the first two Zep and Jeff Beck albums. The video I linked to is December 1968, but a bit ahead of its time.
Gee I forgot how many good songs are on the White Album. Even the silly novelty songs (Rocky Raccoon and Bungalow Bill and Piggies Do It In The Road)- there are only a few I don't quite remember (my standard for liking a song is whether I can immediately remember it- not the best but not the worst method).
I guess I don't have much argument with your top album (except Honey Pie which I'm having a hard time recalling- but "Wild Honey Pie" is the one where they just basically yell it, right?) Birthday doesn't seem like much to me. Julia sort of drags for me. I prefer Martha and Prudence as peppier girls. I Will is nice but it sounds like an outtake from 1964 and doesn't seem to fit with the rest of the spooky surreal feel of the album.
I probably would have no love for Helter Skelter (too harsh) except for the Manson connection (specifically the TV movie which used it) so it reminds me of a moment in time. I liked as many on the next two as I did the first. Cry Baby Cry is I think underappreciated. Don't Pass Me By sounds like a fun pub singalong but nothing at all like the Beatles. Revolution #9 is a silly noise collection but its become a cultural icon, so take it and may it serve you well. Don't really remember Yer Blues, Long Long Long, Savoy Truffle, Good Night or Sexy Sadie so I guess I would consider those the filler.
If you like "Revolution 9", you'll love "Carnival of Light".
Proof that even genius has its limits....
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