The White Album by The Beatles (1968), № 47 in The Lead-In’s 100 greatest albums. Thirty songs, four sides, two LPs, four men no longer in the same room. The least cohesive Beatles record and the most influential. White on white on white.
The Beatles' double LP. Recorded at Abbey Road across summer 1968 with the band fragmenting. Released November 22, 1968.
The Beatles' ninth studio album. A double LP across 30 tracks recorded at Abbey Road across summer 1968. The album that documented the band's collapse in real time.
By 1968, the Beatles had returned from India where they had studied with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Each member had written extensively during the retreat. The band assembled at Abbey Road in May 1968 with approximately 40 new songs. The sessions extended across five months; band tensions were severe (Ringo briefly quit the band in August 1968 over Paul McCartney's criticism of his drumming).
The album's 30 tracks are individual songs by individual band members rather than band collaborations. Many tracks feature only one or two Beatles; some have no other Beatles than the songwriter. The album is closer to four solo records sequenced together than to a unified band album.
The album's 30 tracks include 'Back in the U.S.S.R.,' 'Dear Prudence,' 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' (featuring Eric Clapton), 'Happiness Is a Warm Gun,' 'Blackbird,' 'Helter Skelter,' 'Revolution 9,' 'Good Night.'
The White Album belongs at number forty-seven because it is the album that documents the Beatles' fragmentation while producing some of their most-imitated individual songs.
The 1968 UK original came in mono (PMC 7067/8) and stereo (PCS 7067/8); the mono is the holy grail, as it was discontinued early and survives in far smaller numbers. The earliest sleeve is a top-opening gatefold with a single embossed serial number on the front — the lowest numbers command the steepest premiums. Complete copies include the four glossy individual portrait photos and the large fold-out poster with the lyrics on the reverse. Discs carry the dark Apple labels (full apple side 1, sliced apple side 2) with EMI rim text.
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