The White Album is the ninth record by The Beatles.
If the cover is as simple as they come, a sea of white accompanied by the band's name just over halfway down, the tracks it contains are anything but: a collection of curiosities with varying genres that were clearly deemed too extraordinary.
The majority of the tracks were written in the spring of 1968 when the group traveled to India to take part in a course of meditation. When the band returned home, their recording sessions for the album would spark creative differences, leading to disagreements and rivalries that would continue until the group dissolved in 1970.
The Beatles' most enchanting record is The White Album, which shows both the top and bottom of each band member's game. There are 30 tracks.
30. There is a pie called Wild Honey Pie.
One of The Beatles shortest songs was fortunately. An experimental number was included because George Harrison's wife was a fan.
29. The 9th revolution was Revolution 9.
A chaotic eight-minute sound collage that falls short as a continuation of the avant-garde style embraced in Revolver track Tomorrow Never Knows. It's a shame that this recording doesn't have as much to offer.
There is a new date for this. Good night.
It seems odd to end an album of this stature with a mediocre song. George Martin's Good Night might put you to sleep.
Why don't we do it in the road?
A song inspired by the sight of two monkeys having sex on a street in India could never be made into a movie.
26. Don't pass me by.
It was written years before The White Album, and thigh-slapping doesn't ever outlive its making-up-the-numbers status.
25. There is a dessert called honey pie.
The homage to music hall entertainment from a wartime-era feels fresh. One of the weaker McCartney tracks is on the record.
The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill was published on 24.
John Lennon described the song as a bit of fun. He is not wrong. Despite arriving early, Bungalow Bill remains in the mind as a slice of tone-shifting oddness.
There is a new date for this. The first revolution.
If the rockier version was released as a B-side, it would make the bluesier version average.
22. There is a fictional character named Rocky Raccoon.
This country pastiche, set in the black mining hills of Dakota, is proof of McCartney's songwritingVersatility, and is supported by a vibrant honky-tonk piano from the group's long-time record.
Everybody has something to hide except me and my monkey.
This song is fun to listen to because of its jangly guitar riffs, repetitive lyrics and frantic bass line.
20. Martha, my Dear.
The first of two tracks on the album is called Martha My Dear and is inspired by McCartney's Old English Sheepdog. The result is irresistibly charming.
19 Baby crying.
Lennon translated elements of the nursery rhyme sing a song of sixpence for this effort, which comes with an added eerie McCartney segment.
18. I am so tired.
John Lennon's weary vocals are still very much in demand today. I'm Only Sleeping is a song that is best viewed as a sequel to the Revolver track.
17 Birthday.
The opening to the second-half is similar to the opening to the first-half and could be the record's biggest earworm. Lennon would call it garbage.
16. Long, long, long.
George Harrison wrote a love letter to God. The Indian incense that was burning while the song was being recorded can be smelled through his delivery. It worked well.
15. Mother Nature and her son.
Mother Nature's Song was recorded at the height of the group's hostility. One of the most emotional songs on the album is McCartney's vocals alone.
There are 14. There are pigs.
Piggies is too strange to enjoy on the first listen. It becomes a happy two fingers in the face of establishment when Orwellian nature is embraced. The record highlight is the harpsichord section.
13 Julia.
The first disc ends on a positive note with Lennon's tribute to his mother. He wrote and performed it himself.
There are 12. I will.
It is clear that no one can write a love song like McCartney.
11. Back in the USSR.
The track opens the album with open arms. The result was a stone-cold classic, but McCartney hoped it would be a parody of his peers and it was.
10. There is a glass onion.
Lennon's self-referential track, "Glass Onion", parades as symbolic. It was designed to make fans think their songs meant more than they actually do.
There are 9. It's Ob-La-Di.
It's hard to deny the joy of the time meditation pilgrimage. One of their most vibrant and downright fun tracks to sing along to is McCartney's ode to reggae.
There are 8. The Blues.
This track shows Lennon taking on the blues to deliver a song that stands tall among the greats he tried to emulate. Lennon rarely did wrong, even when he himself half expected it.
The Savoy Truffle is 7.
The most criminally overlooked song is on the album. A song about Eric Clapton's sweet tooth is not the most exciting prospect on paper. Despite being the only Harrison track not to convey any profound meaning, it doesn't get much more thrilling or better than Savoy Truffle. The Beatles are the most under appreciated.
6. Sexy girl.
There was an allegation that Maharishi had made a sexual advance on Mia Farrow. The final minute of Sexy Sadie drips with melancholy.
5. There is a bird named Blackbird.
The subject of increasing racial tensions in the US is said to have been written by McCartney in the wake of Lennon and Harrison. For many, it is the apotheosis of McCartney's career and he remains a star in his solo live shows.
Dear Prudence.
Lennon wrote this song in an attempt to lure Prudence Farrow, the sister of Rosemary's Baby star Mia, out of seclusion after a growing obsession with meditation. It's a delicate delight, which starts slowly and steadily swells in stature with every passing second, finding its way under your skin. One of the band's most popular songs.
3. Helter Skelter.
One of the best rock songs ever recorded is Helter Skelter. McCartney tried to create the loudest noise he could. The track that paved the way for heavy metal is not the same as the tame love songs people were used to from the writer.
2. A warm gun is happiness.
One of Lennon's best songs is a loaded weapon of a track. He describesHappiness is a Warm Gun as a history of rock and roll. Not bad for a song that lasts two minutes and 43 seconds. The song was banned by the BBC for its sexually provocative imagery conjured in the song, which sees a Trigger-friendly Lennon screaming his lyrics as the remaining trio provide lustrous backing vocals. It is said to be McCartney and Harrison's favourite White Album track.
1. While my guitar is strumming.
While My Guitar Gently Weeps is not just the greatest George Harrison song, it is also one of The Beatles greatest. Borne from disharmony in the world, as well as in the band he grew up in, the song marked Harrison's reunion with the guitar having dedicated his time to the sitar for the previous two. Harrison decided to write a song based on the first phrase he saw when opening a book because of his belief that all things are coincidental. The result?Gently Weeps. The finished song has a pow-wow melody and is backed by a solo from Eric Clapton. Music doesn't get better.
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