I think I might like Jeremy's list better.
As we noted last week, one of the discussions held when Loraine and I visited her parents a week and a half ago was once with her nephew Jeremy about cutting The Beatles' “The White Album” down from a double to a single disc. This is a mind game music nerds play; even the late Beatles producer George Martin, right before he died in 2016, offered the thought that the group's “The White Album” should have been a single disc instead of a double album. I can't say I disagree; the 1968 album isn't one of my favorites, and it has a lot of filler and experimental work on it that, at least when I listen, gets skipped over.
And that started the discussion between Loraine and Jeremy and me. If you had to follow George Martin's suggestion and cut “The White Album” to a single disc—from 30 songs to 15 songs—which would make the cut? As we've found when posing the question over the past few years, no two people would put it together the same way. I'm sure that every single person would have different songs make the cut, based on their tastes and their idea of what would constitute a classic Beatles album. I know Loraine and Jeremy and I couldn't agree, and I'd imagine that if any of you put together your own version of a single disc “White Album”, it would be radically different from mine.
But for what it's worth, here's what I think. First of all, for your reference, the 30 songs that make up the double length “White Album”.
Back in the U.S.S.R.
Dear Prudence
Glass Onion
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
Wild Honey Pie
The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Happiness Is a Warm Gun
Martha My Dear
I'm So Tired
Blackbird
Piggies
Rocky Raccoon
Don't Pass Me By
Why Don't We Do It in the Road?
I Will
Julia
Birthday
Yer Blues
Mother Nature's Son
Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey
Sexy Sadie
Helter Skelter
Long, Long, Long
Revolution 1
Honey Pie
Savoy Truffle
Cry Baby Cry
Revolution 9
Good Night
Now, here's my thought process in cutting it down to 15. Your thought process, of course, will differ, but I started by keeping the songs that everyone would consider the classics--”USSR”, “Guitar”, “Blackbird”, “Julia”, “Birthday”, “Helter Skelter”, “Revolution”, and “Good Night”. You have to have those nine songs, or it wouldn't be the essence of “The White Album”. Admittedly, the list is a little McCartney heavy, so let's add “Dear Prudence” and “Happiness is a Warm Gun” from John Lennon, and George Harrison's “Savoy Truffle”, just because. That's 12 songs.
But what about the final three? That's where it gets tough.”Why Don't We Do It In The Road” is cute but disposable. “Bungalow Bill”'s the same. “Revolution Number 9”, like a bunch of the tracks, is just too weird. However, songs like “Mother Nature's Son” and “Rocky Raccoon” have been remade by a bunch of people, so let's throw those onto the list. That's 14. For the final song? Throw in Ringo's “Don't Pass Me By”.
He could probably use the songwriting royalties.
So here's what MY one-disc version of “The White Album” would look like--
Back in the U.S.S.R.
Dear Prudence
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Happiness Is a Warm Gun
Blackbird
Rocky Raccoon
Don't Pass Me By
Julia
Birthday
Mother Nature's Son
Helter Skelter
Revolution 1
Savoy Truffle
Good Night
However, that's not what Jeremy thought. And that's okay. That's one of the great things about this thought exercise. Every single person does it differently. As I mentioned, he spent most of the night re-listening to the album and, in the end, re-sequencing it so that each side has a theme. Here's what he came up with for HIS single disc version of “The White Album”--
(side one)
Back in the USSR
Dear Prudence
Sexy Sadie
Martha My Dear
I Will
Blackbird
White My Guitar Gently Weeps
(side two)
Helter Skelter
Happiness is a Warm Gun
Piggies
Rocky Raccoon
Savoy Truffle
Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da
Good Night
Nice tight playlist, classic songs, and no filler. It's just what a Beatles album should look like. And as I had mentioned before, in his sequencing he even makes “Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da” fit in.
Who knew you could do that? Yet a 20-year old did.
As I mentioned, every single person on the planet could come up with their version of the album. But that's what makes this such a fascinating mental exercise. So thank you, George Martin, for leaving us one final musical gift before you passed away five years ago, a gift that is still driving the brains of music nerds everywhere.
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