Listening Theme – The White Album Challenge
Well, Elvis has left the building (sorry, had to be said) and after a couple of weeks of The King it’s the time of Chris LeRoy! (a tough act to
follow Chris). Chris has been a champion of my Listening Themes from very early on and has accepted the job of being my second guest theme-setter and this one is a bit different. Let Chris explain
…
Listening Theme: THE WHITE ALBUM CHALLENGE
I love the Beatles White Album. I know Revolver and Rubber Soul garner more critical praise. I know Sgt. Pepper shook the world. But for me the disjointed double album has been the road most traveled. 30 songs, an hour and a half of brilliance and blind alleys, it is the most Beatle
music on any Beatle album. And it still thrills.
A very individualized set of songs, John Lennon once said there was no Beatles music on the White Album at all. It’s Paul and the band or John and the band or George and the band. But that is not true. There are moments here where the fractured unities come together.Throughout the album there are threads that hold on and make it a Beatles album. I suspect that those song moments are different for each of us. Some folks have room for Savoy Truffle, some do not.
So….your job for this Listening Theme is to create a single disc White Album. Choose 12 songs that have to stay on the record to define it essence. Please submit your version of the White Album and impassioned commentary if you feel the need.
Thanks, Paul Adams, for asking me to guest this Listening Theme, and for creating the Listening Theme.
—Chris LeRoy
MY WHITE ALBUM:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
There you go, simple – or is it? Looking forward to getting different versions of YOUR single-disc White Album.
Graham Pugh OK, Here’s my 12, in an order that I think sounds like an album! Wow, had to be harsh to strip it down to 12! Didn’t think I’d have to strip out Back in the USSR and Birthday (in favour of Ob-La-Di? Strangely, yes!) – I guess they can be a separate Double-A single a la Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields…
Side 1:
1. Helter Skelter
2. Dear Prudence
3. Rocky Racoon
4. Happiness Is A Warm Gun
5. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
6. Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey
Side 2:
7. Revolution 1
8. Blackbird
9. Why Don’t We Do It In The Road?
10. Wild Honey Pie
11. Piggies
12. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Mungo: I had to change my version as you had Helter Skelter up front Brilliant!!!
And While My Guitar Gently Weeps is a very nice slow closer….
But I gave b-La-Di, Ob-La-Da the boot!
C
MY WHITE ALBUM:
Side One
1. Dear Prudence
2. Birthday
3. Happiness Is a Warm Gun
4. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
5. Yer Blues
6. Blackbird
Side Two
7. Back in the U.S.S.R.
8. Martha My Dear
9. Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey
10. I’m So Tired
11. Helter Skelter
12. Julia
Hard to do beyond reason, it came down to picking I’m So Tired over Glass Onion, but here is my construct. I looked at the best band playing, the best musical interactions as the guide and shied away from the animal songs. I went for a darker White album. I also tried to balance John and Paul and gave poor Ringo the boot. Other than Back in the U.S.S.R. these seem to be internal songs to me.
In sequencing I forced myself to move that great USSR opener to the second side and that opened up a roller coaster ending for side two that really doesn’t happen on the real White Album. They try with Revolution #9 to Good Night but Monkey to Tired to Skelter to Julia is very nice…. Of course if I tired it again tomorrow I would insist on Revolution #9 in the mix, which would toss it all back up in the air….
Chris
From Side One:
Songs about Girls
1. Dear Prudence
2. Julia
3. Martha My Dear
4. Honey Pie
5. Sexy Sadie
6. Black Bird
From Side Two:
Boys and Animals
7. Rocky Raccoon
8. Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill
9.Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey
10. Happiness is a Warm Gun
11.Piggies
12.Glass Onion (walrus reference)
Here’s my selection:
Side 1
1 Back In The USSR
2 While My Guitar Gently Weeps
3 Don’t Pass Me By (It wouldn’t be a Beatles album without a Ringo track.)
4 Blackbird
5 Dear Prudence
6 Yer Blues
Side 2
7 Helter Skelter
8 Mother Nature’s Son
9 Birthday
10 Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
11 Cry Baby Cry
12 Revolution 1
A very difficult challenge I had to leave out some great songs, including ‘I Will’, a song that wouldn’t seem out of place on the first Beatles album – And, it’s got bongos! you can’t go wrong with bongos!
Oh, by the way, this week I’ve also been listening to some cover versions of tracks from the White Album by other artists.
Check out my playlist on my blog:
http://paul-adams.livejournal.com/
You can also see what I’ve been listening to during my other Listening Themes (including my 100 versions of White Christmas!)
Paul
Cool stuff. Rebecca’s Girl Boy Animal configuration is intriguing!
THE WHITEST WHITE ALBUM
1. BACK IN THE USSR
2. DEAR PRUDENCE
3. I’M SO TIRED
4. WHILE MY GUITAR GENTLY WEEPS
5. JULIA
6. REVOLUTION
7. HELTER SKELTER
8. YER BIRTHDAY
9. LONG, LONG
10. BLACKBIRD
11. HAPPINESS IS A WARM GUN
12. CRY BABY CRY
YEAH, BABY!
OOPS! I FORGOT YER BLUES. IT TAKES THE PLACE BIRTHDAY!
NOW IT’S OKAY!
GTN
THE WHITEST WHITE ALBUM
BACK IN USSR
DEAR PRUDENCE
I’M SO TIRED
WHILE MY GUITAR, ETC…
REVOLUTION
JULIA
HAPPINESS IS A WARM GUN
YER BLUES
LONG, LONG
BLACKBIRD
HELTER SKELTER
CRY BABY CRY
THE SONGS ON THE “JOHN LENNON BROWN BEARD ALBUM”
ANY ORDER
DEAR PRUDENCE
I’M SO TIRED
JULIA
CRY BABY CRY
REVOLUTION
GLASS ONION
HAPPINESS IS A WARM GUN
YER BLUES
…. BUNGALOW BILL
….. AND MY MONKEY
SEXY SADIE
GTN The all Lennon version would get a little long.like his beard
HEY! YA’LL SHOULD FOLLOW UP THIS THREAD WITH “SGT PEPPER’S MYSTERY TOUR”. BETWEEN “PEPPER’S” AND “TOUR” PUT TOGETHER THE BEST ALBUM FROM THE TWO. LIMIT IT TO 12-13 SONGS. WOULD BE COOL. “TOUR” HAS SOME GROOVY TRACKS ON IT, BABY! YEAH! WE’LL HOLD THE WORLD RANSOM WITH A “LASER BEAM” FOR, GASP, ONE MILLION DOLLARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
AUSTIN POWERS
GARY THAT IS A GREAT SUGGESTION BUT HERE IS ONE LAST WHITE ALBUM ESPECIALLY FOR YOU:
1. EVERYBODY’S GOT SOMETHING TO HIDE CEPT FOR ME AND MY MONKEY
2. EVERYBODY’S GOT SOMETHING TO HIDE CEPT FOR ME AND MY MONKEY
3. EVERYBODY’S GOT SOMETHING TO HIDE CEPT FOR ME AND MY MONKEY
4. EVERYBODY’S GOT SOMETHING TO HIDE CEPT FOR ME AND MY MONKEY
5. EVERYBODY’S GOT SOMETHING TO HIDE CEPT FOR ME AND MY MONKEY
6. EVERYBODY’S GOT SOMETHING TO HIDE CEPT FOR ME AND MY MONKEY
7. EVERYBODY’S GOT SOMETHING TO HIDE CEPT FOR ME AND MY MONKEY
8. EVERYBODY’S GOT SOMETHING TO HIDE CEPT FOR ME AND MY MONKEY
9. EVERYBODY’S GOT SOMETHING TO HIDE CEPT FOR ME AND MY MONKEY
10. EVERYBODY’S GOT SOMETHING TO HIDE CEPT FOR ME AND MY MONKEY
11. EVERYBODY’S GOT SOMETHING TO HIDE CEPT FOR ME AND MY MONKEY
12. I’M SO TIRED
CURSES ON YOU, CHRIS LEROY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’D RATHER HEAR YOKO ONO SCREAMING THAN THAT FAILED ROCK SONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GT:
No you would not. Think it through
CHRIS – I THOUGHT IT THROUGH. I’LL TAKE YOKO. AT LEAST I KNOW IT’S ALL LAME. JOHN LENNON – “I’VE NEVER WRITTEN A GREAT ROCK’N'ROLL SONG.” ENUFF SAID.
HOW ABOUT AN ALBUM OF ONE’S LEAST LIKED BEATLE SONGS – EVEN HATE MAYBE. START IT OUT WITH “OCTOPUS’ GARDEN” AND “MAXWELL’S SILVER HAMMER”. OH YEAH, THE “MONKEY SONG” ON IT TOO. PUT ON SOLO BEATLE WORK TOO. A LOT OF MCCARTNEY STINKERS AND LENNON’S “WHATEVER GETS YOU THRU THE NIGHT”. YIKES! JOHN LENNON AS PART OF THE SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE BAND! NAW, SHOULD KEEP WITH BEATLES’ WORK. SOLO WOULD BE TOO LONG AND UNFAIR. ANY OTHER DISLIKES FROM OTHER BEATLE FANS?
Nome-
1. Octopus’ Garden
2. Flying
3. Your Mother Should Know
4. Maxwell’s Silver Hammer
5. Why Don’t We Do It In the Road
6. Rocky Racoon
7. Everybody’s Got Something to Hide ‘Cept for Gary
8. Goodnight