The 50th Anniversary of The Beatles' White Album - How Would YOU Get This Down To A Single LP???

We’ve come up with another interesting topic that is sure to stir the pot opinion-wise with our Forgotten Hits Readers.

One of the biggest events of 1968, of course, was the release of The Beatles' White Album, their first LP release on their own label, Apple Records. 

The two-disc set (actually called "The Beatles" but forever known as "The White Album" because of its stark, plain, simplicity … a FAR cry from the elaborate compilation of imagery that graced their "Sgt. Pepper" album the year before) celebrates its 50th Anniversary on November 22nd of this year.  

One of the biggest debates over the past fifty years has been whether or not the two-LP set was too much material, even for The Formerly Fab Four.  It was a lot to digest and, as such, many feel it allowed uncharacteristically weaker material to be released.  ("Revolution 9," anyone???)

Ever since the 50th Anniversary "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" commemorative box set was announced last year, there has been quite a bit of buzz about the possibility of a similar special commemorative release to celebrate the milestone anniversary of "The Beatles / White Album" … which would feature even MORE material from this era.  (As if the thirty tracks it already contains are not enough!)  Apple Records announced last week that such a set will, indeed, be released on November 9th ... the deluxe edition boasting an incredible 107 tracks!  
http://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/2018/09/when-we-say-deluxe-we-mean-deluxe.html

 

The Beatles came back from India especially inspired and between them had written dozens and dozens of new songs.  Suddenly, there was a wealth of material to choose from.  Why even George Harrison was able to work four of his compositions into the mix … one on each side of the LP … and, as a Beatles “guest star” first, he invited his buddy Eric Clapton to play lead guitar on one of his greatest tracks ever, "While My Guitar Gently Weeps."  (George has since said he had an ulterior motive ... with The Beatles drifting further and further apart, he thought a studio guest might help to keep them on their best behavior.  He would try the tactic again the following year when Billy Preston was invited to sit in on some of their sessions.)   

When it came time to begin recording all of these new tracks, they could often be found working in several different studios, each laying down their own tracks, positioning themselves for space on what they now determined would have to be a double album. (It was almost as if they were each working on their own solo projects and then chose the best of the litter to fill out the album.  Without question, it was their least “group effort” to date.) 

There is some GREAT material contained within these two discs ... and yet the debate has been going on for years …

Should The White Album have been reduced to a single disk?  And, if so, how would you do it?  (Hey, I've run this same scenario over and over again in my head numerous times over the years … and even allowing for a total of 16 tracks instead of the usual British 14, I still can't do it … there is just no way I can designate enough of the remaining 14 tracks as too inferior to include … although I can eliminate quite a few.  Again, I ask, "Revolution 9," anyone???  Ringo's "Don't Pass Me By"?  The whole “Wild Honey Pie” / “Bungalow Bill” thing?  Heck,  think about it for a second … if "Helter Skelter" hadn't made the cut, the entire course of history may have been changed!)  

I recently heard a short clip of Paul McCartney talking about The White Album on The Beatles Channel on Sirius / XM, stating that the LP had "a little something for everyone."   He goes on to say "Yeah, I’ve heard people say we should have cut it back to fewer songs and gone with a single LP … but c'mon, man … it's the fucking Beatles White Album!"  Amen.  

So this is our challenge to you …  

Can you get "The Beatles" / White Album down to just sixteen tracks?

You can sequence them any way you want (just designate an A and B side because that's how albums were made back then … and a lot of thought went into the song-sequencing between The Beatles and Producer George Martin.

You can get clever and devise ways to get more bang for your buck (For example: In this imaginary situation, I might have released "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" as a single, with a different White Album track on the B-Side … to allow myself the chance to include a couple more of my favorites on the 16-track LP.  The same could be true of "Back In The U.S.S.R.' and maybe even "Birthday."  Three singles could potentially eliminate six tracks from the 30, place them in a "safe spot" to still ensure their release ... and now leave you with only the task of narrowing down the remaining 24 tracks to 16.

We asked our readers to give it some thought … it's not as easy as you might think ... let's see what they came up with.

We'll be running some of the ideas that we have already received to date over the course of this series ... and see what kind of responses THESE might inspire!  

There are no right or wrong answers ...

When we're done, we'll tally up all of the tracks and come up with the PERFECT 16 track set.

Meanwhile, let’s have some fun with this … Revamping The White Album ... exclusively in Forgotten Hits!  (kk)

 

Revamping The White Album (Part 2)

What say you???

It would have been fine as a three- sided album ...

The first two sides I wouldn't touch ...
If I had to, I'd take out Helter Skelter and Revolution Number 9 for twelve minutes or so …
Actually, I think I did on a mix tape of mine!
Renfield

Well of course!!!  Damn, why didn't I think of that?!?!  A Three-Sided Album would have done the trick!  (lol)  Thanks, Gary!  (kk) 

I absolutely agree that The White Album has too much fluff. 

Here’s how I would pare it down from 30 songs to 16:

Back In The USSR

Dear Prudence

Glass Onion

Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

While My Guitar Gently Weeps

Happiness Is A Warm Gun

Martha My Dear

I’m So Tired

Blackbird

I Will

Julia

Birthday

Mother Nature’s Son

Sexy Sadie

Helter Skelter

Good Night

Ian N. Berger

Hi Kent …

Thanks for asking me this question!

The purist in me says ... NO, I can't get the White Album down to 16 tracks. Impossible for me. But ... I would definitely leave off "Revolution #9" and "Why Don't We Do It In The Road."  They would have been great additions to the unreleased material on the Anthology albums! But let's face it ... back then, if we would have heard about 18 unreleased Beatles tracks from the White Album sessions, we would have all been looking for Bootlegs of those recordings just to own them. So, by releasing all of the material, The Beatles actually saved us that effort! 
Mitch Schecter / The Rip Chords  

I'm looking forward to hearing what they found in the vaults.  George Harrison’s stripped-down, acoustic version of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” was an absolute highlight of the third Anthology CD.  Each of the main three writers did so many sessions on their own it’d be cool to see what other ideas were kicked around before the released version was zeroed in.  Between the original demos they shared with each other ... and the working versions they developed once they hit the recording studio in earnest, this should be a fascinating insight into their whole process, circa 1968.  (And I believe they felt the pressure was on, this being their first release on their own record label!)

I remember the AM Top 40 stations in town playing select tracks before the album came out ... "Rocky Raccoon" and "Back In The U.S.S.R." in particular.  I already knew these songs by heart by the time I got my LP for Christmas!  Thanks, Mitch!  (kk)   

Hi Kent:  

I'm enjoying your blog as always. I'm looking forward to the 50th anniversary release of the Beatles' White Album, as you and many of your readers are.

As far as cutting the original album down to just sixteen tracks, I think it's not possible. I feel the following 23 tracks are all essential Beatles. Even the closing track. It's the perfect end to this album. 

1. "Back In The U.S.S.R."

2. "Dear Prudence"

3. "Glass Onion"

4. "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da"

5. "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"

6. "Happiness Is A Warm Gun"

7. "Martha My Dear"

8. "I'm So Tired"

9. "Blackbird"

10. "Don't Pass Me By"

11. "I Will"

12. "Julia"

13. "Birthday"

14. "Yer Blues"

15. "Mother Nature's Son"

16. "Sexy Sadie"

17. "Helter Skelter"

18. "Long, Long, Long"

19. “Revolution 1”

20. "Honey Pie"

21.  "Savoy Truffle"

22. "Cry Baby Cry"

23. "Good Night"

Not much filler, but the seven songs not on my list that were on the original album are truly not up to the high level the Fab Four were capable of.  

Santi Paradoa

Miami, Florida

Yes, but you've GOT to get it down to just sixteen tracks!!! (I'm granting you a do-over!)  kk

Hi Kent,

As for me, I wouldn't change a thing about the Beatles' White Album. It has its quirky numbers, but its uniqueness is what makes it so cool. Sometimes I skip over Revolution #9, but other times it captivates me. I have a copy on the Apple label and one on Capitol on white vinyl and treasure them both. IMO, no changes. 

Dube

Kent,

First time contributor here…

Some people believe the White Album would be better as a single LP instead of a double, and try to make it a single.

IMPOSSIBLE. It’s wrong.

Instead, we should be working on making a better Double LP.

Remove some of the “weaker tracks” (all debatable) and I’d add in the five songs recorded and released within the White Album time frame (unfortunately, ACROSS THE UNIVERSE doesn’t make it even though recorded in 1968, but John never pushed for it to be released until late 1969.)

And of course, we have to keep it in the vinyl-setting timings.

Added are:

·  Hey Bulldog (inserted into the animal songs of Side 2 replacing Don’t Pass Me By)

·  Hey Jude (replacing Revolution 9)

·  Revolution (replacing Revolution 1)

·  The Inner Light (fading in-from the “Brama can you take me back” part of Cry Baby Cry) … this gives George five songs!

·  Lady Madonna (replacing Honey Pie)

Discuss!

Side one
No.	Title		Lead vocals	Length
1.	"Back in the U.S.S.R."		McCartney	2:43
2.	"Dear Prudence"		Lennon	3:56
3.	"Glass Onion"		Lennon	2:18
4.	"Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da"		McCartney	3:08
5.	"Wild Honey Pie"		McCartney	0:52
6.	"The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill"		Lennon	3:14
7.	"While My Guitar Gently Weeps" (George Harrison)		Harrison	4:45
8.	"Happiness Is A Warm Gun"		Lennon	2:43
Total length:				23:39
Side two
No.	Title	Lead vocals		Length
9.	"Martha My Dear"	McCartney		2:28
10.	"I'm So Tired"	Lennon		2:03
11.	"Blackbird"	McCartney		2:18
12.	"Piggies" (George Harrison)	Harrison		2:04
13.	"Rocky Raccoon"	McCartney		3:33
14.	"Hey Bulldog"	Lennon		3:14
15.	"Why Don't We Do It In The Road?"	McCartney		1:41
16.	"I Will"	McCartney		1:46
17.	"Julia"	Lennon		2:54
Total length:				22:01

Side three
No.	Title	Lead vocals		Length
1.	"Birthday"	McCartney with Lennon		3:42
2.	"Yer Blues"	Lennon		4:01
3.	"Mother Nature's Son"	McCartney		2:48
4.	"Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey"	Lennon		2:24
5.	"Sexy Sadie"	Lennon		3:15
6.	"Helter Skelter"	McCartney		4:29
7.	"Long, Long, Long (George Harrison)	Harrison		3:04
Total length:				22:43
Side four
No.	Title		Lead vocals	Length
8.	“Hey Jude”		McCartney	7:11
9.	“Revolution”		Lennon	3:21
10.	"Savoy Truffle" (George Harrison)		Harrison	2:54
11.	"Cry Baby Cry"		Lennon, with McCartney	3:02
12.   13.	“The Inner Light” (George Harrison) “Lady Madonna”		Harrison   McCartney	2:36   2:16
14.	"Good Night"		Starr	3:13
Total length:				24:22

Sincerely, 

Scott Siegel

It's funny because the first time I ever played The White Album all the way thru my IMMEDIATE reaction to "Revolution 9" was "Why didn't they just replace this indulgent piece of crap with 'Hey Jude' if they had a 7-9 minute slot to fill?"  Plus it probably would have helped the album sell even more copies than it already did!

Now I know The Beatles didn't really like to include singles on their LPs ... they looked at them as two separate entities for two completely different markets ... but "Revolution 9" was just SO bad I couldn't believe they'd include it (or that the other three went along with it in their so called "all in favor or it doesn't pass" method of operation.)

And now, looking at the long list of other material worked on and then left off the two-record set, it's unthinkable to me that they couldn't have come up with something better. (I know the John dynamic was the strongest ... and maybe they just didn't want to make waves during the whole "newness" of John and Yoko ... but still, put the music ... which this is not ... and your legacy ahead of any vanity project.  That's what SOLO albums are for!!!)

As for the single version of "Revolution" vs. the LP slowed-down take, I was completely blown away by "Revolution 1" the first time I heard it.  It just showed the versatility of the band and how a song as powerful as that could work on two completely different levels.  (Years later I would feel the same way after hearing George's stripped down, acoustic version of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" on the Anthology 3 album.)

My only objection to "Lady Madonna" and "The Inner Light" was that by November of 1968, these songs were already too old and well known for consideration ... and they pre-dated The Beatles' Apple Records label.  (Besides, this is the kind of stuff that Capitol Records liked to do, thus the "The Beatles Again" / "Hey Jude" album slipped in between releases as a way of featuring some tracks that never made their way to an LP here in The States ... much the way "Past Masters" would do when The Beatles' catalog was finally released on CD many years later.

I have to admit, however, that I really DO like your way of thinking ... make the existing album an even better one!

As a first time contributor, welcome to the fold!  Hope to hear more from you in the future.  Thanks, Scott!  (kk)

Ready to weigh in with your picks? 

Let's hear from some more of you before we tally up all the votes and determine the ultimate single White Album LP  (kk)

Revamping The White Album (Part 3)

More suggestions from our readers ...

Hey Kent -

Here goes my list of 16 choices: (in original running order)

Back In The USSR

Dear Prudence

Glass Onion

Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill

While My Guitar Gently Weeps

Happiness Is A Warm Gun

Blackbird

Rocky Raccoon

I Will

Birthday

Yer Blues

Mother Nature’s Son

Helter Skelter

Savoy Truffle

Good Night

I know people love to trash “Rocky Raccoon” … but what’s wrong with having some fun on a track? First time I heard the White Album back in ‘68, my cousin played it for us. Holy shit!! We couldn’t wrap our heads around it then. And today, I still can’t!

- Larry Cave

   50yearsagoonthehot100.blogspot.com

“Rocky Raccoon” was one of the first tracks I heard from The White Album back in ’68 … and I loved it.  The Beatles were always such perfectionists in the studio that I just LOVED when they strayed from the formula to try something new and fun.  (As such, “Rocky Raccoon” and “You Know My Name” are two of my favorite Beatles tracks … simply because they don’t sound anything at all like what you would expect The Beatles to record and release.

I think Paul dominates the 2-Record Set anyway … tracks like “Back In The U.S.S.R.,” “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da,” “I Will,” “Mother Nature’s Son,” “Blackbird,” “Birthday,” “Why Don’t We Do It In The Road” and even “Martha My Dear” have always been among my favorites … and I’ll even allow for “Honey Pie,” too, since (as I mentioned elsewhere) it kind of completes the trilogy of Macca’s tribute to the music of the 1920’s.  (“Helter Skelter”??? Not so much.  I mean, I get it … and the reason behind it … but it’s just never been one of my favorites.)  kk

Hi Kent: 

Here are my choices for the Top White Album tracks. (The Top 2 are definitely ahead of the rest now):

Back in the USSR

While My Guitar Gently Weeps

The rest:

Dear Prudence

Glass Onion

Happiness Is A Warm Gun

Cry Baby Cry

Blackbird

Martha My Dear

I Will     

Birthday

Helter Skelter

Revolution #1

Ob La Di Ob La Da

Julia

Sexy Sadie

Me & My Monkey

Ken Freck

Hi Kent
My view is as follows … 
Too many "fillers" and too much Yoko influenced
Here would be my preference for a single album of 16 tracks:
Tracks:
Back in the USSR
Dear Prudence
Glass Onion
Ob-la-di
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Martha My Dear
Blackbird
Birthday
Mother Nature's Son
Helter Skelter
Long Long Long
Revolution 1
Sexy Sadie
I Will
Julia
Wild Honey Pie
Just my opinion of course
Regards -
Geoff Dorsett
Radio Presenter
Since they both cross-reference other Beatles songs, I’d have to include “Savoy Truffle” along with “Glass Onion,” because without “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da,” they just don’t make sense!
I have always been a fan of George Harrison’s songwriting … he turned a major corner with his contributions to “Rubber Soul” and “Revolver” and I think ALL of his material for The White Album is exceptional.  While I’m totally fine with never hearing “Blue Jay Way” again for the rest of my life, I’ve learned to at least tolerate most of his Indian stuff … and I really like “The Inner Light.”
If you think about it, The Beatles easily could have put out another single between “Hey Jude” and “Get Back,” a stretch of about eight months.  (Maybe even two!!!) 
Certainly a couple of White Album tracks would have made excellent hit singles:  “Back In The USSR,” “Birthday,” “Ob-La-Di” or maybe even “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” … any one or two of these would have been a great way to fill the gap (and open up a few more spots on our new 16-track re-imagining of The White Album.  Tack on a couple of so-so B-Sides and I think you can get to 16 tracks pretty easily.)  kk  

Kent:

Your question regarding the White Album has always been an interesting topic for debate.
As for my own feelings about the White Album, I'd say the only songs I wouldn't miss if I never heard them again are "Wild Honey Pie" and "Why Don't We Do It In The Road?" What were they thinking by putting them on the album? I don't even consider them real songs. "Revolution 9" is not really a song either, but John sure did love those sound montages at the time. I'd also get rid of that creepy coda at the end of "Cry Baby Cry." I always skip past that part.

I can tolerate "Don't Pass Me By" (you can't have a Beatles album without a contribution from Ringo). I'm on the fence about "Helter Skelter," which I've never liked, but I admire Paul's original intent with it, i.e. to out-Who the Who in terms of recording the most raucous, down and dirty track they could. 

The rest of the album is, of course, wonderful. I couldn't pare it down to 16 songs on a single disk, but eliminating just this handful would produce an unwieldy total also. It would have been interesting if they had chosen to include "Not Guilty" and "Child of Nature" (which, as most of us know, eventually became "Jealous Guy.") And, I've always been a bit puzzled by the Beatles' later comments about the album being a collection of songs with each individual member using the others merely as a backing group. To my ears, I hear a lot of collaboration in the songs. But what do I know -- I've only been listening to the White Album since it was released, when I was 7 years old.

Best,

Garry Berman

And for me, “Why Don’t We Do It In The Road” has always been one of my favorites, just because it’s SO out there and uncharacteristic of anything else they had recorded up to that time.  (And I can’t think of a better edit ever, showing the two extremes of McCartney’s vocal talents, than running “Why Don’t We Do It In The Road’ right into “I Will,” another album highlight for me.)

I don’t know that either Ringo vocal would have made my cut … “Don’t Pass Me By” ranks right up there with his weakest material ever … and honestly, although it makes for the perfect album closer, I’d probably cut the over-produced John / Ringo collaboration, “Good Night.”

I think it must have been the White Album where I really started to turn from a John fan into more of a Paul fan.  Cuts like “The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill,” “Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except For Me And My Monkey” and “Revolution 9” would get skipped nearly every single time I played it (which was a big deal in 1968 because you had to physically get up and move the tone arm on the record!!!)  Then again I really like John's tracks “Happiness Is A Warm Gun” for its versatility, and his slower-to-mid-tempo tunes like “I’m So Tired” and “Sexy Sadie,” ALL of which I’d find a place for on my pared-down LP.  (kk)  

I have not forgotten about your White Album challenge. 
After much thought, I went with 16 tracks that I don't jump over these days: 

Side One
1.  Back In The USSR   

2.  Dear Prudence   

3.  I Will 

4.  Birthday  

5.  Blackbird  

6.  Rocky Racoon  

7.  Savoy Truffle   

8.  While My Guitar Gently Weeps

Side Two  

1.  Ob-La Di, Ob-la-Da  

2.  Mother Nature's Son  

3. Revolution 1 

4.  Sexy Sadie  

5.  Yer Blues  

6.  Glass Onion   

7. Don't Pass Me By  

8.  Helter Skelter

Phil Nee – WRCO

I cannot do it!!

I like it as it is, which is what the Beatles themselves wanted … they chose the tracks in the order they wanted us to hear them … that’s good enough for me!

Peter Noone  

You can’t reduce The White Album to just one disc … because if you do, it’s no longer The White Album. 

Bruce Spizer   

I agree that the white album should have been split into two separate albums … then you could have the white and the whiter album.   
Ringo Starr

Revamping The White Album (Part 4)

The revamping continues ... 

Hey Kent –

How come you haven’t shared YOUR 16-track White Album with us?

John P.

Like all of you, I’ve had a hard time paring this down as I’ve just become so accustomed to it as it currently sits (and has been embedded in my head for the past fifty years) … but there are definitely a few tracks I could do without.

I’ve already mentioned many of them (“Revolution 9,” “Don’t Pass Me By,” “Good Night,” “Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey,” “The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill,” “Wild Honey Pie” and even “Helter Skelter” are tracks I could have done without within the context of one single LP … so that already gets me down to 23.  (And look at that … I just saved Sharon Tate’s life!!!)

Other creative ideas I’ve mentioned include releasing a couple of singles between “Hey Jude” (August of 1968) and “Get Back” (May of 1969) … that eight month gap easily could have accommodated a couple more singles … which, when coupled with some personal favorite White Album Tracks as B-Sides, gets me down to 19.  (And let’s face it … we wouldn’t have missed these from The White Album because we wouldn’t have known of their existence until these singles were released, at which point we would have discovered them for the very first time and STILL fallen completely in love with them!)

For starters, I would have coupled “Back In The U.S.S.R.” with “Long Long Long” as the follow-up single to “Hey Jude.”  “U.S.S.R.” is a GREAT Beatles rocker unlike anything they had done up until this time … and the Beach Boys-like chorus, a group they so clearly (and publicly) admired, would have garnered quite a bit of attention as a single had they chosen to do so.  (Funny how at the time it sounded SO much like The Beach Boys and now just sounds like The Beatles … kinda like McCartney’s “Let Me Roll It,” where we all thought that Paul sounded just like John the first few times we heard it but now it just sounds like another great McCartney track.)

“Long Long Long” is a BEAUTIFUL George Harrison song … I’m anxious to hear the new, more balanced mix that Giles Martin has done … but by late 1968 we were reaching a period where George was starting to show up more on B-Sides (“The Inner Light” had just graced the flip side of “Lady Madonna,” the single they released before “Hey Jude” … and soon he would be featured with the flip sides “Old Brown Shoe” and “For You Blue” ... and even an A-Side with “Something”) … so this would have been a good one to keep that trend going.

I don’t think you could have more than two Harrisongs on a 16-track LP (as John and Paul never would have gone for it!) … so I’d move “Savoy Truffle” (a GREAT track, by the way) to the “Yellow Submarine” soundtrack, which was heavy with George songs anyway.  (I can only imagine the colorful and playful cartoon sequence that could have accompanied this tune had it been included in the film.)

That gets me down to 20.

Another likely single would have been either “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” (which also would have been a fun track had it been included in “Yellow Submarine”) or “Birthday” (but I think that one may be a bit lacking in overall strength and probably deserves to remain an album track.)

“Ob-La-Di” is a tricky one.  Here again, a chance for The Beatles to present something new (with its reggae beat, a trend John predicted at the time would be “the next big thing.”)  It’s also catchy as hell … but because it is cross-referenced in a couple of other Beatles songs (including “Savoy Truffle”), it might make for a nice cross-over tie-in the movie soundtrack.  (I suppose in this case you could even make a case for "Glass Onion" to have been included ... would have been nice to discover more than just four new Beatles tracks within the context of a new soundtrack LP.)

There are a few of tracks that would have worked well as B-Sides for this one … “Happiness Is A Warm Gun” (although I think I prefer that one as an album track), “Yer Blues” and “Julia,” a complete change of pace track for John and, despite its great sentimental value, never one of my LP favorites.

My only hang-up here is that if you WERE going to pull a single from “Yellow Submarine,” I’d find it almost impossible not to select “Hey Bulldog” … but at this rate, we’ve got to be careful as we’re only revamping The White Album and not their entire catalog!!!  (lol)  Otherwise this could go on forever!

So let’s go with a second single (tied into the movie release) of “Ob-La-Di-, Ob-La-Da” backed with “Julia” … and now we’re down to 18.

Sequencing has ALWAYS been a HUGE factor in the way The Beatles’ albums sounded … and there are certain tracks that just belong together here.  The whole series of “Martha My Dear,” “I’m So Tired,” “Blackbird,” “Piggies” and “Rocky Raccoon” just flow so perfectly that I wouldn’t dream of touching that block … I feel the same way about the blend from “Why Don’t We Do It In The Road” and “I Will” … but several other readers felt that “Why Don’t We Do It In The Road” was one of those tracks that had to go.  I just love hearing the two side by side as they really show off the complete extremities of Paul’s vocal style.  I also have to save “Honey Pie,” as this track completes Paul’s trilogy of 1920’s-styled tunes, following “When I’m 64” and “Your Mother Should Know.”

“Birthday” into “Yer Blues” is another great blend … as is “Back In The U.S.S.R.” into “Dear Prudence” … “Dear Prudence” for me is a keeper but that blend will be lost once I pull “Back In The U.S.S.R.” as a single unless I can come up with something creative (and I think I have.)  I don’t feel as strongly about “Yer Blues” … and have always felt that “Glass Onion” has been highly overrated.  (I feel that far too often John took the easy way out when it came to songwriting during this time period … witness “Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite” and “Good Morning, Good Morning.”  But he also had some absolute moments of brilliance with “A Day In The Life,” too.)  As such, I’d drop “Glass Onion” and “Yer Blues” to reach my final sixteen tracks. 

Now … as to sequencing …

You’ve heard these songs a gazillion times … so it should be relatively easy for you to be able to hear the way these flow from track to track in my proposed scenario … and, if not, pull out your cd copy and sequence them this way and see what you think!

Side One:

Birthday

Dear Prudence (this coupling allows you to still get the fade-out / fade-in cross-over blend)

Martha My Dear

I’m So Tired

Blackbird

Piggies

Rocky Raccoon

Happiness Is A Warm Gun (the perfect track to end side one after all the playfulness of the previous two tracks)

Side Two:

Revolution 1

Honey Pie

Mother Nature’s Son

Sexy Sadie

While My Guitar Gently Weeps

Why Don’t We Do It In The Road

I Will

Cry Baby Cry  (I think the idea of the album just fading away with Paul’s “Can you take me back where I came from, brother, can you take me back” would make for a very cool, very eerie finale)

Granted, it’s a stretch … and I’ve had to eliminate some tracks that I feel very strongly about in order to conform with my own criteria of creating a 16-track LP.  As such, I have to agree with the majority that The White Album is just fine as it is … and if I want to skip over tracks like “Revolution 9,” “Don’t Pass Me By” and “Good Night,” I certainly have the option to do so.  (And I usually do!!!)

Thanks again to everybody who participated in our little experiment.

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And now for the final tally ...

Based on all the votes tabulated by YOUR choices for the perfect 16-track albums, these are the songs that earned the most votes to win a spot on the final LP.  (For the record, these are listed in rank order based on points … as the 16 tracks that simply MUST be on this LP ... and not as a means of sequencing.)

First of all, I am happy to report that EVERY single track on The White Album received at least one vote (although "Revolution 9," "Wild Honey Pie," "The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill" and "Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey" each received EXACTLY one.)

There are also a couple of tunes that made every single ballot ... so those are distinguished as the top vote-getters on their own.  The rest fall in order from most votes to least, stopping at a total of sixteen tracks.  (kk)

FINAL TABULATIONS: 

TWO songs appeared on every single ballot we received …

They are “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” and “Back In The U.S.S.R.,” obviously the “Fan Favorites” from The Beatles’ Double LP.

Rounding out the rest of the sixteen tracks to make the cut are (in order of most points earned):

I Will

Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

Blackbird

Birthday

Dear Prudence

Helter Skelter

Julia

Mother Nature’s Son

Rocky Raccoon

Glass Onion

Yer Blues

Sexy Sadie

Happiness Is A Warm Gun

Martha My Dear

And, just missing the list by one vote, “Revolution 1”