After an analysis of Magical Mystery Tour, it’s time for Part One of The Beatles (commonly known as The White Album).
I debated whether to do The White Album in one or two parts: on the one hand, an album is a collective work of art, and splitting it up ruins that sense. However, I think that, had it all been squashed together, too many songs would have been overlooked. This way, they all get their breathing space.
The White Album was an incredible album. It encompassed more styles than was though possible by a single album back then (and still today): folk rock, hard rock, heavy metal, blues rock, baroque pop, whatever “Revolution 9” was . . . you get the picture. Disc One has a relatively high proportion of acoustic pieces, due to the fact that most songs were written at a retreat in India where the acoustic guitar was the only Western instrument available to them. The White Album really marks the point where the four Beatles began to split, their music taking on more individual tones rather than the blend in earlier albums.
Fun fact: the working title for the album, A Doll’s House, was changed when another rock band released an album whose title was similar.