# Cut the White Album down to a single LP **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 10, 2009, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cut-the-white-album-down-to-a-single-lp/520745 "2009-12-10T17:23:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cut-the-white-album-down-to-a-single-lp/520745/1 "2009-12-10T17:23:53Z")
So, how would you cut (and sequence) the White Album to fit on one LP? I like it as a double, but occasionally someone will complain that it would be better as a oner. Sometimes I feel that way myself, and will just queue up my favorite songs and skip the rest. (That happens with all albums at times.) If it was a single album would it be their best? Feel free to sequence it either as two LP sides, or a short CD, but no more than 14 songs, please. Here’s the song list in random order: \*Why Don’t We Do It in the Road? Martha My Dear Revolution 1 Long, Long, Long Glass Onion Happiness Is a Warm Gun Wild Honey Pie Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill While My Guitar Gently Weeps Good Night Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da I’m So Tired Blackbird Cry Baby Cry Piggies Rocky Raccoon Don’t Pass Me By Julia Birthday Yer Blues Mother Nature’s Son Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey Dear Prudence Sexy Sadie Helter Skelter I Will Honey Pie Savoy Truffle Back in the U.S.S.R. Revolution 9 \* ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cut-the-white-album-down-to-a-single-lp/520745/2 "2009-12-10T18:00:27Z")
Harder than I thought. Getting rid of _Revolution 9, Wild Honey Pie, Why Don’t We Do It In The Road_ and all the other little fillers was easy enough, but it’s hard to lose things like _Yer Blues_, _Martha My Dear_, and _Glass Onion_, songs that should be on an album, but not this one (for the purposes of this therad). My last cut was to _Don’t Pass Me By_. It was going to stay on as Ringo’s token song, but it sucks, so off it went. My list, in no particular order: While My Guitar Gently Weeps Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da I’m So Tired Blackbird Cry Baby Cry Rocky Raccoon Julia Mother Nature’s Son Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey Dear Prudence Sexy Sadie Helter Skelter Savoy Truffle Back in the U.S.S.R. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cut-the-white-album-down-to-a-single-lp/520745/3 "2009-12-10T18:05:02Z")
Oh, the OP said sequenced too. Okay, I’ll give it a shot: Side 1: Back in the U.S.S.R. Dear Prudence Cry Baby Cry Savoy Truffle Mother Nature’s Son Rocky Raccoon While My Guitar Gently Weeps Side 2: Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da Julia Blackbird Helter Skelter Sexy Sadie I’m So Tired Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cut-the-white-album-down-to-a-single-lp/520745/4 "2009-12-10T18:12:23Z")
Side 1 Back in the U.S.S.R. Happiness Is a Warm Gun Piggies I’m So Tired Helter Skelter I Will Cry Baby Cry Side 2 Revolution 1 Sexy Sadie Birthday Martha My Dear Blackbird While My Guitar Gently Weeps Julia * * * Tough, but I tried to eliminate some of the tonal and content redundancy, while also keeping things balanced and quirkily diverse in a way the Beatles were shooting for. Hence: “Julia” is a better lullaby than “Good Night” and more whistful than “Prudence” “Birthday”'s a better sing-along than “Obla-Di” “Guitar” is better mournful George than “Long Long” “Piggies” is a tarter George throwaway than “Savoy” “Martha”'s a better example of Paul’s songwriting nostalgia than “Honey” “Gun” is more acidic John than “Yer Blues” “Skelter” is harder and rougher than “WDWDIITR?” or “Monkey” “Cry Baby” is more haunting than the similarly surreal (but more meta) “Glass Onion” And I ditched both story songs (“Rocky” and “Bill”) since they don’t improve the balance any. Not all those decisions were easy (and the final result still isn’t as good as _Revolver_, IMHO), but there you go… ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cut-the-white-album-down-to-a-single-lp/520745/5 "2009-12-10T18:54:56Z")
Harder than I thought it would be. While I’ve not got a lot of favorites on this album, there are still a lot of decent songs on it. The ones I **really** don’t care for tend to taint my opinion of the album as a whole. (Curiously, not the same as most folks. You guys _like_ Rocky and Bill? And Julia?!) Mostly I’m happy with the order as presented on the original album, so this is mostly in no particular order. Cry Baby Cry and Savoy Truffle both strike me as closers for some reason, but then again, I’m the guy who usually listens to his entire music collection on shuffle. I’m (mostly) deaf to transitions. Anyway, no further ado: 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 Don’t Pass Me By I’m So Tired Helter Skelter Sexy Sadie Birthday Cry Baby Cry Savoy Truffle ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cut-the-white-album-down-to-a-single-lp/520745/6 "2009-12-10T19:01:50Z")
Single disc? Fuck that. Side 1 Revolution (fast version) Why Don’t We Do It in the Road? I’m So Tired Piggies Honey Pie Yer Blues Julia Side 2 Back in the U.S.S.R. Sexy Sadie Wild Honey Pie Not Guilty Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill While My Guitar Gently Weeps Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da Side 3 Martha My Dear Glass Onion The Inner Light Birthday Cry Baby Cry Don’t Pass Me By Mother Nature’s Son Side 4 Lady Madonna Dear Prudence Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey Long, Long, Long I Will Happiness Is a Warm Gun Blackbird Side 5 Helter Skelter (27 minute version) Side 6 Hey Jude Savoy Truffle Rocky Raccoon Revolution 1 Revolution 9 Good Night ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cut-the-white-album-down-to-a-single-lp/520745/7 "2009-12-10T19:16:09Z")
> [@ArchiveGuy](#): > > Side 1 > Back in the U.S.S.R. > Happiness Is a Warm Gun > Piggies > I’m So Tired > Helter Skelter > I Will > Cry Baby Cry > > Side 2 > Revolution 1 > Sexy Sadie > Birthday > Martha My Dear > Blackbird > While My Guitar Gently Weeps > Julia > > * * * > > Tough, but I tried to eliminate some of the tonal and content redundancy, while also keeping things balanced and quirkily diverse in a way the Beatles were shooting for. Hence: > > “Julia” is a better lullaby than “Good Night” and more whistful than “Prudence” > “Birthday”'s a better sing-along than “Obla-Di” > “Guitar” is better mournful George than “Long Long” > “Piggies” is a tarter George throwaway than “Savoy” > “Martha”'s a better example of Paul’s songwriting nostalgia than “Honey” > “Gun” is more acidic John than “Yer Blues” > “Skelter” is harder and rougher than “WDWDIITR?” or “Monkey” > “Cry Baby” is more haunting than the similarly surreal (but more meta) “Glass Onion” > > And I ditched both story songs (“Rocky” and “Bill”) since they don’t improve the balance any. > > Not all those decisions were easy (and the final result still isn’t as good as _Revolver_, IMHO), but there you go… No “Savoy Truffle”? **sobs** But it has the word “montelimar” in it! Nougat! How can you hate creamy, yummy nougat? And yes, IT IS GOOD NEWS! AND YOU KNOW IT! It must be incredibly lonely in your Beatleistic Puritan Ivory Tower…without NOUGAT! ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cut-the-white-album-down-to-a-single-lp/520745/8 "2009-12-10T19:30:17Z")
Side 1 Back in the U.S.S.R. Dear Prudence Piggies I’m So Tired Why Don’t We Do It in the Road? I Will Julia Side 2 Birthday Blackbird Happiness Is a Warm Gun Yer Blues Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da Helter Skelter While My Guitar Gently Weeps ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cut-the-white-album-down-to-a-single-lp/520745/9 "2009-12-10T19:32:02Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > No “Savoy Truffle”? > > **sobs** > > But it has the word “montelimar” in it! Nougat! How can you hate creamy, yummy nougat? > > And yes, IT IS GOOD NEWS! AND YOU KNOW IT! > > It must be incredibly lonely in your Beatleistic Puritan Ivory Tower…without NOUGAT! I love me some nougat, but that’s song’s all air, like cotton candy (w/horns). And what’s sweet now turns so sour. And you’ll notice, by omitting “Mother Nature’s Son”, that I don’t like too much cheez either. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cut-the-white-album-down-to-a-single-lp/520745/10 "2009-12-10T19:35:28Z")
For comparison purposes, [here’s the latest time we did this topic.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=506300) I’m going to repeat my answer from that thread because I really think it works. I’ll have to test it sometime. > [@](#): > > I think starting the album “Yes I’m lonely/Wanna die” is about as good as you can do to replicate the shock of having Revolution 9 looming at the back of the album, right before Good Night. > > 4:01 – Yer Blues > 2:28 – Martha My Dear > 3:56 – Dear Prudence > 0:52 – Wild Honey Pie > 3:15 – Sexy Sadie > 4:45 – While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Harrison) > 3:01 – Cry Baby Cry > 2:23 – Happiness Is a Warm Gun > 4:15 – Revolution 1 > 1:41 – Why Don’t We Do It in the Road? > 1:46 – I Will > 2:54 – Julia > 4:29 – Helter Skelter > 3:04 – Long, Long, Long (Harrison) > 3:11 – Good Night > 2:18 – Blackbird ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cut-the-white-album-down-to-a-single-lp/520745/11 "2009-12-10T19:38:40Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > For comparison purposes, [here’s the latest time we did this topic.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=506300) I’m going to repeat my answer from that thread because I really think it works. I’ll have to test it sometime. Except this time, the OP limits the album to 14 tracks. You have 16. So which 2 would you jettison? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cut-the-white-album-down-to-a-single-lp/520745/12 "2009-12-10T19:44:16Z")
> [@ArchiveGuy](#): > > Except this time, the OP limits the album to 14 tracks. You have 16. > > So which 2 would you jettison? That’s what I get for not reading more carefully. I’d toss Wild Honey Pie and, I think, Cry Baby Cry. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cut-the-white-album-down-to-a-single-lp/520745/13 "2009-12-10T20:00:13Z")
[QUOTE=Biffy the Elephant Shrew] Side 5 Helter Skelter (27 minute version) [/QUOTE] …and if anyone was wondering what happens to the standard version of “Helter Skelter” (not bloody likely, I know), it comes out as a single, with “Child of Nature” on the flip. ETA: How the hell did the OP’s name get in the quote box? Changed to my own. ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cut-the-white-album-down-to-a-single-lp/520745/14 "2009-12-10T20:32:32Z")
> [@ArchiveGuy](#): > > Tough, but I tried to eliminate some of the tonal and content redundancy, while also keeping things balanced and quirkily diverse (…) > > Not all those decisions were easy (and the final result still isn’t as good as _Revolver_, IMHO), but there you go… Nice points. I’m still trying to do my own sequence, but don’t have many mid-tempo favorites, and that complicates things. > [@LawMonkey](#): > > The ones I **really** don’t care for tend to taint my opinion of the album as a whole. (Curiously, not the same as most folks. You guys _like_ Rocky and Bill? And Julia?!) Don’t need the story songs, but _Julia_ is one of my 4 or 5 favorite LenMc songs. It’s similar in feel to _Across the Universe_, but the biographical aspect makes it more affecting. Haunting. _When I cannot sing my heart, I can only speak my mind._ > [@Marley23](#): > > For comparison purposes, [here’s the latest time we did this topic.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=506300) Damn, less than a year? I really should search before posting. > [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > …and if anyone was wondering what happens to the standard version of “Helter Skelter” (not bloody likely, I know), it comes out as a single, with “Child of Nature” on the flip. > . On the 3-disk set could you switch out _Piggies_ and _Wild Honey Pie_, for _Hey Bulldog_ and _It’s All Too Much_? ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cut-the-white-album-down-to-a-single-lp/520745/15 "2009-12-10T20:45:59Z")
> [@Baal\_Houtham](#): > > On the 3-disk set could you switch out _Piggies_ and _Wild Honey Pie_, for _Hey Bulldog_ and _It’s All Too Much_? How about expanding the original side 2’s animal theme: Martha My Dear (supposedly inspired by Paul’s sheepdog) Hey Bulldog Blackbird Piggies Rocky Raccoon Everybody’s Got Something to Hide But Me And My Monkey Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill (mentions elephants & tigers, title puns on buffalo) Too bad “Octopus’s Garden” wasn’t written yet. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cut-the-white-album-down-to-a-single-lp/520745/16 "2009-12-10T20:54:44Z")
Here’s my response from the last thread on this, edited to fit the new rules: Side 1 2:43 – Back in the U.S.S.R. 3:56 – Dear Prudence 2:17 – Glass Onion 4:45 – While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Harrison) 2:43 – Happiness Is a Warm Gun 2:28 – Martha My Dear 2:03 – I’m So Tired 1:41 – Why Don’t We Do It in the Road? Side 2 4:01 – Yer Blues 2:48 – Mother Nature’s Son 2:24 – Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey 3:15 – Sexy Sadie 4:29 – Helter Skelter 3:04 – Long, Long, Long (Harrison) ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cut-the-white-album-down-to-a-single-lp/520745/17 "2009-12-10T23:12:24Z")
This was easier than I thought -in fact I’m going to make this version for myself Helter Skelter Back in the U.S.S.R. Blackbird Dear Prudence Revolution 1 Glass Onion Revolution 9 Birthday Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da Happiness Is a Warm Gun Piggies While My Guitar Gently Weeps Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill Why Don’t We Do It in the Road? ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cut-the-white-album-down-to-a-single-lp/520745/18 "2009-12-11T04:32:57Z")
I am not going to attempt a full list here. I do not think I can comfortably cut it down enough. However, I am amazed at how many people want to keep _Birthday_ and _Yer Blues_: both in my opinion abominations quite in the league of _Revolution 9_. (In some ways they are worse, because they do not have the excuse of being arty and “experimental.” _Revolution 9_ tries something different, and fails badly, but _Birthday_ and _Yer Blues_ are unoriginal as well being tuneless, witless dirges.) I would also prefer to lose _Goodnight_, and would not much miss _Bungalow Bill_, _Rocky Raccoon_, or _Cry, Baby Cry_. What I really came to say, though, is that _Long, Long, Long_ **must** come right after _Helter Skelter_. How can people include both songs but not put them together?! Even though _Long, Long, Long_ itself is merely a good rather than a great song, for me, the transition from the joyous mayhem of _Helter Skelter_ to the sudden melancholy calm of _Long, Long, Long_ is the best moment of the whole album (and one of the best on any Beatles album). **woodstockbirdybird** does well in placing them together right at the end. (How different from finishing with _Revolution 9_ and the cringeworthy _Goodnight_!) ---
**Author:** ![Talon\_Karrde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Talon\_Karrde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Talon_Karrde)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cut-the-white-album-down-to-a-single-lp/520745/19 "2009-12-11T06:12:43Z")
1. Revolution 1 2. Dear Prudence 3. Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey 4. Happiness is a Warm Gun 5. Blackbird 6. I’m So Tired 7. Cry Baby Cry 8. While My Guitar Gently Weeps 9. Helter Skelter 10. Mother Nature’s Son 11. I Will 12. Long, Long, Long 13. Revolution 9 ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cut-the-white-album-down-to-a-single-lp/520745/20 "2009-12-11T07:04:48Z")
Sequencing could possibly be improved, but here’s the 14 I came up with in my current mood: 1. Birthday 2. Why Don’t We Do It In The Road 3. Blackbird 4. Glass Onion 5. Martha My Dear 6. I’m So Tired 7. While My Guitar Gently Weeps 8. Savoy Truffle 9. Dear Prudence 10. Don’t Pass Me By 11. I Will 12. Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except Me and My Monkey 13. Helter Skelter 14. Revolution 1 I actually like Revolution 9 (in doses), but with the 14 song limit, it’s hard to keep it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cut-the-white-album-down-to-a-single-lp/520745.md?page=2)