# Turning the Beatles White album into a single LP **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 30, 2018, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-the-beatles-white-album-into-a-single-lp/807777 "2018-01-30T02:47:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-the-beatles-white-album-into-a-single-lp/807777/21 "2018-01-30T20:05:04Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > The context is that George Martin, and I believe George Harrison also, had suggested that in retrospect, it might have been better to trim the album down to its best stuff, and release one great album rather than an uneven double album that has some great songs, but also some that are only so-so. Many people think The White Album would be better as a single album with just the best songs. However, those people differ wildly about _which_ are the “best songs” that should be included (as this thread provides evidence). That, I think, proves that it really shouldn’t have been trimmed down. If everybody agreed about which songs should have been left off, it’d be a different story. Still, there’s certainly nothing wrong with a thread like this one where we see how different people would pare it down in different ways. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2018, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-the-beatles-white-album-into-a-single-lp/807777/22 "2018-01-31T00:59:12Z")
Back In the USSR Dear Prudence Happiness Is A Warm Gun Martha My Dear I’m So Tired Blackbird Rocky Raccoon Why Don’t We Do It In The Road Julia Birthday Yer Blues Long Long Long Honey Pie Cry Baby Cry I’ve thought about it. This is the only way it works as one disc. I cannot imagine the White Album without Martha My Dear. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2018, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-the-beatles-white-album-into-a-single-lp/807777/23 "2018-01-31T01:33:50Z")
For those of you that would cut “Sexy Sadie,” reflect on how it influenced Radiohead’s “Karma Police,” _and_ works great as part of the marvelous [Wu-Tang Clan — Beatles mash-up](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ek8DoapfjJ0) (around 1:02:00). ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2018, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-the-beatles-white-album-into-a-single-lp/807777/24 "2018-01-31T01:59:15Z")
Observing the rule of no more than two consecutive songs by the same writer: Side one 1. “Back in the U.S.S.R.” McCartney 2:43 2. “Dear Prudence” Lennon 3:56 3. “Mother Nature’s Son” McCartney 2:48 4. “Sexy Sadie” Lennon 3:15 5. “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” McCartney 3:08 6. “I’m So Tired” Lennon 2:03 7. “Happiness Is a Warm Gun” Lennon 2:43 Side two 1. “Birthday” McCartney/Lennon 2:42 2. “Don’t Pass Me By”\* Starr 3:51 3. “Yer Blues” Lennon 4:01 4. “Long, Long, Long” Harrison 3:04 5. “Blackbird” McCartney 2:18 6. “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” Harrison 4:45 7. “Julia” Lennon 2:54 \*This isn’t really good enough to make the cut, but Ringo needs a vocal spot on every Beatles album, and it ain’t gonna be “Good Night.” ---
**Author:** ![by-tor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/by-tor/32/266_2.png) [@by-tor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/by-tor)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2018, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-the-beatles-white-album-into-a-single-lp/807777/25 "2018-01-31T02:16:53Z")
Side One Long, Long, Long Helter Skelter Dear Prudence Back in the U.S.S.R. Mother Nature’s Son Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da Blackbird Side Two Why Don’t We Do It in the Road? Cry Baby Cry Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey Rocky Raccoon Revolution 1 Happiness Is a Warm Gun I Will ---
**Author:** ![Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ba8739/32.png) [@Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Backwater_Under_Duck)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2018, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-the-beatles-white-album-into-a-single-lp/807777/26 "2018-01-31T02:26:31Z")
Number nine, Number nine, Number nine, Number nine, Number nine, Number nine, Number nine. Number nine, Number nine, Number nine, Number nine, Number nine, Number nine, Number nine. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2018, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-the-beatles-white-album-into-a-single-lp/807777/27 "2018-01-31T06:37:44Z")
This is the Lennon songs only, and not Birthday. I think this is a great lost lennon album. In any case it is very LPable in a way Pauls might not be. Revolution 9 in a different context might be cool. 1. “Dear Prudence” Lennon 3:56 2. “Glass Onion” Lennon 2:18 3. “The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill” Lennon 3:14 4. “Happiness Is a Warm Gun” Lennon 2:43 5. “I’m So Tired” Lennon 2:03 6. “Julia” Lennon 2:54 7. “Yer Blues” Lennon 4:01 8. “Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey” Lennon 2:24 9. “Sexy Sadie” Lennon 3:15 10. “Revolution 1” Lennon 4:15 11. “Cry Baby Cry” Lennon 3:02 12. “Revolution 9” Lennon 8:22 13. “Good Night” Lennon 3:13 ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2018, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-the-beatles-white-album-into-a-single-lp/807777/28 "2018-01-31T16:10:07Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > These days you can easily skip a song or two you don’t like. When the White Album was released, however, that required going to your turntable at the appropriate time and lifting the needle off the record and carefully replacing it in the correct groove. Because of this, I’ve hardly ever heard “Good Night” – I would pick up the needle before Revolution 9 and not put it down again. My list (and adhering to my self-imposed time limits): Side 1 “Back in the U.S.S.R.” McCartney 2:43 “Dear Prudence” Lennon 3:56 “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” Harrison 4:45 “Happiness Is a Warm Gun” Lennon 2:43 “I’m So Tired” Lennon 2:03 “Blackbird” McCartney 2:18 “Why Don’t We Do It in the Road?” McCartney 1:41 “Julia” Lennon 2:54 Side 2 “Birthday” McCartney/Lennon 2:42 “Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey” Lennon 2:24 “Sexy Sadie” Lennon 3:15 “Long, Long, Long” Harrison 3:04 “Revolution 1” Lennon 4:15 “Savoy Truffle” Harrison 2:54 “Cry Baby Cry” Lennon 3:02 Heavily weighted towards Lennon, as it turns out. I like Martha My Dear better than Happiness…but I went with social relevance over a love song to a dog. ---
**Author:** ![WillFarnaby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/willfarnaby/32/514_2.png) [@WillFarnaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillFarnaby)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2018, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-the-beatles-white-album-into-a-single-lp/807777/29 "2018-02-01T02:27:17Z")
“Back in the U.S.S.R.” McCartney 2:43 “Dear Prudence” Lennon 3:56 “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” McCartney 3:08 “Happiness Is a Warm Gun” Lennon 2:43 “I’m So Tired” Lennon 2:03 “Blackbird” McCartney 2:18 “Rocky Raccoon” McCartney 3:33 “Why Don’t We Do It in the Road?” McCartney 1:41 “Julia” Lennon 2:54 “Birthday” McCartney/Lennon 2:42 “Sexy Sadie” Lennon 3:15 “Helter Skelter” McCartney 4:29 “Cry Baby Cry” Lennon 3:02 “Good Night” Lennon 3:13 ---
**Author:** ![mattm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c89c15/32.png) [@mattm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mattm)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2018, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-the-beatles-white-album-into-a-single-lp/807777/30 "2018-02-01T06:56:19Z")
NO Not a thing to do. Keep them all.’ One of the best albums ever. Right there with Red Headed Stranger and Blonde on Blonde. ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2018, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-the-beatles-white-album-into-a-single-lp/807777/31 "2018-06-28T16:40:27Z")
My attempt: Side A 1. Back in the USSR 2. Dear Prudence 3. Mother Nature’s Son 4. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da 5. I’m So Tired 6. While My Guitar Gently Weeps 7. Julia Running Time: 22:19 Side B 1. Birthday 2. Don’t Pass Me By 3. Long, Long, Long 4. Sexy Sadie 5. Blackbird 6. Yer Blues 7. Why Don’t We Do It in the Road 8. Happiness Is a Warm Gun Running Time: 23:37 Keeping in mind the following rules: - Try to avoid consecutive songs by the same writer (I did it once) - One George cut per side - Ringo has to have a spot ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2018, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-the-beatles-white-album-into-a-single-lp/807777/32 "2018-06-28T17:16:26Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Dump everything written by just Lennon and we’re golden. Disagree. While John is, IMO, basically the most overrated songwriter ever, and cutting Revolution 9 is a no-brainer, keeping Revolution 1 is also a no-brainer\*, and the rest of his tracks on the album have a similar quality range to Paul and George’s. - I actually prefer the harder single version, but the album version is a keeper, even so. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2018, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-the-beatles-white-album-into-a-single-lp/807777/33 "2018-06-28T17:48:13Z")
After several increasingly hard rounds of cuts, and reorganizing to get ~24 minutes per side (about what a 33⅓ LP could get without screwing up the sound) and trying to get a reasonable flow (though to be fair, the original album has a slightly odd flow, too), and also sticking with the band’s ‘Ringo always gets a song’ rule (but I’d have kept Don’t Pass Me By, anyway), I end up with: Side 1: 1 “Revolution 1” Lennon 4:15 2 “Mother Nature’s Son” McCartney 2:48 3 “Cry Baby Cry” Lennon 3:02 4 “Don’t Pass Me By” Starr 3:51 5 “Helter Skelter” McCartney 4:29 6 “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” Harrison 4:45 Side 2 1 “Back in the U.S.S.R.” McCartney 2:43 2 “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” McCartney 3:08 3 “Dear Prudence” Lennon 3:56 4 “Piggies” Harrison 2:04 5 “The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill” Lennon 3:14 6 “Rocky Raccoon” McCartney 3:33 7 “I’m So Tired” Lennon 2:03 8 “Blackbird” McCartney 2:18 9 “I Will” McCartney 1:46 ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2018, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-the-beatles-white-album-into-a-single-lp/807777/34 "2018-06-28T18:14:52Z")
The only song I could cut would Revolution 9. It is an unmitigated piece of shit, and everything else on the album fits musically into what they were and what they had become. They should have done a 3-sided album, like Johnny Winter’s Second Winter. ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2018, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-the-beatles-white-album-into-a-single-lp/807777/35 "2018-06-28T21:51:50Z")
> [@Kamino\_Neko](#): > > Disagree. > > While John is, IMO, basically the most overrated songwriter ever, and cutting Revolution 9 is a no-brainer, keeping Revolution 1 is also a no-brainer\*, and the rest of his tracks on the album have a similar quality range to Paul and George’s. > > - I actually prefer the harder single version, but the album version is a keeper, even so. I hope you’re not going to say someone like, oh, Billy Joel, is a better songwriter than John Lennon? ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2018, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-the-beatles-white-album-into-a-single-lp/807777/36 "2018-06-28T23:13:35Z")
He’s undeniably less overrated. ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2018, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-the-beatles-white-album-into-a-single-lp/807777/37 "2018-06-29T00:20:15Z")
I think John is underrated. He wrote Please, Please Me which launched the Beatles ship. In A Hard Day’s Night album he wrote 10/13 songs. He also wrote the other movie title song Help. McCartney pitched in with some very fine songs, but it wasn’t until Revolver that he started to take over a bit. The White album was a return to Lennon dominance (but not Let It Be or Abbey Road… he was in Yoko land by then) The only thing I don’t really care for is his lyrics. Starting at Revolver they were either intentionally obscure or entirely personal. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2018, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-the-beatles-white-album-into-a-single-lp/807777/38 "2018-06-29T03:10:53Z")
The last time I saw this here, the OP caught a lot of crap from purists. I’ll give this another shot. 1. “Back in the U.S.S.R.” McCartney 2:43 2. “Dear Prudence” Lennon 3:56 3. “Glass Onion” Lennon 2:18 4. “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” Harrison 4:45 5. “Happiness Is a Warm Gun” Lennon 2:43 6. “Martha My Dear” McCartney 2:28 7. “I’m So Tired” Lennon 2:03 8. “Blackbird” McCartney 2:18 9. “Piggies” Harrison 2:04 10. “Julia” Lennon 2:54 11. “Birthday” McCartney/Lennon 2:42 12. “Yer Blues” Lennon 4:01 13. “Sexy Sadie” Lennon 3:15 I don’t know what order you’d want them in. I read that George Martin wanted to make it a single album but he got out voted. They did Let It Be next. When they asked George to produce their last album, George told them only if we can do it the OLD way. Obviously, they agreed so George agreed to do it. Back in my youth, it was traditional to announce to the world you got a new stereo by sticking your speakers out the window and blasting “Why Don’t We Do I In The Road.” In my case, it was a Philips GA-212 turntable, Dynaco PAT-5 pre-amp, Dynaco FM-5 tuner, Dynaco 120 power amp, Advent large utility speakers. I was on a budget, but I had great sound. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2018, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-the-beatles-white-album-into-a-single-lp/807777/39 "2018-06-29T04:16:57Z")
> [@Crotalus](#): > > The only song I could cut would Revolution 9. It is an unmitigated piece of shit, … Very few songs get rated “piece of shit, but mitigated” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2018, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-the-beatles-white-album-into-a-single-lp/807777/40 "2018-06-29T04:20:30Z")
> [@jaycat](#): > > I hope you’re not going to say someone like, oh, Billy Joel, is a better songwriter than John Lennon? No way is he, but he’s probably not on any lists of best songwriters in the history of the world, and Lennon probably is, and does he belong there. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-the-beatles-white-album-into-a-single-lp/807777.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-the-beatles-white-album-into-a-single-lp/807777.md?page=3)