White Album as one disc: Your choices

Cafe Society
1

Several years or months ago I read where George Martin had tried to get the Beatles to release the White Album as a single disc. The boys, as I understand it, wanted the two discs to get to the end of their contract faster. Let’s pretend that George Martin convinced them to release just one disc. You are George Martin. What songs do you put on the album, in what order?

Try and follow these guidelines:

  1. Choose 12-14 songs
  2. One Ringo song
  3. Two George songs
  4. All the rest Lennon/McCartney.
  5. Since this is the 1960s, we don’t know anything about CDs, so be sure to indicate which is side 1 and which is side 2.
  6. Don’t worry about song length

Here is the album, in order:

  1. Back in the U.S.S.R. (Lennon/McCartney)
  2. Dear Prudence (Lennon/McCartney)
  3. Glass Onion (Lennon/McCartney)
  4. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (Lennon/McCartney
  5. Wild Honey Pie (Lennon/McCartney)
  6. The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill (Lennon/McCartney)
  7. While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Harrison)
  8. Happiness Is a Warm Gun (Lennon/McCartney)
  9. Martha My Dear (Lennon/McCartney)
  10. I’m So Tired (Lennon/McCartney)
  11. Blackbird (Lennon/McCartney)
  12. Piggies (Harrison)
  13. Rocky Raccoon (Lennon/McCartney)
  14. Don’t Pass Me By (Starr)
  15. Why Don’t We Do It in the Road? (Lennon/McCartney)
  16. I Will (Lennon/McCartney)
  17. Julia (Lennon/McCartney)
  18. Birthday (Lennon/McCartney)
  19. Yer Blues (Lennon/McCartney)
  20. Mother Nature’s Son (Lennon/McCartney)
  21. Everybody’s Got Something to Hide… (Lennon/McCartney)
  22. Sexy Sadie (Lennon/McCartney)
  23. Helter Skelter (Lennon/McCartney)
  24. Long, Long, Long (Harrison)
  25. Revolution 1 performed by Beatles / Nicky Hopkins
  26. Honey Pie (Lennon/McCartney)
  27. Savoy Truffle (Harrison)
  28. Cry Baby Cry (Lennon/McCartney)
  29. Revolution 9 (Lennon/McCartney)
  30. Good Night (Sung by Starr)

Here’s my picks:
SIDE 1

  1. Back in the USSR
  2. Dear Prudence
  3. Don’t Pass Me By
  4. Long Long Long
  5. Helter Skelter
  6. Cry Baby Cry
  7. Revolution #1

SIDE 2
8. Everybody’s Got Something to Hide…
9. Obladi Oblada
10. Yer Blues
11. Julia
12. I Will
13. Sexy Sadie
14. While My Guitar Gently Weeps

2

Well, you’re cheating a little, because most LP albums only had 6 cuts per side (about 18-20 minutes).

If you insist on one song by Ringo, I’d have to pick Good Night, although otherwise it wouldn’t be on my list.

Your suggestions are pretty good, so rather than repeating the whole list, I’ll just cite where I differ.

You can’t have I Will without leading into it with Why Don’t We Do It in the Road. That was one of the Lads’ little jokes, so I’d replace I Will with Mother Nature’s Son, which has a similar quality.

Long Long Long never did much for me, I’d substitute I’m So Tired.

And Honey Pie is a fine example of their affection for British music hall-type tunes, so I’d put it in place of Sexy Sadie.

But face it, any mix of 12 of 14 songs that doesn’t include Revolution #9 would be a vast improvement.

3

Here’s my 14 picks.

SIDE 1

  1. Dear Prudence
  2. The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill
  3. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
  4. I’m So Tired
  5. Blackbird
  6. Piggies
  7. Rocky Raccoon

SIDE 2
8. Yer Blues
9. Mother Nature’s Son
10. Sexy Sadie
11. Cry Baby Cry
12. Don’t Pass Me By
13. Glass Onion
14. Helter Skelter

4

Pretty nifty question!

Here’s my line-up…a nice bonkety-bonk between Lennon good stuff and McCartney fluff, up songs and down songs, broken up here and there by Harrison, and let Ringo end things off. (See, “Revolution” is the REAL final tune, but then “Good Night” is a “hidden tune” thing on the CD.)

Okay, I AM letting Paulie get away with too many cutesy songs, but I always liked the cutesy songs on this album more than most. And I always liked “Martha My Dear” as a side opener.

“Helter Skelter” is gone, because if it hadn’t been for Charles Manson, “Helter Skelter” would be a completely forgettable piece o’ crap.

“While My Guitar Gently Weeps” is gone, too, because I think it’s over-rated. Let Georgie wait and put it on All Things Must Pass, in 1970.
SIDE 1

  1. Back in the U.S.S.R. (McCartney)
  2. I’m So Tired (Lennon)
  3. Honey Pie (McCartney)
  4. Savoy Truffle (Harrison)
  5. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (McCartney)
  6. Julia (Lennon)

SIDE 2

  1. Martha My Dear (McCartney)
  2. Sexy Sadie (Lennon)
  3. Blackbird (McCartney)
  4. Piggies (Harrison)
  5. Dear Prudence (Lennon)
  6. Revolution No. 1 (Lennon)

(HIDDEN TUNE) Good Night (Starr)