When the double-album “The Beatles” was released (or the White Album as soon was called from its cover), the press and the fans took it as a new masterpiece. Writing on The Observer, Tony Palmer suggested the Beatles to be the greatest songwriters ever since Schubert. That article soon became well-known for this phrase, but actually it was moved by a great appreciement for the musical variety of the record: “do you want some rock n’ roll? The Beatles have done it and better… do you want some blues? The Beatles have done it and better…”

The press and the fans didn’t know, anyway, that the record was what came out of several mounths of discussions between the Beatles themselves and between them and their technicians, of drug intake and nights over nights spent doing nothing but losing time. What seemed to be just the new masterpiece was actually the first step on the way to the break-out.

When the Beatles started recording on May the 30th 1968, that meant coming back to studios after the long sessions which led to Sgt. Pepper and Magical Mystery Tour. Many things were different. Their manager Brian Epstein was dead by a overdose of pills. The four had tried to escape in the arms of oriental meditation, following the spiritual leader Marahishi in his indian monastry; but since it was a disappointing experience, they left back all hippie suggestions. In the world the summer of love 1967 became the barricades of 1968.

John Lennon was the most changed. In few mounths he had got rid of his Lsd addiction and met the woman of his life: the infamous Yoko Ono. Both of these events took him back to the aggressive mood and egocentricity tipical of his early years. Aware of having lost the leadership of the band, he strongly wanted to take it back.

Things became going wrong from the very beginning. First of all, John took Yoko with him in studio, something that had never happened before and strongly disturbed their work. Then he pretended such a politicization of the band, suggesting Revolution as the first song to be recorded and claiming it as the next single. The other, and especially Paul, were afraid of the public opinion and tried gently to make him giving it up. That caused one of the first discussions. John, out of spite, recorded the next track himself: Revolution 9, a dadaistic collage of noise and voices, just as sperimental as boring.

From that moment they went on recording in a new way. Anyone of them recorded his own songs using the others as sessionmen, often overdubbing alone. What had been their better quality – team working – seemed vanished. According to those who were there, in the studio there was a neverending state of tension, the Beatles very often discussing between them and with the engineers. Many times they were drugged (Lennon had started taking heroin) and forced the Abbey Road staff to long pointless night-sessions. In a word, they switched to the well-known unbearable rockstar mood.

The result was a big ammount of quarrels. Geoff Emerick, the engineer which had played a very important role in the success of Revolver and Sgt. Pepper, left before the end of the work: he didn’t take anymore that frozen atmosphere. George Martin stayed, but he couldn’t have really the situation under control: he often let the Beatles produce themselves, and at one point he went on holyday, as if he was not necessary anymore. Finally, Ringo Starr went away and announced he wanted to leave the band: he was tired to be just the sessioman of three egocentric which simply didn’t know what they wanted.

Being so, it’s strange even that they could complete the work. But the result was a long and pointless album, with too many differences of quality between songs and a great number of fillers as never heard in a Beatles’ record. A double album, 30 songs: but mainly a collection of soloist albums.

It’s known what George Martin thought about: he tried to the very end to make them choose just 14 songs and release a single album. But fruitlessly. After 40 years, he didn’t change his mind. Not so Paul McCartney: as self-indulgent as he often is, he still defend that choice.

I’ll tell you my opinion.
I love this record and it’s still one of my favourite albums ever. I remember how excited I was, when I was a boy and bought it, and for the first time I played the Lp and started listening to “Back in the Ussr”.
I must admit anyway that it’s full of fillers and since Cds and iPods exist I started using a lot the forward button. Many would probably not agree, but I think that “Obladì Obladà” is one of the silliest songs ever written: I get nervous even just listening to the first notes.

I think the record rapresents a great improvement of Lennon as songwriter, and a period of lack of inspiration by Paul. After having taken on his shoulder most of the songwriting between 1966 and 1967, during 1968 McCartney, apart from “Lady Madonna” and “Hey Jude” (which were not put on the album) couldn’t suggest nothing but incomplete scribbles, more studio jam sessions than songs.

So I think George Martin was right, and I too, as many other Beatles fans, have fun suggesting my personal list of songs for the “single White Album”. Her you are:

1) Back in the USSR
2) Dear Prudence
3) While my guitar gently weeps
4) Happiness is a warm gun
5) Glass Onion
6) Blackbird
7) I’m so tired
Julia
9) Yer Blues
10) Cry Baby Cry
11) Helter Skelter
12) Long Long Long
13) Sexy Sadie
14) Good Night

And you? Which is your list?

The Beatles (The White Album)