Maps of Music

The Beatles (White Album) (1968)

Where the lyrics of The Beatles (White Album) take you, and where it was really made.

The sleeve is plain white with only the band's name embossed, a deliberate contrast to the vivid Sgt. Pepper cover, and the double album was recorded in a tense studio atmosphere.

Key places

Main recording studio for the album (1968)

Recording site Abbey Road Studios — Most of the album was recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London. The band held its only 24-hour session here during the final mixing and sequencing. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: Jubilee line to St John's Wood station, then about a 5-minute walk.

Secondary recording studio for the album (1968)

Recording site Trident Studios — Some sessions took place at Trident Studios. The band recorded Hey Jude and Dear Prudence there because it had an 8-track console. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• The Beatles, commonly called The White Album: ninth studio album and only double album by the Beatles
• Released 22 November 1968 in Britain, three days later in the US
• 30 songs across two discs; most written during a 1968 meditation course in India
• Plain white sleeve with only the band's name embossed, a deliberate contrast with Sgt. Pepper
• Fragmentary style and a wide range of genres, from folk and country rock to hard rock and avant-garde
• Third album released on Apple Records, after Wonderwall Music and Two Virgins

Background

• By 1968 the band had reached unprecedented commercial and critical success
• Most songs were written at a Transcendental Meditation course in Rishikesh, India, from February to April 1968
• The only Western instrument available there was the acoustic guitar, so many songs stayed acoustic
• Some songs were recorded solo or by only part of the group

Recording

• Recorded 30 May to 14 October 1968, mostly at Abbey Road Studios in London, with some sessions at Trident Studios
• Arguments were frequent during the sessions, partly over Yoko Ono's presence in the studio
• Producer George Martin took an unannounced holiday, and engineer Geoff Emerick quit during a session
• Ringo Starr left the band for two weeks in August

Cover

• Conceptual artist Richard Hamilton designed the sleeve in collaboration with McCartney
• Each copy carried a unique stamped serial number

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Disc 1

Disc 2

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960
• Grew out of Lennon's earlier band the Quarrymen
• Built its reputation playing clubs in Liverpool and Hamburg
• Starr officially joined in 1962

Members

• John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr

Career

• Manager Brian Epstein shaped them into a professional act
• Producer George Martin developed their recordings after they signed with EMI
• First hit Love Me Do came in late 1962
• By early 1964 they were international stars
• Part of the British Invasion of the US pop market
• Retired from live performance in 1966
• Turned to more sophisticated studio albums: Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, the White Album and Abbey Road
• Founded Apple Corps in 1968
• Broke up in 1970

Around this album

• Abbey Road was the last album the group recorded together
• On 20 September 1969, six days before release, Lennon told McCartney, Starr and manager Allen Klein that he wanted a divorce from the group
• No public announcement of the split came until McCartney announced he was leaving in April 1970

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• On release, The Beatles gained highly favourable reviews from the majority of music critics.
• Others bemoaned its length or found that the music lacked the adventurous quality that had distinguished Sgt. Pepper.
• The album topped record charts in Britain and the United States.

Reappraisal

• Contrary to the prevailing view of The Beatles, Giles Martin, son of George Martin and supervisor of the 2018 50th Anniversary remix, stated that after listening to all the demos and session tapes in preparation for the remix, came to the conclusion that he does not believe it was recorded by a band about to implode.
• In 2000, The Beatles was voted fifth in the third edition of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.

Records

• No singles were issued in Britain or the US, but Hey Jude and Revolution were issued as a single in August 1968.
• Capitol Records sold over 3.3 million copies of The Beatles to stores within the first four days of the album's release.
• In all, The Beatles spent 215 weeks on the Billboard 200.
• The album has sold over 24 million copies in the US alone and according to the Recording Industry Association of America, The Beatles is the Beatles' most-certified album, at 24-times platinum.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• During production, the album had the working title of A Doll's House.
• In 2015, Ringo Starr's copy, number 0000001, sold for a world record $790,000 at auction.
• Charles Manson first heard the album not long after it was released.
• The Beatles was the last Beatles album to be mixed separately for stereo and mono.
• McCartney was out of the country at the time and did not contribute to the track, and was reportedly unhappy that it was included.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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