The Beatles: 'White Album' Reconfigured | The Single Album

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[Productions]

Here's my one LP White Album track listing:
Side 1
1. Back in the USSR 2:43
2. Dear Prudence 3:56
3. Everybody's Got Something to Hide... 2:25
4. Blackbird 2:18
5. While My Guitar Gently Weeps 4:45
6. Happiness Is A Warm Gun 2:45
7. I Will 1:46
8. Julia 2:57
(Total Side 1 Length: 23:45)

Side 2
1. I'm So Tired 2:03
2. Mother Nature's Son 2:48
3. Savoy Truffle 2:54
4. Revolution 1 4:16
5. Cry Baby Cry 3:02
6. Helter Skelter 4:30
7. Good Night 3:14
(Total Side 2 Length: 22:47)
Total Album Length: 46:32 (approximately 8 seconds longer than the first record of the original White Album)

A Few Notes: I tried to keep a fairly equal amount of songs from both Lennon and McCartney. I ended up with 5 McCartney and 7 Lennon songs. I also put one Harrison song on each side, as on the original album. Additionally, I wanted to keep one song with Ringo vocals, so I kept Good Night since I think it's a pretty good album closer. I put Helter Skelter as the penultimate track because I think the transition from it to Good Night sort of replicates the contrast between intensity and peace going from Helter Skelter to Long Long Long at the end of Side 3 and going from Revolution 9 to Good Night at the end of Side 4; I thought it was important to the feel of the album to have the record conclude on a similar note. This was tough. I had to let go of some good songs that I wanted to include.

[thewavingbear]

You can’t dispense with Julia, she is the floating ghost of this album.

[billbez]

I would never change anything on the White Album. It is one of my "desert island" albums, and in my opinion, the best double album of time. I'm sure I've listened to it at least 200+ times. In addition to the music, there's the poster, photo portraits, printed lyrics, and the starkness of the white cover. Even the so-called lesser-songs make the better songs all that much better. For several years I thought that "Yer Blues" was the weakest track, but as I've grown older, I tend to appreciate this track more. Even "Revolution 9" with its "turn me on dead man" history, make the song interesting.

[stonecoldfloors]

Sexy Sadie, Long Long Long and Cry Baby Cry MUST be on this album. They are among the best songs ever written...

[fredericlatreille]

Side A:
1- Back in the USSR
2- Dear Prudence
3- While my Guitar Gently weeps
4- Happiness is a warm gun
5- Mother Nature's son
6- Everyone's got something to hide except for me and my monkey
7- I'm so tired
8- Don't Pass me by

Side B:
1- Yer Blues
2- Sexy Sadie
3- Long, Long, Long
4- Glass Onion
5- Rocky Racoon
6- Julia
7- Revolution
8- Helter Skelter

singles: A- Obla-di, Obla-da / B- The Countinuing Story of Bungalow
A- Sexy Sadie / B- Glass Onion
A- Blackbird / B- Piggies

[FatNorthernBigot]

No one but The Beatles could create that much experimental, yet accessible content at that point. I love the premise of this video, but I'll take the double-sided imperfections as is. 👍

[nathananthony]

If I was doing a single disc White Album, this would be the line up:
(side 1)
1. Back In The USSR
2. Dear Prudence
3. Ob La Di
4. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
5. Yer Blues
6. Don't Pass Me By
7. Happiness Is A Warm Gun
(side 2)
1. Birthday
2. Sexy Sadie
3. Blackbird
4. Julia
5. Savoy Truffle
6. Helter Skelter
7. Revolution 1

George gets a song on each side. Ringo gets his song. Lennon and McCartney songs always alternate (no two McCartney songs or Lennon songs follow each other). This also fits within the run time of vinyl.

[carncats]

Side A
1. Glass Onion
2. Dear Prudence
3. Happiness Is A Warm Gun
4. The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill
5. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
6. Rocky Racoon
7. I'm So Tired
Side B
1. Helter Skelter
2. Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey
3. Revolution 1
4. Blackbird
5. Revolution 9
6. Why Don't We Do It In The Road?

[rogersongster]

One could argue that the necessity of omitting songs like Glass Onion, Martha My Dear, I'm So Tired, Don't Pass Me By, Sexy Sadie, Long, Long, Long, Savoy Truffle, Cry Baby Cry and Julia is perfect justification for the Beatles' decision to make this a double album. Great mental exercise and video. keep 'em comin'.

[mountart]

Single disc? I think the Beatles should have released it as a quadruple album!

[carlmcgrath]

Fantastic video once again. Always high Quality, big fan

[davidk]

I did this with a bunch of friends, bandmates and girlfriends about 20 or so years ago. We'd all gone back to my place after a birthday celebration so some of our judgements may have been alcohol impaired :). I remember that I put the disc on and the "it would have made a great single album" debate started. We couldn't all agree on which tracks would be included so all wrote our own track listings. As I recall we setup guidelines limiting it to under 45 minutes and included Revolution and Hey Jude in the options.

I cannot remember exact track listings and running orders (we also included that) It actually wasn't as easy as I thought and took quite a while before we were done there were a couple of abstentions because they didn't know the whole album that well. I think we had about 10 versions finished. What I do remember is that Back in The USSR, Blackbird and While my guitar gentle weeps were chosen by everybody. Revolution 1 & 9, Piggies, Yer Blues and Rocky Racoon were not selected by anybody. I know I also chose Hey Jude, Birthday and Helter Skelter. Possibly also Dear Prudence and Glass Onion plus a few others. Unfortunately I cannot remember the complete track listing (it would no doubt be different today - maybe even different on another day back then). None of the 10 or so finished track listings were the same but I seem to remember that we all thought every version would have made a fantastic album, maybe even the best Beatle album. Which we agreed showed the depth and strength of the songs

[xtstevie]

Basically remove Revolution 1 & Revolution 9 & replace them with Hey Jude & the original Revolution & you then would have the greatest double album No contest!!

[daviddecouto]

Kill Number 9 and Wild Honey Pie….and you still face an 83-minute double album. Perfect.

[glass_onin]

“the starkness and honesty” of the white album is exactly why it holds up as my favorite beatles album. it’s always felt like the most “dangerous” beatles album if you can use that term to describe any of their records that way. it’s the one that’s the least inherently knowable, you can go back to it every time and find a new gem you weren’t ready for until that point. i think some of their best songwriting is featured on this album. when you don’t have room for sour milk sea, i’d say the album isn’t long enough.

[jonathanpowell]

No! love it all, even Revolution No 9!

[JJL-]

Just watched the video at midnight and couldn't go to bed. My daughter stared at me as I had pen and paper with a list of 30 songs and times. I love double albums. Yes, there are songs that sometimes aren't as good but in the confines of the album fit perfectly. When deciding which songs to include, I wanted to ensure that both the soft and hard sides were represented. I attempted to balance John and Paul songs while including two from George. It wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be as I immediately discounted all of Side 4. I picked my 15 favorite and the chore was the running order. With that, here is my track listing:

Side 1
1. Back in the USSR 2:43
2. Dear Prudence 3:56
3. Blackbird 2:18
4. The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill 3:14
5. While My Guitar Gently Weeps 4:45
6. Birthday 2:43
7. Julia 2:57
Total: 22:36

Side 2
1. Everybody's Got Something to Hide... 2:25
2. Mother Nature's Son 2:48
3. Piggies 2:04
4. I'm So Tired 2:03
5. I Will 1:46
6. Happiness Is A Warm Gun 2:45
7. Yer Blues 4:00
8. Helter Skelter 4:30
Total: 22:21

[LoveLiveMusic]

Great video! Made me think a lot and have to pull up the original tracklist as a reminder.

[GaryBook]

The Beatles White is a masterpiece for its uniqueness and depth. I wouldn’t change s thing. It takes us on a journey. George’s pieces are terrific. John rocks out yet at other times is tender. Paul rocks as hard as he ever did, yet wrote wonderful acoustic masterpieces. Blackbird is a standard that everyone learns. I would keep everything, including Revolution 9. It was a generation ahead of rap and sampling. It is a masterpiece that should be left as it is like the Mona Lisa.

[StevenJacksonMusic]

Omitting 'Julia' is scandalous, but actually I love the album just as it is 'warts and all'.