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The White Album
Reviewer: Moon Gypsy | See all reviews by Moon Gypsy
Section: Reviews | Area: Arizona
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Even if you're not a Beatle fan you should own this album. Why? The answer is very simple: This is arguably the the most brilliant album ever produced.
This album cannot easily fit into a category. Yes, it's by the Beatles so any record store would put under Rock, but they really shouldn't; the album is an eclectic blend of blues, rock, pop, 1920's speakeasy music, lullabies, and heavy metal. (The album's song "Helter Skelter" is heralded by many as the world's first heavy metal song and puts many current hard-core groups to shame.)
The lyrics of the songs are, at varied times, beautiful, simple, and cryptic. The diverse vocals speak for themselves, as do the instruments.
It is impossible to appreciate this album if you don't listen to all of it, and often times the brillance of it doesn't really sink in until you've listened to it more than once (as was my case).
So go ahead: give it a spin, keep an open mind, and get swept away.
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Visitor Comments about The White Album
Posted by MIRRORMAN on 2005-12-13 21:21:13
My Score: 
Comment: A TRUELY SUPERB ALBUM BUT.....for those of you that are familiar with the Beethoven Piano Sonatas you will know that their comes a point in the later Sonatas when the great man started to drift away from the seriousness of the form and experiment in such a way as could be viwed as blatant mickey taking. He knew he was the best and started to play with his audience!! I think this is the case here.
The album is best viewed as a giant apple tart, hard around the edges but a little floppy in the middle, if you know what I mean.
Im not trying to suggest that this is a bad album quite the opposite. The album takes you on a ride from the sublime to the great but ever so occasionally the stupid shows through. Come on Beatles were not all clones we have brains to!!
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Posted by Steve on 2002-09-04 00:13:57
My Score: 
Comment: The White Album Rules
do you listen to Weather Report or the Mahavishnu orchestra?
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Posted by Ben on 2002-08-28 13:53:36
My Score:
Comment: Now, it might seem like blasphemy to give this album nothing less than five stars, but here goes: I find this album very messy and uneven. Two discs, and I remember very well trying to set through both discs is quite a chore. As everyone knows, The White Album is the anti-Sgt. Pepper. The cover is white with only "The Beatles" printed on the cover. The songs, in general, have a much more down-to-earth sound, as opposed to the psychedelia of Sgt. Pepper and Magical Mystery Tour. But this album is obviously the sound of a band no longer on the same wavelength, so you basically have Lennon songs, McCartney songs, and the occasional Harrison and Ringo song. There are many classics here, no doubt, "Back in the USSR", "Dear Prudence", "Julia", "Birthday", "Helter Skelter", "Revolution 1" (the slowed-down album version, that is) and admittedly, this album is quite an exclectic mix. From "Helter Skelter", which, I always thought, was McCartney''s attempt at doing a heavy metal song to folky ballads like "Rocky Racoon" and "Mother Nature''s Son" (all McCartney here). But here are some songs that I just find unbearable, like "Mother Nature''s Son" and Harrison''s "Piggies" which is just plain infantile and childish crap. Now the most controversial song on this is John''s "Revolution 9", often regarded as the worst Beatles song (even my mother thinks so), but I don''t think it is. It''s an avant garde piece. 20th century classical composers (that sound nothing like Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, etc.) like John Cage, Edgar Varese, Karlheinz Stockhausen were doing similar stuff, and Frank Zappa was doing similar stuff on his albums and got away with it. So if you are knowledgable in that area of music, you would be able to appreciate "Revolution 9" more than if you can only appreciate music in the traditional form. Regardless, I have always felt The White Album was one of the Beatles'' more overrated and inconsistent offerings. Magical Mystery Tour is a much better offering in my book, and even though I find Sgt. Pepper also a bit overrated, it''s too is better. Their followup to The White Album, Abbey Road is a total masterpiece, taking the down to earth approach of The White Album but with much stronger compositions. And it''s a single album as well.
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Posted by Patrick (the Mexican Guy) on 2002-08-10 22:50:31
My Score:
Comment: When you talk about the Beatles ... well, their just hands down (arguably) the most influential band ever. I mean, without them, we souldn''t have most of the sound effects we have today; with such albums as Sgt. Peppers (my first album to listen to) and Revolver, Abbey Road to Please Please Me. They''re all special in some way. But The White Album ... oh my. If you''re going to talk about one of the best Beatles albums, you have to mention the White Album. It just works on so many levels. When I first discovered the album, I was in the middle of producing a drawing portfolio for AP Art (high school artist and all probably know about that). I can tell you, the last 10 peices I creatd at that time where all influenced by some song on that album. from Helter Skelter to Black Bird, While My Guitar Gently Weeps to Everybody''s Got Something to Hide Except For Me and My Monkey, I was completely influenced artisticly by the album. Plus, it was just thrilling to listen to. It is my strong belief that the white Album is one of the best albums ever. ...by the way, great review, Moon Gypsy. I think you did it justice. Okay. Thanks for your time. Peace to all.
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Posted by Patrick (the Mexican Guy) on 2002-08-10 22:50:21
My Score:
Comment: When you talk about the Beatles ... well, their just hands down (arguably) the most influential band ever. I mean, without them, we souldn''t have most of the sound effects we have today; with such albums as Sgt. Peppers (my first album to listen to) and Revolver, Abbey Road to Please Please Me. They''re all special in some way. But The White Album ... oh my. If you''re going to talk about one of the best Beatles albums, you have to mention the White Album. It just works on so many levels. When I first discovered the album, I was in the middle of producing a drawing portfolio for AP Art (high school artist and all probably know about that). I can tell you, the last 10 peices I creatd at that time where all influenced by some song on that album. from Helter Skelter to Black Bird, While My Guitar Gently Weeps to Everybody''s Got Something to Hide Except For Me and My Monkey, I was completely influenced artisticly by the album. Plus, it was just thrilling to listen to. It is my strong belief that the white Album is one of the best albums ever. ...by the way, great review, Moon Gypsy. I think you did it justice. Okay. Thanks for your time. Peace to all.
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