Beatles 2025: Re-tracking the 'White Album'

It's the Beatles' greatest triumph, but cut it down to one album and it's even better

The not-so-White Album … could also have been the name of this post. I love the worn cover of this vinyl copy.

A year or so ago, I was having a conversation with subscriber, friend and mentor Brian Webster.

I worked with Brian in Jacksonville from 2000-04 and he was an influence on me both as a storyteller and musically. When I started writing this Substack, he was an early supporter and it meant a lot to me.

During some back-and-forth conversation, Brian brought up the Beatles’ 1968 self-titles album The Beatles — better known as the “White Album.” Like Brian, the White Album is a favorite of mine. But as he talked about it, I realized I did NOT feel the same way he did about it, and never did.

There were always parts of the White Album that, to me, were absolute skippers. Brian spelled out in his message to me that those songs mixed with the great ones made an experience that he wouldn’t change by taking the bad songs off.

“I would say 98 percent of people who’ve listened to that album take sequencing for granted,” Brian wrote. “Fine — but imagine this: You got four guys pulling four different directions as songwriters. They’re still on speaking terms as professionals, but they’re not collaborating anymore. They’re kinda sick of each other. It’s rare that all four are in the studio on the same day. It’s a mess. Finally, they drop this pile of songs on you. …

“You’ve probably heard the White Album hundreds of times, so you instinctively know which songs follow which songs. In fact, I bet you’d not have them sequenced any other way — because then it wouldn’t be the same album. But the sequencing is bonkers! But also … brilliant! It’s got this jarring, reeling, falling-down-the-stairs vibe that shouldn’t work — yet it does.

“The sequencing doesn’t hide the band’s non-cohesion at that point in time. It emphasizes it! And somehow, that is what made the album strangely, brilliantly cohesive. No other artist ever has been on that level.”

OK, but … there were definitely songs I started skipping over time. Hear me out, Brian (and other Beatles fans): What if we cut the 30-song sprawling double album — that only exists because the Beatles had grown too big to be reined in — into a 16-song beast with wall-to-wall classics that few could deny as an all-time great.

Blasphemy? Maybe. But I know I’m not the only one who is into this idea. In fact, there’s a whole internet rabbit hole — I put a couple links at the end.

This is the second of two pieces on the Beatles. The first looked at the band’s best deep cuts.

Re-tracking the White Album

My process wasn’t exactly scientific. I knocked off the seven songs I liked least and set in stone the 11 songs I liked most.

That left 12 songs. I picked five more and had a 16-song album. I stayed fairly close to the original order (minus the songs I took off) with a few exceptions — mostly because of how hard it was to balance it at under 23 minutes a side.

First seven out: “Wild Honey Pie, “Revolution 9,” “Good Night”, “The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill,” “Don’t Pass Me By,” “Honey Pie” “Cry Baby Cry”

Elite 11: “Dear Prudence,” “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” “Happiness is a Warm Gun,” “Blackbird,” “Julia,” “Yer Blues,” “Mother Nature’s Son,” “Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey,” “Sexy Sadie,” “Helter Skelter,” “Revolution 1”

Final five in: “Back in the U.S.S.R.,” “Glass Onion,” “I’m So Tired,” “I Will,” “Savoy Truffle”

Final eight cut: “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da,” “Martha My Dear,” “Piggies,” “Rocky Racoon,” “Why Don’t We Do It In the Road,” “Birthday,” “Long, Long, Long”

Here’s the record:

SIDE ONE

1. Back in the U.S.S.R — This one barely made the cut, but has some of McCartney’s better lyrics on the album and it’s a solid opener. Mostly, it’s a great segue into the best song on the album.

2. Dear Prudence — My favorite Beatles song. I thought it was weird when I was young for some reason, but it’s beauty grew on me. It’s everything I love about Lennon.

3. Glass Onion — This should be a cheesy throwaway with all the throwback references, but instead it’s Lennon stoner fun. “The Walrus was Paul” is one of my favorite lines in a Beatles song.

4. While My Guitar Gently Weeps — This is a good spot for Harrison’s best White Album song, though I think it would’ve made an interesting opener.

5. Happiness is a Warm Gun — Nonsensical lyrics that I’ve always loved singing: “She's well-acquainted with the touch of the velvet hand. Like a lizard on a window pane.”

6. I’m So Tired — I’ve always seen this as the sequel to Revolver’s “I’m Only Sleeping.” Not everyone likes Lennon’s “lazy” songs, but I find them relatable.

7. Blackbird — Easily McCartney’s best lyrics on the album. One of his best songs ever.

8. Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey — A song that fits almost anywhere because it’s such a joy.

9. I Will — Syrupy, but too good to leave off.

SIDE TWO

1. Helter Skelter — This is where I break from the album order. This just seems like such a great place for the Beatles’ most rocking song.

2. Mother Nature’s Son — There needs to be a comedown from Helter Skelter, and since I booted “Long, Long, Long,” this is a good option.

3. Yer Blues — Time to crank it back up with the Beatles’ take on British blues.

4. Revolution 1 — Yeah, the sped-up one is better, but Lennon prefered this one, and it’s a good fit here. Also, this version has the controversial “count me in,” which I always loved.

5. Savoy Truffle — This doesn’t really sound like any other Beatles songs. The horns are great and it’s always exciting when George comes in with “Cream tangerine!”

6. Sexy Sadie — It’s not the White Album without Lennon’s 50s-style shot at the Maharishi.

7. Julia — A perfect, beautiful ending.

Why I left these 14 songs off (in the order they appear)

Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da: The Beatles could write a great kids song, and this is that. But as a grown-up, the lyrics are too silly to enjoy on repeat listens.

Wild Honey Pie: I mentioned Tim Cain’s Beatles song ranking in my other Beatles Substack. This was his lowest-rated song on the album (197th).

The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill: Kind of weird in a fun way, but another one with a children’s song feel — very repetitive.

Martha My Dear: A classic case of Paul grandma music. It’s kind of catchy, but not something I normally gravitate toward.

Piggies: I love the songwriter George became, but he wasn’t quite there yet with this one.

Rocky Racoon: I have a soft spot for this one nostalgia-wise, but it’s hokey as hell.

Don’t Pass Me By: While the Lennon/McCartney behemoth held down a budding Harrison career, Ringo was never a particularly talented songwriter. This is OK, but is filler compared to the best of this album.

Why Don’t We Do It In The Road?: This one is fun and a blast to sing along with, but this is a good place to say how lame McCartney was lyrically on a lot of this album. This would’ve been a fun “lost studio gem” to release later.

Birthday: It’s kind of hilarious that a band that people took as seriously as they took the Beatles put this song on this album. It’s kind of refreshing that they didn’t see themselves that seriously, but … more uninspired McCartney lyrics overall. And another good kids song!

Long, Long, Long: I always wanted to like this long, but the vocals are too low in the mix and it has that obnoxious ending.

Honey Pie: More Paul grandma music. He went too far with this one.

Cry Baby Cry: This song never did anything for me, but it ranks surprisingly high on Tim Cain’s list, so it may be worth revisiting. Because I’ve been skipping this one for YEARS.

Revolution 9: Not a song. The quintessential example of overindulgence on record.

Good Night: Put this one on as the closer of the children’s album and it’s perfect. Bed time!

OK, where did I go wrong (or right)? What would you do different? What songs are blasphemy that I left off? Five McCartney songs is probably short-shrift, but tough shit — it’s my list. The White Album was always a John album for me (nine songs), with George continuing to find his footing (two songs).

Let me know what you think in the comments.

Also, here are two other links to attempts to re-track The White Album: Far Out Magazine and Armchair Maestro