The Beatles (White Album)

The ‘White Album’ is my favourite Beatles album and probably my favourite album by any artist. I’ve been going back to it in mono, stereo and now this remix for over 30 years now. For me, it’s like a junk shop. There’s a bit of quality here and there, but largely it’s a collection of ideas and curiosities. Only The Beatles could have got away with releasing a ‘junk shop’ of an eclectic, in places somewhat ‘unfinished’ and experimental record. In comparison, the Stones released ‘Beggars Banquet’ in 1968 which, after their mid-sixties baroque and psychedelic experimentations, took them back to what they did best and firmly set themselves out as the ‘blues shop’ they continue to successfully trade as to this day. In contrast to Mick and the boys who repeated the formula a year later with ‘Let it Bleed’; merely weeks after the release of the ‘White Album’, The Beatles began the sessions what would later become the ‘Let it Be’ album. Notwithstanding the ‘fractiousness’ of this period in Beatle history, the recording limitations of Twickenham and Apple Studios and Phil Spector’s ‘posthumous’ production treatment, ‘Let it Be’ is arguably a more a cohesive set of consistent, quality songs than its recent white sleeved forebear. With that mind set, many argue that the ‘White Album’ would have been a better as a 12 or so long single LP. I have tried to pick and sequence such a product several times over the years and given up every time. It just doesn’t work for me. ‘The Beatles’ is a 30 track piece and every time you go back to its ‘junk shop’, you can hear something new and/or gain a new perspective. In recent years, ‘Long, Long, Long’ and even ‘Revolution 9’ have caught my imagination like Helter Skelter always has done. Most recently, before the hearing the remix and the outtakes, I had been listening particularly for Paul McCartney’s contributions across the record. Macca brings quality songs in ‘’Back in the USSR, ‘Helter Skelter’ and ‘Blackbird’’; in Beatle terms, duffers (although many will surely disagree) like Honey Pie’, ‘Rocky Racoon’ and ‘Why don’t we do it in the road?’ and most interestingly, he adds so much to the other Beatles’ songs on the record; not least on ‘While my guitar gently weeps’ which I wonder if he ever secretly thought, “I wish this was one of mine”? It is fascinating to hear the banter on the outtakes and subsequently it’s nice to discover that the Beatles were indeed still a cohesive unit during their post-Rishikesh 1968 recording sessions. As Giles Martin’s remix liner notes seem to suggest, the ‘solo’ approach was perhaps more a product of their prolific output at the time than band tensions. However, I can understand why George Martin wasn’t so fond of the ‘White Album’; when you’ve been the director of a relative emporium like ‘Sergeant Pepper’ it must have been a bit of come down to next be overseeing a ‘junk shop’. George was a true musician in the traditional sense; not the creative, artistic, rock and rollers that the Beatles were as they arguably shone a light towards the 70s rock scene on even punk across the ‘White Album’. I have now given the remix three listens end-to-end and it’s going to be hard to go back to the original mix. There’s just too much new ‘junk’ to enjoy. For example, ‘Revolution 1’ has now become for me, a true peer of its faster sibling as opposed to the second rate ‘muddy-sounding’ and comparatively dirge-like original mix. There are other subtleties that make all 30 tracks sound fresher and newer; even ‘Honey Pie’. In general there is both more top end and bass and both the lead and backing vocals are higher in the mix to provide a much more dynamic and modern feel to the album. Is it worth buying again? Yes it is and I can’t wait for remixes of the rest of the remaining catalogue; not least ‘Revolver’ which is a ‘hard listen’, particularly with headphones, in its current stereo mix. ‘Abbey Road’ is a pretty good production as it is but nonetheless it would be exciting to hear what Giles Martin might be able to do with that. This music is a major part of my own and many others’ lives. We would go back to it time and time again anyway, but it’s nice to go back to something intrinsically the same and familiar but also new at the same time. Only The Beatles could get away with this you know? And rightly so!

All Beatles fans should own this version of The White Album. The Unplugged Esher disc is worth the purchase price alone. Superb!!!

My favourite Beatles album just got better. I've owned this on vinyl when I first started taking an interest in The Beatles in the late 1970's, then the first CD release from 1987 was the first ever CD I bought - huge amounts of tape hiss and all. And now comes the 2018 remix by Giles Martin, and it's like night and day. The hours that must have been worked on these tapes to get them sounding the best they ever have must be many. From the opening drone of the jet engines in 'Back In The U.S.S.R.' you are simply hit in the chest by the power of the music coming out of a fairly decent set of speakers. Everything is crystal clear. Sounds that formerly sounded muddy or buried in the mix are suddenly elevated to new heights. And above all there's McCartney's bass - joyous, to the fore, and whacking you around the head like a madman with a baseball bat. It's just that good. You finally HEAR the music almost as if you are there in the studio - it's complete chalk and cheese to previous releases. Instruments aren't necessarily coming from the same place you might remember them, instead Martin has mixed the album for the modern age. It's hard to believe that these tapes are 50 years old, they sound so fresh, so alive, so vital. Personal favourite - Ringo's lugubrious vocals on 'Goodnight', with the mix taking what originally sounded like a charming but kitsch end to the album to a whole new level. Ringo's drumming throughout is another beneficiary of the remix, clearly showing what a talent he is. The sheer variety of styles and content on offer always ensured this was a great album despite containing no hit singles as was normal for UK albums of the time, but to hear it remixed on this release is like coming to it completely fresh. Lennon's 'Julia' now sounds like he's in the room with you, it's poignant and brings a lump to the throat. Eric Clapton's guitar work on Harrison's 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' is another highlight. The original 2CD is accompanied by 'The Esher Demos' with all 'White Album' tracks in their original running order followed by other tracks recorded at the sessions but which appeared often in very different form on later Beatles or solo albums. Even comparing the tracks which made it to 'Anthology' the difference is huge - charming, acoustic demos principally written in India with many long available as bootlegs suddenly have a layer of murk lifted - the recording quality sounds professional in one sense even if the demos sound what they are in another. A great album just got greater.

I've owned every version of the white album except cassette and 8 track. Bought this one as part of my Beatles collection. I also purchased the iTunes version for the full set of demo discs. Bottom line if you don't want to shell out the really big bucks for the set that includes the blue ray and book that is the way to go. As for the remaster, it's well done and does further justice to an album which was already one of the very best.

Ich könnte auch einfach nur "toll" sagen!!!! Diese remasterte Meisterleistung sollte in keiner Beatles-Sammlung o.ä. fehlen! Brauche wirklich nicht auf einzelne Stücke einzugehen. Es ist ein genialer neuer Hörgenuss. (wenn ich da an meinen 60er Jahre Bruns-Plattenspieler denke). Auch die remasterten CDs können hier wirklich nicht mithalten. Intensive Kaufempfehlung! (man sollte die 3. CD wenigsten einmal gehört haben)

Excelente y de coleccion !!

Prix très raisonnable pour ce coffret. Intégrale du double blanc. Un ensemble un peu décousu intéressant à analyser avec la fiche Wikipedia en complément... riche en tous cas... mais la véritable bonne surprise est le 3ieme cd offert dans ce coffret anniversaire. Les versions acoustiques remarquables de nombreux morceaux de l'album. Fraîcheur et la cohérence qui semble manquer à l'album est bien là soulignant des compositions enchantées. Excellent

正直、音源分離技術（デミックス）を施した『Revolver』や『Abbey Road』は 個人的には、あまり評価していませんでした。 なので『White Album / DELUXE EDITION』も差ほど期待せず、ただ謙価に釣ら れて購入させていただいたのですがコレは思いの外、良かったです。 各楽曲やアルバム全体の感想は弊方のような若輩者が今更論評する必要もないので、 ここでは２００９年リマスター版と比較した感想を僭越ながらレビューさせていただ きます。 🎧聴感上の音圧🔊は２００９リマスターに軍配が上がります。 しかし『DELUXE EDITION』には音質面でのアドヴァンテージが確実に担保されて いました。 先ず真っ先に試聴して感じたことは、こちらの『DELUXE EDITION』は全体的に 丁寧にリマスティング作業が施されたなっといった印象です。 各楽器の定位もシッカリしており細かい音やボーカル🎤 が鮮明に聞こえます。 … ２００９リマスター版にみられたＣＤ特有のデジタル臭さが遠のきました。 音の鮮度が良くなり、よりアナログチックに。 丁寧にリマスティングされている分、『Helter Skelter』や『Birthday』などの イントロ部では「ガツン！」とくるインパクトさには欠けますが今まで埋もれていた 楽器音がクリアになることで解像度、生々しさが格段に良くなっています。 殆どの曲でドラムを中央に持ってくる音像定位ではありますが付け焼き刃的にＬＲの 広がりを強調して現代風にリデザインされた２００９リマスターよりは遥かに聞き易 く音楽性は高いです。 少なくても弊方宅のオーディ環境ではその違いをハッキリと確認できました。 流石にアナログ（オリジナル）並みとまでは行きませんが２００９リマスターに違和 感を感じる方は是非ともご聴取されてみては如何でしょうか。 現在の価格帯（\2,200前後）ならこのＣＤ買って損したって思う人、多分いないと 思います。 最後まで読んでいただき、どうもありがとうございました。🙏