Welcome, and thank you for returning to the second half of the double LP known as the White Album and all the many styles and topics this recording brought to our ears.
10th LP – The White Album, Disc 2 (Mutual Love Songs / 1 vs. One-Sided / 1)
Track 1 – Birthday, a jovial song by Paul of celebration among friends.
Track 2 – Yer Blues, a down and out misery song by John crying for more help.
Track 3 – Mother Nature’s Son, written at Senior McCartney’s home by Paul reminiscing about his childhood trips into the local woods.
Track 4 – Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except For Me and My Monkey is a mutual Love song about John and Yoko, putting their relationship out in the open while others suffered from paranoia. Background Fun Facts: Track four holds the longest label of all titled Beatles songs. Written in May 1968 and the phrase, “Come on is such a joy,” turned out as a favorite saying from the Maharishi.
Recorded on June 26, 1968, with various takes but couldn’t decide which one was best, so, they started over the next day. Six takes occurred to find a winning rhythm track, and the guitars had blasted so loud that Paul gave up his bass and rang a huge fireman’s bell near Ringo that didn’t need a mic because it pierced right through the other instruments. Early next evening, Paul added two overdub bass parts, and John added his lead vocal thinking the song was complete. However, close to four weeks later, John decided he wanted to change his lead vocal, so, on July 23, he told the engineers he wanted to sound like somebody from the moon. Control knobs and compressors went through readjusted trials and John laid a new lead vocal plus double-tracked vocal, and Paul added various bits of vocal plus hand claps to finish the chore.
Track 5 – Sexy Sadie is a song about the Maharishi and lust, not love. He made a fool of everyone by breaking the rules trying to seduce Mia Farrow. John exploded and told the guru they all were leaving. It was the last song Lennon wrote in India. George came up with the title, Sexy Sadie. Years later revealed sexual advances never happened; John just wanted an excuse to return to Yoko and George personally apologized to the Maharishi convalescing in Holland.
Track 6 – Helter Skelter developed in answer to the rip-roaring reviews Pete Townsend and the Who had compiled from their latest release, ‘I Can See For Miles.’ Adjectives like, mystery and menace dangled onto swearing cymbals and cursing guitars prompted Paul to go all out for rock ‘N’ roll and freak the fans. By the way, just about everyone born and raised in the UK can vouch helter skelter is a spiral slide usually included as attractions for fairground events.
Track 7 – Long Long Long is my second favorite White Album tune, and came courtesy by George Harrison. Although the lyrics speak of a beautiful relationship, it’s main focus, according to George specifies a true desire about love for God. Inspired by the same chords Dylan used on his progression for “Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands.” Take a listen to Dylan’s strumming: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUqST2mQuko
Track 8 – Revolution 1 has zero intentions of romance, but, we all want to change the world.
Track 9 – Honey Pie materialized from the old songs father Jim McCartney used to play around the home and with the band he had formed while Paul was a young child. The tune is a one-sided love song soul written by Paul, based on the lyric portrayal the singer has gone ape over a silver screen starlet from his hometown and just the thought of meeting her makes him weak in the knees. He confesses he’s in love with her, but he’s lazy, so he pleads she come back to England rather than he goes treading off to join her in Hollywood. Background Fun Facts: John cringed whenever Paul brought to the table these types of granny song ideas, as he referred to them. Tunes like ‘When I’m Sixty-Four,' ‘You’re Mother Should Know,' ‘Ob-La-De-Ob-La-Da,’ ‘Martha My Dear’ and especially ‘Honey Pie’, which got its influence from Fred Astaire’s ‘Cheek to Cheek. Listen now to that piece of inspiration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QYdcHQXwdM
Paul’s new song took shape immediately upon his return from India in March and finalized on October 1, 1968, at Trident Studios that began with a long rehearsal to polish the number suitable for the album. The rhythm track captured Paul on piano, John on guitar, Ringo on drums, and George on bass. The instrumental solo section leads first with a guitar riff, played by John and greatly impressed George with the jazzy flair Lennon tackled. The next day, Paul showed up alone and added lead vocal plus the intro guitar piece. On October 4, seven session musicians entered the studio and recorded the brass and woodwinds arrangements George Martin had composed to fit the melody and era. When finished, another fourteen different musicians arrived to fill in more brass and strings to the Twenties sounding ditty.
Track 10 – Savoy Truffle developed through the aching teeth long friend Eric Clapton agonized over from his addiction to Mackintosh’s Good News box candy assortment.
Track 11 – Cry Baby Cry came from an English area advertisement that read,”Cry baby cry, make your mother buy.” The relationship theme builds between parent and child, however, Lennon deemed this number pure rubbish.
Track 12 – Revolution 9 is a first attempt avant-garde experimental track composed by John and Yoko of electronic sounds with tons of inspiration from Karl-Heinz Stockhausen original art music, titled Hymnen. Take a listen to Stockhausen’s work if curiosity holds you captive:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0aeagbZBRs
Surprisingly, John wasn't the first. Way back in 1966 Paul also grew interested in Stockhausen and through trial and error composed a piece he called, ‘Carnival of Light’ that has yet paved a spot on the official released Beatles material, nevertheless, available by clicking here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5p6z8QAVYU
Track 13 – Good Night is a John Lennon song written especially for his first son Julian, in the same way, the famous composer wrote ‘Beautiful Boy for his second son, Sean. A father loving his child. Sadly, Julian never knew this fact until the 1990’s.
Sit back and enjoy this beautiful song that closes out the White Album and I dare you to hold back your emotional tears, just ignore the first 14 seconds of the link: https://binged.it/2krNpJ7
Next week takes us through a short route where I’ll unveil the love songs found listed on the Yellow Submarine LP.
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