The Beatles is a band that nearly everyone in the world is familiar with. Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr are known worldwide, with many of their albums being the most recognizable in music. Albums such as Sgt Peppers Lonely Heart Clubs Band, Abbey Road, and Revolver, are extremely highly regarded in circles discussing the best that has come out of the rock world. However, one that is often overlooked by the general public as well as Beatles fans themselves, would be their 1968 self-titled double album, The Beatles.
The recording of this album is famously recognized as a symptom of the struggles that the band was going through and the imminent dissolution of the group. Most of the songs were written during the group’s trip to India to study transcendental meditation. Some of the tracks on the album are directly referring to events that happened on their trip, such as the songs “Dear Prudence” and “The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill”.
However, despite the peaceful and tranquil environment in which most songs were written, once they got back home the recording process was much more hostile. Infamously, this is where Lennon’s soon to be wife Yoko Ono began sitting in on recording sessions, causing much strife to the other members.
Several songs were McCartney only productions, with him recording the entire song by himself. These include tracks like “Blackbird”, “Mother Nature’s Son”, and “Why Don’t We Do It in the Road?” (which includes Ringo on drums).
The tensions culminated with Ringo Starr leaving the band, forcing McCartney to play drums on the track “Dear Prudence”. Though he eventually returned to finish the album.
Despite the interesting story of the production, the dismissal of the album by fans is a bit of a conundrum, as it contains some of the band’s best known songs, as well as some deeper cuts that really stand out. However, the main criticism of the double album is the fact that it is a double album. This thing is LONG. Clocking in at 93:33, listening to the whole thing is certainly a commitment.Maybe it’s a rite of passage for every great rock band to release a double album. Pink Floyd’s The Wall, The Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main St, ELO’s Out of the Blue, and Led Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti, are all great examples of this. However, many people, especially in the years since it has been released, argue that if the album was cut down to just its best songs, then it would have been far better as a release. However, I would like to argue against this notion. In fact, it may be my favorite album the group ever released.
The first side of the album starts the record off extremely strong with possibly the album’s best run of songs (barring two in particular). “Back in the U.S.S.R.” is an ironic parody of Chuck Berry’s “Back in the U.S.A.” as well as the Beach Boys’ “California Girls”. It’s very Rock & Roll oriented, which is a refreshing opener after the last two albums Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club and Magical Mystery Tour were very psychedelic focused. “Back in the U.S.S.R.” leads into the next track “Dear Prudence’ perfectly with the sound of a departing airplane fading into the next track. “Dear Prudence” was written primarily by Lennon in response to one member of the Indian meditation trip named Prudence who would refuse to leave her room. The song pleads with this subject to go out and view the beautiful world outside, one that everyone should hear once and a while. The bass in particular in this song makes it stand out as a great tune. “Glass Onion” is a track that consists of many references to other Beatles songs like “Lady Madonna”, “Strawberry Fields Forever”, and “The Fool on the Hill”. A really enjoyable track for big Beatles fans, it’s fun to point out every reference in it. It’s awfully catchy too and the orchestral backing is great. The next track is “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” which famously took the group an extremely long time to record due to McCartney’s perfectionism, leading the other members to resent it. It’s a fun tune though, and it doesn’t really deserve all the hate it gets. I can understand how it could get annoying if you’re playing it over and over again though.
Next, the album has one of its two very obvious stinkers, “Wild Honey Pie”. This song sucks. It’s just a super annoying twangy guitar riff over and over again while McCartney yells “Honey Pie!” This one should’ve been cut. “The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill ” is also kind of annoying, but it’s amusing at least. These two definitely bring the first side of the record down, where every other song is very good. The transition between “Bungalow Bill” and the next is very cool as well, as the cheering is quickly cut off by a melancholy piano riff. Of course, next is the super famous “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”, the first Harrisong on the record. A beautiful rocker with guest guitarist Eric Clapton playing lead, there’s a great reason why this song is so loved. Great piano part, thought provoking lyrics, and great shredding by Clapton, this is one of Harrison’s best. Finally, the first side of the record ends with the great tune “Happiness is a Warm Gun”. One of Lennon’s greatest compositions on the album, it switches between different genres throughout. Starting with a bluesy section, “I need a fix…” continuing to a more Rock & Roll themed “Mother Superior”, and ending with the doo-wop “Bang bang shoot shoot!” This is a fantastic song, and unfortunately it’s a bit of a deep cut for the band. Not many casual Beatles fans know this one, as it’s buried in the gargantuan White Album.
Before I continue to the second side, I’d like to point out the importance of listening to this album all the way through. Many of these songs were not hits on the radio when this album was released and I understand that. Some are very simple and clash stylistically with other tracks. I feel that this is the reason why this album is so great. As the listener gets more and more immersed in the music, it starts to tell a story and the clashing genres throughout add even more to the feeling that this story is going somewhere. It conveys so many different emotions than any other Beatles album had before. So, my advice to the reader is not to go and listen to songs like “Why Don’t We Do it in the Road” or “Piggies” on their own. THey’re best listened to in the context of the album.
Anyways, the second side of the record begins with the upbeat “Martha My Dear” named after Paul’s Old English sheepdog. I really like the piano hall sounding intro, with the big brass band joining in later. I like this tune quite a bit! Following “Martha”, is “I’m So Tired”. Following Lennon’s trend of genius on the record, this is quite a relatable song as everyone has found themselves exhausted with the things going on in their lives and unable to get some rest. This shows off Lennon’s darker song writing abilities well. After that is “Blackbird”. This song is one of the Beatles’ most famous mainstream songs (possibly due to its inclusion in the Boss Baby?), despite featuring only one of the band’s members on acoustic guitar, that being Paul. A beautiful little folk ballad, it has undertones of dreams of racial equality and freedom. I especially like the bird sound effects in the later portion of the tune.
Next up, contrasting the peaceful and simple “Blackbird” is the second Harrisong and much sillier “Piggies”. Although the song may seem a little wacky due to its subject on farm animals, it actually directly parallels George Orwell’s 1945 satirical novella Animal Farm in its topics of anti-capitalist imagery and class division (all told from the perspective of farm animals of course). The song itself has lots of strings and a baroque piano feel to it. It’s a nice listen, but due to its strange vocals and odd subject matter, it’s not going to be put on anyone’s playlist anytime soon. Continuing the silly animal theme is “Rocky Raccoon”, a McCartney composition telling the story of a cowboy from the Dakota territory getting revenge on some other rootin’ and tootin’ cowhand for stealing his girl. Our protagonist Rocky, is accompanied by harmonica, acoustic guitar, and a bit of ragtime piano to add to the Old West feel. I don’t really want to spoil the story as it’s enjoyable to listen to Paul’s little random yarn about a cowboy in the middle of this rock album.
Finally, ending the second side is Ringo Starr’s first solo composition “Don’t Pass Me By”. In the country style as Ringo typically prefers to sing in, it’s no “Octopus’s Garden” but it’s a fun little tune. A bit clunky and not quite rhyming all the time, it’s an enjoyable listen nonetheless. The use of a fiddle soloist really adds to the quirkiness of this tune. Next up is “Why Don’t We Do it in the Road?” Apart from the risque nature of the tune, it’s really just a fun singalong little rocker. Hearing Paul do his over the top screaming voice is entertaining and the piano part is really catchy actually. Next up is another McCartney folk tune, “I Will”. This is a really simple love song about someone thinking about the love he hopes he will eventually find. A nice listen, but nothing crazy.
Ending this side of the album is “Julia” a very depressing acoustic ballad Lennon wrote remembering his mother Julia who was killed in a car accident when he was seventeen years old. “Half of what I say is meaningless, but I say it just to reach you, Julia.” After the sillier and frivolous tracks on this side, this is a sobering ending to the first disc on the album. Lennon sounds like he’s about to start crying throughout, and is a vulnerable insight into the man who so often seemed to be sarcastic and stoic. A truly beautiful and heartbreaking track.
And immediately contrasting that melancholy is “Birthday” , the first track on the third side! A simple rocker, it is led by a catchy repeating guitar riff. Another case of a decent song on the album that no one is listening outside a whole album, or their birthday. Whichever one. I do really like the female vocals on this one in the second section of the song though. After that is one of my personal favorites on the album “Yer Blues”. Although intended as an over the top parody of Blues music, which lyrics very on the nose like “Feelin’ lonely, wanna die”, it works much better as a rocking homage to that genre. A very bassy Blues tune, it evolves into a hard rocker after Lennon screams “Feel so suicidal, even hate my Rock and Roll!” I love this song. I think Lennon’s vocals are fantastic on this one and the group feels like they’re at the instrumental best during the rock breakdown, especially with the fantastic guitar solo by Harrison.
Contrasting the angst of “Yer Blues”, next is another folky McCartney song, “Mother Nature’s Son”. In the same vein of other songs on this album like “Black Bird” and “I Will”, it’s a nice chill acoustic tune. It also has a bit of brass in it, setting it apart from other songs. Describing a peaceful nature scene, it further shows McCartney’s love for the countryside. Following “Mother Nature” comes “Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey”, another hard rocker by Lennon. It’s a great tune that signifies the group’s return to their roots, as well as the continuing growth of hard rock. I love the use of handbell in this one, as well as the “comeoncomeoncomeoncomeon!comeon!” break down towards the end of the song. Although the lyrics may be a bit vague, (how does this have to do with a monkey?) It’s a real fun track. After this is “Sexy Sadie”, further cementing this album as having some of Lennon’s best compositions. A more negative tune written in response to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the leader of the group’s transcendental meditation training allegedly sexually harassing female members of the group (an early diss track). It’s a catchy song with great vocals by Lennon.
Afterwards comes the exhilarating “Helter Skelter”, one of the album’s most famous tunes, and definitely the hardest the Beatles ever got. Many people cite this song as the first Heavy Metal song, classifying it as “proto-metal”. McCartney has said that he wrote this song in response to an unnamed The Who song (likely “I Can see for Miles”) that was called one of the dirtiest in rock. In response, McCartney wrote this chaotic tune based on the term Helter Skelter which doubles as a word for chaos, as well as an amusement park slide in England. I love how the bass goes down chromatically after the “She’s coming down fast!!” to symbolize the falling down described in the song. This song proves that McCartney has the ability to write much heavier music than just silly love songs, and cements the Beatles as being pioneers in yet another rock genre. It was so heavy in fact, that it ended with Starr throwing his sticks and screaming “I’ve got blisters on my fingers!” Chilling out after Helter Skelter, is another Harrisong, “Long, Long, Long,” a reflective ballad that doubles as both a typical love song as well as a hymn to God, as Harrison was becoming increasingly spiritual. It ends with a shocking chord that I can’t even really describe. You need to hear it for yourself- it’s a great ending to one of the strongest sides of the album.
Finally, the fourth and final side of the album begins with “Revolution 1”, a slower and more bluesy version of their famous single “Revolution”. As one may note, there are two tracks titled “Revolution 1” and “Revolution 9” on this final side, which do have an interesting history. However, focusing on “Revolution 1” only, it is a really nice listen. A part of this that was included in the single edition is the “shooby-doo-wa-wow-shooby-doo-wa” background vocals during the verses. The use of brass in this also helps set it apart from its more famous single version. I would say that the single is a lot better, I still enjoy this track a lot and I like when artists release different versions of their songs, such as on the Rolling Stones’ Let it Bleed featuring “Country Honk”, a country version of their single “Honky Tonk Women”. Although Lennon wanted to write a political song, it’s surprising to hear just how little any political standpoint is taken here. Lennon became known as a bit of a counter-culture revolutionary, so it’s odd to hear him singing about not following through with violent uprising.
Anyways, Following “Revolution 1” is “Honey Pie” another lighthearted McCartney composition. I particularly enjoy this track as it is probably the closest the Beatles had ever gotten to releasing a jazz song (maybe also including the b-side, “You Know My Name (Look up the Number)”). It’s a tune about some English dude whose love has traveled to America to “hit the big time… in the USA!” I like this song, it’s a little jaunty diddy. I also love the use of woodwinds, particularly the clarinet in this one. I’m not quite sure why McCartney felt it was necessary to use the title of this track in “Wild Honey Pie” where he just screamed it over and over, but at least the actual song is a lot better. It’s another case of this album including music that can’t really be considered rock, as it’s more so ragtime or old timey-theater. After “Honey Pie” is Harrison’s last contribution to the record, “Savoy Truffle”. This is another catchy rocker about a bunch of candy and chocolates! Who wouldn’t like this song? Harrison said that he was inspired to write this song after his friend Eric Clapton (who played lead guitar on his other song “While My Guitar Gently Weep”!) was obsessed with eating chocolates and the like. On the actual musical portion of the song, the use of horns is really fun, particularly baritone saxophone makes it a unique one. Also, it has a reference to “Ob-la-di, ob-la-da” where Harrison says “We all know obla-dibla-da, but can you show me where you are?”
Finally, the final tracks all lead into one another, starting with “Cry Baby Cry”. This melancholy song describes a royal family telling their kids to cry? The lyrics don’t really matter all that much. Despite the slower and more baroque-rock sounding beginning with the use of harmonium, it develops into a rocker of its own with piano slides and a driving bass. At the end of this song, an unlisted little diddy plays called “Can you take me Back?” which features Paul from an otherwise cut recording. It leads right into some muffled speech and strange piano, then finally an eerie droning voice saying “Number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine”. Finally, the listener has come to “Revolution 9”. This is a bizarre avant-garde musical composition composed of sounds acquired during the album’s recording sessions.
Most of this song originally as a coda to “Revolution 1” in which the song slowly would devolve into madness illustrating the chaos of a true revolution. This original vision for the song is still available to listen to on the extended version of the album on “Revolution 1- Take 18”. I’d recommend giving it a listen.
Most eerie of all of the sounds includes a crying baby, Lennon’s distorted “allllllll right”, crowds shouting “Hold that line!” and Yoko Ono saying “You become naked”. This track is fascinating as a piece of art, as when you picture a violent revolution occurring it can be legitimately unsettling. However, I feel the issue that arises with this track is the context in which it exists. It’s over eight minutes long, at the end of an extremely long double album, and has no real music in it. Plus, it’s a ROCK ALBUM. No one was buying the Beatles to hear John Lennon screw around with a bunch of recording equipment to make a strange sound collage. I wouldn’t say I wish it didn’t exist, but I wish it didn’t exist as the climax to this album, as I think it puts a drag on what was otherwise a very exciting listening experience. It does certainly give the album a bit of infamy and uniqueness that no other album has.
Finally, comes “Good Night”. This is the second song sung by Ringo on the album (though written by Lennon), and is a very cheesy orchestral lullaby. However, maybe after the nightmare of sound that the listener just endured with “Revolution 9”, maybe this is exactly what they need. Ringo has a nice voice when he’s singing music meant for him, and the orchestra is quite nice. Again, it’s just not what the Beatles were known for and it’s understandable that the ending to this album is disappointing. Compare this to the ecstatic climax of Abbey Road’s medley, it stands no chance!
So, after listening to the entire album, a listener may think many things. Maybe they may think “Wow, that ending sucked. What was that “Revolution 9” bullcrap?” Or, “Wow, that was freaky, but pretty cool.” However, it can’t be denied that this album is more than the sum of its parts. Many of the tracks require it to be listened to all the way through. A track like “Piggies” or “Rocky Raccoon” would never be permissible on a normal album, but when they’re placed along with rock masterpieces like “While my Guitar Gently Weeps” and “Happiness is a Warm Guns”, they aren’t only tolerated, but they complement each other. There can’t be a “Good Night” without a “Revolution 9”.
Finally, I’d like to comment on the barriers this album smashed. Along with their other albums that came before it, the artistry and experimentation that went on in the production of the album was unheard of. While never having anything quite as groundbreaking as “A Day in the Life” or “Strawberry Fields Forever” songs like “Happiness is a Warm Gun” and “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” further expand what popular music can be. I’d also like to note that this is some of the hardest and heaviest the Beatles ever got. Songs like “Yer Blues”, “Sexy Sadie”, “Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey”, and of course, “Helter Skelter” were all way further into the hard rock genre than anything the band had made before. In addition to these major tracks, some smaller tracks like “Birthday” and “Do it in the Road” lean into this bluesy return for the group. This area of the Beatles musicianship would be further explored in 1969 on Abbey Road with songs like “Come Together” and “I want you (she’s so heavy)”. “Hey Bulldog” on the Yellow Submarine album also leans further into hard rock, something I wish the group could have continued onto (which is possible if they hadn’t broken up so soon).
In conclusion, the Beatles’ self-titled double album The Beatles is a monumental piece of rock music and musical art in general. Not without its issues, it still provides one of the most cohesive and enjoyable listens, despite it seeming extremely fragmented.
And, if you somehow read through this entire article, thanks for reading. I appreciate it.
