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1968

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The Beatles

When The Beatles embarked on the creation of their 1968 self-titled album, also known as *The White Album*, they did so with a radically different cover than their previous work, the vibrant *Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band*. Instead of explosions of color, they opted for an immaculate white canvas, with barely the band's name embossed. This decision, which strongly contrasted with the previous aesthetic, marked the beginning of a project that would explore an unusually wide sonic range. The album was largely conceived during a stay in Rishikesh, India, where the group engaged in transcendental meditation in the spring of 1968. From this spiritual retreat, around forty compositions emerged, many of which were captured in initial demos at Kinfauns, George Harrison's home in Esher.

Year: 1968
Songs: 30
Duration: 93 min 48 seg

Listen to the album ★

30 song|s

Song list

# Title Available ⏱

Back in the U.S.S.R.

Intermediate

2:43 02

Dear Prudence

3:56 03

Glass Onion

Intermediate

2:18 04

Ob‐La‐Di, Ob‐La‐Da

Intermediate

3:09 05

Wild Honey Pie

Intermediate

0:53 06

The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill

Intermediate

3:14 07

While My Guitar Gently Weeps

Intermediate

4:45 08

Happiness Is a Warm Gun

Intermediate

2:43 09

Martha My Dear

Advanced

I’m So Tired

Blackbird

Piggies

Rocky Raccoon

Intermediate

3:33 14

Don’t Pass Me By

3:50 15

Why Don’t We Do It in the Road?

Easy

1:41 16

I Will

1:46 17

Julia

Intermediate

2:54 18

Birthday

2:45 19

Yer Blues

Intermediate

4:02 20

Mother Nature’s Son

2:49 21

Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey

Easy

2:27 22

Sexy Sadie

Intermediate

3:17 23

Helter Skelter

Easy

4:31 24

Long, Long, Long

Intermediate

3:05 25

Revolution 1

Easy

4:16 26

Honey Pie

Advanced

2:42 27

Savoy Truffle

Easy

2:56 28

Cry Baby Cry

3:13 29

Revolution 9

Intermediate

8:14 30

Good Night

Intermediate

3:12

Genres

Classic rock Rock Pop Britpop mainstream rock

Details

Year: 1968
Songs: 30
Duration: 93 min 48 seg

About the album

The Beatles, according to DoReSol

The subsequent recording sessions, which extended from May to October 1968 at EMI Studios, were marked by growing internal tension. Creative differences and arguments became frequent among the band members. This atmosphere of conflict intensified with Yoko Ono's presence at the sessions, something that made most uncomfortable, except for John Lennon. Amidst these disputes, engineer Geoff Emerick left the band, and drummer Ringo Starr even temporarily resigned in August, with Paul McCartney taking over percussion on some tracks. Despite these frictions, the double album, which included songs like Back in the U.S.S.R. and Dear Prudence, managed to reach the top spot on the charts in both the United Kingdom and the United States.

The album's release in November 1968 received mixed reviews. While some critics pointed to the apparent lack of cohesion and the satirical nature of some songs in a turbulent social and political context, others praised the songwriting quality of Lennon and McCartney. Over time, the album has been recognized for its stylistic diversity, ranging from music hall and folk to art rock, blues, hard rock, and sonic experimentation. In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine ranked it tenth on its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. An expanded remix of the album, by Giles Martin, was released in 2018.

Discography