White Album Redux

I have a friend who is very intelligent but tends to over think things at times. Maybe he has too much time on his hands or maybe that is what makes him so smart. I tend to take music at face value and I try not to over analyze music. Over analyzing music, many times, takes the fun out of the music and I like to have fun. Concerning music I have heard people say they don't understand the music. To me, there is nothing to understand, I go with the flow and let the music take me where it will. I don't even try to decipher the words, the vocals are just another instrument and the words just form a cadence. Some phrases stick with me such as, "I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now." But for the most part music is made to enjoy not fret over.

My friend has decided that The Beatles White Album needs to be reworked and cut down to a single album, one hour long. The Beatles had discussions as to whether they should release the White Album as a double album release or as two separate single albums. The Beatles never intended to throw out half of the White Albums music and release just one single album. As a matter of fact many songs that showed up on later Beatles albums and solo albums were recorded during the White Album sessions. Some of the songs that did not make the White Album are; Mean Mr. Mustard, Polythene Pam and Something off of Abbey Road; Jealous Guy off of Imagine; Junk off of Paul McCartney's first solo album; Not Guilty and Circles off of Harrison's Gone Troppo album; Long and Winding Road off of Let It Be. Some excellent music did not make it on to the White Album because the music that was chosen was so good and so different from any thing else that had been made up until this album. Revolution #9 many people today will turn their noses up at but nothing had been made up to 1968 that sounded any thing like it before.

The White Album sat atop the charts at #1 for 9 weeks and is ranked #10 on Rolling Stones top 500 Albums of all time. Jan Weener tends to get things wrong on his lists but, it still shows that the White Album is an excellent album. The White Album sold 9.5 million copies, to the record company that means they sold 19 million units. Why would anyone feel that the White Album needs to be improved upon? It is sacrilegious to believe that half of the songs on this album should be thrown away.

Here is a list of the songs that my friend believes should be thrown away from the White Album.
Glass Onion
Ob La Di, Ob La Da
Wild Honey Pie
Mother Natures Son
Everybodys Got Something To Hide Except For Me And My Monkey
Sexy Sadie
Long Long Long
Honey Pie
Savoy Truffle
Cry Baby Cry
Revolution #9
Put these songs on an album and I bet you will still sell over two million copies.

Now some other guy has just sent a list as to how he thinks the White Album should be cut up. This guy could not even get the time down to under and hour so that it would fit on vinyl. Plus he is dragging different versions of the songs that were found in some archive some where. Where does it end and what purpose does it serve? George Martin and the boys did very well for themselves without a little help from my friends. I don't think they would appreciate the help now. Leave well enough alone and enjoy the music.