The Beatles (album)

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The BEATLES
The Beatles' studio album
Cover

Publication
(s)

November 22, 1968 ( UK , D )
November 25, 1968 ( US )

Label (s) Apple Records / EMI / Universal Music Group

Format (s)

LP , CD , MC , download

Genre (s)

various (see → here )

Title (number)

30th

running time

93 min 43 s

occupation

production

George Martin , Chris Thomas

Studio (s)

chronology
Magical Mystery Tour
(1967) 		The BEATLES Yellow Submarine
(1969)

The Beatles (written: 'The BEATLES') is the ninth studio album by the British group of the same name , released in Great Britain and Germany on November 22, 1968. In Great Britain it was their tenth album , including the compilation album, in Germany it was their 13th album in total. In the United States , where it was released on November 25, 1968, it was their 16th album.

The album is due to its plain white, by Richard Hamilton designed covers as The White Album ( German : 'The White Album'), respectively. It was the Beatles' first album to be released on their own Apple Records label.

Emergence

The BEATLES , their only double album , was created in the late phase of the Beatles. In February 1968 they recorded the four songs The Inner Light , Lady Madonna , Across the Universe and Hey Bulldog , which, however, were not used for the album. In mid-March, the single Lady Madonna / The Inner Light was released, which became her 14th number one hit in the UK. In mid-February 1968 the Beatles traveled with their wives to Rishikesh ( India ), where the Maharishi held a meditation course lasting several weeks.

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi , 1967

Other participants were Mia Farrow , Mike Love and Donovan . Ringo Starr returned to England at the beginning of March, Paul McCartney followed three weeks later. John Lennon and George Harrison didn't leave India until mid-April. During their stay in India, the Beatles wrote the majority of the songs for their new album. On May 11, 1968, Lennon and McCartney flew to New York , where they presented their new company Apple at press conferences and television appearances . Thus, then The Beatles first album on the Apple label released.

George Harrison's Kinfauns estate in Surrey, where the Beatles recorded the demos
The Beatles, 1968

At the end of May 1968, the Beatles met in what was then George Harrison's house to make 27 demo recordings. Some of the songs recorded there were not recorded by the Beatles in the studio: Junk (McCartney composition), Child of Nature (Lennon composition), Circles and Sour Milk Sea (Harrison composition). The demo recordings by Mean Mr. Mustard and Polythene Pam were used for the Abbey Road album and re-recorded.

The actual studio recordings began on May 30, 1968 and ended on October 14, 1968. George Martin could not monitor the entire recordings because the Beatles often worked in two different studios at the same time. He left the production of some titles to the young, then relatively inexperienced Chris Thomas , including in September 1968 during his vacation. The Beatles also often took over the direction of the mixer themselves.

Commenting on the recordings, George Martin commented: “They came in with a whole bunch of songs - I think there were over thirty - and I felt a bit overwhelmed […] at the same time, because a few of them weren't exactly straight stunning. For the first time I had to tear myself into three parts because we were constantly recording in several studios at the same time. It was in danger of falling apart, and my assistant Chris Thomas has done a lot. "

The Beatles took a position on political or socio-political issues in some of the songs: With Revolution 1 , Lennon referred to the May riots in Paris . In Blackbird , McCartney wrote the text with a view to the civil rights movement and the unrest in the USA in the spring of 1968. It is about an African-American woman who is exposed to everyday discrimination in the USA. Harrison's Piggies is about greed and class differences . For the song Back in the USSR , the Beatles were criticized by conservative circles in the US at the time of publication.

At the time of the recordings, clear artistic and human differences within the Beatles became apparent for the first time. For example, Ringo Starr left the group from August 22 to September 3, 1968, because he only saw himself as the “fifth wheel on the car”. With the opinion that he would no longer fit into the group, he first went to Sardinia . During his absence, Paul McCartney took over the drums for the first recorded songs Back in the USSR and Dear Prudence . The other Beatles sent flowers to Ringo Starr, who was still on vacation, and asked him with many postcards to please come back, which he did. By now the rest of the Beatles had decorated his drum kit with flowers.

Ringo Starr: "I left for two reasons: I had the feeling that I wasn't playing particularly well, and I had the feeling that the other three were really happy with each other and that I was outside."

During the recordings for the White Album , a total of 14 songs were recorded, in which the Beatles no longer acted as a full musical group. Sound engineer Geoff Emerick left the recordings at his own request in mid-July 1968 because he found the atmosphere in the studio to be very disharmonious. Ken Scott , who was Emerick's successor, and Chris Thomas remembered that the Beatles had arguments about their music during the recording, but then settled them again after a short time. However, they moved away from George Martin's musical ideas and began to produce themselves.

The former musical unit of the composing team John Lennon and Paul McCartney no longer existed. In addition to musical differences between each other, there was also the open dislike that McCartney and Harrison harbored for John Lennon's partner Yoko Ono . Yoko Ono's artistic influence is documented on the White Album , for example in the experimental sound collage Revolution 9 . On the other hand, John Lennon musically disagreed with the McCartney composition Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da .

John Lennon and Yoko Ono, 1969

Commented George Martin, “I remember Yoko spending a lot of time with John in the studio while we were recording the White Album - and it went so far that once when she was really sick, John wouldn't let her home wanted and she got a bed in the studio. While we were recording, Yoko was lying there in bed. There was an amazing bond between John and Yoko. This is not a question. They were spiritually completely one, and I believe the closer this bond became, the more John broke away from Paul and the others - which of course led to problems. "

Paul McCartney: “[...] she opened up new artistic paths for him [John Lennon]. The only problem for us was that it went beyond the scope we needed for our work. "

George Harrison: “It was strange having her sit around all the time. It wasn't because it was Yoko or because we didn't want outsiders with us, there were very specific vibrations to be felt and that bothered me. Somehow there were eerie vibrations. "

Ringo Starr: “And suddenly we had Yoko in bed in the studio. That led to tensions, because the four of us were usually very close together and rather possessive among each other, and it bothered us when strangers crowded in too much. And that was exactly Yoko, a stranger [...] "

John Lennon said: “And suddenly we were both together all the time, mumbling and giggling in one corner. And on the other hand, Paul, George and Ringo, who said to each other, 'What the hell are they doing? What's the matter with him? ' And I didn't pay any attention to them anymore. Mind you, that wasn't on purpose, I was just completely and totally absorbed in what we were both doing [...] And then we looked around and realized that we didn't think it was great. "

Yoko Ono, who was now almost always in the studio to accompany Lennon, sang backing vocals with George Harrison's wife Pattie on Birthday and a line on The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill . Paul McCartney's temporary friend Francie Schwartz also came into the recording studio and, according to her own admission, worked as a background singer on the recordings for Revolution 1 . Maureen Starkey , Ringo's wife, sang in the choir on The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill . Various studio musicians were used during the recording. For example, Eric Clapton played the guitar solo on While My Guitar Gently Weeps and jazz musician Harry Klein on Honey Pie and Savoy Truffle saxophone .

An eight-track tape machine was installed at Abbey Road Studios during the recording ; for songs where the Beatles had used this recording technology before, they had moved to Trident Studios .

George Harrison contributed four compositions to the album. A fifth song, Not Guilty , was recorded but wasn't released until October 1996 on the Anthology 3 album. For the first time, Ringo Starr was also able to contribute his own composition with Don't Pass Me By .

Handwritten song structure by Hey Jude
American single, 1976

The commercially very successful single Hey Jude / Revolution (not featured on the White Album in this version ) was released while the album was being recorded. It reached the top of the respective charts in Great Britain (15th number one hit by the Beatles) as well as in the USA (16th number one hit) and in Germany (7th number one hit).

The last recordings were made on October 14, 1968; the stereo and the main part of the mono mixes took place between October 5 and 17, 1968. Mid-October to late November 1968, George Harrison was in Los Angeles to produce Jackie Lomax's album . There he found that the US master band of the new Beatles album was poorly controlled; it was re-mastered under his supervision.

George Martin spoke out against the release of a double album. He favored a musically stronger single album, but the Beatles prevailed. George Martin commented:

“I really didn't think that a lot of the songs were worth of release, and I told them so. I said 'I don't want a double album. I think you ought to cut out some of these, concentrate on the really good ones and have yourself a really super album. Let's whittle them down to 14 or 16 titles and concentrate on those. '”

“I really felt that a lot of the songs shouldn't be released, and I told them so. I said, 'I don't want a double album. I think you'd better skip a few tracks, focus on the really good ones, and make a really great album. Let's cut it down to 14 to 16 titles and focus on those. '"

- George Martin, quoted from Lewisohn, 1988

He added: "A lot of people still think that this is the best album they have made."

In retrospect, however, the Beatles rated the recordings rather positively:

John Lennon said, “The White Album just means, 'This is my song, this is how we put it. This is your song, you bring it the way you want. ' It's really difficult to put three people's music on a single LP - that's why we made a double album. After all the electronics and the bombastic arrangements, I finally shook it all off, and my songs on the double album were plain and simple. It was a total departure from Sgt. Pepper and I liked a lot better. "

George Harrison: “After Sgt. Pepper , the new album gave you the feeling that a band was recording something together. [...] There were also far more individual things, and for the first time people also accepted that they (the Beatles) were individual. "

Paul McCartney: “I think it was a very good album. It was just great, but producing it wasn't a pleasure. On the other hand, such things are sometimes conducive to creativity. "

Ringo Starr: "In the course of working on the White Album we became more of a band again, and that's always what I like best."

The album The BEATLES entered the UK charts at number one on November 27, 1968, where it lasted nine weeks. It was the Beatles' ninth number one album in the UK. In Germany it was the eighth album by the Beatles, which reached number one on the charts. There were over 300,000 pre-orders for the album in the UK. In the US, The BEATLES also reached number 1 on the charts and stayed there for nine weeks. This made it the twelfth number one album there, with almost two million copies sold in the first week. In February 2019, the album went multi-platinum in the US for 24 million units sold (12 million double albums sold). A single was released from the album in 1968, neither in Great Britain nor in the USA; Back in the USSR in Great Britain and Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da in the USA only appeared as a single in 1976 . Only in Germany was the single Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da / While My Guitar Gently Weeps released on January 14, 1969 , which became the eighth number one hit there.

The album was released in the UK in a mono and a stereo version. In the USA and Germany, the album was only distributed in stereo mix. The mix of some songs in the mono versions differed significantly from the stereo versions : Helter Skelter (the mono version is 53 seconds shorter and has a different instrumentation), Don't Pass Me By (the mono version is much faster and the violin solo is longer and different), Honey Pie (the guitar solo varies from the stereo version), Savoy Truffle (different guitar playing), Yer Blues (the mono version is ten seconds longer), Back in the USSR , Piggies and Blackbird (the three songs have different sound effects, the first different Airplane noises, the other two vary in animal noises), Sexy Sadie (the bass was faded in later at the beginning of the song), Wild Honey Pie (different volume of the vocals), While My Guitar Gently Weeps (another mix of the lead guitar by Eric Clapton ), Happiness Is a Warm Gun (different mix of organ and bass), Long, Long, Long (different mix of rhythm and lead guitar), Ob-La-Di, Ob- La-Da and Why Don't We Do It in the Road (the clapping of hands at the beginning of the song was mixed up in the mono version).

Other - unused - recording versions / mixes of the songs Helter Skelter , Don't Pass Me By , Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da , Good Night , Cry Baby Cry , Blackbird , Sexy Sadie , While My Guitar Gently Weeps , Not Guilty, Mother Nature's Son , Rocky Raccoon , I'm So Tired , I Will , Why Don't We Do It in the Road? , Glass Onion and Julia are on the album Anthology 3 . There is extensive unreleased material on the November 2018 re-release of The Beatles album .

In 2004 Rolling Stone voted it number 5 in the German edition of the list of the 500 best albums of all time , and number 10 in the American version.

Music styles of the album

In contrast to the previously released concept album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band , the White Album is a collection of songs with no major context. But the pieces are so closely connected that the usual silence of several seconds does not arise. This is necessary in order to place the scanning device in the empty groove visible on vinyl records in analog playback devices or so that search programs in digitized material can distinguish one piece from the next.

It is noticeable that the Beatles tried their hand at a whole range of different styles. Are represented

Cover design

Original cover from The Beatles

The cover was designed by the British pop art artist Richard Hamilton . It only shows the words The BEATLES in blind embossing on a white background. Barely a year after the exuberant psychedelic cover of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band , releasing an all-white cover was a clever twist. With Sgt. Pepper the word "BEATLES" is formed from flowers, here now blind embossed hardly noticeably raised. The first editions also had consecutive numbers printed on them. The Beatles took the numbers 0000001 to 0000010 as specimen copies. Albums with low numbers, i.e. below 0001000 , have a high collector's value today. It is said, however, that at that time several pressing plants started numbering from 0000001 at the same time . The record was accompanied by a large poster designed by Richard Hamilton and four larger photographs of the Beatles by John Kelly. In the later pressings there was no longer any numbering on the cover. On the inside of the hinged cover there are black and white portraits of the four musicians (from left to right: Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr).

Many of these design details have been lost in the first CD edition. The lettering “The BEATLES” is no longer blindly embossed on the CD, but is printed in light gray, the numbering was not continued and individual parts of the poster were added to the CD booklet. The 30th Anniversary Limited Edition of the album, published in 1998, and the remastered mono version , published in 2009 in the box The Beatles in Mono , reproduce the details of the vinyl edition . The remastered stereo CD released in 2009 in The Beatles Stereo Box Set has an additional cardboard sleeve in which the words “The BEATLES” are again blindly embossed.

Paul McCartney said of the cover, “I'd been to a couple of shows and I liked Richard's [Hamilton] work, so I called him and said, 'We have a new album coming up. Would you like to do the cover? ' He said 'gladly' so I asked the others. They agreed, and then they practically let me do it [...] In the end he said: 'What should the album be called?' And he asked: 'Do you already have an album called simply The Beatles ?' I said no and checked again because I wasn't sure. So Richard said we should call it that and everyone agreed. Richard was a staunch minimalist, and he wanted the cover to be completely white and put the word 'Beatles' on it. Then he had the idea of ​​numbering the albums, which I found great for collectors. "

The original plan was to release the album under the title A Doll's House . The idea of ​​a transparent cover was also not implemented.

Track list

page 1

No. song author Lead vocals Length stereo version Length mono version
01 Back in the USSR Lennon / McCartney McCartney 2:43 2:44
02 Dear Prudence Lennon / McCartney Lennon 3:56 3:54
03 Glass onion Lennon / McCartney Lennon 2:18 2:18
04th Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da Lennon / McCartney McCartney 3:09 3:09
05 Wild honey pie Lennon / McCartney McCartney 0:53 0:54
06th The Continuing Story of
Bungalow Bill 		Lennon / McCartney Lennon 3:14 3:14
07th While My Guitar Gently Weeps Harrison Harrison 4:45 4:48
08th Happiness is a warm gun Lennon / McCartney Lennon 2:45 2:44

Page 2

No. song author Lead vocals Length stereo version Length mono version
09 Martha My Dear Lennon / McCartney McCartney 2:29 2:28
10 I'm so tired Lennon / McCartney Lennon 2:03 2:03
11 Blackbird Lennon / McCartney McCartney 2:18 2:19
12 Piggies Harrison Harrison 2:04 2:03
13 Rocky Raccoon Lennon / McCartney McCartney 3:33 3:33
14th Don't Pass Me By Starkey Rigid 3:50 3:46
15th Why Don't We Do It in the Road Lennon / McCartney McCartney 1:41 1:42
16 I will Lennon / McCartney McCartney 1:46 1:45
17th Julia Lennon / McCartney Lennon 2:57 2:54

Page 3

No. song author Lead vocals Length stereo version Length mono version
01 Birthday Lennon / McCartney Lennon and McCartney 2:43 2:43
02 Yer blues Lennon / McCartney Lennon 4:00 4:14
03 Mother Nature's Son Lennon / McCartney McCartney 2:48 2:46
04th Everybody's Got Something to
Hide Except Me and My Monkey 		Lennon / McCartney Lennon 2:25 2:25
05 Sexy Sadie Lennon / McCartney Lennon 3:15 3:15
06th Helter Skelter Lennon / McCartney McCartney 4:30 3:39
07th Long, long, long Harrison Harrison 3:06 3:05

page 4

No. song author Lead vocals Length stereo version Length mono version
08th Revolution 1 Lennon / McCartney Lennon 4:16 4:16
09 Honey pie Lennon / McCartney McCartney 2:41 2:41
10 Savoy truffle Harrison Harrison 2:54 2:54
11 Cry Baby Cry Lennon / McCartney Lennon 3:02 3:02
12 Revolution 9 Lennon / McCartney Language: Lennon, Harrison, George Martin and Yoko Ono 8:22 8:23
13 Goodnight Lennon / McCartney Rigid 3:16 3:13
The lengths of the songs are based on the 2009 CD versions.

Re-releases

The album The BEATLES pressed on white vinyl
  • In May 1979 the album The BEATLES (catalog number: Parlophone PCS7067 / 8) was released in Great Britain, pressed on white vinyl. Other countries where the album was also released on white vinyl were: Germany, Australia, Canada, France and the USA. In Japan, the mono version of the album was pressed and released on red vinyl in 1982.
  • On August 24, 1987, the album The BEATLES was first released on CD, exclusively in a stereo mix. The mastering was next George Martin from the sound engineer of the Abbey Road Studios monitored Mike Jarrett. The CD is accompanied by a 24-page illustrated booklet containing the lyrics.
  • On the 30th anniversary of November 23, 1998, the 1987 CD version was released in a limited edition of 500,000 copies. The CD album did not have a plastic cover, but a hinged cardboard cover, which is in a plastic sleeve with the imprint "30 Anniversary Limited Edition". The album includes the four portrait photos and the original poster, each in mini format.
  • On September 9, 2009 the album was released remastered in a stereo mix on CD and as part of The Beatles Stereo Box Set . The remastered mono version was released on September 9, 2009 as part of The Beatles in Mono box . The stereo version of the CD, which was re-released in 2009, was remastered by Guy Massey and Steve Rooke, the mono version by Paul Hicks, Sean Magee and Guy Massey. While the cover design of the mono CD was based on the original LP version, including the pictures and the poster in mini format, the CD cover of the stereo version was redesigned by Drew Lorimer. The stereo CD also includes a 28-page booklet containing the lyrics of the album, information about the album by Kevin Howlett and Mike Heatley and information about the recordings by Allan Rouse and Kevin Howlett. The album also includes the poster of the original album in mini format. The CD contains documentation in QuickTime format, consisting of video clips and modified images from the studio sessions; Accompanied by played music tracks, outtakes or studio conversations from the album.
  • The remastered stereo vinyl LP was established in November, 2012, The Beatles Remastered Vinyl Box Set , the remastered mono vinyl -Langspielplatte in September 2014 of the box The Beatles in Mono published.
  • The album was first published in download format on November 16, 2010 on iTunes , and from December 24, 2015, the album was also available from other providers and streaming services.
  • Anniversary edition for the 50th anniversary
For the 50th anniversary, on November 9, 2018, the album The Beatles was re-released. Giles Martin remixed the album with sound engineer Sam Okell. The first new mix of the album took place between December 2017 and January 2018 and was then discarded because it sounded too "clean". The aim was to use the stereo mixes made by George Martin in 1968 as a guide. Paul McCartney gave Martin the instruction to “push the boundaries”: “We don't pay you to be safe, that's not a Beatles thing.” (German: "We don't pay you to make sure, that's not the Beatles' thing.") Ringo Starr was satisfied with the final mix because, in his opinion, the drumming could be heard more clearly.
The four-track tapes of the Esher Demos , which were recorded in the last week of May 1968 at George Harrison's house, were, according to Martin, in the possession of Olivia Harrison and were added as the third CD to the double album. The Esher demos include the songs Sour Milk Sea , Junk , Child of Nature , Circles , Mean Mr. Mustard and Polythene Pam that were not recorded for the double album .
The box set also contains the following songs as outtakes / jam sessions , which were also not used for the album: St. Louis Blues (Studio jam), Not Guilty (Take 102), What's the New Mary Jane (Take 1), Let It Be (Unnumbered rehearsal), (You're so Square) Baby, I Don't Care (Studio jam), Blue Moon (Studio jam), Step Inside Love (Studio jam), Los Paranoias (Studio jam) and Can You Take Me Back? (Take 1). Other recordings that have been released in other versions on other phonograms are also included: Across the Universe (Take 6), Lady Madonna (Take 2 - Piano and drums) / (Backing vocals from take 3), The Inner Light (Take 6 - Instrumental backing track) and Hey Jude (Take 1).
The 5.1 version of the album, the Esher demos and the recordings of the sessions were mixed by Giles Martin and Sam Okell. The mastering for the stereo recordings was done by Miles Showell, the 5.1 recordings by Tim Young and the session recordings by Alex Wharton. James Clarke was responsible for the audio restoration.
Super Deluxe Box (6 CDs / Blu-ray)
The six CDs and the Blu-ray as well as reprints of the original poster and the four portrait photos are placed in a 164-page hardcover book (32 cm × 26 cm), which is in turn in a plastic sleeve with printed portrait photos of the Beatles. The book was designed by Darren Evans and contains forewords by Paul McCartney (We, The Beatles) and Giles Martin (Introduction) , extensive background information on the album and cover, data on the recordings and the individual songs, photographs of the handwritten original texts, Photos that were taken during the recording sessions, in India and during Mad Day Out , as well as further information and descriptions by Kevin Howlett, John Harris and Andrew Wilson (Chapters: The Way to White, Can You Take Me Back, Where I Came From ?, Lyrics, Track by Track, The Mad Day Out, White on White, It's Here )
CD 1: 2018 Remix
  1. Back in the USSR - 2:44
  2. Dear Prudence - 3:55
  3. Glass Onion - 2:18
  4. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da - 3:09
  5. Wild Honey Pie - 0:53
  6. The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill - 3:14
  7. While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Harrison) - 4:45
  8. Happiness Is a Warm Gun - 2:45
  9. Martha My Dear - 2:28
  10. I'm So Tired - 2:03
  11. Blackbird - 2:18
  12. Piggies (Harrison) - 2:04
  13. Rocky Raccoon - 3:33
  14. Don't Pass Me By (Starkey) - 3:50
  15. Why Don't We Do It in the Road? - 1:42
  16. I Will - 1:46
  17. Julia - 3:00
CD 2: 2018 Remix
  1. Birthday - 2:43
  2. Yer Blues - 4:01
  3. Mother Nature's Son - 2:48
  4. Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey - 2:25
  5. Sexy Sadie - 3:15
  6. Helter Skelter - 4:30
  7. Long, Long, Long (Harrison) - 3:06
  8. Revolution 1 - 4:16
  9. Honey Pie - 2:41
  10. Savoy Truffle (Harrison) - 2:54
  11. Cry Baby Cry - 3:02
  12. Revolution 9 - 8:21
  13. Good Night - 3:17
CD 3: Esher Demos
  1. Back in the USSR - 3:01 am
  2. Dear Prudence - 4:47
  3. Glass Onion - 1:56
  4. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da - 3:11
  5. The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill - 2:41
  6. While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Harrison) - 2:41
  7. Happiness is a Warm Gun - 1:55
  8. I'm so tired - 3:11
  9. Blackbird - 3:35
  10. Piggies (Harrison) - 2:06
  11. Rocky Raccoon - 2:44
  12. Julia - 3:56
  13. Yer Blues - 3:31
  14. Mother Nature's Son - 2:24
  15. Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey - 3:04
  16. Sexy Sadie - 2:27
  17. Revolution - 4:07
  18. Honey Pie - 2:00
  19. Cry Baby Cry - 2:28
  20. Sour Milk Sea (Harrison) - 3:44
  21. Junk (McCartney) - 2:37
  22. Child of Nature (Lennon) - 2:38
  23. Circles (Harrison) - 2:17
  24. Mean Mr. Mustard - 2:06
  25. Polythene Pam - 1:26
  26. Not Guilty (Harrison) - 3:05
  27. What's the New Mary Jane - 2:45
CD 4: Sessions
  1. Revolution I (Take 18) - 10:29
  2. A Beginning (Take 4) / Don't Pass Me By (Take 7) (Martin / Starkey) - 5:06
  3. Blackbird (Take 28) - 2:16
  4. Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey (Unnumbered rehearsal) - 2:43
  5. Good Night (Unnumbered rehearsal) - 0:39
  6. Good Night (Take 10 with a guitar part from Take 5) - 2:31
  7. Good Night (Take 22) - 3:46
  8. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (Take 3) - 2:54
  9. Revolution (Unnumbered rehearsal) - 2:16
  10. Revolution (Take 14 - Instrumental backing track) - 3:25
  11. Cry Baby Cry (Unnumbered rehearsal) - 3:03
  12. Helter Skelter (First version - Take 2) - 12:54
CD 5: Sessions
  1. Sexy Sadie (Take 3) - 3:08
  2. While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Acoustic version - Take 2) - 3:03
  3. Hey Jude (Take 1) - 6:44
  4. St. Louis Blues (Studio jam) ( Toilet Handy ) - 0:52
  5. Not Guilty (Take 102) (Harrison) - 4:29
  6. Mother Nature's Son (Take 15) - 3:11
  7. Yer Blues (Take 5 with guide vocal) - 3:58
  8. What's the New Mary Jane (Take 1) - 2:07
  9. Rocky Raccoon (Take 8) - 4:57
  10. Back in the USSR (Take 5 - Instrumental backing track) - 3:10
  11. Dear Prudence (vocal, guitar & drums) - 4:00
  12. Let It Be (Unnumbered rehearsal) - 1:18
  13. While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Third version - Take 27) (Harrison) - 3:17
  14. (You're so Square) Baby, I Don't Care (Studio jam) ( Jerry Leiber / Mike Stoller ) - 0:43
  15. Helter Skelter (Second version - Take 17) - 3:39
  16. Glass Onion (Take 10) - 2:12
CD 6: Sessions
  1. I Will (Take 13) - 3:21
  2. Blue Moon (Studio jam) ( Richard Rodgers / Lorenz Hart ) - 1:11
  3. I Will (Take 29) - 0:27
  4. Step Inside Love (Studio jam) (McCartney) - 1:35
  5. Los Paranoias (Studio jam) (Lennon / McCartney / Harrison / Starkey) - 3:58
  6. Can You Take Me Back? (Take 1) - 2:22
  7. Birthday (Take 2 - Instrumental backing track) - 2:40
  8. Piggies (Take 12 - Instrumental backing track) - 2:10
  9. Happiness is a Warm Gun (Take 19) - 3:09
  10. Honey Pie (Instrumental backing track) - 2:43
  11. Savoy Truffle (Instrumental backing track) - 2:57
  12. Martha My Dear (Without brass and strings) - 2:29
  13. Long, Long, Long (Take 44) - 2:55
  14. I'm So Tired (Take 7) - 2:30
  15. I'm So Tired (Take 14) - 2:17
  16. The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill (Take 2) - 3:13
  17. Why Don't We Do It in the Road? (Take 5) - 2:03
  18. Julia (Two rehearsals) - 4:31
  19. The Inner Light (Take 6 - Instrumental backing track) - 2:48
  20. Lady Madonna (Take 2 - Piano and drums) - 2:25
  21. Lady Madonna (Backing vocals from take 3) - 0:54
  22. Across the Universe (Take 6) - 3:53
CD 7: Blu-Ray
  • 2018 album mix in high resolution PCM stereo
  • 2018 DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 album mix
  • 2018 Dolby True HD 5.1 album mix
  • 2018 Direct transfer of the album's original mono mix
Deluxe CD version (3 CDs)
The three CDs are in a double hinged Digipak cover. The album comes with a mini-format reprint of the original poster and a 22-page booklet containing the forewords by Paul McCartney and Giles Martin and the two chapters On the Road to "The White Album" and Esher Demos by Kevin Howlett.
  • CD 1: 2018 Remix
  • CD 2: 2018 Remix
  • CD 3: Esher Demos
Deluxe LP version (4 LPs)
The cardboard box contains an unnumbered reprint of the double album The Beatles as well as the double album Esher Demos , which corresponds in design to the White Album , the different portrait photos on the inside of the fold-out cover come from the same photo session as the pictures of the original album. Both double albums were pressed onto 180 gram vinyl. A leaflet in LP format is enclosed with the box containing the forewords by Paul McCartney and Giles Martin as well as the two chapters On the Road to “The White Album” and Esher Demos by Kevin Howlett.

page 1

  1. Back in the USSR
  2. Dear Prudence
  3. Glass onion
  4. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
  5. Wild honey pie
  6. The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill
  7. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
  8. Happiness is a warm gun

Page 2

  1. Martha My Dear
  2. I'm so tired
  3. Blackbird
  4. Piggies
  5. Rocky Raccoon
  6. Don't Pass Me By
  7. Why Don't We Do It in the Road?
  8. I will
  9. Julia

Page 3

  1. Birthday
  2. Yer blues
  3. Mother Nature's Son
  4. Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey
  5. Sexy Sadie
  6. Helter Skelter
  7. Long, long, long

page 4

  1. Revolution 1
  2. Honey pie
  3. Savoy truffle
  4. Cry Baby Cry
  5. Revolution 9
  6. Goodnight

Page 5 Esher Demos

  1. Back in the USSR
  2. Dear Prudence
  3. Glass onion
  4. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
  5. The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill
  6. While My Guitar Gently Weeps

Page 6 Esher Demos

  1. Happiness is a warm gun
  2. I'm so tired
  3. Blackbird
  4. Piggies
  5. Rocky Raccoon
  6. Julia
  7. Yer blues

Page 7 Esher Demos

  1. Mother Nature's Son
  2. Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey
  3. Sexy Sadie
  4. revolution
  5. Honey pie
  6. Cry Baby Cry
  7. Sour Milk Sea

Page 8 Esher Demos

  1. Junk
  2. Child of Nature
  3. Circles
  4. Mean Mr. Mustard
  5. Polythene Pam
  6. Not Guilty
  7. What's the New Mary Jane
LP version (2 LPs)
The double album in the 2018 stereo mix was pressed onto 180 grams of vinyl.

Recording dates

The recordings for the album took place between May 30 and October 14, 1968 in Abbey Road Studios (Studio 1, 2 and 3) as well as in Trident Studios under the production direction of George Martin and partly Chris Thomas. The sound engineer for the recordings was initially Geoff Emerick , followed by Ken Scott and Barry Sheffield ( Trident Studios ). The sound engineers' assistants were Phil McDonald, Richard Lush, John Smith, Mike Sheady, Ken Townshend, Peter Brown, Nick Webb, and Dave Harries.

During the recordings for the album The BEATLES , the Beatles sometimes no longer acted as a single musical group ; they recorded some songs either alone or with part of the group or with guest musicians:

  • Don't Pass Me By : Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney
  • Blackbird : Paul McCartney
  • Good Night : Ringo Starr
  • Mother Nature's Son : Paul McCartney
  • What's The New Mary Jane : John Lennon, Yoko Ono and George Harrison
  • Wild Honey Pie : Paul McCartney
  • Back in the USSR : John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison
  • Dear Prudence : John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison
  • I Will : Paul McCartney, John Lennon and Ringo Starr
  • Step Inside Love : Paul McCartney, John Lennon and Ringo Starr
  • Los Paranoias : Paul McCartney, John Lennon and Ringo Starr
  • Savoy Truffle : George Harrison, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr
  • Martha My Dear : Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr
  • Long, Long, Long : George Harrison, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr
  • Why Don't We Do It in the Road : Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr
  • Julia : John Lennon
No. song Recording dates Producer / sound engineer Studio Cast / guest musician Sound carrier (first release)
01 Revolution 1 May 30 - June 4, 1968,
June 21, 1968 		George Martin,
Geoff Emerick,
Peter Brown 		Abbey Road Studio 2 and 3 The BEATLES
02 Don't Pass Me By 0June 5 + 6, 1968,
July 12 + 22, 1968 		George Martin,
Geoff Emerick,
Ken Scott 		Abbey Road Studio 1, 2 and 3
  • Paul McCartney: piano, bass
  • Ringo Starr: drums, bell stick , piano, percussion, vocals
  • Jack Fallon: violin
The BEATLES
03 Revolution 9 0June 6, 10, 11, 1968, June
20 + 21, 1968 		George Martin,
Geoff Emerick 		Abbey Road Studio 1, 2 and 3
  • John Lennon: sound collages , voice
  • George Harrison, George Martin, Yoko Ono, Alistair Taylor: Voices
 The BEATLES
04th Blackbird June 11, 1968 George Martin,
Geoff Emerick 		Abbey Road Studio 2
  • Paul McCartney: acoustic guitar, vocals
 The BEATLES
05 Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey June 26-27, 1968,
July 23, 1968 		George Martin,
Geoff Emerick,
Ken Scott 		Abbey Road Studio 2
  • John Lennon: rhythm guitar, vocals
  • Paul McCartney: bass, maracas, hand bell, backing vocals
  • George Harrison: lead guitar, backing vocals
  • Ringo Starr: drums
 The BEATLES
06th Goodnight June 28, 1968,
0July 2 + 22, 1968 		George Martin,
Geoff Emerick,
Ken Scott,
Peter Brown 		Abbey Road Studio 1 and 2 The BEATLES
07th Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da 03rd - 5th, 8th, 9th and 11th July 1968 George Martin,
Geoff Emerick 		Abbey Road Studio 2 and 3
  • John Lennon: piano, clapping hands, backing vocals
  • Paul McCartney: bass, acoustic guitar, percussion, clapping hands, vocals
  • George Harrison: acoustic guitar, clapping hands, backing vocals
  • Ringo Starr: drums, percussion, congas, maracas, clapping hands,
  • three saxophonists not listed
The BEATLES
08th revolution 0July 9-12, 1968 George Martin,
Geoff Emerick 		Abbey Road Studio 2
  • John Lennon: lead guitar, clapping hands, vocals
  • Paul McCartney: Bass, clap hands
  • George Harrison: lead guitar, clap hands
  • Ringo Starr: drums
  • Nicky Hopkins : electric piano
Single B-side of Hey Jude
09 Cry Baby Cry July 15 + 16, 1968,
July 18, 1968 		George Martin,
Geoff Emerick,
Ken Scott 		Abbey Road Studio 2
  • John Lennon: acoustic guitar, organ, vocals
  • Paul McCartney: bass, lead guitar, piano
  • George Harrison: lead guitar
  • Ringo Starr: drums, tambourine
  • George Martin: Harmonium
The BEATLES
10 Helter Skelter July 18, 1968,
0Sep 9 + 10 1968 		George Martin,
Ken Scott 		Abbey Road Studio 2
  • John Lennon: piano, bass, tenor saxophone , backing vocals
  • Paul McCartney: lead guitar, vocals
  • George Harrison: lead guitar, backing vocals
  • Ringo Starr: drums
  • Mal Evans : Trumpet
The BEATLES
11 (You're so Square) Baby, I Don't Care (Studio Jamsession) July 18, 1968 George Martin,
Ken Scott 		Abbey Road Studio 2
  • John Lennon: Bass
  • Paul McCartney: guitar, vocals
  • George Harrison: guitar
  • Ringo Starr: drums
 The BEATLES (Super Deluxe Edition 2018)
12 Sexy Sadie July 19 + 24, 1968,
Aug 13 + 21, 1968 		George Martin,
Ken Scott 		Abbey Road Studio 2
  • John Lennon: lead guitar, vocals
  • Paul McCartney: bass, piano, organ, backing vocals
  • George Harrison: lead guitar, tambourine, backing vocals
  • Ringo Starr: drums
 The BEATLES
13 While My Guitar Gently Weeps July 25, 1968,
Aug. 16, 1968,
0Sep. 5-6. 1968 		George Martin,
Ken Scott 		Abbey Road Studio 2
  • John Lennon: Bass
  • Paul McCartney: bass, piano, organ, backing vocals
  • George Harrison: acoustic guitar, vocals
  • Ringo Starr: drums, maracas
  • Eric Clapton : lead guitar
The BEATLES
14th Hey Jew July 29 - Aug 1, 1968 George Martin,
Ken Scott,
Barry Sheffield 		Abbey Road Studio 2 and Trident Studios
  • John Lennon: acoustic guitar, backing vocals
  • Paul McCartney: bass, piano, vocals
  • George Harrison: lead guitar, tambourine, backing vocals
  • Ringo Starr: drums, backing vocals
  • musicians not listed: violin : 10; Viola: 3; Cello : 3; Flute : 2; Clarinet : 2; French horn : 2; Trumpet : 4; Trombone : 4, bassoon : 2; Double bass : 2; Percussion: 1; the musicians also contributed the background choir
 Single A-side
15th St. Louis Blues (Studio Jam Session) July 30, 1968 George Martin,
Ken Scott 		Abbey Road Studio 2
  • John Lennon: acoustic guitar (?)
  • Paul McCartney: piano, vocals
  • George Harrison: lead guitar (?)
  • Ringo Starr: drums
 The BEATLES (Super Deluxe Edition 2018)
16 Not Guilty 07th - 9th, 12th Aug 1968 George Martin,
Ken Scott 		Abbey Road Studio 2
  • John Lennon: harpsichord , electric piano
  • Paul McCartney: Bass
  • George Harrison: lead guitar, vocals
  • Ringo Starr: drums
 Anthology 3
17th Mother Nature's Son 0Aug 9-20, 1968 George Martin,
Ken Scott 		Abbey Road Studio 2
  • Paul McCartney: acoustic guitar, percussion, timpani, vocals
  • musicians not listed: trumpet : 2; Trumpet : 2
 The BEATLES
18th Yer blues Aug 13, 14 and 20, 1968 George Martin,
Ken Scott 		Abbey Road Studio 2 and 3
  • John Lennon: lead guitar, vocals
  • Paul McCartney: bass, backing vocals
  • George Harrison: lead guitar
  • Ringo Starr: drums
 The BEATLES
19th Rocky Raccoon Aug 15, 1968 George Martin,
Ken Scott 		Abbey Road Studio 2
  • John Lennon: bass, harmonica , harmonium , backing vocals
  • Paul McCartney: acoustic guitar, vocals
  • George Harrison: bass, backing vocals
  • Ringo Starr: drums
  • George Martin: piano
 The BEATLES
20th What's The New Mary Jane Aug 14, 1968 to
Nov 26, 1969 		George Martin,
Geoff Emerick,
John Lennon,
Ken Scott,
Mike Sheady 		Abbey Road Studio 2
  • John Lennon: piano, vocals
  • George Harrison: acoustic guitar
  • Yoko Ono : Singing
  • Mal Evans, Yoko Ono: hand bell, tambourine, percussion, accordion, rattle, vibraphone
Anthology 3
21st Wild honey pie Aug 20, 1968 George Martin,
Ken Scott 		Abbey Road Studio 2
  • Paul McCartney: acoustic guitar, drums, vocals
 The BEATLES
22nd Back in the USSR Aug 22 + 23, 1968 George Martin,
Ken Scott 		Abbey Road Studio 2
  • John Lennon: bass, lead guitar, drums, percussion, clapping hands, backing vocals
  • Paul McCartney: bass, lead guitar, piano, drums, percussion, clapping hands, vocals
  • George Harrison: lead guitar, bass, percussion, drums, clapping hands, backing vocals
 The BEATLES
23 Dear Prudence Aug 28-30, 1968 George Martin,
Barry Sheffield 		Trident Studios
  • John Lennon: lead guitar, tambourine, vocals
  • Paul McCartney: bass, piano, electric piano, drums, flugelhorn , clapping hands, backing vocals
  • George Harrison: lead guitar, clapping hands, backing vocals
  • Mal Evans : tambourine, clapping hands, backing vocals
  • Jackie Lomax : clapping hands, backing vocals
 The BEATLES
24 Let It Be (Studio Jam Session) 05th Sep 1968 George Martin,
Ken Scott 		Abbey Road Studio 2
  • John Lennon: Bass (?)
  • Paul McCartney: piano (?), Vocals
  • George Harrison: acoustic guitar (?), Backing vocals (?)
  • Ringo Starr: drums
  • Eric Clapton : lead guitar (?)
 let it be
25th Glass onion Sep 11-13 1968,
Oct 10, 1968 		George Martin,
Chris Thomas,
Ken Scott 		Abbey Road Studio 2
  • John Lennon: acoustic guitar, vocals
  • Paul McCartney: bass, piano, recorder
  • George Harrison: lead guitar
  • Ringo Starr: drums, tambourine
  • Chris Thomas: recorder
  • Henry Datyner, Eric Bowie, Norman Lederman, Ronald Thomas: violin
  • John Underwood, Keith Cummings: Viola
  • Eldon Fox, Reginald Kilbey: Cello
The BEATLES
26th I will Sep 16 + 17 1968 Chris Thomas,
Ken Scott 		Abbey Road Studio 2
  • John Lennon: maracas, percussion
  • Paul McCartney: acoustic guitar, vocals
  • Ringo Starr: Bongos
The BEATLES
27 Step Inside Love (Studio Jam Session) 16 Sep 1968 Chris Thomas,
Ken Scott 		Abbey Road Studio 2
  • John Lennon: Bongos
  • Paul McCartney: acoustic guitar, vocals
  • Ringo Starr: Claves (not clarified)
 Anthology 3
28 Los Paranoias (Studio Jam Session) 16 Sep 1968 Chris Thomas,
Ken Scott 		Abbey Road Studio 2
  • John Lennon: Bongos
  • Paul McCartney: acoustic guitar, vocals
  • Ringo Starr: percussion
 Anthology 3
29 Blue Moon (Studio Jam Session) 16 Sep 1968 Chris Thomas,
Ken Scott 		Abbey Road Studio 2
  • John Lennon: Bongos
  • Paul McCartney: acoustic guitar, vocals
  • Ringo Starr: percussion
 The BEATLES (Super Deluxe Edition 2018)
30th Can You Take Me Back? 16 Sep 1968 Chris Thomas,
Ken Scott 		Abbey Road Studio 2
  • John Lennon: Bongos
  • Paul McCartney: acoustic guitar, vocals
  • Ringo Starr: percussion
 The BEATLES (Super Deluxe Edition 2018)
31 Birthday Sep 18 1968 Chris Thomas,
Ken Scott 		Abbey Road Studio 2
  • John Lennon: lead guitar, vocals
  • Paul McCartney: bass, piano, vocals
  • George Harrison: lead guitar, tambourine
  • Ringo Starr: drums, clapping hands
  • Pattie Harrison , Yoko Ono , Mal Evans : Choir
 The BEATLES
32 Piggies Sep 19 + 20 1968,
Oct 10, 1968 		Chris Thomas,
George Martin,
Ken Scott 		Abbey Road Studio 1 and 2
  • John Lennon: Backing vocals
  • Paul McCartney: bass, backing vocals
  • George Harrison: acoustic guitar, vocals
  • Ringo Starr: tambourine, percussion
  • Chris Thomas: Harpsichord
  • Henry Datyner, Eric Bowie, Norman Ledermann, Ronald Thomas: violin
  • Eldon Fox, Reginald Kilbey: Cello
 The BEATLES
33 Happiness is a warm gun 23-25 ​​Sep 1968 Chris Thomas,
Ken Scott 		Abbey Road Studio 2
  • John Lennon: lead guitar, organ, vocals
  • Paul McCartney: bass, piano, backing vocals
  • George Harrison: lead guitar, backing vocals
  • Ringo Starr: drums, tambourine
 The BEATLES
34 Honey pie 0Oct 1, 2 + 4, 1968 George Martin,
Barry Sheffield 		Trident Studios
  • John Lennon: lead guitar
  • Paul McCartney: piano, vocals
  • George Harrison: Bass
  • Ringo Starr: drums
  • Dennis Walton, Ronald Chamberlain, Jim Chester, Rex Morris, Harry Klein : Saxophone
  • Raymond Newman, David Smith: Clarinet
The BEATLES
35 Savoy truffle 03rd, 5th, 11th and 14th October 1968 George Martin,
Barry Sheffield,
Ken Scott 		Trident Studios and Abbey Road Studio 2
  • Paul McCartney: bass, backing vocals
  • George Harrison: lead guitar, vocals
  • Ringo Starr: drums, tambourine
  • Chris Thomas: organ , electric piano
  • Art Ellefson, Danny Moss, Derek Collins, Ronnie Ross, Harry Klein, Bernard George: saxophone
The BEATLES
36 Martha My Dear 04th + 5th Oct. 1968 George Martin,
Barry Sheffield 		Trident Studios
  • Paul McCartney: bass, lead guitar, piano, clapping hands
  • George Harrison: lead guitar
  • Ringo Starr: drums
  • Bernard Miller, Dennis McConnell, Lou Sofier, Les Maddox: violin
  • Leo Birnbaum, Henry Myerscough: Viola
  • Reginald Kilbey, Frederick Alexander: Cello
  • Leon Calvert, Stanley Reynolds , Ronnie Hughes: Trumpet
  • Leon Calvert: flugelhorn
  • Tony Tunstall: French horn
  • Ted Barker: Trumpet
  • Alf Reece: tuba
The BEATLES
37 Long, long, long 0Oct 7-9, 1968 George Martin,
Ken Scott 		Abbey Road Studio 2
  • Paul McCartney: bass, organ, vocals
  • George Harrison: acoustic guitar, vocals
  • Ringo Starr: drums
  • Chris Thomas: piano
 The BEATLES
38 I'm so tired 0Oct 8, 1968 George Martin,
Ken Scott 		Abbey Road Studio 2
  • John Lennon: lead guitar, organ, vocals
  • Paul McCartney: bass, electric piano, backing vocals
  • George Harrison: lead guitar
  • Ringo Starr: drums
 The BEATLES
39 The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill 0Oct 8, 1968 George Martin,
Ken Scott 		Abbey Road Studio 2
  • John Lennon: acoustic guitar, organ, pipes, vocals
  • Paul McCartney: bass, whistle, backing vocals
  • George Harrison: acoustic guitar, pipes, backing vocals
  • Ringo Starr: drums, tambourine, backing vocals
  • Chris Thomas: Mellotron
  • Yoko Ono: short vocals
  • Background vocals: Yoko Ono, Maureen Starkey and other unlisted singers
 The BEATLES
40 Why Don't We Do It in the Road 0Oct 9-10, 1968 Paul McCartney,
Ken Townsend 		Abbey Road Studio 3
  • Paul McCartney: bass, lead guitar, acoustic guitar, piano, percussion, clapping hands, vocals
  • Ringo Starr: drums
 The BEATLES
41 Julia Oct 13, 1968 George Martin,
Ken Scott 		Abbey Road Studio 2
  • John Lennon: acoustic guitar, vocals
 The BEATLES

Unused songs

Unpublished recordings:

title Recording date annotation source
Gone Tomorrow, Here Today June 11, 1968 A McCartney composition that was recorded acoustically by McCartney The Unreleased Beatles Music & Film p. 202.
The Way You Look Tonight 16 Sep 1968 the lyrics sung are similar to those of I Will The complete Beatles recording sessions p. 155.

Unused demos:

title Recording date Remarks Initial release
Junk May 1968 A McCartney composition that Paul McCartney in April 1970 to the album McCartney was published Anthology 3
Mean Mr. Mustard May 1968 A Lennon composition, then for the album Abbey Road was recorded Anthology 3
Polythene Pam May 1968 Another Lennon composition, then for the album Abbey Road was recorded Anthology 3
Child of Nature May 1968 A Lennon composition that John Lennon on his album Imagine (1971 September) with other text titled Jealous Guy published more photographs of this title took place during the sessions for the film Let It Be instead The BEATLES (Super Deluxe Edition 2018)
Circles May 1968 A Harrison composition published by George Harrison on his album Gone Troppo (November 1982) The BEATLES (Super Deluxe Edition 2018)
Sour Milk Sea May 1968 A Harrison composition that Jackie Lomax released as single A-side (August 1968), this version features George Harrison and Eric Clapton (guitar), Paul McCartney (bass), Ringo Starr (drums) and Nicky Hopkins (piano ) With. The BEATLES (Super Deluxe Edition 2018)

Recordings from February 1968

No. song Recording dates Producer / sound engineer Studio Cast / guest musician Sound carrier (first release)
01 The Inner Light Jan. 12, 1968,
0Feb. 6 + 8, 1968 		George Martin,
Geoff Emerick,
JP Sen,
SN Gupta 		EMI Studios- Bombay ,
Abbey Road Studio 2 and 3 		Single B side
02 Lady Madonna 0Feb 3 + 6, 1968 George Martin,
Geoff Emerick,
Ken Scott 		Abbey Road Studio 3 and 1
  • John Lennon: lead guitar , clapping hands, backing vocals
  • Paul McCartney: bass, piano , mellotron, clapping hands, vocals
  • George Harrison: lead guitar, clapping hands, backing vocals
  • Ringo Starr: drums
  • Ronnie Scott, Bill Povey, Harry Klein, Bill Jackman: Saxophone
Single A-side
03 Across the universe 0Feb 4th + 8th, 1968 George Martin,
Ken Scott 		Abbey Road Studio 3 and 2
  • John Lennon: lead guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals
  • Paul McCartney: Bass
  • George Harrison: Tabura, Swaramandala, backing vocals
  • Ringo Starr: Tom-Tom
  • Lizzie Bravo, Gayleen Pease: backing vocals
 No One's Gonna Change Our World (Benefit Compilation Album )
04th Hey bulldog Feb 11, 1968 Geoff Emerick Abbey Road Studio 3
  • John Lennon: lead guitar, piano, vocals
  • Paul McCartney: bass, backing vocals
  • George Harrison: lead guitar
  • Ringo Starr: drums, tambourine
Yellow Submarine

Others

Cover of the bootleg : The Black Album

In Chile , the album was released in December 1968 with its own cover design on two albums The Beatles   and The Beatles Vol. II   .

In 1981 the triple bootleg album The Black Album was illegally released by the Beatles, it contains outtakes and test recordings for the album Let It Be .

The American DJ Danger Mouse created the Gray Album in 2004 , on which he mixed tracks from the White Album with a cappella versions of Jay-Z's The Black Album . The publication sparked an extensive debate about copyright .

From February 2010, the theater play The White Album by Roland Schimmelpfennig was performed with great success at the Schauspiel Frankfurt .

In December 2015, Ringo Starr's personal copy of the album, serial number 0000001, sold for $ 790,000. This made this record the highest price for a commercially released album.

Chart positions of the album

album Release Date Best placement in the charts Label catalog no.
Type title GB United KingdomUnited Kingdom US United StatesUnited States DE GermanyGermany GB United KingdomUnited Kingdom US United StatesUnited States DE GermanyGermany GB United KingdomUnited Kingdom US United StatesUnited States DE GermanyGermany
Studio album The BEATLES Nov 22, 1968 Nov 25, 1968 Nov 22, 1968 1 1 1 Apple
PMC 7067-7068 (Mono)
PCS 7067-7068 (Stereo) 		Apple
SWBO 101 		Apple
SMO 2051/52 (stereo)
Studio album
CD first release 		The BEATLES Aug 24, 1987 Aug 25, 1987  Aug 1987 18th 87 - Parlophone
CDP 7 46443 8 		Capitol
CDP 7 46443 8 		EMI
CDP 7 46443 8
Studio album
remastered CD re-release 		The BEATLES 0Sep 9 2009 0Sep 9 2009 0Sep 9 2009 21st 7th 49 Apple / EMI
3824662 		Apple / Capitol
3824662 		Apple / EMI
3824662
Studio album The BEATLES (Anniversary Edition) 0Nov 9, 2018 0Nov 9, 2018 0Nov 9, 2018 4th 6th 3 Apple / Universal
2CD: 0602567571339

6CD / 2Blu-Ray Box: 602567571957
2 LP: 602567696865
4 LP: 602567572015

Apple / Universal
2CD: 0602567571339

6CD / 2Blu-Ray Box: 602567571957
2 LP: 602567696865
4 LP: 602567572015

Apple / Universal
2CD: 0602567571339

6CD / 2Blu-Ray Box: 602567571957
2 LP: 602567696865
4 LP: 602567572015

Single releases

single Release Date Best placement in the charts Label catalog no.
A side / B side GB United KingdomUnited Kingdom US United StatesUnited States DE GermanyGermany GB United KingdomUnited Kingdom US United StatesUnited States DE GermanyGermany GB United KingdomUnited Kingdom US United StatesUnited States DE GermanyGermany
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da / While My Guitar Gently Weeps - - Jan. 14, 1969 nv nv 01 - - Apple 24 004
Back in the USSR / Twist and Shout May 25, 1976 -  Aug 1976 19th nv - Parlophone R6016 - Odeon 1C006-06179
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da / Julia - 0Nov 8, 1976 - nv 49 / - nv - Capitol 4347 -

Sales figures and awards

Country / Region Award Sales
Awards for music sales
(country / region, Award, Sales)
Argentina (CAPIF) Argentina (CAPIF) Gold record icon.svg gold 30,000
Australia (ARIA) Australia (ARIA) Platinum record icon.svg 2 × platinum 140,000
Italy (FIMI) Italy (FIMI) Gold record icon.svg gold 30,000
Canada (MC) Canada (MC) Octuple platinum record icon.svg8 × platinum (original)
+ Gold record icon.svggold (remastered) 		840,000
New Zealand (RMNZ) New Zealand (RMNZ) Platinum record icon.svg 2 × platinum 30,000
United States (RIAA) United States (RIAA) Diamond record icon.svgPlatinum record icon.svg 24 × platinum 12,000,000
United Kingdom (BPI) United Kingdom (BPI) Platinum record icon.svg 2 × platinum 600,000

Main article: The Beatles / Music Sales Awards

literature

  • The Beatles: The Beatles Anthology . Ullstein, Munich 2000, ISBN 3-550-07132-9 .
  • Mark Lewisohn : The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions: The Official Story of the Abbey Road Years . Hamlyn, London 1988, ISBN 0-600-61207-4 .
  • Mark Lewisohn: The Complete Beatles Chronicle . Hamlyn, London 1995, ISBN 0-600-61001-2 .
  • Ian MacDonald: Revolution in the Head . Vintage, 2008, ISBN 978-0-09-952679-7 .
  • Ian MacDonald: The Beatles. The song lexicon. Bärenreiter, Kassel 2000, ISBN 3-7618-1426-7 .
  • Christoph Maus: Beatles Worldwide. An Anthology of Original LP Releases in more than 40 Countries 1962–1972 . Print Competence, Mühlenrade 2004, ISBN 3-9809137-1-6 .
  • Christoph Maus: Beatles Worldwide II . An Anthology of Original Singles and EP Releases in 58 Countries 1961–1973. Print Competence, Mühlenrade 2005, ISBN 3-9809137-2-4 .
  • Barry Miles : The Beatles Diary. Volume 1: The Beatles Years . Omnibus, London 2001, ISBN 0-7119-8308-9 .
  • David Quantick: Revolution. The Making of the Beatles' White Album . Unanimous, London 2002, ISBN 1-903318-55-6 .
  • Volker Rebell : The Beatles 1968. The White Album . Heupferd Musik, Dreieich 2008, ISBN 978-3-923445-68-4 .
  • Neville Stannard: The Long and Winding Road . A History of The Beatles on Record. 2nd Edition. Virgin, London 1983, ISBN 0-907080-96-0 .
  • Steve Turner: A Hard Day's Write. The story behind every Beatles song . Heel, Königswinter 1996, ISBN 3-89365-500-X .
  • Richie Unterberger: The Unreleased Beatles. Music and film. Backbeat, San Francisco 2006, ISBN 0-87930-892-3 .
  • The Beatles, companion book for the Super Deluxe Edition 2018

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d The Beatles: The Beatles Anthology. 2000, ISBN 3-550-07132-9 , p. 305.
  2. ^ Mark Lewisohn: The Complete Beatles Chronicle, p. 295; Barry Miles: The Beatles Diary. Volume 1: The Beatles Years, p. 307.
  3. ^ Mark Lewisohn: The Complete Beatles Chronicle, p. 296; Barry Miles : The Beatles Diary. Volume 1: The Beatles Years, p. 308.
  4. ↑ a b The Beatles: The Beatles Anthology. 2000, ISBN 3-550-07132-9 , p. 311.
  5. ↑ Memories of Ken Scott and Chris Thomas about the recordings of the album
  6. ↑ a b c d e The Beatles: The Beatles Anthology. 2000, ISBN 3-550-07132-9 , p. 308.
  7. ↑ a b The Beatles: The Beatles Anthology. 2000, ISBN 3-550-07132-9 , p. 310.
  8. ^ Images by Francie Schwartz
  9. ↑ Origin of Revolution 1
  10. ↑ Mastering again in the USA .
  11. ↑ Multi-platinum award
  12. ↑ Christoph Maus: Beatles Worldwide II . An Anthology of Original Singles and EP Releases in 58 Countries 1961–1973, p. 180
  13. ^ Richie Unterberger: The Unreleased Beatles: Music and Film. ISBN 0-87930-892-3 , p. 169.
  14. ↑ Differences in the mixes of Beatles songs
  15. ^ Mark Lewisohn: The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions. The Official Story of the Abbey Road Years . ISBN 0-600-61207-4 , p. 163.
  16. ↑ The BEATLES UK - White vinyl
  17. ↑ The BEATLES Germany - White Vinyl
  18. ↑ The BEATLES Australia - White vinyl
  19. ↑ The BEATLES Canada - White vinyl
  20. ↑ The BEATLES France - White vinyl
  21. ↑ The BEATLES USA - White vinyl
  22. ↑ The BEATLES Japan - Red Vinyl
  23. ↑ 30 Anniversary Limited Edition
  24. ↑ Download the Beatles songs
  25. ↑ Streaming the Beatles songs
  26. ↑ Information about the Anniversary Edition
  27. ↑ Ringo Starr on the Anniversary Edition
  28. ↑ Interview with Giles Martin about the creation of the Anniversary Edition
  29. ↑ Another interview with Giles Martin about the creation of the Anniversary Edition
  30. ^ Official announcement of the Anniversary Edition
  31. ↑ Description of the songs in the Super Deluxe Box
  32. ↑ Chilean version - The Beatles
  33. ↑ Chilean Version-The Beatles Vol. II
  34. ↑ The Beatles Bootleg Album: The Black Album
  35. ↑ Musikexpress : The eight most expensive records in the world, ME editorial department July 17, 2016 available online