Best of 1968: White Album or Friends

[urbanite]

I'd choose the White Album, even though I like Friends.  Friends shows the drop-off in Brian Wilson's ability to write and produce great pop music.

[bossaroo]

disagree. I think with Friends, Brian just couldn't care less about having a pop hit. he just made the record he wanted to make.

it's more personal and autobiographical than Pet Sounds in my opinion, and songs like Friends, Little Bird, and Busy Doin Nothin are utter masterpieces to my ears. The Beatles couldn't have made songs like those no matter what, but it's silly to compare the two groups.

I love both albums but Friends is the one I return to over and over. it might not make as big a splash, but it sure hits the spot.

[Lonely Summer]

I find it hard to even rank "The Beatles" among Beatles albums. I have the choice between a bunch of 30 minute albums (well, okay, Pepper and Abbey run a little longer), and this nearly two hour double album!
"Friends", on the other hand, is over in LESS than 30 minutes. But I do like it pretty well up till "Diamond Head" - I know i'm supposed to hear it as a continuation of the "Smile" vibe, but I just find it boring. And then the album closes with an absolutely awful, off-key track about "Transcendental Meditation".
If I wanted the perfect song to meditate to, it certainly wouldn't be this one. I'd choose "Be Still" or "All I Wanna Do".

What about Transcendental Meditation sounds off-key? The harmonies (both the saxes and Brian's vocals) have always sounded extremely spot on to me.

I guess the melody is some lame attempt at sounding middle eastern, but it's like fingernails on a chalkboard to me. The last thing I want to do when that comes on is meditate. And the guys did such a great job up to that point of the album of creating a peaceful, meditative atmosphere. Like the opening of Meant for You into Wake the World. Very peaceful, soothing sounds.

[rab2591]

I find it hard to even rank "The Beatles" among Beatles albums. I have the choice between a bunch of 30 minute albums (well, okay, Pepper and Abbey run a little longer), and this nearly two hour double album!
"Friends", on the other hand, is over in LESS than 30 minutes. But I do like it pretty well up till "Diamond Head" - I know i'm supposed to hear it as a continuation of the "Smile" vibe, but I just find it boring. And then the album closes with an absolutely awful, off-key track about "Transcendental Meditation".
If I wanted the perfect song to meditate to, it certainly wouldn't be this one. I'd choose "Be Still" or "All I Wanna Do".

What about Transcendental Meditation sounds off-key? The harmonies (both the saxes and Brian's vocals) have always sounded extremely spot on to me.

I guess the melody is some lame attempt at sounding middle eastern, but it's like fingernails on a chalkboard to me. The last thing I want to do when that comes on is meditate. And the guys did such a great job up to that point of the album of creating a peaceful, meditative atmosphere. Like the opening of Meant for You into Wake the World. Very peaceful, soothing sounds.

I absolutely used to hate TM until I started getting used to it (after listening to Friends a lot). Part of me thinks it was an attempt at humor, another part of me thinks it was the Boys trying to get the message of TM out there in the most bombastic way possible.

One thing I will say, the brass section on that song is out-of-this-world amazing (it is especially cool on the instrumental version from (I think) Made in California). That being said, I completely get what you're saying - took me years of listening to that album to not skip that song or cringe every time it came on.

[Bicyclerider]

The White Album (The Beatles) was more popular and more influential than Friends.  While far from the Beatles’ best album, it is the best representation of the four Beatles’ personalities and where they were at musically at the time, warts and all.  There is a greater variety of musical styles and approaches than anything else they had done or would do.  The three principal writers were all extremely prolific at this time and the songs included show them at their best and at times at their worst.  That’s what makes it such a fascinating album, almost a musical diary of their lives - they let it all hang out. 

I prefer Friends musically but the album is extremely short, didn’t chart, and was running completely counter to the musical trends of the time.  It makes it even cooler now, of course, that Brian was making brilliant music that he wanted to make without concern for commerciality or trends, but if I had to choose between the White Album and Friends in a Best of 1968 list, I’d go with the White Album.

Better yet, why not include both?  I’m sure one of the other albums in your list could be dropped to make room for Friends.