The Smiley Smile Message Board

The debate has raged for over four decades.  Here is my single album track list:

Side 1

1. Back in the USSR
2. Helter Skelter
3. Birthday
4. Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da
5. Piggies
6. Sexie Sadie
7. Happiness is a Warm Gun

Side 2

1. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
2. Dear Prudence
3. Martha My Dear
4. Blackbird
5. Honey Pie
6. Julia
7. Good Night

Didn't we do this here before? Maybe it was elsewhere (record room?) or maybe it was just forever ago. I know I've got a single-album track list I posted somewhere. I'll dig around.

Also let it be said I'm almost always a fan of single albums over doubles.

I'd prefer to leave it as it is, with all its flaws and imperfections, because I love it for that very same reason - it's not perfect, it's sketchy, rough, unfinished, a bit of a hodge podge affair.

Feel the same about Big Star's "Third/Sister Lovers". Its strength is its weakness, its beauty its crudeness and vice versa.

I don't think I'd even succeed in trimming it down to a single LP version... Because it would be hard to pick the 10-12 cuts I like the most.

The album as it is makes me enjoy it so much. If I want to listen to a short, pop masterpiece created by the Beatles I'll play either "Rubber Soul" or "Revolver".

This reminds me of what I did with Tommy:

Side One:
1. Overture
2. Amazing Journey
3. Sparks
4. The Hawker
5. Cousin Kevin
6. The Acid Queen

Side Two:
1. Pinball Wizard
2. Go To The Mirror
3. Tommy Can You Hear Me
4. Smash The Mirror
5. Sensation
6. I'm Free
7. We're Not Gonna Take It

Of course, the CD rerelease has room for a bonus track, the awesome "Underture". :=)

Maybe a fun exercise, but cutting it in half misses the point of the album in my opinion.

Nobody but me ever seems to choose Don't Pass Me By, but I love it.

Back In The USSR
Dear Prudence
Glass Onion
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except For Me And My Monkey
Mother Nature's Son
Happiness Is A Warm Gun

Don't Pass Me By
Martha My Dear
I'm So Tired
Blackbird
Long Long Long
I Will
Julia

Paul McCartney said it best, "It's great, it sold, it's the bloody Beatles' White Album, shut up!" But, it's still fun - and frustrating as hell - to try.

The Beatles (White Album)

01  Back In The U.S.S.R.
02  Dear Prudence
03  Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
04  Happiness Is A Warm Gun
05  Mother Nature's Son
06  Piggies
07  Sexy Sadie

08  Birthday
09  Why Don't We Do It In The Road?
10  Helter Skelter
11  While My Guitar Gently Weeps
12  Cry Baby Cry
13  Blackbird
14  Good Night

It ^ needs one more Lennon song and one less McCartney song. I had "Yer Blues" at Song 09 instead of "Why Don't We Do It In The Road" but changed my mind. "Julia" could go on there to, but maybe because it was such a personal song, John could've used it on one of his solo albums.

I've never been one to mind having too much music, so I'd leave it as it is.  It's a good album in my opinion, when I first bought it in high school I loved it.  I can't really say I dislike any of the songs on it, at the time me and my friends were all going through a Beatles phase, and even were into Revolution #9.  All the little songs a lot of people consider throwaways like "Long, Long, Long" and "Honey Pie" I like pretty much as good as the big hits off of it. 

1- Back in the USSR
2 - Dear Prudence
3- Glass Onion
4- The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill
5- While My Guitar Gently Weeps
6- Happiness is a Warm Gun
7 - Martha My Dear
8- I'm So Tired
9- Blackbird
10- Piggies
11- Rocky Raccoon
12- I Will
13- Julia
14- Birthday
15- Yer Blues
16 - Mother Nature's Son
17- Long Long Long
18 - Revolution 1
19- Honey Pie
20 - Savoy Truffle
21 - Cry Baby Cry
naw, can't do it, that's too long for one record

I am surprised that I'm So Tired doesn't make the cut for a lot of your lists. That's my favorite song on the whole album.

I've said it before, but I think The Beatles White Album should have been a triple album.

Add the outtakes from the Anthology series and let it all hang out.



...Although i'd be tempted to cut out Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da...

Let's take another approach, one that should have Macca fans howling for my blood: This is the single-LP tribute version, dedicated to the two Beatles sadly no longer with us, all brought to a stomping conclusion by that most underrated of White Album tracks.

Side One:
1. Revolution 1
2. Dear Prudence
3. Glass Onion
4. The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill
5. I'm So Tired
6. Yer Blues
7. Julia
8. Happiness Is A Warm Gun


Side Two:
1. Sexy Sadie
2. Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey
3. Long Long Long
4. Revolution 9
5. Savoy Truffle

^ Then I should make a tribute comp for the living half of the Beatles & call it "Ring Paul". Anyway, this is my plan: throw out boring John Lennon songs, leave good, some other filler out & I have one ideal White album:

1. Back in the U.S.S.R.
2. Wild Honey Pie [always loved it! :3d]
3. Martha My Dear [that Paul could dedicate song - & very charming at that - to his dog deserves respect in my book]
4. Piggies [see No.2]
5. Rocky Raccoon
6. Don't Pass Me By [you ain't alone, unreleased bcgrs :3d]
7. Mother Nature's Son
8. Everybody's Got Sth. to Hide Except for Me & My Monkey
9. Helter Skelter
10. Revolution 1
11. Savoy Truffle
12. Cry Baby Cry
13. (bonus) While My Guitar (acoustic version)

Ditto.

By the way, I half-assedly (tm) dug around for my old 1-album version and failed. And I'm too lazy to make a new one--which I can officially confirm because I started doing just that and quit.

However, I do want to comment based on the people who say they like all the songs, that it should be left alone, that it's a silly exercise, etc. For me, this kind of game isn't usually about dismissing some songs, or pretending I know best. Rather it's playing with presentation and context. Sometimes I'll leave off a favorite song, not because it isn't good, but just because in the self-imposed parameters, it doesn't fit or flow.

So I can simultaneously play this kind of game while also wholeheartedly agree with that great McCartney quote from the Anthology. the "it's the bloody Beatles, it's the bloody White Album, shut up" (or whatever the wording was).

Though I do believe generally that single albums are a more digestible format than double. Not about quality of music, just about how to get across a group of songs as a unit. If you want the album to be a statement beyond collection of songs--which you don't have to--then to me a single album is the more effective way to do it because it's less demanding of a listener. Just an opinion.

There are exceptions, but for the most part, I agree with you.  I think that, with few exceptions, albums should be around 45 minutes or less.  When CDs came out, many artists were padding their albums when filler that probably wouldn't have made the cut in the vinyl days. 

Of course concept albums (ie. Tommy, Quadrophenia, The Wall) are a bit of a different story. 

I think had they released only 12 songs from The White Album as a follow-up to Sgt. Pepper, the album would've endlessly been criticized, from every angle, regardless of the chosen songs. The White Album offered a solution for that, in that the purpose of the album is different, the format different. It defies comparisons with Sgt. Pepper because it is a completely different story.

But George Starostin put it better than me and I fully agree with this:
"What can you do if you have hit your ceiling and «up» is no longer an alternative? Simple as heck: instead of going high, you can allow yourself to go wide. You do not have to prove that you are the best in the world: instead, it is much more fun to show that you are the world. Everyone who ever complained that the 2 LPs of The White Album were overkill, and that the whole thing might have benefited from throw­ing out some filler, completely missed the point. If there are songs on here that you don't like, feel free to edit them out of your playlist — just like it is hardly a sin to skip over a few hundred unin­spiring pages of War And Peace when you set out to re-read it — but do not deny them their rightful place as an integral part of the whole composition."

So I do think that sometimes double albums can be the right artistic decision and that this is such a case.

I think that, if anything, they have a higher standard (which they usually fail to live up to). If you're telling me I need to dedicate 90 minutes to your concept, it better be a fucking good concept. I'm actually more forgiving of a double album of unrelated songs ("unrelated" other than that they're presumably by the same band, and likely recorded in a similar time frame) than of a concept album. If you can tell your story in 40 minutes and 12 songs instead of 90 and 25, you're better for it.

No way Quadrophenia or The Wall would've worked as single albums, story-wise. Can you imagine The Trial and Love Reign O'er Me coming on after just 11 songs or so?

I think Quadrophenia and The Wall are two examples of great concept albums.  I couldn't imagine cutting any of the tracks from either (in fact, The Wall was slightly edited for record to avoid a third disc).  

Now, as for Judas Priest's Nostradamus album....the less said about that, the better.  

I'm actually not a big fan of either album, but it's less about length than just not being a fan of those bands in general. So I won't get into those.

Besides, it occurs to me that my one dramatic board flame-out was a kerfuffle at the record room some years back over this very idea--my strong preference for single albums--and then I eventually returned with my tail between my legs realizing it's boring not to discuss music, fights or not. So poor, re-registered me... I won't push the issue again! (Or quit a board in a huff! Lesson #1: nobody gives a f***.)

My biggest general problem with concept albums regardless of length is that I don't think most songwriters seem to have the chops to pull off narrative. So loose concepts tend to work better than true narrative concepts, in my opinion. AND IF YOU DON'T AGREE, I'M QUITTING THIS BOARD!  ;)

I hear ya Capt.  In general, I do prefer the single album of 45 minutes or less.   If I had to make a list of 50 of my favorite albums of all time, I'd be willing to bet around 40 would fall under that criteria. 

And not all concept albums are narrative pieces.  ie.  Darkside of the Moon is about madness in general, but doesn't have a narrative story like The Wall. 

Oh absolutely. Those are the type I think are more likely to succeed (for me). They give the writer(s) more leeway.

Allowing a couple years' time to thoughtfully edit down:

Mrs. Lennon
Airmale
Revolution 9
Wild Honey Pie
Piggies
Helter Skelter
Long, Long, Long
Julia
Why Don't We Do it in the Road?
Sexy Sadie
Good Night

I personally don't have the attention span for a double album.  I'm not ashamed to admit that I would find single album versions of White Album, Physical Graffiti, Tommy, and the Wall more appealing. 

You  know, the release of the Esher tunes would have been spectacular. Those  recordings to me are the essence of The Beatles songwriting talents.

Apropos of the "truncated Tommy" discussion with Choc in the Who topic, I decided to revisit a similar, much more controversial issue.

I was also looking for my John-and-George-only White Album proposal to post across the road. Note that "WMGGW" isn't on it--I fail to "get" the plaudits showered on this track. I much prefer the gorgeous version George and Giles M included on Love:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NU4yWui_DFQ

Personally, I don't want to cut it down to a single album - there are too many keepers on this album (I love every song on the album, to varying extent, but three: Wild Honey Pie, Long Long Long & Revolution 9)

As for my own playlist, I tend to add more songs. Right now, I add Lady Madonna, The Inner Light, Hey Bulldog, Not Guilty, Hey Jude and You're So Square, making it a 33-song "album" as a whole. I know it's not realistic, but it works for me.

However, I agree the idea that it was better off separated as two albums. It's just that I can't imagine how those two albums would've been.

Definitely a tough one but this is what I'm going for at the moment:

1.   Back in the USSR
2.   Dear Prudence
3.   Glass Onion
4.   Ob-la-di Ob-la-da
5.   While My Guitar Gently Weeps
6.   I Will
7.   Happiness is a Warm Gun

8.   Revolution
9.   Blackbird
10.   Savoy Truffle
11.   Helter Skelter
12.   Julia
13.   Mother Nature’s Son
14.   Good Night

Sadly, as i get older, i find my attention span is going, too. I used to sit glued to the record player, as Bob spewed out all 120 verses of Desolation Row, Hurricane, or Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts. Now my mind starts to wander after 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
Keep it short and sweet. Straight to the point.
Maybe that's why i am going back to more 50's/mid 60's music these days. If your single ran over 3 minutes, it was less likely to get played.
Unless it was Like a Rolling Stone or Hey Jude.