In November 1968, millions of double LPs were shipped to record stores worldwide ahead of that tumultuous year’s most anticipated music event: the November 22nd release of The BEATLES (soon to be better known as ‘The White Album’). With their ninth studio album, The Beatles took the world on a whole new trip, side one blasting off with the exhilarating rush of a screaming jet escorting Paul McCartney’s punchy, exuberant vocals on “Back In The U.S.S.R.” “Dear Prudence” came next, John Lennon warmly beckoning his friend and all of us to “look around.” George Harrison imparted timeless wisdom in “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” singing, “With every mistake we must surely be learning.” Ringo Starr’s “Don’t Pass Me By” marked his first solo songwriting credit on a Beatles album. For 50 years, ‘The White Album’ has invited its listeners to venture forth and explore the breadth and ambition of its music, delighting and inspiring each new generation in turn.
On November 9, The Beatles will release a suite of lavishly presented ‘White Album’ packages (Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/UMe). The album’s 30 tracks are newly mixed by producer Giles Martin and mix engineer Sam Okell in stereo and 5.1 surround audio, joined by 27 early acoustic demos and 50 session takes, most of which are previously unreleased in any form.
The Beatles’ newly adopted method of recording all through the night was time consuming and exhausting for their producer, George Martin. Martin had other duties, including his management of AIR (Associated Independent Recording), and he had also composed the orchestral score for The Beatles’ animated feature film, Yellow Submarine, released in July 1968. After the first three months of ‘White Album’ sessions, Martin took a three-week holiday from the studio, entrusting the control room to his young assistant Chris Thomas and balance engineer Ken Scott. Scott had taken the place of engineer Geoff Emerick, who left the sessions in mid-July. On August 22, Ringo Starr also left the sessions, returning 11 days later to find his drum kit adorned with flowers from his bandmates. While the sessions’ four and a half months of long hours and many takes did spark occasional friction in the studio, the session recordings reveal the closeness, camaraderie, and collaborative strengths within the band, as well as with George Martin.
“We had left Sgt. Pepper’s band to play in his sunny Elysian Fields and were now striding out in new directions without a map,” says Paul McCartney in his written introduction for the new ‘White Album’ releases.
This is the first time The BEATLES (‘White Album’) has been remixed and presented with additional demos and session recordings. The album’s sweeping new edition follows 2017’s universally acclaimed Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band Anniversary Edition releases. To create the new stereo and 5.1 surround audio mixes for ‘The White Album,’ Martin and Okell worked with an expert team of engineers and audio restoration specialists at Abbey Road Studios in London. All the new ‘White Album’ releases include Martin’s new stereo album mix, sourced directly from the original four-track and eight-track session tapes. Martin’s new mix is guided by the album’s original stereo mix produced by his father, George Martin.
“In remixing ‘The White Album,’ we’ve tried to bring you as close as possible to The Beatles in the studio,” explains Giles Martin in his written introduction for the new edition. “We’ve peeled back the layers of the ‘Glass Onion’ with the hope of immersing old and new listeners into one of the most diverse and inspiring albums ever made.”
Super Deluxe:
The comprehensive, individually numbered 7-disc and digital audio collections feature:
CDs 1 & 2: The BEATLES (‘White Album’) 2018 stereo album mix
CD3: Esher Demos
Esher Demo tracks 1 through 19 sequenced in order of the finished song’s placement on ‘The White Album.’ Tracks 20-27 were not included on the album.
CDs 4, 5 & 6: Sessions
50 additional recordings, most previously unreleased, from ‘White Album’ studio sessions; all newly mixed from the four-track and eight-track session tapes, sequenced in order of their recording start dates.
Blu-ray:
- 2018 album mix in high resolution PCM stereo
- 2018 DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 album mix2018 Dolby True HD 5.1 album mix
- 2018 direct transfer of the album’s original mono mix
– Disc 1 –
- 1 CD 1: The Beatles (‘White Album’) 2018 Stereo Mix
- 2 Back in the U.S.S.R
- 3 Dear Prudence
- 4 Glass Onion
- 5 Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
- 6 Wild Honey Pie
- 7 The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill
- 8 While My Guitar Gently Weeps
- 9 Happiness Is a Warm Gun
- 10 Martha My Dear
- 11 I’m So Tired
- 12 Blackbird
- 13 Piggies
- 14 Rocky Raccoon
- 15 Don’t Pass Me By
- 16 Why Don’t We Do It in the Road?
- 17 I Will
- 18 Julia
– Disc 2 –
- 1 CD 2: The Beatles (‘White Album’) 2018 Stereo Mix
- 2 Birthday
- 3 Yer Blues
- 4 Mother Nature’s Son
- 5 Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey
- 6 Sexy Sadie
- 7 Helter Skelter
- 8 Long, Long, Long
- 9 Revolution I
- 10 Honey Pie
- 11 Savoy Truffle
- 12 Cry Baby Cry
- 13 Revolution 9
- 14 Good Night
– Disc 3 –
- 1 CD 3: Esher Demos
- 2 Back in the U.S.S.R
- 3 Dear Prudence
- 4 Glass Onion
- 5 Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
- 6 The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill
- 7 While My Guitar Gently Weeps
- 8 Happiness Is a Warm Gun
- 9 I’m So Tired
- 10 Blackbird
- 11 Piggies
- 12 Rocky Raccoon
- 13 Julia
- 14 Yer Blues
- 15 Mother Nature’s Son
- 16 Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey
- 17 Sexy Sadie
- 18 Revolution
- 19 Honey Pie
- 20 Cry Baby Cry
- 21 Sour Milk Sea
- 22 Junk
- 23 Child of Nature
- 24 Circles
- 25 Mean Mr. Mustard
- 26 Polythene Pam
- 27 Not Guilty
- 28 What’s the New Mary Jane
– Disc 4 –
- 1 CD 4: Sessions
- 2 Revolution I (Take 18)
- 3 A Beginning (Take 4) / Don’t Pass Me By (Take 7)
- 4 Blackbird (Take 28)
- 5 Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey (Unnumbered Rehearsal)
- 6 Good Night (Unnumbered Rehearsal)
- 7 Good Night (Take 10 with a Guitar Part from Take 5)
- 8 Good Night (Take 22)
- 9 Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (Take 3)
- 10 Revolution (Unnumbered Rehearsal)
- 11 Revolution (Take 14 – Instrumental Backing Track)
- 12 Cry Baby Cry (Unnumbered Rehearsal)
- 13 Helter Skelter (First Version – Take 2)
– Disc 5 –
- 1 CD 5: Sessions
- 2 Sexy Sadie (Take 3)
- 3 While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Acoustic Version – Take 2)
- 4 Hey Jude (Take 1)
- 5 St. Louis Blues (Studio Jam)
- 6 Not Guilty (Take 102)
- 7 Mother Nature’s Son (Take 15)
- 8 Yer Blues (Take 5 with Guide Vocal)
- 9 What’s the New Mary Jane (Take 1)
- 10 Rocky Raccoon (Take 8)
- 11 Back in the U.S.S.R. (Take 5 – Instrumental Backing Track)
- 12 Dear Prudence (Vocal, Guitar & Drums)
- 13 Let It Be (Unnumbered Rehearsal)
- 14 While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Third Version – Take 27)
- 15 (You’re So Square) Baby, I Don’t Care (Studio Jam)
- 16 Helter Skelter (Second Version – Take 17)
- 17 Glass Onion (Take 10)
– Disc 6 –
- 1 CD 6: Sessions
- 2 I Will (Take 13)
- 3 Blue Moon (Studio Jam)
- 4 I Will (Take 29)
- 5 Step Inside Love (Studio Jam)
- 6 Los Paranoias (Studio Jam)
- 7 Can You Take Me Back? (Take 1)
- 8 Birthday (Take 2 – Instrumental Backing Track)
- 9 Piggies (Take 12 – Instrumental Backing Track)
- 10 Happiness Is a Warm Gun (Take 19)
- 11 Honey Pie (Instrumental Backing Track)
- 12 Savoy Truffle (Instrumental Backing Track)
- 13 Martha My Dear (Without Brass and Strings)
- 14 Long, Long, Long (Take 44)
- 15 I’m So Tired (Take 7)
- 16 I’m So Tired (Take 14)
- 17 The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill (Take 2)
- 18 Why Don’t We Do It in the Road? (Take 5)
- 19 Julia (Two Rehearsals)
- 20 The Inner Light (Take 6 – Instrumental Backing Track)
- 21 Lady Madonna (Take 2 – Piano and Drums)
- 22 Lady Madonna (Backing Vocals from Take 3)
- 23 Across the Universe (Take 6)
– Disc 7 –
- 1 Disc 7 (Blu-ray): 5.1 Surround of Whole Album / Hi-Res Stereo Mix of Album / Hi-Res Mono Mix of Album