Brimming with more material than they could fit onto one album, The Beatles famously decided to make The Beatles (also known as the White Album) a double LP. Most fans love the scope of it all. But there have been rumblings over the years that the band would have been better served editing this beast of a record down. With that in mind, we’re going to try and cut The Beatles into a single disc. Here are the twelve songs we would keep.
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“Back In The U.S.S.R.
You can’t argue with the thrilling opening track. Paul McCartney’s quasi-homage to The Beach Boys, filtered through a Chuck Berry groove, features some clever lyrics and surges with unstoppable forward momentum.
“Dear Prudence”
We have no quibbles with keeping this stunning John Lennon composition, which would allow us to also keep the fade-in from “Back In The U.S.S.R.” Check out Paul McCartney, filling in for Ringo Starr, playing the crazy drum fills in the final verse.
“Glass Onion”
No, we’re not deviating from the thrilling one-two-three punch of the original LP. Lennon wrote “Glass Onion” to confuse fans parsing his lyrics too closely. He ended up giving them even more fodder for their pursuits.
“While My Guitar Gently Weeps”
Our first deviation from the original running order appears here, as we skip over three songs to get to George Harrison’s towering track. After all, we couldn’t cut the most famous guest appearance (Eric Clapton) on a Beatles record.
“I’m So Tired”
John Lennon couldn’t sleep while he was in India. He was too busy thinking about missing Yoko Ono, who didn’t make the trip because Lennon was still married to his first wife. You can hear the angst in Lennon’s powerful lead vocal performance.
“Blackbird”
We end Side One of this reconfigured version of The Beatles with its prettiest track. McCartney composes an unforgettable melody and then rises to the occasion with lyrics that match the moment that he created.
“Piggies”
“Piggies” makes for an off-kilter beginning to Side Two. It features George Harrison’s sardonic wit at its best. And the odd musical backing, harpsichord and all, provides an effective swerve from the more traditional tracks around it.
“Mother Nature’s Son”
Another Paul McCartney acoustic beauty. In many ways, it’s one of his most autobiographical songs in The Beatles, as his love of the outdoors shines forth in the lyrics. It also provides perfect counterbalance to having “Blackbird” on Side One.
“Sexy Sadie”
Since so much of The Beatles came from The Beatles’ trip to India, it wouldn’t be right to dismiss John Lennon’s biting track about the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the man behind the retreat. A good example of why you should never anger a songwriter.
“Helter Skelter”
After three relatively slow songs, we had to rev up the pace. And what better way to do it than with a song that Paul McCartney wrote in an attempt to come up with the heaviest track ever? By keeping some short songs before it, we can even get away with the long running time.
“Revolution 1”
Honestly, we kind of prefer the single version of “Revolution” over this slower, shuffle-like version. But we’re OK with it here because the calmer pace puts John Lennon’s thoughtful lyrics about the need for intelligent change into the spotlight.
“Good Night”
Needless to say, we couldn’t have a version of the White Album without Ringo Starr on the microphone at least once. Since “Good Night” was a perfect closer on the original version of the album, we’re not about to mess with success.
Photo by John Downing/Getty Images
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