On This Day in 1968, The Beatles Started Recording the ‘White Album’

It is truly impossible to call one of The Beatles‘ records the absolute best. They are all different, serve different purposes, and mark different eras of The Beatles’ career. That being said, there isn’t a “best” Beatles record, as they all mean something entirely different in regards to the context surrounding it and the listener consuming it. However, one album that seemingly makes it into the top three list of every Beatles listener is the White Album, which the band started to record on this day, May 30, in 1968.

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Often referred to as the White Album, The Beatles’ ninth studio album is actually a self-titled project. However, we are going to resort to the common name and keep calling the White Album. Regardless, the album’s production and release came at a very transitional time for the group, as it was released roughly two years before their break-up and was the first album they released after studying transcendental meditation under the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

So, in a sense, this album marked the beginning of the end, and it does so in an incredibly epic way. The Beatles’ White Album is undeniably one of the greatest albums of all time, and we aren’t alone in thinking so. Rolling Stone placed the album at No. 29 on their “500 Greatest Albums of All Time” list. Nevertheless, on this day, 57 years ago, The Beatles made their return by starting to record the infamous White Album.

The Beatles Kicked Things off With a 12-Hour Recording Session

The Beatles wrote the majority of the songs featured on the album while they were with the Maharishi. So, they had a lot of work to get done, and they spent no time messing around. The first song The Beatles recorded on the album was Lennon’s track, “Revolution 1”.

It is unclear if The Beatles spent the whole first session working on that one track, but what they did was spend 12 hours in the studio. Recording at their home studio of EMI in London, The Beatles started recording at 2:30 pm and concluded at 2:40 am. As stated previously, they seemingly had a lot of work to do, and they weren’t going to waste any time.

Months later, in November, The Beatles released the White Album on November 22, 1968. Following the release, the album peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and remained there for nine non-consecutive weeks. It was one of the greatest albums of the decade, and to this day, it is still one of the greatest albums of all time.

Photo by Jan Olofsson/Redferns