Distilling The White Album to a Pure Concentrate 

Our friend and star commenter Fitz recently made the point that The Beatles The Beatles (commonly known as The White Album) was perhaps too full of filler; he posited that it could be a KILLER single LP. 

This got me thinking - if YOU were to select the songs for the single White Album, what songs and running order would you choose? This is our contest. Post your versions in the comments. Adrienne and I will pick a winner and the winner gets a spankin' new Singles Going Steady T-Shirt, free shipping to US/Mexico/Canada. Deadline is Midnight, Monday December 17th (EST).  You must select FIFTEEN songs, two sides, 7 on one and 8 on the other. Song choice AND running order will be considered. See my picks below.

In the classic iteration, there are two LP’s with thirty songs, in this order: 

Record 1 /Side A 

 1. Back In The U.S.S.R. (Side A) 

 2. Dear Prudence (Side A) 

 3. Glass Onion (Side A) 

 4. Ob - La - Di - Ob - La - Da (Side A)

 5. Wild Honey Pie (Side A) 

 6. The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill (Side A) 

 7. While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Side A) 

 8. Happiness Is A Warm Gun (Side A) 

Record 1 /Side B 

   9. Martha My Dear (Side B) 

 10. I'm So Tired (Side B) 

 11. Blackbird (Side B) 

 12. Piggies (Side B) 

 13. Rocky Racoon (Side B) 

 14. Don't Pass Me By (Side B) 

 15. Why Don't We Do It In The Road? (Side B) 

 16. I Will (Side B) 

 17. Julia (Side B) 

Record 2/Side A 

   1. Birthday (Side A) 

   2. Yer Blues (Side A) 

   3. Mother Nature's Son (Side A) 

   4. Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey (Side A) 

   5. Sexy Sadie (Side A) 

   6. Helter Skelter (Side A) 

  7. Long, Long, Long (Side A) 

Record 2/Side B 

   8. Revolution 1 (Side B) 

   9. Honey Pie (Side B) 

  10. Savoy Truffle (Side B) 

  11. Cry Baby Cry (Side B) 

  12. Revolution 9 (Side B) 

  13. Good Night (Side B) 

And of course the 2018 Deluxe version expands the album to SIX discs and offers outtakes and incorporates alternate versions.  Let’s go the OTHER way. So, for our argument, we will parboil the original to just FIFTEEN songs, 7 or 8 on either side. 

Here’s my choices: 

Steve’s KILLER White Album: 

Side A 

     1. Back In The U.S.S.R 

     2. Dear Prudence 

     3. Happiness Is A Warm Gun 

     4. Julia 

     5. I Will 

     6. I'm So Tired 

     7. Blackbird 

     8. While My Guitar Gently Weeps 

Side B 

     9. Yer Blues 

   10. Mother Nature’s Son 

   11. Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey 

   12. Sexy Sadie 

   13. Revolution 1 

   14. Cry Baby Cry 

   15. Helter Skelter 

Or;  Steve’s KILLER White Album v. 2 (Yoko Edition) 

Side A 

  1. Revolution 9 

  2. Revolution 1 (Just kidding...it's REALLY Revolution 9) 

  3. Revolution 9 

  4. Revolution 9 

  5. You Become Naked 

  6. Revolution 9 

  7. It’s A Goal! 

Side B 

  8. Revolution 9 

  9. Revolution 9 

 10. Bagism 

 11. Revolution 9 

 12. Revolution 9 

 13. Being Hit By A Car 

 14. Revolution 9 

 15. Revolution 9 

What say you? Too Fluxus? Please post YOUR versions in the comments… 

https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/f/fluxus

Here is ADRIENNE'S super-cool version, using the Esher Demos and studio outtakes (cause who said she couldn't):

(SIDE A) 

1. You’re So Square/Why Don’t We Do It In The Road? 

 2. Helter Skelter 

 3. Glass Onion 

 4. Back in the USSR 

 5. Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except for Me And My Monkey 

 6. I’m So Tired 

 7. Yer Blues 

(SIDE B)

 8. Revolution 1 (Rehearsal) 

 9. Happiness is A Warm Gun (Esher) 

10. Dear Prudence (Disk 5) 

11. Blackbird (Esher) 

12. Julia (Esher) 

13. Cry Baby Cry (Esher) 

14. While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Esher) 

15. Across the Universe (from CD 6)

Thanks for participating in Zub’s first contest of the new era. Whether you entered, tried to enter, thought about entering, or simply enjoyed others’ ideas of a distilled White Album, thank you! 

First off, an announcement. We had an entry we disqualified from an R. Starkey, who list his or herself as being from “Liverpool, All Those Years Ago, Peace and Love.” I am sorry, we need a current address for a proper entry, so I afraid the entry was disqualified.  Also, look at Starkey’s distilled White Album: 

A 

Don’t Pass Me By (2018 Disk 1) 

Good Night (2018 Disk 2) 

Good Night (Track 5 Disk 4) 

Good Night (Track 6 Disk 4) 

Good Night (Track 7 Disk 4) 

B 

Good Night (Track 7 Disk 4) 

Good Night (Track 6 Disk 4) 

Good Night (Track 5 Disk 4) 

Good Night (2018 Disk 2) 

Don’t Pass Me By (2018 Disk 1) 

Mr. or Ms. Starkey, that feels like a lot of Ringo.  Maybe better luck in a future contest. 

But the Zub Singles Going Steady T-shirt goes to: 

BOTH Kim Stahl and Jack Bly. 

We loved both of them and hope you will wear your shirts in good health and often. 

Peace and Zub, 

A and Steve