Classic Day -The Canvas for Creation

The White Album, quite possibly the most influential work of music to ever be produced from a band. The Beatles, while well known at this point were finally at their end, the band began to disperse through the air and it seemed the group would eventually become no more. However, there was a shining glimmer of hope, The Beatles, or more commonly known as the White Album would begin to influence millions of people around the world, and become a piece of history.

The Beatles, or The White Album had gotten the nickname from its very simple cover art, yet it is still today a world renowned cover and surprisingly despite the simple white background with grey lettering, The Beatles did incredibly well launching to the tops of both the the U.K. and U.S. charts for eight weeks in the U.K. and nine for the U.S. The album while a work of refined musical skill and outstanding production which was also a technological advance for The Beatles as this would be their first album to ever use an eight-track system for recording. This was cutting edge at the time, and now it seems silly as producers can have up to 128 tracks and higher, but at the time in 1960’s, this was groundbreaking.

With the new technology brought in to record, this also brought in new music styles to try and experiment with. The Beatles were one of the first bands to really break barriers of music and to experiment with different instruments and musicians as well. Many fans of the album are unaware that Eric Clapton, longtime friend of George Harrison played guitar on one of the track on The Beatles. “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” actually was the first time The Beatles used a new musician to play an already existing part for a song. The White Album was just a great platform for The Beatles to use to experiment, mostly with different themes and ways of writing.

From the outstanding orchestra work, the timpani, the violins, the roaring trumpets, the whole album is a journey from start to finish and while I even personally enjoy the stranger tracks like “The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill,” and even the downright otherworldly track “Revolution 9,” The White album also has tracks that are more radio friendly or that have more of The Beatles personality that longtime fans will remember.

The White Album just has so many unforgettable songs, that vary in the speed, instruments and the overall tone. Not a single song on the entire White Album sounds similar to any degree, and the darker songs like “I’m So Tired,” and even one of my personal favorite songs “Cry Baby Cry,” are amazing additions to the complexity and ever-changing style of The Beatles. From Magical Mystery Tour to Rubber Soul, The Beatles has always evolved their sound and image along as well. It was always interesting to see exactly what they had in mind and what The Beatles would release next.

I remember being so young and finally hearing The White Album, I was blown away even as a child and The Beatles were my first real heroes of music. The Beatles White Album just stands as a testament to how creative genius, experimentation, and hard work really pays off in the end, and how The Beatles became one of the monumental records of history.