Good boys The Beatles were anything but good on White album. Maraton recordings, changed in collaborators, departure of members, breaking of the band's rules, disagreements, drugs, etc. In 1968, Lennon broke up with Cynthia, and McCartney was caught in flagranti with other chick. White Album was made in a manner albums are not supposed to be made. Cute boys from the the good became spoiled rockstars while recording White album.
Out of 30 songs on this long double album, only 16 was played by the whole band, as the members were cooking revenge by not playing on each other's songs. Simultaneously, they have worked in different studios so that they wouldn't have to see each other. Yet, in that hostile atmosphere, Lennon, McCartney, Starr and Harrison delivered Julia, Blackbird, Long Long Long, Helter Skelter, Happiness Is A Warm Gun, While My Guitar Gently Weeps. There were also the worst tracks of The Beatles - Wild Honey Pie, Glass Onion, Revolution No 9. Singles Hey Jude, Revolution and Lady Madonna were not included on the album.
It is less known that Jealous Guy and Let It Be also had that embryo versions during this period, but they will be saved for later. Long story short - this album touches the whole music spectrum of Anglo American music of the 20th century, excluding rap and techno. Bad blood between members spurred on this album, and it will all terminate year and a half later (terminate in a sense that the band stopped existing). Producer George Martin went on vacation in the middle of album's recording, and the other standard member of studio crew Geoff Emerick simply quit.
No matter the birth pains and its eclecticism, The Beatles album had a huge success, with sales over 10 million, and the critics were mostly positive. Is my critic positive? Hell yeah. It's no surprise that this record is at the top of the all-time-best-albums lists.
