Tag Archives: The White Album

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Song of the Day #520: ‘Mother Nature’s Son’ – The Beatles

It’s funny how now matter what Beatles song you pull up on YouTube or elsewhere on the Web, you’ll always find several people who consider it their favorite song.

I suppose, given the long tail of the World Wide Web, that’s the case with pretty much any song by any artist. I could probably post an obscure B-side by a band that put out one poorly-received album in the 90s and find somebody who wants it played at his funeral.

But when it comes to The Beatles, I can understand it. Just about every one of their songs is worthy of being somebody’s favorite.

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Song of the Day #436: ‘Long, Long, Long’ – The Beatles

georgeOne of the greatest things about the Beatles catalog is how deep it is. Awhile back I wrote about my theory that it take three great songs to make a great album. Well, in the case of The Beatles, just about every song on each of their albums is great. Even (sometimes especially) the ones casual fans have never even heard of.

I can think of exactly one track in a discography of more than 200 songs that I actually skip: ‘Revolution 9.’ And that’s not even a real song. The rest run the gamut from ‘the best songs ever written’ to ‘pretty good’ with 95% at ‘great’ or better. Not many artists can claim that sort of consistency, and no other band rivals the number of ‘best songs ever written’ — not even close.

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Song of the Day #134: ‘Sexy Sadie’ – The Beatles

whitealbum1The second disc of The White Album is definitely the weak one. The inclusion of the horrible ‘Revolution 9’ alone keeps this one out of my CD player. ‘Honey Pie,’ ‘Yer Blues’ and ‘Good Night’ only drag it down more.

But it does have its moments. ‘Birthday’ is an enjoyable rocker, and ‘Helter Skelter’ is one of the most crazily unexpected successes in their catalog. ‘Mother Nature’s Son’ and ‘Revolution 1’ are also more than worthy.

But my favorite track on this disc is Lennon’s ‘Sexy Sadie.’

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Song of the Day #133: ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’ – The Beatles

whitealbumThe one and only George Harrison tune in my Beatles series, ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’ is also one of my all-time favorite songs by the band. It’s very different in style and feel than most Beatles songs, which is part of its charm.

The Beatles (or The White Album, as it’s popularly known) is ironically titled… the first album named after the band itself showcases the group at its most splintered. While past Beatles efforts were very much a collaborative effort, much of this album wasn’t even recorded with the full band present.

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