When did the Beatles break up? This is a question that has as many answers as there are questioners. One of the earliest dates one could give for an answer is August 27, 1967, the day Brian Epstein died. Brian Epstein had been the Beatles manager from almost the very beginning and the four Beatles were very fond of him. He booked their concerts and took care of all of their finances. He also often stepped in to help mend fences where the group argued. One can write a book about the relationship between Brian Epstein and the Beatles, but one thing is for certain, when Brian died, the Beatles began to drift apart.
In early 1968 the group visited the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in India and had some very productive songwriting sessions then and after, but by the time they came to the studio to record conflict and dissent drove them apart. At one point Ringo quite the band for two weeks until they could persuade him to come back.
What all of this produced is an album that is notable for the eclectic nature of the songs. The white album is basically a collection of songs, each written by one of the Beatles and put together on two LPs. Despite this, and despite the divided critics, the album is still ranked at 10 in the Rolling Stone list of the top 500 albums.
Being two LPs, I will do this album in three parts. Tomorrow I will discuss a bit about mono v stereo.
Back In The USSR – Tie. 8 Track recording now allows for great mono and stereo
Dear Prudence – Stereo. The guitar at the start sounds much better in the stereo mix.
Glass Onion – Stereo. Vocals are sharper and the instruments well balanced.
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da – Stereo edges out the mono just a bit. The vocals are better.
Wild Honey Pie – Whatever you think of this song, it works better in stereo.
The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill – Tie. Both are strong
While My Guitar Gently Weeps – Stereo. Gorgeous mix. Clapton’s guitar sounds much better in stereo.
Happiness Is A Warm Gun – Tie. The mono version has plenty of dept to make it as good as stereo.
Here are both versions of White My Guitar Gently Weeps. You Choose!
Enjoy!
Mono
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Am8FOijzqdQ]
Stereo
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vs7jxtPCqks]
While I agree that Clapton’s lead is better in stereo and in fact you can hear all the parts better in stereo, I actually like the mono. Somehow it seems far more cohesive.