“We had left Sgt. Pepper’s band to play in his sunny Elysian Fields and were now striding out in new directions without a map,” says Paul McCartney in his written introduction for the new ‘White Album’ releases.
This November marks the 50th Anniversary of The Beatles double-LP The BEATLES – better known now as The White Album. To commemorate the occasion, The Beatles will release a suite of lavishly presented ‘White Album’ packages on November 9th via Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/UMe.
The album’s 30 tracks have been newly remixed by “fifth Beatle” George Martin’s son, Giles Martin and mix engineer Sam Okell. Sourced directly from the original four-track and eight-track session tapes, Martin’s new mix is guided by the album’s original stereo mix produced by his father, George Martin.
The goal of the remix, according to Giles Martin, is to bring the listeners as close as possible to the experience of The Beatles in studio. “It’s a tricky thing to do,” Martin said in an interview with The Times in his office at London’s celebrated Abbey Road Studio.
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“There’s one side of a fence – which is actually more the Beatles’ side – that says, ‘Why should we be playing outtakes? They’re outtakes,'” said Martin. “And there’s the other side [of fans and Beatles collectors] that says ‘We want everything, and we want it now.'” Martin said. “I think my job, in a way, is to curate that, to balance that so that it’s all valid. Because once you put something out, it’s out forever.”
It will be available as a 7-disc deluxe set, 3-CD and 4-LP versions and as a standard 2-LP edition. Included in all versions (except the 2-LP edition) are the Esher Demos – an extraordinary set of 27 acoustic demos recorded by the Beatles at George Martin’s house in Esher, Surrey in May of 1968. In addition to the 2-disc 2018 remaster of the White Album and the Esher Demos, the deluxe package also features three additional discs of sessions and a hi-res audio Blu-ray disc.
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See the full 7-disc deluxe tracklisting below.
CD 1: White Album (2018 Stereo Mix)
1. Back in the U.S.S.R.
2. Dear Prudence
3. Glass Onion
4. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
5. Wild Honey Pie
6. The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill
7. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
8. Happiness is a Warm Gun
9. Martha My Dear
10. I’m so tired
11. Blackbird
12. Piggies
13. Rocky Raccoon
14. Don’t Pass Me By
15. Why don’t we do it in the road?
16. I Will
17. Julia
CD 2: White Album (2018 Stereo Mix)
1.Birthday
2. Yer Blues
3. Mother Nature’s Son
4. Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey
5. Sexy Sadie
6. Helter Skelter
7. Long, Long, Long
8. Revolution I
9. Honey Pie
10. Savoy Truffle
11. Cry Baby Cry
12. Revolution 9
13. Good Night
CD 3: Esher Demos
1. Back in the U.S.S.R.
2. Dear Prudence
3. Glass Onion
4. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
5. The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill
6. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
7. Happiness is a Warm Gun
8. I’m so tired
9. Blackbird
10. Piggies
11. Rocky Raccoon
12. Julia
13. Yer Blues
14. Mother Nature’s Son
15. Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey
16. Sexy Sadie
17. Revolution
18. Honey Pie
19. Cry Baby Cry
20. Sour Milk Sea
21. Junk
22. Child of Nature
23. Circles
24. Mean Mr. Mustard
25. Polythene Pam
26. Not Guilty
27. What’s the New Mary Jane
CD 4: Sessions
1. Revolution I (Take 18)
2. A Beginning (Take 4) / Don’t Pass Me By (Take 7)
3. Blackbird (Take 28)
4. Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey (Unnumbered rehearsal)
5. Good Night (Unnumbered rehearsal)
6. Good Night (Take 10 with a guitar part from Take 5)
7. Good Night (Take 22)
8. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (Take 3)
9. Revolution (Unnumbered rehearsal)
10. Revolution (Take 14 – Instrumental backing track)
11. Cry Baby Cry (Unnumbered rehearsal)
12. Helter Skelter (First version – Take 2)
CD 5: Sessions
1. Sexy Sadie (Take 3)
2. While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Acoustic version – Take 2)
3. Hey Jude (Take 1)
4. St. Louis Blues (Studio jam)
5. Not Guilty (Take 102)
6. Mother Nature’s Son (Take 15)
7. Yer Blues (Take 5 with guide vocal)
8. What’s the New Mary Jane (Take 1)
9. Rocky Raccoon (Take 8)
10. Back in the U.S.S.R. (Take 5 – Instrumental backing track)
11. Dear Prudence (Vocal, guitar & drums)
12. Let It Be (Unnumbered rehearsal)
13. While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Third version – Take 27)
14. (You’re so Square) Baby, I Don’t Care (Studio jam)
15. Helter Skelter (Second version – Take 17)
16. Glass Onion (Take 10)
CD 6: Sessions
1. I Will (Take 13)
2. Blue Moon (Studio jam)
3. I Will (Take 29)
Blu-Ray:
2018 album mix in high resolution PCM stereo
2018 DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 album mix
2018 Dolby True HD 5.1 album mix
2018 direct transfer of the album’s original mono mix
