Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I FINALLY bought "the Beatles" White album on CD. I hadn't listened to the actual vinyl disc for many moons. While listening on my commute to work this morning, I was captivated by the bassline on the second half of Martha My Dear, a song that I had skipped over MANY times before!! I've always admired Paul's bass work, but I am continually uncovering great little things like this that I'd "missed" in the past....

Since I started playing bass (about 2 years ago), I've really been LISTENING for this type of thing and other little details. I swear that it's almost like starting over as a NEW Beatles fan.....

Chris, I noticed something similar once I started doing some home recording. It seemed that layering various instruments made my hearing more selective/discriminating when I listened to the originals.

Chris - I think that the bassline on "Martha" has a tuba overdub with a string section. Interesting, huh?

I usually play the "martha" bass line on my V63 with strings mute...well...It sounds like Paul's

The White Album is the strangest album the group ever made.I don't mean that as a criticism or a put down.It is among my favourite albums to this day.Listening to the album itself is like going on a psychedelic journey."Revolution 9"is the strangest part of the whole album.The following track"Good Night"which ends the album,sounds even stranger.The high pitched sound heard at the beginning of the song,sounds like a lady singing at the top of her voice.The song itself sounds like something out of a Walt Disney cartoon.

Welcome John. To me this is all about four individual efforts rather than a group project. There were few checks and balances hence the wide range of effects in my view.

The "white album" IS pretty strange....this is the album that had always confused me way back when....now that I'm a "little" older and more focused on what to listen for, I find myself strangely attracted to this piece of work.

I remember my buddy and I listening to Revolution #9 over and over when we were in high school....we had always tried to make some of those weird fade in/fade out noises when we were around each other....I've got really fond memories relating to "THE BEATLES" and my high school period....

I don't particularly like the white album... there are very good songs and well played...I agree with Peter's general opinion...
and speaking about the bass sound...well...i think it's the worse ever played on a record by paul...no matter if he plays Rick/Hofner/JBass it is full of lows and loads of highs at the same time...you can always hear the "picks"... it sounds like a piano...nice sometimes but annoying after a while, in my opinion of course...
Listen to the beautiful bass sound in
All you need is love, With a little help of my friends, Lovely Rita, And your bird can sing, Penny Lane,Here comes the sun and others...much nicer I think

I really like the White Album, but agree with Mr. George Martin's opinion that it could have been edited down to ONE solid record, not two.
And the White Album makes me sad too, cause that was the beginning of the end and I think it comes across on the record.

the thing I like most about the "White Album" is the cool bass tone.

Ronn: I still consider that there are gems on the White Album and "Dear Prudence" is one of them.

Yes Peter...I agree. The finger-picking style is very prominent on this record and gives a whole different feel to their music...not necessarily BETTER, just different.....personally, I like it for a change.

I loved it when it came out and for years afterwards. Later I became overly critical and deconstructionist. I thought of it as an senseless hodgepodge of lost hope - a collection of songs, not an album. But I love it again. You can't really take anything from 1967/68 out of context of the times. As an album, it reflects those times. Song per song, there are mostly gems there and more than one 40 minute album's worth of keepers. The over lushness of Good Night is something even Lennon realized later. Lennon also called Glass Onion filler.

When I think about it this moment, I come away with the thought that Lennon was having trouble coming up with complete & solid songs every time. The suite of barely complete L vs. M songs on the backside of Abbey Road was an interesting way of dealing with it. She Came in Through the Bathroom Window can stand alone. Have you ever heard anyone just play Mean Mr. Mustard or Polythene Pam in isolation?

The 'White ALbum' epitomizes thier collective years together and gives you and inkling of where thier solo careers were heading. It's one of the Beatles best while being one of the least collaborative. It's a beginning and an end in one album, and a damn good one.

Peter, I'm right there with you on DP. If I'm trying to explain McCartney's playing to someone, that's the song I go to. The White Album has been one of my fav's for as long as I can remember.

Chris, It's great when you rediscover these gems, isn't it!

cheers