The White Album: One of the Greatest Classic Rock Albums of All Time
Music experts (and everyone is an expert on this subject) have come to agree on certain iconic classic rock albums as falling into a category above and beyond all others. Certainly there are classic rock songs and classic rock bands that are great, but entire classic rock albums that were truly great can be listed without too much discussion.
One of the greatest, if not the greatest of the classic rock albums was the White Album by the greatest rock band of all time (at least in the studio), the Beatles. This album by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison has come to be considered the greatest album ever recorded by many music critics and by music lovers all around the world. Some would argue that Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club was one of the greatest classic rock albums (and it is) but there are many reasons why the White Album is better.
For those of you not familiar with the White Album, it was revolutionary not just in concept but in appearance. Back in the days of vinyl records this LP (long playing) record came packaged in a plain white cover which you opened up to a double spread and it was plain white inside as well as on the back. The words the Beatles were actually embossed on the cover in small letters printed diagonally but no ink. There was a huge poster included in the artwork which you could pull out and unfold. It had lyrics to all of the songs on one side and an artistic collage full of artwork, photos, and drawings of the band on the other side. This was truly a work of art and that was not all, you also got four color portrait photos, one for each of the boys in the band. Most kids back then hung those up in their bedrooms along with the poster. If you can find a copy of the album intact with the original glossy pictures and poster it is definitely worth a lot of money on ebay.
The White Album itself was a double album and still considered one of the greatest classic rock albums of all time. Starting off with the unforgettable Back in the U.S.S.R. it was immediately controversial. Remember that those were the days of the cold war and in the late sixties people were starting to protest the Vietnam War and many hippies and peaceniks wanted to normalize relations with Russia.
Many of the songs had psychedelic overtones and John Lennon and George Harrison had much to do with that. Songs like Dear Prudence, Glass Onion, Helter Skelter, and Everybodys Got Something to Hide (Except for Me and My Monkey) were revolutionary in their uses of electric guitar and drumming. These hard rocking songs were side by side with some softer unforgettable songs by Paul such as Mother Natures Son, Blackbird, and I Will. Paul could rock out as well and did so on songs like Obladi Oblada and could be whimsical with a song like Rocky Raccoon.
All in all this was one of the greatest classic rock albums of all time bar none and you will be hard pressed to find much disagreement out there. If you are one of the few who have not had the privilege to listen to this recording please run out right now and pick up a copy (also of course available on itunes).
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