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On Second Thought
The Beatles - The Beatles






for better or worse, we here at Stylus, in all of our autocratic consumer-crit greed, are slaves to timeliness. A record over six months old is often discarded, deemed too old for publication, a relic in the internet age. That's why each week at Stylus, one writer takes a look at an album with the benefit of time. Whether it has been unjustly ignored, unfairly lauded, or misunderstood in some fundamental way, we aim with On Second Thought to provide a fresh look at albums that need it.

One of the most popular Beatles albums, The Beatles (or The White Album as it's commonly known) is also one of the most misunderstood. The general consensus amongst fans and critics alike of The White Album is that it starkly reflects the differences between Lennon and McCartney not only as musicians, but as personalities as well. However, if one listens carefully to The White Album, and dismisses the above consensus, it is rather evident that John and Paul were actually quite similar in their efforts. What the numerous books and documentaries done on the Beatles would have fans believe is that at the time John couldn't stand Paul's music and Paul couldn't tolerate John's. But is "Helter Skelter" that different from "Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey"? How could the man who penned "Julia" be at odds with "Mother Nature's Son"? And it is quite obvious that both "Back in the U.S.S.R" and "Revolution" have their roots in Chuck Berry.

Paul also spins a little diddy by the name of "Rocky Raccoon", which tells a cartoon fable not unlike John's "The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill", while Lennon's "Cry Baby Cry" has a tuneful chorus that probably made Paul smile from ear to ear. In addition to the similarities in musical styles, it is also important to listen to John and Paul's singing on the tracks. Vocally, Paul and John both give their best rock screaming in "Helter Skelter" and "Yer Blues"; and both go to a soothing whisperin’ "Blackbird" and "Julia". There is even a bootleg from The White Albumsessions in which Paul is heard singing a jovial lead vocal on John's song "I'm So Tired". In typical McCartney humor, after he sings the line "...and fix myself a drink", Paul utters "that's right-lay off the booze, boy". John can be heard in the background of this raw recording, laughing and singing backup vocals merrily. This is audible evidence that John and Paul were not so removed from each other's songs during this period and moreover, this is proof there was not all that much malice between the two...not yet anyhow.

There are some songs that define McCartney and solely McCartney ("Martha My Dear"; "Honey Pie") and likewise for John ("Happiness is a Warm Gun"; "Sexy Sadie"). That being said, this occasional divergence was what the Lennon/McCartney partnership was always about-a complementary mixture of the sweet and bitter. Still, even when an experimental track like "Revolution 9"screams on the surface John & Yoko, one should really examine the history of avant-garde leanings with the Beatles. McCartney was actually the first Beatle to dabble in the avant-garde. Not only by taking the initial steps of broadening the Beatles' sound through orchestration, but also by being the first Beatle to dive into the art scene; in fact it was Paul who first met Yoko Ono at the Attica art-gallery, not John. McCartney was also the driving force behind the Beatles' two most experimental projects: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Bandand Magical Mystery Tour. It was specifically Paul who placed the infamous backward loop at the end of "Sgt. Pepper" that chants "we'll fuck you like Superman" (at least that's what Paul thinks it sounds like). McCartney instigated a lot of studio experimentation with unreleased sound-scapes like "Carnival of Light" and he collaborated with John on the unconventional b-side "You Know My Name, Look Up The Number". Although lacking Lennon's acerbic wit and penchant for social satire, Paul shared John's love of the absurd; "Why don't we do it in the road?" and "Wild Honey Pie" both being good examples of McCartney absurdity.

Paul even sprinkled his first solo album, McCartney, with the experimental and absurd-most significantly with the bizarre closer "Kreen-Akrore". The above characterizations notwithstanding, it's difficult to imagine that the same man who so artfully crafted "Sgt. Pepper" and the end suite of Abbey Road, wouldn't have appreciated the dramatic importance of "Revolution 9". Though an out-of-place Beatle track on its own, in the context of The White Album, "Revolution 9" is a fitting segue between "Cry Baby Cry" and "Good Night". What "Revolution 9" does is give the album a tension-filled climax in much the same way "A Day In The Life" was the climax for Pepper. I've always felt that The White Album has far more of a thematic cohesion than ever credited; it is foremost an album about musical purity (as the album cover and title suggest). Whereas on prior Beatles albums, the band was getting into the habit of mixing several musical genres into a single song, on The White Albumevery song is faithful to its selected genre. The rock n' roll tracks are purely rock n' roll; the folk songs are purely folk; the surreal pop numbers are purely surreal pop; and the experimental piece is purely experimental. Because of this-and the above characterizations-I find it hard to accept that Paul didn't appreciate "Revolution 9" on some level.

It's true that Yoko Ono was causing some tension amongst the band due to her frequent appearances in the studio; but despite the over-exaggerations, shewasn't always there. Ringo recalled the four of them-just the four Beatles-jamming and recording in a "little room". Such an account is backed up by tracks like "Yer Blues" and "Helter Skelter", which burn with the fire of bandmates rocking each other's world in tight quarters. Paul did resent Yoko's presence at times and he made a few jokes at the expense of the Lennon/Ono relationship (faux hate mail he sent them being the funniest example); however, Paul also helped John record "The Ballad of John & Yoko" (a Beatle track that features only John and Paul playing) and he wrote and recorded "Hey Jude" duringThe White Album period. Even though McCartney cited that the song was written for John's son Julia, to help him through the divorce of his parents, I suspect that was a smokescreen on Paul's part. It's quite clear from listening to the lyrics that "Hey Jude" is a motivational song; one man telling another man he should follow his heart and go for the woman he loves: "you have found her, now go and get her"; "remember to let her into your heart", etc. Knowing the time and circumstances surrounding the song's composition, I think it's highly possible that "Hey Jude" is Paul's way of telling John-ironically enough-to surrender his heart to Yoko. One can even hear John's emotional backing vocals; it is also an established fact that Lennon was a big fan not only of the song but especially Paul's line "the movement you need is on your shoulder". Evidently, John was suffering from selective memory years later when he sang, "The only thing you did was “Yesterday" in the song "How Do You Sleep?"

Sure, there were a few tense moments, Ringo felt unloved for a bit (and forgot how to play the drums; thankfully Paul didn't forget how to), John was struggling with drugs, George Harrison was being a sourpuss, but none of these conflicts were ever uncommon in the Beatle family-because they were a family-and all families have their rocky moments and work through them. That's what I hear on The White Album: a family working through their problems together-as a unit. In The Beatles Anthology, Ringo stated there was "a lot of group activity going down. I love The White Album!" and Paul's two cents were resounding in their candor: "It was great! It's the bloody Beatles' White Album! Shut up!" Or better yet, simply listen to jubilant tracks like "Wild Honey Pie", "Birthday" or "Savoy Truffle" and you'll hear the band having themselves a ball. Question: IfThe White Album betrays such an unstable time for the band as musical partners then why is it so adored and celebrated amongst Beatle fans? The answer is because it is not unstable. Fittingly, The Beatles contains a consistent and definitive Beatles magic. It is a magic that cannot be conjured by four dueling personalities. Listen to The White Album and ignore the stories offered up by critics and Beatles historians about the malice that surrounded the recording sessions; what you'll hear is not a band on the verge of a break-up, nor is it the sound of two long-time partners at the other's throat. It is instead the quintessential recording of a band in their prime, and the Lennon/McCartney dynamic at its strongest.


By: Edwin Faust
Published on: 2003-09-01
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