Make your own White Album...

Based on Merseyside, I suspect it goes without saying that I have a certain interest in things Beatle-related. An email conversation a friend of mine had dragged me into the debate over what a single album length White album should be like (because lets face, it is too long and overblown). Here's the rules if you'd like to play and my own answer.

The Rules:

It will be a 14 track album as per the pre-Pepper LPs. It will contain one song sung by Ringo and two Harrisongs. The rest of the album will be as evenly split as possible between Lennon and McCartney (no more than two more songs by one or the other). Singles from the era cannot be used (Hey Jude, Lady Madonna) but outtakes can (Not Guilty, What's the New Mary Jane). Songs demoed but not recorded by the band at the time aren't allowed (Junk, Sour Milk Sea, etc.). Can You Take Me Back can be inserted in between songs like it is on the original album.

So that leaves us with two George songs and 12 by Lennon and McCartney - or 11 if you use Don't Pass Me By. If there were 12 Lennon/McCartneys then it means that you can't have more than seven by either John or Paul. I guess you have to go with a six/five split if you use Don't Pass Me By. In order to save us a headache we're not going to worry about whether or not 14 songs would fit on an LP. It may, it may not, but it would fit on a CD now if we wanted to make one.

My answer

Of course this is always going to be based on personal taste but my list fits the criteria (more or less) and makes for an album with a great rock spine. I've not altered the order these tracks appear on the original album.

1 Back in the USSR

2 While My Guitar Gently Weeps

3 Happiness is a Warm Gun

4 Blackbird

5 Piggies

6 Why Don't we do it In the road

7 Julia

8 Everybody's got something to hide except for me and my monkey

9 Helter Skelter

10 Revolution 1

11 Cry Baby Cry

12 Good Night