I call bullshit on anyone who says The Beatles is a well-sequenced album. It isn’t. Oh, it has it’s moments, especially the synergy created by some of the transitions and sub-sequencing decisions: the sound of the jet landing at the end of Back in the U.S.S.R. just as the guitar begins on Dear Prudence; the pairing of Mother Nature’s Son with Everybody’s Got Something to Hide; the musical jolt produced by the acoustic guitar opening to Cry Baby Cry seconds after the distorted horn end of Savoy Truffle (and the entire Honey Pie – Savoy Truffle – Cry Baby Cry triple is a nice organizational choice). The beginning and ending songs for each side are also nice choices, particularly on side two, pairing Martha My Dear at the top with Julia at the bottom.
But anyone who isn’t frustrated by the ordering on this album is deluding themselves, probably because they’ve listened to it so many times that the original ordering has become imprinted on their brain. The entire balance of the record is completely off — side 1 was obviously well thought-out, but the rest of the album has the unmistakeable air of sequencing slap-dash. Side 3, in particular, lurches around like a drunken demo tape. There’s absolutely no excuse for putting Yer Blues, Everybody’s Got Something to Hide, Helter Skelter, and Long, Long, Long on the same side of a double record — the whole side manages to never get started and yet still wander around aimlessly. A classic whole-is-less-than-the-sum-of-it’s-parts moment. Those are all decent songs (well, all except Yer Blues), but they just kill each other so close together. I don’t think anyone has ever listened to side 3 and not had a fleeting moment of boredom. And that gave some of those songs a bad rap.
I’m not saying the White Album sequencing needs a little improvement. I’m saying that a random iTunes shuffle of the White Album is unlikely to detract from it’s listen-ability, and that a random shuffle with a few constraints would almost automatically improve the overall experience of a straight listen-through. I’ll have a full essay on this soon enough, but for now here is my provisional alternative sequence, with a few notes afterwards: Continue reading
