THE BEATLES [AKA: THE WHITE ALBUM]

In his car, a friend of mine asked me this week that if I could copy over onto CD one of my old vinyl records which would be the first. I said I suppose it would be the White Album. Incredibly, he reached his hand into the glove box and pulled out the first cassette his hand touched - it was the White Album. We then went on an incredible and exciting journey of rediscovery and nostalgia (for I hadn't listened to this in 10 years) Ohharr wow oh wow how incredibly awesome/ amazing this album is. I can't believe - listening to it again - how much I still like it. The Beatles were the true pioneers - always reaching ahead, with everyone all following on behind. I mean they were in such a powerful position - they WERE the top band, and so I believe that without them I don't think Prog rock would have happened. Period. The production on this record was amazing, and incredible diversity - enhanced enormously by the battle between Lennon and McCartney (to the point where Yoko contributes in Bungalow Bill). I mean -why Bungalow Bill - everybody else would say Buffolo. The album is bursting with new ideas and innovations with every minute that passes leaving you gasping and wishing that if you could only have just one of those ideas you'd be immensely proud. How did they do it?? Lennon's darkness and nastiness and world of the bizarre and sometimes beautiful compete out track against track of the beauty and melody of McCartney, interdispersed with Harrison's best collection of songs. But McCartney went off the wall too - just listen to Helter Skelter - was this the prototype of punk rock or metal, perhaps?

The album is psychedelia's greatest masterpiece and its final peak before Prog rock became king, but Prog was definitely notable in Revolution 9 - I mean this album takes you into astral projection - really into Space - many elements of which you can hear in Pink Floyd's music. Listen to Revolution 9, then play Saucerful of Secrets and you'll know what I mean. I really don't know how the Beatle-maniac public of the 60's took this album - I mean it was different from A HArd Day's night etc - only released 4 years previously - incredible, no other band could ever even dream of that now - and this only just 12 years after the release of the first rock 'n' roll music. It leaves you drooling just to think of it.

I note most of the reviews here are really long, that's because there's so bloomin much to say....

Some of the tracks are beyond belief in their bizarreness, but somehow really work and are approachable. This is so unlike so many bands that tried to sound weird but just ended up sounding rubbish.

I mean Wild Honey Pie - what the heck was that about? - but how awesome Honey pie..... honey pie..... Beyond weird man!!

Yer Blues - this track leaves you gasping it so incredibly good - a mix of the bizarre with blues, and the guitar effects that guitarists would die for now. My mother was of the sky, my father was of the Universe - and you know what its worth.

Then that feel of the old Western saloon bar in Rocky Raccoon - I mean, man, this really takes you there.

Then I'm so Tired - wow doesn't that just make you feel tired just listening to it? This album is alive and its 40 years old!!!

Martha my Dear, Blackbird, I Will - such lush melodies - much better than Yesterday in my mind. And in Julia, Lennon finds his own beauty.

And there is true rock with a twist of the strange with Back in the USSR, Birthday and Everybody's got Something to Hide Except for me and my Monkey - what a song title!!! and what a FANTASTIC track - I love it love it Only Several Species of Furry Animals Gathered together in a cave and grooving with a pict competes with it in terms of the craziest song titles ever.

And then there are those amazing songs that seem to take you into a dream - so mystical. breathtaking - you wonder if you're really there. Dear Prudence, Glass Onion, Cry Baby Cry, Long Long Long etc.. All these take you into the Astral plane - awesome tracks - of which Dear Prudence is the greatest. I've heard cover versions of that track but they somehow don't reproduce the dreaminess of the original.

Strangely though, amongst my favourites (Which many of you may not agree with) is Harrison's Savoy Truffle - a song about sweets, but it so rocks again with the twist of the dreamy and bizarre. I can imagine David Bowie doing this one.

I could go on and on, but I know it's already far longer than anyone's gonna read. but remember this one thing - PSYHEDELIA HAD REACHED ITS GREATEST CULMINATION and PROG ROCK BEGAN on the day this was released.