THE BEATLES [AKA: THE WHITE ALBUM]

If you asked many of the great prog bands of the 1970's what drew them into music and who were their influences many would have cited the Beatles as their answer. This album isn't flawless and Revolution 9 I believe still has the honour of being one of (if not the) the most skipped over tracks ever released. But right from track one Back in the USSR this album grabs your attention with the famous backdrop of a sound of an aircraft. This energetic track then brilliantly merges into the wonderful Dear Prudence where Harrisons guitar used to great effect to supplement one of Lennons best numbers. Harrison himself has one of his finest moments with the outstanding While My Guitar Gently Weeps. This song was played on the radio programme that announced his death and I've rarely felt so moved.

Of couse there is plenty of pop on here but always plenty of innovation with lovely acoustic numbers mixing with hard rock, blues , jazz, country, psychedelia - you name it its there. Perhaps because of that the Double White album can almost seem disjointed at times but the strong songwriting as ever with this iconic band saves the day. Most Beatles albums deserve 5 stars but my feeling is this album was possibly less inflential in kick starting prog than Sgt Pepper and Revolver and so because of this and its little moments of indulgence (Rev 9) and horrible saccharine (Good Night) I give it 4 stars.