To no one surprise but to everyone’s delight, Apple Corps confirmed the release of 50th anniversary editions of the Beatles’ “White Album.”
The album — technically titled “The Beatles” — will be released in November in four CD and vinyl configurations. The “super deluxe” set of choice sprawls across six CDs and includes an audio-only Blu-ray disc for the surround and high-res sound. It’s pre-ordering for about $100.
Bolstering the original 30 tracks — remixed by Giles Martin and Sam Okell to stereo and 5.1 surround — are 27 demos (widely known as the Esher Demos) and 50 outtakes. The outtakes are only available on the $100 set, spread across three “Sessions” discs.
The Esher Demos also come with the the four-LP set and the three-CD set. A double-LP version matches the classic original release, but employs the new stereo remix.
Some of the bonus material appeared as part of the “Anthology” series, but most of the tracks have not seen official releases. Bootlegs of the “White Album” sessions have been widely available for decades, of course.
Look for reproductions of the famed color photographs of each band member, the original poster as well as a 164-page hardcover book. (A minified poster comes with the triple-CD version.)
In time-honored Beatles fashion, the “White Album” sets street Nov. 9, in plenty of time for holiday gift-giving.
The Beatles’ music has seen limited releases in surround sound (to mixed reviews). The audio Blu-ray in the super deluxe set includes a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 version, a Dolby True HD surround version, and PCM stereo and direct-transfer mono mixes.
The Giles Martin-Okell remixes come “sourced directly from the original four-track and eight-track session tapes.” Giles’ father George was the Beatles’ producer, of course. Giles Martin most recently reworked “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” to a muted and mixed reception.
Giles Martin said of the new project: “One of the biggest challenges is you can’t make the ‘White Album’ sound too good and too high-fi because it ruins the spirit of the ‘White Album.’ ” At the time, the Beatles were trying to get away from the heavily layered and manipulated recordings found on the psychedelic offering “Sgt. Pepper,” from the summer of 1967.
Along with the straightforward rockers, ballads and folk tunes on the “White Album” appeared “Helter Skelter,” Paul McCartney’s proto-stab at heavy metal; “Revolution 9,” John Lennon’s lengthy electronic work; and the trippy self-referential “Glass Onion.”
“There’s no two tracks that sound the same,” project engineer Sam Okell says.
The Esher Demos were recorded by the Beatles at George Harrison’s house in Esher, Surrey, shortly after their return from India. The versions found on the new “White Album” sets were sourced from the original four-track tapes. Nineteen of them made it onto the original 1968 double-album set.
Partly developed bonus tracks that were to surface down the road included “Mean Mr. Mustard,” “Polythene Pam,” “Let It Be,” “Lady Madonna,” “Across the Universe” and McCartney’s “Junk.”
MIA are the collectors’ holy grails “Carnival of Light” and the side-long jam version of “Helter Skelter.”
Beatles fans also have a super-deluxe version of John Lennon’s “Imagine” on the immediate horizon — set to street Oct. 5.
Here are the contents of the “super deluxe” edition of the “White Album.”
- Back in the U.S.S.R.
- Dear Prudence
- Glass Onion
- Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
- Wild Honey Pie
- The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill
- While My Guitar Gently Weeps
- Happiness is a Warm Gun
- Martha My Dear
- I’m so tired
- Blackbird
- Piggies
- Rocky Raccoon
- Don’t Pass Me By
- Why Don’t We Do it in the Road?
- I Will
- Julia
CD 2: “The Beatles” (aka “White Album”) 2018 stereo mix
- Birthday
- Yer Blues
- Mother Nature’s Son
- Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey
- Sexy Sadie
- Helter Skelter
- Long, Long, Long
- Revolution I
- Honey Pie
- Savoy Truffle
- Cry Baby Cry
- Revolution 9
- Good Night
CD 3: Esher Demos
- Back in the U.S.S.R.
- Dear Prudence
- Glass Onion
- Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
- The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill
- While My Guitar Gently Weeps
- Happiness is a Warm Gun
- I’m so tired
- Blackbird
- Piggies
- Rocky Raccoon
- Julia
- Yer Blues
- Mother Nature’s Son
- Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey
- Sexy Sadie
- Revolution
- Honey Pie
- Cry Baby Cry
- Sour Milk Sea
- Junk
- Child of Nature
- Circles
- Mean Mr. Mustard
- Polythene Pam
- Not Guilty
- What’s the New Mary Jane
CD 4: Sessions
- Revolution I (Take 18)
- A Beginning (Take 4) / Don’t Pass Me By (Take 7)
- Blackbird (Take 28)
- Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey (Unnumbered rehearsal)
- Good Night (Unnumbered rehearsal)
- Good Night (Take 10 with a guitar part from Take 5)
- Good Night (Take 22)
- Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (Take 3)
- Revolution (Unnumbered rehearsal)
- Revolution (Take 14 Instrumental backing track)
- Cry Baby Cry (Unnumbered rehearsal)
- Helter Skelter (First version Take 2)
CD 5: Sessions
- Sexy Sadie (Take 3)
- While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Acoustic version Take 2)
- Hey Jude (Take 1)
- St. Louis Blues (Studio jam)
- Not Guilty (Take 102)
- Mother Nature’s Son (Take 15)
- Yer Blues (Take 5 with guide vocal)
- What’s the New Mary Jane (Take 1)
- Rocky Raccoon (Take 8)
- Back in the U.S.S.R. (Take 5 nstrumental backing track)
- Dear Prudence (Vocal, guitar & drums)
- Let It Be (Unnumbered rehearsal)
- While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Third version Take 27)
- (You’re so Square) Baby, I Don’t Care (Studio jam)
- Helter Skelter (Second version Take 17)
- Glass Onion (Take 10)
CD 6: Sessions
- I Will (Take 13)
- Blue Moon (Studio jam)
- I Will (Take 29)
- Step Inside Love (Studio jam)
- Los Paranoias (Studio jam)
- Can You Take Me Back? (Take 1)
- Birthday (Take 2 Instrumental backing track)
- Piggies (Take 12 Instrumental backing track)
- Happiness is a Warm Gun (Take 19)
- Honey Pie (Instrumental backing track)
- Savoy Truffle (Instrumental backing track)
- Martha My Dear (Without brass and strings)
- Long, Long, Long (Take 44)
- I’m So tired (Take 7)
- I’m So tired (Take 14)
- The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill (Take 2)
- Why don’t we do it in the road? (Take 5)
- Julia (Two rehearsals)
- The Inner Light (Take 6 Instrumental backing track)
- Lady Madonna (Take 2 Piano and drums)
- Lady Madonna (Backing vocals from take 3)
- Across the Universe (Take 6)