Courtesy of Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/ UMeOn Wednesday at New York City’s legendary Power Station recording studio, reporters got a first listen to the upcoming reissue of The Beatles‘ self-titled 1968 double album, a.k.a. The White Album.
Giles Martin, late Beatles producer George Martin‘s son, headed up the project with the blessing of, and input from, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, as well Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison.
Martin was on hand to play selected tracks for the intimate crowd, and while John Lennon once famously said the album was the sound of The Beatles breaking up, Giles believes nothing could be further from the truth.
According to Giles, both Ringo and Paul agree that the recording sessions revealed the sound of a band working together collectively as a unit to push themselves artistically, and doing pretty much whatever they wanted — much to his father’s chagrin.
The new package, due out November 9, includes a stereo mix of the newly remastered original album, plus the so-called “Esher Demos”: acoustic demo versions of most of The White Album‘s songs, plus tunes recorded at the same time but released later, like “Polythene Pam” and “Mean Mr. Mustard.”
One of the more interesting “Esher Demos” played for the press is the Lennon tune “Child of Nature,” which John released years later with completely different lyrics as “Jealous Guy.”
There also are numerous outtakes featuring studio chatter, alternate or rehearsal versions of White Album songs, and the first recordings of future classics like “Let It Be,” “Across the Universe” and “Lady Madonna.”
Martin told ABC Radio that “it’s always nerve-wracking” doing a Beatles project, adding, “You don’t remix The White Album lightly.”
However, he says the response has been “amazing,” and he’s proud that the “uber-Beatles fans” he’s played the album for are “happy” with it.
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