On this day in 1968: The Beatles released the White Album

Pat Carty

"The Beatles was my first Fabs album proper: the white cover that would supply its eternal nickname, the cool poster and the four dour looking headshots – an omen of the splintered contents within. My initial reaction was probably 'what is this shit?' Joe Strummer described the triple album bloat of The Clash’s Sandinista! as music for oil rig workers in all its glorious sprawl, and The White Album, as it will always be known, is very much like that...

"Ignore the argument stretching back to November 22, 1968; it would not be better as a single record. There’s some clangers here certainly – ‘Piggies’, ‘Wild Honey Pie’, the irredeemable ‘Revolution 9’ proving yet again that avant-garde is indeed French for bullshit – but taken at a single run, it amazes, still.

"‘Dear Prudence’, ‘Martha My Dear’, ‘Happiness Is A Warm Gun’, and ‘Blackbird’ are all amongst the very best Lennon/McCartney compositions. Many claim it as the band’s greatest triumph. Listening again, you can hear what they’re on about."

Johnny Marr

On touring Ireland with The Smiths:

"I remember that on one of those Irish tours, we were listening exclusively to The Beatles’ White Album during the winter. We’d sit on the bus and I’d be really into the John Lennon song ‘Cry Baby Cry’ and ‘Glass Onion’. I think that was the main inspiration for me on the last album [Strangeways, Here We Come] – and it all came from that Irish tour."

(Full interview here)

Peter Doherty

On his favourite Beatles album:

"It’s an almost impossible question because it completely depends on the mood and time of day. The contenders would be Sgt. Pepper’s because it’s just life-changing song after life-changing song; The White Album because ‘Back In The U.S.S.R.’ is on it; Revolver similarly because it has ‘Taxman’; and there’s a case too for Let It Be...

"You’re setting me up here but I’m going to go for The White Album."

(Full interview here)

Listen to the White Album below: