By the time this 30-track double-album came to pass, internal relationships in the band were faltering, so most of the songs were individual compositions, never mind the credits. Among its faults were its length, as most reckoned it would have made a superb single album without the inconsequentiality of tracks like ‘Wild Honey Pie’ and ‘Why Don’t We Do It In The Road’ or the marginally interesting eight minutes of ‘Revolution 9’.
But Lennon was at his most reflective on ‘Dear Prudence’, and in ‘Sexy Sadie’ he laid into the Maharishi, while McCartney’s ‘Back In The USSR’ was a fine take-off of the Beach Boys. The slow version of ‘Revolution’ was grittier than the single version, and songs like ‘Happiness Is A Warm Gun’, ‘I’m So Tired’, 'Blackbird’, ‘Julia’ and Harrison’s ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’ showed they could still deliver on the song front and then some. And lest we forget, a little tune by the name of ‘Helter Skelter’ happened to catch the ear of a struggling singer-songwriter by the name of Charles Manson.
In many respects, The White Album remains a brave and adventurous effort.