tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8214297712303916286.post3937960186293429418..comments2008-11-27T13:08:44.349-05:00T.S.noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8214297712303916286.post-37758217360414707762008-11-27T13:08:00.000-05:002008-11-27T13:08:00.000-05:00FilmDr - I think Spitz is probably right, that the splintering of the band members probably did lend a fragmentary air to many of the songs on the album. That's good and bad, of course – good in that it really seemed to be the kick-start to many of their solo careers, but bad in a sense that if they were producing such good material on their own, it's interesting to wonder how much better more collaborative work might have been. I'm pretty dismissive of "Rocky Raccoon," although I think "Why Don't We..." is fun. The fragments can be frustrating, particularly when they're surprisingly captivating and you wish there was more (like McCartney's haunting add-on at the end of Lennon's "Cry Baby Cry"). In my opinion, despite their approach of greatness, none of the songs on <I>The White Album</I>, soar to the same heights as something like "A Day in the Life," which is really a fantastic representation of how Lennon and McCartney could combine both of their aesthetics into a single track. (Yet I do consider <I>The White Album</I> to be more of a fave than <I>Sgt. Pepper</I>.) In the end, I think there's an overwhelming sense of uniformity that emerges from the collective rawness. Despite its hodgepodge feeling in hasty observation, I think too it's actually assembled quite deftly (with some beautiful mirroring and grouping of songs), a fact that's generally lost now that we don't listen to vinyl as much and just let a CD player or iTunes shuffle down through the songs.T.S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00945932279787919282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8214297712303916286.post-70393482124126072452008-11-27T08:56:00.000-05:002008-11-27T08:56:00.000-05:00Nice review. In his recent biography of the Beatles, I think I remember Bob Spitz discussing how the White album reflected the upcoming break-up of the band (as you mentioned). He was concerned about the way the Beatles were no longer collaborating on songs as much, so some of them seem more fragmentary. "Rocky Raccoon" is an under-baked doodle of a song as well as "Why Don't We Do It In the Road?" Thoughts on this? One could make the case that the fragmentary nature also makes the album more evocative and suggestive (and more open to the crazy interpretations of people like Charles Manson).FilmDrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03073505923746994988noreply@blogger.com