Why the White Album is Way Better Than Sgt. Pepper

It was forty years ago today...that the White Album was released. It's real title is The Beatles and, quite frankly, it's way better than Sgt. Pepper. Actually, I think Revolver is way better than Sgt. Pepper. Actually, I think a lot of Beatles albums are better than Sgt. Pepper. Ok, maybe just Abbey Road and Rubber Soul. I think Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is vastly overrated from a musical standpoint. Ok, alright, Sgt. Pepper was a psychedelic masterpiece, a great album to drop acid to, or whatever. Blah blah blah. Who cares? Yes, I know, Sgt. Pepper has "A Day in The Life" on it. One of the greatest Beatles songs ever, one of the greatest songs by any rock band. A tad depressing, but great. Top ten in greatest songs ever, by anybody. Still...Sgt. Pepper...I like it, I really do, but it's overrated. I can understand, from an historical standpoint, why it was so important. For rock music, it was like going from watching a black and white television to a color TV. It was a leap forward. But I never liked it as much as I liked other stuff by the Beatles. It felt like art, like something you're supposed to like, but it didn't feel like rock and roll. It didn't feel personal. The music was great, but slightly remote, as the Beatles were standing on another planet, looking at our world through a hazy prism and reporting back to us what they saw.

The White Album felt earthy and personal. "I Will," "Julia," "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," those songs are personal. You bet your ass "Yer Blues" was personal. And it was fun: "Happiness Is a Warm Gun, " "Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey." It was art too: "Revolution 9," "Long Long Long." And it was great pop music: "Birthday," "Back in the U.S.S.R." And it was terrifying nightmare soundtrack music: "Helter Skelter." This was the Beatles album Charles Manson listened to. Not exactly a great critical recommendation, but an interesting historical tidbit.

I've got nothing against Sgt. Pepper. Really, I don't. I just think the White Album is a masterpiece, something untouched in quality and diversity of musical styles by a rock band since it's release. It's a wonderful piece of rock and roll art that I was able to make a personal connection with in a way that I could with few other albums over the years. I didn't fully realize that until I wrote this.

Long live the White Album.