The "White Album" came out 5 years before I was born. However, as a kid, I discovered the album buried in my dad's collection, and am glad I did. In my opinion, this is their greatest album. Every song is brilliant (with the exception of the obnoxious "Revolution 9"). I learned later that this was a rough period for The Beatles, and that they hardly worked together as a band on most of the tracks. Hmmm... interesting to see the circumstances that bring out of the best in people.

People. You would think that Metamorpho, being reflective and all, would have the good sense NOT to put himself under this INTENSE pressure of writing a review on the White Album......but there you go. First off.... I would never even condsider giving this classic album less than 5 stars. In fact, I'd give it even more if it weren't for the limitations of the rating system (which I, good viewer, had NOTHING to do with, I assure you!). But, let's not labor on Metamorpho's reflective concerns. Onwards towards this excellence!
All around, a wonderful effort, even despite the fact that they were not as cohesive a unit as in the early days. Each wrote their song, everyone else was back-up. Regardless... they wisely moved away from the psychedelia of Sgt. Pepper and Magical Mystery Tour. Why wise? Well.... it's not like those albums were bad, but, really, they proved their point so why keep continuing on that way? This album has less effects and somehow sounds more pure.
In this classic double set, the Beatles truly set out to prove that they can do anything anyone else can do - but they can do better. They out- Beach Boy the Beach Boys with "Back in the U.S.S.R.", they out-Spike Spike Jones with "Wild Honey Pie", they out-Jagger Mick's jaggerisms with "Why Don't We Do It in The Road?", and, for the most part, fill this album with so much diversity up to and including, 1920's dancehall excellence with "Honey Pie". Not to mention John Lennon's underappreciated but endlessly fascinating "Revolution 9". Most people find it annoying because of all the sound bits, however, no one ever complained about King Lear at the end of "All You Need Is Love". So consider this an extension of that.
We have beautiful acoustic songs here - "I Will", "Julia" "Mother Nature's Son", "Blackbird"-some raw and not so raw rockers - "Birthday","Everybody's Got Something to Hide etc.","Helter Skelter","Yer Blues", and John Lennon's musings over the Maharishi experience, "Dear Prudence" and "Sexy Sadie". Not only that, but we have the infamous "Turn Me On Dead Man" from Lennon who also gives us "another clue for you all". Yes folks.... Metamorpho is STILL looking for all the clues(but don't be mean like some who say Metamorpho hasn't got one! Not nice, people!)
There are just so many enjoyable tunes here that this album is a joy to listen to, over and over again. What a great talent they all were! I would be remiss if I didn't point out George Harrison's excellent "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". It is done here with full ensemble plus some. The real treat for me has to be the demo version included on the Anthology series. Beautiful, understated acoustic guitar with extra lyrics. It is a transcendence I wholeheartedly recommend!
In closing -- as unfortunate as it may have been - this album, as excellent as it is, left behind a disturbing legacy with the Charlie Manson murders the next year. His crazy mind thought the Beatles were the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and that their music (i.e; "Piggies" etc.) spoke to him and told him to murder. Well people, Metamorpho must wax philosophical here - the world, unfortunately, is never free of madmen. And I won't get into all the grief that idiot caused 25 years ago with John Lennon. However... that said.....this is truly a most worthy "Classic" and should be in any serious music collection. Metamorpho has deemed it so - so it must be so! (O.K. - I get carried away) but it is superb. Get it! Later--- Light and Truth and Beatles..........Metamorpho

This is the first non-psychedelic Beatles album to come out in the latter half of the 60's. It's just four guys and their instruments, stripped of all the big production and trippy lyrics. However, most of it is not the Beatles playing their own brand of poppy rock 'n' roll; almost every song is a parody of/homage to some musical style that was big in the 60's or before. Frankly, the fact that the Beatles could sum up their decade so perfectly, not only without the aid of 20/20 retrospective vision but without even having seen the last 2 years of the decade yet, is all the evidence anyone should need of their genius.

Highlights because they are such perfect parodies of musical styles:
BACK IN THE USSR (parody of Chuck Berry and Berry-influenced bands, especially the Beach Boys)
MARTHA MY DEAR (Paul plays around with classical music for the first time)
I'M SO TIRED (an awesome Blooz song by John)
BLACKBIRD (Paul's first perfection of the gentle guitar picking style that he would use all over his solo debut)
ROCKY RACCOON (a great parody of folk like the Kingston Trio and especially early Dylan, such as Freewheelin' and Another Side Of)
YER BLUES (a spot-on parody of white blues; but, like all of these songs, it was written not just mockingly but also out of sincere respect, as became evident when John later performed this song with Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, and Jimi Hendrix's drummer Mitch Mitchell--members of three of the biggest white British blues acts of the 60's--at the Rolling Stones' Rock And Roll Circus event)
MOTHER NATURE'S SON (another perfect parody of folk, this time of the more serious, socially-conscious side of folk, such as concern for the environment; again, proof of the fact that these parodies were done in sincere respect is that the uber-serious folkie John Denver later covered this song)
REVOLUTION 9 (probably a send-up of experimental avante garde rock like the Velvet Underground; sounds like 70s Pink Floyd, although obviously it came first)
HELTER SKELTER (if I had to guess, I'd say this is a parody of MC5 and other early hard rock acts, but I'm not sure, it could have just been an idea they had on their own; too bad U2 thought they had to right to butcher this one)
HONEY PIE (a stunningly good imitation of 40's easy-listening-big-band-slow-dance music, or something like that, definitely WWII-era music; even better than "When I'm Sixty Four.")

Highlights because they parody real-world things (rather than musical styles):
CONTINUING STORY OF BUNGALOW BILL (a parody of America's foreign policy, namely in Vietnam; pretty funny)
WHY DON'T WE DO IT IN THE ROAD (a funny, if musically boring, lyrical parody of the 60's free-love ethic/movement)

Highlights because they are so mucially enjoyable:
TOO MANY TO LIST

If you are not a pop music aficionado, you may not get all the musical jokes. It doesn't matter. This is a good album in it's own right. Although I happen to think some of their more straight-forward rock albums (Rubber Soul, Abbey Road) were a little more musically consistent, I wouldn't trade this album for anything. For most bands, it is a bad thing when they don't edit themselves. But when the Beatles don't, it's like manna from pop music heaven--this album is like a glimpse into the mind and creative process of two true musical geniuses. Listen to this album and, like Chevey Chase in Fletch, next time a stewardess asks you if you would like anything, you'll reply, "I could go for a copy of the White Album and some headphones."