McCartney Times

A 50th-anniversary reissue of the 1968 White Album by The Beatles has been confirmed by Paul McCartney after months of speculation.

The double album, which is actually eponymously titled although widely referred to for its plain white cover designed by artist Richard Hamilton, was made after about 30 rough demos had been recorded at lead guitarist George’s Harrison’s suburban home in Esher, near London, in May, 1968. Many of the songs were written during the band’s stay in India to study meditation earlier that year and the happy-go-lucky sessions went well. The quartet later worked them up in the London studio in a process that was far less harmonious. Most of the demos became finished works that made the record, although a few were held over to Abbey Road and a few ended up on solo albums.

McCartney, who turned 76 on June 18, made the comments about a release in an interview about Egypt Station, which will be his first solo studio effort since 2013.

In an interview with DIY Magazine, McCartney said of the Beatles project: “It’s all in place. I’ve just got a couple of essays [to sign off on]. It’s all lined up and it’s really good.” He added: “Something sparks another memory, but it’s really nice because we were a great little band, I think we can agree on that. The album itself is very cool and it sounds like you’re in the room; that’s the great thing about doing remasters. But we’ve also got some demos of the songs, so you get things stripped right back to just John’s voice and a guitar.”

McCartney did not specify a release date for the Beatles set. His new solo work is due in September. He has now released a double A-side solo single after days of teasing some new music on social media and playing a Liverpool gig in The Philharmonic pub that included two new songs.

The original White Album was released on November 22, 1968 in Britain and three days later in the US., so that anniversary week in 2018 may be a likely date, tying in with Thanksgiving and Black-Friday sales. The 50^th-anniversary editions of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band also came at the time of the original release anniversary itself in August last year. Shortly after that, Ringo Starr said in several interviews that he hoped for deluxe editions of both The White Album and Abbey Road.

Producer Giles Martin also hinted at plans to reissue more material last year. Martin, 49, the son for Beatles collaborator Sir George Martin, has worked on other albums such as McCartney’s New. He also remastered and help create the Love compilation, Live at the Hollywood Bowl and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Source: Beatles 50th-Anniversary ‘White Album’ Is Almost Ready