The White Album Photo Shoot

[dcowboys107]

What are the history and facts of the White Album's photoshoot?  I have had the poster in my room for the past 7 years and it gives me the chills at times especially John and Paul's photos.  Were these "staged" photos or were they taken without notice? To me these seem completely different than their staged ones. Any information or discussion would be nice!

[BlueMeanie]

The pictures on the poster are not from any one particular photo shoot. They are mainly random candid shots taken during recording, and around that time. Many by Linda McCartney (then Linda Eastman). I'm not sure when the pictures on the inside of the gatefold, or the four glossies were taken though.

[Bobber]

In June 1968, shortly after the beginning of the sessions for their next album, the Beatles commissioned various designers to come up with sleeve ideas. One was a psychedelic drawing on a gate fold cover. The illustration presented the title on the front and on the back the Beatles' faces in a mountainside overlooking a sea. Another idea was a transparent cover which would reveal a colour photograph as the record was pulled out of the wallet.

Some suggest that a drawing by Alan Aldridge, used in the eighties as the front cover of compilation album called The Beatles Ballads, is one of the rejected covers for the album.
At that time, John had wanted to call the next Beatles album A Doll's House, after a book by the Norwegian writer Henrik Ibsen. But that title had to be scuppered when, around the middle of July, Music In A Doll's House arrived, the debut LP from Roger Chapman and Family.

When in the fall there was enough material for a double album, that possibility was considered. The concept of two vinyl albums housed in a gate fold sleeve had rarely been seen outside the classical field. There were only two precedents: Zappa

[Bobber]

White Album Facts
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The Beatles was released in the UK on November 22, 1968 as Apple PMC 7067-8 (mono) and PCS 7067-8 (stereo) and in the US on November 25, 1968 in stereo as Apple SWBO 101. The White Album was not released in mono in the US.
The White Album's original working title was A Doll's House, which is the name of Henrik Ibsen's masterpiece play written in the 19th century.

In addition, according to The Beatles Album by Geoffrey Giuliano, an illustration was prepared for the cover of A Doll's House by the famed artist Patrick but the plain white cover was opted for instead. This illustration eventually showed up on EMI's Dutch release of the Love Songs album, De Mooiste Songs.



Recording sessions for the White Album started with the song Revolution on May 30, 1968, and concluded with take three of Julia on October 13, 1968. Mixing for the album was completed five days later on October 18, 1968.

This album marked the first on the then newly formed Apple label, which had made its first appearance as a 45 three months earlier on August 30, 1968 with the Hey Jude/Revolution single, both of which were recorded during the White Album sessions.

Also recorded during the White Album sessions were What's the New Mary Jane and Not Guilty. These two tracks were only available on bootlegs for many years, but were finally released legitimately for the first time 28 years after they were recorded on Anthology 3 in 1996.

The Guiness Book of Records lists The Beatles as having sold "nearly two million" copies in its first week of release in the US.




Goodies
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Four 8x10 glossies, one of each Beatle, were included as inserts with the White Album. These pictures were taken by photographer John Kelley in the autumn of 1968.







Silly Censorship
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In the United States, one small photograph of Paul and one small drawing of Yoko and John in the poster that was included with the White Album were censored.

  



On the left are scans from a copy of the White Album poster included with a White Album manufactured by EMI in Germany. On the right are unretouched scans of the same places on the poster from a copy made by Capitol in America.


All found here: http://www.beatletracks.com/  I really love this site. Lots of great information.

[walrus_21]

Bobber,

Fascinating stuff, thanks for the info.  

walrus

[dcowboys107]

That was at the time that Paul couldn

[Joe]

The numbers 000001 to 000020 were for the Beatles themselves and their friends. "We got the first four," Paul later recalled. "I don

[Bobber]

^Reminds me of:



I will check out on Anthology about #5.

[BlueMeanie]

Courtesy of Alexis.

[alexis]

Thanks for posting, BM!!

I notice that there is at least a hint of a smile in many of the alternate pics. These are from an email friend I just made who seems to have access to a LOT of "alternate", unpublished Beatles stuff.

I had previously thought that I wish they didn't look so "grim" in the final ones. It's like they were determined to present themselves as unhappy, uncute, and un-AHDN Beatles.

I blame May 

[BlueMeanie]

Me too. She's the Devil in disguise!!!

[Mairi]

I loooove that black and white picture of John! The shadows and lighting are just perfect.

[nyfan(41)]

thanks alexis 

a little 'what if' history

hey for that matter, imagine if the white album had been called 'A Dolls House' as was its working title 

[breedofrandy]

those are so cool! I really love them!!

It's cool seeing them smile in those pictures rather than look all glum.

[Mrs Lennon]

I like the second to last one. Paul has lovely eyes!