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“We had left Sgt. Pepper’s band to play in his sunny Elysian Fields and were now striding out in new directions without a map,” writes Paul McCartney in his introduction in the new hardcover book.
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It’s interesting to hear that two songs from the future Abbey Road album were written during this period. “Mean Mr. Mustard” and “Polythene Pam” were both written by John Lennon and did not change much in their final form on the Abbey Road album one year later.
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Four of the songs, including “Junk” by McCartney, and “Not Guilty” and “Circles” by Harrison, were released in later years on the ex-Beatles respective solo albums. The most intriguing is John Lennon’s song “Child of Nature.” The lyrics of this song were inspired by one of Maharishi’s lectures about nature.
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“I never did anything with it,” Lennon recalled about the song. “But I always liked the melody. The words were silly, anyway… I decided to change it – and, with Yoko’s help, I did.”
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The melody of “Child of Nature” would be paired with new lyrics and became Lennon’s song “Jealous Guy” which was later released on his 1971 Imagine album.
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The unique hardcover book in the Super Deluxe package also serves as the CD holder case for the White Album. The first two and last two pages of the book use sturdier cardboard-type pages which hold all of the discs in built-in pockets as well as a folder which contains a full-size reproduction of the original album poster and four color glossy photos of each Beatle.
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The back-side of the White Album poster includes the lyrics to all the songs on the album. The poster is a type of home-movie set in photos of The Beatles. Female fans may be intrigued by the small shot of Paul McCartney in the bathroom almost naked (not the large pic of him in the bathtub) hidden discreetly in the collage.
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Watch the “Glass Onion” (2018 mix) video and you’ll see the almost-naked Paul!
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[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBQIAWh3YBs]
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Interestingly, John Lennon also has an almost naked photo in the collage, as he is sitting in bed with his legs crossed. [Note: John and Yoko’s Two Virgins album was coincidentally released the same month as the White Album so the naked theme seemed to be popular in that time period.]
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The plastic protective cover of the book, featuring photos of The Beatles and the track listing, is transparent and slides off of the book, leaving a blank white cover just like the original album. Early copies of the White Album were individually numbered on the front, and this feature is also included on the front of the book in the Super Deluxe package.
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The book contains seven chapters written by various music historians and two brief introductions from Paul McCartney and Giles Martin. The chapter of handwritten lyrics is printed on different paper (matte) than the rest of the book, which is glossy, for a more authentic reproduction of the historic lyric sheets.
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One chapter features a track-by-track description for each song on the album plus the Esher demos. Other chapters collectively trace the White Album from beginning to end including details on the recording process, the design of the poster, a musical analysis and the release and reception of the album.
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Special rare photos are included as well as original ads for the White Album. There is also a chapter on the Beatles “Mad Day Out” photo session around London from July 28, 1968.
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All in all, the 50th Anniversary Super Deluxe version is a treat for the hardcore Beatles fan. It includes practically everything you could ever want to know, see and hear about the making of the White Album.
– Trina Young