The most famous album in history has no cover art.
When The Beatles, better known as The White Album, was released in 1968, it was unlike anything the band had done before.
No psychedelic swirls. No unified aesthetic. No concept. Just 30 songs sprawling across two LPs, bending the genres of rock, folk, blues, avant-garde, lullabies, and more. By every conventional measure, it shouldn’t have worked. And yet it’s one of the greatest rock n’ roll records ever released. I’ve been thinking about why it worked, and what it actually tells us about creativity and content…
The easy lesson is “more is more.” But that’s not it! The White Album isn’t great because of its sprawl. It’s great in spite of it, and because within that, every single track is fully committed to its own idea and has its respective place on the album.
“Back in the U.S.S.R.” is fully committed to being a rocker. “Blackbird” is committed to being a folk song. “Revolution 9” is committed to being, well, an experimental track?
‘I’m so tired, I haven’t slept a wink,I’m so tired, my mind is on the blink. I wonder should I get up and fix myself a drink.’ – John Lennon.
A wide portfolio doesn’t dilute your brand. Uncommitted work does. You can cover a lot of ground if each piece knows exactly what it’s trying to do. Variety earns trust.
We talk a lot about brand consistency in marketing, and I truly believe in it. But I think we sometimes confuse aesthetic consistency with conviction consistency. The Beatles looked and sounded different from track to track, but you always knew where they stood within each piece.
It was rumored that producer George Martin wanted to cut the album in half and release it as a single LP. I’m glad that didn’t happen. The White Album is still in my regular rotation, along with other Beatles albums, and it still makes me argue with myself each time I hear it.
What’s another album that worked despite, or because, it broke all the rules?
In your ad campaigns, are you chasing aesthetic consistency at the expense of conviction? Where’s your “White Album” moment hiding? Do you have one?