The much-anticipated release of the Beatles’ 1968 record “The Beatles” (later popularized as “The White Album”) box set, remixed and repackaged with previously unreleased outtakes, will take center stage Thurs., Nov. 8 to Sun., Nov. 11 at Monmouth University’s international symposium commemorating the album’s original release in Nov. 1968. Tickets for “The Beatles’ ‘The White Album’: An International Symposium” are available now at monmouth.edu/whitealbum.
Apple Corps Ltd. has officially announced the reissue of the “White Album” and copies will be made available on Nov. 9. Monmouth University will host a special listening party on the evening of Nov. 8, leading up to a midnight listening session with copies available for purchase at that time and throughout the four-day symposium. Special guests at the midnight listening party and throughout the weekend will include keynote speaker Mark Lewisohn, world-renowned Beatles historian, as well as record producer Chris Thomas, who worked on the original album in 1968.
“Monmouth University will be the place to be this November, as the world comes together to celebrate one of the Beatles’ most remarkable musical achievements,” said Kenneth Womack, Ph.D., dean of the Monmouth University Wayne D. McMurray School of Humanities and Social Sciences. Womack is a critically acclaimed Beatles author and is spearheading conference activities. “Fans will be treated to listening parties, live performances, and expert panels on the album’s enduring legacy.”
Other special guests at the symposium include former Apple Records manager Ken Mansfield, music journalist Rob Sheffield, and musicologist Walter Everett of the University of Michigan. In addition, events will feature the premiere of the film “The Beatles in India” by Paul Saltzman (who was in Rishikesh, India at the same time as the Beatles in 1968), and a concert performance by Beatle-esque Jersey Shore favorites, The Weeklings. A highly regarded cast of experts will also be on hand, including Bruce Spizer, Allan Kozinn, Tim Riley, Jude Southerland Kessler, Ken Dashow, and a host of others.
Smaller breakout sessions will explore the history, significance, and artistry of the Beatles and the “White Album.” The conference will also include a bus and walking tour of historical rock ‘n’ roll sites in Asbury Park and Freehold led by Jean Mikle and Stan Goldstein, authors of “Rock and Roll Tour of the Jersey Shore.” Attendees interested in interactive sessions can mix a track and take home an MP3 in one of the sessions, and there will also be a music demonstration room where people will have instruments and will show attendees how the Beatles discovered sounds accidentally.
Monmouth University, a member of the GRAMMY Museum’s affiliate program, is presenting the four-day symposium in association with the Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music.
Conference registration is available for a daily fee of $75 that includes conference meals and activities, musical performances, film screenings, book signings, and plenary and keynote sessions. The conference daily sessions are free to Monmouth University students with current university identification and pre-registration at the Central Box Office.
Registration and full conference details are available at monmouth.edu/whitealbum.
Questions about the conference can be directed to Kenneth Womack at kwomack@monmouth.edu.
