Beatles’ ‘White Album’ Symposium Features Insiders

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The Beatles with George Martin during a recording session at Trident Studios 1968 (Photo: Tony Bramwell / © Apple Corps Ltd.; used with permission)

A special listening party of the 50th Anniversary edition of The BEATLES (White Album) will take center stage November 8-11, 2018 at Monmouth University’s international symposium in West Long Branch, NJ, commemorating the album’s original release back in November 1968. The four-day event will feature numerous Beatles experts including keynote speaker (and world-renowned Beatles historian) Mark Lewisohn, as well as record producer Chris Thomas, who worked on the original album in 1968. Tickets are available at Monmouth.edu/WhiteAlbum.

The 50th anniversary editions of the White Album are being released November 9. Monmouth University will host a special listening party at midnight on November 8, with copies available for purchase at that time and throughout the event.

Dr. Kenneth Womack, Dean of the Wayne D. McMurray School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Monmouth and critically acclaimed Beatles author, is spearheading the conference activities. “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. 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 U.S. 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 at the same time as the Beatles in 1968), and a concert performance by Beatle-esque Jersey Shore favorites, The Weeklings.

Other notable experts who will be participating include Beatles author Bruce Spizer, music journalist Allan Kozinn, music critic Tim Riley, Beatles expert Jude Southerland Kessler, Q104.3 disc jockey Ken Dashow, and others.

Monmouth University, a member of the GRAMMY Museum’s affiliate program, is presenting the four-day symposium in association with the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music.

Copies of the White Album available for purchase at the event are via the official Fest for Beatles Fans store, operated by company founder Mark Lapidos. A percentage of the proceeds from the sale of the box sets will go to Monmouth University to support student scholarships.

Tickets and details for the entire symposium are available here.

Watch the official trailer for the White Album 50th Anniversary edition