All Songs Considered

Fifty years ago, just before the holidays in 1968, The Beatles put out not just a new album, but a double album, something relatively unheard of at the time. The album art was a stark, white, glossy cover with raised, slanted lettering that simply said, "The Beatles." That self-titled album, with its 30 songs that span genres from American country music to avant-garde tape collage, has come to be known as "The White Album." And in celebration of it's birth 50 years ago, The Beatles label Apple Records has scoured the archives for a new deluxe edition of the album that, for the first time, includes previously unreleased, early demo recordings, studio outtakes and stunning remixes in both stereo and 5.1 surround. On this episode of All Songs Considered we've got a conversation with the man who produced this 100-plus song celebration, Giles Martin, whose father, George Martin, produced "The White Album" back in '68 (along with most everything else The Beatles ever made). In this interview with Giles Martin, you'll hear some of the early demos, outtakes and remixes. But he begins by describing the process of making of the "The White Album," how it turned out to be a much-less planned and much more organic process than ever, and how that frustrated George Martin.

This week's best new albums includes emo-rapper Lil Peep's posthumous follow-up to Come Over When Your Sober, 50th anniversary editions of Jimi Hendrix's Electric Ladyland and The Beatles "White Album," a labor of love from the late soul singer Charles Bradley, rock with a wink from Laura Jane Grace & The Devouring Mothers, the music of Hanson set to strings and more.FEATURED ALBUMS: Laura Jane Grace & The Devouring Mothers: Bought to Rot; The Glands: Double Coda; Charles Bradley: Black Velvet; Jimi Hendrix: Electric Ladyland 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition; Golden Hornet with Jeffrey Zeigler: The Sound of Science; Hanson: String Theory; Meg Baird & Mary Lattimore: Ghost Forests; Lil Peep: Come Over When You're Sober, Pt. 2; OTHER NOTABLE RELEASES FOR NOV. 9: The Beatles: The Beatles ("The White Album"); J. Fernandez: Occasional Din; J. Masics: Elastic Days; Muse: Simulation Theory; Tom Adams: Yes, Sleep Well Death, Boygenius: Boygenius (physical release); Rays: You Can Get There From Here; Imagine Dragons: Origins

As voters head to the polls today, we hear from artists whose music speaks to our current political and cultural moment. Full playlist: 1. Deerhunter: "Death In Midsummer," 2. Andrew Bird: "Bloodless," 3. Alexander: "Strange Time," 4. Tomberlin: "Self-Help," 5. Foxwarren: "Everything Apart," 6. Ian William Craig: "TC-377 Poem," 7. Bokanté + Metropole Orkest: "All The Way Home"

This week's sprint through the best new albums, out on Nov. 2, includes a collection of outtakes and rarities from Bob Dylan's Blood On The Tracks period, the Flamenco-pop of Rosalía, profoundly moving reflections from Marianne Faithful, the prepared piano of Kelly Moran, fuzz-pop from Stove and more. Host Robin Hilton is joined for this week's New Music Friday by NPR Music's Ann Powers, Lars Gotrich and Stephen Thompson. Featured Albums: Rosalía: El Mal Querer; Bob Dylan: More Blood, More Tracks; Marianne Faithful: Negative Capability; Pistol Annies: Interstate Gospel; Rosanne Cash: She Remembers Everything; Stove: 's Favorite Friend; Kelly Moran: Ultraviolet; Doug Paisley: Starter Home; Other notable releases for Nov. 2: Tenacious D: Post-Apocalypto; Dead Can Dance: Dionysus; Molly Nilsson: Twenty Twenty; Gabby's World: Beast On Beast; Bill Ryder-Jones: Yawn; Rodney Crowell: Christmas Everywhere; JD McPherson: SOCKS; Sun Kil Moon: This Is My Dinner

This week on the show, we hear from artists who find ways to celebrate life no matter how broken it may be. Full playlist: 1. boygenius: "Bite the Hand," 2. Pedro The Lion: "Yellow Bike," 3. Quivers: "Pigeons," 4. PAVVLA: "Unbreakable," 5. Tōth: "Copilot," 6. Rubblebucket: "What Life Is"