November 2018

In the 2nd of a quartet of shows recorded (in part) at the White Album Symposium at Monmouth University (as well as the 2nd in a trio of shows covering Apple in its 50th year), I speak with my friend, Ken Mansfield: former manager of US operations of Apple, as well as author of several books, including two published this year: a novel, Philco and a memoir, The Roof: The Beatles’ Final Concert. Ken is a natural storyteller as well as a confidant of the Beatles, whose accomplishments include work with artists ranging from the Beach Boys to Waylon Jennings. We cover it all here. NOTE: as pointed out in the show’s intro, field recordings are susceptible to issues beyond our control, in this case a fluctuation in the current every time the heat came on in the room we were in. That’s why you hear crackling/static noise throughout the first half hour. Like Live At Leeds, do not attempt to correct – Ben Rowling and I have already tried.

In the first of what will be a series of shows originating from the White Album symposium held at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey, I am presenting my opening remarks, followed by a brief Q&A. For those who couldn’t attend, it gives you a good flavor of how these events go down. Asked to present on the Kinfauns recordings, newly remastered and issued as part of the 50th anniversary White Album package, I opted to offer my take on what the recording of these songs meant to The Beatles, as a way of getting back to where they once belonged. Special thanks to Ben Rowling for capturing this field recording and to Dr. Kenneth Womack for making the event possible.

You may know his name from his years on tour and in the studio with Joe Jackson; possibly from his series of solo projects (Swinging Guitar Sounds of Young America Vol 1-3, plus The Coyote and two Christmas collections – find them here). But this multi-instrumentalist has been a lifelong Beatle fan, and as he says here, the group served as proxy tutors, as he learned ALL the instrumental parts of their records as they were released. This show began as an examination of George’s evolution as a guitarist, as seen by a professional musician, but it became much more than that, with observations on band dynamics, Ringo’s drumming, John’s guitar, personal interactions (Vinnie’s sister worked at ABKCO) and much more! Vinnie’s musical tributes to each Beatle can be found here: John Paul George Ringo Vinnie’s works on Spotify