2019

1969 was a tremendous year, in the world generally and with The Beatles as well. We find ourselves commemorating (if not celebrating) a number of 50th anniversaries this year, among them the infamous Tate-LaBianca murders; tangentially tied to the “White Album” by Charles Manson’s (mis)reading of certain lyrics. That he was able to incite a bunch of confused misfits into sociopathy remains a fascinating area of study, and SATB has previously explored the purported ties between Charlie’s “gospel” and what the rest of the world heard as simply great music. But reporter and Beatles confidant Ivor Davis is back, with a new book summarizing his investigation into the case, which dates back to day one. Manson Exposed: A Reporter’s 50-Year Journey into Madness and Murder has just been published, and he’s here to present a timely summation of the case, just as public interest has been again raised with director Quentin Tarantino’s latest, Once Upon A Time…in Hollywood. Not only is Ivor uniquely placed to discuss the film, but also to talk about a couple of Beatles events he’d personally witnessed while accompanying them on tour: their 1964 meeting with Bob Dylan, as well as their 1965 visit with Elvis. Check out all his works at ivordavisbooks.com

Few professional scribes received access to The Beatles like Ray Connolly. As a journalist with the Evening Standard, he found himself in the right place at the right time to cover the group during their final years. (It was to him that John confided that he’d quit the group; it was to Ray that Paul divulged: “I didn’t leave the Beatles – The Beatles left the Beatles.”) He later scripted the films That’ll Be The Day and Stardust; he also wrote radio plays and biographies.  In 2018, he published Being John Lennon: A Restless Life. His e-book, The Ray Connolly Beatles Archive is essential. We discuss John as he knew him, abetted by Lennon biographer Jude Kessler. Ray’s site: https://www.rayconnolly.co.uk/ “In My Life” performed by Mary Ruane (Talent scouted by Lisa Kasco)

Back in 2017, SATB first explored of Beatles collectors. This year, a terrific addition to Beatle literature arrived with the publication of Terry Crain’s new book, NEMS and the Business of Selling Beatles Merchandise in the U.S. 1964-1966. Terry didn’t merely catalog the merchandise of the period: instead, he methodically researched the history of the items marketed stateside, each of which tells a story itself. There’s a ton of history to be gleaned from these ephemeral footnotes of the era – each one a memory trigger – as well as from Terry’s book. Terry’s site

Beginning in 1978, George Harrison became drawn into a vocation he’d only dabbled in previously: filmmaker. HandMade Films came into being serendipitously, simply because he wanted to see Monty Python’s Life of Brian get made. This “accidental studio” went on to produce work of staggeringly high quality, resulting in works ranging from Time Bandits and The Long Good Friday to Mona Lisa and Withnail and I. (Also: Shanghai Surprise.)      The story of George’s cinematic career has now been told, in a new documentary produced by AMC UK: An Accidental Studio. My guests today are two of the documentary’s producers and directors, Bill Jones and Ben Timlett. Join us for this discussion of a surprisingly sturdy cinematic legacy, brought to us by the Quiet Beatle.

The full story of The Beatles’ Rishikesh visit and their relationship with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi had never been explored in detail and from the inside before – until now. Susan Shumsky spent over twenty years studying TM, including seven working directly with the Maharishi. The author of 14 books, her newest – Maharishi and Me: Seeking Enlightenment with the Beatles’ Guru – sheds light on the Rishikesh experience and how it impacted The Beatles’ lives and art. Years of misinformation is cleared aside by her direct knowledge and insider accounts of the good, the bad and the ugly of the Maharishi experience. Susan Shumsky’s site: http://www.divinerevelation.org/

In which I resume the conversation with engineer/producer Jerry Hammack, begun earlier this year. This time, our sounding board is writer/musician/engineer/producer/podcaster/returning guest Anthony Robustelli. We discuss the specifics of their studio work throughout 1967 and into 1968, encompassing Magical Mystery Tour and then some. Jerry’s third volume of The Beatles’ Recording Reference Manual series was recently published. My guests: https://www.beatlesrecordingreferencemanuals.com/ https://www.anthonyrobustelli.com/

The first break-out star at Apple Records was, of course, Mary Hopkin with “Those Were The Days.” A huge international hit, it typed her as a cheery ingénue, somewhat removed from her folk roots (and aspirations). Other hits followed, diverging from her preferred stylistic path, until her second Apple album, Earth Song / Ocean Song (produced by her future husband, Tony Visconti) at last gave her some artistic satisfaction. Her story – at Apple and beyond (including session work for David Bowie, Linda McCartney…and The Beatles) – is recounted here by her daughter, Jessica Lee Morgan (herself a recording artist). Check out Mary’s releases – including archival studio and live recordings, as well as recent work – here: http://www.maryhopkin.com/ Jessica’s releases and tour news can be found here: http://www.jessicaleemorgan.com/ Jessica live in Belgium 2018

Apple Jam is a Seattle-based recording and performing outfit specializing in Beatles music; specifically, songs written by Lennon-McCartney and Harrison that, for the most part, went unrecorded/released as “Beatles” product. My guests today are Richard Lovrovich, Jaekal Tristram and Doug Kilishek. In this conversation, they discuss the curation of obscure Beatles material: the selection process (what makes the cut – and what doesn’t), the recording and the performance of this music. Off The Beatle Track was released in 2009: 1. I’m In Love 2. Tip Of My Tongue 3. Love Of The Loved 4. You Know What To Do 5. I’ll Be on My Way 6. I Don’t Want To See You Again 7. Nobody I Know 8. I’ll Keep You Satisfied 9. It’s For You 10. Hello Little Girl 11. Like Dreamers Do 12. Bad To Me 13. A World Without Love 14. From A Window 15. One And One Is Two Off The White Album was released in 2018: 1. Not Guilty 2. Child of Nature 3. Goodbye 4. Step Inside Love 5. The Rishi Kesh Song 6. Cosmically Conscious 7. India, India 8. Sour Milk Sea 9. What’s the New Mary Jane 10. Circles 11. Suicide https://applejamband.com/home

It is not a unique observation to note that bandleader Duke Ellington and The Beatles shared some commonalities, creativity-wise. They were unclassifiable musically, and a great deal of what made their art magic came from the collaborative process, hardwired into their working method. My guest, musicologist Thomas Brothers, has written a terrific new book – Help: The Beatles, Duke Ellington and the Magic of Collaboration. This conversation provides an overview of his thesis (to be followed up with a deeper exploration soon…).

Back in 2017, SATB featured a conversation with Ken Womack on the publication of volume one of his George Martin biography, Maximum Volume (here). In late 2018, volume two emerged, this one taking up the story where George Martin resumed production chores with The Beatles, this time as an independent contractor. It marked the era of their highest artistic achievement as well as an eventual erosion in relations between producer and proteges. This discussion also covers the post-Beatles years and Sir George Martin’s other productions, as well as his curation of The Beatles’ latter-day collections. More about Sound Pictures: The Life of Beatles Producer George Martin (The Later Years 1966 – 2016) here More about Ken’s new novel, I Am Lemonade Lucy here  Check out Ken’s site here