January 2025

Hey everyone!  Maybe it’s my COVID-induced dementia, but I meant to include a couple of more Ringo things in yesterday’s mailing:  First, for those who can see it in real time, Ringo will be appearing tonight on Jimmy Kimmel’s show to promote his hit album, Look Up. I will try to be mindful of these things as they pop up, for anyone needing a reminder. For everyone outside the US, the segment will likely be on YouTube within the next day or so.  Also worth mentioning in passing: Ringo’s firstborn made the news and not in a good way. We of course wish him all the best.  And they said journalism was dead! From that same periodical, this stellar reporting (which stayed online for days). 

Hello folks;  Thanks to all of those taking the time for well-wishes. The recent COVID event was prolonged, but not as bad as it might have been. It’s behind me now and I appreciate all the kind words.  Hopefully by now most of you have listened to the conversation with Richard Mills. He is a terrific guest, likewise his book, The Beatles and Fandom, and I really look forward to having him on again. His new book will be coming in May, but I have an idea that I may float to him sooner – we shall see! On the subject of books, the new one with Jerry Hammack, Ribbons of Rust: The Beatles’ Recording Career in Context volume one 1954 – February 1963 has been given an official publication date: February 11, 2025. If that date rings familiar in Beatles history, it should! More on this next time.  Up sooner than later will be the next podcast, #299. This is a conversation with Gary Astridge, Ringo’s drum curator and author of the book, Beats and Threads, combining a history of Ringo’s kits with a stroll through his wardrobe. Trust me when I tell you it works amazingly well! Gary’s a great friend and a superb storyteller. And he’s got the stories to tell… I’d mentioned in 296 the Magical Mystery Camp event in the Catskills, coming in late June. (Did you know that June 25th is recognized as Global Beatles Day?) If those of you inclined to plan your vacations now figure New York into your plans, this should dovetail quite nicely. The four day event will bring together guests, presentations, workshops and lots of music. Jack Petruzzelli, whom you know from previous appearances on the show (sometimes along with Cameron Greider and Walter Everett, both of the RPM School) is a member of The Fab Faux, who will be appearing. He and I had a recent talk about it, which I will be sharing in the podcast feed and also as a video on YouTube. More on this in the next newsletter.       There was a report in the news this past week, wherein Dhani Harrison was quoted as saying that he and Sean Lennon had listened to AI enhancements of the two Anthology Threetles tracks, suggesting that some kind of release was imminent. Those who looked into it concluded that 1) it was an old interview, not news and 2) that his actual words were that he thought it was possible, not that it was a done deal. Personally, I thought it was something they should have had done and dusted concurrently with the “Now and Then” release, but if there’s any truth to it at all, it would make sense as part of a revamped 30th anniversary issue of Anthology. There has been no lack of effort by unsanctioned engineers to tackle “Free As A Bird” and “Real Love” – an official release could be amazing (especially if they address the Jeff Lynne production…).   This is, of course, the 56th anniversary of the wrap up of the Let It Be sessions, which climaxed on the rooftop of Savile Row. Personally, I was not among those who got to the theater to see the Peter Jackson IMAX presentation (it came and went superfast here) but hopefully most of you did. And for everyone else, here’s a restored print of the rooftop sequence as it appeared in the 1970 film (minus the retakes).  For anyone wishing to hear the complete rooftop performance, here you go. As alluded to in an earlier newsletter, I am expecting to produce a brand new show on the Let It Be/”Get Back” project, with a new guest with a new book. Stay tuned!  To repeat: Thanks all of you for signing up and for the continued support for the show. I hope that these newsletters remain welcome additions to your in-box (and if not, just reply to “unsubscribe” and we’ll fix that). All past newsletters available upon request (subject line “old newsletters). Be sure to share this with any like-minded friends – thanks!    

Hello all;  Turns out “a touch of flu” actually means “a case of COVID.”… But a mild one in the scheme of things (the other extreme being the Ray Connolly kind). When all the symptoms weren’t shaken off as fully as I would’ve liked, I checked into it further and realized that there are reasons. So listen to your body and get fully boosted – flu shots aren’t a bad thought either.  On the subject of maladies: I am sorry to report on the ongoing illness of Badfinger’s Joey Molland, the band’s sole surviving original member. Though known for working virtually non-stop through the years as a performer and a recording artist, he took ill in November and it was actually quite serious – the life-threatening kind. You can read about what he’s been going through here at his GoFundMe page. It would appear, guardedly, that the worst may be behind him, but the road to recovery is fragile and long.  He and I have been friends since the 80s. He’s always been a congenial, upbeat guy and an artist of no small talent, having contributed to seven of the group’s albums as well as his own solo releases plus works by George and John. (He was also at the Concert for Bangladesh.) Some samples here:  Joe had promised a conversation for the show when last we talked – he’s a strong guy and stubborn, and I know that when he’s ready, Joey’s gonna come around.  A sad loss this week was filmmaker David Lynch. You may wonder what the director of works like Eraserhead, Blue Velvet, Mulholland Drive, and Twin Peaks has to do with The Beatles – I would tell you, “Plenty,” because like so many others millions of us, his life trajectory was profoundly impacted by the group; specifically, in his embrace of the brand of meditation known as TM, or “Transcendental Meditation” – the kind espoused by the Maharishi.  Lynch saw The Beatles as a high school senior at their first US concert – the one in DC. From then on he was hooked, and their artistic daring certainly inspired him. But when they in effect became the public face of TM in 1967-8, he too checked it out and not only got on board, but he then utilized his platform to advocate for it to be taught in schools and brought to the masses at an early age. The David Lynch Foundation began in 2005, focusing on at-risk populations (veterans, refugees, inner city students and so forth). In 2009, Lynch presented an all-star charity concert in NYC: among the artists performing were Paul and Ringo, united onstage for the first time since 2002’s Concert for George. You can check out highlights from the show here. Astonishingly, “Sexy Sadie” was not dusted off for the occasion, but “Cosmically Conscious” – a McCartney composition with origins going back to Rishikesh – was trotted out.   You can check out a conversation between Macca and Lynch here but for anyone interested in learing more about his life’s work that doesn’t concern film, this documentary is quite captivating.  In other news, the Brian Epstein biopic Midas Man had been available for awhile streaming outside the US on Prime, but will be coming to North America this week for purchase.    Last, Ringo had quite the time in Nashville last week launching Look Up with a stage loaded with guests. Several folks I know were there and I expect we will hear from at least one of them on the show soon…. In the meantime, this.  The show I have started cutting and the book I am set to launch will not hit the finish line by themselves, despite my best efforts at wishing this were so, so I’m off. Thanks for all the new newsletter sign-ups and definitely share with anyone you know who would be interested. 

Hi folks! This one will be a bit brief, as I am battling a touch of flu at the moment, but I wanted to get something out to you as soon as I could. Normally, a new show would’ve dropped by now, but I am hoping that taking a bit of rest will get me past this sooner rather than later. I expect it’ll be out by the weekend, so 🤞. Boy, what a difference a week makes. To our west coast friends, the year has gotten off to a horrific start, and knowing that it has directly affected both SATB listeners and guests alike, I can only extend the deepest condolences for what you are going through. If anything emerges that I/we can do to help, count on us. In the meantime, maybe carrying on with the show can at least serve as some kind of pocket of respite from what will be an ongoing recovery. I am so sorry for what you are dealing with, and sincerely hope the show can be at least a momentary diversion.       Besides the Get Back project anniversary this month represents, it is also the anniversary of the first US broadcast of the Shea Stadium concert film, which came in early January 1967. It’s astonishing to consider the progress the group had made in the eighteen months since the show took place; a time when they were still playing “oldies” like “Twist and Shout” and “Everybody’s Trying To Be My Baby” onstage. This broadcast arrived just as the “Penny Lane”/”Strawberry Fields Forever” single was about to be issued, a foretaste of what the end of touring meant for them creatively. Being as this will be the 60th anniversary year, it would be nice to think that Apple has plans for some kind of comprehensive Shea release. Until such time, this one will have to do. (Note the special added features!) In the last newsletter, I’d mentioned the Magical Mystery Tour Revisited documentary and noted that it could probably be tracked down, at least in the states. I don’t know why it didn’t occur to me in the moment that it was already in my holdings and I could easily share it here, which I just did!  In other news, Ringo is in Nashville, presenting Look Up, a follow-up almost 55 years in the making to Beaucoups of Blues. He will be the subject of an upcoming show. My book project with Jerry Hammack has hit a technical snag, which we are remedying as we speak – it won’t be out on the 21st but should be not long after. I’ll keep you posted. That’s about it for now, except to say I am extending the deadline for anyone wanting to contribute anything at all (audio or video) to the upcoming 300th episode, which I may push back a little if I need more time to prepare it. We’ll see. 

Happy January, folks!  Thanks to all the new sign-ups, and by all means, hip your Beatle pals if they aren’t already. The “why?” is easy – I really enjoy sharing with like-minded fans, and if I am going to put in the time, we might as well try to reach as many people who would enjoy it as possible. Some sixty+ years ago, the world discovered that challenging times could be made a little easier with some Beatles joy, and that hasn’t changed one bit. We can’t manufacture more time, but we can certainly choose how we spend it.  To that end, being January and all, what comes to mind is the 1969 sessions we’ve been commemorating on the show in depth in recent years. I would be curious as to how many people have reached the saturation point on the Get Back/Let It Be stuff….have we had enough or is there more to suss out? I recently came into contact with someone with another take, and am seriously thinking about producing a show on it. For those who can’t get enough of the subject, you can’t do better than our own Dan Rivkin of the They May Be Parted blog, which if you haven’t followed to this point, do check it out.  And for the hardest of the hardcores, check this out: Adambound has long provided one of the best YouTube channels for Beatles-related footage, which he scrupulously collates, curates and re-assembles to provide the most thorough collections of film on virtually anything Beatles caught on camera you can think of. In collaboration with LedZepFilms, he has produced the most complete collection of the Let It Be project footage assembled. For those wishing for a long trip down that rabbit hole, here’s the Twickenham set. (The Apple Studios part is a work in progress.)  Speaking of shared footage, time now for another installment of the Seederman Chronology, part three. This one commences with the 1966 Tokyo shows and ends just before January 1969 with some Beatles covers as performed on TV, providing a good context for how ubiquitous their music was during the 1960s, even when it wasn’t them performing it.  On the day after Thanksgiving, four winners of the Beatles ’64 mono vinyl sets were selected entirely at random. They were:  John Jagler of Watertown, WI Amy Flanagan of NYC Michael Roth of Santa Monica, CA, and  Marc Stewart of Vancouver, BC Canada Here’s Marc with his set.  Congrats to all the winners and it is gratifying in the 21st century to have something – anything – new(ish) from The Beatles under the Christmas tree.   The next podcast will be coming soon – 296 – (yes, it got skipped over for reasons that don’t make sense even to me – let’s put it that way). It’s a conversation with Richard Mills, and if you don’t yet know the name, you probably will. This book is out and another is on its way. Frankly, I don’t yet have a title or theme for the discussion, because it was unclassifiable, but a lot of fun nonetheless. You SATB listeners have not heard the last of him.  Also in the works are several shows on topics ranging from Ringo to US fan mag coverage of The Fabs (can you guess who?) and other stuff I don’t want to reveal just yet.  And then there’s the 300th episode. I have been thinking about staging a group Zoom call with past guests and a few listeners. I can see it erupting into a free-for-all, which personally I quite enjoy but I’m sure you guys can share your thoughts on whether you think it’s a good idea. Anything usable would then get edited into the actual show. Thanks for all the contributions received so far – keep ’em coming if you are so inclined, and they will get used. I’m looking for your thoughts on the show, specifically stand out moments. Getting your contribution in by the 10th would be fab. And gear as well, if I’m being honest.