Podcasts

In late May 1969, producer Glyn Johns turned in a draft album, culled from hours of tape recorded in January 1969 during the Get Back/Let It Be sessions. His work reflected the original concept: catching The Beatles as they really were in the studio, with off-the-cuff performances of oldies, warm-ups, false starts and blown takes. It would have made for a fine tie-in with the original cut of the Let It Be film, but ultimately, the group rejected the idea, instead moving back to their established productions values, with Abbey Road being the result. The tapes, handed off to Phil Spector, emerged in May 1970 with a new tie-in: the group’s break-up. Let It Be, the album, drew the worst reviews of their career, being a neither fish-nor-fowl collection of tunes bearing Spector’s worst impulses (choirs and lush orchestration) alongside vestiges of the original concept (studio chat and tossed off improvisations). In this episode, Robert and Olympiad partner Gary Wenstrup re-imagine the group’s history – what if Get Back HAD been accepted and released in spring 1969, the missing link between the “White Album” and Abbey Road?   You can read Glyn’s account of things here and hear the actual work here. The artwork is here and the track listing here. 

In recent years, the quality of Beatles scholarship has risen considerably, and the old days of accepting and repeating any old data (even coming from sources that should be credible) – without examining it deeper to see if it really stands up – are long gone. With The Beatles, music is always at the heart of their story, and in particular, what they did in the studio. Examining how their recordings were produced tells us a ton about how the group operated, and therefore getting it right is pretty important to understanding what we’re hearing. My two guests – Marcus Phelan and Andrew Shakespeare – are 2nd-gen fans, hailing from Australia. Both are musicians who’ve been playing for decades and have been studying The Beatles’ music for just about as long. We selected a group of songs that have been disputed as to who is playing what and how the recordings were constructed for this first installment of Contentious Credits.  Here’s the episode’s playlist:https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWJwXBl8_fsfe9Nu1Z1HqZgRAXcu4kb7G&si=_b46MSAyw8VcipS4 Plus Marcus Phelan’s Guitar Videos: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsvcWjz7Ghh6byDBitzvVHeB9IKzRKth3&si=MdIaGZZaznwUW4kQ And: youtube.com/@RBStems2

Beatle proteges Badfinger were an Apple band that simultaneously produced some of the finest pop/rock of their era while beset by management malfeasance leading directly to their decimation by suicide. It was fifty years ago that Pete Ham, their songwriter responsible for “No Matter What,” “Day After Day” and “Baby Blue” and co-writer with Tommy Evans of “Without You” took his life at 27. Only a few months before, he and the band recorded one final album (at Apple Studios), Head First. Multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter Bob Jackson, the group’s newest addition, was fully on board with the project, which went unreleased at the time but through his determination, was tracked down and fully realized in late 2024. In this conversation, Bob discusses his tenure in the band alongside Pete, Tommy, Mike Gibbins and the late Joey Molland, as well as his work with them through the years that followed as well as the lasting impact of the two tragedies. Official band site: https://badfingeruk.com/home Episode 304 playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWJwXBl8_fsf5tniBjOirCrKE-SSQL7z8&si=Oqa0_xKDPi3ds6s0 The Autumn 1974 UK tour setlist:The Winner Blind Owl Suitcase In the Meantime/Some Other Time Gotta Get Out of Here I Don’t Mind Love is Easy King of the Load Andy Norris Give It Up Get Away

My guest has produced one of those rare books in The Beatles’ literary canon not penned by an insider (or by someone named Lewisohn) that has arrived with a tidal wave of press; in advance and since. Ian Leslie, who in the past has written about psychology, has put together a thesis examining the singular personal and professional relationship between Lennon and McCartney, and how it manifested in their art. That’s a lot to unpack but we cover a lot of ground in our conversation.  

An important part of understanding both rock history generally and The Beatles’ history specifically is contained in a study of the fan magazines produced throughout the 50s and 60s. For the purposes of this discussion, Dr. Allison Bumsted’s newly-published TeenSet, Teen Fan Magazines and Rock Journalism: Don’t Let The Name Fool You is THE roadmap to understanding the role these journals played in both promoting artists and instilling a sense of community among fans, pre-internet and social media. Allison focuses much of her research on TeenSet, a groundbreaking magazine created by Capitol Records that began as one thing and ended as something else under the guidance of visionary editor Judith Sims.  You can check out Allison’s research and new articles at www.allisonbumsted.com

Returning guests Cameron Greider and Jack Petruzzelli (both of the RPM-School.com) are on hand to discuss more of what The Beatles used in their songcraft: 6th and minor 3rds. If ths sounds like indecipherable music theory, hang on – it isn’t and once you become aware of it, you’ll recognize it everywhere – how often and how artfully they used it, and to what effect.  Also in the conversation: Neil Inness, and the topic of plagiarism.  Jack, Cameron and I will all be on hand in upstate New York come June as part of the 3rd annual Magical Mystery Camp, along with Walter Everett and featured guests that include Peter Asher, Joan Osbourne, Steve Forbert, The Fab Faux, Ken Womack, Scott Freiman, and last but not least, Jerry Hammack. A full on days-long music immersion in learning and participating.  Details: www.magicalmysterycamp.com/

YOU the loyal listeners decided what your fave moments of the show were, and based on your input, SATB runs down moments from the past 7+ years, featuring only a sampling of the many guests we’ve had on the show. These include (alphabetically): Nancy Lee Andrews Christine Feldman-Barrett Pattie Boyd Allison Bumsted James Campion Laura Cortner Dennis Diken Duncan Driver Elliot Easton Debbie Gendler Glenn Greenberg Cameron Greider Jerry Hammack Robert Hieronimous Terri Hemmert Peter Jackson John Leckie Candy Leonard Ramsey Lewis Ken Mansfield Jeff Martin Richard Mills Chris O’Dell Sibbie O’Sullivan May Pang Jack Petruzzelli Dan Rivkin Ethan Russell Luther Russell Arion Salazar Pat Sansone Sylvie Simmons Susan Shumsky Chris Thomas Carol Tyler Erin Weber Gary Wenstrup Thanks to every one of my guests and to each and every listener. None of this would be possible without you.

For most whose lives were changed by The Beatles, it can only remain a dream that they would one day meet one, much less work alongside one and develop a key role in that Beatle’s life and develop a friendship. But Buffalo, New York native Gary Astridge was one exceptional fellow, whose passion for percussion, inspired by the 1964 Ed Sullivan Show debut, would impact his life in ways far beyond imagining. He took up drums and was so curious about the details of Ringo’s set-up that he made it a lifelong study. Then came the day that Ringo needed him to solve a problem, leading to projects and experiences few could conceive… As Ringo’s drum curator and historian, he found himself in non-stop demand in ways no one could have predicted. All of this led to his authorship of a lavish book depicting not only the history of Ringo’s drums but also the numerous iconic outfits he wore during The Beatles’ career. The results of this research have been published in a new book, Beats and Threads, available through Julien’s Auctions. Gary comes to the show sharing the stories of his journey and his one-of-a-kind experiences wit Ringo, at a time when the drummer is experiencing a career renaissance with his new country album, Look Up. Gary’s site: http://www.ringosbeatlekits.com  Julien’s Auctions: https://www.juliensauctions.com/en

In this “Goldilocks Zone” of Beatles scholarship, where we are far enough from their heyday to achieve some critical distance but close enough to access people who knew them (plus the two survivors), a golden age has arrived where heretofore unexplored aspects shining light and understanding on their story is being explored. One of the most insightful historians is Richard Mills, whose book, The Beatles and Fandom: Sex, Death and Progressive Nostalgia has arrived, revealing how the fandom evolved and what it meant in the greater context of explaining The Beatles’ enduring appeal. Every angle from the sexuality expressed by 1st gen fans in the pages of Beatles Monthly to fan conventions and tribute bands, to the ascension into myth that comes with death is discussed. If that sounds heavy and academic, our conversation was not: think of it as a visit with a favorite professor and you’ll get the idea. 

Returning guest May Pang has had a busy couple of years, both with the presentation of her story in the acclaimed documentary, The Lost Weekend: A Love Story, as well as her ongoing touring photographic exhibit of photos she took fifty years ago. In this conversation, we discuss a number of topics outside the doc, including Allan Klein, Dick Cavett, the Imagine film (1972), Badfinger, and the productive period where she was at John’s side, facilitating work that included three US chart-topping singles and collaborations with Mick Jagger, Phil Spector, Harry Nilsson, Ringo, David Bowie, Elton John (and almost…Paul).