Podcasting

Special guests don’t come much more special: today, a man who needs no introduction. His 1974 album, McGear, was produced with a little help from his big brother (“Our Kid” to you). It features contributions from members of a then-contemporary band, including Linda McCartney, Denny Laine and Jimmy McCulloch, and has often been spoken of as a “missing” Wings album. But Mike’s artistry is all his own, making McGear, in a way, the album Paul never did make. This extended conversation covers not only the brand new re-issue from Cherry Red Records (including a bonus disc of unreleased material + DVD and poster, as well as a deluxe vinyl edition) but Mike’s work with The Scaffold – the 1968 McGough and McGear album produced by Paul – and an array of other artists: Paul Robeson – Tina Turner – Pete Wingfield – Paddy Maloney, and Jimi Hendrix. (Try finding that discussion anywhere else.) Also, The Quarry Men. Check out the reissue series here. Find The Weirdos here. Special thanks to Deb Supnik and Matt Ingham of Cherry Red for making it all happen.

In what will be an occasional theme of SATBs going forward, I welcome to the show Gary Wenstrup. In addition to being a regular listener, Gary is a college-level teacher and lecturer, whose expertise encompasses an array of 1960s music acts. He saw an opportunity for following up shows to dig deeper, in ways that might not have been possible given time constraints. This episode uses as the starting off point my interview with Susan Shumsky, detailing The Beatles’ 1968 visit to Rishikesh; but it also encompasses the White Album, Lennon Remembers, and other ancillary subjects.

It’s the return of our favorite Fab historian. In this lengthy dialogue, we discuss an array of literature from the Beatles historical canon: among the works

Last year – upon the 50th anniversary of the release of The Beatles; that eponymous double album issued as the group’s Apple debut – a symposium was convened at Monmouth College in New Jersey

Fifty years on and the “Paul is dead” hoax has lost none of its power to fascinate on so many levels. Perhaps the most compelling angle for examination is how did something so clearly nonsensical in the light of day get disseminated so widely and not just dismissed out of hand? It seems that a perfect storm of circumstance gave it traction and resonance, with both what was happening within The Beatles and within the community most receptive to believing that truth was not what authority figures told us. Helping unpack all of this is sociologist Candy Leonard, author of Beatleness. Her book covers the subject in some detail. Opening song: “Saint Paul” by Terry Knight Closing song: “So Long, Paul” by Werbley Finster, AKA Jose Feliciano

What happens when the surviving member of a legendary American power pop band and a Los Angeles musician whose lineage includes two giants of the Great American Songbook, both steeped in Beatles, get together to make music? The result is now two albums deep in a band called Those Pretty Wrongs. Jody Stephens, formerly of Big Star and Golden Smog is a singer/songwriter/drummer and Luther Russell is a singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist/producer, formerly of The Freewheelers. Their latest release as Those Pretty Wrongs, Zed For Zulu, has just been released. Their insights into making music and what they gleaned from The Beatles makes for a fascinating discussion. Check out their work (and current tour dates) here: http://www.thoseprettywrongs.com/ https://lutherrussell.com/ https://www.ardentstudios.com/