261: Making All Things Must Pass with John Leckie
Hired as a tape op by EMI in February 1970, Leckie quickly found himself among rock royalty when his career began with work on Ringo’s Sentimental Journey, followed quickly after with McCartney.
Podcasting
260: Tastemaker Tony King
Tony King was general manager of Apple US in the early 70s, but thereafter worked directly with John and Ringo, promoting their work from 1973 through 1975. Beyond that, he was a true British rock Zelig figure, partying with The Beatles the night before they flew to America for their 1964 Ed Sullivan Show debut; working with Andrew Oldham and the Stones during their “Satisfaction” heyday; thereafter for George Martin and AIR Studio, and then Apple. He also befriended Elton John (before he was) as well as tons of others. His story has just been published in “The Tastemaker: My Life with the Legends and Geniuses of Rock Music.” (He’s also in the May Pang doc, The Lost Weekend: A Love Story.) You can get his backstory here: https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/music/article/tony-king-interview and see him as “the Queen” in this 1973 Mind Games TV ad: https://youtu.be/lx-DNpoKfVg We covered a ton of topics, including all the aforementioned plus the AIDS tragedy and his favorite music.
259: Sgt. Pepper Olympiad
The series with professor/lecturer Gary Wenstrup continues as we rate tracks on each Beatles album in Olympic style: Gold – Silver – Bronze. This episode introduces a modification, adding in for consideration the singles that bookended the 1967 release: “Strawberry Fields Forever”/”Penny Lane” and “All You Need Is Love”/”Baby You’re A Rich Man.” Check out Gary’s upcoming lectures at garywenstrup.com
258: May the First – The Lost Weekend with May Pang
“The Lost Weekend” was the handle John implemented (picked up by subsequent narrators) to describe the period of his separation from Yoko, during which time a romantic relationship began with his 22 year-old personal assistant, May Pang. Once the couple reconciled, May’s impact on his life was swept under the rug in all sanctioned tellings, in the service of a narrative propping up the John and Yoko love story as the ultimate double fantasy: literally describing themselves as Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning incarnate. Others beg to differ and among them is May herself. Her story was told twice in book form (Loving John and Instamatic Karma) but now a new documentary film chronicles their time together on the big screen, supported by other witnesses and loads of photos, footage and writings. The Lost Weekend: A Love Story is coming to theaters, while an exhibit of May’s photos has already hit the road across the US. Here’s where to track the latest on May’s photo exhibit and the film: https://www.maypang.com/
257: Questions From Listeners
I asked for your questions last summer and you responded, so here you go! Aided by Gary Wenstrup (SATB regular of Olympiad series fame), we tackle the following subjects:
256: The Making of Ringo (and Goodnight Vienna) with Bill Schnee
Fifty years on, Ringo’s third solo album (or first, as he counted it in 1977) remains a stunning achievement, not just for the near-Beatles reunion but also on its own musical merits. With Richard Perry in the producer’s chair, an array of talent was rallied in support of the beloved ex-Beatle, resulting in something greater than the sum of its parts. At Perry’s side was engineer Bill Schnee, who’d worked with him on hits by artists like Streisand, Nilsson, Carly, Leo Sayer and many others. Schnee has penned a memoir, Chairman at the Board, detailing a career that began with Three Dog Night and encompassed artists ranging from Steely Dan and Neil Diamond to Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston. Schnee has been a mixer/remixer, engineer and producer in support of the rich soundtrack of life for anyone enjoying music during the 70s and 80s and beyond. Bill was there at the right place and the right time to take full advantage of his gifts and creativity. His book is rich with stories, and in this conversation, we discuss his work with all four ex-Beatles, mostly but not entirely in support of Ringo. Check out his website – https://www.billschnee.com/ This podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Go to betterhelp.com/satb for 10% off your first month of treatment.
255: Peter Jackson’s Get Back with Doug Sulpy and Dan Rivkin
No one on the planet knows more about the contents of The Beatles’ Nagra reels than Beatle scholars Doug Sulpy (Drugs, Divorce and A Slipping Image) and Dan Rivkin (They May Be Parted blog). We convened to review the Get Back film and discuss how well it depicted the events revealed by the extant audio. Doug’s works can be found at www.dougsulpy.com Dan’s blog is here: https://theymaybeparted.com/
254: McCartney, Harrison – It’s Complicated
Returning guest Glenn Greenberg (216 Dear Friend; 223 The Beatles 1971 – 1973; 235 Paul McCartney and Brian Wilson at 80) is back for another discussion, this one examining the complex relations between George and Paul – the longest running friendship in the band. This podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Go to betterhelp.com/satb for 10% off your first month of treatment.
253: Something About The Yardbirds & Jeff Beck with Jim McCarty
This show was taped a month ago, in conversation with Yardbirds/Renaissance/Illusion founding member Jim McCarty, in an effort to widen the lens exploring the world of 60s British rock that The Beatles operated in.
252: The Inner Light
Author Susan Shumsky first appeared on SATB in 2019, upon the publication of her memoir, The Maharishi and Me, which detailed her twenty years living at his ashram (including six years working directly for his organization). We discussed her knowledge of The Beatles’ Rishikesh sabbatical then, but with her new book, The Inner Light, she goes deep with an exploration of how their interactions with Indian culture and the TM movement impacted their lives and their art. In the course of over 500 pages, she gives chapter and verse on the manifestations of these interactions, sometimes hiding in plain sight, that appeared in their music. This podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit http://www.betterhelp.com/satb for 10% off of your first month of treatment.