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In which Gary Wenstrup and I continue the discussion of Revolver, followed by a thorough analysis of the group’s OTHER 1966 UK release, A Collection of Beatles Oldies (But Goldies!).
This podcast is sponsored by Betterhelp. Go to betterhelp.com/SATB for 10% off your first month of treatment.
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Taking a detour from some of the heavier SATB topics of late for end-of-summer light entertainment, Gary Wenstrup and I return to the series of gold, silver and bronze rankings of Beatle cuts through their catalog. We’re at the halfway point now as The Beatles turned the page from a touring to a studio band, but not before a final blast of nostalgia by years’ end.
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Our conversation covers a lot of ground, but mostly concerns itself with an informed perspective on how particular drugs affect the brain and behavior of users.
This podcast is sponsored by Better Help. Please go to betterhelp.com/satb to get 10% off your first month.
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In the time since publishing his memoir, The Redhead on the Roof and first appearing on SATB (160), Beatles equipment manager Kevin Harrington has now become known to millions of fans by his ubiquitous presence captured on film and presented in the eight hours of Peter Jackson’s Get Back. It therefore was time to bring him back to get his reaction to the film and drill down deeper on his experiences working with The Beatles.
This episode of Something About The Beatles is sponsored by BetterHelp.
Go to betterhelp.com/satb for 10% off your first month.
As part of the Fab4ConJam online fan event, I convened these two Beatles insiders to take questions and reminisce. Chris O’Dell came from Tucson, AZ (yes! home of Jo Jo AND Linda) and was pulled into the Apple Press Office by Derek Taylor. She was a rooftop attendee as well as a one-time resident of Friar Park, witnessing the daily drama of the group as it ended, along with George and Pattie’s marriage. She recalled her experiences in 2009’s Miss O’Dell: My Hard Days and Long Nights with The Beatles, the Stones, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton and the Women They Loved.Nancy Lee Andrews was a model, actress and briefly, in the music biz as well as a photographer. More importantly, she was Ringo’s romantic partner from 1974 through 1980, and likewise a witness to much of the inside relations between the former Beatles. (She also attended the Concert for Bangladesh as a guest of her then-boyfriend, bassist and Domino, Carl Radle.) Nancy’s book of spectacular photos was published as A Dose of Rock ‘n’ Roll in 2008.
These women have maintained a close friendship since the 70s and it was our treat to hear them recall those days during this terrific conversation.
This episode of Something About The Beatles is sponsored by BetterHelp.
Go to betterhelp.com/satb for 10% off your first month.
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He’s known to millions, in the words of Arthur C. Clarke, as “The most famous unknown actor in the world.” Richter was a mime (and a poet) during the 1960s, but also gained cinematic immortality as “Moonwatcher” in the iconic “Dawn of Man” sequence in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. This in itself would be enough to stir our interest, but Dan was also intimately involved with John and Yoko as a personal assistant for five years, during which time he helped manage their film and recording projects while kicking his heroin habit. He tells his story in compelling detail in his book, The Dream is Over: London in the 60’s, Heroin and John and Yoko.
Joining the conversation is guest co-host Ian McNabb (see SATB 234). The conversation covers Dan’s time with the Lennons, as well as work on 2001 with Stanley Kubrick.
One of the things that’s kept Beatles fans captivated was their refusal to stay still and how each album felt like a progression into new territory. That said, as you delve deeper into the structures and configurations of the band’s music across their discography, there are certain tools, tricks, and ideas that they used and repurposed to great effect. In today’s episode, returning guests Jack Petruzzelli (Fab Faux) and Cameron Greider (Sean Lennon) sit down to discuss some of the most notable and how the band helped rock ‘n roll to expand, becoming richer in the process. (Rock, not The Beatles, though there’s that too…)
We discuss Paul’s links to Bach, John’s connection to the blues and more static melodies, and how all the strands of musical history came together to create the vocabulary that we can observe and appreciate in their music.
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In the latest effort in a line of works presenting his side of his own history (which include Many Years From Now, Wingspan, the McCartney 3 2 1 docuseries as well as Anthology), Paul McCartney published The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present in 2021. It was in collaboration with Irish poet Paul Muldoon, an as-told-to project where he got deep into his recollections about a selection of his works, pre, during and post-Beatles. But the book is deeper than that: his observations detailing his entire life from boyhood in Liverpool onward were sparked by the 25 hours of conversations he and Muldoon had.
My guest is Terry Zobeck: a first-generation Beatles fan and collector who reviewed the book for Doug Sulpy’s 910 newsletter. The most recent issues also feature the first two parts of his three-part critique of The Beatles Get Back docuseries. All of Doug’s writings, including the indispensable Drugs, Divorce and a Slipping Image (revised edition) can be found at www.dougsulpy.com
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After shows post-Get Back with guests representing American musicians, multi-generation female fans, and the film’s maker (Peter Jackson), conspicuously missing from the SATB conversation to this point has been the POV of British fans/musicians. No longer: today’s guests are drawn from the UK music scene and ALL have a deep fandom for The Fabs – some have even worked with one or more.
Producer John Leckie first came to SATB in late 2020 to discuss his experiences working on John and Yoko’s 1970 Plastic Ono Band albums; thereafter, he appeared at Fab4ConJam to recall working on All Things Must Pass. Afterward, his career during the ’80s and beyond included working as producer for some top UK talent, including, Stone Roses, XTC, Radiohead…and Simple Minds. By sheer happenstance, John has worked with BOTH of his co-guests, who are new to SATB: bassist Derek Forbes worked with a number of Scottish acts, including The Subs, Simple Minds, Big Country, etc, while Ian McNabb fronted The Icicle Works: “Birds Fly (Whisper to a Scream).” ALL are hardcore Beatle fans going back a ways, and each fully immersed themselves in the 8 hours of Get Back.
But the conversation ran far broader, covering their fandom during the 70s, working with an ex-Beatle, the Liverpool scene post-Beatles, Stiff records, musical influences, Dan Richter, Mickie Most, Wings, and a lot more. It’s a freewheeling conversation and you haven’t heard the last of these guys on the Something About The Beatles podcast.
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Long on the list of my coveted guests has been singer-songwriter Sam Brown. The daughter of Joe Brown – an early UK rock legend – and Vicki Brown – an astonishingly gifted singer herself – Sam’s career as an artist kicked off in 1988 with Stop!, the first of seven albums. (The first letter of the titles spell out her name – the 8th installment, titled Number 8 is due out this year.) Sam is also known for singing with Pink Floyd and David Gilmour, as well as on television and on tour with Jools Holland. It was with Jools that Sam took center stage at the 2002 Concert for George, stealing the show with her reading of George’s last recorded composition, “Horse To The Water.”
She has remained active as a performer and a recording artist, despite tragically losing her ability to sing in 2007, following surgery. The mysterious condition forced a re-think of her career and led to her establishing a decade-long running group of clubs empowering folks to take up ukulele. In this conversation, we discuss her career and the struggles of being an artist – her friendship with the Harrisons and working with George – the concert – and how she’s managed the challenging events that followed.
Sam is a resourceful and resilient artist whose rich catalog is worth exploring. You can check out her work here:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DZ06evO1Tns40
“Stop!” live: https://youtu.be/WROOE-0IfjE
“Valentine Moon” – fixed: https://tinyurl.com/548b7ssb
Terri Hemmert’s Breakfast with The Beatles on Sunday at 8am CDT: https://www.audacy.com/wxrt/beatles