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Hello all,
We’re now in March – a month not as heavy with Beatles anniversaries as other months I can think of but with some notable ones nonetheless. One that comes to mind is the start of the A Hard Day’s Night shoot back in 1964, on the heels of their triumphant return to the UK after that first US Visit. It is vaguely astonishing that right out of the gate, just as they lucked into finding the perfect visionary and frustrated creative-type to handle their studio recordings, they likewise connected with expat Dick Lester and producer Walter Shenson to get behind this project, originally planned as exploitation for some unknowns who hadn’t actually scored a US hit at the time the deal was inked. But possessing the talent to recognize opportunity and seize it was The Beatles’ hallmark and for that, we’re able to add cinema to their list of triumphs.
Seen here: a BBC documentary that aired in August 1964, Follow The Beatles. This invaluable short caught them behind-the-scenes at work on both the film as well as in the studio. (Chances are you’ve seen footage culled from this doc.)
I must admit I’m still reeling a bit from the passing of Badfinger’s Joey Molland. A Badfinger-themed episode was always in the cards for SATB, but now with heightened urgency. I was happy to see Sir Paul acknowledge the loss, though I am wondering how and when they crossed paths: he worked with The Iveys for the sessions that produced “Come and Get It” and music used in the Magic Christian film but that proceeded Joey’s tenure in Badfinger; George and John’s interactions are well-documented. (Speaking of, the Imagine sessions were filmed in part, but if any footage of “Joey and Tommy Badfinger” has ever surfaced, I’ve never seen it.)
I easily could’ve kept on going with the Joey playlist I put together but I figured that for the uninitiated a couple dozen tracks was plenty to get started with, and the hardcores have heard it all anyway. BUT – I did want to call out his final release, 2020’s Be True To Yourself. It was a collaboration with Mark Hudson, and for anyone who may be wondering what happens when some Beatles-influenced/adjacent artists get together for the love of music-making, this is your thing! Virtually any late career release will get hyped as “their best work since (whatever)…” but in this case, BTTY is a fine testament to the talents of Joey and Mark, making you wonder why they didn’t get together sooner. The supporting cast included Julian Lennon, Micky Dolenz and ex-Wings drummer Steve Holley. A number of music videos were produced for various tracks, but to offer a purely musical sample of the release, here’s one: the all-too-fitting “Heaven.”
Onto more pleasant news: tonight the Ringo & Friends at The Ryman TV special airs on CBS and Paramount+. (I believe you can get it outside of the US as well.) I can’t say with certainty (and neither can he) whether or not episode 299 guest Gary Astridge appears in it or not but he was certainly on hand. (Someone has to look after the traveling peace sign statue). Guaranteed on hand for the two shows as part of tonight’s broadcast are Jack White, Sheryl Crow, Emmylou Harris, Molly Tuttle, and Billy Strings, among others. The event was profiled this weekend, and if you’re like me, you may be wondering about the shirts they depict…
LOADS of good suggestions for upcoming shows have been coming in, so keep them coming – thanks! (Subject line: “Topics”) Also, if you are so moved, anyone taking a moment to leave a podcast review on Apple iTunes is greatly appreciated, as it helps the algorithms get the show found. Very useful for the pending Spotify expansion.
Jerry Hammack and I will be doing a round of podcast interviews ourself starting next week, so we’ll keep you posted on those. (One is with Joe on Beatles Books – I forget what the other is.) We will also be doing an online book launch event for Ribbons of Rust Vol. 1 soon, with a couple of folks you listeners should know. We’re thinking of staging it like the one Allison and I did for her TeenSet book awhile back, with an opportunity for you the listener to come in on the call and ask questions. Details to come!
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