Starting in 1966, George Martin and The Beatles used varispeed – variable speed recording – to change the textures of their recordings to create a variety of effects.

007 Changing Speeds - The 'Varispeed' Technique

The podcast dedicated to exploring the untold story behind producer George Martin's revolutionary collaboration with The Beatles.

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Beatle author Ken Womack and Ranking the Beatles host Jonathan Pretus join me to discuss the tech that made the Beatles’ new single “Now and Then” possible. And from John's haunting vocal to Giles Martin's stirring string arrangement, we peel back the layers of the production and consider Paul's nearly 30 year mission to complete John's demo. 

016 "Now and Then"-

A little extra mini-episode examining George Martin’s orchestration for “Live and Let Die,” with a recreation of part of the arrangement.

015a A closer look at the "Live and Let Die" orchestration-

In our penultimate Season 1 bonus episode, we examine another solo recording, this time Paul McCartney’s thrilling theme song for the 1973 James Bond film, Live and Let Die. I’m joined by Allan Kozinn, co-author of The McCartney Legacy Volume 1, who takes us through all the details of the writing and recording process. We also learn how Paul debuted the song before the film’s release, we walk through George Martin’s Grammy-winning arrangement, and we consider Martin’s droll story about the film’s producer, as well as what Martin left out of that story.

007 Changing Speeds - The 'Varispeed' Technique

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