Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share Something About the Beatles
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
Something About the Beatles
By Parading PressMusic
Based on Podcast App listening data
Something About the Beatles episodes
- 249: Ray Connolly's LennonReturning SATB guest favorite Ray Connolly (journalist, Beatles insider, screenwriter) penned what remains the finest Lennon bio in print, Being John Lennon: A Restless Life. On this, his 82nd birthday, we celebrate John's life and Ray's as well as we discuss a wide array of topics with someone who knew John well: a journalist friend and confidant. In this far-reaching conversation, we touch on topics including the Get Back film - drug use - Michael X and James Hanratty - the abominable behavior of Phil Spector's entourage - skiffle - Mimi and Yoko - the "Working Class Hero"project - the Lennon-McCartney creative partnership - Ray's interactions with the Lennons during the last hours of John's life - and more. Ray's works can be found on his website here. Ray's miraculous COVID story here.1 hr 32 min
- 248: Hey Jude Deconstructed with James Campion and Jeff Martin
An entire book dedicated to a single song may strike some as bewildering, but not if the song in question is both The Beatles' longest single (in length) as well as one of their most successful (quadruple platinum): 1968's "Hey Jude." Deceptively simple and universally appealing, the Apple Records debut marked an astonishing launch to their label while serving as an anthem of healing during a tumultuous year - in the world as well as within the band.
Author James Campion (Take A Sad Song: The Emotional Currency of Hey Jude) discussed the song with returning guest Jeff Martin and I for nearly two hours. You too will discover what James did - that uncovering the magic and pull of this recording is something that will take you farther than you can imagine.
This podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Go to www.betterhelp.com/satb for 10% off your first month.2 hr 2 min - 247: Critiquing The Critics II - This Time It's Personal with Bill Wyman
In which the worlds of three returning guests collide to discuss 1) is there (or should there be) a common starting point for all critiques of art and 2) the world of rock criticism generally - what's the purpose and where does it go wrong?
Kyle Driscoll is a writer for Medium.com and this article is where the conversation began:
Dr. Allison Bumsted is a popular music scholar, specializing in teen magazines (Teen Set in particular) and has written extensively on rock criticism on the 60s and 70s. She appeared on SATB here and here.
https://medium.com/@kpdriscoll33/the-art-of-quantifying-art-663729c02c89 He was on SATB here.
Bill Wyman has been writing and reviewing art and music for 30 years for outlets ranging from the Chicago Reader to NPR, EW, WSJ and currently with New York and Vulture.com His ranking of The Beatles list can be found here. His SATB appearances include this and this.
Check out the Beatles Song Sorter here.2 hr 1 min - 246: The Rooftop Reunion
Are you Get Back-ed out yet? No? Good, because there are still plenty of avenues to explore within the scope of January 1969. Featured today is something from the vaults: the conversation reuniting three witnesses to the events on Savile Row on 30 January, 1969: Apple press office deputy Chris O'Dell, Beatles equipment manager Kevin Harrington, and EMI tape operator Alan Parsons; yes, the eventual producer and recording artist himself.
This was taped live at the Fab4ConJam event in February 2021 and therefore before Peter Jackson's film had been screened. Therefore, their recollections come purer: what they remembered and how they remembered it, unaffected by any more recent info coming their way. They all experienced the day from different perspectives, but over 5 decades on cannot help but be moved by what the were a part of, all these years later. Co-hosting is Beatles author and podcaster Anthony Robustelli.
This podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Go to betterhelp.com/satb for 10% off your first month of treatment.1 hr 27 min - 245: Catch and Kill - Controlling The Narrative with Robert RosenReturning guest Robert Rosen (Nowhere Man) penned an essay last year discussing a phenomenon called "catch-and-kill," wherein the powerful who wish to keep unflattering stories from reaching the public exert pressure and influence to keep media companies from publishing them. In the instances he wrote about, a pair of book projects detailing life at the Dakota during John Lennon's final five years were suppressed, for no apparent reason beyond the estate wishing to keep any variance from the narrative they have been controlling for decades to be challenged in any way. This led to a discussion on the why and the how these stories are being kept hidden, despite the legitimacy of the narrators. Here's to link to Robert's article in the Village Voice:
https://www.villagevoice.com/2021/12/07/mike-tree-in-john-lennons-nutopia/ This podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Go to betterhelp.com/satb for 10% off of your first month of treatment.1 hr 23 min - 244: Double Fantasy Revisited part twoLuther Russell and I roll into the next hour of discussion and analysis of the intent behind Double Fantasy; about Yoko's standing in the rock world, and how The Beatles might better have dealt with her entry into their world. The album is ripe for a fresh listen, and no matter how you may rank it in the canon, is certainly worthy of an extended discussion as a release so heavy with meaning. Enrollment open now for Why The Beatles? - an online 3-session course beginning in October:
https://ce.harpercollege.edu/search/publicCourseSearchDetails.do?method=load&courseId=9470614&selectedProgramAreaId=27039&selectedProgramStreamId=508576 This podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Go to betterhelp.com/satb for 10% off of your first month of treatment.1 hr 4 min - 242: Beatles Olympiad '66 part two
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.1 hr 8 min - 241: Beatles Olympiad '66 part one
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.
1 hr 11 min - 240: The Beatles on Drugs: Riding So HighReturning guest Terry Zobeck (234: Paul McCartney Lyrics ) spent his career studying drug addiction and its effects. With a PhD in anthropology besides, this Beatles scholar is uniquely qualified to discuss the Joe Goodenn's book, Riding So High: The Beatles and Drugs. (Here's Erin Weber's review.) 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.1 hr 10 min - 239: Get Back to Kevin Harrington
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.
1 hr 8 min
Best of Something About the Beatles
Ranked by our users in the last 21 days
- Number 1: 319: Beatles Olympiad Abbey Road1 hr 47 min
- Number 3: 290: “Hey Jude” Reconstructed1 hr 21 min