Something About the Beatles

"Every aspect of what they put out there just became so attractive to people who encountered it, whether it was in the 60s, (when) it was all new, or later generations interfacing with that material, and still being dazzled by all the aspects of it. Not just the music, but the evolving style that they had. Again, as Brian Epstein said so beautifully, he was overwhelmed by their personal charm. Everybody is overwhelmed by The Beatles’ personal charm. Everybody."   The concluding hour of my conversation of Dr. Christine Feldman-Barrett (A Woman's History of The Beatles) covers

• The role of women in setting examples for The Beatles when they were young.
• The effects that The Beatles had on the women who enjoyed watching them.
• Perspectives on screaming at concerts and what it expressed.
• How The Beatles held themselves played a role in changing cultural norms for women.
• How The Beatles have helped people to see the beauty in everyday life.

A new phase SATB episode: audio with full video accompaniment!

My guests are returning musician Jack Petruzzelli (Fab Faux, Joan Osborne, Patti Smith), joined by Cameron Greider (Freedy Johnston, Sean Lennon, Rufus Wainwright), who in the past year developed a series of online Beatles classes. For the latest, The Beatles and You, they are joined by musicologist Walter Everett (The Beatles As Musicians: The Quarry Men to Rubber Soul and The Beatles As Musicians: Revolver to Anthology).

RPM School is presenting a holistic approach to getting inside Beatles music, combining lecture and discussion, music instruction and recording and performance sessions, geared to your individual level. Their approach is unique and individualized, as shown with the demonstration here on George's "Something." Learn the influences that informed its construction (and where else they were used), as well as the technique utilized to capture the song as we know it. 

As this is an interactive presentation, you can see ALL of the conversation here.    Check out Walter's lecture here.  (password: SATB )   His slides here.   Sign up for The Beatles And You here.   RPM School site   Also discussed: their take on Peter Jackson's Get Back

My guest today is Dr. Christine Feldman-Barrett, author of A Women's History of The Beatles - an essential new work exploring the group's story through the lens of the women they interacted with and influenced, as well as how they were received and experienced by female fandom. Christine was also once a musician herself, and listen as she describes both her journey as well as what was experienced by young women and girls during the group's lifetime.     Christine's site:  https://experts.griffith.edu.au/7865-christine-barrett

In this continuation of the conversation with Debbie Gendler (1st US Beatles fan) and cartoonist/author Carol Tyler (Fab 4 Mania), Dr. Allison Bumsted and I explore the 1st generation fan's perspectives on:

• Supporting players in Get Back Mal Evans and Billy Preston
• How Get Back may influence future generations
• The life-changing force of The Beatles
• Carol's missing original albums 

www.debbiegendler.com https://www.fantagraphics.com/collections/carol-tyler  www.allisonbumsted.com

In the latest of the SATB series examining Peter Jackson's Get Back, we bring on returning guests Debbie Gendler (first in heard in 121: New York Stories); the first US Beatles fan, plus cartoonist/author Carol Tyler (first heard in 146: Fab 4 Mania). In so doing, we present a first generation fan perspective and reaction to the documentary.    My special guest co-host: Dr. Allison Bumsted, who herself previously guested in 2019 in 176A and 176B: Critiquing The Critics: A Case Study with Wings

In this concluding hour of the conversation with Dennis Diken (The Smithereens), Pat Sansone (Wilco), Arion Salazar (ex-Third Eye Blind) and Luther Russell (Those Pretty Wrongs), we discuss:

The Get Back film as therapy for fans (and the world) 
Billy Preston Ringo and Paul observations
Jamming with Heather 

Our panel of Pat, Arion, Luther and Dennis continues their conversation on Peter Jackson's Get Back documentary.    Among the topics:  The rooftop performance
The "Flowerpot conversation"
Bass stuff The road to Abbey Road
Let It Be - the film   Partial transcript of the "Flowerpot Conversation" here. 

Any analysis of the Get Back documentary would be remiss in not factoring in insights gleaned from those who've followed in The Beatles' professional footsteps: working musicians. To that end, I assembled a panel of some illustrious pros who also happen to be hardcore fans. Three are returning guests; one is new to SATB: 

Luther Russell: (Those Pretty Wrongs) - multi-instrumentalist Currently performing as one half of the duo Those Pretty Wrongs alongside ex-Big Star Jody Stephens, Luther has become a semi-regular on the podcast. As a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist/producer, he has discussed The Beatles' recording techniques, work as a collaborative, and the magic of Ringo's drumming.   The first two albums from Those Pretty Wrongs are being reissued as a double album set, while a third is due out this year. He will also have a new solo set out as well.    Arion Salazar: (ex-Third Eye Blind) - bass In his first appearance on SATB, he discussed Paul McCartney as an innovator, impacting generations beyond the 1960s. It was Arion who offered up the back cover design of Third Eye Blind's multi-platinum 1997 debut ("Semi-Charmed Life") which evoked the back cover of The Beatles' 1966 Revolver album. In early 2021, the bassist put together ensembles of musicians from bands including Smash Mouth, Smashing Pumpkins, Stevie Wonder and Testament, among others, to perform heartfelt covers of Beatle-related material for the first Fab4ConJam. He recently recorded with Flipsyde in Muscle Shoals for a pending release this year.   Pat Sansone: (Wilco) - multi-instrumentalist He waxed eloquently for over two hours on the Sgt. Pepper album on a 2021 episode of SATB.   Pat's radio show: Baroque Down Palace - a 2 hour show every month that centers on Rock, Pop, Soul, Folk music of the 1960s and 1970s that feature symphonic embellishments, or influence in some way from the classical music world:https://wyxr.org/baroque-down-palace/   Pat has released a 7" vinyl single ; a book of his photography, 100 Polaroids, was recently reissued.    New to the show (but not The Beatles): drummer Dennis Diken, founding member of The Smithereens. In addition to their work over the course of several gold and platinum releases, he and his band recorded a pair of studio albums and one live one honoring The Beatles. They currently continue to perform live, alternately fronted by Gin Blossoms vocalist Robin Wilson and recording artist Marshall Crenshaw (also a previous SATB guest), in place of the late Pat DiNizio.     He also records with Bell Sound, whose critically acclaimed album Late Music was released in 2009. Look for new material from both bands in '22.
    Dennis's radio show: Denny's Den airs weekly on Wednesday at 2-4pm Eastern Standard Time. 
Go to wfmu.org and hover over "LISTEN" then go down to "ROCK 'n' SOUL RADIO", slide to the right and click on "ROCK 'n' SOUL RADIO HOMEPAGE" to access archives and the weekly broadcast.