Something About the Beatles

The Beatles’ 1967 self-produced TV special/film has been pilloried from day one as their first critical disaster; a creative overreach that critics saw as proof of how lost they were when operating out of their element. But was it that bad? In this episode, Robert and Richard explain its production and contextualize decisions made that resulted in a finished product at odds with expectations.

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The post 85: Magical Mystery Tour – The Film appeared first on Something About The Beatles.

Most fans are pretty familiar with the Beatles Christmas messages: the annual holiday greetings delivered on flexi-discs to fan club members from 1963 through 1969.

(video produced by Richard Buskin)

It has been 36 years since the December night when we lost John. On this show, Robert and Richard discuss the array of musical tributes to the slain former Beatle that came from peers and admirers alike, some many years later. Artists presented include Elton John, Queen, Oasis, Gerry Marsden and two of his former bandmates.

Songs include “Empty Garden” and “Here Today.”

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The post 83: John Lennon Memorialized appeared first on Something About The Beatles.

For an artist with such a deep and diverse catalog of top-flight material, George remains “the Quiet Beatle” – as his most familiar songs seem to be those from two albums in particular (while the remaining eight are routinely overlooked). In this episode, Richard and Robert present some of their favorite songs from the post-Beatles Harrison canon, shedding light on the richness of his work from All Things Must Pass through Brainwashed. Songs include “Horse To The Water,” “Give Me Love” and “Cheer Down.”

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The post 82: Our Favorite Solo George Songs appeared first on Something About The Beatles.

Cheer Down

(video produced by Richard Buskin)

It occurred to us, as it must have with everyone else, that the release of Eight Days A Week really called for an accompanying soundtrack, or at least a parallel collection of music spanning the whole of The Beatles’ documented live performing career. Into that void Robert and Richard have stepped, with their proposed collection of live performances ranging from the Star Club to Candlestick. Necessarily, some of the extant audio is rough, but not unlistenable and certainly essential to understanding what kind of live musicians these guys were (and how they did it to an audience).

Locales represented here include Hamburg – Stockholm – London – New York City – Melbourne – Blackpool – Paris – Houston – Tokyo – San Francisco.

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The post 81: SATB’s Beatles Live Anthology appeared first on Something About The Beatles.

At the suggestion of Executive Producer Rick Wey, Richard and Robert discuss “the Kinfauns Tapes” (or “the Esher Demos”): 27 new songs composed by John, Paul and George mostly in Rishikesh, India during the Maharishi’s Transcendental Meditation retreat in early 1968 and taped at George’s home in advance of the studio sessions. Hear how these tunes evolved before their recording and release on the the group’s self-titled double-album. Songs include “Revolution,” “Honey Pie” and “Sour Milk Sea.”

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The post 80: Blueprinting The Beatles’ White Album appeared first on Something About The Beatles.

Reminisce with Robert and Richard through a post-Beatles year where residual mania was still rampant, taking the form of two motion pictures – two television specials – two albums from ex-Beatles – (at least) two new books – and a resurgence of re-releases, re-packaged in visually attractive forms. Songs include “Hard Times,” “With A Little Luck” and “Flying Hour.”

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The post 78: Beatles ’78 appeared first on Something About The Beatles.

Given the imminent wind-down of the current political season, Richard and Robert thought it timely to examine the political interests connected to The Beatles, both during and after their collective career. Songs include “Taxman,” “All You Need Is Love” and “Save The World.”

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The post 79: Beatle Politics appeared first on Something About The Beatles.