Something About the Beatles

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

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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 

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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. 

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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.

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In the third and final hour, Dan Rivkin (They May be Parted blog) and I explore more of the Get Back project with its director. Among the subjects discussed:    ~ Coordination between the Get Back book, the Let It Be album reissue and this film (hint: none)   ~ Directives from the Beatle heirs and Apple (hint: none)   ~ Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s original draft of Let It Be   ~ The missing Nagra audio   ~ An extended cut?   Be sure to check out party one and two, as well as the write up in Forbes.

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Well, it's finally here. Worth the wait? Oh, we think so! But before we get into discussions on SATB about what we thought about it, we thought it would be worthwhile to discuss the making of it - the intent behind it; the goals; the challenges; the nuts-and-bolts - with someone who worked on it. To that end, a listener in New Zealand offered himself up as a guest who could offer an insight or two.    My co-host for this one is Dan Rivkin (They May Be Parted), who of course is one of the leading scholars on this material, presented on his blog. Normally, Dr. Duncan Driver would be part of the discussion too, but he had beg off on short notice. (We'll have him back next time...)  Meanwhile, we hope that this - presented in the grand tradition of Peter Jackson - in three parts - will suffice.    

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We have all made compilations of Beatles solo material, but within this large group, a smaller group has imagined taking some of this material and arranging it as The Beatles might have, had they recorded this material and issued it as "Beatles," the collective. There's actor Ethan Hawke's famous Black Album; Spencer Leigh's Finishing School, as well as any number of other efforts out there.    Then, there are the ones created by myself and my guest, Glenn Greenberg. You can find his list here, or else listen to the show and hear our choices and justifications, which are every bit as good as anything you listeners can come up with. See what you think - we can talk about this stuff endlessly!

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