The Beatles Naked

With special guest Craig Bartock.

© Richard Buskin

A few minutes from the episode 'The Untold Story of Mal Evans'.

From the episode 'For You Red and Blue'.

With Mark Lewisohn and Allan Kozinn.

A few minutes from the episode 'George on Guitar - The Devil's in the Details' with special guest Craig Bartock.

Featuring writer/director/producer David Leaf.

From the episode 'Threetling with Mark Cunningham'.

A few minutes from the episode 'September '69: Planning New Hits, Then John Quits, Caught on Tape'.

This focusses on a couple of meetings, recorded a week apart, just before the release of "Abbey Road". In the first, there's a general agreement that The Beatles will record a new album or at least a Christmas single; in the second, John says he wants a "divorce".

"McCartney Legacy" co-author Allan Kozinn and I discuss what's on the tapes and why there was such an about-turn within just seven days.

© Richard Buskin

A few minutes from the episode 'Threetling with Mark Cunningham, Pt. 1'.

www.patreon.com/BWTB

From the episode 'Quarryman Rod Davis Recalls the Birth of The Beatles (Part 2)'.

A clip from the episode 'Quarryman Rod Davis Recalls the Birth of The Beatles (Part 1)'

A clip from the latest episode with special guest Craig Bartock.

A few minutes from the episode 'Act Naturally - The Beatles on Film' featuring author Steve Matteo. © Richard Buskin

For more info about Steve's book: https://www.amazon.com/Act-Naturally-Beatles-Steve-Matteo/dp/1493059017

A few minutes from the episode 'The McCartney Legacy Pt. 2', featuring author Allan Kozinn.

Here's a clip from the new episode in which Allan Kozinn talks about 'The McCartney Legacy - Volume 1: 1969-73', the gripping, definitive, must-read new book he's co-authored with Adrian Sinclair.

https://www.mccartneylegacy.com/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8zaPoY45IxDZKRMf2Z6VyA

A few minutes from the episode 'Laurie Kaye & Dave Sholin: Interviewing John on his Last Day'.

© Richard Buskin.

Here are a few minutes from my chat with guitarist, composer and producer Craig Bartock about Beatles song choruses - including what does or doesn't comprise a chorus. Feel free to air your own opinions on the 'Buskin with The Beatles' Facebook page. And, if you're interested in using Craig as a musical mentor to help with your own compositions and recordings, you can either email him - [email protected] - or check out his website: yourmusicality.com

© Richard Buskin

From the episode 'Building Bridges - Beatles Middle Eights Pt. 1' with Heart's lead guitarist Craig Bartock.

© Richard Buskin.

From the episode 'Beatles '74: The Most Chaotic, Controversial, Action-Packed Year Among the Ex-Fabs (Pt. 1)', co-hosted with Erik Taros.

© Richard Buskin.

From the episode 'Things We Said Today- The 1965 and 1966 U.S. Press Conferences'.

© Richard Buskin.

From the new episode, with my 'Beatles Naked' co-host Erik Taros.

From Allan Kozinn's 1995 interview with Derek Taylor for the New York Times.

Interview © Allan Kozinn.

From Allan Kozinn's 10/11/95 interview with The Beatles' legendary publicist.

© Allan Kozinn.

A few minutes from the first installment of the two-part episode 'Elton and The Beatles', featuring my interview with Elton John superfan Wayne Martin.

For the full episode, go to: www.poatreon.com/BWTB

From the Buskin with The Beatles episode 'Fab Four Double Tracking'

www.patreon.com/BWTB

Here’s a clip from the 7th ‘Buskin with The Beatles’ episode - ‘The Sounds Behind the Songs’ - featuring Heart’s longtime guitarist Craig Bartock.

To hear the full show: www.patreon.com/BWTB

Want to know why Macca suffers for his art by insisting on singing in the original key? Check out this clip from the new BWTB episode, featuring Allan Kozinn's May 2007 NYT interview.

Also on the show: David Stark describing how Paul coaches young students at the Liverpool Institute for the Performing Arts.

* To hear 'Buskin with The Beatles', please subscribe on Patreon: www.patreon.com/BWTB

Here’s a clip from the third BWTB episode, now available on Patreon - with Paul discussing Threetles disagreements during The Beatles Anthology.

* To hear 'Buskin with The Beatles', please subscribe on Patreon. *

www.patreon.com/BWTB

Here’s a two-minute clip from the second BWTB episode which is now available on Patreon - illustrating what happens when Paul isn’t asked the same old questions.

* To hear 'Buskin with The Beatles', please subscribe on Patreon. *

www.patreon.com/BWTB

I know a lot of you have been waiting for the next 'Beatles Naked' episode. So have I - while Erik's been overloaded with assorted work and family-related issues. Which is why, with the number of followers on this page growing by the day, I'm launching a 'Buskin with The Beatles' podcast on Patreon - and the first show is already live for those of you who wish to jump onboard.

Immediacy is the name of the game: two shows a week, 15-20 minutes each (depending on the level of patronage), with a monthly 30-minute bonus episode for Gold and Platinum BWTB patrons. Some of you will also be able to ask questions that are answered on-air - and enter prize draws for signed copies of my books.

The first episode features segments of a 1989 press roundtable with Paul, attended and recorded by New York Times music critic Allan Kozinn - and heard here for the first time. Part of my McCartney Month celebrating his 80th birthday, this will be followed later this week by Allan's one-on-one 1990 interview with him in New York City - and then, next week, subsequent ones from 1995 (discussing The Beatles Anthology) and 2007.

Other Macca-centric episodes are already in the can, but you've probably guessed I won't be just focussing on him. This is your show - a new phase Beatles podcast. And a splendid time is guaranteed for all.

* To hear 'Buskin with The Beatles', please subscribe on Patreon. *

www.patreon.com/BWTB

The Beatles’ diminutive co-founder, man of mystery, king of cool, abstract artist, fragile angel, tragic hero.

Stuart Sutcliffe’s short life has been well documented, based on the recollections of some who knew him. His image has been immortalized by fiancée Astrid Kirchherr’ iconic photos. His expressionistic paintings survive on canvas. And his voice can be detected in a few of the letters he wrote. But we don’t have a clue how he sounded—speaking, singing or (barely discernible on some lo-fi amateur recordings) playing bass. And, so far, nothing’s emerged of him on film. So, from the public’s perspective, what does he actually bring to The Beatles’ story?

The music in this episode is from rehearsals captured at the McCartney home on a Grundig reel-to-reel in April and June of 1960—before the group had a permanent drummer, before the first trip to Hamburg:

• Well, Darling
• One After 909
• Hallelujah, I Love Her So*
• Cayenne*
• That’s When Your Heartaches Begin
• Hello Little Girl
• You’ll Be Mine*

* with Stuart Sutcliffe playing bass

Having immersed ourselves in the ‘Get Back’ intra-band dynamics—the politics, the personalities, the nuanced behaviours, the trivia—we now analyze this remarkable docuseries from the respective, related perspectives of studio musician, composer and producer. Which is why, while Erik takes a break, Richard chats with Craig Bartock, who’s all three rolled into one—as well as a diehard Beatles devotee.

This show speaks to our heroes’ artistry. And to our passion.

The Music:

1. I’m So Tired
2. Medley: I’m Ready/Save the Last Dance for Me/Don’t Let Me Down
3. Two of Us/Get Back
4. Across the Universe
5. Shake, Rattle and Roll
6. Get Back

Background jingling by Lucy.

A discussion about what we’ve learned—and what’s still missing—from the eight-hour release.

When it comes to unseen Beatles material, greed is good. Like Peter Jackson, we want to see a 12-hour Director’s Cut.

This episode starts with Paul’s November 3, 2021 NPR interview by Terry Gross, describing his concerns and subsequent feelings about the three-part docuseries. Among the musical highlights: in-studio crafting of ‘Don’t Let Me Down’, ‘For You Blue’, ‘She Came in Through the Bathroom Window’, ‘Two of Us’, ‘Get Back (Commonwealth)’ and ‘Dig It’.

The final installment of our trilogy, recorded immediately after Part Three of the Get Back documentary began streaming on the Disney+ channel at three in the morning on November 27, 2021.

Only at the last minute did all four Beatles agree to perform on the roof of their Apple headquarters—and, when that happened, it’s a concert for the ages. The peak of the Let It Be movie, how was director Peter Jackson able to elevate it to a whole new level? And what is the verdict on the overall series?

The second of our three review episodes, recorded immediately after Part Two of the Get Back documentary began streaming on the Disney+ channel at three in the morning on November 26, 2021.

After George agrees to rejoin the group, there’s a definite improvement in energy, attitude, atmosphere and musicianship—especially after keyboardist Billy Preston joins the fold.

The first of three review episodes, recorded immediately after each part of the Get Back documentary began streaming on the Disney+ channel… at three in the morning on November 25, 2021.

Finally, after more than 50 years, does this tell the true story of the Twickenham sessions?

In the run-up to the premiere of the three-part ‘Get Back’ documentary on the Disney+ TV cable channel, we decided to give the original ‘Let It Be’ quasi-documentary yet another watch. At this point, there were no surprises, but certainly a fresh perspective in light of the previously unseen outtake footage that’s been included in the new ‘Get Back’ teaser and trailer.

After all, why was the original movie—shot on 16mm for TV but screened in cinemas—edited so crudely, with no through story, no narrative, just what appeared to be rehearsals for the concluding rooftop concert? And why the downbeat framing that was supported by the subsequent negative Lennon and Harrison recollections of events? There was plenty of unused footage featuring smiling, joking, happy Beatles; contrary to unsubstantiated assertions, John wasn’t disengaged and largely strung out on heroin; and Yoko, silent and unsmiling throughout the film, was anything but in reality.

As an addendum to this show, there will be a trio of ‘Get Back’ review episodes, each going live within 24 hours of the respective TV broadcasts.

The Music:

• ‘Two of Us’
• ‘I Me Mine’
• ‘Don’t Let Me Down’
• ‘Let It Be’
• ‘Get Back’

Whereas, according to John in 1970, The Beatles “used to jump around and do all the things they’re doing now, like going on stage with toilet seats and shitting and pissing” when they were in Hamburg, everything changed when fame and fortune came knocking.

“As soon as we made it, we made it, but the edges were knocked off,” he told Rolling Stone. “The music was dead before we even went on the theatre tour of Britain. We were feeling shit already because we had to reduce an hour or two’s playing—which we were glad about in one way—to 20 minutes every night. The Beatles’ music died then, as musicians. That’s why we never improved as musicians: we killed ourselves then to make it. And that was the end of it.”

In some respects, certainly. But during 1963 and 1964 they were still on fire onstage, feeding off the energy of their rabid fans—before ultimately feeling like they were being fed to those same fans. In this show, we run through some of their best recorded performances in front of an audience during the touring years—on radio, TV and in concert. A future episode will focus on their most interesting ones.

The Music

• ‘Twist and Shout’ – 18 April, 1963
• ‘Some Other Guy’ – 19 June, 1963
• ‘Thank You Girl’ – June 19, 1963
• ‘She Loves You’ – 9 October, 1963
• ‘Money’ – 24 October, 1963
• ‘You Really Got a Hold on Me’ – 24 October, 1963
• ‘Till There Was You’ – 4 November, 1963
• ‘Long Tall Sally’ – 11 February, 1964
• ‘You Can’t Do That’ – 17 June, 1964
• ‘This Boy’ – 17 June, 1964
• ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ – 23 August, 1964
• ‘Boys’ – 23 August, 1964
• ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ – 2 September, 1964
• ‘If I Fell’ – 2 September, 1964
• ‘Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby’ – 20 June, 1965
• ‘Ticket to Ride’ – 1 August, 1965
• ‘Dizzy Miss Lizzy’ – 29 August, 1965
• ‘She’s a Woman’ – 30 August, 1965
• ‘I’m Down’ – 1 July, 1966

Lennon the storyteller, the cynic, the victim—of his own insecurities and desires, controlled by the woman of his dreams…and nightmares.

The last song recorded for The Beatles’ Rubber Soul album, ‘Girl’ is one of its main composer’s most intriguing, sophisticated, nuanced lyrical efforts—brought to life by a young conversationalist’s charismatic, world-weary voice, wrapped inside tits, sighs and Greek-style guitar. It’s an amazing track. And it’s inspired this episode’s multiple takes on its two protagonists.

The Music: recordings of ‘Girl’ by…

• The Beatles
• Tiny Tim with Brave Combo
• DJ Style featuring KSS
• Medley: Kai Hyttinen (Finnish) / Dalida (Italian) / Johnny Hallyday (French) / Peppino di Capri (Italian) / Ovelha (Portuguese)
• SaRachel

The Beatles' songs often have such creativity, depth and nuance. Lyrics open to multiple interpretations, married to music that simultaneously captures and conveys the 'feel' of those lyrics.

Here, together with sociologist Candy Leonard, author of the book 'Beatleness: How the Beatles and Their Fans Remade the World', we discuss the songwriters' journey: from the days of sexual innuendo in their lyrics to those, just a few years later, of overt references - while transitioning from misogyny to feminism with love thrown into the mix.

The Music

• Girl
• Getting Better
• Happiness is a Warm Gun
• Why Don’t We Do it in the Road
• Don’t Let Me Down
• I’ve Got a Feeling
• I Saw Her Standing There
• Please Please Me
• She Loves You
• I’ll Get You
• All I’ve Got to Do
• You Can’t Do That
• I’ll Cry Instead
• Run for Your Life
• She’s a Woman
• When I Get Home
• Another Girl
• You’re Going to Lose That Girl
• The Night Before
• Day Tripper
• Lovely Rita
• Yer Blues
• Oh! Darling
• She’s So Heavy
• Woman is the Nigger of the World
• Hi, Hi, Hi
• Woman

Sitting directly behind—and chatting with—The Beatles at the Yellow Submarine premiere, also gatecrashing that for The Magic Christian, photographed behind John and Yoko walking into court following their pot bust, attending The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus, asking Ringo out for a drink, eating Aunt Mimi’s egg and chips… and also attending a couple of Swinging Sixties Beatles concerts.

These are among the “he did what?” stories recounted by David Stark in his eye-opening, sometimes jaw-dropping, I-was-there memoir, It’s All Too Much—Adventures of a Teenage Beatles Fan in the ’60s and Beyond. He was a kid with nerve and know-how who manufactured his own luck; now he’s a music biz veteran with tales that might be considered tall if he didn’t have the photos to back them up. (He does.)

This guy’s The Beatle Zelig. And now he’s popped up on our show.

The Music

• ‘It’s All Too Much’
• ‘Lovely Rita’
• ‘Hey Bulldog’
• ‘Yer Blues’
• ‘Gold Songs’ - written and co produced by David Stark (drums); featuring Ben Champniss (vocals), Dzal Martin (slide guitar), John Hamilton (bass, keyboards, co-production) and Phil Nelson (backing vocals).

The Book

https://thisdayinmusicbooks.com/product/its-all-too-much-by-david-stark

It’s one of the greatest rock voices of all time: alternately melodic, raw, sweet and supercharged while also extremely versatile and infused with different characters. Paul McCartney’s lead, harmony and backing vocals have graced tender ballads, balls-to-the-walls rockers and almost everything else in between. But how did his talents in that regard develop and expand down the years? What has caused the vocal deterioration: insufficient technique, too much weed, old age or undisclosed health issues? And what, if anything, can be done about it?

The answers to the last two questions—provided in our interview with legendary voice teacher to the stars Seth Riggs and his wife/vocal technician Margareta—may surprise you. Heart lead guitarist Craig Bartock and acclaimed music critic/musicologist/author Allan Kozinn are our co-hosts.

For info on Seth and Margareta Riggs, go to theriggsvocalstudio.com

The Music

• Oh! Darling
• That’s When Your Heartaches Begin
• Any Time at All/A Hard Day’s Night
• I Saw Her Standing There
• Hippy Hippy Shake/Ooh! My Soul/Long Tall Sally
• All My Loving
• Something/Nowhere Man
• You Won’t See Me
• Till There Was You
• I’ve Just Seen a Face/I’m Down/Yesterday
• She’s Leaving Home
• Fixing a Hole
• Helter Skelter/Why Don’t We Do It in the Road?
• I Will/Lady Madonna
• Besame Mucho/Golden Slumbers
• Rocky Raccoon/Honey Pie/Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey
• Monkberry Moon Delight
• Too Many People
• I’ve Had Enough
• Maybe I’m Amazed
• New
• Lonesome Town
• Sing the Changes
• Freedom
• Hey Jude
• My Valentine
• Cut Me Some Slack
• Goodbye

When, on Monday, 15th August, 1960, The Beatles left Liverpool en route to their first stint in Hamburg, West Germany, the five of them—John, Paul, George, Stu and the newly recruited Pete—were joined by five others: their manager/agent Allan Williams, Trinidadian calypsonian Harold Philips (a.k.a. Lord Woodbine), Austrian translator Herr Steiner, Allan’s wife Beryl… and her 19-year-old brother Barry Chang. 60 years later, Barry shares his memories of that fateful trip: in a van, on a boat and inside the Indra Club during The Beatles’ inaugural week there.

It was Barry who snapped the now-iconic photo of the travellers, mid-journey, posing at Holland’s Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery, in front of a memorial bearing the legend Their Names Liveth For Evermore. Half of them have now passed on; he’s here to recount how his routine vacation became the stuff of legend.

The Music

• I’ll Follow the Sun
• The One After 909
• I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry (Over You)
• Roll Over Beethoven
• Youngblood
• Ain’t She Sweet
• That’s All Right (Mama)
• Nothin’ Shakin’ (but the Leaves on the Trees)
• Catswalk

After they transitioned from a performing group to a more experimental, studio-based band, The Beatles also changed how they utilised television. No longer needing to appear on variety shows—and in comedy skits—to charm audiences and promote their records, they largely relied on videos to achieve the same. And they also used the ‘box’ more for messaging—about peace, love and spirituality… as well as about their business ventures.

Nevertheless, there was still plenty of humour and some legendary small-screen performances: from ‘All You Need is Love’ on the global ‘Our World’ broadcast to ‘Hey Jude’ on the David Frost show—sandwiching their own critically-lambasted made-for-TV movie. The sequel to BN Episode 21, ‘The Beatles on TV 1962-1966’, this show transports us from the heady ‘Summer of Love’ days of ‘Sgt, Pepper’ to the public announcement of the group’s demise—by which time individual appearances were the norm and the world seemed to be a more serious place.

There have been fakers and imitators, tributes and rip-offs, but no one sounds like The Beatles on record—including the ex-Beatles. Nevertheless, some efforts have come closer than others, the most successful being those that have managed to capture the group’s essence rather than just replicate its sound while matching the standard of song material. In this episode, we dive into the good, the bad and the ugly—including those recordings which, bearing zero resemblance to the Fab Four, were promoted by bootleggers during the 1970s to fill the vacuum created by all of those unfounded Beatles-reunion rumours.

The Music

• ‘Cheese and Onions’ - The Rutles
• ‘Can’t Get it Out of My Head’ – ELO
• ‘Because’ – Julian Lennon
• ‘Have You Heard the Word?’ – The Fut
• ‘Return to Pepperland’ – Paul McCartney
• ‘When We Was Fab’ – George Harrison
• ‘Lies’ – The Knickerbockers
• ‘The Girl I Love’ – The Five Shits
• ‘Pay Attention to Me’ – The Tikis
• ‘Talkin’ About the Good Times’ – Pretty Things
• ‘The L.S. Bumble Bee’ – Peter Cook and Dudley Moore
• ‘Black is Black’ – Lord Sitar
• ‘Carousel of Love’ – Peter Best
• ‘So Much in Love’ - McGough & McGear
• ‘We Are The Moles’ – The Moles
• ‘Peace of Mind’ – unknown
• ‘Frenzy and Distortion’ – Ravi Shankar
• ‘Pink Litmus Paper Shirt’ – unknown
• ‘No Matter What’ – Badfinger
• ‘Come and Get It’ – Badfinger
• ‘Sun in Her Hand’ – Blond
• ‘Coz I Luv You’ – Slade
• ‘Just a Smile’ – Pilot
• ‘Neanderthal Man’ – Hotlegs
• ‘I Must Be in Love’ – The Rutles
• ‘Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft’ – Klaatu
• ‘She Still Loves Him’ – Jellyfish
• ‘Sittin’ Here in Silence (On My Own)’ – Oasis
• ‘Costafine Town’ – Splinter

The Fab Four’s second film, shot in vivid colour, captured a very different group demeanor to that in A Hard Day’s Night. For that first effort they’d been pumped up on pills; this time around, they were laid back on the “herbal jazz cigarettes”. And director Dick Lester, together with cinematographer David Watkin, conveyed the blissed-out vibe via stunning photography, innovative graphics and offbeat comedy.

The result, at the time widely regarded as inferior to its predecessor, is now acclaimed as a pop-art gem that, very much of its time, also helped to define its era while serving as a wide-ranging source of influence and inspiration.

Towering above all, of course, were those personalities and their music…

• ‘Help!’
• ‘The Night Before’
• ‘You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away’
• ‘I Need You’
• ‘Another Girl’
• ‘You’re Going to Lose That Girl’
• ‘Ticket to Ride’
• Selections from Ken Thorne’s orchestral score

50 years after The Beatles’ demise, Yoko Ono is still portrayed online and by the media as the quintessential witch who broke up a famous relationship and ruined a great thing. But did she really earn this reputation? And, if not, should she shoulder at least some of the blame for the group’s demise?

A multi-layered topic, it sparks a lively conversation and clashing opinions, punctuated by The Beatles’ own recollections and a predictably eclectic collection of tracks.

The Music

• ‘No Bed for Beatle John’
• ‘The Ballad of John and Yoko’ (Take 7)
• ‘Yer Blues’/‘Whole Lotta Yoko’ (The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus)
• ‘Who Has Seen the Wind?’
• Beatles/Yoko Jam (Jan. 10, 1969)
• ‘What’s the New Mary Jane’
• ‘Remember Love’
• ‘Don’t Worry Kyoko’ (The Toronto Rock and Roll Revival)

The music, the inspirations, the motivations, the performances, the reservations, the fallout... as well as the cloak-and-dagger story behind how the session tape was bootlegged. Here’s what really happened behind the doors of Decca’s Broadhurst Gardens studio in northwest London—as well as in altogether more covert circumstances on the other side of the Atlantic more than a decade later.

The Music

• ‘Money (That’s What I Want)’ – Barrett Strong, The Beatles
• ‘The Sheik of Araby’ – Joe Brown, The Beatles
• ‘Memphis, Tennessee’ – Chuck Berry, The Beatles
• ‘Three Cool Cats’ – The Coasters, The Beatles
• ‘Sure to Fall (In Love with You)’ – Carl Perkins, The Beatles
• ‘September in the Rain’ – Dinah Washington, The Beatles
• ‘Take Good Care of My Baby’ – Bobby Vee, The Beatles
• ‘Till There Was You’ – Peggy Lee, The Beatles
• ‘Crying, Waiting, Hoping’ – Buddy Holly, The Beatles
• ‘To Know Her is to Love Her’ – The Teddy Bears, The Beatles
• ‘Besame Mucho’ – The Coasters, The Beatles
• ‘Searchin’’ – The Coasters, The Beatles
• ‘Like Dreamers Do’ – The Beatles, The Applejacks
• ‘Hello Little Girl’ – The Beatles, The Fourmost
• ‘Love of the Loved’ – Cilla Black, The Beatles
• ‘How Do You Do It?’ – The Beatles

Physically fighting cancer and a crazed attacker while mentally preparing for his transition to the next phase of his spiritual journey, the youngest Beatle navigated the last stage of his earthly existence with characteristic faith, bravery… and humour. At the same time, racing to record an album worthy of closing out a legendary career, he wrote some of his most poetic lyrics to reflect and comment on the past, present and future—complemented by sublime musicianship that resulted in one of the greatest of all posthumous releases.

Here’s the dramatic, sometimes harrowing, ultimately inspirational final chapter of a man whose humanity and creativity crossed paths with a mass of contradictions.

The Music

• All Things Must Pass
• Your True Love
• Looking for My Life
• My Sweet Lord (2000)
• Any Road
• P2 Vatican Blues (Last Saturday Night)
• Pisces Fish
• Rising Sun
• Marwa Blues
• Stuck Inside a Cloud
• Run So Far
• Never Get Over You
• Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
• Rocking Chair in Hawaii
• Brainwashed
• Horse to the Water
• If You Belonged to Me

Charming, funny, provocative, hugely talented and already seasoned stage professionals—The Beatles were perfect for television during an era when sales of television sets were skyrocketing. And TV was also the ideal, all-encompassing promotional tool for the Fab Four. So, it was a symbiotic relationship.

At first, they were more than happy to not only perform their songs, but also participate in comedy sketches… until they no longer needed to. This show examines the group’s halcyon TV years—and provides viewer sound recordings of several ultra-rare, ‘long lost’ broadcasts.

The TV Appearances:

(* = unheard since first broadcast)

• Morecambe and Wise – 2 Dec. 1963
• People and Places – 17 Oct. 1962 *
• People and Places – 2 Nov. 1962 *
• People and Places – 17 Dec. 1962 *
• Pops and Lenny – 16 May 1963 *
• Juke Box Jury – 29 Jun. 1963
• The Mersey Sound ¬– 9 Oct. 1963
• Ready Steady Go! – 4 Oct. 1963
• Val Parnell’s Sunday Night at the London Palladium – 13 Oct. 1963
• Drop In – 3 Nov. 1963
• The Royal Variety Performance – 6 Jun. 1963
• This Week – 7 Nov. 1963
• The Huntley-Brinkley Report – 18 Nov. 1963
• Late Scene Extra – 27 Nov. 1963
• Juke Box Jury – 7 Dec. 1963
• It’s The Beatles – 7 Dec. 1963
• JFK Airport press conference – 7 Feb. 1964
• CBS Evening News – 7 Feb. 1964
• The Ed Sullivan Show – 9 Feb. 1964
• What’s Happening! The Beatles in the U.S.A. – Feb. 1964
• Big Night Out – 23 Feb. 1964
• Around The Beatles – 6 May 1964
• Beatles in Nederland – 8 Jun. 1964
• Not Only… But Also – 20 Nov. 1964
• BBC News – 12 Jun. 1965
• The Music of Lennon and McCartney – 16 Dec. 1965
• Circus Krone-Bau, München – 24 Jun. 1966
• Independent Television News – 8 Jul. 1966
• Reporting ’66 – 20 Dec. 1966

The Music:

• This Boy
• Some Other Guy
• Love Me Do
• A Taste of Honey
• Twist and Shout
• From Me to You
• Devil in Disguise
• I’ll Get You
• She Loves You
• I Saw Her Standing There
• Till There Was You
• Love Hit Me
• Money (That’s What I Want)
• All My Loving
• You Can’t Do That
• Nowhere Man
• Shout

“I exhibited all the classic symptoms of the unemployed, the redundant man,” Paul McCartney recalled in his authorized biography Many Years from Now. “And justifiably so because I was being screwed by my mates. So, I didn’t shave for quite a while. I didn’t get up. Mornings weren’t for getting up. I might get up and stay on the bed a bit and not know where to go, and get back into bed. Then if I did get up, I’d have a drink. Straight out of bed… I felt I’d outlived my usefulness. This was the overall feeling: that it was good while I was in the Beatles, I was useful and I could play bass for their songs, I could write songs for them to sing and for me to sing, and we could make records of them. But the minute I wasn't with the Beatles any more it became really very difficult.”

This episode takes a deep dive into a dark period for the man who’d always been most in love with being a Beatle—covering the years 1969 to 1973 when he was battling his former bandmates, his critics, even his fans… as well as himself: an artistic force of nature at an existential crossroads; a master maneuverer, sometimes outmaneuvered. It’s the revealing story of a complex character and helping to peel back the layers are two experts on the subject: Allan Kozinn and Adrian Sinclair, co-authors of the soon-to-be-published ‘McCartney Legacy – Vol. 1: Beyond the Beatles, 1969-1973’.

https://www.mccartneylegacy.co.uk

The music:

• Every Night
• Junk
• 3 Legs
• Dear Boy
• My Dark Hour
• Man We Was Lonely
• Maybe I’m Amazed
• Dear Friend
• Another Day
• Bip Bop
• Too Many People
• Give Ireland Back to the Irish
• Hi, Hi, Hi
• The Back Seat of My Car

Just over a decade before his ‘Lost Weekend’ in L.A., John had a full dress rehearsal during The Beatles’ third stint in Hamburg. It was April 1962, his friend and former bandmate Stu Sutcliffe had just died from a brain hemorrhage at age 21 and Lennon went off the rails – much as he would after separating from Yoko in ’73. Some episodes have acquired mythical status – and been embellished courtesy of numerous retellings. Yet, the truth still outstrips the legend.

Here was Lennon unleashed – Lennon the rocker, Lennon the madman, onstage and off, dealing with grief and loss in his habitually loving, cruel, hilarious, hysterical, sometimes violent way. And helping us to paint that multicoloured, multilayered picture is Mark Lewisohn, reading passages from his unrivalled The Beatles: All These Years – Tune In.

The music:

• Too Much Monkey Business
• I’m Talking About You
• I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry (Over You)
• I Just Don’t Understand
• A Shot of Rhythm and Blues
• Ain’t She Sweet
• Lonesome Tears in My Eyes
• I Got a Woman
• Soldier of Love
• Sweet Little Sixteen

You should’a been there!

“It's rip-roaring, infectious stuff, with the accent on beat throughout,” wrote Derek Johnson in the New Musical Express.

“Beatles For Sale is going to sell, sell, sell. It is easily up to standard and will knock out pop fans, rock fans, R&B and Beatles fans,” predicted Melody Maker’s Chris Welch.

Nevertheless, the Fab Four’s fourth album has received mixed reviews down the years, especially when rated within the context of their musical canon. Worked to the bone with film, TV, radio, press and global concert tour assignments, The Beatles were also under pressure to deliver a couple of LPs per year. Unable to sustain the standard set by the all-Lennon-McCartney A Hard Day’s Night, its composers still produced some magnificent work, yet a few mediocre tracks, out-of-tune guitars and uncharacteristically questionable artistic choices gave the finished record an erratic quality that has resulted in divided opinions among listeners—including those discussing it on this show.

Under-appraised and underpraised, Beatles For Sale is put under the microscope for a well-earned reevaluation. And what no one can deny is that even the group’s sub-par output—in the eyes and ears of some—outstrips that of most other artists.

What John Lennon described as "the most miserable sessions on earth" were recalled by George Harrison as "the low of all time". Yet, while such statements may have accurately reflected their respective mindsets, they also helped fuel widespread misconceptions about The Beatles’ January ’69 ‘Get Back’ project that evolved into the ‘Let It Be’ film and album.

The fragmented, shoddily-edited Michael Lindsay-Hogg-directed ‘documentary’ has also played a significant role in spreading the negativity, as have certain self-acclaimed experts’ uninformed opinions because of their failure to listen to all of the tapes. For, therein lies a very different, far more rewarding story that will likely be revealed in Peter Jackson's new version of the movie. Regardless, that’s what Richard Buskin and Allan Kozinn (pinch-hitting for Erik Taros) focus on here: the many ups as well as the downs that took place at Twickenham Film Studios in the run-up to George temporarily quitting the group—and the project then relocating to The Beatles’ own Apple facility.

In so doing, Richard and Allan not only examine the long as well as short-term causes for the disharmony—including the personalities involved and their invariably fascinating, often-enlightening interactions; they also provide a fly-on-the-wall perspective on the thoughts and discussions that helped shape the Fab Four’s still-reverberating artistic decisions.

Such was the growing British interest surrounding The Beatles by mid-1963 that, on 1st July, fans gathered outside the EMI Studios on Abbey Road where the group was recording both sides of its next single: ‘She Loves You’ and ‘I’ll Get You’.

Since the late-Sixties, ‘She Loves You’ has been short-changed; dismissed by many as just catchy MOR pop compared to the Fab Four's subsequent, more experimental tracks. In reality, this one was every bit as groundbreaking: a unique, infectious, beautifully-crafted rock belter that saw the Lennon-McCartney songwriting team hit the ball out of the park before, five days later, they and their colleagues accomplished the same inside Studio Two.

‘She Loves You’ was unlike anything that had been heard before—in various ways. So, where did it come from? And what were the ingredients in its creation? Take a deep dive into a true classic.

How, when and where did our passion for the Fab Four first get ignited? What form did it take and how has it evolved, personally and professionally? Our friend Mark Lewisohn, the group’s foremost biographer, joins us for an informal chat recorded at Erik’s home studio that provides perspective and reminiscences from both sides of the Atlantic, reaching back more than 55 years to our initial encounters with John, Paul, George and Ringo on TV, radio, record and in print. It’s been a lifelong love story, focusing on not only the music, but also the personalities… and the humour. As such, this episode speaks to fans everywhere.

The Music

• ‘I’ll Get You’
• ‘She Loves You’
• ‘Here There and Everywhere’
• ‘The Inner Light’
• ‘Look at Me’
• ‘The Beatles Movie Medley’
• ‘All My Loving’

During a taped business meeting attended by three Beatles and Neil Aspinall while Ringo was away - likely in mid-September ‘69, a month before that in which John would say he wanted "a divorce" from the group - JL remarked, "Alright, let's move on. We'll do another album. We'll all do four songs. How's that? That's fair."

When the others showed no interest, he then said, "Alright, how about a Christmas single? Y'know, we finish it with a Christmas single. I think it's a great idea — I'm in."

That changed after John and Yoko performed in Toronto with Eric and Klaus. But what if the others had approved John's initial suggestion and immediately returned to the studio? Between them they already had enough songs for another LP - songs that would end up being utilized for their own solo projects.

Here are the tracks selected by your co-hosts…

Erik

• Let It Down
• Look at Me
• Another Day
• Stormy Weather
• Gimme Some Truth
• Hear Me Lord
• Maybe I’m Amazed
• Oh My Love
• Art of Dying
• Child of Nature
• All Things Must Pass
• The Back Seat of My Car
• Isn’t It a Pity
• Suicide

Richard

• Gimme Some Truth
• Maybe I’m Amazed
• Art of Dying
• Child of Nature
• All Things Must Pass
• Another Day
• Isn’t It a Pity
• Oh My Love
• When Every Song is Sung
• Every Night
• Beautiful Girl
• Look at Me
• The Back Seat of My Car
• What is Life

Featuring a recording of ‘Maybe I’m Amazed’ by Mark & Rosalie Cunningham, produced for this show.

At the suggestion of press officer Tony Barrow, The Beatles ended their first year of national fame by thanking the members of their UK fan club with a flexi-disc single containing a specially recorded Christmas message. So began an annual tradition that not only endured as long as they were together, but also mirrored and encapsulated their career: from the innocent fun of 1963 and 1964 to the biting cynicism of 1965, offbeat creativity of 1966, psychedelic surrealism of 1967, disparate contributions of 1968 and complete fragmentation of 1969. What starts off joyous ends up sad, with much of life in between – and guest appearances by George Martin, Mal Evans, Victor Spinetti, Yoko Ono and Tiny Tim.

Featuring:

• “Christmas Time (Is Here Again)”
• 1963: “The Beatles’ Christmas Record”
• 1964: “Another Beatles Christmas Record” + outtakes
• 1965: “The Beatles’ Third Christmas Record” + outtakes
• 1966: “The Beatles’ Fourth Christmas Record: Everywhere It’s Christmas” + outtakes
• 1967: “Christmas Time Is Here Again!”
• 1968: “The Beatles’ 1968 Christmas Record”
• 1969: “The Beatles’ Seventh Christmas Record: Happy Christmas 1969”
• Dora Bryan – “All I Want for Christmas is a Beatle”

This is a new phase STTS episode…

Essential to the concept of the ‘International White Album Symposium’ at Monmouth University, New Jersey, was that we recorded the show in front of an audience, revisiting and merging the much-discussed topics of Episodes #2 and #4 with a couple of our mates: celebrated Beatles author Mark Lewisohn and our resident musicologist Allan Kozinn.

John Lennon and Paul McCartney each contributed 12 songs to the White Album. These could have been justifiably issued as LPs in their own right. And what stunners they would have been; filled with an eclectic array of incredible compositions and unforgettable performances that captured both men—and their bandmates—at the top of their game.

Here we review the Lennon and McCartney White Albums, comparing them with each other as well as with the legendary, recently remixed Beatles opus. In comes the warmth and freshness of a live appearance, captured for you by the STTS team. Featured tracks:

• Birthday
• I’m So Tired
• Julia
• Dear Prudence
• Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
• Back in the U.S.S.R.
• Why Don’t We Do It in the Road?
• Revolution

A remixed White Album, the complete stereo Esher Demos, a wide array of high-quality, previously unheard outtakes… and the album in 5.1 surround. Need we say more? Actually, we do, according this historic release the attention and analysis it so richly deserves.

Featured tracks:

• Helter Skelter (Second Version – take 17)
• Yer Blues
• While My Guitar Gently Weeps
• Blue Moon (Studio Jam)
• (You’re So Square) Baby I Don’t Care (Studio Jam)
• Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey (Unnunbered Rehearsal)
• Revolution 1 (Take 18)
• Good Night (Take 10 with a guitar part from Take 7)
• Honey Pie (Instrumental Backing Track)
• Dear Prudence (Esher Demo/Vocal, Guitar and Drums)
• Let It Be (Unnumbered Rehearsal)
• I’m So Tired (Take 14)
• Sour Milk Sear (Esher Demo)

A tribute to the recording engineer whose in-studio innovations helped shape The Beatles’ sound—and alter the course of popular music.

Geoffrey Emerick (born 5th December 1945, died 2nd October 2018) was just 16-years-old when, on 6th June 1962, he joined the EMI Studios on Abbey Road as a tape operator. Two days later, he attended the group’s first recording session with Ringo Starr on drums. He subsequently assisted on a number of sessions, including those for ‘She Loves You’ and ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand’, before replacing Norman Smith as The Beatles’ chief engineer in early 1966 and diving straight into the deep end with the first track committed to tape for their landmark ‘Revolver’ LP: the revolutionary, now-legendary ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’. The following year, ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ won him his first of four Grammy Awards.

In this episode, Richard, Erik, Allan and Craig examine how, together with producer George Martin, Geoff helped realize The Beatles’ most far-flung creative ambitions. And there is also an enlightening interview with multi-award-winning engineer John Kurlander, who assisted Geoff on the group’s final album, ‘Abbey Road’.

Featured Tracks

• Tomorrow Never Knows (STTS remix)
• Yer Blues
• Good Day Sunshine
• Good Morning Good Morning
• Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End (STTS remix)
• I’m Only Sleeping
• A Day in the Life (STTS remix)

The cripple impersonations, the Nazi salutes, the MBEs (received and returned), the groupies, the ‘Butcher cover’, the ‘bigger than Jesus’ controversy, the drugs, the love anthem, the naked album cover, the politically-charged lyrics, the peace campaign, the erotic artwork… However we slice and dice The Beatles’ story, it’s never boring,. What they said, sang and did still incites heated debates and disagreements five decades later. And what was deemed acceptable or unimportant back in the 1960s is often judged far more harshly today—as well as the other way around. So, diving into this often amusing, sometimes disturbing topic, we appraise things according to not only current mores, but also the era in which they took place—guaranteeing an action-packed episode… and a splendid time for all.

The Music

• I Saw Her Standing There
• Day Tripper
• The Word
• Girl
• Run for Your Life
• Got to Get You into My Life
• Tomorrow Never Knows
• Doctor Robert
• Penny Lane
• Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
• A Day in the Life
• All You Need is Love
• Revolution 1
• Blackbird
• Piggies
• No Pakistanis
• Maggie Mae
• I’ve Got a Feeling
• Don’t Let Me Down
• Give Peace a Chance
• Come Together
• You Can’t Do That
• Across the Universe
• Piggies
• Happiness is a Warm Gun
• Revolution
• Commonwealth

Rock-solid and understated, subtle yet ballsy, inventive and full of feel—these are just some of the descriptions that have been applied to the artistry and iconic, highly influential drumming of Sir Richard Starkey, M.B.E. Now, hot on the heels of Ringo’s 78th birthday, Richard, Erik, Allan, and Craig analyse and appraise his Beatles-related contributions behind the kit—both onstage and in the studio—while discussing his musical evolution, comparing him to his contemporaries, and assessing if he was indeed the man best suited to drum for the world’s greatest rock group.

Featured tracks:

• Rain
• Long Tall Sally
• I Call Your Name
• I Want to Hold Your Hand
• She Loves You
• Ticket to Ride
• Please Please Me
• Thank You Girl
• I Feel Fine
• You Can’t Do That
• You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me
• A Day in the Life
• Long Long Long
• The End
• Good Morning Good Morning
• Here Comes the Sun
• I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry (Over You)

The Beatles played five shows in Chicago between 1964 and 1966—more than any other American city—and there was no little drama: from the total hysteria of their first gig at the International Amphitheater and staying at a Mob-run hotel during their second visit to kicking off their third and final tour with press conferences defending John’s “more popular than Jesus” remarks.

Re-live the excitement of those years via live Windy City performances by the Fab Four and on-the-spot interviews with fans, deejays, reporters, a concert promoter and a security guard, as well as the analysis of special guest Chuck Gunderson, author of the definitive two-volume ‘Some Fun Tonight! The Backstage Story of How The Beatles Rocked America: The Historic Tours of 1964 – 1966’.