252 avsnitt • Längd: 55 min • Veckovis: Lördag
Gen X ex-cruise ship comedians TJ Shanoff and Tony Mendoza discuss the Fab Four without taking anything too seriously. Roll up for the long and rambling road.
The podcast Untitled Beatles Podcast is created by Untitled Podcast Productions LLC. The podcast and the artwork on this page are embedded on this page using the public podcast feed (RSS).
Since Xmashanukkwanza has been an ongoing celebration since late September, we here at the UPB have already spent all of our allotted giving spirit for 2024 (#ThanksObama). Therefore it’s time to focus on what we WANT to RECEIVE from The Beatleverse in the years to come. So this week, Crimbledee and Crimbledum list off all the major contenders on their fab wishlists, while leaving these remaining items for future wishlists:
🧊“Now and Then” Then and Now Commemorative Scrapbook Vault. A crafty 12’x12’ cube to warmly display all of your “Now and Then” 100+ coloured 7”, 10”, 12” vinyls, posters, t-shirts, keychains, beach towels, cuckoo clocks, handcuffs, luxury camping gear (including bug zappers!), weather balloons and other assorted “Now and Then“ ephemera!
🫘 The Royal Mint in conjunction with Heinz Beans presents: Ringo Starr Edible Schilling Legumes in a deliciously “rich” tomato sauce. Make your farts work for you!
🌧️ “Rain/ Paperback Writer” Reversible Drizzle Parka* and Bookmark**
*not recommended for rain
**wait 12-36 hours after drizzle for bookmark use
***Parka will not work as a bookmark
****Bookmark will not work as a parka
Plus a pint-size review of Elliot Mintz’s new book about John Lennon!
Fabby Holidays from the Untitled Beatles Podcast!
T.J., Tony, Producer Casey, and P3Z-Nutz
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George Harrison's tribute to Smokey Robinson, "When Smokey Sings", isn't just Rob Sheffield's favourite solo Beatles tune. The Motown legend, arguably best known for covering "So Bad", is a huge part of "Beatles '64", the Mouse's latest entry in the world of Beatles documentaries.
1964 is THE seminal year in Beatles history, so surely this Scorcese-produced doc provides a comprehensive look at the full year? Clearly, the talking heads are relevant and used sparingly? Obviously, this release comes in concert with expanded, cleaned up footage improving on what we all really want, a reissued "The First U.S. Visit"?
Our own Medved and (Mister) Roeper explore the highs and lows of yet another Beatles holiday gift, and along the way they ask:
📆 If Leonard Bernstein discusses "She Said She Said" in "Beatles '64", should Dave Grohl and Questlove discuss "Now And Then" in "Beatles '67"?
💿 Why did director David Tedeschi opt to open with a whispery YouTube cover of "All My Loving" over one of Tears for Fears' celebrated Depeche Mode covers?
📓 If this doc was trying to attract a younger audience, how come it didn’t include an interview with Matt Gaetz?
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Right around Thanksgiving (the American one, THE ONLY ONE), the Material World got a whole lot more material! The Harrison estate graciously reintroduced one of George’s most acclaimed records to the world; via a sparkling, glorious Paul Hicks remix in honor of its’ (approximately, infinite) 50th anniversary. There are many iterations of this current reissue, as Beatleworld continues its transition from “marketing exclusively for the masses” to “marketing primarily for boomers with loads of disposable cash”.
In arguably the greatest national tragedy of 2024, Theater Tony (The Annoyance) and Theatre T.J. ("Madonna: The Musical") could only afford the 2-LP/streaming version of this title. (Producer Casey, please put an “awwwww” drop here. K? Then do it, damn it!) But fear not! The guys delve into this reissue with their usual panache, like a couple of panache-holes, but also find the holiday spirit to ask other hard questions, like:
🎤 What’s the Kim Deal with Seinfeld?
👺🚽 Does the deluxe remix archive crate gnome edition of “Living In The Material World” come with a skibidi toilet?
🚪 If Krishna showed up to Ed McMahon’s house, would McMahon hand him a cartoonishly large check and then bellow in his face, “you are correct, sir?”
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This week, T.J., Tony, Casey, and P3Z-Nutz all gather round the cornucopia at Untitled Beatles HQ to reflect for just a moment on all the fab fortunes 2024 has brought to Beatledom, while saving a little room for the requisite holiday grievances.
Fun and turkey tomfoolery abound, and we are grateful to get to share the table with all of you.
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This week, we gotta get back in time. Back to 2022, when a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, and edible-influenced T.J. and Tony ripped through Teej’s brand new box set of the 7” Macca Singles, joined by their close (and possibly hallucinated) friends P3Z-Nutz, Mrs. Vandebilt, and Uncle Pecos.
Will they make it all the way through the bonus test (your patience) pressing of 4 random songs from Liverpool Oratorio? Pop in your earbuds and a coupla your favorite Macca Snacks, and you might just find out.
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You got a problem with me, guy?
What about The Beatles, you don't got a problem with them, right? Because some of their songs, depending who you ask, are pretty darn problematic. Where's Jerry Falwell when you need him? Oh, yeah, dead! He Gone!!! 🥰
Tony and T.J. attempt very hard to get cancelled as they debate which Beatles songs are, to quote Lindsey Buckingham, Trouble; as they discuss their unique and very real compilations of Problematic Beatles Songs.
Along the way, Tony, T.J., and stone cold early 90s Miami DJ legend - nepotism alert! - DJ Double DJ, discuss these dirty, Murica hatin songs and also ask:
🤡 Is Matt Gaetz's favorite song, "I Saw Her Standing There"? Because, she was just 17? #GaetzyPuckett
👸 (Our Chicago friend at the bar. It's 3pm, he hasn't showered in a bit, and he just called the RC Cola delivery guy "Ozzie Guillen, Jr.") "How come Queen and Fred McMercury stole that big butts song from the Beatles and then Sir Mix A A Lot made a rap song about it? And how come rap music don't go away, so I can feel comfortable again??"
🥛🎙️ If one man makes another man "spit on his microphone", is it probably at Matt Gaetz's house?
Not everyone gets lip serviced. Like, have you ever been lip serviced, pal?Being lip serviced, also known as “paying someone lip service” is when someone talks about you. For example, “Donald T****p once paid his daughter 💋Ivanka💋 lip service when he literally joked about wanting to date her on the Howard Stern show”. But it’s not usually that creepy or gross, in fact it’s often a compliment, like the many songs that feature a direct mention of The Beatles, in every generation and genre of music.
This week, Tony & T.J., as reproduced for podcast by Producer Casey, delve into some of their favorite (and least favorite) songs that mention The Beatles. They also wonder, aloud, because it’s a podcast…
🚨 Would “Kids Incorporated” have been a more interesting show if it was called “Kids Incarcerated”?
😴 Are Rod Rogers and Rick Astley the Dream Academy and Beatles of their respective eras? And why are you acting like you don’t know what that means, are you ok?
⛵️Who can say where the road goes? Where the day flows? And who can say if your love grows, as your heart chose? And, is this a joke or just lazily quoting Enya?
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In case you need it, here's last week's Songs for Times of Trouble playlist.
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For anyone with a pulse - and/or a mint copy of the Pink Floyd CD with a still-functioning blue light - Beatles music makes life better. The Fab 4 (or 5, depending where one sits with Sir Jimmie Nicol) were imperfect men, who created mostly perfect music; “12 Bar Original” and “Sie Liebt Dich”, notwithstanding. Despite their very human flaws and contradictions, they sought to communicate light and love through their remarkable music, lyrics, and an unmatched accessibility to every generation and background.
In mere hours, America [F**K YEAH!] will decide our next president. Regardless of one’s political leanings, it’s a stressful time ‘round here. And, when we find ourselves in times of trouble, many of us rely on Beatles music to soothe, entertain, inspire, and fulfill us. Those who don’t are probably d-bags, and it’s best to cancel them. #PeaceAndLove
Even though entertainers should absolutely stay in their lane and SHUT THEIR PIE HOLES about politics (looking at you, Chachi! And especially you, longtime host of NBC’s “The Apprentice”!), this week’s UBP focuses on favorite, optimistic music from the Beatles world that serves to inspire Tony & T.J. on the eve of this precarious moment in American history. Plus, there’s many insider-y, beltway-adjacent questions posed by our own Nate Silver and Nate Gold (#YukonCornelius #SoulTrain), as we also ask:
🤠 How many voters will be swayed by the effects of inflation on the pre-order price of Ringo’s new country + western cassette tape?
🦋 Is there a better chance MPL will release a Deluxe Archive Collection reissue of Ringo’s two versions of “Wings” before actually reissuing Wings “London Town” or Wings “Back To The Egg”? And will there ever be two versions of “Two Virgins”?
💉 Is the $80 vinyl of Sean’s “Mind Games: The Meditation Mixes” the RFK Jr. of Beatles re-issues?
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If you're anything like us, you might want to bookmark this playlist.
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A book can take you anywhere…
…Out to sea on a vengeful hunt for a fierce white whale…Trapped on a stalled train car solving the grisly murder of a fellow passenger…Madly pacing at a record retailer, deciding whether or not to purchase a Leon Russell Christmas LP because it’s on green vinyl…
That last scenario hasn’t been published yet, and those pretentious snobs over at Simon & Schuster won’t accept unsolicited submissions. Same goes for Penguin. And the dorks at HarperCollins. And the jerks at Random House. And Macmillan. And The Hachette Book Group…
That’s why this week, per another fab listener suggestion, T.J. and Tony are taken to 1960s Great Britain, where they discuss some of their favorite Beatles books.
Were this episode to be optioned into a page turning best seller, these would be some of the chapters:
🎙️💀 Other Podcasts Who Shall Not Be Named
🏃♀️🏠 Begrudging Appreciation For “She’s Leaving Home”
📚⛽️ Recommended Reading At Gas Stations
💿🏙️ Reckless Records Locations in Chicago 1988-1993
🚫🍊 Incorrect Pronunciations of “Pomelo”
If this all sounds boring to you, bring a book!
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In 2003, The Redwalls, a really good band hailing from Chicago suburb Deerfield, IL kicked off their album “Universal Blues” by encouraging a “Colorful Revolution”; in a most Beatle-esque Banger fashion.
By coincidence (?), a mere 31 years earlier, there was a colorful “Daytime Revolution” as John, Yoko, and friends took over a week’s worth of “The Mike Douglas Show” - a.k.a. the guy all of us, if we’re being honest, initially confused/conflated with “The Dick Cavett Show”.
This new, soon-to-stream documentary examines these historic episodes, and had a brief in-theaters showing on what would’ve been John’s 84th birthday. Tony saw the film solo in Chicago suburb Glenview, IL, as T.J. handled the un-related, un-paid improv rehearsal many miles from his home - and even further from #GlenviewsFamousDawgPark. The result is a new-ish phase Beatles podcast, reproduced for streaming by Producer Casey. Roll up for this special UBP field trip, an aural journey (cue: “Faithfully”) of Tony documenting a documentary, as documentary commentary from T.J. documents Tony’s documentary commentary of the documentary's documentary commentary.
ALSO: The UBP’s Medved + (Helen) Roeper ask:
🔥🏡 Does a movie with too many talking heads stop making sense? Or does it get nothing but flowers? Is Wings Wild Life > Wild Wild Life? Sick Byrne, qu’est-ce que c'est?
⚾️📻 (Chicago guy - a Sox fan, but he doesn’t hate the Cubs; only Wrigleyville and their fans, and maybe he has a point): “How come the unique single mix of Steve Goodman’s “Go Cubs Go” - pressed, my friendt, on WGN Records! - ain’t been made available anywhere else since the original 45? Maybe Dean Richards will return one of my many handwritten letters and tell me what exactly woke WGN is trying to hide?
🥪 Would former American Idol Reuben Studard have been more successful if he’d been slathered in extra 1000 Island and better swiss?
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What is Beatle-esque? Webster’s Dictionary has no entry for the term. Nor does Punky Brewster’s Dictionary or Boner’s Thesaurus. Historians have speculated, scholars have debated, and Beatle sniffers have sniffed for a little too long, yet no one knows for certain.
So this week our listeners help define the phrase with their own submissions of non-Beatles songs that evoke the Fab Four, aka Beatle-esque Bangers.
T.J. and Tony also offer a couple of their own bangers (a la carte, sans mash)…with lively controversial results. Will be fab!
Along the way, the Nerk Nerds ponder:
📠 If Neil Innes is a xerox of a xerox of The Beatles, how many xeroxes would it take to make The Spin Doctors?
💸 (Angry Chicago Guy): “HOW COME THOZE JAGOFFS OVER AT DA ANTIQUE ROADSHOWS WONT APPRAISE MY 1982 GARY US BOND?? Diane sez I’m late on palimony again BUT SHEEZ DA ONE DAT TOSSED OUT MY WALTER PAYTON COMMEMORATIVE WHEATIES BOX. NOW I HAVE NUTHIN!!!”
🐒 Since Elvis sounds like Paul (who had a secretary named Lincoln), does Linda sound like Priscilla (who had a secretary named Kennedy and a chimpanzee named Ringo)?
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As Marla Gibbs (look her up, Boomer. Did I get that right?) once said, “there’s no place like home!” And she was obviously singing about Skokie, Illinois - home of a cookie cutter AMC Movie Palace so glorious, it rivals only Chicago’s famous Esquire Theater, now home to a shuttered Dallas-based steak chain. (#Progress)
Usually, Tony and T.J. only go on post-Bears game movie dates when it involves seeing the latest Marvel sequel to a Marvel sequel. (Turn up the volume on those explosions, projector man!) But a special field trip was made after a SEASON-TURNING BEARS WIN, to go see the limited, first ever theatrical release of Paul McCartney’s “One Hand Clapping”. Is the film better on the big screen than tucked away on the “Band On The Run” Archive Collection DVD? Does the music rock even harder in the theater? What’s the deal with popcorn prices these days, Obama? Tony and T.J. ask these salient and Soily questions, and also ponder from the backyard (of the theater):
📚😭 Is the Half Price Books in Skokie, IL this generation’s Tower Records? And if it is, is society in more trouble than we previously ever imagined?
🍿💩 Did “The Popcorn Kid”, the 1987 CBS flop about teens working in a movie theater, that T.J. used to videotape for some weirdo reason, ever have an episode about cleaning human feces from an exterior wall?
🍔🤮 (Angry Chicago Guy): “How come woke Tony don’t ever get no Ohio-based Red Robin Gourmet Burgers on Hulu/FX’s “The Bear”? Some Chicagoan, NOT!” (He laughs a little too hard at his own use of “NOT”, and begins to cough up Old Style from acid reflux. He vomits on his worn shoes. It’s quite sad, actually. His son doesn’t even call him anymore on Christmas; and after the hell he went through as a kid, damn right he doesn’t. And yet, this man needs help - especially after this White Sox season - and y’all laugh? Like your life is perfect? What do you get out of this abject cruelty? Maybe that’s a better question.)
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Sick episode, bro!
No, literally, this episode is sick!
Well, actually, Producer Casey was sick with COVID-19 during what was supposed to be a rare, in-person, Rosemont reunion of the Ubp3. #Cantaloop
Fortunately, The Fest For Beatles Fans (nee “Beatlefest”) is always sick. Sick, in a good way, like the kids said in spring, ’95. We need to legally mention that the Fest was NOT COVID-19 sick, thankfully; which means it probably injected bleach, and horse dewormer. What a great way to own the libz, for freedumb!
Somehow, Tony & T.J. were as healthy as two legally-giddy, mid-1970’s born Chicago guys can be, so they spent two beautiful days checking out all that this inspiring, lovely collection of fellow Beatles nerds has to offer. And Poducer Casey was able to rally, and contribute to our recorded shenanigans at the Fest from his sad, GrubHub-reekin’ hotel room. (Oddly, Casey did not order GrubHub.)
So stop your elitist reading, just push play (#FUAerosmith), and come celebrate the 50th Anniversary of The Fest for Beatles Fans with us! Because we also ask other burning Beatles questions, like:
🎞️🎶 Is giving someone a beat-up U.K. 45 of “The Beatles Movie Medley”, without the famously infamous picture sleeve, a “gift” or a “terrible insult”?
🐄🍺 Isn’t Bruce Spizer PARTIALLY to blame for leaving his books within the vicinity of a beer swiggin’ Shandawg? And will T.J. ever get over the immense guilt for accidentially-yet-irresponsibly destroying his favorite Beatles historian's books?
👀🏈 (Angry Chicago guy, he smells like Comiskey circa 1987) HOW COME THE SUZANNE SUMMERS VEHICLE “SHE’S THE SHERIFF” DIDN’T HAVE NO ROPERS OR FURLEYS? AND HOW COME KYLE ORTMAN [sic, moron] AIN’T ON THE BEARS NO MORE?
The Untitled Beatles Podcast extends our deepest gratitude to the Fest For Beatles Fans for their incredible spirit, hospitality and love for all things Fab. And we salute the legendary Terri Hemmert for being both the longtime emcee and Chicago Radio Royalty!
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Move aside, Mark Lewisohn. It's SPIZERTIME.
That's right. At long last, the Beatles have announced a new 8 LP box set of the U.S. Beatles records they're (dubiously) calling "The Beatles: 1964 Albums in Mono".
T.J.'s first phone call was to the Venture at North Ave. and Kostner to pre-order his box set.
His next call was to his doctor, to address a sudden and impolite-to-discuss medical condition lasting longer than 4 hours. #ringthebonephone
And his third (and arguably most important) call was to his pal Tony so they could compare their hopes and dreams for the impending November release. [Editor's note: T.J. impending release joke #REDACTED]
They also cover the truly pressing questions, like:
📼 Will Tony pick up a copy of the box set, or just hope to gather someone's discarded, unwound cassette tape by the side of the Eisenhower Expressway and respool it?
💨 Are you more of a Beatle fart guy, or a Stones fart guy? And what's Charlie Watts got against Heinz Baked Beans?
🥃 [Angry Chicago guy after two too many Malorts] "How come Calderstone still ain't released Jolly What! England's Greatest Recording Stars: The Beatles & Frank Ifield on Stage"?
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Attention loyal podcast description reader! Mighty fine morning in your town, init? Say, are you an “Only People” fan? Ever think, “I want to be, but it’s just not long enough!” Well, have we got a John Lennon boxed set for you, featuring 11 - count ‘em, 11 - more seconds of “Only People”. It’s “Mind Games!” Still a Capitol Records Value, now available for the low price of one month’s rent/mortgage. #ImagineNoPosessions
The Grumpy Gabbers deep dish this sprawling Lennon reissue’s many gorgeous ups and frustrating (Hugh) downs: the demos, myriad remixes, hidden tracks, glow-in-the-dark RSD exclusives, and more, like:
🎸 Does WFUK-96.9 FM - APPLETON’S HOME FOR F**K ROCK - play too little Led Apron?
🍌 If “Now & Then” is, technically, a Beatles song, is “Nutopian International Anthem (Evolution Documentary) technically a Rutles song?
🪄✌️ (Angry Chicago Guy, He’s Not Sober) “How come Tony don’t get no “Wizard Of Oz” references? And how come I took mushrooms after Super Bowl XX and watched my VHS of “Wizard Of Oz” synced up to “Pipes Of Peace”, and it all made sense?”
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In 1981, the Capitol Records green label LP, budget line re-release of "Mind Games" cost $5.99. In 2024, that same record, when heard in a cube complete with a gnome sized replica of Yoko (allegedly), can be purchased for roughly $1700. Thanks, Obama! (#Sarcasm #Satire #Satcasm)
A new precedent in solo Beatles reissues has been set with this reissue, including the more moderately priced (yet still insane) 6 disc edition. Is that a good thing? Does hearing 6 versions of "Intuition" really enhance the experience of listening to the album? And if T.J. doesn't collect it, does it even exist?
Tony and T.J. begin to dive into this massive release and answer these questions, and more, like:
💷🥊💵 Was Aunt Mimi a loyal fan of BBC 4's, "Pounds or Dollars"?
🐋 Did the Mick Jagger film "Freejack" portend the Michael Jackson film song, "Freewilly"?
🍻 Angry Chicago Fella: "How come the John Lennon tribute band, Real Sanpaku, don't play at the Merrillville Star Plaza no more?"
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Labor Day already? That's it? Summer's over?
T.J. and Tony, just like ev'ry summer, are busy packing up their rented cottage in the Isle of Wight. But they both found some time to hop behind a microphone, along with Producer Casey and P3Z-Nutz, to preview some of the fabbest gab they've got lined up for the fall.
🍂🍁🍂🍁🍂🍁
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Live, from Beatlefest’s famous/non-existent Midway Ballroom, in the outskirts of beautiful, mobbed-up, downtown Rosemont, it’s Saturday Afternoon Live! WITH SPECIAL GUEST, #1 BEATLES STAN, SKYLAR MOODY!
For the second year in a row, Tony Shanoff, T.J. Mendoza, and Producer Case3Z-Nutz said, “f**k it, we’ll do it live!”, and recorded this episode at the always-incredible Fest For Beatles Fans (née Beatlefest), in front of some loyal UBP fans; and a few very confused people who were probably too embarrassed/disturbed to leave. (Seeing P3Z-Nutz in person can do that to a newbie.)
This year, they’re joined by Beatles superfan/influencer/digital creator - the wonderful Skylar Moody - for an intense game of Beatles Trivial Pursuit! Plus, Tony celebrates the Beatles rich history in Chicago - AMERICA’S GREATEST CITY, YA JAGBAGS! T.J. pays tribute to arguably 2025’s 8th Beatle (#GiveIrelandBackToTheIfield)! And they also ask, to a HUGE CROWD THAT’S WAY BIGGER THAN KAMALA’S, WHICH IS IMPORTANT AND TRUE BECAUSE I’M MISERABLE INSIDE:
🦊📰🍆 Who’s more of a failed cartoon character in America? Rupert The Bear, or Rupert The Murdoch?
📺🇺🇸😷Which is a more culturally impactful moment in American media history: Producer Casey bravely producing this live recording sick, from his hotel room via Zoom, or the 1970’s WGBH Boston kids-show “Zoom”?
🦁👑🐭How many times has noted Disney-phile Tony seen “The Lion King”?
Special thanks to the Fest For Beatles Fans family for hosting us. It’s an honor to be a very small part of such a wonderful, joyful, celebration of the greatest rock band not named Korn!
📸 Photos courtesy of Patreon Star Club supporter Glen K.!
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The Untitled Beatles Crew are all still recovering from an epic, whirlwind Fest for Beatles Fans 2024. And by recovering, I mean still passed out somewhere under the Apple Jam Stage.
This week, please enjoy one of our all-time faves!
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[Originally released May 6, 2023]
Trivia! What a silly word. I mean, how many words rhyme with “Jergens?” Feel me, Jacque?
Sadly, ever since Alex Trebek pulled a (rather cowardly) #HeGone, the pursuit of trivia - Beatles and otherwise - has been largely dormant in America. But not this week! Because Tony and T.J. each break out their deluxe editions of Beatles Trivial Pursuit and play a heated, often deadly round or three of the game! But don’t you D.A.R.E. think we put the board in “bored game”! Because, madness (#OurHouse) ensues as we also trivially pursue:
🚕 Would NBC have ever considered green-lighting “Dear John” if not for its one, ill-fated season of “Taxi”?
⚾️ Were the 90’s Yankees really better without ding-dong-dinger machine Donnie Baseball? (Drunk old Chicago White Sox fan: “What about Bronny Dosco?”)
🚥 Is “Steve Winwood: The Musical” the new “Blind Faith: The Musical”? And will you miss both if you’re stuck in traffic? Shit that’s a lot of Steve Winwood references, right? Too many? Or just about right, in a “rule of 3’s” way? We ask rhetorically, like don’t send us notes or anything like that, because we won’t read it. Who’s got the time? Like, how do YOU even have the time to write a Beatles podcast about a failed Steve Winwood bit? Think about that next time you find yourself drinking a High Life again. Drinking a high…life…again.
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Tell me why? Ain’t nothing but a heartache! Tell me why? Ain’t nothing but a mistake!Maybe if you’re a jag-bag! Because real Fab fans love “Tell Me Why”, by The Beatles but, especially, The Backstreet Boys. ALL RIGHT!The Gab 2 love this record in all of its’ forms, and they get a little overly excited as they continue to deep dish “A Hard Day’s Night”, both the U.K. and U.S. versions. Perhaps unintentionally, Tony & T.J. make a strong case that the 1987 cassette track listening is definitive, but also - rather generously - take the time to ask:
🍖 Is it past time that the feds shut down Mentor Ohio’s illicit, bootleg-filled Record Den? Look Record Den, either join the f.y.e. chain or you’re DEAD MEAT.
1️⃣ [Angry, Functionally Drunk Chicago guy:] How come Calderstone didn’t put no “Ain’t She Sweet” on “Beatles 1”? And how come “Once Bitten Twice Shy” ain’t longer? More like Great Woke. GET IT? [weeping] Please come home, Diane.
📬 Pick a Newman: the “Cars” guy or Wayne Knight?
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It's the 50th anniversary of Beatlefest <buzz> ... errr... The Fest for Beatles Fans™, and Tone-J ShanDozOff and Producer K3C Nutz will obviously all be there. Because at least one time a year:
The Untitled Beatles Podcast is filmed before a live studio audience.
Roll up and join us this Saturday, August 10, at 1 p.m. in the Palisades (Park) Ballroom at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare. Tickets and more details at thefest.com.
One need not be Mark Lewisohn (TM) to agree that the two fabbest early Beatles albums are, in no particular order, “Jolly What!” and “A Hard Day’s Night”. In honor of Frank Ifield, who died in May and, tragically, missed out on this episode, we’re super proud to present the long awaited, much belated, Paperlated, Untitled Beatles Podcast deep dish on the “A Hard Day’s Night” LP! Spoilers: 5 FREAKING FABS!
In fact, it’s not just a great album; it’s one of the greatest and most timeless records ever made. Look, every Beatles album is mind-bogglingly great. And yet, it’s entirely possible that “A Hard Day’s Night” is the most perfect collection of songs they ever recorded. In this episode, the Fab Two On Pod dive into the album’s history and legacy, and also ponder from out yonder:
🕳️ (Angry Chicago Guy:) How come Weird Al didn’t do no parody of Los Bravos’ 1965 hit “Black Is Black” called “Crack Is Whack”? And how come The Buckinghams don’t play Chicagofest no more?
🥛🍯 “Hello Dolly” composer Jerry Herman wrote a musical called “Milk And Honey”, 23 years before the posthumous Lennon album of the same name was released. How banger is that brat summer trivia, bruh?
🕺🏾Does the German pressing of 2023’s “Red Album” reissue feature the Jellybean Benitez Remix of “And I Love Her”?
The Untitled Beatles Podcast 60th anniversary celebration of A Hard Day’s Night is in full swing, all thanks to Producer Casey’s decision to have an open bar. It is a classic film after all and… oh great. Tony just shaved his head to resemble Gene Siskel and now T.J. is trying to squish into his childhood Q-bert costume. Cheeky! And while these pie-eyed faboons intercept every drink (and jam butty) intended for the Fabs, they ponder:
💿 Which agency would you trust to protect your 1984 mint condition Criterion AHDN Laserdisc: Paw Patrol, Moon Patrol, or Snow Patrol?
👃🏻Is John’s nose very?
🔕 If 10-year-old David Janson’s pal Ding Dong is in fact “a bigot”, does that mean we need to cancel George Harrison’s holiday nut rocker of the same name?
Today’s episode is also a public service announcement, brought to you by Mothers Against Drunk Podcasting.
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All right, cool, so a lot of y'all like "Head", whether giving it, or getting it, on DVD. Fine! But without question, A Hard Days Night - like Jets Detroit pizza - is better. Because it has to be. #PizzaMarketingTruths
Tony and T.J. continue to explore this still-vital film and its unbreakable impact on pop culture, and also ask:
🌇 Why were The Jeffersons always movin' on up in such a Rush?
🎬 Is "A Hard Day's Night" to the 60's what "From Justin To Kelly" is to the 00's?
🧸 Is it time for poor Paddington to start a Hims subscription?
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Head. Some would argue it's not just a married birthday treat, but also the greatest rock film ever made. Others, like the UBP, contend that the 🐐 is 1964's "A Hard Day's Night", now in color, only on TBS.
This incredible film has lived on at Beatlefest, every imaginable home video incarnation, and a few important theatrical rereleases. It remains the cultural pilar of the Fabs early worldwide domination. Sixty years later, It holds up impeccably well as a musical, a social comment, a madcap comedy, a damn-near documentary, and a fun excuse to hear pitched-down versions of Beatles standards and wonder if you're losing your mind.
Tony and T.J. are more mad about this film than Paul Reiser was about Helen Hunt. (And who says our references aren't topical and 💯 Beatley? YOKO freaking guest starred, fellow Beatle weirdos!)But they have a few other queries, tight a$:
🍺 Is the Heineken Beatles cassette from 1986 a good thing, or a dangerous prelude to U2 hate-gifting that bad U2 album to everyone with an iPhone?
📼 Is MPI Home Video a good thing, or a dangerous prelude to Calderstone, a corporate Beatles entity neither Tony nor T.J. fully understand?
🐖 Is Jewel merging with Mariano's a good thing, or a dangerous prelude to Sarah McLachlan merging with Piggly Wiggly?
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The 4th of July is a wonderful time to remember that life’s all about picking sides - and, often, hands; across the water, and across America! And today we pick sides…deep dishing sides three and four of One Hand Clapping! Plus, we dive into the incredible bonus, backyard vinyl EP that under no circumstance should be included anywhere digitally, because the millions of peons who dare to get their music from places other than the Universal Music online store don’t deserve live “Blackbird”. (Nope, not letting this one go.)
Tony and T.J. agree that the first official release of “One Hand Clapping” is a masterpiece, perhaps one of Paul’s very best albums; unless one is Rob Sheffleld, in which case this would rank just below “Gone Troppo”. But when it’s time to pick sides, perhaps they’re more Siskel & Ebert and less Medved & Lyons as they also ponder:
🎻 Are you #TeamWix or #TeamActualOrchestra
🇺🇸 Are you #TeamCanadianREM, #TeamAmericanBarenakedLadies, or #TeamAmericaWorldPolice? #Fyeah
🦅 Are you #TeamGlenFrey or #TeamRandallCunningham?
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What exactly is the sound of one hand clapping? Is it similar to one man napping? Some band slapping? Dumb planned crapping? Crumb...tanned...uh, line? LINE?
No, you can't get in line at your local record shoppe for a midnight release party, because the first ever official, complete vinyl issue of "One Hand Clapping" is being sold exactly as it would've been in 1974: exclusively on Universal's website. Eat it, beloved, local record stores!
And unlike Wacco Jacko's '88 parody "Eat It", these live-in-studio Wings tracks have never sounded fresher. 50 years after they were recorded, can a case be made that this is a top-tier McCartney album, filled with definitive versions of Macca classics? We'll leave that to Rob Sheffield, who'll rank "Love My Baby" ahead of "Watching The Wheels", and instead ask:
🐶 If NBC's "Geoff Emerick And A Dog" hadn't followed "Glücklich And Froh" in the fall of '77, would it have been a bigger hit?
❓If you mash up Paul Simon's "One Trick Pony" with Macca's "One Hand Clapping", do you get "One Simon's Hand Pony Macca's Clapping Trick"? Or might you, more than likely, find a different combination of words?
🐦 (Angry Chicago Guy): HOW COME THE CD SOUNDTRACK OF "THE IN-LAWS" 2003 REMAKE AIN'T AVAILABLE AT CROW'S NEST? (Sadly, reeking of old Old Style) AND WHEN DID THE RAP SECTION OUTNUMBER SINATRAS?
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Is any magazine as influential as Rolling Stone magazine? From the iconic Garth Brooks/Goo Goo Dolls issue (4/93) to the glibly unsuccessful attempts to help sway the outcomes of the ass-brutal 2004 and 2016 elections, hooray for Rolling Stone! (And, Caddyshack fans, hooray for the Douglasses!)
We at the Untitled Beatles Podcast don’t dare hold a Beatles-related opinion without first consulting what the culture-makers at RS want us to know. So we were thrilled - no, THRILLED - when RS (dba Rob Sheffield) released a list this spring of the 100 Best Beatles Solo Songs!
In fact, we were so thrilled, we decided to start an old-school letter writing campaign all about the rankings - to each other! Thanks to the bravery and diligence of the U.S. Postal Service - which the previous president proudly tried to sabotage, because, uh, “Own the libs” I f’ing guess? - the New Box Tops (dba Tony & T.J.) read their pointed correspondences aloud. They have some questions, including:
🍕 (Angry Chicago fella): How come Paul’s got a song about Dominoes, and not a real Chicago pizza joint like the Barnaby’s in South Bend or the Old Town Pizza Hut on North & Wells that they turned into some woke Boston Market? And how come I keep getting kicked out of Old Town Ale House at 2 in the afternoon?
❤️📦 If Kurt Cobain were Jesus, would he have returned to stop “Cut Me Some Slack” from happening?
🍗 Is it a coincidence that the UBP is sponsored by Kenny Rogers Roasters in Malaysia, and longtime Beatle roadie Mal Evans and early 80’s supergroup Asia are both essential parts of The Beatles story? #MalAsia
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It’s not so easy to pick favorites, is it? Whether foods, books, music, kids, or wives, picking your favorites can be a real pain in the rear end; which is a more socially acceptable way of saying “dumper”.
But(t) what about fave Beatles moments? Doesn’t every Beatles song (*except “From Me To You”) have indelible, life-changing, favorite moments? So how can any mere mortal pick their favorite Beatles moments without the strict, Maharishi-like guidance of Tony & T.J.? Well thanks to a great suggestion from loyal listener Glen K, this week the Gab Two pick some of the favorite moments in a career filled with the best songs in rock history (*except “From Me To You”, which is a fine song, but not when compared with “Please Please Me”. YA FEEL ME, BEATLES 1?)
In this episode, Tony & T.J. are overflo-ing (#Progressive #PollyHolliday) with both favorite and precious moments, among them:
🎸 Joe Val and Steve Satriani are the best rock guitar pickers not named Pink Floyd. Fight me? #WFUK-FM #Appleton
🐔 Does the Skokie, IL Browns Chicken (AND PASTA) accept gift cards from the Mandaluyong, Metro Manila Kenny Rogers Roasters?
🚫💵 (Angry Chicago Guy:) HOW COME THE MUSICAL “PIPPEN” AIN’T GOT NOTHING TO DO WITH THE CHICAGO BULLS? AND HOW COME RAP LEGEND BIG DADDY KAINE SANG “PIPPEN AIN’T EASY?”
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For us UBPeedles who also dig old school rap, it's clear that the Fat Boys cover of "Baby, You're A Rich Man" absolutely betters the Beatles' far less trilly/rappy original.
And some four decades since the Disorderlies soundtrack shocked the world, the Fat Boys have never been more relevant, en vogue, or even En Vogue.
Never gonna get it, never gonna get it (this reference)? Here goes: baby, you'd better be a rich them to afford Beatles-related reissues these days! A "Mind Games" cube for $1,700? WTF?!?! Only (rich) people, indeed...
Tony and T.J. delve into the shamefully burgeoning world of Fab Greed, the debut of Lennon/McCartney 2.0, and also:
🐏 Is buying a Billy Budapest Belt Buckle beyond Beatle believability?
🍁 Can "Primrose Hill" replace "Solsbury Hill" as the go-to music used in previews for autumn-based romantic comedies? (Angry Chicago Guy: AND HOW COME WAGS IS TOO WOKE TO SERVE SALISBURY STEAK NO MORE??)
😵 Does P3Z-Nutz know a little too much about T.J.'s mom? Uh-oh! AI stalker-of-dead-parents alert! #NotAGame #Practice
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If it’s Saturday, it means one thing: Ringo has another new EP! Nobody other than Ringo has released more music in such a short amount of time - LOOKING AT YOU, TAYLOR* (*Fred Taylor, longtime Jaguars running back.)
The masses want to know: is Ringo’s “Crooked Boy” the biggest musical release of 2024? As Macca might opine, Who Cares what the idiots say! Any Ringo album is a gift to us all, right? RIGHT? In this episodic journey - which also begins to touch on the recent, disturbing silver streak of greed in Beatles reissues - we discuss the newest Ringo record, arguably his finest EP since whatever the hell the last one was called, and also get into these hot button hot topics:
🍕🛖 Is the Pizza Hut in Normal Illinois best known for its personal pan pizza, or for Rich Hall’s infamous 1987 visit?
💩🏄 Is Ringo a Butthole Surfer, or merely one of the two?
📻 Is Linda Perry’s “What’s Goin’ On” way better than Marvin Gaye’s long-forgotten, critically derided, socially irrelevant version? (Angrier than usual Chicago guy:) AND HOW COME WGN AM-720 STOPPED USING BOTH OF THOSE SONGS, FEAT. DEAN RICHARDS, AS PROMO BUMPERS? AND WHY DID MILT ROSENBERG HAVE TO DIE?
EPISODE LINKS
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[Originally released July 22, 2023]
Rumour has it, if you mash up The Beach Boys' "Endless Summer" compilation with the Grease showstopper "Summer Nights", you get 137th Beatle Richard Marx's classic cassingle, "Endless Summer Nights" (🚫) "Right Here Waiting" (🛎).
But…what if you get crazy and accidentally add John & Yoko's "Double Fantasy"? MAYBE NOBODY KNOWS? (#MccartneyII #McCartneyEyeEye)
Good thing Tony and TJ, 98.9's Hot FM midday summer jamz expertz, know about Summer, The Beatles, and fantasies, dear mister! And the #TanTwo have generously assembled their own fantasy summer Beatles compilations to cure your summertime blues! So don't raise a fuss and don't raise a holler, Wisk helps get rid of ring around the collar! And:
🦭 Do Arctic-adjacent kids who love art projects listen to a lot of Seals and Crafts? And was that really worth it?
🪖 So, turns out Tony's a WW-Eye expert, huh?
🍦 If Mike Love was flavor of ice cream, would he still be a d**k?
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As Apple (and Etta James) promised, "At Last"; the original cut of "Let It Be" is available! Only streaming, no LaserDisc, you wackers Radio Shackers.
Speaking of LASIK, Apple's marketing team would have you believe the last time this film was seen was "54 years ago today". #WhenIm64Minus12Plus2
In reality, the last time this core, historically vital film was available was in 1981, but it struggled to compete with season 2 of "Bosom Buddies" and quickly fell out of print.
Tony and T.J., who played John and Paul in VH1's "Two Of Us", instantly react to the greatest this film has ever looked or sounded, and also, dig these ponies:
🦠 Does “Microbes”, from a forgotten/bad George album we all obligatorily own, make more sense on $40 Zoetrope vinyl?
💊 When Mal Evans plays the anvil, does George Martin take some Advil?
👮♂️👮♂️(Our sad, drunk Chicago friend, at the bar. It's 11:05 am in Bridgeport) "How come woke Michael Lindsey Boss Hogg didn't make the Beatles play the Benny Hill theme when the cops came in? And why don't Hawk Harrelson do games no more on SportsChannel?"
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Having a Macca Snack Attack (TM, pending)? We are too! Or, at least we did in late-2022, when Tony & T.J. rocked out to then-recently reissued and remastered Macca 45's.
Come join for part two of this long-running, daytime/nighttime Macca singles (only!) party, and stay for the painstaking play-by-play of the unique, heretofore unexplained, debut-and/or-mistake mistake mix of the “Only Love Remains” 7” single remaster. WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THIS? ARE YOU LISTENING, M.P.L.?? ALL FREAKING CAPS!!
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We're all going Michael Lindsay-Hogg wild for next week's "Let It Be" documentary re-release. So let's set the mood, and get back to OUR VERY FIRST EPISODE. No MAL technology to clean the audio, no overproduced, Dumb & Schticky audio drops (you're welcome again, SpongeBobbyHil589).
Just a couple guys gabbin' fab about the Fab Four exactly as you've always loved them: naked.
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[Originally released May 29, 2020]
It's the first episode of the Untitled Beatles Podcast, recorded before "Untitled" was decided as the title. On its 50th anniversary, TJ and Tony explore Let It Be - TJ's favorite Beatle album and Tony's second-least(?) favorite. Enjoy the long and rambling road.
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It’s T.J.’s birthday! It’s T.J.’s birthday! And we would like to give him all of the cassettes!
The celebrated 4th member of the UBP (a. Tony, b. Casey, c. P3Z-Nutz) celebrates 46 years of Beatles love and weirdo-sniffer-collecting on the occasion of his 50th birthday! From meeting Paul McCartney to a crisis of what Apple ’92 closeout cassettes to buy in ’96, T.J. and Tony discuss some of the birthday boy’s favorite Beatles memories in a lifetime of loving the music and unmatched excellence of the Fab 4.
But a special birthday episode can’t derail the usual chicanery, and lots of rando preguntas are asked, including:
🐝 Is “My Girl” by The Turtles more or less of a soul classic than the one by The Temptations? And can a bee sting really f you up, like kill you? #MyGirl
🐚 Holy s**t, Peter Noone is still alive? Do you think Kathy Bartlett knows? Holy s**t, is Kathy Bartlett still alive?
🥁 Was the absolute highlight of Record Store Day 2024 Ringo’s “Crooked Boy” EP? Or are only the criminally insane interested in this item?
EPISODE LINKS
Now and then, do you ever want to hear, "Now And Then"? Or is your "Real Love" reserved for "Free As A Bird"?
Believe it or not: a) I'm walking on air, never thought I could feel so freeeee!, and II) "Now And Then" is already 5 months old. Wtf? Where has the time gone? And more importantly, where have all the cowboys gone? #ShawnColvin (sfx: buzzer) #PaulaCole (sfx: ding)
Now felt like the right time to revisit the "Last Beatles Song" (TM, until we get "Carnival Of Light"). Is it great? Rubbish? Somewhere in the middle, Patricia Heaton? And while we're on the subject-ish:
🦅 Generally, from a laundry perspective, does Tony prefer to kick 'em when they're up, or kick 'em when they're down?
🐂 (Angry Chicago guy:) How come they don't play the Dave Clark Five no more during timeouts at Bulls games? SAME GOES FOR THE BUCKINGHAMS, SON!
🍆 (Happy Chicago guy:) I ain't religious but thank you, Lorde for Arne Harris in the summertime!
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The guys are on Spring Break this week, so we handed the reins over to P3Z-Nutz for another Untitled Beatles Podclassic!
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[Originally released February 5, 2021]
The gang continues its exploration of the early U.S. Capitol Records releases, this week covering the covers-heavy Beatles' Second Album.
Tony owns up to his early underestimation of this classic,
T.J. goes to bat for his official Fifth Beatle,
Bryan Adams brings his piano to your mom's porch,
And we think we've maybe stumbled upon the next great (grown-ups only) classic rock radio format, just in case this whole podcast thing doesn't pan out.
Apologies in advance to the City of Sacramento, and those who are sensitive to explicit language.
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It’s One Shining Moment at the Untitled Beatles Podcast, as we reach the thrilling (?) conclusion of Beatles March Madness, and crown the official, Apple-Endorsed (TBD) 7th Beatle! Who can it be, now? Colin Hay? Or, Colin Haaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyy?
The A.M. white wine (angry Chicago guy: HOW COME WOKE SOMMELIERS DON’T LET YOU DRINK NO WHITE WINE NO MORE? AND HOW COME DEBRA LEFT ME IN ’81?) was flowing on this one, and as a result, many other questions are asked and answered, such as…
💩🗿 Is “Butt Rock” the best-ever K-Tel compilation?
🪕 If you put literally any two, generic male names together, is it possible they played in The Quarrymen?
🪘 Would longtime Ringo All-Starr Band drummer Sheila E. have significantly improved “She’s Leaving Home”; at least when compared to ol’ Harpie Bromberg? #HarpieBromberg
EPISODE LINKS
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Glass Onions, baby! It's the UBP's third annual (note the TWO "n"'s and a "u", you grotty kids) Beatles March Madness! This week, we begin the Journey (#whenthelightsgodowninthecitay) to naming the official, Apple/Calderstone/Odeon/Ring'o Records 7th Beatle!
This year, for what feels like the very first time, the field is all musicians; and Tony, T.J., and our very own Tim Donaghy, Producer Casey, have some tough life decisions to make! Among them:
🎸 Is Beatlemania's Tom Teeley straight up more important to The Beatles than Linda, George, and original/best (of the) Beatles drummer Jimmie Nicol, combined?
🎸 Did Beatlemania's Tom Teeley invent the music video? Or just the now-wildly popular subset of music videos featuring extended tripping-on-bodega-fruit takes?
🎸 I just bet $20k on FanDuel that Beatlemania's Tom Teeley is gonna f'ing win this thing. I'll kill you bozos if I lose, do you f'ing hear me? And no, overly accessible legal gambling is definitely not f'ing up sports! Also, I'm sweating profusely. From the cocaine.
Life's too short! So you'd better back off, because it's Beatles March Madness! Stay tuned next for your late local news. Then, don't miss Martin Mull in the hilarious, new, can't miss, 1984 comedy, "Domestic Life". Only on (this is) CBS!
EPISODE LINKS
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These Three Cool Cats (3.5 if you count P3Z-Nutz, and we do not) are hard at work prepping our March Madness SEVENTH BEATLE BRACKET — coming soon to a podcast feed near you.
But today, we crack open the vaults at EMI to bring you one of our Fab Faves from back in 2022.
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[Originally released January 22, 2022]
Rage Against The Machine sang, “Know Your Enemy”. Perhaps they were really singing “Know Your NME”, in reference to the U.K. magazine’s recent ranking of *almost* every Beatles song?Turns out, TJiskel and TonEBert’s rankings differ wildly from NME’s, and each other’s! Good thing (#FineYoungCannibals) Producer Casey is there to set the record straight, as we reveal our own exhaustively exhausting rankings of the Beatles catalog, and also delve into other major Beatles news, like:
🚦Which 1982 hit-maker doubled as a traffic eye in the sky for WBBM/CBS-2?
🏀🏈 Is T.J’s Derrick Rose Beatles song Tony’s Walter Payton Beatles song?
🐣 How’s the Sgt. Pepper Chicken at official show sponsor, Kenny Rogers Roasters?
Now open (only) in the Malaysia area! Less fat, less salt, less calories: it’s the #Untitled #Beatles #Podcast!
EPISODE LINKS
See T.J. and Tony's complete lists ranking every Beatles song
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Help us climb the ranks! Be sure to subscribe to the show, and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.
In the fall of 2022, acclaimed (fictional) documentarian and (fictional) podcast factchequer P3Z-Nutz planted a microphone in a flower pot embedded in the Shanoff residence to surreptitiously record T.J. and Tony as they unboxed and auditioned select cuts from the then-newly-released McCartney 7" Singles Box Set. (Don't worry -- our AI lawyers assure us it's totally legal.)
While we were unable to obtain Peter Jackson's proprietary AI sound-cleaning technology, we were able to get access to a turntable once used to play Pete Best's "Best of the Beatles", and frankly, the sonic results are astounding.
Please enjoy the first of what we hope will be like 80 occasionally recurring episodes—part of a complete, balanced breakfast—that we're calling MACCA SNACKS.
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McCartney: A Life in Lyrics | Maxwell's Silver Hammer
One day in the car, Paul McCartney heard a BBC production of the absurdist play “Ubu Cocu” by French writer Alfred Jarry. Taken by the rebelliousness of the radio play, McCartney wrote a sweet-sounding tune about a murderous medical student that seemingly lives in the same universe as Ubu: “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer.”
“McCartney: A Life in Lyrics” is a co-production between iHeart Media, MPL and Pushkin Industries.
The series was produced by Pejk Malinovski and Sara McCrea; written by Sara McCrea; edited by Dan O’Donnell and Sophie Crane; mastered by Jason Gambrell with assistance from Jake Gorski and sound design by Pejk Malinovski. The series is executive produced by Leital Molad, Justin Richmond, Lee Eastman and Scott Rodger.
Thanks to Lee Eastman, Richard Ewbank, Scott Rodger, Aoife Corbett and Steve Ithell.
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McCartney: A Life in Lyrics offers listeners the opportunity to sit in on conversations between Paul McCartney and poet Paul Muldoon dissecting the people, experiences, and art that inspired McCartney’s songwriting. These conversations were held during the past several years as the two collaborated on the best selling book, “The Lyrics: 1965 to Present.” Over two seasons and 24 episodes of McCartney: A Life in Lyrics, you’ll hear a combination master class, memoir, and improvised journey with one of the most beloved figures in popular music. Each episode focuses on one song from McCartney’s iconic catalog – spanning early Beatles through his solo work.
“McCartney: A Life in Lyrics” is a co-production between iHeart Media, MPL and Pushkin Industries.
The Untitled Beatles Podcast is going to the top! What top? (Spoilers) THE TOP!
...The top of the podcast charts, bay-beeeee! Because it's time to review and dish deep 1979's lost-in-the-sands-of-time TV docudrama, "Birth Of The Beatles".
What makes this ridiculous, dated, Pete Best-biased movie such a fun watch? Is it gangster John? The music by Rain? The commercials by Mitsubishi? And speaking of really important Beatle stuff:
🌸🚊 Is the real tragedy of Stu Sutcliffe that he never lived to ride the CTA's Pink Line?
🧑🦰 Is the best Hall & Oates fantasy parody about the actor who played Cousin Oliver on the final season of The Brady Bunch, "Your Kiss Is On My Rist"?
🛳️ In Chicago improv parlance, is John to the Annoyance what Paul is to The Second City? (Angry Chicago Guy, from the other side of the bar, with Malort-stained eyes:) "And how come Tina Pohler don't accept my friend request on MySpace dont she remember me from the Improv Olympics alley? She too good for me now?"
EPISODE LINKS
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1979. It was the Pete best of times, it was the Pete worst of times. In the 9 long years since the break up, there'd yet to be a major bio-pic about the Fabs, not counting than the rather obviously "Magical Mystery Tour"-influenced, "Jaws".
Enter Dick Clark, long before he was regenerated into Ryan Seacrest. Dick, with a little help from Pete Best, and a director who'd later work with Jabba The Hutt, created "Birth Of The Beatles"; basically the "Tune In" of its time. (Related: please don't sue us, Mr. Lewishon!)
The film aired repeatedly on American television for many years. T.J. grew up with it, via a VHS tape from ABC's Summer, 1980 airing. Tony discovered a different edit altogether, one which played in U.K. cinemas. Which begs the question: is this movie any bloody good?? We just might answer that, and also:
🥁 What's the best technical drumming in a film: the last scene of "Whiplash", or Pete Best's Cavern solo in "Birth Of The Beatles"?
💰 Which is the more controversial TV performance: Sinead O'Connor on SNL, or Eddie Money on "Fridays"?
🍻 (Angry Chicago Guy:) How come Channel 9 don't play "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman" weekdays at 2 no more? And how come woke WGN let Tom Skilling retire when he's all I got left?
The drama, the humor, the excitement of (the great Wilco album) "Being There"; it's the #Untitled #Beatles #Podcast.
EPISODE LINKS
Here’s an actual e-mail from The Untitled Beatles Podcast to M.P.L., sent on The Fifth of November, 2023:
Hi Sir Paul or Freda! We are the Untitled Beatles Podcast, America’s foremost discussion of profound, focused Beatles scholarship. With the holidays around the corner (AMERICAN ONES, LIKE CHRISTMAS! USA! USA! USA!) we wanted to represent all Beatles and Macca fans with this wish list for 2024:
First off, please, absolutely do not deliver long-delayed remasters of “London Town” and “Back To The Egg”. Who needs’ em! The most “recent” ones from 1993, with their harsh compression and lack of any meaningful bonus tracks, have held up JUST GREAT.
But, please do make us buy “Band On The Run” again! Only this time, change things up. Maybe put the songs in a different order? Take away all of the beautiful arrangements that are baked into this album’s legacy? Just one thing: please, do not include “Helen Wheels”. Feel me, holmes?
We at the UBP - the home of Producer Casey’s exclusive re-mix of your old band’s most famous single, “The Movie Medley”, as you’re well aware from your cruel lawsuit - guarantee that even the most skeptical fan will find this to be a stunning reissue we never knew we needed. Your skilled team can give this album an intimacy and rawness that somehow elevates the these already great songs. What do you think? Are you in? And while we have a minute with you Sir Paul, or Freda:
👩❤️💋👩 What’s your favorite old porno rag: Screw? Naked? Stripped? Underdubbed? Cracked? Stacked? Smothered? Covered? Or Chunked? #TruffleShuffle
🎻 Is Tony Visconti the Phil Spector of producer/arrangers who don’t kill people?
👍❌ Is the BTS K-Pop smash “Dyno-mite” a fitting or, quite frankly (#StephenASmith) insulting tribute to “Good Times” legend Jimmie Walker?
Thank you, Sir Paul, or Freda, for liking and subscribing to our show like decent/non-awful people do! And, because we’re writing this on Sunday, 11/5/23 (Remember??), and it’s Daylight Savings Time, it’s probably already Meat Free Monday where you are. As they say at NEMS, Mazel Tov!
With Kisses On Your Bottom,
Tony, T.J., Producer Casey, and P3Z-Nutz
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On February 9th, 1964, Paul McCartney With The Beatles (per the TV audio mix) exploded onto The Ed Sullivan Show, and into the hearts and souls of 73 million viewers. And many of their pets, which resulted in the incredibly soulful LP, “Beatle Barkers”. There’s a rooster on there!! - Howlin’ Woof.
By October 13, 1974, a mere 10 years later, Sullivan was dead.
No podcast has yet to explore the possible- no, plausible - connection between the two incidents.
INCLUDING THIS ONE, MY FRIENDT!
Because today, the obviously millennial hosts of the Untitled Beatles Podcast take a look at a historic moment in both Beatlemania and American television, from the perspective that only two vibing, digital natives/naives can provide. I mean this is from when people watched shows on TELEVISION? LOLOLOL, OK, BOOMER. Ageism is cool! And, our young bucks also daringly ask:
☘️ Are you more of a fan of Tessie O’Shea, the performer? Or Tessie O’Shea’s, a likely Irish restaurant in many mid-size American towns without much of an Irish population, where they treat Notre Dame football as if they’re some kind of hometown team even though they’re clearly not? And WTF with Notre Dame fans? They’re like the f**king Dallas Cowboys fans of college football! Cheer, cheer MY ASS.
🎹 Are you more of a fan of Fred Kaps, the dutch magician? Or Fred Kaz, the longtime, legendary Second City music director (Angry Chicago Guy: and sea captain!) who was missing multiple fingers on his left hand?
🍝 Are you more of a fan of “Oliver”, the charming British musical? Or The Olive Garden, an actual Italian restaurant in many midi-size American towns without much of an Italian population, where they treat you like you’re family even though you’re clearly - BIOLOGICALLY - not? And WTF with forcing you to eat endless breadsticks and salad? They’re like the f**king mafia of Darden-owned Italian sit-down casual chains! Five cheese ziti al forno MY ASS.
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It’s the dead of winter! So toss them [sic, intentional] wet towels on yer [sic, unintentional] space heater, serve your guests a hearty slice of calico flaming cat, and cozy up for the biggest awards show this side of the regional Tonys - the Fab Grammys! This week, Tony, T.J., Sizzle Chest Casey, and the increasingly ill-behaved P3Z-Nutz, tackle - powder puff “footie” style - the complicated history of the Beatles and the Grammy Awards.
The (Lou) Gram Two get into the electric moog mood groove (#Madonna) and also demand to know:
🪠 If it don’t rain in Indianapolis in the summer time, why does Schneider ALWAYS carry a plunger in tool belt? And how come said plunger is in the upright position every time Ms. Romano walks by, guy? Go on, answer the question.
Is Gary Sinise a true nature’s child?
🍻 (Angry Chicago guy:) How come Ryne Sandberg didn’t win no Grammy for the 1984 novelty Cubs hit “Men In Blue”?
🤖 (P3Z-Nutz:) Hey, you Malört-soaked jagbag, that 45 only featured Rick Sutcliffe, Jody Davis, Leon Durham, Keith Moreland, and Gary Woods.
😭 (Angry Chicago guy:) (begins weeping, cries out for someone named “Joan?”)
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Is it possible that Side Two of Ringo Starr's seminal 1973 self-titled album could be the finest piece of plastic ever committed to the work of the Fab Four? Or even second finest, after 2007's Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur" ...?
I know just the two guys for this job. (#CallAhead)
This week, T.J. and Tony step lightly into the album packaging and closing side of "Ringo", and along the way examine:
🛸 What's EMI got against count-offs, and what else might they be hiding?
🎞️ Maybe the 1974 live-action/animated short "Harry and Ringo's Night Out"? (#ReleaseTheBrucknerCut)
💨 How many "Oh My My" verses will Ringo cut before guy just owns it and Pelotons his ass back into playing shape? (#WeLoveYouRingo #PeaceAndLove #NotSponsored)
Warm up your winter with a bowl of Klaus Voorman's famous Zoup, and a second sumptuous serving of our Deep Dish into "Ringo".
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Is it possible - merely possible - that Ringo Starr’s 1973 album, “Ringo” is the best solo Beatles album of that incredible year of classic solo Beatles albums? And while we’re at it, does Ringo’s 1978 entry “Bad Boy” still run circles - from a sheer rock & roll perspective - around the flaccid, weak-ass “Some Girls”? To be discussed on our final episode, stay tuned! Because, today’s episode is dedicated to 50 years of the closest thing to a Beatles reunion album this side of the Threetles, and maybe even The Ladders. Tony and T.J., with a little help from our friends, Producer Casey and P3Z-Nutz, deep dish Side 1 of the greatest album (sorry, Liverpool 8) from the greatest drummer (sorry, Andy White) of the greatest band (sorry, Korn) of all time. And they also find (Morris Day and the) time to ask:
🐔 How in G-d’s name does the Skokie, IL, Buffalo Big Wingz (TM) stay open? Like, what uniquely moronic morons repeatedly pay to eat there?
🐻 (Validly angry Chicago guy:) How come coach Ditka let “Ringo” producer Richard “The Fridge” Perry score a touchdown in Super Bowl XX (“ex-ex”) but not Sweetness?
🏐 Is it too late to cancel the actor Tom Skerritt, for taking the starring role in the 90’s CBS dramedy, “Wilson Pickett Fences”?
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Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Denny Laine is in our ears and in our eyes. And since December 2023, also, sadly, in the skies. As Macca’s most consistent post-Beatles collaborator, Denny Laine’s imprint on Wings and Sir Paul's overall legacy is unquestionably secure. This week, Tony & T.J. look at some of Denny Laine’s greatest moments with Wings and beyond, and also ask:
🏈 Would the Florida State Seminoles still have acted like straight bi**hes had they been invited to the Kenny Rogers Roasters Bowl?
🍆 (Angry Chicago Guy) How come Jim Caviezel didn’t make no movie when Denny Laine wrote multiple songs about children on “London Town”? And how come Lauren Bobert don’t give me no lap treats when I watch Beatlejuice on VHS?
🌹 Is repeatedly discussing specific Chicagoland record stores that closed in the 1990’s the key to making millions of dollars hosting a podcast? (Out of nowhere, man, angry Chicago Guy callback:) And how come the Rose Records on Wabash don’t carry no Nancy Faust??
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Ding Dong, Ding Dong! It’s a New Year! And all we are saying is, it’s about time we open a universal can of Beatles whoop-ass on 2024! Our first show of ’24 gets to the heart of why the UBP crew - and a good many listeners! - all passionately love this incredible band and their magical story; album after album, song after song, year after year, reissue after reissue…
But a few other major Beatles-related question remain, such as:
📺 In the fall of 1988, Sundays at 7p Eastern/6p Central and Mountain, did you watch ABC’s “Incredible Sunday” or FOX’s “21 Jump Street”? (*For our younger listeners, there were only two channels in 1988.)
🤖 (Angry Chicago Guy) How come Lapidos don’t got no Fest-branded jet packs for sale at the TWA hotel? (Tearing up:) And how come no lady won’t be the Rosie to my George Jetsons [sic]? And how come that jagbag P3Z-Nutz don’t return no fan mail? And why ain’t Magglio Ordóñez (zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz)
🎸 It’s totally normal for late 40-somethings to consider the stage and movie musical “Beatlemania’ their “Ed Sullivan Show”, yes?
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Live from Meigs Field, it’s the final Untitled Beatles Podcast!
Of 2023, that is! Unless you know something we don’t? What is you [sic], a cop? If so, are you as effortlessly bouncy as the cop in "Hot Cop", the Village People's #2 Billboard Disco Charts smash from '78? #HotCop
Anyhoo, it’s onto Side 2, as we continue to deep dish “Band On The Run”, Paul’s most beloved album that doesn’t feature the word “Oratorio”. And because Tony, T.J., Producer Casey, and Sir Paul are all obviously Americans, we’ll consider the US version that includes the powerhouse single, “Helen Wheels”, not to mention much more memorable Macca music. Plus, we’ll examine this album’s rough beginning in Lagos and unmatched legacy within Paul’s recorded catalog, the celebrated cover and packaging, and also:
👖 Do some copies of “1967-1970” (2023 Remix) include the creepy 2000’s Subway jingle instead of “Now & Then”?
👗 Is the pronunciation of “Mamunia” the audio equivalent of Blue Dress vs Gold Dress?
🇨🇴The poster of Polaroids that came with the vinyl is fine, but is album’s most exquisite feature the massive UPC barcode on the front cover of the Columbia Records cassette?
#🔔🍆🔔🍆
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Many Macca fans would argue that Paul McCartney’s best post-Beatles album is the German 12” Maxi-Single of “All My Trials”. (#WixTrumpetSolo) But others just might suggest that it’s 1973’s still-beloved landmark, “Band On The Run”.
This week, Tony & T.J. celebrate 50 years of this true (and, maybe, ultimate) Macca classic with a deep dish on Side 1, which features some of Paul’s most celebrated, iconic mega-hits. Along this Journey (#LyingBesideU), the Soft Beatle Boyz also ask:
📼📼 Did the BOTR robbers in Lagos inspire the most iconic line in “Give My Regards To Broad Street”?
🌅 (Angry Chicago Guy:) “How come there ain’t no “A.M. Magazine”? (Threateningly) And how come Oprah never gave me no car?”
🐪🥪 Did Sha Na Na’s Screamin’ Simon really eat a camel sandwich at the sock-hop in “Grease”? And if so, why didn’t Bowser yip-dip-dip-dip-dip-dip-dip-dip stop him?
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Not all greatest hits albums are for house-people and little thems. Some, like “1967-1970” (and its red, commie companion) are as essential as the bands they represent. This week, the Twerk Twins dish deep on the packaging, origin, and legacy of these history-making collections and their 2023 remixes, and also ask:
🦦 Would John have loved the 2011 Target-only 7” mix of “I Am The Walrus”?
📻 Is recycling the original hip-hop?
🌭 (Angry Chicago Guy:) How come The Red Album put ketchup around its plump, juicy frank of a logo? (Slowly, legitimately in crisis-mode:) And how come Tony Larussa got too woke to drive drunk no more?
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Legendary comedian Redd Foxx once said of 1973’s 1962-1966 (a.k.a. The Red Album), “you big dummy, where is “If I Needed Someone”? Spoilers: Fred Sanford has been in the great junkyard in the sky for many years, but had he lived, he’d no doubt (#DontSpeak) be thrilled to know his dreams came true in the 2023 Expanded Remix of this seminal collection! Tony & T.J. delve into the powerful new remixes on Disc 2, wonder aloud if there’s simply too much Revolver, and also ask:
🍸 Dave Dexter’s grandson’s karaoke jam haas to be the James Bond “Help” intro, right?
⛷️ Do some rare copies of the Red Album (2023 Edition) feature the elevator piano version of “In My Life” that plays as three Golden Girls wannabes try skiing in an Amazon commercial?
🍭 Did “Run For Your Life” borrow from Elvis Presley’s best improvised song, “Baby Wants Candy, Yes Lets! (Play House)”?
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November saw a fete of new Beatles releases and re-releases. So this month the Untitled Beatles Podcast begins a fab-four-course feast, guaranteed to be the toppermost of the ploppermost. We hope you like deep dish! A beginning…
1st Course: Amuse-bouche
A Siskel & Ebert review of Peter Jackson’s “Now and Then” music video
2nd Course: Deep Dish
Disc One of the 2023 Edition of the Red Album
3rd Course: Deep Dish
Disc Two of the 2023 Edition of the Red Album
4th Course: Deep Dish
2023 Edition of the Blue Album
On its 50th anniversary, the latest Giles Martin demix-remixes are a sonic revelation for Beatle sniffers of all palettes. And as always, T.J. and Tony offer these questions to fab folk of a certain vintage:
🥁 Yes, the merits of Ringo’s drumming have finally been brought to the fore, but are they Dave Grohl-approved?
🛥️ Why won’t Brian Epstein return my calls about having The Beatles play my private yacht in Dolby Pro-Logic 4.1 surround sound? Dealbreaker: They NEED to stand in a ITU-R BS 775 configuration!
🪘 Was the bongo tickle at the end of “And I Love Her” consensual?
Please pace yourself, there are two courses in this episode. And don’t load up on bread - your fingers will puff up and you won’t be able to properly play “Now and Then” on piano!
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Let’s keep on playing those Mind Games together, as we delve into the meat (City/Free Monday) of the album, the often overlooked album tracks. Do they deserve their heretofore reputation as merely green Capitol budget label re-issue worthy? Or are there some stone-cold Lennon classics in the mix? And is it cool in 2023 to talk honestly about “sanpaku eyes”? Spoilers: Yes is the answer! But, also:
🏀 Is Marvin Gaye’s cover of “Nutopian International Album”, as performed at the 1984 NBA All-Star game, definitive?
📼 The 1999 film “She’s All That” had a great many classic songs. Is the very best “Kiss Me”, by Six Seconds Of Hiss?
🔧 (Angry Chicago Guy): How come Lennon didn’t write no songs specifically about Schneider, the high-larious handyman on “One Day At A Time”? (With sadness, the Malort is kicking in:) And how come the beautiful Valerie Anne Bertinelli don’t reply to my handwritten letters?
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John Lennon’s solo output presents a sadly small sample size. Paul’s had 347 solo albums and counting, Ringo releases a new EP every hour on the 8’s, but for the most tragic reason imaginable, John’s catalog is comparatively the smallest. So, how do Beatlenerds and your everyday classic rock fans look at “Mind Games” on its’ 50th anniversary? It yielded a massive hit single, one of John’s most beloved. And rumor has it (#Adele) there’ll be a massive multi-disc reissue coming out in 2024. But does the album hold up 50 years later? Do Tony & T.J. agree on this record’s place in John’s recorded history? And will the single version of “Meat City” ever appear on a digital format? Don’t make producer Casey mix his own version, Universal!
There’s a lot of questions in this show, and a whole lot of butt-talk. Speaking of which, just as tight as a (Cleveland) Guardians rope trick, The Tight and Dumb A$$es (sfx: Beavis & Butthead laugh) not only explore the wonders of John’s return to music for the masses, they also find the time to ask:
🫨🎮 Did longtime Foreigner fan John Lennon invent improv when he sang “Yes, and is the answer…and head games is…the cure?”
🫏🤡 If your name is Markwayne, shouldn’t you threaten your own parents for naming you, “Markwayne”? Like, WTF, “Markwayne”?
🐄🐷(Angry Chicago Guy:) HOW COME THE VICTORY AUTO WRECKERS GUY DON’T EAT AT MOO ’N’ OINK?
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What happens when you take the energy of Beatlemania and mix it with a helping of questionably written and performed Beatles-inspired songs? You get Liverpool Drag. Not the Beatles, but an unincredible simulation!
This week, Tony & T.J. examine the early 60's phenomenon of Beatle-inspired cash-in records. Are they good? Awful? Somewhere in between? The answer is, "yes".
Along the way, the Drag Duo ask:
🇺🇸 Since drag shows are unarguably killing our children, is the only solution to ban more books? Because, freedumb?
1️⃣ Who’s idea was it to exclude “Little Miss Margie” from The Manchesters “Not 1” compilation?
🗓️ Come March 2024, should MadTV’s Bobby Lee become eligible for the Untitled Beatles Podcast 7th Beatle Bracket?
Place a mop atop your head, shake it like a mimeograph, and chant “yeah” 3 times, because it’s Liverpool Drag on the UBP! Wooo!!!
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For the first time since the halcyon days of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's "Tha Crossroads", there's a NEW Beatles single! Thursday at 9a CT, Chicago Time, my guy, the Fabs dared to want to change the world one last time. Did they achieve that (Kenny) lofty goal, or merely create yet another gorgeous, emotional song to sit alongside their unparalleled catalogue? And most importantly, from a marketing perspective, should one File The Last Beatles Song Under Rock?
Well this instant reaction (TM) is gonna get you! Gonna look you right in the face, but in audio form, as Tony, T.J., and Producer Casey, a.k.a. The P3Zeatles, share their opinions on "Now And Then"; the newest, and last, Beatles song, Join us as we celebrate this awesome, celebratory moment in Beatles history!
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Is the original “Yellow Submarine” LP perfect with its’ George Martin score, or is it simply all too much? Well, it’s nice to have the time to take this opportunity…to continue deep dishing on the Beatles’ most underrated core-catalog album this side of Pickwick’s “The Beatles - 1st Live Recordings (Volume Two)”. This week, Tony & T.J. discuss George Martin’s phenomenal orchestral selections, and also the exciting 1999 remix of the “songtrack” with extra songs used in the film; the first Beatles remix since the “Help” and “Rubber Soul” CD’s. Along the journey through the sea of wholes, the boys ask:
🚔 Knowing that Sting ripped off “The Prince Of Denmnark’s March”, can we all agree that it’s finally time to defund The Police?
👴🏻 Is Michael Stipe’s apparent hate-cover of “#9 Dream” better or worse than Granddaddy’s obvious hate-cover of “Revolution’? #AllRiiiiiight
🛏️🔥 If one’s bed is on fire with passionate love, does one stay there and continue to get Laid By James, or does one stop. drop. and roll the f**k outta there?
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If there’s a better kids movie than “Yellow Submarine”, we’ve yet to see it. (Pipe down, “AirBud”!) So, it would stand that 1969’s original Yellow Submarine soundtrack must be the best kids movie soundtrack of all time, correct? (Pipe down, “Popeye”!) While that may be up for debate, the new and/or newly released Beatles songs on Side 1 are among their most interesting and, in one case, greatest songs.
Our "Yellow Submarine” disc Deep Dish delves deep into the Sea Of Thyme for some spicy discussion on the collection of Side 1 gems, the packaging variations, and more! Along the way, the UBP’s Old Fred and Boob (also a great “Benny Hill” sketch) ask:
🦘 Is New Zealand in Europe? And is that the Auckland Zoo Kangaroo rockin’ the synth on “The Final Countdown”?
🍯 What’s a better addition to a Beatles release? “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” on the “Yellow Submarine” cassette, or “A Taste Of Honey” in the “Abbey Road” medley on 8-track, just after “Polythene Pam”?
💈 (Angry Chicago Guy:) HOW COME THESE UBP BOOMERS (sfx: buzzer) DON’T TALK MORE ABOUT GIOACHINO ROSSINI’S 1816 OPERA CLASSIC, “THE BARBER OF SEVILLE”? (Drunk, sad, rhythmically:) AND HOW COME RON KARKOVICE DON’T HAVE NO STATUE AT NEW COMISKEY?
EPISODE LINKS:
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Breaking UBP Bonus Episode! Tony and T.J. waited until midnight at the long-shuttered Tower Records on Clark St, while dreaming of corned beef sammies from the even-longer-shuttered Belden Deli, to be among the first to stream the new Ringo Starr EP “Rewind Forward” in their respective and collective not-so-tidy-whities. And they have one question: was that really worth the run-on sentence? And who do you think you are, Warriners, my guy?
What the Bad Boy-oy-oy-oys discovered is this just might be the best Ringo EP of 2023. There’s peace, and love, and groovy tunes. And Steve Lukather! And Sir Paul McCartney! If you’re not certain that this EP should be among your Private Property, don’t go breaking the law; listen to this special mid-week deep dish of the newest Ringo release, just dropped in your feed like we’re Bono or some s**t! Along the way, the Two Andy’s (White and Frain) also ask:
💰If, like Canada’s please-make-them-stop Barenaked Ladies, you had a million dollars, would you spend it all on 17 copies of the “Rewind Forward” cassette tape?
👀🛞🛞 When listening to Ringo’s “Shadows On The Wall”, don’t you miss the big time now, you’re no longer on the ball?
📼 Is it true that rejected titles of this album include, “Pause Eject”, “Stop Play”, “Record Aux”, “Line In”, “Tuner AM/FM”, “Cr02”, “High Bias”, “Coax [pronounced CO-AX, as in a coaxial cable, not “coax”, as in to convince someone to do something], “Clock Timer”, “Clock Tower”, “Marty, It’s Plutonium”, insert your own joke here?
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It’s already October, and it’s been quite the merry goo year for The Untitled Beatles Podcast. In August, we recorded live at Beatlefest! And last week, we took a field trip to see Ringo Starr and His All Star Hamms (TM) at the beautiful, historic Chicago Theater; a Chicago landmark owned and operated by Madison Square Garden, just a few blocks from longtime classic Chicago store, Macy’s! (Damn you, NYC…)
Tony and T.J. got to grace an actual Beatle with their presence - together, as a duo - for the very first time, And this week’s episode captures the all the rawdio as the guys pre-game to the rockin’ sounds of Chicago Bears legend Dick Butkus’ death, demand obscure requests from the All Starr Band, and deep dish the entire concert; something TONY ABSOLUTELY WANTED TO DO!
Along the way, they simply must ask:
🐷 Is Warren Ham aware that, per Fox “News”, there’s a War on Ham?
🚽 Is the studio version of “Rosanna” better than the live version because it’s tighter, or because it actually f’ing ends?
🧸(Sad Chicago Guy:) IF THESE TWO CHUCKLEHEADS SITTING BEHIND ME DON'T STOP SHOUTING "PRIVATE PROPERTY" BETWEEN EACH SONG SO HELP ME BUTKUS I WILL SEND THEIR ASSES HOME TO KENOSHA IN GREEN AND GOLD FULL-BODY CASTS.
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Cue the Salt ’N’ Pepa: Pu-Pu-Pushkin’s real good…at producing podcasts and audiobooks! They’re the force behind the just-dropped “McCartney: A Life in Lyrics” pod, which is off to a delightfully entertaining and insightful start. The dulcet tones of Paul Muldoon had better be the future voice of AI. (We’re talking about practice. Not a game.)
And on this very special episode of the UBP, the Gab Two is proud to present, in partnership with Pushkin, a special airing of “McCartney: A Life in Lyrics” Episode 2. How cool is that?! This one one’s a Double Paul deep-dish on “Back In The U.S.S.R.”, a definitive #FileUnderRock track, though, as the episode sadly fails to acknowledge, was largely unknown until Billy Joel’s live take on “Kohuept” (2 LP’s on 1 CD!).
We’ll be back with our usual chicanery and a whole new episode/world, DON’T YOU DARE CLOSE YOUR EYES, next week. In the meantime, all 3.5 of us at the UBP are absolutely honoured to be associated with anything Macca-related. We hope you will enjoy the show as much as we did. Five Freaking Fabs!
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McCartney: A Life in Lyrics | Back in the U.S.S.R
What’s Paul McCartney, a Liverpudlian, doing writing about the Soviet Union in 1968? Turns out McCartney was doing a little Chuck Berry, a bit of The Beach Boys, some pastiche and a lot of subversion. Opening “The White Album”, “Back in the U.S.S.R.” raised some eyebrows. And because of The Beatles’ evolving position within the former Eastern Bloc the song has over the years taken on a life of its own, following the trajectory of the West’s often fraught relationship with the region.
Roll up! Roll up for another Untitled Beatles Podcast Field Trip, this time to the 2023 Chicago Fest For Beatles Fans. In this podcast concrète, T.J. and Tony - aka the Beavis & Butthead of the Beatleverse - take a 2-day sound bath of live Beatle music, as they scratch and sniff rare Beatles vinyl, aimlessly wandering and wondering:
🎃 Is Halloween slasher Michael Myers’ favorite Beatles song “Help!”, “Run For Your Life” or “Chuck’s Monster?”
🦸🏻♂️ How many records must T.J. collect to warrant wearing a collector’s cape?
〰️ Is there anyone still in line for Pattie Boyd? Might want to check on them.
With interjections from Producer Casey, this episode is like taking a Time Machine back to August of 2023, or like wearing a Yellow Submarine Virtual Reality Helmet ($499) available on the official Beatles Store secret menu.
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No less an authority than Mark Lewisohn knows that the skiing scene in "Help!" was filmed in Stowe VT, during the 1997 Winter X-Games, exclusively on ESPN.
But before (ahem, #apres) skiing was a very Beatles activity, Stowe was known as a small British boys school (Ringo! Ringo!), where the Beatles gave one of their longer and most interesting concerts whilst on the cusp of British fame.
Recently, a tape surfaced of the mostly complete show, and like the Star Club release in 1970's, this one is truly a mammoth moment in Beatles history. Tony & T.J. gab fab on the concert, the set list, and the immense historical significance. And because they're morons, they also ponder:
🕘2️⃣🕔 Do Dolly Parton and the Twotles perform the definitive whisper version of "Let It Be"?
🎙️ If you yell "How Do You Do It" repeatedly at an All Starr band concert, will Ringo and Steve Lukather feel compelled to tease it?
🇬🇧 Would Brexit have happened had rich white British kids learned to not clap on the f**king 1 and 3, ffs?
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¿Què Pasa, New York? Mornings, on WXTV, Univision 41, Nueva York! But also, that’s a refrain from arguably the most commercially viable song from John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band’s “Some Time In New York City”. So why wasn’t the semi-title track a single? Why didn’t it lead off the album; not enough racial epithets in the title? And who in the love of Danza decided “Angela” - a heart-wrenching tribute to Judith Light - belongs on ANY Lennon comp? So many preguntas! Què Pasa, indeed!
Fortunately/Maybe (#Oasisish) it’s time for part two of the highly anticipated CHICAGO STYLE deep-dish of one of the most derided solo Beatles albums this side of “The Family Way” soundtrack! And as if this 2LP set isn’t long enough - the Giles Martin deluxe remix is slated to include the full 117 minute version of “Au” - the UBP’s very own Cap’n Jamrag and Lt. Scumbag (#PossibleForestGumpReference), to answer these, and more!
🎅🏽 Who the HELL did Bono think he was when he spent Christmas Eve ’93 hand delivering cassettes of “Zooropa” to everyone in the world?
🍕 Was Yoko the inspiration for one of 1982’s great raunchy comedy films? Hint: check out her #SixPack. #KennyRogersRoasters
🍆💨 There may not be much difference, between Tucker Carlson and someone with an actual dong, if you listen to their fartbeat. True?
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All four solo Fabs released legendary albums in their lives. But among the critical darlings (“Gone Troppo”), chart topping smash hits (“Ringo Rama”, 5.1 edition) and absolutely despised, forgotten about, piles of doggie poo poo doo doo (“Band On The Run”), there are some solo albums that remain quite difficult to categorize. Like this week’s Deep Dish Part 1 (CALORIE ALERT!) on the ever-controversial John & Yoko “Some Time In New York City”.
Is this a terrible record? Is it actually brilliant? Has it aged better than expected in the 50 years since its release? What do you think this is, pal, “Sound Opinions?” Sure, you come here for us to answer those fab questions, but you also may be wondering:
💿🍆 Is it fair to judge what’s on a CD by the size of its’ ’87 longbox?
📻 Should classic rock radio still play the heavily edited, phat-shaming, radio friendly version of the album’s single, “[Your] Woman Is The Bigger Of The Girls”? Or is it time we finally cancel The Drive, 97.1? (Ed note: Cancel Culture is ruining America and must end! Unless it's books, constitutional rights, science, personal freedoms, rule of law, arts funding, kindness, actual f**king facts, etc...)
3️⃣4️⃣ (Angry Chicago Guy) How come Coach Ditka let William the Fridge Perry tackle a nun during Super Bowl XX, (slower, rhythmically, drunk on Malort) but not Sweetness?
Like Was (not Don Was) once sang: open the door, get on the floor, everybody go watch “Dinosaurs”! (#NotTheMama) Fridays, on ABC! But first, yo, check dis out!
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Summertime done, come and gone, oh my my! (#RingoGarcia) Yep, fall is upon us and with it means a boatload of forthcoming Beatles goodies! Maybe? Could there be a 50th “Mind Games”? A deluxe “Rubber Soul”? The long-anticipated expanded “Love Songs” box set, with a bonus 7” test pressing of “Girl”/“You’re Gonna Lose That Girl” and a gnome or two, for only $400? Sign us up!And over at Untitled Beatles Podcast HQ, we can’t wait to kick off the fall season with our usual chicanery and good times. This week, in the spirit of Labor Day, we sip good old American brews, and preview our line-up with a TV Guide style Fall Preview Guide! And this ain’t the free one you get in the Sunday paper, jack! It’s the real deal. And you’ll straight-up cheers *and* jeers all of your favorite returning fall shows on WUBP, Channel 3, like:
🥩 Wednesdays on “She’s The Sheriff”, does Suzanne Summers microwave her meat? And does a poster of Nancy Reagan and Mr. T make special guest Mickey Rooney trickle down?
👃🏻 On Saturdays, “Valerie’s Family” returns…sans Valerie! She wanted more money, so she died in a fire and “Aunt” Sandy Duncan showed up with scratch ’N’ sniff Betty and Veronica fan art for all!
👩🏽⚖️ And “Night Court” returns Thursdays, as alternate juror “Flannel Casey” (Chris Makepeace) explains to Selma Diamond why iTunes is for soccer moms; but no Band On The Run retrospective is complete without the ’89 “Barn Rehearsal” (WTF?) of the title track.
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Ice-T asked the question with which many Beatles fans wrestle on his 1988 hit, “Colors”: Red or Blue?
Both double albums are amazing chronicles of the Beatles’ chart hits and key album tracks. But they were assembled 50 years ago, and for their anniversary year, it’s been rumored that both LP’s will be reissued, remixed, and expanded! How do we know for sure? Well, it’s like Ice-T said in his 1988 hit, “Colors” - in arguably the most savage diss in rap history: “You don’t know me, foooooool! You disown me? Cool”! #SavageAF
This week, Tony & T.J. use the power of ESP to wildly speculate what essential Fab cuts will be added to each album. With music’s 2nd greatest catalog from which to choose (#1 is Korn, obvi), would the Red & Blue Two make similar adds? There’s only one way to find out! Send a check or money order to P3Z-Nutz! Or you could listen, I guess…because we also consider:
🍟 If The Beatles were McDonalds, would Allen Klein and Dave Dexter be the Fry Guys?
🍩 (Angry Chicago Guy:) HOW COME TONY CANCELLED DONUTS?
🐴👺 If Horst Fascher changed his name to Horse Fascist, would he be Florida's governor?
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They did it live! The Untitled Beatles Podcast recorded their first-ever live show at The Fest For Beatles Fans in Rosemont, IL; proud home of a Caddyshack restaurant and a surprisingly large mafia influence. It marked Tony’s second consecutive Fest, and T.J.’s first since 2010. What kind of Beatles madness would the Gab Two create in front of an unsuspecting, live audience, as they break down a handful of their favorite live Beatles performances?
Sadly, Producer Casey accepted a can’t miss opportunity engineering (only! NO PRODUCING ALLOWED, “ENGINEER CASEY”) the Titled Bee Gees podcast and had to miss the fun. But when Producer Casey’s away, will the boys go astray (#1980sSitcomPromo) as they also discuss:
🍏 Is it really heckling if two Chicago jagbags scream at Fest For Beatles Fans house band Liverpool to play more Badfinger? [angry Chicago guy] AND HOW COME NO MARY HOPKINS?? [sic]
🌹🐔 Might the (genuinely awesome) Lapidos family ever consider adding Bette Middler and Kenny Rogers trivia to the Fest line-up? Maybe on the closing Sunday at 11:59pm, under the stairs?
🛎️🍆🛎️🍆 Do 4 out of 5 Festers really prefer Jimmie Nicol to Ringo? And would 10 out of 10 election deniers agree that the attendance for UBP’s live debut was the biggest crowd of people assembled in one room at one time in all of history? Was be wild!
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Yang Yang! You’ve given me a Yang Yang! And we’re thinking of Yoko…so we’ve decided to reach into our archives for a limited, deluxe remix/remaster/reissue/bonus Gnome edition of our vaunted 4th episode in 2020, where we deep-dished a Tony favorite: Yoko Ono’s “Approximately Infinite Universe”!
Did you know it’s TWO albums? Well hell yeah, it is! Good for Tony. Butt, what about T.J.? Well, there are even more questions that must be answered, such a$:
🧹Spoilers: Did Yoko’s “Death Of Samantha” predict the “Who’s The Boss?” series finale decades before it aired?
☀️🍔 Does anyone remember the 1990’s Fiddler On The Roof/Don Henley theme restaurant, “Sunrise Sunset Grill”?
🏀 Was San Diego Clipper great World B. Free really a bastard? And if not, WTF with Yoko’s hateful tune?
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——-
Originally published June 20, 2020
Tony turns TJ on...to Yoko Ono's 1973 double-LP Approximately Infinite Universe. They explore the merits of her influence and the complexities of her marriage to John at the time this album was recorded. TJ comes to terms with his disdain for Elephant's Memory, particularly the saxophone, and Tony reveals his least favorite song of all time. Spoiler: it's not by The Beatles (Remember, they like them!)
"F**K IT WE'LL DO IT LIVE!"
Join Tony, T.J., and Producer Casey for our FIRST EVER LIVE TAPING of the Untitled Beatles Podcast at the 2023 Chicago Fest for Beatles Fans (f.k.a. Beatlefest).
Saturday, August 12, 2:15 PM
Hyatt Regency O'Hare
"Tell Me What You See" / SeaTac Room
There will be shenangans. There will be prizes. There will be piano ("SO ANNOYING!").
SEE YOU THERE.
What happens in Vegas… sometimes gets leaked back to your partner in your podcast feed. This week, T.J. and Tony PRODUCER CASEY trek out to the desert to take in a Wednesday evening performance of The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil. Tony and P3Z-Nutz get left behind in the studio, but may just get the last laugh, as the Drab Dos give their reviews of the show and hit on such timeless topics as:
🥩 What’s Gordon Ramsey got against Tony, and what gives with all the GI issues? (Or would they be Doughboy issues? #callback)
👮 What’s a guy gotta do to get kicked out of the Mirage gift shop?
🤡 <angry Chicago guy> How come those fancy French clowns replaced the Old Style with 20-dollar craft brews, and I Am The Walrus with some Matchbox Twenty bullhooey?
And is it just us, or is P3Z sounding more and more like George Martin? #beatlesconspiracies
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Even the most casual Beatles fan knows that Beatles songs are Beatles songs. But did you know that *some* Beatles songs *aren't* *Beatles* songs? #RuleOfSixAsteriks
"Follow me?" Or is that merely an obscure Lerner & Loewe song cut from Aaron Sorkin's "Camelot"? Look, here's the deal: Tony and T.J. thought it'd be a literal butt-gas to explore the wild world of "Beatles Songs That Aren't: The Song Titles The Beatles Gave Away." Now on Pair records and (gentlemen, we got the) Tapes.
On their Journey, when the lights go down in the cit-ay, they also ponderosa:
🦚 Which White Album cut doubled as the theme to a late 60's NBC sitcom? (Hint: it's the Bea Arthur vehicle "Sexy Sadie".)
🍺 Chicago over everything means Richard Marx > everything, yes? Including The Beatles? Yup, Chicago All-Starr Richard Marx > The Beatles. Done. #312 #NoLongerBrewedHere #Cowards
🥪 Does ELO listen to Wilco's ELT while eating a BLT, doing PCP on the CTA and listening to the UBP, now mornings on select NPR HD2 affiliates?
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Rumour has it, if you mash up The Beach Boys' "Endless Summer" compilation with the Grease showstopper "Summer Nights", you get 137th Beatle Richard Marx's classic cassingle, "Endless Summer Nights" (🚫) "Right Here Waiting" (🛎).
But…what if you get crazy and accidentally add John & Yoko's "Double Fantasy"? MAYBE NOBODY KNOWS? (#MccartneyII #McCartneyEyeEye)
Good thing Tony and TJ, 98.9's Hot FM midday summer jamz expertz, know about Summer, The Beatles, and fantasies, dear mister! And the #TanTwo have generously assembled their own fantasy summer Beatles compilations to cure your summertime blues! So don't raise a fuss and don't raise a holler, Wisk helps get rid of ring around the collar! And:
🦭 Do Arctic-adjacent kids who love art projects listen to a lot of Seals and Crafts? And was that really worth it?
🪖 So, turns out Tony's a WW-Eye expert, huh?
🍦 If Mike Love was flavor of ice cream, would he still be a d**k?
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If there’s one thing we know about our beloved Fabs, it’s that they all liked to get a little on the side. Know what we’re sayin’, guy/lady/however you identify, any of which is cool with us? Well get yer minds out of the gutter! Because in this episode we take a look at some of our very favorite moments with The Beatles as Sidemen, and their notable appearances on other people’s records. Some collabs (hawt pic, DM us!) make perfect sense, while some are completely random and hilarious. And, If you’re Basketball Howard Jonesin’ for more, don’t try to live your life in one day! We do find the time to wonder:
🐹 Hey HamHeads, match each Schuyler Sister (Eliza, Angelica, and Peggy) with a UBP mainstay (P3Z-Nutz, Dave Dexter, Jimmie Nicol). Bonus points for being in the greatest city in the world: SHEBOYGAN, BABY! #WerkWerk
🇺🇸💳 Is it true that in the 1990’s, you weren’t legally allowed to be in a room with Macca if you used an American Express? (Angry Chicago Guy: AND HOW COME DINERS CLUB DON’T SPONSOR NO BANGLADESH?)
🏖Can you really call yourself a Beatles fan if you don’t know what record label Belinda/Brandi Carlisle was/is on? And does that explain the delay in Lewishon’s “Tune In Vol 2: Heaven Is A Place On Earth”?
#Untitled #Beatles #Podcast
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Please take your seats. Where should we take ‘em? Well, come on down to Gearhead’s Basement for part two of the best tastin’ authentic Chi-town deep dish this side of Rocky Rococo’s: part two of the UBP takes on Please Please Me! Does T.J. convince Tony that it’s one of their top long players? Do Tony’s rock and roll fantasies convince T.J. against more horns? And does the U.K. cassette running order exonerate Dave Dexter a little bit?
Wait, there’s more! (#NewBenFolds) What about the important, other questions serious fans listen to hear, such a$:
👎 Which 1990’s Macca-made mash up do you prefer: “P.S. Love Me Do”, or “Why Don’t We Do It in Madonna”?
⚪️🧦 The farther one travels, does the less one know about whether Liam Hendriks will be traded before the deadline?
🛝 Are the Google Dolls the best Buffalo Band that’s also the world’s most popular search engine? #HeyGooGoo #PlayTheGoogleDolls
🥁 And, in the spirit of the rule of fab fours…Happy 83rd birthday Ringo! 83! We’re warning you with Peace and Love that we love YOU!
#Untitled #Beatles #Podcast
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As if there was ever any doubt, one truth was made evident in the fall 2016: Americans are geniuses! Capitol executives in 1963 were no exception, when they passed on the chance to release the first Beatles album. Then, when they finally released it in early ’65 (for roughly the 117th time - thank you, VJ! #FrankIfield), it was shortened and chopped up.
But before 1987, “The Early Beatles” was all we had in the U.S. (Anyone who owned an import of “Please Please Me” did so illegally and should do the right thing and turn themselves in. And since Apple has disowned the VJ releases, you must throw your originals away. #BeatleRules #Calderstone) And in ’87, when the Beatles CD’s belatedly appeared, and the original U.K. catalog restored globally, the U.S. finally got their proper debut. A year after “Twist & Shout” hit the charts thanks to “Ferris Bueller”, this amazing debut was back in the cultural zeitgeist.
We could go on and on, but, as David Bowie (no, not the 27 minute Phish tune, pal) once said: This is not America, sha la la la la… (#LiveAtTheBBC)
So Scottie Pip Pip and Honey Nut Cheerio, across the pond on a jumbo we go, as Tony and T.J. begin their trademark deep dish (try and replicate the sauce, b word…YA CAN’T) on one of the latter’s favorite British Beatles records. And along the way, the Gab Two twist and shout themselves into metaphorical McBeans over:
🍪 Did Fred Sanford feign a heart attack (#ElizabethImComin) while eating or listening to The Cookies?
💎 (Angry Chicago Guy:) HOW COME 'XRT DON’T PLAY NO TIFFANY IS IT CAUSE YOU CAN’T SAY A GIRL IS HOT NO MORE? AND HOW COME REINSDORK DON’T SELL THE TEAM?
🏐 Why was the “Seinfeld” where Macca guest stars as Kramer’s creepy companion Karl, where they volunteer to be “laundry people” for an all girl’s high school volleyball team, pulled from syndication? What is The U trying to hide, exactly?
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From TV's "All Star Blitz" to the the NBA all star celebrity game (feat. some dude from "Grey's Anatomy"), a collection of rando all-stars usually sucks. But not when left to the devices of our dear Ringo, as evidenced in part two of our deep dish on his first all starr band LP!Along the way, Tony and T.J. ask:
🔦🤫 Is "Shine Silently" to 1989 what "Shine Silently" was to 1979, only double?
🛥🛥 Speaking of double, If T.J. plays Double’s “The Captain Of Her Heart” on the piano for no reason, and Tony doesn’t notice the forgotten '85 yachty deep cut jam, did T.J. even play it? #GetRidOfThePiano #Horrible
🧙💩 (Angry Chicago Guy:) How come Ringo had a Cardinals shortstop play guitar in his first all starr band? And what ever happened to that big guy, big home run hitter, oh yeah, poo holes? Dat's rite, my friendt, POO HOLES!
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The Traveling Wilburys were all right, even if they say you're wrong (#JulianLennon). But sometimes you gotta be strong and make the claim that they were only the 2nd best solo Beatle supergroup of the 80's.
#1? Obviously, it's Paul, Linda, and Eric Stewart! Ringo and his first All Starr Band!
Ok maybe that's a stretch. But as the 1990 tour LP & video show, they were a damn fine band, with a strangely cohesive line up of rock legends that Ringo would never again replicate.
This week, the UBP gets really serious (angry fan: "DAT'S VOLUME TOO!") about this great record and also ask:
Did Keef get beef in his teef doing Improv Warmup Wednesdays at Kenny Rogers Roasters?
Is Tony the UBP's Joel Whitburn, which is a sick reference for those of you who are familiar with longtime Billboard chart historian Joel Whitburn?
Was the All Starr Band promoter experienced at novelty concerts, or more of a Fishof out of water?
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What makes a "sell out"? Did you sell out? Did Who? How 'bout when? Or sometimes, y? #sometimesand #provtalk
And what about AI? Does it scare you? Is it weird to be scared of a 76'er who retired years ago and hated - I mean, HATED - practice? Not the game! He's talking about practice.
Today's episode considers both related topics. Do commercials with covers or (ahem, sloppily edited) original Beatles music brand our beloved Fabs as sell outs? And what of Beatles AI: awful, or artful?
Along this Journey (#OpenArms), our own cell outs (#AmeritechBell) consider:
🥩 Does everybody know your name at Chili's, Applebees, or Rudy Tuesjays?
🇺🇸 John Lewis remains a beloved, American civil rights hero. Was he also a UK department store?
🐴🪦 Is Golden Slumbers best heard as a cover in a TV commercial with the sounds of a large, apparently quite ill animal snoring and I think farting?
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Arguably, the most famous sitcom episode of the 1990’s was from the syndicated-only “New WKRP In Cincinnati”, where station manager Arthur “Big Guy” Carlson challenges rival station WPIG to an on-air poker match. Two problems: 1) poker on the radio? WHUT. And 2) Despite the generational hilarity of its predecessor, “The New WKRP” su-su-su-su-SUCKED! What were you thinking, Bill Dial?
But you know what doesn’t suck? The Beatles! And especially non-sucking is The Beatles Trivial Pursuit special edition! This week, Tony & T.J. square off and conclude their inaugural game. No spoilers, but a last-minute rule change fixed the result worse than the only actual rigged election in recent memory, the one the Supreme Court handed to GW Bush that began the downfall of America! BUT WE DIGRESS!!!
So girl, get your game play on, and join us as we also ask:
🥧 What’s the best Prince song: “Purple Pie”, “When Doves Pie”, “The Ballad Of Dorthy Pie-ker”, “Raspberry Pie-ret”, or “Sexy Mother F🥧🥧ker (Pie Remix)?” #RuleOfFives
⚾️ (Read as angry, vaguely drunk White Sox fan): How come Bruce Spizer don’t write no books about CBS’ critically adored, little watched, New Orleans-focused dramedy from 1987, “Frank’s Place”? And how come Spizer hates Tim Reid AND Tim Anderson?
📻 Is Radiohead’s “Kid A” the equivalent of “Abbey Road”, for people who don’t care about minor details like “memorable songs”?
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Tony & T.J. aren’t just Beatles fans. Nah, son. Look at them arms. They country strong. LOOK AT THEM ARMS! G’ON, LOOK! NOW TOUCH THEM ARMS. TOUCH THEM. NOW SQUEAL LIKE A PIG…
And, like The Beatles, we at the UBP have a deep appreciation for classic Country music. (Western, however can go f**k itself. Got that, “Paint Your Wagon” soundtrack? #DrunkLeeMarvin)
Based on a great episode suggestion from perhaps our youngest listener, Owen (#ThanksO), this week Tony & T.J. assemble their fantasy takes on a Beatles Country album. And while they boot scoot boogie their way thru many Fab country tunes, they also ponder:
⚾️ Was Enrico Pallazzo on the legendary, literally-everybody's-heard-of-it, #FantasyRecords?
😭 CLASSIC PARTY GAME ALERT! Let’s play “Pair someone from Tears For Fears with one of the Three Stooges!”
🍆 Did anyone else watch “Skiffle After Dark” on Skinemax back in 1989? #LonnieDongagain
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George Harrison holds a special place in the hearts of the Untitled Beatles Podcast, and millions of Beatles fans. As prolific as John and Paul were, and as much as few could lay a beat down like Bernard Purdie, who overdubbed many, if not all, of Ringo’s tracks (chew on that, Lewishon), George was arguably the spirit and soul of The Beatles; no little feat. #DixieChicken
Join us as we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of his 1973 blockbuster, “Living In The Material World”. It heightened the spirituality of “All Things Must Pass”, while ditching that album’s sprawl and layers upon layers of production, resulting in a fascinating, beautiful record laden with musical and lyrical juxtapositions.
In part 1 of this Deep Dish, the Material Two, with an assist from Producer Casey and a rather aggressive P3Z-nuts, break down the album’s history, reception, and legacy, and also ask:
🍗 Is Minnie Pearl a Nashville sexpot, or more of a Nashville Hot Chicken Wrap? Now available at participating Manillaland/Northwest Indiana Kenny Rogers Roasters.
🤕 If Whitney Houston is the Beatles of the 80’s, and the Miami Heat Threetles were the Beatles of the 2010's, and Skittles are the 80’s candy equivalent of the 60’s Beatles, are the Miami Heat Threetles to the '10's what the actual Threetles were to the 90’s what the 60’s Beatles were to Skittles in the 80’s? #MeetTheSkittles
🐀 Sign here if you think Rhonda Santis should ban book slappin’! _________________________
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Trivia! What a silly word. I mean, how many words rhyme with “Jergens?” Feel me, Jacque?
Sadly, ever since Alex Trebek pulled a (rather cowardly) #HeGone, the pursuit of trivia - Beatles and otherwise - has been largely dormant in America. But not this week! Because Tony and T.J. each break out their deluxe editions of Beatles Trivial Pursuit and play a heated, often deadly round or three of the game! But don’t you D.A.R.E. think we put the board in “bored game”! Because, madness (#OurHouse) ensues as we also trivially pursue:
🚕 Would NBC have ever considered green-lighting “Dear John” if not for its one, ill-fated season of “Taxi”?
⚾️ Were the 90’s Yankees really better without ding-dong-dinger machine Donnie Baseball? (Drunk old Chicago White Sox fan: “What about Bronny Dosco?”)
🚥 Is “Steve Winwood: The Musical” the new “Blind Faith: The Musical”? And will you miss both if you’re stuck in traffic? Shit that’s a lot of Steve Winwood references, right? Too many? Or just about right, in a “rule of 3’s” way? We ask rhetorically, like don’t send us notes or anything like that, because we won’t read it. Who’s got the time? Like, how do YOU even have the time to write a Beatles podcast about a failed Steve Winwood bit? Think about that next time you find yourself drinking a High Life again. Drinking a high…life…again.
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How much 'Red Rose Speedway' is too much Red Rose Speedway? It’s the age old question. Paul wanted it to be a 2-LP set. EMI said, “no”. And, with that, Macca’s recording career was effectively over.
So today we’ll look at Julian Lennon’s 1989 hit, “Mr. Jordan”! [BUZZER SFX]
No! It’s actually Part Three of our 17-part deep dish full-on-sausage-patty salute to Wings’ 2nd album, which sadly does not feature “Thank You Girl”. THANKS FOR NADA, DAVE DEXTER.
This week, we look at Paul’s original 2-LP iteration of this title, which finally surfaced as a limited vinyl set in 2018. Is it an improvement on the single (pigeon) album we've known for 50 years? Tony & T.J. select the best of the best of tracks left off the original Red-and/or-Blue Rose Speedway, and along the way they ponder:
🚗 If Willie Dixon is also Willie Nelson, did Harry Nilsson drive a Nissan?
🦅 Is the civil rights anthem “Blackbird” also Paul’s most nazty, bangin’ f**k tune?
🥞🍳🥓 Woah woah woah woah! Woah woah woah woah! Does Denny’s do it good? #MoonsOverMyHandy
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Hey Weepers! Hey Creepers! Hey Hugga Me Righters! Whether dragonfly or pigeon, we think you're gonna dig part 2 of our Red Rose Speedway deep dish even more than George Leroy Chickashea loves "Ebony and Ivory" (solo version).
Along the way, they take a (Cleveland) Brown Line L train around the Loup, and also discuss:
🍄 Where's the long delayed digital remaster of "Portobello Road: Mushrooms Salute The Beatles"?
🟤 Is Bernie Kosar to Paul what Brian Epstein was to John? And how come Lewishon won't talk about it? What's Apple hiding, exactly?
⚾️ Holy Ann Margaret, Bartman! Paul wrote "Bye Bye Birdie"?!?!?!
We strangely encourage you to buy lots of Bud Light (legit only if you're over 21, tough gal!!) put yer carpet sleepin feet up, and enjoy this week's sumptuous, sunset cruise along the Red Rose Speedway...
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1973 was a banner year for classic rock LPs. But from "Houses Of The Holy" to "Goats Head Soup", only one album that year rocked the loudest, hottest, and wettest: "Red Rose Speedway".
Ok fine, it's not really a "rock" album. It might not even roll. But that doesn't prevent it from being an inventive and quintessentially Paul (uh, oh yeah, "and Wings") album. On its 50th anniversary, the UBP Living Un-Single pigeons extoll its many charms, in another patented, cliffhanger-laden multi-parter. #HyphenFest
In Part 1 (read: "eye", obviously), they also consider:
🐂 'Round holiday time, would you rather eat moldy old dough alone, or with your Oxfam?
🛼What's the better hard rock record: The Who's "Live At Leeds", or Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Starlight Express" original cast album?
🧤 Trivia Alert: the back cover of "Red Rose Speedway" has a tribute to Stevie Wonder, but do you know which two longtime NBC all-stars Paul honors on the front cover?
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OK, OK, we got all our April foolishness out of our systems… now back to the VERY SERIOUS BUSINESS at hand. This week T.J., Tony, and Casey pick up right where they left off in their pursuit to crown the undisputed SIXTH BEATLE.
Join as we narrow the field down from our Sweet XVI, see whether any Cinderella stories stretch through the Final IV, and find out:
🍳 What’s Tony’s deal with Mel from Mel’s Diner?
👖 What’s Brian Epstein’s deal with trousers?
🤖🍑 What’s T.J.’s deal with robutts?
To almost quote the great Chicago Bulls play-by-play announcer Chuck Swirsky: This hotly anticipated finale is (glass) ONIONS BABY, ONIONS.
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Episode description courtesy of FabGPT
Embark on a mind-bending journey into the Untitled BeaDles Podcast with your fearless hosts, Tony Menodza and T.J. Shanoff! In this brain-tickling episode, we whirl through a kaleidoscope of strange and surprising topics that defy logic, reason, and perhaps even good taste. Hold on tight as we:
📀🦘 Unravel the enigmatic Dave Dexter’s zany influence on the Beadles’ American records, including his integration of the fads and crazes of the times
📺🐬 Reminisce about some of the more mind-boggling sitcoms of the MCMLXs
🧐🔍 Probe the perplexing existence of Kathy Bartlett from East Meadow, Long Island, and her inexplicable connection to the Beadles
Join us as we traverse the absurd and cerebrum-stapling landscape of UnbeeMania, leaving no stone unturned or pogo stick un-bounced.
Our love for our listeners is boundless, and we will go to great lengths to ensure their happiness – all while keeping a watchful eye on their well-being. So plug in your earbuds, fire up the Unatbed Beadles podcast, ampersand let the madness begin!
Have you filled out your 2023 Beatles Brackets yet? WELL, HAVE YA? Because this week, we begin a two week journey (#AnyWayYouWantIt) - as seen on CBS/TBS/TNT/truTV/TNN/WOR(What is it good for?)/and your local PAX affiliate - to crown the VIth BEATLE! Get ready for shocking upsets, cinderella stories, and a special appearance by our own Brad Nessler, Casey Baker! (Casey was also briefly handed NBA on ABC broadcasting coverage back in 2003 and was just also not ready for the limelight… Or the Medusas.)
When The Band wasn't up on cripple creek with chest fever, they had hoops fever! We do too, and in our delirium, also ask:
📰 Why don't more wealthy Gen Z entrepreneurs invest in big-city newsstands? The fools!
🎙 (cue angry Chicago guy) How come Lake Shore Drive gets named after Jean Baptiste Point DuSable but we don’t call the Kennedy the Biondi??? And where did my Dominicks, go guy??
🍜 How many of y’all would listen to a podcast of #JustTony, in a race against time, and likely nude, converting random numbers into roman numbers? How about Ramen numbers?
Buckle up and if you’re not big enough for this ride, stretch yourself like Johnny Bravo did! (That's a 2 Brady Episode Mash up for 1 Semi-Joke!) It’s the Untitled Beatles Podcast's Sixth Beatle Bracket, Part One Shining Moment!
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In preparation for this year's tournament to claim the title of Official Sixth Beatle, this week we're revisiting our famed 2022 tourney to crown a Fifth Beatle.
Download your own copy of the Fifth AND Sixth Beatle Brackets to play along at home: www.untitledbeatlespodcast.com/bracket
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Part 1 originally published March 26, 2022
What’s more exciting that March Madness? March Fabness, of course! You don’t need to be Jay Bilas (or South Pacific’s Luther Billis - #RayWalston) to play along with Tony, T.J., and Producer Casey, as they dramatically determine the 2022 Fifth Beatle Champion! Also, if your whole office isn’t playing along with us, they have failed and you should quit your jobs immediately. Seriously, where are your priorities?
Round one is filled with stunning, Cinderella-story upsets on the road to the title, and along the way, Beatleworld’s Jim Pantz (#HelloFriends) and Steve Weirdo debate:
📻 Was Marsha Albert her generation’s Marcia Raubach? Related: who the f are these people?
🤮 What’s more offensive: the original “Yesterday…and Today” cover, or the limited, U.S. “Two Virgins” cover with nude Dave Dexter?
𝄢 If Stuart Sutcliffe had only lived to meet Meghan Trainor, would he be more or less about that bass?
Download your bracket here and play along! Play with us, or play with yourself! The UBP doesn’t believe in the whole “you’ll go to hell if you do” thing; hell is a construct made up to keep people in line in lieu of developing one’s own moral compass and you know what this isn’t the time or place for this we’ll do our religion episode in 2038.
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Part 2 originally published April 2, 2022
Cue the synth brass and Yamaha DX7, it’s The Final Countdown to One Shining Moment; two songs definitely not written by John Tesh. Or were they?
Buckle up for part two of March Fabness, where a sweet sixteen of important figures across the Beatles universe battle it out for the 2022 Fifth Beatle Championship! Awesome, baby!
The matchups are intense. Neil or Klaus? Mark or Marcia? Derek or The Dominoes? Rule of threes, or just keep going?
Plus, Tony, T.J., and Producer Casey consider:
😸 Which 1980’s classic cartoon cat are you: Garfield, or Stucliffe?
🇨🇦🇺🇸 Guess Who loves The Music Man?
👶🏻 How do you like your Nirvana: 7” or Cassingle?
Break out the tortilla chips and lotion, standard snacks for NCAA games, or maybe the tortillas are a regional thing? (Guess) who cares, it’s time to reveal the 2022 Fifth Beatle Champion!
It’s like Mark Bolan and T. Rex once said: "Get it on! Banger, Gong! Get it, Gong!” We’re not certain who Gong is - according to Lewisohn, it's longtime Lennon idol Chuck Barris - but we’re sure fans of Beatle Bangers. And in Part Two of Part Two, we hear some killer listener-suggested Bangers, and also ask:
🤲 Would “Hans Zimmer Across America” have been more successful if came after “Rain Man”?
🎻 Is “Andrew Black Bird” really about civil rights?
🏈 And why, exactly, is longtime NFL referee Ed Hochuli such a huge Monkees fan?
These are the Tates, and these are the Campbells. And this is Part Two, of Part Two, of Beatles Bangers! #LikeAndSubscribe
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Most of the great American sitcoms were based on British telly shows! And “Bangers & M*A*S*H” - which, of course, in America was simply known as “Benson” - is no exception. So in belated honor of Boxing Day (“I know…I know…” - Bored Limo Driver, “Give My Regards To Broad Street”), Tony, T.J., and fact-checkin’ overlord P3Z-Nutz present Part Two, Part One of their favourite Beatle-esque Bangers: songs not by the Beatles that are clearly influenced by the music of the Fabs.
The two “Great Moments In Beatles Harmonica” experts also consider…
💿 Are Tony & T.J. big enough to entertain America, one person at a time?
🐜 What would you say: Poop From Above? Or Ants Marching?
🖕 Fuck you, Dan Aykroyd!
It’s Beatle-esque Bangers, Part Two, Part One!
(Please note: this is not the same content as our long-hyped, forthcoming show on Beatle-esque Bangors, where we examine how the Maharishi directly influenced the 2002 Goldie Hawn vehicle (sfx: a Ides Of March horn riff) “The Bangor Sisters”. )
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"They're gonna put Ringo in the movies!" - Rush, Moving Pictures
It's a Tony & T.J. Marshall Field trip to the cinema, as they bravely brave a warm, late-fall Chicago day to see Tyler Perry's Mary McCartney presents, "If These Walls Could Sing".
Spoilers, the movie and Mrs. McCartney are both delightful. Five freaking fabs!!!
Plus:
🏊🏻♂️ Did T.J.'s famous faux friend, Todd Bridges, have similar or diff'rent strokes?
🚽 Hey, is Tony still in the john?
⚾️🍆⬇️ If Elton John is Derek Jeter, does that make Billy Joel Nomar Garciaparra? If so, did Billy Joel's groin also tear off while wearing a Cubs jersey?
Join Shmiskel and Shebert, at the sneak preview movies!
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A long, cold, lonely winter’s month of the UBP Deep Dish on the White Album comes to a ceremonious close this week! Today, we focus on Sides 3 + 4 of the most landmark double album since the forthcoming Record Store Day 2-LP (da fuq?) version of Ringo’s “Stop And Smell The Roses”. (“Private Property” > “Honey Pie”, anyone? #LoveMonopoly)
In addition to analyzing the classic, punchy pop tunes (“Revolution 9”), clubby dance jams (“Good Night”), and other hits shamefully left off of Tony’s copy of the Blue Album, the Gab Two also ask:
🐣 Do most fonts taste better (#BrownsChicken #AndPasta #SorryKennyRogers) when used in Pot Lovers Corner?
⛓ Did rapper 2 Chainz once consider calling himself 2 Mizery or 2 Anna (Go To Himz)?
💄🐆 Will the 2028 60th Anniversary remix of “The Beatles (Peter Sellers Version)” be released in a limited edition deluxe wooden crate featuring a collection of The Pink Panther gnomes? And what about The Stink Panther? #CamNewton #2020NFLJokez
It’s great, it sold, it’s the bloody Untitled Beatles Podcast’s “White Album” (sorry, a-hole, “The Beatles”) Deep Dish, part Eye-Vee! (Not affiliated with noted Des Moines-area grocery chain, Hy-Vee - where there's a helpful smile, in every aisle!) Maybe now Bad Boy will finally get some love? Join us on Patreon and Facebook to find out…BEFORE WE FIND YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU....
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RUN! To your local White Hen Pantry. STEAL! The free 3-D glasses sponsored by WFLD-32 LISTEN! To the aural delights (cream your coffee with that, fella) of the UBP White Album Deep Dish Part 3-D!
Besides generously deep dishing on Side 2 and a teeny bit of Side 3, the 2 White Album Crew (#Daring1991Jokes) also ask:
🦝 Was Bob Hope merely a comic, or was he also one of the great (Rocky Rac)crooners of his era, the late 1890's?
🐀 Is it just a Q-incidence that neither NYC nor London had rats until they had Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Cats"?
🐸 How come Macca's "Unplugged" tribute to Uncle Pecos has no repeated stuttering of the common word "crambone"?
Don't be a (Henry) Winkle Picker! Maybe leave us a kick-a review wherever you rent your podcasts!
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It’s Part 2 of the Untitled Beatles Podcast White Album Fabstravaganza! This week T.J. and Tony deep dish Side One, going track-by-track and getting off-track-by-off-track, just like the 1987 CD did with the track separation on “Wild Honey Pie” into “Bungalow Bill”. Along the way, they ask the important questions, such as:
👅 Which part of the body is the balalaika? Is it a uvula, a female breast, or a Beatle growth? Please get that looked at!
🛏 What is A.C. “Iron Man” Green’s definition of the S-word? Does that mean his least favorite Beatles song is “S-word Sadie”?
🐾 On “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”, did Eric Clapton perform the guitar solo as a teenage werewolf?
Ay up! Like and subscribe, write a review, send us a message on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram, join our Patreon, chat with us on Discord, buy some merch, join our cult!
It was great! It sold! It's the bloody Beatles' White Album!
And, no, Paul; we won’t shut up.
Because part one of the UBP Deep Dish on “The Beatles” is finally here! Tony and T.J. are sniffer-level giddy to discuss this album-unlike-any-other. And in part one, the Two Little Piggies delve into the history and packaging (#DingDongDingDong) of one of only two official Beatles-canon albums to be known, colloquially, by two names. (The other is “Tomorrow Never Knows”, which most first-gen fans know as, of course, “File Under Rock”.)
And despite this record’s massive length and girth (Sfx: a pained, guttural groan), Tony & T.J. find the time to ask:
🎅🏾 Is the “perfect” Christmas gift at Walgreens, Woolworth, Woolco, Osco, Venture, Wieboldt's or Montgomery Ward?
🕳 What uniquely-numbered episode did you download? And was it manufactured in Jacksonville, Jackson Hole, or Jackson’s Whole?
🍬 Does the inclusion of “This Boy” to the White Album Tape 2 8-track, directly after “Savoy Truffle” but before “Julia (pt. 1)”, improve the original track listing?
BUT WAIT! Is it Tony’s favorite Beatles album? Is it even in T.J.’s top three? (Or is he just too big a fan of “The Beatles In Italy” to budge?) Is everyone who only calls this album by its official name a jagbag? Tune in (#Lewisohn) this week, and likely the next six, as we deep dish “The White Album”!
Join the Discord party and support us on Patreon! Rate and review us, unless you’re unnecessarily cruel!
Fire up your (Gloria) DeLorian(ing) because we’re going back in time! Back, through the mists of time, to a time we call November, 2022, for a special one night only screening of “Concert for George” on its 20th anniversary. Tony and T.J. road trip to Tony’s hometown—Addison, IL—on a blustery Chicago early winter’s eve to see the film and also ask:
🐅 Has the intro to the Cougs’ “I Need A Lover Who Won’t Drive Me Crazy” ended yet?
🧀 Would Radio Shack still be around had corporate followed their Beaver Dam, WI, franchisee’s decision to stock blank 8-track tapes in the mid 1990s?
🇨🇩 Is Springsteen’s hit “My Hometown” written about Zaire, the country in Africa? Or Zayre, Framingham, MA-based discount store that was popular in Chicago?
We hope you will enjoy the show! Please consider supporting us on Patreon, and joining our growing Discord community. All together now!
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We asked 100 Untitled Beatles Podcast (only)fans what comes to mind when they hear the words “1973 Fantasy.” Show me, Tattoo! (Buzzer sfx.) Show me, Seven Years Pre-“Double”! (Louder buzzer sfx. Too loud, even.) Show me, 1973 Fantasy Solo LP! Survey says? (Ding ding ding ding!) (Dong dong dong dong!)
Yes, it’s the 50th anniversary of one of the great solo Beatles years. And listener Beatle Dave suggested that we honor ’73 by compiling a fantasy Beatles island/album culled from that year’s releases. Did any surprises make the list, Tony? What classics are nowhere to be found, Todd? What other gold did you, Producer Casey, begrudgingly leave in this edit? Possibly, but not limited to…
🦕 Is Tony on Team Barney, Team Betty, or Team Rock Roll? #TwitchTwitch
📼 Should the “family values” jokers be concerned that the kids are getting into ASMVCR?
🐔👅 Does the Kenny Rogers Roasters in Meat Free Monday City serve impossible chicken suckin’ mother truckin’?
What 1973 Fantasy Solo LP would you compile? Let us know on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram OR HELL GO MAKE YOUR OWN PODCAST, WE DON’T HAVE A MONOPOLY ON THE FORMAT. #allcaps
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As they say on “Rent: Original Broadway Cast Recording”, "it’s gonna be a happy new year!” They also say “Joanne, which way to the stage?”, and who the fuck is Joanne? #NeverSeenRent #ChangeMyMind
It’s already a been a ding-dong-ding-dong, merry goo year for Tony, T.J. and Producer Casey. This week, they celebrate the 60th anniversary of “Please Please Me”, and also (#9 #9 #9) dream about what Beatles goodies and re-re-re-re-re-re-re-reissues (#nowwithmoregnomes) await us in The Jordan Year!
As part of the first episode of T.J.’s final season - he’ll be replaced soon with Sandy “Arne” Duncan - the UBPeedle3 consider themselves at home, and also:
🩹 Did Barry Manilow write Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Kars for Khristmas”?
🧮 If the hits of 1925 turned 60 in 1985, and the hits of 1985 turn 60 in 2045, how will society commemorate the 60th anniversary of “Rosanna: Never Ending Live Version (feat. Starkey)"in 2082?
🦁🪦Who'd win in a battle of Quick Witz: P3Z-Nutz, or P-22, everyone's favorite dead mountain cat? #HeGone
Mach Schau and thanks to those of you who’ve supported us on Patreon, picked up some Untitled Beatles Merch, and left us a review wherever you get your podcasts. If you haven’t done any of the above, don’t sweat it! Sure you’re a “failure”, but new year new you so come join the party!
Hey pal. Yeah you, wearing that thing. You may think you’re a Beatles fan. Or that you’ve been to Cleveland’s Rock Hall. But ask yourself this question: are you Steve Vai?
In Part 2 of our journey to the ‘Land to see the “Get Back” exhibit, we address this strange old question, and also tell no Vai’s about:
Are the good ‘ol boys in Don McClean’s way-too-brief hit “American Pie” drinking Agave and Rye?
What torchy Beatles songs will “Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas! The Musical” include?
Will the Gab Two ever don’t stop believin’? Or will they never stop don’t believin’? Like Yakov Smirnoff always says, “What a Journey!"
Originally recorded in AAD, remixed to ADD, and finally pressed in Japan in DDD (*information current as of November ’87 issue of “CD Review”), we’re proud to present Producer Casey’s masterful edit of the Untitled Beatles Podcast’s trip to the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame! (#RipIreneCara)
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This week, we're taking a break to be with our families for the holidays. (Or, potentially stranded in the snow in South Bend, Indiana, for the holidays.) Either way, it's the it's the most wonderful time to revisit our Christmas records deep dish!
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Originally released December 25, 2021
It’s been a real gear year for the Untitled Beatles Podcast and it’s all due to you! ‘Spect some of you are getting out a 50¢ piece to weigh down your rare out of print Beatles Christmas Flexi Discs. For those going without these cherished “only fans” records, T.J. and Tony will cover each holiday curiosity released from 1963-1969, with noses red from holiday cheer.
In this very special holiday episode:
🍆 Ho Ho Ho! Will they succeed in referencing “Ding Dong” on XXXmas day?
🍗 Yeah Yeah Yeah! Since T.J. and Tony have gone right off jelly babies, will they switch to Kenny Rogers Roasters roasted chicken?
🌿 Hi Hi Hi! Was the first legal dispensary in the United States run by Mrs. Garrett from The Facts of Life?
Plus shout outs to Beedle Peedles in the Untitled Beatle Community.
Garry Crimble to you (and Garry Mimble for those who don’t celebrate Crimble) and a Happy Goo Year!
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Shouts and thanks to John T in Tennessee and Max Comeau
Check out these other fab fave podcasts of ours: Paul or Nothing and Something About The Beatles
If you're a real patriotic American, you spent the early hours after Thanksgiving waiting in a frigid-ass line at Best Buy at 4am to get a $199 microwave for $192.97. In fairness, it's one o'them microwaves with a built in VCR, so HELL YES.
Or, maybe, like us libz at the UBP, you made your way to your local record store at a more humane hour to pick up some Beatles-related Black Friday Record Store Day vinyl?
On this episode, Tony & T.J. review their RSD experience, the limited Ringo and Dark Horse releases, and also consider:
👣 Did it take changing his name from Elvis Costello to Declan McManus to get back on his feet?
🤑 Will Tony eventually complete his extensive and very expensive solo Devo vinyl collection?
🎷 Has the Live At The Greek All Starr Band's take on "Rosanna" ended yet? No? Fuuuuuuu********k.
Join us for all this and a very special tribute to Mike Ditka's 1988 heart attack (#OliviaNewtonJohn) on this hot off the presses episode!
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At long last (and maybe against the terms of their parole?) the guys take the show across state lines as they hit the highway on their pilgrimage to see "The Beatles: Get Back to Let it Be" at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. Tony made the mistake of letting T.J. map the trip, so there might've been a couple detours to various record stores involved.
Join the Madmen of Mishawaka as they crate-dig their way across the midwest, and take some time to ponder:
🏠 Who's got the more impressive time-share in Ohio: Eric Clapton, Joe Perry, or the Oak Ridge Boys?
🕹 What's the going rate for the 1982 Atari 2600 smash-hit Haunted House these days?
🚨 Should Tony do something about his "check engine" light?
Grab your glammiest Ian Hunter 45—keep your receipts and submit your expenses to Producer Casey—and please enjoy this Very Special Untitled Beatles Field Trip to Cleveland. (Ohioooooooooo)
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It’s another Super Deluxe Reissue of one of our classic Zoom-era episodes from 2020, remixed by our very own T.J. Shanoff!
Back when going to the supermarket was a death-defying stunt, Tony and The Shandog explored The Beatles post-breakup compilations, from highly-revered curated collections to cheap, historically inaccurate cash grabs. Wash your vegetables with soap and nestle into this lo-fi blast from the wretched recent past.
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Originally published August 22, 2020
This week T.J. and Tony grapple with the permutations of the Fab Thirteen post-breakup compilations - from the "Red & Blue" LPs to the Tomorrow Never Knows iTunes cash grab.
T.J. takes his case for "Please Please Me" appearing on a greatest hits album to the Supreme Court, while Tony throws down the gauntlet on the "so good" Neil Diamond phenomenon. Plus, ramblings on gas station pizza, the true origins of the fajita and that band LinkedIn Park.
Fact cheque: The Outback Steakhouse douchebags were from Florida, not New Jersey. Also, Tony meant "She's A Woman - Take 7", not take 6.
Irregardless (that's a word now), file this episode under Rock.
Were The Beatles at the very first Thanksgiving? We may never know, but we do know they wrote some great Thanksgiving-style songs throughout their career. It’s Fabsgiving on the Untitled Beatles Podcast! Gather round the UBP piano, sing along and wonder:
☕️ Did T.J. use the remaining points on his 2007 Paul McCartney Starbucks® Card to get a discount on the forthcoming 7” Box Set?
🦃 If deep frying a turkey, should one avoid listening to "Norwegian Wood"? What about the BBC track "Set Fire To That Lot" or the unreleased Macca song "Set This Town on Fire"?
👊🏼 Will Tony get into a Black Friday Record Store Day fistfight over a translucent orange copy of Ringo the 4th?
Plus Producer Casey drops by to read us unsavory anti-fan mail. TryptoFAB!
As John Lennon once screamed, “Remember the (4th Thursday) of November!”
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It’s part 2 of George Fest! It rhymes with Pete Best, Bird’s Nest, Math Test, Chest Crest, Crest Chest, and of course—and most importantly—Breast Fest, only at Kenny Rogers Roasters. Yeah, it’s a chicken joke, perv. Sorry! “Merv”.
This week, T.J. and Tony break down the second half of the film and record, and along the way consider:
🌿 Does Perry Farrell need more ginkgo biloba?
🏄 Could Al Bundy front a Beach Boys tribute band? And if so, would they be called the Married… With Siblings, Cousin and Family Friend?
🚫♀︎ Alt: Or maybe called The Misogynist Shoe Salesboys?
💿💿💿💿 How come The Flaming Lips didn’t release “It’s All Too Much” on four separate 10” records meant to play simultaneously?
That’s right, fellow Lips-sters, you finally got yourselves a Zaireeka reference. You’re welcome.
This episode blurb went a little off the Q*bert board. Like and subscribe?
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Yes, please like and subscribe!
Many moons ago, back in 2014, an enterprising young chap named Dhani Harrison assembled a mighty crew of musicians in Los Angeles, CA, to pay homage to his late, great father George. And ho boy did the musicians turn out.
We're not quite sure who they are, since none of us owns a physical copy of the 2016 DVD and CD release of "George Fest", but they sure sound good. Join T.J. and Tony as they dish deep on Dhani's All-Star (but no Starr) Band and their broad-ranging performances of some of George's most beloved songs.
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We're back! Our super deluxe vinyl box sets arrived in the mail, and Tony and Teej are ready to dish even deeper on the sparkling new Revolver remixes, bonus tracks, and beautiful accompanying 100-page book.
At least Tony is. T.J. might've taken one too many edibles and spent the week listening to Eddie Murphy's 1993 Motown Records sensation Love's Alright.
TUNE IN TO FIND OUT!
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HOLY MOLY IT'S HERE. And Tony and T.J. want to talk about it. Join the Fab Fellas as they go Full Culkin™ on the latest (and perhaps greatest? LISTEN TO FIND OUT!) Super Deluxe Special Edition reissue of the Beatles' groundbreaking 1966 LP "Revolver".
This is just part one—more to come once we get to spend some time with the vinyl box set.
WHAT DO YOU THINK? We'd love you to share all your cheers, jeers, and hot takes too. Shout at us on Discord, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or now on Eater.com, and your reactions may just make it into Part 2.
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In anticipation of THE BIG DROP coming this week, T.J. and Tony (a.k.a. The Tab Two #sponsored #by #nutrasweet) dig into some of the teaser tracks already released, and then present the Super Replayable Super Re-Run Edition of our 2020 Deep Dish of Revolver.
Be sure to follow our socials for details about our LIVE REACTION TWITCH & SHOUT coming soon!
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Originally released November 14, 2020
It's time to serve up a deep dish of The Beatles most colorful LP with a b/w cover.
In this episode, T.J. and Tony talk ADT, LSD, Geoff Emerick recording techniques, and the Alan Civil War. Plus diversions into the goth Lennon & McCartney, Rupert the Bear, The Frogs, and the Soul Train Scramble Board.
Revolver's track-by-track musings come augmented with enough collector scum needle drops to power a small, fab village, including a sample of their favorite punching bag, 60s Capitol Records honcho Dave Dexter.
Turn off your mind, relax and float tangentially.
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At The Untitled Beatles Podcast, we’re as ‘Murican as basebrawl, hawt hogs, and Snapple Pi. And because our ethos has and always will be “Spyak Anglish”, we (fine, one of us) know(s) the correct way to pronounce Capitol’s seventh Beatles album is “Beatles VEE EYE”. Like “Vee Jay”, only instead of Jay, it’s a different word (than where you come from. #JealousJasmineGuy)
Anyone who calls this record “Beatles Six” has a deep hatred for either “The Beatles Story”, or rightfully, one of the least popular/worst selling albums ever released, “Meet The Beatles”. Still, semantics aside, Tony & T.J. continue their journey - with Open Arms - into the Beatles Capitol albums with a look into this surprisingly great (Chris) hodgepodge of songs, including a song the U.K. didn’t even hear until the following year. How ya like them Snapples, Thatcher?
Along the way, the two UBP Bad Boyoyoyoyoy’s tell you what they see about:
🐴 Is the mistress of the dark, Elvira, actually a horse? And if so, what does it take to get her to giddy up a-oom poppa, oom poppa, mow mow, heigh-ho Silver, away?
🍗 Is your favorite BBQ prepared with KY Masterpiece, or are you more of a dry rubber?
🕎 If Drunk Billy Joel shows up to a Hanukkah party, and the house burns down, did he indeed start the fire? Or was it a lethal combination of crack and Bernie Goetz?
How to pronounce this album’s title is as contentious as rock & roller cola wars, so don’t take it anymore, and instead enjoy our deep dish on another fab, million’ selling Capitol album! Now Dominic Chianese, behave yourself!
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Beatles fans all over the globe celebrate John Lennon’s birthday the same way: eating a tasty Filet-O-Shaved Phish sammy while listening to the Untitled Beatles Podcast.
In honor of what would have been Lennon’s 82nd birthday (woah), we break down the first solo-Beatles hits comp, and along the way ponder(osa):
🍆 Are Tony & T.J. more “radio edit” or “full length” fellas?
🧛♀️ Would there be a Led Zeppelin without the Hollywood Vampires?
🥒 If Jimmie Nicol was a tasty dill pickle, would Jimmy John’s charge him to eat himself?
Like and subscribe, but never bike and imbibe; lest you be an imbibecile. Oh yeah? Then you write the jokes, pal. (Seriously would you?)
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Before there was streaming, dreaming, or creaming (#KramerVsCreamer), Americans were legally forced to watch the same shows at the same time. THANKS, OBAMA. There were two ways to know what to watch: boozing all day with the TV on as a dangerously hungry baby cries endlessly, or - BORING ALERT - consulting your handy TV Guide. And no issue of this once-ubiquitous weekly was more enthralling than the annual, overstuffed Fall Preview Guide.
So, longtime TV Guide-devotees Tony & T.J. chose this legendary format to preview the absurd number of Beatles-related product coming out this fall, as well as a recap of some summer repeats. But wait! Subscribe today and you’ll get:
👍 CHEERS: Is NBC’s Prime Time at 6:30 and NBC’s Prime Time at 7:30 the same thing? Or did they feature different shows/strokes/sheriffs?
👎 JEERS: Do the Brecker Brothers still host Breckers with the Beatles? Or are they merely a long running Ted Danson show that nobody actually watched?
👍 CHEERS: Did Svengolie record his sexy sax solo on a new Ringo track in BERWYN?
It’s the Untitled Beatles Podcast’s Fall Preview Guide - airing exclusively on Channels 2, 5, 7, 9, 11, 32, 44, 50 (née 60), and WGBO TV Superstation 66.
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Since 1974, Beatlefest aka The Fest For Beatle Fans has been a safe space for Beatle nerds, kooks and sniffers to gather, celebrate and inhale everything fab. On this magically mysterious tour, Tony spends two days reporting to T.J. from the 2022 festival in Chicago. Posing as a journalist, Tony asks the hardest-hitting questions in order to get to the bottom of this whole “Beatles” thing. Such as:
📸 How many tambourines were used by the people under the stairs jam band? The correct guess wins an autographed 8x10 glossy of the Ringo look-a-like guy!
🦸🏻♂️ Why didn’t Billy J Kramer or Chris O’Dell participate in the Beatles LARPing experiment?
🧼 How much should a Young & The Restless LP in fair condition retail for? (Yes T.J., it’s a first pressing on Nuance Records.)
Hear snippets from Mark Lewisohn, Michael-Lindsey Hogg, Laurence Juber, Terri Hemmert, and other beautiful Beatle people.
Plus, a new segment called Nerking, in which The Untitled Beatles Podcast interviews regular working people about The Beatles in the workplace.
A splendid time is guaranteed for some!
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Don’t know about the future - that’s anybody’s guess - but exclusive b-sides are, shamefully, a thing of the past. Well, in our opinionation, the solo Fabs all released some killer exclusive-to-45 b-sides. And in part two of 70’s solo B-sides, we look at 397 Macca tracks, and maybe show some love to sixth Beatle Yoko and her husband gah can’t think of his name rn!
Obligatorily, the Side Two’s tackle these topics:
🇯🇲 Which Raggae legend do you prefer: (Thunder) Bob Majerle or Spaggy?
🏴 What does Tony think of Paul’s classic, Scotland-only album, “Bagpipes Of Peace”?
🇺🇸 Did Witchy Woman In The City Sally G Please Come Home For Christmas On The Border Victim Of Love Doolin Dalton? #Desperingo
File this episode under personal taste, or if you’re an HR manager, personnel taste. Like and subscribe, and join us on Facebook and Discord to be the first to hear about special upcoming programming and the Season 2 Premiere of “Twitch & Shout”! “Shake it up Casey, now!” - first draft, “Casey At The Bat”.
Untitled Beatles Fans, What’s Happening!!! Hey, hey hey! (#StanleyClarke) Which Doobie yoobie is b-sides the point. And b-sides, today’s show is Solo 70’s B-Sides that weren’t married to an LP; from the absolute classics (“Blindman”, “I Don’t Care Anymore”,) to the hated-by-real-fans missteps (“Daytime Nighttime Suffering”, “Move Over Ms. L”). In this episode, the Off White T’s focus on Flingo & George (Tuesdays, on BBC1), and also consider:
🎸 Are The Byrds really “just alright” with Jesus?
🍆 Should Tony be concerned about his #ThrobbingGristle?
❄️ How come that lib Ringo didn’t call his classic “Chachi-Chachi”?
As George once said, we had a B-sides podcast episode to make, ladies and gentlemen. And we made two. Come back next week for the thrillington (angry Chicago voice: DAT’S NOT A B-SIDE) conclusion of solo 70’s B-Sides from John and an old estranged fiancée called Paul.
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Here at the Untitled Beatles Podcast, we have more than only fans. Not only fans like #OnlyFans, we’re old AF and don’t exactly know what that is. (Casey might. Damn millennial…)
But we’re fortunate to have fans who contribute to the vibe and content of our show. And in this episode, we salute many of our contributing listeners, including one Young Chosso (Thursdays on CBS), who provides the impetus for our topic: Fantasy Beatles Concert Set Lists, or FCBSL for the acronym-heads or AH’ers….
Tony and T.J. create fantasy tour set-lists for John, Paul, George, and Ringo - tho sadly not Jimmie, the famous third and (not Pete) Best Beatle. Along the way, the Two T’s consider other deep n’ nerdy Beatles topics, like:
☝️ Should the Bloody Beatles White Album, shut up, only have had songs from the far more adventurous “Beatles 1”?
🐻 You’re looking at the Fridge (not Danimal), he’s a rookie, he may be large, why’s Tony dressed like a cookie?
👚 When Ringo takes off his Caveman blouse, does he get blisters on his dingers?
Whether you like your fantasy Fab concerts at Soldier Field or a maternity ward in DuPage County (future home of Da Bears) come take a Magical Fantasy Liverpool Oratoritour with us!
Follow us on Facebook! Discover us on Discord! Intimidate us on Instagram! Tweak us on Twitter! Review us on Rapple Podcasts! Mishandle us on MySpace! Frenemy us on Friendster! Joust with us on J-Date! F**k with us on Free Credit Report Dot Com! Actually F**k us on Farmers Only Dot Com! #30
Everyone knows that Sgt Pepper was recorded on a 4-track machine, most likely a Tascam Portastudio 4-Track cassette recorder. But how many people know how to fix it after it eats your Ringo the 4th tape?
That’s why The Untitled Beatles Podcast invited Greg Norman - an engineer at Chicago’s Electrical Audio recording studios - to gab all things technically fab with T.J. and Tony on our semi-irregular video program “Twitch & Shout”!
Remixed and remastered for audiophile delinquents, they’ll touch on Get Back, Glyn Johns micing techniques, and Greg’s visit to Abbey Road. Plus all the important inquiries you’ve come to expect, such as:
🎤 Did Magic Alex win those tiny vocal microphones used at Apple Studios on The Price Is Right?
😱 Was that Sally Draper screaming on the rooftop before Paul thanks Mo?
🃏 What’s Steve Albini like? Do you think he would like my band? Can you give him our demo tape?
For optimal audio quality, you’ll want to listen to this episode thru an EMI TG12345 recording console (or equivalent).
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Jolly what! Jolly when? Jolly where?
Jolly here at the Untitled Beatles Podcast!
This week Tony and T.J. get their jollies with a deep dish of Capitol’s 1965 release, The Early Beatles. After an overview of VeeJay’s smash-n-grab 1964 discography, the bad boy-oy-oys delve into the cave of the Fab’s first post-Cavernous recordings. Inside, their musings echo about:
🎓 Who sang Twist and Shout best: The Isley Brothers, John Lennon, or aging Grand Lakes University student Thornton Melon?
👵🏻 If The Beatles = The Golden Girls, does that mean Pete Best = Coco, the housekeeper who only appeared in the pilot?
🍯 A taste of honey may be much sweeter than wine, but can it compete with the dynamite taste of Colt 45 malt liquor?
And if you’re in the West Des Moines area be sure to enjoy the Maytag Burger at the Drake Diner healthy low salt chicken at Kenny Rogers’s Roasters. Teacher says we must jolly what.
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It’s obvious that The Beatles first love was music. But their fabbest love was for the American sport of baseball, with its electrifying foul balls, nail-biting bunts, and contemplative rain delays. And that’s why this week, T.J. and Tony have each compiled a major league set of fab tunes to compete against one another in this All-Star Beatle Batting Order Midsommer Classic.
This Week in Untitled Beatles Baseball:
🥁 After a severe brow-beating from Cubs manager Lee Elia, is pinch drummer Jimmie Nicol getting sent down to the minors?
🔮 Did superstitious T.J.’s “8-Track Only” fast cause him to make a crucial Sgt. Pepper fielding error?
🐅 Should Tony "Bullethead" Mendoza have gotten ejected for trying to doctor the “Bungalow Bill”?
Plus another edition of Star’s Search!
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We couldn’t leave this kitten alone! It’s the chilling conclusion to our deep dish of Beatles ‘65 (aka Beatles ‘LXV). This time our absolutely gabulous hosts inquire:
🍳 On “She’s A Woman” does Ringo play a chocalho, a cylindrical shaker, or a traditional British breakfast?
🎹 Could T.J. Shanoff’s Gliss Forensics one day be used to solve fab crimes?
✊ With regards to the American Beatles catalog, did Dave Dexter Jr. remaster or remasturbate?
Plus another edition of “What Was Up Geoff Emerick’s Ass?” All that and a bag of bubble and squeak!
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Most rock historians agree that The Beatles were ahead of their time, as evidenced by their impressive entrance at the Royal Command Performance via jetpack. In fact, the lads from Liverpool were so ahead of their time, they released an album in 1964 called Beatles ’65 (!!!). And boy did it age them, judging from their sullen publicity photos, maturing songwriting, and Wurther’s Original hard candies thrown at them on stage. As the Rutles would later say, "Ouch!"
This week T.J. and Tony deep dish another curious LP in their long forgotten American discography - Beatles ’65 - an album that has nothing to do whatsoever with The Beatles in 1965. It causes one to ponder:
📱Is it possible John Lennon owned the world’s first mobile cellular telephone?
🎡Could T.J. get carnival work guessing when Beatles LPs were pressed?
👃🏻If Ringo Starr was a scratch ’n’ sniff sticker, what would he smell like? #BeatleSniffer
So don something black, have a good cry for yourself, and let the phone ring endlessly, because the Untitled Beatles Podcast is just beginning to talk about The Beatles in ’65.*
*’64 (But by the time we finish talking about this album it will be 1965)
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Summer of ‘59 is a classic Macca b-side. 1967 was the frigid Summer of Gloves. The summer of ‘69 was when you got your first real g string. But only 1982 was the Summer of Producer Casey, and some of Tony & T.J.‘s most formative, favorite hits, blasting off from WLS-FM, young B96, and Downtown Records & Tapes.
And in our continued look at the (you can do) magic of 1982, upon the year’s 40th anniversary, we talk about those great tunes, many more Beatles-related releases, and other “Brady Brides”-worthy madcap hijinks, like:
🎸Zeppelin rocked okay, but could they touch Kenny Loggins & Steve Perry?
📺 OK fans of Weird Al originals: “This Is The Life” or “That Boy Could Dance”?
🏍 Is the Cadillac Foxes take on “Gloria (feat. Erik Estrada)” from the punk rock episode of “CHiPs” the definitive version?
If E.T. hadn’t pulled a #hegone, probably from all those damn Reese’s Pieces or from getting water on him after midnight (buzzer sfx), they’d phone bone for our deep dish part II (#eyeeye) of the last official year before the 80’s began: 1982!
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This week T.J. and Tony are rising up and back on the streets, basking in the glory that is The Year MCMLXXXII (or for laypeople, 1982). The gruesome nineteen-eighty-twosome reach out and grab their favorite moments from The Beatles Reel Music, Paul’s Tug of War, and Elton John’s tribute to John Lennon. Plus enough 80s tangents to give your silver spoons Pac-Man Fever.
As always, they ask the tough fab questions, such as:
🤖 Who said “Toti mundo nati” better?
Paul, Mork, or Mr. Roboto?
🕺🏻 Would “Ballroom Dancing” have been a stronger B-side for the Grease 2 non-hit “Back To School Again”?
𐄍 Does Tony hear Stevie Nicks’ signature rocker as “Edge of Seven”?
Plus an Untitled Beatles Podcast Exclusive: Producer Casey’s 40th Anniversary Remix of “The Beatles Movie Medley”.
It’s jammin' on the 2…1982 that is…
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In a slightly belated celebration of Paul's 80th birthday, we're gonna have a good time. The Untitled Beatles Podcast presents a Special Deluxe Reissue of one of our favorite episodes, originally recorded in the early pandemic days in honor of his 78th.
EPISODE LINKS: Please subscribe! Come hang with us on Discord/Facebook/Twitter/Instagram! Drop us a review on Apple Podcasts!
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Originally published July 12, 2020
T.J. and Tony profess their love for Sir Paul, celebrating their five favorite post-Beatles McCartney songs while contemplating future nuptials. It's 60+ minutes of fuzzy feels and fuzzy math.
Paul McCartney’s greatest-ever composition is “100 Moon”, sometimes known as “C (“Sí”) Moon”, and pronounced, of course, “Key Moon”. Whether this makes any sense is in the eye of the Untitled Beatleholder, and, possibly, Eric Holder, the last attorney general before America pulled a #HeGone.
With that Temporary Non-sequitary out of the way, The Untitled Beatles Podcast is proud to celebrate our 100th episode*! (*May or may not be our 100th episode.) Tony, T.J., and Producer Casey have been fab gabbing about niche, indie (500) band The Beatles since the the halcyon days of panic-wiping down groceries in Spring, 2020. Our 100th episode dares to answer the crowdsourced, hard questions about the origins of our partnership and friendship, some recurring bits, influences, and more. In addition to this Blister In The Sun-worthy self-love-fest, the UBP also gets straight-nazty on many other topics, SUCH AS/TIGHT A$:
🥁 Did longtime primary Beatles drummer Bernard Purdie play for any other bands, specifically Hines, Hines & Ford and/or longtime Pittsburgh Steeler Hines, Hines & Ward?
📬 If NBC-era Letterman is “All Things Must Pass”, is CBS-era Letterman “Cloud Nine”?
🎹 Does Producer Casey prefer Ben Folds V (“vee”), which is really Ben Folds III (“eye—yai-yai”) to Ben Folds I (“uno”)?
Whether you’ve been with us since our early Dingle days or more recently, whether you interact with us on Discord, Facebook, or Insta, or whether you like The Beatles, The Boingles, or - ideally - Asia/Aja - we absolutely wouldn’t be here without you. Thanks for listening, subscribing, and for your support! We plan to be here for another 100 episodes, before going our Separate Ways: An Untitled Steve Perry Podcast.
OK, we don’t really want to start (obviously) the show, so we’re warning you with peace and love, NO MORE AUTOGRAPHS, WE HAVE TOO MUCH TO DO! #BadBoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoy
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It was 80 years ago today that Sir Paul McCartney was born! In honor of this awesome moment in Fab Four history, the Untitled Beatles Podcast is proud to present part three of our look at his most important record: the “Hope For The Future” EP. (#Thrash)
WAIT! HOLD UP, YO! STOP THE PRESSES, NEWSIES! We’re actually discussing Side 2 of the iconic, legendary “Pepper”, as the cool kids call it. And whether you prefer your transition from “Good Morning, Good Morning” to the “Sgt. Pepper” reprise in mono or stereo, we hope you will enjoy our final installment of this “Pepper” deep dish, which also dares to ask:
✏️ When not microwaving pencils, did young Tony used to raw-dawg Doritos sandwiches?
⚾️ Was “Within You Without You” George’s tribute to Kenny Lofton, given how much he loved Cleveland Indian music?
📼 When it comes to Macca-inspired blank audio cassettes (emoji not available), are you team “Maxell's Silver Hammer” or “Mother Nature’s Sony”?
So wake up, fall out of (your Pepper’s water)bed, and before you drag a comb across Judge Dredd, join Tony and T.J. for one final look at an album that quite literally changed the trajectory of popular culture in ways unseen until Asia’s self-titled debut in ’82. (“A Day In The Life” is fine, but have you heard “Heat Of The Moment”, son?)
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Even the most casual Beatles fan has seen and touched the world’s most beloved album cover: “Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins”, which, controversially finished seventh in Dongz Monthly’s “Best Album Cover, With A Dong” 2020 poll. (#1, naturally, was Ted Nugent’s “Cat Scratch Fever”.)
But there’s another famous Beatles album cover we just learned about on #AskJeeves that has some mind-blowing music beneath the 1987 cassette’s thick j-card: “Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band!” In Part 2 of our deep dish on the most famous album EVER, we delve into Side 1, which is a real Dick Hyman-esque banger. Luckily for the masses, The Gab 2 also finds time to address:
📸 Was surrealist, EMI balcony photog Angus McBean his generation’s Calista Flockhart?
🎺 NFL Trivia: Was the halftime show of Super Bowl VI (pronounced “Vee-Eye”) “With The Beatles, With Horns!”?
🌭 (read in angry Chicago accent) How come Tony & T.J. don’t know the name of the engineer for “Fixing A Hole”, but Producer Casey does? Ya Jagbags!
It was 55 years ago today…plus about 10 days or so depending when you’re listening. So come celebrate “Pepper” with us!
Every Beatles album is critically acclaimed, especially “Tomorrow Never Knows”(#FileUnderRAWK). But arguably, none is more important than “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”, especially the Dave Dexter version, which replaces “She’s Leaving Home” with “Little Child”, obviously bettering the album.
This week, Tony and T.J., with a little help from their friend, producer Casey, begin a three part Journey/Frumious Bandersnatch deep dish into this sadly, little-discussed record on its 55th anniversary. Along the way, they find their inner groove on the following topics:
🎹 Is Leonard Bernstein’s plucky piano cover of “She Said She Said” the definitive version?
🏖 Was there ever a time as magical as 1987’s Summer of Mike Love?
🏀 Is John Stockhausen the greatest avant point garde of all time?
As Capitol EMI might say, “It Was 55 Years Ago Today. Now re-buy this record.” Or just tuck yourself inside #FontLoversCorner and listen to the Gab Two geek out over this all-time Fab masterpiece!
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EPISODE NOTES:
Adjust your balance knobs: It’s Part 2 of the Limited Edition Colored Vinyl Numbered Gnome-Filled reissue of our 10th episode, Mono/Stereo Nerdout! This episode is so duophonic, you only hear the right channel in your left channel. #SemiDimensionalStereo
Today, we continue the gab geek out over Fab stereo and mono nuances, and also consider:
🍦 If stereo “Revolution” were a piece of ice cream, what flavour would it be?
🙀 Is Tony more of a Mr. Mistoffelees or a Rum Tum Tugger?
🤕 What’s up with so much loud harmonica in The Jon Spencer Blues Traveler?
It’s a magical, momentous, multinary matter-of-course conclusion, in one-channel stereo and, for a limited time, mono in your mind.
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Our world is not binary. Nor is it monary. It's multinary!
However, in this SUPER DELUXE REISSUE of our 10th episode, T.J. and Tony discuss so many splendid nuances between The Beatles stereo and mono catalog, that this ELECTRONICALLY ENHANCED CLASSIC must be a 2-parter. Therefore, this HISTORIC LEGACY REBROADCAST is binary.
Along the way, the stereo derriere-eos ponder:
🏖 Is this the Untitled Beach Boys Podcast?
🇺🇸 Could Paul have picked a more thoughtless song to play at the 2001 Concert For New York City?
👵🏻 Is this the Untitled Jan & Dean Podcast?
Perhaps this ULTRA-RARE EXPANDED SPECIAL EDITION RERUN really is multinary!
EPISODE LINKS: Please subscribe! Come hang with us on Discord/Facebook/Twitter/Instagram! Drop us a review on Apple Podcasts!
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Originally published August 1, 2020
T.J. and Tony meander thru the magical minutiae of the Beatles monaural and stereophonic records, with detours into US LP quirks, the creepy Beach Boys, and the Honus Wagner T206 tobacco card of Beatle releases.
Brought to you by Heinz Beans.
Tony’s favourite Beatles record is their beloved double album, “The Beatles Story”. Jokes! It’s the legendary, self-titled 2LP set better known as “The White Album”. T.J. loves it slightly less. Sir George Martin? He said on several occasions that he’d have preferred a more focused single album. Horses for courses, as they say. #MeatFreeMonday
Inspired by the official UBP Fifth Beatle’s controversial opinion (and a great suggestion from listener Mr. Sticker) Tony & T.J. each create their own 1LP “White Album”, changing the track listing, making odd edits, and utilizing the wealth of material surrounding this landmark record’s sessions. Plus, they each pick a 45 featuring an A & B side culled from their cut lists. Do your favorite songs stay? Do any classics get a #HeGone? Summertime Tony and Dr. T.J. Fever discuss this and more, like:
🛳 Which is a better Patti LuPone performance: the 1987 “Anything Goes” revival, or her cover of “Revolution 9”?
🚚 Was Ringo behind the wheel for the Baltimore Colts’ dead-of-night, winter escape to Indianapolis? Irsay it ain’t so!
🐓 Did Tony and his friend Dan get their glasses for WFLD Metromedia 32’s 3D airing of “Hondo” at 7-11 or White Hen Pantry?
Whether you’re #TeamJewel, #TeamDominicks, or #TeamGooGooDolls - all beloved Chicago-area grocery stores - come on down to 8-Track Avalanche and pick up this episode - or download it wherever podcasts and Jackson Browne 78tracks are sold.
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ATTENTION: VERY PROFESSIONAL PROMOTIONAL ANNOUNCEMENT
We are back live on Twitch for another installment of Twitch and Shout: PRIMETIME!
Come hang with T.J., Tony and Producer Casey this Tuesday, May 10, at 7pm CT for an hour of gabbing fab. We'll talk about The Beatles, our upcoming 100th episode, and maybe even play Beatles Trivial Pursuit! We haven't had the meeting about it yet!
We hope you'll join the fun. Set your alarm for 7 p.m. CT PRIMETIME, and find us at twitch.tv/chicago4real or at https://www.untitledbeatlespodcast.com/live
Thanks, as always, to our fine friends at Chicago4Real for hosting us.
Fact: Since 2016, there’s no such thing as an authorized “live Beatles record” without Opie’s involvement.
Sure, “At The Hollywood Bowl” was originally released lo-fi style in 1977, back when Richie Cunningham was chillin’ with Potzie, Mrs. C, and the increasingly insane Chachi. But it wasn’t until Apple slapped Ron Howard’s name on a brand new cover (yuck) that this long-deleted title finally appeared on CD in dramatically improved sound, as a slightly forced tie-in with the “Eight Days A Week” film. So yeah, it was ol’ Winthrop (#TheMusicMan #GaryIndiana) who made a Splash with this Gung Ho re-release that’s Far and Away the only official live Beatles record.
In this episode, Tony and T.J. dive into Giles Martin’s stunning remix, on the 45th anniversary of George Martin’s original presentation of the legendary ’64 and ’65 Hollywood Bowl shows. Along the way, these Beautiful Minds Backdraft themselves into other pertinent topics, like:
☎️ Did the Nerk Twins inspire the Jerk Twins, later known as the Jerky Twins, and ultimately known as G.O.A.T. comedy act The Jerky Boys?
🕺 Are 8-track tapes the best way to (part 1) listen to your favorite music (concl.)?
😙 Does anyone know the omnipresent, looped, two-note whistler on The Ventures’ live album? And can they sue for royalties?
Replete with bonus tracks and new, incongruously stupid artwork, this reissue is not to be missed; and neither is this episode, which will ensure Sunday, Monday, Happy Days, Tuesday, Wednesday, Happy Days, Thursday, Friday, Happy Days, The Weekend comes, and kinda rips off a-ha’s “Take On Me” with his hit “Blinding Lights”.
Subscribe here, come hang with us on Discord/Facebook/Twitter/Instagram, and heeeeeeyyyyyyyyyy if you like us, spread the word by leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen.
"And now, here they are, the Untitled Beatles Podcast!" - Dick Biondi, probably
Who was The Godfather of Gum?
What on earth is Elephant Six??
Who was the other guy in XTC???
None of them were The Beatles. Nor were they Beatlemania. But their music is an incredible simulation that could be considered “Beatle-esque”. In this “thrilling-esque” conclusion, T.J. and Tony continue trading their favorite songs that come close to That Thing The Fab Four Did. Like most journeys, this episode uncovers more questions than answers...
🥤 Why did Billy Joel succumb to madness during the Cola Wars?
📺 Did the kids on BBC’s Seven Up! series experience Monotones-Mania?
🎲 Was Andrew “Dice” Clay the 5th member of Badfinger?
No matter how you slice it (we slice it tavern-style), The Beatles DNA can be heard on worldwide chart toppers, crate-buried oddities, and your favorite cold, robot-selected algorithms.
EPISODE LINKS
- We know this list is far from complete—shoot us your favorite "Beatle-esque" tracks! Shout on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or NOW ON DISCORD!
- Be sure to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen.
Webster’s dictionary defines “music” as… you know what, only d-bags start a sentence with that nonsense. So let’s cut right to the chase—without The Beatles, is there even music? Extreme, maybe (#MoreThanWords), but the Fabs—together and solo—rewrote the rules of what popular music could be many times over, inspiring a term now commonly known as “Beatle-esque”.
But what does “Beatle-esque” even mean? Is it even a word if it isn’t in Websters? Does Emanuel Lewis know?
Tony and T.J. consider what the term means to them, providing examples of how elements of Beatles music have seeped into some of their favorite songs by other artists. Along the way, the Gab Two ponder:
🚽 Did nepotistic 80’s singer Rockwell record his lone hit in the same room where Elvis died?
🍔 Would you let your child near a McDonalds clown with a quarter pounder in his pants?
🎹 Did Billy Joel’s wonton cussing in “Laura” inspire Macca’s “Big Boys Bickering”?
We’re Beatles fans, sure—but we also understand that some artists, namely Asia, Stephanie Mills and Joe Diffie, were better and bigger than The Beatles. So they get their due, too.
EPISODE LINKS:
- Send us your favorite "Beatle-esque" tracks! Shout on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or NOW ON DISCORD!
- Don't leave us hanging. Don't bring us down the way United Artists left E.L.O. out in the cold and off the charts. Be sure to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen!
🎸 BOINNNNNNG
Arguably the most recognizable chord in the history of rock and roll, the opening G7add9sus4 lets you know INSTANTLY that it’s been a hard day’s night, and George Martin’s been working like a dog.
This week, T.J. and Tony dish deep on the United Artists LP of the Original Motion Picture Sound Track to The Beatles’ “A Hard Day’s Night.” Our dynamic duo gets duophonic, breaking things down track-by-track, including all the classic George Martin instrumentals.
Between tracks, we make time for the important stuff, like:
🐈 A preview of the first known copy of the long-rumored Asia / Alf collab
🍗 Which was more commercially viable: Kenny Rogers’s records for United Artists, or his roasted chicken?
🕵🏻♂️ T.J.’s audition for Beatle Forensics, his spinoff podcast inspecting every version of I’ll Cry Instead ever recorded
🏴☠️ And Tony’s audition for Is Joe English Dead, his spinoff podcast about dubious Google results and internet polls
This one’s not streamable, kids, so you’ll have to hit the record store crates for your copy, or send a self-addressed stamped envelope to:
T.J. Shanoff
Somewhere in Chicago.
And by Chicago, he probably means Deerfield.
EPISODE LINKS:
- Should next year’s Fifth Beatle Bracket include Dave Brubeck? YOU DECIDE. Come yell at us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or NOW ON DISCORD!
- Help us climb the charts! Please be sure to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen!
It's been a long time
Now we're
Back live on Twitch
That's right! Come hang with Tony and T.J. this Tuesday, April 12, at 6 pm CT for an hour of Beatle babble. We'll talk:
🎰 Tony's recent pilgrimage to Vegas to see Cirque du Soleil's LOVE
🐭 This wild Dick Clark pitch to have the Beatles take over Disneyland that's been going around the internet
🍳 The (Pete) Best of Terri Hemmert's Breakfast with the Beatles this week
🗣 All the great, real-time comments and questions from the audience
🃏 And whatever else we have time for!
We hope you'll join the fun. Set your alarm for 6 p.m. CT, and find us at twitch.tv/chicago4real.
Thanks, as always, to our fine friends at Chicago4Real for hosting us.
In honour of spring break, it’s a super deluxe reissue of the Untitled Beatles Podcast’s third episode. Travel back to the simpler times of 2020, a world under lockdown during a deadly global pandemic, when two old friends/comedy nerds try podcasting about their favorite band on a platform called Zoom. Spoiler: the band is The Beatles. Wax nostalgic about scrubbing your vegetables with soap while reliving the golden days of Covid-19 with all the bells and whistles you’ve come to expect from today’s Tangential Twosome.
Originally published June 13, 2020
T.J. turns Tony on... to two George Harrison solo albums: the self-titled 1979 studio record and the 1991 live double-LP with Eric Clapton's band. Plus detours into the Beatles Sirius channel, Mitch Weissman, Beatle baseball, and The Jimmie Nicol Telethon.
Cue the synth brass and Yamaha DX7, it’s The Final Countdown to One Shining Moment; two songs definitely not written by John Tesh. Or were they?
Buckle up for part two of March Fabness, where a sweet sixteen of important figures across the Beatles universe battle it out for the 2022 Fifth Beatle Championship! Awesome, baby!
The matchups are intense. Neil or Klaus? Mark or Marcia? Derek or The Dominoes? Rule of threes, or just keep going?
Plus, Tony, T.J., and Producer Casey consider:
😸 Which 1980’s classic cartoon cat are you: Garfield, or Stucliffe?
🇨🇦🇺🇸 Guess Who loves The Music Man?
👶🏻 How do you like your Nirvana: 7” or Cassingle?
Break out the tortilla chips and lotion, standard snacks for NCAA games, or maybe the tortillas are a regional thing? (Guess) who cares, it’s time to reveal the 2022 Fifth Beatle Champion!
EPISODE LINKS
There are a few unreleased tracks that most serious fans of rock’s 2nd greatest band (#1 is probably Asia, but only time will tell) have clamored to hear for years: Pete Best’s lost solo verse on “Free As a Bird”, “Flying” - sung in Yiddish, and the 26 minute “Sgt. Pepper’s Inner Groove” come to mind. And yet, no unreleased Beatles track has become the stuff of legend quite like "Carnival of Light". Mark Lewishon has “allegedly” heard it - if you believe the LIBEATLERAL MEDIA, that is - but few others have.
UNTIL NOW. THAT’S RIGHT. ALL F**KING CAPS, PAL.
Thanks to a secret source that (spoilers!) may or may not be the ghost of Dave Dexter, the Untitled Beatles Podcast has unearthed a never-before-released snippet of "Carnival Of Light". Download and share with your friends, because this one’s a stunner. Better than “Revolution #9”, and yet not quite as daring as “12 Bar Original”, it’s absolutely worth hearing, and will make a fine addition to “Anthology” when it’s re-released in 2095. You don’t need to be from Barcelona or know the weirdly paced duet of the same name from Sondheim’s “Company” to geek out over this massive Beatles moment.
As Sir Paul and/or Bill Withers might have said, It’s your Carnival (Of Light), it’s a lovely day!
What’s more exciting than March Madness? March Fabness, of course! You don’t need to be Jay Bilas (or South Pacific’s Luther Billis - #RayWalston) to play along with Tony, T.J., and Producer Casey, as they dramatically determine the 2022 Fifth Beatle Champion! Also, if your whole office isn’t playing along with us, they have failed and you should quit your jobs immediately. Seriously, where are your priorities?
Round one is filled with stunning, Cinderella-story upsets on the road to the title, and along the way, Beatleworld’s Jim Pantz (#HelloFriends) and Steve Weirdo debate:
📻 Was Marsha Albert her generation’s Marcia Raubach? Related: who the f are these people?
🤮 What’s more offensive: the original “Yesterday…and Today” cover, or the limited, U.S. “Two Virgins” cover with nude Dave Dexter?
𝄢 If Stuart Sutcliffe had only lived to meet Meghan Trainor, would he be more or less about that bass?
Download your bracket here and play along! Play with us, or play with yourself! The UBP doesn’t believe in the whole “you’ll go to hell if you do” thing; hell is a construct made up to keep people in line in lieu of developing one’s own moral compass and you know what this isn’t the time or place for this we’ll do our religion episode in 2038.
March means one thing: SPORTSBALL. Or, two things: SPORTSBALL AND OFFICE GAMBLING.
But for those of us with (at best) a passing interest in sportsball, how are we supposed to get on the fun?
Fear not, fellow Fab Five aficionados! This year, the Untitled Beatles Podcast puts our brackets to better use: to finally crown THE FIFTH BEATLE.
DOWNLOAD YOUR OFFICIAL 2022 FIFTH BEATLE BRACKET HERE.
Tell your friends! Maybe start your own pool, make it interesting. We hear that some of the more reputable Vegas establishments have Magic Alex at 2000-to-1.
And stay tuned for the real action over our next two episodes, as our field of 32 contenders duke it out—once and for all—for the title of Fifth Beatle.
🏀 Who'd we miss? Who's in your Elite Eight (Days a Week) and your Final Four (the Benefit of Mr. Kite)? Come talk trash with us over on Facebook.
The Untitled Beatles Podcast’s all-time favorite “Sanford & Son” character was, obviously, Grady. So, shake it up Grady now (shake it up Grady), and join us for this deluxe, remixed, world podcast premiere of “Twitch & Shout”, the Untitled Beatles Podcast’s foray into live video on www.twitch.tv/Chicago4Real.
In this episode, we’re joined by longtime, renowned Second City producer Kelly Leonard, a fellow Beatle-nerd—and host of the "Getting to Yes, And" podcast—who shares his thoughts on “Get Back”, and more, including:
🐶 Is Kelly’s dog’s part of an unusually vacuous conspiracy cabal?
✈️ (Please read in an incensed, drunk Chicago voice) How come “Jet” has TWO b-sides, ya jagbag?
🏀🎙😴 Is WGN AM 720, your home of Northwestern Mens Basketbazzzzzzzzzzz sorry fell asleep there for a second responsible for the biggest mashup hit single of all time?
EPISODE LINKS
"Seinfeld" is one of those shows that, strangely, never caught on. Nobody’s seen it and fewer remember it. Anyway, it was a show about nothing, and so is this week’s Untitled Beatles Podcast. While working like mad in their day/night/both jobs, The Gab Two didn’t have the requisite time to do their usual, vigorous, often dangerous show prep. But they let it roll, Bob, and the result is a wild #banger, including fierce debates about:
🧤 Who would you rather step out with, John Lennon or Joe Jackson? (As in the British new-wave pianist, not Jacko’s dad. Jacko as in Michael Jackson, not Jocko, as in Jocko Marcellino, Sha Na Na’s drummer.)
🎷 Is Clarence Clemmons his generation’s Clarence Carter?
🌭 What kind of a jag bag doesn’t put grilled onions and mustard on their Polish sausage?As Phil Collins sang in 1982, “You can’t Murray Head”.
So grab a cold one (as in drink, not a person who’s been dead for a while), snuggle up with your favorite koala-type bear, put on a puffy shirt, giddy up, yada, yada, yada, and insert your own “Seinfeld” reference here.
EPISODE LINKS
Do you prefer shows about... something? WE HAVE THOSE TOO! Subscribe wherever you listen and rate and review on Apple Podcasts
When time allows, we also often talk about something and/or nothing on all your favorite social things: Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram
This is a new phase Untitled Beatles Podcast...essential to the content of seeing the film, Get Back in IMAX was that Tony & T.J. each recorded their experiences driving to the theater; in comes the warmth and general nonsense of discussing the film together in a live bar performance, as reproduced for mp4 by Producer Casey. Also in this very special episode:
📻 Baby, if you’ve ever wondered, does T.J. wax nostalgic when his favorite sitcom actor leaves the material world?
📷 Which better suits the George Martin Orchestra’s “This Boy”: Sad Ringo (not living in a van) down by the river, or Tony’s musings on the Sgt. Pepper costumes?
🤦♂️ Do the Gab (and/or Abacab) Two know if one of the most influential figures in Beatles history is alive or dead? (Spoilers: Nope.)
Take that plastic flap off your mouth holes, slam an I-talian beef or two, and enjoy this inside look at a joyous, Tony & T.J. field trip to see this remarkable film together.
EPISODE LINKS:
We don't have a Patreon (yet...?), but if you Dig It, please support the show! Subscribe wherever you listen and rate and review on Apple Podcasts
Did you catch the concert at your fine local IMAX establishment? What'd you think? Hit us up on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram
Would you look at that? It was JUST Valentimes Day! And, beloved listener, please accept our belated gift: the thrilling conclusion to our conversation about the tunes inspired by Beatle significant others.
T.J. and Tony talk tender tunes, play some Pattie (Boyd) Cake, and ponder:
💋 Which is sexiest: “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” or Lenny and the Squigtones?
🎼 Which Barry Manilow banger (#barrybanger) inspired the key change in John Lennon’s “Woman”?
🦘 Was that strange lady who made Men At Work’s Colin Hay nervous, in fact, Pattie Boyd?
It’s not too late! Get back out to your local CVS, load up on all the half-price Whitman’s Samplers, and close out your Valentimes season in the warm embrace of the Untitled Beatles Podcast.
EPISODE LINKS:
If you "like" like us, consider sending some of that valentine love our way: Subscribe wherever you listen and rate and review on Apple Podcasts
Which songs did we miss? Come yell at us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram
Would you look at that? It’s almost Valentimes Day! Better run to CVS or lastminutegiftcarddepot.oops and show that special someone how much you care. Or, better yet, you could write your lover song after song after song that will forever stand the test of time and be meaningful to millions all over the world? I mean John, Paul, & George did it, why can’t you? #FailureAlert
With so much love in the air, Tony & T.J. look at some of their favorite songs inspired by The Beatles significant others. Along the way, their hearts explode with these hot topics/wet seals:
🏄♂️ Who was more in love with baby Linda Eastman: Jan or Dean?
⚾️ If “Shipoopi” played baseball, would it bat in the two or three hole?
🛋 Is Paul’s longtime keyboard player actually a defunct furniture superstore?
EPISODE LINKS
For centuries, humankind has wondered:
What does the “B” in “B-side” stand for?
Blench? Brackle? Bywoner?
Perhaps we’ll never know.
By the by, this week T.J. and Tony bloviate brusquely about B-sides by The Beatles, like a barrel of barmy bywoners. Baby they are not rich men, but their benevolence for this band will never blench!
Be that as it may, they often brood:
🌊 Could Tony’s inimitable soprano have secured him a spot with The Beach Boys, or was he forever destined to push Al Jardine’s sad inert duck into a dusty Chicago barn?
🥯 Had T.J. attended the 14 Hour Technicolor Dream, would he and Suzy Creamcheese have become the Roseanne & Tom of the 1960s?
💥 Will Peter Jackson add the Lennon-penned onomatopoeic graphic “Chatoong!” to restored episodes of TV’s Batman? And then will Disney postpone its DVD and Blu-Ray release?
Besides, B-sides are boss! Won’t you brackle with us?
EPISODE LINKS:
All you singles looking to mingle, come take a walk on the B-side with us: Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram
Tony hates to ask, but PLEASE rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.
If your ideal “Penny Lane” ends with a trumpet riff, if you prefer “I Am The Walrus” with extra beats, if you struggle to enjoy “And I Love Her” without the longer outro: a) seek help, friend, and b) "Rarities" was a big part of your 80's Beatles experience!
Tony & T.J. deep dish on Capitol’s long-forgotten 1980 offering and the wholly different '78 U.K. version, and along the way, consider:
📻 Is “The Boombox In The Backseat Of Tony’s Car" the standout track on "Ram"?
🌈 Is mono “Don’t Pass Me By” a better song on the Capitol rainbow label?
🖖 Is Stuart Sutcliffe best remembered for his spoken contribution to the stereo “Helter Skelter”?
One audio note: this episode was sourced from an original Ron Furmanek 45. You can tell because Producer Casey's not on tambourine.
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EPISODE LINKS
Read Nicholas Schaffner’s real-time Rarities thoughts here.
Is British "Rarities" superior to the U.S. Capitol release? OK REDCOAT: save the hot takes for Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram
We like to think our show is more album track than rarity... help make sure gems like this episode see the light of day! Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.
Rage Against The Machine sang, “Know Your Enemy”. Perhaps they were really singing “Know Your NME”, in reference to the U.K. magazine’s recent ranking of *almost* every Beatles song?Turns out, TJiskel and TonEBert’s rankings differ wildly from NME’s, and each other’s! Good thing (#FineYoungCannibals) Producer Casey is there to set the record straight, as we reveal our own exhaustively exhausting rankings of the Beatles catalog, and also delve into other major Beatles news, like:
🚦Which 1982 hit-maker doubled as a traffic eye in the sky for WBBM/CBS-2?
🏀🏈 Is T.J’s Derrick Rose Beatles song Tony’s Walter Payton Beatles song?
🐣 How’s the Sgt. Pepper Chicken at official show sponsor, Kenny Rogers Roasters?
Now open (only) in the Malaysia area! Less fat, less salt, less calories: it’s the #Untitled #Beatles #Podcast!
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EPISODE LINKS
For many, the most significant Beatle fundraising contribution on record is Macca’s nonsensical gibberish on the extended mix of Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”
For Tony and T.J., it’s the George Harrison-organized “Concert For Bangla Desh,” whose 3-LP boxed set just turned 50 years old. The album and film are powerful, joyous, and iconic, filled with both bangers and ladeshers. In this episode, the Gab Two salutes their favorite moments and other hawt topics like:
🏀 Who was a better New York Knick: Eric Clapton or John Starks?
😵 Have Leon Russell and Leon Redbone ever been seen together in Belvedere, IL, or on Chicago’s Webster street?
🥁 Is Keith Moon’s most famous solo that time he f**ked up Badfinger’s drum set?
We’d appreciate if you could, uh, try and settle down and get into this episode. That’s the way (the Untitled Beatles) Pod planned it!
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EPISODE LINKS
UBP Exclusive: 85th Beatle Bruce Springsteen sang “Cover Me”. And in this Uber Deluxe Remix Archive #Gnomedition of an early episode, Producer Casey lets loose and drops in all the great (and G-d awful) covers of Beatles classics.
Get clam-baked and join us as we ponder:
🛥Does Tony groove, man, to the silky smooth sounds of Yacht Soul?
🧅 Who wins a Chicago Band-Beatle-off: The Ides Of March or The Buckinghams?
💸 What’s the deal with the (allegedly) too damn high prices at the Stax Records gift shop?
If you like Skank and Pickle - Tuesdays, on TNT - you’ll love this newly overstuffed Beatles Covers Clambake! #🦨🥒🧨
Originally published August 15, 2020
Why listen to a cover of The Beatles when The Beatles version is often the best? Because freedom!
T.J. and Tony delve into the endless jackpot of Beatle covers, including favorites, flops, and curios. They were unable to review all of them, but they did get to 136 of them. Also, Tony auditions for a rock zine and T.J. settles an old score with Judd from Latin school.
Please pardon the Zoom-related glitches, some occasional sweetening was required.
As a token of our appreciation, the Untitled Beatles Podcast has curated a playlist of Beatle covers. Listen here
Is any solo Paul and/or Wings album as controversial as “Wild Life”? (OK, fine, we see you, “Standing Stone”.) In (gently belated) honor of its 50th anniversary, Tony and T.J. kick off 2022 with a “Wild Life”-off, and debate the highs and lows of one of Macca’s most polarizing and #ekaturkel albums. Along the way, the Whatever Happened Two discuss:
🤖 Is Huey Lewis’s jazz-adjacent LP “Small World” fantastic, or merely made of plastic? Maybe Vicki knows?
🏊🏻♂️ Are early 70’s, indulgent rock guitar solos the original “Baywatch”?
🚽Was Sir Paul feelin’ alright while recording “Mumbo” because he was giving his regards to brown street at the time?
Whether you love or hate this record, one thing is for sure: it’s a classic for Thanksgiving smoochin’. Dear friends, spill the wine! Leave us an inebriated New Years Day review and like & subscribe here. And please join us for “Twitch & Shout”, live Tuesdays at 6pm CT on twitch.tv/chicago4real
It’s been a real gear year for the Untitled Beatles Podcast and it’s all due to you! ‘Spect some of you are getting out a 50¢ piece to weigh down your rare out of print Beatles Christmas Flexi Discs. For those going without these cherished “only fans” records, T.J. and Tony will cover each holiday curiosity released from 1963-1969, with noses red from holiday cheer.
In this very special holiday episode:
🍆 Ho Ho Ho! Will the boys succeed in referencing “Ding Dong” on XXXmas day?
🍗 Yeah Yeah Yeah! Since T.J. and Tony have gone right off jelly babies, will they switch to Kenny Rogers Roasters roasted chicken?
🌿 Hi Hi Hi! Was the first legal dispensary in the United States run by Mrs. Garrett from The Facts of Life?
Plus shout outs to Beedle Peedles in the Untitled Beatle Community.
Garry Crimble to you (and Garry Mimble for those who don’t celebrate Crimble) and a Happy Goo Year!
EPISODE NOTES:
🐸 Is the Muppet Show’s "Mahna Mahna" best heard in stereo or "Mahnaphonic"?
🍨 Why did Paul ask a witness to #coldstone murder to drum on "Press To Play’s" "Angry"?
🥪 Any of y’all ever spread Heinz Helmer on a sammich?
Timpani drum roll courtesy of David Skidmore, Vic Firth Percussion.
Beatle Bottoms. To some, bottoms is a synonym for “tushie”, as they say in the industry. For Tony & T.J., it’s their least favourite Fab 4 songs. And boy do they just disagree. But there ain’t no good guy, there ain’t no bad guy, there’s only this deluxe reissue of one of our favorite early episodes, reproduced for disc by Grandmaster Casey.
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[Originally released September 5, 2020]
Clickbait: Are T.J. and Tony in a Beatles cult? The answer may dumbfound you!!
In this Labor Day Spectacular (not that spectacular really) T.J. and Tony comb the floor of the Sea of Holes in search of the least fab Beatles songs. Listen for adjectives like "treacly" and "loathsome"(!).
Also included are hot takes on R.E.M. vs Barenaked Ladies, and a very brief tribute to short form improv.
Meanwhile, T.J. discloses one of his "Beatle nightmares" while Tony wears out his “Beatle bag.”
Fact cheque: "It’s All Too Much" was recorded at De Lane Lea Studios and "Baby, You’re A Rich Man" at Olympic Sound Studios.
Neither T.J. nor Tony can remember what a clavioline is.
Listen to the Beatle Bottoms playlist here.
After a whole flurry of November drops and live episodes and whatnot, this week the Untitled Beatles Podcast gets back (see what we did there?) to what we do best: Super Deluxe Reissues of our early classics. We're revisiting our review of the critically unclaimed 1978 Sgt. Pepper film, this time replete with music cues, needle drops, and other sonic shenanigans.
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[Originally published 31 October 2020]
It’s the silliest episode to date...
For Halloween, T.J. and Tony dissect the 1978 box office flop Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Robert Stigwood, Peter Frampton and the very lupine Bros. Gibb have a lot of ‘splainin' to do. THERE WILL BE SPOILERS...and fact-check buzzers!
While inside, T.J. takes Steve Martin and Sir George Martin to task and Tony offers a hot take on the television show Emergency!
Due to a technical error, Tony was forced to put on a T.J. costume and re-record T.J.’s keyboard parts in post, with note-for-note precision. He hopes he passed the audition.
Dust off your cheaply-made Pepper outfit and Trip or Treat to this delightful monstrosity in the Beatles story.
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EPISODE LINKS
Help out our mighty show! Tell your friends, review us on Apple, and like and subscribe wherever you listen.
Come yell about what we got right and what we got wrong over on Facebook.
Join T.J., Tony, and Casey for live episodes of Twitch & Shout Tuesdays at 6PM CT over on the Chicago4Real Twitch stream.
Here we go! GET BACK IS HERE, and T.J., Tony, and Casey wolfed down their turkey so they could get back onto Twitch and talk all about it with their Untitled Beatles Podfriends.
Spoilers abound! But let's be real, if you haven't watched Part 1 yet, that's on you.
We hope your holiday has been harmonious, and we hope to see you 'round the clubs. (Or Friday and Saturday night, right back here on Twitch!)
Thanks again to our friends at Chicago4Real for hosting all our shenanigans!
IT HAS ARRIVED.
AND WE CAN'T WAIT TO TALK ABOUT IT.
WE HOPE YOU'LL JOIN US.
THURSDAY / FRIDAY / SATURDAY @ 10 PM ET / 9 CT / 7 PT
To gear up for this week's momentous release of the Get Back documentary series, Tony and T.J. went live on the ol' Twitch to:
🍳 Review this week’s Breakfast With the Beatles playlist by Chicago radio legend Terri Hemmert
📽 Set the stage for the weekend with a (thin crust) deep dish into the 1970 Michael Lindsey-Hogg documentary Let It Be
🗣 And field all sorts of fab fan comments along the way.
It was a blast! Special thanks to everyone who came out and joined the conversation. The only thing more fun than making this show is making it with all of you in the virtual room alongside us. So much fun that we're trying something new: releasing this special edition VIDEO PODCAST.
And if you missed it, don't sweat, we'll be back on Twitch this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evening to talk about each day's Get Back release. We hope we'll see you there!
Thanks again to our friends at Chicago4Real for hosting us!
🍏 IT’S GET BACK WEEK!
And to celebrate, the Untitled Beatles Podcast is GOING LIVE. T.J. and Tony present Twitch and Shout, a live, loose conversation about all things Beatles.
Tune in on Twitch tonight to join in the conversation, as the guys:
🍳 Review this week’s Breakfast With the Beatles playlist by Chicago radio legend Terri Hemmert
📽 Get geared up for the weekend with a (thin crust) deep dish into the 1970 Michael Lindsey-Hogg documentary Let It Be
🗣 And field all your questions and comments along the way.
LIVE STREAM DETAILS:
And if that wasn't enough, we'll be back on Twitch this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evening to talk about each day's Get Back release. It's just too momentous; we just can't wait. So gobble up that turkey, squeeze in some quality time with the in-laws, and come join us to talk all things Get Back.
Many thanks to our fine friends at Chicago4Real for hosting us on their channel.
Move over thrice!!! As part three of our Let It Be 50th Anniversary gabfest, T.J. and Tony inspect the Glyn Johns mixes of 1969's Get Back LP, along with the 12" 4-song EP. Then they crack open the new Get Back book, providing Cliff Notes (and Norm Notes) for its 200 pages, give or take a two. Along the way:
📻 Tony reveals the identity of the villain who calls in all those pesky Beatles covers to 93 XRT
🎸 T.J. offers Garageband tutorials on editing out the new pre-song chatter to "Don't Let Me Down"
🚀 We can all agree that everything sounds better when it is "Super High Mastered"
All that and an order of cheese sauce! The sounds of laughter are inciting and inviting you ho-ho hee-hee ha-ha...
Do you like the Untitled Beatles Podcast? Well then picture the fingers pressing Subscribe wherever you enjoy podcasts. Then leave us a review - you can make it longer if you like the style, you can change it round cuz we want you to be an Untitled Beatles Podcast Subscriber.
Move over twice! It's Part 2 of the runaway train that is The Untitled Beatles Podcast as it careens around the Let It Be 50th anniversary box set. This week T.J. and Tony wax ecstatic about Side Two's 2021 mixes then trade favorite studio outtakes. Also, they grumble about what was curiously left off, though they don't know why they're moaning.
Along the way they ask:
📦 Who packaged it better: Universal Music Group or Dr. Ebbetts?
👄 How many ways can two people pronounce the word “warble”?
🎭 What is the name of Paul McCartney’s improv workshoppe and do current students get a discount?
Plus a "controversial" word has T.J. stumbling into blooper hell. You'd hate to miss this train, oh yeah!
Timpani drumroll courtesy of David Skidmore and Vic Firth Percussion.
Does this podcast attract you like a pomegranate? Subscribe to us here! And, perhaps leave us a review - even if it's just to see what your name looks like on the internet.
It may have arrived (without traveling/and to prove it, it’s here) a year late, but the Let It Be 50th anniversary box set is finally in our hands. To date, we have 4 LPs! Multiple CDs! BluRay audio! One random EP! And a book! And another book! There’s so much to digest in this universally excellent deluxe set and Get Back book, that this is officially a THREE PART EPISODE. Buckle up, Untitled Beatle People... And, sure, you can say Part 1 of this deep dish is attractively built, even if you’ve never let us be naked. Uh, what? Exactly. And as if there wasn’t a ton of Let It Be material to cover, Tony & T.J. still find time to ask the hard questions, like:
🧇 Who released better 45s, The Beatles or The Waffle House?
Ü Is T.J.’s favorite Hansen song "Umlaut"?
🎙 Should Tony get a "Poddy" (a podcast Emmy, maybe?) for his dramatic reenactment of Paul McCartney’s letter to Allen Klein?
As Hulk Hogan once said, "You don’t need drugs to move your feet. So when the dealer tries to push on you, just tell him: leave me alone, I’m subscribing to the Untitled Beatles Podcast here!" And, maybe leave us a review wherever you listen, lest Rowdy Roddy Piper’s ghost come back to F you up.
The Samples are among Vermont’s finest exports, along with “Newhart”. We don’t get into either in Part 2 of The Beatles & Sampling, but we do explore how DJ’s and better-than-tribute-bands took the work of The Beatles and other artists to weird and sometimes unexpectedly great places. Along the way, DJ’s “Mama” Cas and “This Yam Is Your” Yam yif yif yif about a lot more, like:
🍌 Is joining The Banana Convention worth the risk of smoking, even if the stakes are a dance at Stephen Decatur high school on Saturday night?
👶🏻 Does the new Nirvana “Nevermind” 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition include their rare duet with the Pointer Sisters?
🎸 Anyone up for a GoFundMe to help Beatallica sue the “Yesterday” movie for stealing one of their signature bits?
All this, plus Tony damn straight guaranteeing that we will get to the “Let It Be” 50th and Get Back book next week, and the week after that, and the week after that… Download & subscribe here and here. And leave a review or some likes if you’re feelin’ randy. And maybe ask Randy first.
This week, the Untitled Beatles Podcast introduces new hosts, Casio and Yamaha, who kick off a two-parter all about The Beatles and sampling.
From “Yellow Submarine” to, arguably, the greatest Beatles single, “Movie Medley”, Cas & Yam go over some of their favorite samples used by the Fabs and, later, disco-lovin’ producers who were not at all on loads of cocaine. Along the way, the Gab Two get down to the nitty gritty Beatles hot topics the old hosts were, frankly, too cowardly to address, like:
🤠Who would you rather see at legendary Chicago venue Schubas: Cowboy Mouth or Hillbilly Teeth?
⚾️ Does Tony bat 1.000 while strenuously trying to pronounce difficult European last names?
💡Where does T.J. place 37th Beatle Kenny Loggins on the list of great artists who, like Steve Perry, obviously influenced the Beatles?
To all of our priest listeners, we say sit you down, Father, rest you…as you download and subscribe to our show here. And if you leave us a review, Cas and Yam will send you totally legal re-enactments of laugh track-free episodes of M*A*S*H.
Extra! Texture! Is not featured in this episode. This one’s chock-full of #BreakingBeatlesNews, of which there’s been a lot these last few weeks. Tony & T.J. delve into Ringo’s new E.P., Macca’s eye-opening interview in The New Yorker, the first released tracks from the "Let It Be" remix, and much more. Along the way, they ponder/pander:
Did Ringo have a Babyfaced "Premonition" while watching a John Travolta flick in ‘96 that would Change The World?
Did Tony’s steadfast allegiance to Phar-Mor help destroy an iconic Chicagoland record store chain?
Is nudie T.J. always Yoko, or only when re-enacting the cover of Tetragrammaton’s hundred seller, "Two Virgins"?
Look, folks, Tony and T.J. are the Ron Magers and Carol Marin of Beatles podcasts. (Producer Casey is a respectable Allison Rosati.) So trust us to give it to you straight, on A Collection of Beatles Newsies, dateline 16 October 2021, Chicago, U.S.A.
Subscribe here, yell at us on Facebook and please support the show - your likes and reviews make a huge difference!
In honour of John Lennon's 81st birthday (8+1=9...⛎👽), we're celebrating our favourite solo songs from Dr. Winston O'Boogie, with an extra-enhanced reissue of our eleventh episode (11 minus 1 minus 1 = 9...👽♋️), augmented with all the bells, whistles, and buzzers you've come to expect from The Beatles Podcast with No Name. In this 2.0...
🔧 Could building supervisor Dwayne Schneider have saved John's "One Day at a Time" from becoming pop pap?
🧪 T.J. entertains a conspiracy about proto-punk art rockers The Tubes
🧳 Tony laments his inability to become a hobo and somehow equates it with his personality being more "Paul"
EPISODE LINKS
Long live Long John!
[Originally issued August 8, 2020]
After a brief tease of their other hit podcast “Talkin’ Prov,” T.J. and Tony delve into their favorite solo John Lennon songs. During which, Tony explores therapy for his relationship with Catholicism, and T.J. ponders the whereabouts of Vanessa Williams.
Attention linguists: In this episode T.J. coins the word “bagpack” while Tony employs the adjective “CD-shaped.”
Plus, T.J. and Tony swap “getting dosed” stories.
Facked cheque: John Cage beat everyone to the silent punch with “4’33”” in 1952.
Before the red and blue albums, there was “Hey Jude”—a massively popular compilation album that included many stone cold Fabs classics, none of which had previously appeared in glorious Full Dimensional Stereo™ on a Capitol LP. In the early CD era, this million-selling title—like most all of the Capitol albums—was banished to obscurity, finally resurfacing in 2014.
Tony & T.J. break down this LP (and 8-track) that meant so much to fellow Beatlenerds like us for the two decades following the break up.
This week’s episode does not mess around (or make it bad) when it comes to Hot Fab Topics, including:
The Beatles Again? Yeah fine, but even better (that’s a stretch) it’s Tony & T.J. … Again.
EPISODE NOTES
Imagine the "Imagine" album has more songs than just "Imagine"...
The landmark record just celebrated its 50th anniversary, and in this week's deep dish Part 2, Tony & T.J. examine eight more excellent Lennon songs, plus another that remains controversial for those of us who don't think the only thing Paul ever did was "Yesterday". Along the way, the Flux Diddlers™ manage to find the time to address topics they won't dare touch on Sirius/XM's (uniformly excellent) The Beatles Channel, including:
🐶 Is "The Floppy Show" the Des Moines area's greatest contribution to popular culture?
💿 Was Wes Anderson's most unfortunate misstep leaving 80s hitmakers Level 42 off of the "Rushmore" soundtrack?
🍆 Did Chicago Bulls center Luc Longley - a.k.a. "The Australian Olajuwon" - inspire a phallic, early 90s reggae classic?
EPISODE LINKS:
Boyz II Men once paid tribute to John and Paul when they sang, "It's so hard to say goodbye...to yesterday". We hope you'll pay tribute to us by downloading and listening to this episode, and please consider us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, mall record store FYE, or wherever you get your podcasts.
And leave us your thoughts and comments on Insta if you're semi-old and Facebook if you're as old as hell like we are.
Most casual John Lennon fans pick “Sometime In NYC” as their favorite solo album (hashtag Attica State). But for us die-hards, "Imagine" ranks as either #1 or #2.
This week, Tony & T.J. consider this seminal record on its 50th anniversary, looking at the album’s history and the immense staying power of its title track. (You “It’s So Hard” fans will have to wait until Part 2, next week!)
Along the way, the Fab Two™, with Producer Casey’s expertise, also examine these hard-hitting Lennon topics:
How a 1981 episode of “WKRP In Cincinnati” artfully referenced Lennon to presage today’s cuckoo crazy culture wars
Which Chicago expressway has more hits on the Billboard charts #MattBusby
Why cruise ship Elvis impersonators rely so heavily on arrhythmic hippy hippy hip shaking and incoherent mumbling
All this and more, now with a very 1987-y “Digitally Remastered” banner added to the front cover!
EPISODE LINKS:
It's the super deluxe reissue of our Star Club Tapes episode, remixed and remastered using the latest in "Mach Schau" technology. These excerpts of "The Little Beatles" in Germany will make you so hungry for live music, you could eat a Christmas horse!
[Originally issued September 12, 2020]
Pills, Punk, and Knuckle-Dusters!
This week T.J. and Tony zip, zap and zop thru the long out-of-print collection of lo-fi recordings of the Fab Four in Hamburg.
Also, T.J. tries out both his sexy voice and his creepy voice (it's two different voices) while Tony dogs on Ferris Bueller. And they accidentally do a Harold...we think.
Get out your Grundig reel-to-reel tape recorder and bootleg this episode. It could be worth something someday!
EPISODE LINKS
Like the Dark Horse, we too love dig! And this week T.J. & Tony love digging thru the demos and “party record” from the 8-LP All Things Must Pass 50th Anniversary Box Set, prompting Frankie Crisp-like musings such as:
Plus T.J. scores pajama points with the estates of Adler and Ross! Oh, and don’t invite Tony to “drum” for your outdoor acoustic guitar jam. Isn’t it a pity this couldn’t be a 3-parter?
Brought to you by The Pope and General Motors.
EPISODE LINKS
George Harrison’s absolute masterpiece (no, not “Gone Troppo”) has been remixed at last, in a deluxe boxed set, and myriad configurations. (Why save for retirement when you can own the #DeluxeGnomeEdition for only $1K?) Regardless of how you listen, it’s clear that the new 50th anniversary edition of “All Things Must Pass” sparkles and shines like never before. To our ears, it’s the definitive way to hear this essential record.
In Part One of our Deep Dish on this long-awaited reissue, Tony & T.J. delve into this gorgeous package - ahem, #DingDongDingDong - and the stunning Paul Hicks remix of the original triple album. Is this the greatest Beatles-related boxed set to date? We’ll address that and more, including:
Part Two arrives next week, where we’ll get into albums four through eight; assuming Tony hasn’t scratched them while DJ’ing in the L.A. club scene.
EPISODE LINKS
In this thrilling conclusion, T.J. and Tony get Lost in Space (and Portugal) while rummaging thru the songs John, Paul and George gave to other artists—P.J. Proby, Mary Hopkin, Badfinger, Jackie Lomax and more. The embarrassment of riches is sure to send you into a lap slappin’ frenzy.
As usual, the fellas pose hard-hitting questions such as:
Plus cameo appearances by local plumbers from Tony’s crackerbox palace.
Today’s episode was compiled by guest editor L’anJello Peculiarissimo.
EPISODE LINKS
Not every Lennon and McCartney tune made its way onto a Beatles record, but that didn’t mean they had to hide away gathering dust, only to be released on some future 20-disc rarities box set. The greatest songwriting duo in history also kicked some of their work over to other artists making their names in the 60s—Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, Cilla Black, the Fourmost, some scrappy Londoners calling themselves the Rolling Stones, etc.—and this week T.J. and Tony share some of their four-fab faves the Beatles gave away. And maybe also a couple of tossers.
While they’re at it, they also made some time to:
Buckle up! It's gonna be a two parter.
* Please no stealing our amazing podcast ideas
EPISODE LINKS
Commonly regarded (by no one) as one of the greatest post-Beatles solo projects of all time, this week T.J. and Tony finally dish deep upon Ringo Starr’s 1983 masterpiece, “Old Wave.” True to its title, Ringo and Joe Walsh teamed up to make a mid-70s record that was so hot, it wasn’t even originally released in the U.S.
Thankfully, in 2021, this rarity can be easily found on the internet to stream. Which is great news for fans, not so great news for T.J.’s side hustle selling bootleg burned German import CDs out of his trunk at the Lincoln Mall in Matteson.
Between tracks, the guys take a couple detours to revisit:
And, in what we have to assume is another first in podcast history, we may just take a quick pause to enjoy two full minutes of Chicagoland’s WGBO Super 66, originally broadcast in January, 1986.
We don’t want to overhype this episode or anything, but let's just say it beats sleep.
EPISODE LINKS
What type of Macca apprecionado are you…a “Live and Let Die”-harder, a casual “Maybe I’m Amazed” fair-weather type, or an ironically distanced, “Check My Machine” troll?
In this, the final installment of our “McCartney 3,2,1” deep dish, T.J. and Tony discuss episodes 4, 5, and 6 of Rick Rubin’s “Hulu and chill” with Sir Paul, covering both his modern standards and less-celebrated obscurities.
Chock-full of Beatle conspiracies and high noon standoffs, this episode will have you wondering:
Polish your anvil and set your Moogs to fab, this episode is worthy of the Sledge-O-Matic!
EPISODE LINKS
The 3,2,1 saga continues...
In this episode T.J. and Tony go over the recent Hulu 6-part docuseries "McCartney 3,2,1" with a fine-toothed comb, in which "Shoeless" Rick Rubin explores Sir Paul's 20th century catalogue with the precision of a pedicure cuticle nipper. #wikifeet/RickRubin
In this bonus mid-week splash, we'll deep dish on Episodes 2 and 3, with enough nostalgia to feed your inner-Curt Claudio, plus:
• T.J. plays his favorite chillwave song
• Tony becomes the new Al Sharpton
• And a deleted scene from Space Jam 2.
EPISODE LINKS
Did we leave out your favorite Children's Television Workshop program? Engage with us on our Facebook page
Give peace and love* to your favorite (untitled) Beatles podcast! Rate and review us on Apple or wherever you listen
*no more autographs
Like most Macca productions, this one hasn’t gotten a lot of publicity, but didja hear that all six episodes of "McCartney 3,2,1" recently dropped on Hulu? Legendary music producer/everyone’s favorite uninvited Tittenhurst house guest, Rick Rubin, interviews Sir Paul on some of the most important - and, sometimes, completely random- tracks he ever recorded in his unmatched career. So check your (podcast) machine and get ready for a look at the background of this incredibly satisfying love-fest from M.P.L. and co. It’s a little like Paul’s version of "The Last Dance," though "3,2,1" shamefully omits any interviews with B.J. Armstrong, the 271st Beatle. It’s the film’s one big flaw.
We’ll deep dish on Episodes 2-6 next week; but in this week's show, we’ll tackle Episode 1, plus all the pressing topics real Beatles fans are dying to know, like:
Be forewarned, spoilers abound, both about "3,2,1" and also Run D.M.C.'s 1988 film "Tougher Than Leather." Please send all angry e-mails, both about this and your life-in general, to Tony, also known as Producer Casey.
EPISODE LINKS
Come do your best Rick Rubin head nod over on our Facebook page
Help out your favorite (untitled) show! Rate and review us on Apple or wherever you listen
Do kids still start their mornings with Jolt Cola Cereal™
Who’s more bad-ass, Horst Fascher or Ivan Drago?
Bring your best unimpressed Malcolm McDowell impressions over to our Facebook page
Help out your favorite (untitled) show! Rate and review us on Apple or wherever you listen
Take it off! Wait, leave some on! In anticipation of the continuing delay of Peter Jackson's Get Back film, T.J. and Tony react to the recent Vanity Fair teaser about said project, then delve into the first revisionist history attempt of The Beatles swan song, 2003's Let It Be... Naked.
They dissect the merits and flaws of these stripped down "newer phase" mixes, and reveal which bits they prefer clothed. Meanwhile, Tony impresses T.J. with his Star Wars knowledge, T.J. impresses non-listeners with his musical theatre knowledge, and the two explore Harry Caray backwards masking, Rappin' Rodney and the cola wars.
As always our producer Casey comes to the rescue with any trivia T.J. and Tony deem too difficult to google. We hope you dig this episode as much as you dig a pony or a pygmy… Naked.
EPISODE LINKS
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1970-71 was a prolific period for Beatles solo releases, and so last month we were blessed with yet another 50th anniversary edition of an iconic album: Paul and Linda McCartney's RAM. Tony and T.J. use the occasion to deep dish their favorite solo Paul work. And while they're at it:
SO. MUCH. LENNON. It took us a couple episodes to tear through this groundbreaking collection of remixes, outtakes, and demos,.Tony and T.J. share their favorite tracks and moments from the Plastic Ono Band 51st Itanniversary Ultimate Collection discs 3 through 6—and there are many among the 4 1/2 hours and 75 tracks on the 4 discs. Along the way:
This week, the guys finally get to dig into the COVID-delayed 51st anniversary edition of what is arguably the greatest post-Beatles Fab Four solo album: John Lennon's Plastic Ono Band (1970).
The Ultimate Collection contains far more than can be covered in a single podcast, so in Part 1, T.J. and Tony tackle the first two discs of the sprawling boxed set, including the Ultimate Mix collection of the original album tracks, as well as the Ultimate Mix outtakes.
The long-awaited compilation may be exhaustive, but does it include any of the long rumoured (and some might say fictional) rarities like:
Tune in to find out!
EPISODE LINKS:
The British Rubber Soul is for the birds! OK, that might be a little aggressive. The album's a masterpiece, but T.J. and Tony make a pretty compelling argument that nobody really misses "What Goes On," and that Dave Dexter's U.S. version for Capitol Records is just a superior collection.
It's so fine.
It's sunshine.
It's PART TWO of our U.S. Rubber Soul deep dish. And along the way, we ponder:
"Run For Your Life" may not age well, but we like to think our dumb Peter Cetera jokes will. YOU BE THE JUDGE.
EPISODE LINKS:
Hey hey! It's our birthday, and we're gonna have a good time. And amazingly, T.J. managed to do an entire year's worth of podcasts before finally cutting loose on his all-time favorite version of his all-time favorite album: the Capitol Records U.S. edition of Rubber Soul. Dave Dexter helps the Fab Four find their inner folksters, and, not to spoil the podcast or anything: TONY AND T.J. ENTHUSIASTICALLY APPROVE.
In Part 1 of their deep dish, the guys remember how they first discovered Rubber Soul, compare and contrast the U.S. and British releases, and dig into the first few tracks. But there's so much good stuff to talk about, we'll have to finish out the album in Part 2 next week.
As always, we got a little distracted along the way, making sure to cover crucial tangents like:
Really, we can't believe we've been at this for a whole year (or that we still haven't come up with a title for the podcast). We couldn't do it without this wonderful community of Fab Four fanatics. Thanks for coming along on this long and meandering road, and here's to another trip around the sun!
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This week T.J. and Tony follow the Fab Four "under the equator" (as they say) for their ripping June 1964 concert in Melbourne, Australia. It's the rare show that captures the Beatles in peak performance shape, and in high quality audio and video. The guys go through track-by-track, and also find time to cover:
So pack your bags; we're headed for Australia! Insert Men At Work joke here.
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Dust off your mellotrons! It's the long-awaited, thrilling conclusion of last week's deep dish into MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR. Picking up where they left off—on Side 2 of the Capitol US LP—Tony and T.J. tease apart some of the Fab Four's most iconic songs, including...
Strawberry Fields
Baby You're a Rich Man (the Fat Boys version)
All You Need is Love (the Beat Bugs version)
Shirley's Wild Accordion
...and so much more! So pack your bags, buckle up, and let us take you down through some of the grooviest tunes in the Beatles canon.
EPISODE LINKS
Dive deeper into the tunes from this week's episode in our Pandora playlist.
Was Roy Orbison's death a hit job? Drop your hot conspiracy tips on our Facebook page.
HELP SPREAD THE WORD! Rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen.
ROLL UP! T.J. and Tony have been waiting over 50 episodes to take you away on a journey into the psychedelic 1967 Beatles classic "Magical Mystery Tour." The album, not the movie. Well, the U.K. EP and side 2 of the U.S. LP. Because that's how we roll up.
Along the way, you just might learn:At long last, T.J. and Tony review Sir Paul's magnum opus: Give My Regards to Broad Street. Starring and written by Paul McCartney, the 1984 movie was panned by critics and audiences alike, but brought us some of Paul's best music of the decade ("No More Lonely Nights"), and some of his worst remakes of his best music from decades past (lookin' at you, "Long and Winding Road").
This long and rambling podcast leads to all the usual goofs and giggles, and—as far as we're able to ascertain—what we believe to be the first reference to the theme music from NBC's "The Days & Nights of Molly Dodd" in podcasting history. And what movie review is complete without also covering the Commodore 64 video game adaptation?
Movie viewing recommended (you might be able to find it on YouTube), but certainly not required. Good times guaranteed either way, or your money back.
EPISODE LINKSIt's another BONUS EDITION to cover some breaking news from the Beatlesverse. Tony and TJ tackle the first album release in a decade from George Harrison's Dark Horse Records—Joe Strummer's posthumous Assembly—and another sneak peek Plastic Ono Band Ultimate Mix of one of John's sweetest tunes, "Look at Me."
But really, the guys are just using these new releases as an excuse to talk about musical theater, John Lennon's love of cats (and Cats), TJ's love of Tucker, Tony's blasphemous lack of love for Prince, and a whole lot more.
We're back with a full episode Saturday morning, but in the meantime, send your hate mail over to our Facebook page.
Missing live music as much as we are? This week we offer you an hour-long escape to 1966 Japan, where the Fab Four played their iconic concerts at Budokan. Maybe not their most polished performances, but definitely memorable, and definitely a portrait of the Beatles in a critical moment of transition, fresh off their Revolver recording sessions.
We've got lots of music in store for you, along with:
All of TJ's favorite 1980s deodorant and bratwurst commercials
A bit of Tony's junior high pop music lust
A tribute to the great Terri Hemmert and her commitment to awful Beatles covers
And, of course, the obligatory cheap shots at poor Pete Best.
EPISODE LINKS:
Enjoy this week's Pandora playlist.
Come geek out with us on Facebook.
Like what you hear? Leave us a review or subscribe anywhere you get podcasts.
In the heat of the mid-70s desperate anticipation of a Beatles reunion, the mysterious Canadian band Klaatu released an out-of-this-world album that listeners couldn't help but speculate had been secretly recorded by... some other fabulous foursome. Tony and TJ pick apart the enduring enigma surrounding 3:47 EST. And, in the process:
It's rare that TJ and Tony get the chance to deep-dish about NEW RELEASES from the Fab Four, but last week, Ringo Starr dropped his new "Zoom In" EP.
Could it be his best work since "Vertical Man"? Will Tony etch another record into his Solo Beatles Mount Rushmore? (Spoiler: NO.)
We also check out the newly released Plastic Ono Band bonus track "It'll Be Me" featuring John, Ringo, Klaus Voorman, and Billy Preston, as well as a couple of early George Martin experimental synth tracks slated for a remix and reissue in May.
As always, things get a little wacky.
TJ geeks out about 1990's Live from Knebworth
Tony gives Ringo the Pete Best cold shoulder
And have you heard Ringo's long-rumored Nine Inch Nails collaboration?
Here's to the songs we might not remember,
With a podcast we won't forget.
LINKS:
Check out this week's Pandora playlist.
We want to hear your hot take on pandemic-era Ringo. Shout at us on Facebook.
Like what you hear? Leave us a review or subscribe anywhere you get podcasts.
We are back from our hiatus with a brand new episode! In which TJ and Tony evaluate some brand new Fab Four content! (OR IS IT?)
This week, we dig into:
And, of course, all the usual shenanigans, tangents, needle drops, Bernard Purdie mythology, classic TV sitcom talk, and JUST MAYBE... the debut of a never-before-heard Olivia Newton John collaboration.
LINKS
More new episodes are coming soon, but today Tony and TJ have pressed a limited edition light green vinyl of another classic episode exclusively for their top fans on Spotify. Personally curated by Producer Casey, the fresh remix and remaster of Discovering the Beatles features an A-List assortment of musical moments and nostalgic needle drops. A limited quantity is available for this offer - while supplies last - so act quickly!
[FROM JULY 2020] TJ and Tony take their long and rambling road down memory lane, reminiscing about discovering the Fab Four for the first time, with detours to Grease, Webster and NBC-era Letterman.
Shout-outs to Pear Records, Denny Dent and Valerie Harper.
Fact cheque please: D.A. Pennebaker not Pennemaker, Sherman Hemsley not Helmsley.
Special "She's So Heavy" style edit courtesy of Zoom.
LINKS:
The guys go all Dave Dexter this week, issuing a remixed, remastered, special deluxe vinyl edition of their August 2020 deep dish into the Help! LP. More music, more goofs, maybe a little extra reverb, but always the same classic Tony and TJ tangents.
[FROM AUGUST 2020] For the 55th anniversary of the Help! album, TJ and Tony go track by track, offering hot takes on Maureen Cleave and a cautionary tale for prospective buyers of the Back to the Future III soundtrack.
LINKS:
Listen to this week's Pandora playlist
Help! our fine show, and leave us a review or subscribe anywhere you get podcasts
Shout at us and let us know what you want to hear on our Facebook page
It seems almost unfathomable, but this past week would’ve been George Harrison’s 78th birthday, almost 20 years after his body exited the material world. In honor of that melancholy milestone, Tony & T.J. do a deep dish into his last album of new material, 2002’s Brainwashed; much of which was recorded as George knew he was dying. It’s a poignant, beautiful record, which gets its proper due here, but of course doesn’t stop the Untitled Duo from their usual insane diversions; including, but not limited to:
LINKS:
Love is in the air, and for Tony, TJ, and the Fab Four, it's more than just holding hands. This Valentine's Day, the guys present some of their favorite Beatles love songs. Not the 1977 Love Songs compilation; not the 2006 Cirque du Soleil soundtrack. They cut straight to the good stuff. We're talking:
The gang continues its exploration of the early U.S. Capitol Records releases, this week covering the covers-heavy Beatles' Second Album.
Tony owns up to his early underestimation of this classic
TJ goes to bat for his official Fifth Beatle
Bryan Adams brings his piano to your mom's porch
And we think we've maybe stumbled upon the next great (grown-ups only) classic rock radio format, just in case this whole podcast thing doesn't pan out
Apologies in advance to the City of Sacramento, and those who are sensitive to explicit language.
LINKS:
For this week's show, Tony and TJ blast their current favorite Fab Four solo tracks into the side of a mountain for everyone to see and hear. It's a long and meandering drive to the Black Hills of South Dakota, but along the way:
This week TJ and Tony dust off their "Sneak Previews" sweaters to review the cult classic Caveman, starring Ringo Starr.
Is this difficult-to-stream comedy superior to A Hard Day's Night?
Is this hard-to-watch romp more enjoyable than Two Virgins?
Is it better than a stag film shown in a small room at Beatlefest 81?
In this spoiler-laden assessment, the Tangential Two wax nostalgic about the golden era of NBC's Thursday night line-up, Ribbie and Roobarb, and a pre-Fox television landscape.
Meanwhile, R.E.M. finds their way within blowtorch range of a Barenaked Ladies/They Might Be Giants hot take. Plus TJ and Tony dream of turning this celluloid oddity into a cruise ship musical that's sure to win a coveted "Code Oscar."
See you at the movies!
As a bonus podcast, we have an excerpt from Twitch & Shout on the Chicago4Real Twitch Channel, in which TJ and Tony acknowledge the passing of legendary murderer and record producer Phil Spector. They discuss his connection to the Fab Four and the complications of assessing the artistic work of a convicted killer.
Plus an excerpt from I Dream of Jeannie!
This was originally broadcast on January 18, 2021.
To brighten up this winter of discontent, the Untitled Beatles Podcast resurrects a buried American classic, the Fab Four's Capitol debut Meet The Beatles.
TJ and Tony will get geeky and soapboxy about mixes and pressings (as everyone knows "T" stands for "Mono") while expressing their love for this unstreamable masterpiece.
Meanwhile, TJ confuses Porgy and Bess with Toto, and Tony confuses a Music Man tune with a groan-inducing improv warm up game. Plus a few Star Wars references fall off the truck.
Our producer Casey Baker made a playlist of the original album made from the most recent mixes available, as Dave Dexter would NOT have intended. Enjoy that on Pandora and YouTube.
Is the latest in the McCartney trilogy his best? Only the Untitled Beatles Podcast knows...
While TJ's fractured arm continues to mend, he and Tony have the rare treat of reviewing a brand new album from a living Beatle, 2020's McCartney III.
They touch on life during "Rockdown," friendly differences in musical taste (Black Keys vs. Blues Explosion), and speculate about members of Wings as Fat Albert characters.
For Chicagophiles, TJ’s “Angry Chicago Jagoff” character makes a return, and they pay a brief tribute to investigative journalist Pam Zekman.
Get deep down on this deep deep dish!
While TJ mends a newly fractured arm, the Untitled Beatles Podcast explores Sir Paul’s strangest record, 1980’s McCartney II.
What this episode lacks in live piano accompaniment, it makes up for in analog synthesizers and bonehead needle drops, as TJ and Tony do battle over "Temporary Secretary," "On The Way," and "Front Parlour." Other bouts include TLC vs En Vogue and ET vs M&Ms.
By the end of this unnecessary special edition, you'll know which kind of retail sandwich this album most resembles. Check your machine!
The first in a series of the Untitled Beatles Podcast’s exploration of the “McCartney” albums kicks off with the cute one’s 1970 solo debut.
TJ and Tony make a case for its greatness and its weakness in the context of other solo Beatle ventures that year while revealing which Breakfast Club members they most identified with.
Also, what if Lady Madonna and The Fool On The Hill had made it?
Meanwhile a random Joe Jackson reference unwittingly unlocks a turbulent used car memory for Tony in the California desert of the 90s, and TJ ponders an incontinent Rocky Raccoon.
It should also be noted that Don Mattingly bats left/throws left.
Q: Is this a Beatles podcast or Gen X pop culture therapy?
A: It's both.
Picking up where they left off, the Tangential Two cherry pick their favorite moments and quirks from Revolver to Let It Be, and including Past Masters. Spoiler: Tony likes it when Beatles scream and lions supposedly roar.
Along the way they reveal "Beatle insiders" shorthand, explore deep Brady Bunch, and connect the “ying” and yang of cruise ship spas and rodeo rap-rock.
Plus more fun needle drops and Beatle drips. This podcast originally came with a 24-page full color picture book, but is now covered up by an ugly purple bar.
From squeaky bass drum pedals to orgasmic yeahs, TJ and Tony divulge their favorite moments and quirks from the Beatles recorded catalog, covering Please, Please Me to Rubber Soul.
Along the way, TJ tells us what life was like when Benson was on television while Tony ponders what we may hear on future Beatle reissues.
Hopefully this episode will secure the Untitled Beatles Podcast a slot on MeTV Radio...or at least make their bone phones ring.
A bonus podcast recorded on the 40th anniversary of John Lennon's death.
Broadcasted live on Chicago 4 Real on twitch, TJ and Tony celebrate John Winston Ono Lennon, with lots of visual references you will just have to Imagine.
Heads up: Audio is as is and Tony comes in loud.
Long live Long John
It's the 50th anniversary of TJ and Tony's favorite solo Beatle LP, John Lennon's 1970 LP Plastic Ono Band. While we wait for the Ultimate Mixes, the tangential two discuss the minutiae of this deceptively simple record.
Like classic male improvisers, TJ and Tony honor Lennon’s most personal, open wound of an album by deflecting from their own emotions with bits and pop culture references to Huey Lewis, Chuck Biscuits, backward baseball caps, and Toni Basil. Meanwhile, Tony confuses Curly Sue with Beethoven.
It's enough to make you seek primal scream therapy.
It's part two of TJ and Tony's deep dish on George Harrison's greatest solo set, All Things Must Pass.
Everyone's favorite "B+ Beatles fans" celebrate sides 3-6, while dawging on Allen and Betty Klein & Company, because their perfunkt had a three on it.
Like an unnecessary LP of general jamming, Tony reveals his favorite minor league baseball player name and why Anne Murray terrified him as a child.
You're welcome for the pepperoni!
George Harrison's six-sided, 2/3 masterpiece All Things Must Pass is celebrated in true Untitled Beatles Podcast fashion, with fun facts, recycled bits and enough giggles to fill a superfluous third LP.
In the first of a two-part series, TJ and Tony discuss the quiet Beatle's greatest work, even though Phil Spector's production gives Tony a "wah wah." Fab tangents include record stores, grocery stores and dollar stores. Plus, TJ revives an old favorite from his time at Harand Camp.
Settle in for a podcast of mountain tops and vast digressions.
It's time to serve up a deep dish of The Beatles most colorful LP with a b/w cover.
In this episode, TJ and Tony talk ADT, LSD, Geoff Emerick recording techniques, and the Alan Civil War. Plus diversions into the goth Lennon & McCartney, Rupert the Bear, The Frogs, and the Soul Train Scramble Board.
Revolver's track-by-track musings come augmented with enough collector scum needle drops to power a small, fab village, including a sample of their favorite punching bag, 60s Capitol Records honcho Dave Dexter.
Turn off your mind, relax and float tangentially.
It's election month in the US and the Untitled Beatles Podcast is cautiously optimistic.
After paying lip service to the recently released John Lennon Gimme Some Truth Ultimate Mixes, TJ and Tony delve into the political songs of The Beatles and their solo work, with the occasional zoom glitch and personal political view expressed. Q-flakes beware!
Plus, TJ opens up about his Marshall Crenshaw support circle, and at long last one of the UBP off-topic tangents spawns an important social justice movement. Lookin' at you, U2...
The 45 rpm single is a many-splendored thing. A souped-up hot rod, a calming salve, a flop on the plug-side, a bullet on the flip. Of the 22 singles in the official Beatles canon, TJ and Tony each pick their three favorite, with a few honorable mentions and curiosities addressed.
Also, Tony teases a new musical, TJ tests the waters of Kennedy jokes in the 21st century, and there are enough Gen X references to power a small city.*
*built on rock n roll
Plus all your favorite schtickbits (comedy fishsticks)...repeated!
In this thrilling conclusion, TJ and Tony dive deep and goofy into discs 3 and 4 of the John Lennon Anthology, in honor of what would have been his 80th birthday.
Special diversions into Cats! ("now and forever") and klezmer Beatle music loom. Plus TJ and Tony pour gasoline on the Q-Beatle Bernard Purdie conspiracy theory. Also in this week's edition of Star Maps to Star Homes, TJ reveals the precise location of Webster's Chicago brownstone.
Yes, these episodes have been getting longer - due in part to a slew of tasty, unYouTube-able needle drops - and also John Lennon is worth it. Happy 80th, wherever you are!
In honor of what would have been John Lennon's 80th birthday, TJ and Tony explore the out-of-print John Lennon Anthology.
While combing thru the first two discs, they opine about Rolling Stone's new and improved Top 500 albums of all time, explore the quirks of 1's and 3's vs. 2's and 4's, and disagree about a popular 80s sitcom theme. Also, they finally (reluctantly) get around to addressing Lennon's most controversial single.
Plus shout outs to Nicky Hopkins, The Cyrkle, and Uncle Floyd.
It's the first of a two-parter if you believe the clickbait at the end.
TJ and Tony praise the comedic and musical genius of The Rutles, with about a trailer’s worth of spoilers. This episode is chockful of chuckles (and chug-a-lugs) honoring Eric Idle and Neil Innes’ pre-fab spamsterpiece.
Along the way, they talk Chainsaw & Dave, autographed long boxes, and the merits of Grease 2. Plus, TJ pinpoints the moment Ringo Starr’s All-Starr Band “jumped the sharrk.”
And it’s the debut of TJ & Tony’s Fife & Jam Band, The Fools on Hill.
Occasional glitches brought to you by Zoom (free account).
TJ and Tony explore Macca’s very solo Nigel Godrich produced 2005 album, including B-sides, his collaboration with George Michael and the BBC special filmed live at Abbey Road.
Scattered throughout, Tony talks of teenage revenge against Joe Piscopo, TJ pops off on John Popper, and several cultural clashes are addressed: Huddle House vs. Luby's Cafeteria, Fannie May Meltaways vs. Frango Mints, and Condos vs. Bongs.
Plus, TJ and Tony talk Beatles-as-travel-anxiety-salve, and are peer-pressured into divulging their top 3 Macca solo records...at least their favorites on that particular day.
In this episode of Pizza Talk, TJ and Tony get acrobatically off-topic trying to discuss The Beatles collaboration with Cirque de Soleil. It contains 101 local Chicago references.
We think this episode will sell a lot of tickets for the Vegas show.
Pills, Punk, and Knuckle-Dusters!
This week TJ and Tony zip, zap and zop through the long out-of-print collection of lo-fi recordings of the Fab Four in Hamburg.
Also, TJ tries out both his sexy voice and his creepy voice (it’s two different voices) while Tony dogs on Ferris Bueller. And they accidentally do a Harold...we think.
Get out your Grundig reel-to-reel tape recorder and bootleg this episode. It could be worth something someday!
For the 55th anniversary of the Help! album, TJ and Tony go track by track, offering hot takes on Maureen Cleave and a cautionary tale for prospective buyers of the Back to the Future III soundtrack.
While Tony provides eagle-eared recording trivia yet fails to discern the difference between the Hofner and Hohner musical instrument companies, TJ speaks to the wonders of a new miracle drug called NUJV.
They also ponder the placement of Matchbox 20 on the Mt. Rushmore of Rock while doing their best not to get “PJ Probied.”
This week TJ and Tony grapple with the permutations of the Fab Thirteen post-breakup compilations - from the "Red & Blue" LPs to the Tomorrow Never Knows iTunes cash grab.
TJ takes his case for "Please Please Me" appearing on a greatest hits album to the Supreme Court, while Tony throws down the gauntlet on the "so good" Neil Diamond phenomenon. Plus, ramblings on gas station pizza, the true origins of the fajita and that band LinkedIn Park.
Fact cheque: The Outback Steakhouse douchebags were from Florida, not New Jersey. Also, Tony meant "She's A Woman - Take 7", not take 6.
Irregardless (that's a word now), file this episode under Rock.
Why listen to a cover of The Beatles when The Beatles version is often the best? Because freedom!
TJ and Tony delve into the endless jackpot of Beatle covers, including favorites, flops, and curios. They were unable to review all of them, but they did get to 136 of them. Also, Tony auditions for a rock zine and TJ settles an old score with Judd from Latin school.
Please pardon the zoom-related glitches, some occasional sweetening was required.
As a token of our appreciation, the Untitled Beatles Podcast has curated a playlist of Beatle covers. Listen here
After a brief tease of their other hit podcast “Talkin’ Prov,” TJ and Tony delve into their favorite solo John Lennon songs. During which, Tony explores therapy for his relationship with Catholicism, and TJ ponders the whereabouts of Vanessa Williams.
Attention linguists: In this episode TJ coins the word “bagpack” while Tony employs the adjective “CD-shaped.”
Plus, TJ and Tony swap “getting dosed” stories.
Facked cheque: John Cage beat everyone to the silent punch with “4’33”” in 1952.
What’s the deal with The Beatles in Mono?
Bird chirps and squeak toys? Extra droplets of fab scat? Lattice cut sound pies?
TJ and Tony meander thru the magical minutiae of the Beatles monaural and stereophonic records, with detours into US LP quirks, the creepy Beach Boys, and the Honus Wagner T206 tobacco card of Beatle releases. Plus a snippet of “I’m So Tired (Overdub Track 8).”
Brought to you by Heinz Beans.
For Ringo Starr's 80th birthday, TJ and Tony wax percussive on the bearded drummer who was known to have a Zephyr Zodiac, including favorite Beatle drumming moments and a deep dive into his solo heights and depths. Plus hot supermarket takes from TJ (Jewel vs. Mariano's), and Tony's fascination with pillows continues. Also, what sitcom character would Ringo play? The long and rambling road eventually has most of the answers.
TJ and Tony dissect the fab-themed rom-com “Yesterday” from the perspective of aging Gen X Beatle jerks trying really hard to give it the benefit of the doubt. There will be spoilers, beefs, and the occasional charitable offering.
TJ and Tony profess their love for Sir Paul, celebrating their five favorite post-Beatles McCartney songs while contemplating future nuptials. It's 60+ minutes of fuzzy feels and fuzzy math.
TJ and Tony take their long and rambling road down memory lane, reminiscing about discovering the Fab Four for the first time, with detours to Grease, Webster and NBC-era Letterman.
Shout-outs to Pear Records, Denny Dent and Valerie Harper.
Fact cheque please: D.A. Pennebaker not Pennemaker, Sherman Hemsley not Helmsley.
Special "She's So Heavy" style edit courtesy of Zoom.
TJ and Tony rattle off their favorite Beatles songs from Live at the BBC Volumes 1 & 2. This week their detours veer around Nina Simone, WKRP and Elvis (both).
FACT CHECK PLEASE: We meant to say "anvil" not "cowbell"
Tony turns TJ on...to Yoko Ono's 1973 double-LP Approximately Infinite Universe. They explore the merits of her influence and the complexities of her marriage to John at the time this album was recorded. TJ comes to terms with his disdain for Elephant's Memory, particularly the saxophone, and Tony reveals his least favorite song of all time. Spoiler: it's not by The Beatles (Remember, they like them!)
TJ turns Tony on...to two George Harrison solo albums: the self-titled 1979 studio record and the 1991 live double-LP with Eric Clapton's band. Plus detours into the Beatles Sirius channel, Mitch Weissman, Beatle baseball, and The Jimmie Nicol Telethon.
TJ and Tony rate their 5 favorite Beatles outtakes, delving into bygone concepts like record shows and homemade 8-track mixtapes as well as byhere concepts like Beatle conspiracy theories and Beatle improv troupes.
It's the first episode of the Untitled Beatles Podcast, recorded before "Untitled" was decided as the title. On its 50th anniversary, TJ and Tony explore Let It Be - TJ's favorite Beatle album and Tony's second-least(?) favorite. Enjoy the long and rambling road.
En liten tjänst av I'm With Friends. Finns även på engelska.