At last: SATB takes on a long-requested topic, comparing and contrasting two of the biggest acts out of the UK during the 1960s. Quantifying art is a fool’s errand, yet here we are because we can’t help ourselves. The conversation takes this article by Michael Salfino as a starting point, along with our Bill Wyman’s recent piece on the membership of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame. These accomplished journalists join me and Ben Rowling in a conversation tracing the respective internal band dynami...
Sep 29, 2018•1 hr 27 min
As an end-of summer two-fer, SATB presents a double bill: two different ways of “seeing” the Beatles. First, on the 50 years since the Mad Day Out, my guest is photographer Tom Murray; author of the newly-published book, The Beatles: Tom Murray’s Mad Day Out – a colorful revisit to a summer’s day when all was Fab in the world. Second, meet John Pring and Rob Thomas: graphic artists and authors of Visualizing The Beatles. Their book presents the Beatles’ story visually, laying out all manner of d...
Sep 05, 2018•1 hr 17 min
In this expanded episode, I speak with Dr. Bob Hieronimus and Laura Cortner. The two have worked together for decades researching a number of topics, but in this instance: the Yellow Submarine film; interviewing every available participant in its creation. Dr. Bob published Inside the Yellow Submarine: The Making of The Beatles’ Animated Classic in 2002 – it remains the definitive telling, but they are preparing a follow-up volume of new research and interpretation later this year. Check out the...
Aug 09, 2018•1 hr 47 min
Television writer Jeff Martin makes his third appearance on the show, this time focusing the conversation on one of his vocations – playing keyboards in a band – and how The Beatles (Paul mainly) utilized an array of instruments in the studio: piano – electric piano – organ – harmonium – Mellotron – synthesizer, and so forth; and how their use evolved from doubling instrumental parts to adding color to forming the basis of some of their finest compositions. The post 142: Truth and Beauty…and Key...
Jul 20, 2018•1 hr 30 min
In which we welcome back to the show historian Erin Torkelson Weber. In this episode, we pick up where we left off; this time discussing older canon works like Ian MacDonald’s Revolution in the Head and Peter Doggett’s You Never Give Me Your Money; (also Peter McCabe’s outdated Apple To The Core and the problematic memoir of Geoff Emerick) as well as new essential works like Riding So High by Joe Gooden. We also talk about how the Beatles’ historic narrative was shaped, countered and re-evaluate...
Jul 09, 2018•1 hr 14 min
It isn’t often that we are given a firsthand account from somebody who set in motion events that literally changed the world. But there we are and here it is: Michael Hill was a classmate and friend of John Lennon’s, beginning at age 5. A keen observer and articulate narrator, he has set his recollections down for all of us in his book, John Lennon: The Boy Who Became A Legend. As Michael himself points out, lots of boys went to school with John Lennon but only one – this one – stirred something...
Jun 19, 2018•51 min
It was 45 years ago that Beatle confidant and Apple Press Officer Derek Taylor published his first memoir, As Time Goes By. Long out of print, it has recently been re-published, this time with a contextualizing foreword penned by rock journalist Jon Savage (Mojo magazine, England’s Dreaming: Sex Pistols and Punk Rock, 1966: The Year The Decade Exploded, plus much more). Jon sat down with me to discuss Derek, As Time Goes By, The Beatles, the White Album, 1966, plus an array of offshoot topics. C...
Jun 08, 2018•1 hr 5 min
50 years: in the first of what will be a series throughout this year and next, we examine The Beatles’ Apple enterprise; focusing here on the start-up and in articular on Apple Publishing and the array of what-if talents drawn to the corps. My guest is Axel Korinth, co-author of the two volumes of A is For Apple books – mammoth richly illustrated histories of Apple. Songs heard in whole or in part: 1. Mary Hopkin – Those Were The Days 2. The Perishers – How Does It Feel 3. Coconut Mushroom – Any...
May 22, 2018•54 min
To call the stunningly-talented musician/singer/songwriter a “Beatles sideman” is to sell short his tremendous gifts and the tangible effect he had on the group when they most needed a spark plug. Billy Preston was a keyboard savant for sure, but he was also someone the Beatles embraced as an equal; going so far as to float him as an actual “fifth Beatle.” I’m joined by multi-instrumentalist/producer/recording artist/Beatles author Anthony Robustelli for a conversation covering not just the “Get...
May 10, 2018•1 hr 10 min
Ben Rowling and I resume our conversation with the author of The Beatles Recording Reference Manuals series. In this episode, we talk gear (amps and guitars), as well as examine some long-held beliefs about certain recordings. Check out Jerry’s series here. The post 136: The Beatles in the Studio with Jerry Hammack (part 2) appeared first on Something About The Beatles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 03, 2018•39 min
Even if we don’t write them down, we all make lists (if only mentally). Back in June 2017, rock journalist Bill Wyman boldly committed his ranking of every Beatles canon recording from worst to best. It was a move certain to stir the pot of debate, and so it did. On this show, we discussed not only his list, but also the role of the rock critic – the role of radio in shaping tastes, and how it’s evolved – and how we as fans quantify Beatle music. Bill’s list can be found here. Other works can be...
Apr 28, 2018•1 hr 2 min
In which we (Ben Rowling and I) discuss the Beatles’ approach to their work in the studio – their creativity, work ethic and use of technology to push the boundaries of their art – with author/producer/engineer/musician Jerry Hammack. Check out Jerry’s series – The Beatles Recording Reference Manuals – here. The post 134: The Beatles in the Studio with Jerry Hammack (part 1) appeared first on Something About The Beatles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Apr 21, 2018•48 min
In the first installment of what will, over time, serve as a commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the All You Need is Cash TV film, I spoke with director Gary Weis. In addition to his career as a documentary filmmaker, SNL short film creator and music video director, he recalls his work on The Rutles’ long-form “rockumentary,” as well as his interactions with George Harrison throughout his career. [SNL sound clips owned by NBC and Broadway Video] The post 133: Rutles I – A Conversation with ...
Apr 05, 2018•1 hr 9 min
Returning as a SATB guest is Jeff Martin, whom you will remember from 122 – The Simpsons episode. In addition to his writing on that show as well as Late Night with David Letterman beginning in the 1980s, he is also a musician and therefore speaks the language of The Beatles specifically, as well as creativity generally. Our conversation centered on the Lennon-McCartney partnership and the way that their unique combination of talents and temperaments created something far bigger than the sum of ...
Mar 27, 2018•1 hr 33 min
Yes, he’s the guy who sang “Takin’ Care of Business” and “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet,” but if that’s all you know about this accomplished artist, then you are missing out on a lot. Randy has penned #1 hit singles for two different recording acts; toured as an All Starr; hosted a popular radio show in his native Canada; published several books, and much, much more. Our conversation encompasses his new album, By George – By Bachman, but much more, including production tricks, Beatle secrets, touri...
Mar 09, 2018•1 hr 26 min
Now that there’s been an ending to the story, it seems like a good time to examine the intersection between artists who stood for love and peace and a career criminal/sociopath who will forever be tied to them, by virtue of the demented “gospel” ripped straight from their albums. It may be unfathomable from this distance that a group of young people could be persuaded by Charles Manson to commit unspeakable acts, but that’s exactly what happened in the summer of 1969, when seven innocents (and a...
Feb 23, 2018•1 hr 15 min
Picking up where we left off, we discuss an array of topics and songs, mostly adhering to the “acoustic Beatles” theme. (For some reason, we seemed to gravitate to the White Album a lot…) But there’s also much about the impact of success; the level of support the Beatles gave each other; George and the Traveling Wilburys; the US albums and the inherent comedy in and around their work. Songs in no particular order include: “I Feel Fine” – “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” – “Junk” – “Two of Us” – “N...
Jan 15, 2018•1 hr 16 min
Back in September, I first talked Beatles with this Renaissance man, in the context of The Beatles with The Simpsons. As you listeners will remember, Dave had a lot to say about the Beatles well beyond the parameters of that TV show. Well he’s back, and the subject we set out to discuss was the Beatles’ use of acoustic instruments – something Dave is well-versed in. But as conversations will, we went far afield from that, covering subjects ranging from sincerity to darkness versus happiness to r...
Jan 12, 2018•54 min
In 1978 – the year he joined Elvis Costello in The Attractions – bassist Bruce Thomas was personally selected by Paul McCartney to participate in the Rockestra – an all-star ensemble assembled for a pair of Back To The Egg tracks. The collective gathered onstage a year later as part of Wings’ finale at the Kampuchea benefit. But Bruce Thomas is more than an inventive bass player: he’s a veteran musician (with roots in Britain’s 60s Blues Boom) as well as an acclaimed author of fiction and non-fi...
Dec 20, 2017•51 min
John once observed that, in his opinion, Paul was “…an egomaniac about everything else about himself, but his bass playing” – which was as influential as it was innovative. It is therefore a delicious irony to report the same was true of John: while he touted his status as an artist (not to mention “genius”) at every opportunity, he could be surprisingly reserved / conflicted about his own technical abilities on his chief instrument. In this episode, I talk with musician/producer Ben Rowling, wh...
Dec 04, 2017•1 hr 17 min
SATB began as a conversation between two Beatle friends who happened to be writers; this episode began as a conversation about being a Beatles fan in the 70s. But in both instances, some unexpected twists and turns along the way led to other destinations… I’d like you all to meet Andrew Vaughan – a good friend of mine, a music writer and hardcore Beatle fan. He’ll be helping out with the show, and in this episode, we try our best to stay on topic. Results may vary. Songs include recordings by Th...
Nov 24, 2017•1 hr 31 min
The unexpected loss of The Heartbreakers’ leader (and “Charlie T./Muddy Wilbury”) presents an opportunity to look back on the career of the accidental supergroup: the Traveling Wilburys, whose debut album issued almost thirty years ago represented an unimaginable musical collaboration among some of rocks’s giants. Presenting their back story is rock journalist Jeff Slate (http://jeffslatehq.com/index/), whose newly-published Roy Orbison: The Authorized Biography traces the career of a singular a...
Nov 02, 2017•1 hr 22 min
You may already know the author of Liddypool and The Fab 104 for his meticulous research in already well-trod grounds. But with his latest work, David Bedford reveals new revelations – some of them shocking. In Finding The Fourth Beatle, David brings a fresh interpretation and critical new analysis to Beatles scholarship, going where the evidence leads him regarding the truth behind Pete Best’s parting ways with the group, as well as the process of recruitment that (eventually) led to Ringo. The...
Oct 22, 2017•1 hr 21 min
In something of a departure from the usual, SATB presents a conversation with Arion Salazar, original bass player with Third Eye Blind (“Semi-Charmed Life” – “Losing A Whole Year” – “How’s It Going To Be” – “Never Let You Go”) and this year on tour with XEB. As you will hear, he is an accomplished recording artist whose life path was impacted virtually from birth by The Beatles (who, as it happened, had just split up while he was in utero). Arion offers up his insights as a fan and as a student ...
Oct 17, 2017•1 hr 1 min
