Something About The Beatles

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  • 192A: Ringo Forensics Part One

    192A: Ringo Forensics Part One

    Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:39:48 — 165.8MB)

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    My guest today is musician/singer/songwriter/producer Luther Russell – you may recall him (SATB 192) as one half of Those Pretty Wrongs, a duo with Jody Stephens (ex-Big Star). As a devout fan from birth and a drummer himself, Luther possesses considerable insight into what made Ringo the essential Beatle: how a combination of unique skills, background and chemistry with the others made him the band’s most valuable player in a very real sense. This sprawling conversation addresses Ringo’s singular gifts that not only served his band so well over the course of their live and studio career but also how he built the vocabulary that countless others followed in his wake.

    Luther’s thesis here

    Heard in this show: Luther on drums with Liam Hayes on “Eat In Sin”

  • 191: Jenny Boyd

    191: Jenny Boyd

    Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:35:20 — 159.7MB)

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    You may know her as the muse who inspired Donovan’s “Jennifer Juniper”; maybe you know her as Pattie Boyd’s sister who went to Rishikesh with The Beatles. She may be known to some as the one-time flat-mate of Magic Alex or the two-time wife of Mick Fleetwood, but above all, she was a perceptive observer with a ringside seat at some of the most momentous events in 60s youth culture; wise beyond her years but in tune with the zeitgeist as it shifted around her.

    Meet (Dr.) Jenny Boyd, author of the newly-published Jennifer Juniper: A Journey Beyond The Muse. She also authored Musicians In Tune, republished and expanded as It’s Not Only Rock ‘n’ Roll: Iconic Musicians Reveal The Source of Their Creativity; a fascinating exploration into the creative process with some of her best friends.

    In this conversation, we discuss her life and times, along with a lots of familiar personas in her circle, as well as the nature of creativity.

    Check out all things Jenny Boyd here: http://www.thejennyboyd.com/
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  • 190B: Memo To Peter Jackson Part Two

    190B: Memo To Peter Jackson Part Two

    The January 1969 sessions at Twickenham and Apple Studio are The Beatles gift that keeps on giving. Thoroughly taped and filmed, it is a rich vein of material to analyze, especially as it has been chronicled in such a bad light by the group themselves, at odds with much of the evidence that has surfaced. SATB has examined the subject numerous times, notably with the two part Winter of Discontent episodes but also two additional episodes featuring Doug Sulpy (author of the seminal Drugs, Divorce and a Slipping Image ) and journalist / blogger Dan Rivkin ( They May Be Parted ) . SATB 158 and SATB 151 respectively     

    But with the pending autumn release of the new and revised cut of Let It Be  on its way, we thought it would be a good time to both summarize and re-examine what there is to work with, considering that Peter Jackson’s work is bound to stand as THE final word for a long time on the subject. Further, it is in the interest of offering a corrective to any public perception that what is to come will be a “whitewash” (the quotes in circulation discuss the group’s friendship – as you will hear here, there is ample support for this, counter to the narrative they themselves have put out through the years). Dan Rivkin and I discuss (in a three-hour conversation split over two parts) what we feel are the important and key documented moments that * should * make the cut of Jackson’s work.

    Part Two includes:
    ~ “Commonwealth”
    ~ George’s walk out and Billy Preston
    ~ Oldies

    ~ The Rooftop
    ~ Afterward

  • 190A: Memo To Peter Jackson Part One

    190A: Memo To Peter Jackson Part One

    The January 1969 sessions at Twickenham and Apple Studios are The Beatles gift that keeps on giving. Thoroughly taped and filmed, it is a rich vein of material to analyze, especially as it has been chronicled in such a bad light by the group themselves, at odds with much of the evidence that has surfaced. SATB has examined the subject numerous times, notably with the two part Winter of Discontent episodes but also two additional episodes featuring Doug Sulpy (author of the seminal Drugs, Divorce and a Slipping Image) and journalist/blogger Dan Rivkin (They May Be Parted), heard on  SATB 158 and SATB 151 respectively

    But with the pending autumn release of the new and revised cut of Let It Be on its way, we thought it would be a good time to both summarize and re-examine what there is to work with, considering that Peter Jackson’s work is bound to stand as THE final word for a long time on the subject. Further, it is in the interest of offering a corrective to any public perception that what is to come will be a “whitewash” (the quotes in circulation discuss the group’s friendship – as you will hear here, there is ample support for this, counter to the narrative they themselves have put out through the years). Dan Rivkin and I discuss (in a three-hour conversation split over two parts) what we feel are the important and key documented moments that *should* make the cut of Jackson’s work.

    Part one includes:

    ~Discussions on what their goals should be
    ~The prospect of “divorce”
    ~ The roots of Abbey Road

    ~”All Things Must Pass”
    ~”White Power”

  • 189: A Conversation with Robert Rosen

    189: A Conversation with Robert Rosen

    Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:54:33 — 190.8MB)

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    My guest today is best known in Beatles world for having published Nowhere Man (originally in 2000 but since revised in 2015), a book in part drawn from Rosen’s exclusive access to John Lennon’s diaries. He is also the author of the newly-published memoir, Bobby in Naziland, a telling of his coming of age in Flatbush during the late 50s and early 60s. Rosen’s work captures the essence of time and place, with an eye for detail and an ear for the rhythm; true for both of the aforementioned titles.

    Nowhere Man is a fascinating synthesis, based on interviews and original research as well as a reconstruction of the Lennon diaries. Rosen fleshes out a unique perspective on who John was during his last five years, drawn from John’s own privately expressed words. You won’t want to miss this illuminating discussion.

    Check out Robert’s works and events here: http://www.robertrosennyc.com/blog

  • 188: HandMade Redux

    188: HandMade Redux

    Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:25:39 — 139.7MB)

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    In a follow-up to 171 (An Accidental Studio), I revisit the story of George Harrison: Filmmaker with Gary Wenstrup. Coming off the heels of the recent losses of both Neil Innes and Terry Jones, there was certainly more to discuss about George’s relationship with the Pythons, encompassing Life of Brian as well as The Rutles and side issues like Denis O’Brien (and his archetype, Allan Klein).

    Erin Weber’s dialogue with Karen Hooper RE personality types – a must read.

  • 187: 1973

    187: 1973

    Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:44:24 — 169.4MB)

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    My (returning) guest is Andrew Grant Jackson, author of the newly-published 1973: Rock at the Crossroads. He makes the case for this period being a time of tremendous conflict: AM vs FM – 60s giants vs emerging upstarts – mainstream vs underground, all achieving levels of success whether at the time or in years later as influences. Against this backdrop, the four ex-Beatles issued five all albums of new material in total; all of which made the Top Ten (while three scored US number one hit singles, two of them back-to-back).

    We discuss where The Beatles as a collective and individually fit into the picture and how this year set the table for arguably greater triumphs in the year that followed.

     

  • 186: Fly on the Wall Two: Holiday Edition

    186: Fly on the Wall Two: Holiday Edition

    Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 2:53:10 — 270.8MB)

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    In which SATB listener favorite Jeff Martin returns, and where we honor you, the listener, by running down nearly three hours’ worth of your suggested events to revisit (as winged insects).

    Loads here covering The Beatles’ career from start to finish – loads of music – and a nice way to spend holiday leisure time, while traveling or escaping boredom; posted in time to wrap up 2019 (and to salute Jeff’s birthday, too).

    Thank you, each and every listener!

  • 185: Ringo’s White Album

    185: Ringo’s White Album

    My guests Alex Cain and Terry McCusker are back, presenting a discussion of their newest work, Ringo’s White Album. Building on their previous work, Ringo Starr and The Beatles’ Beat, this work examines in great detail what Ringo brought to these tumultuous 1968 sessions (which he did walk out of at one point), pushing the boundaries of his art with stylistic innovation as well as advanced studio technique. We also talked a bit about Ringo’s work on Abbey Road, which will be the subject of their next deep dive.

    Alex and Terry are both drummers themselves; tune in to find out which one of them saw The Beatles in Liverpool at The Cavern (with Ringo’s predecessor).

  • 184: “Yesterday” and the Myth of Meritocracy

    184: “Yesterday” and the Myth of Meritocracy

    2019’s Danny Boyle rom-cam featuring a Beatles subtext has inspired a lot of discussion among fans this year, given the pretext of a struggling English musician apparently being the only person on Earth who can remember existence of the group. Most of the chatter was about the film itself, but I thought there were even richer discussions to be had, using the film’s core idea as a springboard. The idea for this show was prompted by an article by my guest, Noah Berlatsky (I would encourage listeners to check it out). He forwarded the notion that buying into the film’s premise required universal agreement that 1) The Beatles were the greatest rock band ever and 2) that their music was so great that its inherent genius would be universally recognized no matter who was performing it, and when. We shall see….
    There has never been a musically more diverse episode of SATB than this one: in addition to The Fabs, you will be hearing from artists ranging from Chuck Berry and Moon Mullican to R.D. Burman and Rhianna; Dee Dee Sharp and Elvis to Mobley and Nick Drake. Yet it all fits together: what it means to be a successful artist and what are the factors that result in our bestowing the term “genius” upon them.