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Take It Away: The Complete Solo Beatles PodcastBONUS: We Read the News TodayBonus episode time! Take it Away has once again combined forces with the Yesterday & Today Podcast (currently celebrating 200 episodes) to bring you a special all-new discussion we're calling WE READ THE NEWS TODAY. Hosts Paul Kaminski and Chris Mercer are joined by Wayne Kaminski to read, review and examine the fascinating TIME Magazine feature story from September 22nd, 1967 titled "The Beatles: Their New Incarnation". The goal of this series of episodes is to offer a glimpse into the minds of contemporaneous journalists and critics that analyzed the Beatles story in real time at various points in the band's history...2024-12-271h 44
Yesterday and TodayWe Read The News Today feat. Chris MercerThe Yesterday & Today Podcast is celebrating 200 episodes with a special all-new discussion around an exciting collection of Beatles news magazine rarities! In a segment we call WE READ THE NEWS TODAY, hosts Wayne and Paul Kaminski are joined by Take it Away co-founder and co-host Chris Mercer to read, review and examine a selection of contemporaneous Beatles news magazine sources from during and after the band's time together. From John Lennon's illuminating 1974 Crawdaddy feature, to TIME Magazine's exploration of the "new" Beatles in September of 1967, this episode offers a glimpse into the minds of journalists and critics that analyzed the...2024-12-141h 45Yesterday and TodayBeatles ’89 pt7In a jam-packed August of 1989, activity abounds in Beatleworld as Paul McCartney revs up for his first North American tour in 12 years. Hitting the road with wife Linda, guitarists Robbie Mcintosh and Hamish Stewart, keyboard player Paul "Wix" Wickens and drummer Chris Whitten, Macca & co hit the stage at the Lyceum Theater in New York City to play-test the new live band before a crowd of press and select fan club members. Amongst those fan club members? The Yesterday & Today podcast's own Wayne Kaminski and wife Elizabeth, excitedly expecting baby James and ready to rock'n'roll. On the other side of the...2024-10-061h 10Take It Away: The Complete Solo Beatles PodcastMcCartney & The Historians (A Yesterday & Today Crossover)The YESTERDAY & TODAY and TAKE IT AWAY podcasts are crossing over! In this special double-feature, double-interview episode, hosts Wayne Kaminski, Chris Mercer and Paul Kaminski join forces to discuss Paul McCartney historiography with special guest authors who have fresh releases on shelves now. Luca Perasi is certainly no stranger to the TAKE IT AWAY podcast -- Luca was interviewed by Chris and Ryan in 2019 to discuss his book PAUL McCARTNEY: RECORDING SESSIONS (1969-2013), which provided much of the framework for the original run of TAKE IT AWAY shows. Luca has returned to promote a brand-new book, PAUL McCARTNEY: MUSIC...2023-07-091h 07Yesterday and TodayMcCartney & The Historians (A Take it Away Crossover)The YESTERDAY & TODAY and TAKE IT AWAY podcasts are crossing over! In this special double-feature, double-interview episode, hosts Wayne Kaminski, Chris Mercer and Paul Kaminski join forces to discuss Paul McCartney historiography with special guest authors who have fresh releases on shelves now. Luca Perasi is certainly no stranger to the TAKE IT AWAY podcast -- Luca was interviewed by Chris and Ryan in 2019 to discuss his book PAUL McCARTNEY: RECORDING SESSIONS (1969-2013), which provided much of the framework for the original run of TAKE IT AWAY shows. Luca has returned to promote a brand-new book, PAUL McCARTNEY: MUSIC IS...2023-07-091h 09Yesterday and Today100th Episode Celebration!We're celebrating 100 episodes of the Yesterday & Today Podcast! This over-sized anniversary spectacular is packed with special guests, special features, music, memories and more - and we can't wait for you all to hear it. On January 27th, 2018, the Yesterday & Today podcast went live for the first time, bringing to the internet airwaves a Beatles chronology over 20 years in the making. Now here we are, 100 episodes later, and we'd like to take this opportunity to thank our listeners with a special episode celebrating not only the life of the podcast, but the lives of the many Beatles fans who listen to...2020-10-262h 01Yesterday and TodayBeatles ’75 pt4It's March of 1975 and a flurry of activity is once again stirring in the world of John Lennon. Newly reunited with wife Yoko Ono and flying high off the heels of his successful Walls & Bridges and Rock And Roll LPs, the reinvigorated ex-Beatle was making preparations to enter the studio to record his next album of original material - tentatively titled Sally & Billy. The prolific John had a lot to be excited about, with new songs of his debuting that month on both David Bowie and Keith Moon's respective new LPs, as well as an extensive interview and live performance...2020-08-171h 16Yesterday and TodayBeatles ’75 pt3February of 1975 saw the official release of John Lennon's most laborious, expensive album project in the entirety of his solo career: Rock & Roll. This collection of oldies may have seemed like an effortless cash-grab from the recesses of John's nostalgia, but the truth, drama and love behind the project ran far deeper than any listener at the time could have expected. The concept of an oldies album dates back to 1973 and the beginning of John's initial separation from estranged wife Yoko Ono (the time period now known as his so-called "Lost Weekend"). Self-appointed "Godfather of the music business" Morris Levy...2020-08-031h 22Yesterday and TodayBeatles ’75 pt2In the early weeks of 1975, the burst of productivity and music that characterized John Lennon's so-called "lost weekend" continued on in its typical, blistering pace. But the "weekend" was almost over, and while John didn't know it at the time, these last few projects at the beginning of 1975 would be among his last major works as a solo artist. First up? Pal David Bowie invites John into the studio to contribute to the Young Americans sessions. Bowie and John team up on an epic cover rendition of the Beatles classic Across the Universe, but while the pair were at it...2020-07-201h 20Yesterday and TodayBeatles ’75 pt1It's 1975! A new year brings a new locale and recording project for Paul McCartney and Wings, who are headed down south to celebrate Mardi Gras in New Orleans! While this newest Wings line-up continues to solidify, the band drinks in the sights and sounds of the Louisiana atmosphere, capturing moments and melodies destined for the follow-up LP to Paul's December '73 masterpiece Band On The Run. But it's more than just Wings that McCartney is looking to see take flight. An open musical invitation to old pal John Lennon on behalf of Paul in New Orleans appears to validate the...2020-07-061h 22Yesterday and TodayBeatles ’74 pt13It's the end of 1974 - a year of productivity, transformation, music and the definitive ending for The Beatles partnership. After four long years of litigation, Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr (plus a parade of their respective attorneys) put pen to paper on the document that would once and for all conclude the greatest pop music enterprise the modern world had ever seen before or since. But this ending wouldn't be without the trademark drama and heartache that marred the former Beatles' lives since their split in 1970. On December 19th, 1974, George Harrison and his Dark Horse tour took the stage for...2020-06-222h 12Yesterday and TodayBeatles ’74 pt12In a year jam-packed with new music from each of the four ex-Beatles, the 3rd and final studio album from the former fabs in 1974 was the widely anticipated, tour-supported George Harrison LP Dark Horse. In the wake of the Beatles' split (a full 4+ years earlier) George found himself uniquely poised for success amongst his colleagues - with arguably the lowest expectations for solo project output, combined with the soaring heights of his first full-fledged solo studio effort All Thing Must Pass. There was a time in the early 70's when George Harrison could do no musical "wrong". But audiences were...2020-06-081h 20Yesterday and TodayBeatles ’74 pt11It's November 1974 and George Harrison's Dark Horse Tour is rolling on through the heart of North America. While George's ragged voice continued its decline on these tour stops, the fun and energy of the musicianship on stage was evident to the thousands of excited fans packing concert venues to see the former Beatle perform some of his iconic hits for the first time in years (in some cases, ever). Classics such as In My Life and While My Guitar Gently Weeps may have been crowd-pleasers, but it was the brand-new soundcheck-written, boogie-woogie jams that truly exemplified the fun that George's...2020-05-251h 21Yesterday and TodayBeatles ’74 pt10Over four years had passed since the official break-up of the Beatles, and by the tail end of 1974 the world of music was changing, evolving and finding new stars to light the way. But despite these shifts in faces and trends, the Beatles' legend remained surprisingly vital, with not only a slew of successful solo material from the former fabs, but also from tributes such as the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band on the Road off-broadway musical. Though it was panned by critics, this production tapped into a public yearning for a return of the band that changed everything...2020-05-111h 20Yesterday and TodayBeatles ’74 pt9It's November 1974, and there's new music from all four former Beatles reaching fans around the world. First up, George Harrison's Dark Horse tour, premiering new music from his forthcoming LP release of the same name, barrels on through Oakland, Long Beach and Los Angeles California with some unfortunately mixed results. George was facing harsh critical backlash for the quality of his voice following a bout of laryngitis some weeks earlier, and these shaky vocals, combined with the Dark Horse's seemingly spiteful lyrical re-workings of some of the public's most beloved Beatles standards, cast a strange and ominous shadow on an...2020-04-271h 20Yesterday and TodayBeatles ’74 pt8With the release of John Lennon's new #1 Walls and Bridges LP, the fall of 1974 was shaping up to be yet another season of success for the former Beatles. Its corresponding lead-off single, Whatever Gets You Through The Night was comfortably positioned atop the US singles charts as well, giving Lennon the boost of commercial approval he had been chasing for some time as a solo artist. So inspired was John, that he returned to the studio once again in October to finish the "oldies but moldies" sessions begun during his notorious "Lost Weekend" in LA. Things were looking up for D...2020-04-131h 21Yesterday and TodayJohn Lennon Radio Tour: pt3It's the finale of the John Lennon Radio Tour series! Over the past several episodes, we've heard some of John's favorite records, memories and new tracks from the freshly released Walls and Bridges album - all of which paint a surprisingly intimate portrait of where the former Beatle was in his life in these early weeks of fall, 1974. For this third and final installment, you'll hear Lennon relay music and memories from his early days, including some really cool stories about hanging with the Rolling Stones, the birth of "lick records" and whom from his fellow former fabs he felt...2020-03-302h 17Yesterday and TodayJohn Lennon Radio Tour: pt2We're back with part two of the JOHN LENNON RADIO TOUR series! In the fall of 1974, John Lennon took to the airwaves to promote his new album Walls And Bridges in a radio DJ tour that spanned multiple stations, states and songs - all of which offered a unique insight into the former Beatle's state of mind. Station 93 KHJ was the next stop on the road, and coincided with the September 26th release of the new Lennon record. In addition to the commentary on his newest tracks, John offered up some choice oldies, contemporary songs, and (perhaps most interestingly...2020-03-162h 34Yesterday and TodayJohn Lennon Radio Tour: pt1Listen to this podcast episode - it's the kick-off to the John Lennon Radio Tour! In this 3-part series we'll explore one of John's most unique and personal promotional initiatives for a new LP release, sparked by a wave of positivity and productivity during his separation from Yoko Ono. With the forthcoming release of Walls and Bridges, Lennon took to the airwaves in the fall of '74 to promote his latest album and share some unique insight into his musical taste and background. Whatever Gets You Through the Night, the lead-off single, was busy rocketing its way to the top...2020-03-022h 01Yesterday and TodayBeatles ’74 pt7While 1974 was a prolific year for each of the former Beatles and their individual projects, it was also a prolific year for former Beatle contributions toward other artists' material. Perhaps it was a case of right-place right-time for these records, or perhaps they were an itch that the loss of Apple Records left for each of the former fabs to scratch - either way, the early fall of '74 brought us three major LP releases with big pushes from Beatle-backers. The first of these releases is what many considered after-the-fact to be a lost WINGS album, brother Michael "McGear" McCartney's...2020-02-171h 22Yesterday and TodayBeatles ’74 pt6It’s the end of summer in 1974 and big things are happening for John Lennon. After three long years of separation, John and his son Julian were at last reunited for a visit that would prove formative for their relationship moving forward. Though tensions remained with ex-wife Cynthia, the absence of Yoko Ono in John’s life allowed for some ice to be thawed between the former married couple, at least long enough for John to better get to know his son. As family ties grew, new professional relationships, such as that of Lennon’s friendship with Elton John, blossomed into f...2020-02-031h 17Yesterday and TodayBeatles ’74 pt5As the summer of '74 winds to a close, work on John Lennon's new album is in the final stages of completion. One last magic touch would make its way to this new record in the form of Lennon's friend Elton John, who lent his talents to several tracks including the song Elton felt was destined to be a hit: the boogie-woogie pop gem Whatever Gets You Through The Night. So convinced was Elton, that the pianist superstar bet John the song would be a #1 record, and if it achieved that milestone, the former Beatle must join Elton and the...2020-01-201h 27Yesterday and TodayBeatles ’74 pt4It's a time of challenges and changes for the four former Beatles in the summer of 1974, with some lives on the rise, some on the mend, and some hitting rock bottom. With his new label Dark Horse Records, George Harrison sought to turn the creative page in a positive direction from the ashes of the Beatles' split, but what should have been a happy time for the launch of this new endeavor soon turned to bitter sadness. After many months of substance abuse and unabashed infidelity, George's marriage to Pattie Boyd was in ruins, and Pattie sought refuge with the...2020-01-061h 19Yesterday and TodayBeatles ’74 pt3It's June of 1974 and Paul McCartney's Band on the Run is back at the #1 spot yet again - rocketed to the top of the Billboard Top 200 in America with each new single. While Paul credits much of the album's success to the instincts of Capitol executive Al Coury, it seemed Al's advice was equally valuable to another former Beatle at this time. Coury's next big win? Finally securing the missing tapes from John Lennon's Oldies But Moldies record from Phil Spector - recorded during John's so-called "lost weekend" in Los Angeles. With the Oldies tapes in hand and a renewed...2019-12-231h 20Yesterday and TodayBeatles ’74 pt2With Allen Klein out of the picture and John Lennon living a bachelor lifestyle independent from Yoko Ono for the first time in nearly five years, it seemed the circumstances were at last right for the musical reunion many thought to be impossible: Lennon and McCartney together again in the studio. These loose, drug and drink-fueled jam sessions from March of 1974 (affectionately dubbed "a toot and a snore in '74" by fans, years later) were hardly a masterwork of new material...still, John and Paul were making music together and thereby keeping the hope of a Beatles reformation alive. Lennon's...2019-12-091h 15Yesterday and TodayBeatles ’74 pt1It's 1974 and the coming year would once again bring new music from all four former Beatles -- along with a mix of drama and triumph in the personal lives of John, Paul, George and Ringo. The new year saw Paul McCartney riding high with his hit album Band on the Run and corresponding single Helen Wheels. This strong collection of tracks from Paul, Linda and Denny would peak and the #1 spot, before dropping from that position and rising once again to #1 through the efforts of Capitol Records executive Al Coury. Al's recommendations to Paul included rereleasing Band on the Run...2019-11-251h 23Yesterday and TodayBeatles ’73 pt10With Paul McCartney's new LP Band on the Run, the former Beatle with so much to prove at last redefined his talents for not only skeptical Beatle fans, but a whole new generation of listeners ready for the Wings sound. While many hailed the masterpiece as a concept album, McCartney & co were themselves unaware of any concept hidden in the record, though Wings by definition were in fact a Band on the Run in the years prior to the album and therefore could inhabit the role of those eponymous "rabbits on the run". From the Denny Laine-penned No Words, to...2019-11-111h 17Yesterday and TodayBeatles ’73 pt9In the waning weeks of 1973, several major turning points in the lives of each of the former Beatles would mark both new beginnings and tragic endings for different people and places in the saga of the fab four. John Lennon, separated from his wife Yoko and in the throws of a depression not seen since his Hamburg days, took to drink, drugs and rock'n'roll for comfort and solace in Los Angeles. George Harrison, whose marriage was long rumored to be in dire straits, at last discovered his wife Pattie's affair with rocker Ronnie Wood. Ringo Starr, still riding high on...2019-10-261h 14Take It Away: The Complete Solo Beatles PodcastNow Hear ThisGood news everyone! Paul Kaminski and Ryan's episode on Bruce McMouse earlier this year has morphed into its own podcast called Now Here This. In each episode, Paul and Ryan trade their favorite records and talk about one album per podcast for about an hour. In every episode, imagine one guy is the "expert" and the other guy is the rookie. They swap roles throughout the season. They walk through the history of the albums, run through the track lists, and attempt to turn each other - and YOU, the listener - on to new music. E...2019-10-2021 minYesterday and TodayEpisode 73 – The Story So Far IIIWelcome back to the story so far! We've covered a lot so far in the Beatle year 1973, and with the grand finale ahead of us Wayne, Paul and James take a moment to talk a little bit about the monumental events that lead us to now. This year has been yet another transformative one for each former Beatle, with successes for each and set-backs abound. Paul McCartney began the year at last on a roll with his new band Wings, hit singles, a hit album and a new record all building Macca's momentum...and then his band imploded. Can Paul...2019-10-1459 minYesterday and TodayBeatles ’73 pt8It's November of 1973 and, for the first time since he was a teenager, John Lennon was a bachelor. In the wake of the John/Yoko split, an alcohol-fueled Lennon set out to drown his sorrows in drink, drugs and favorite songs from his past. Enlisting the help of longtime collaborator Phil Spector, the so-called "Oldies But Moldies" sessions began in Los Angeles which found John howling his rock and roll roots with mixed and inebriated results. As Lennon stumbled through the studios and clubs of southern California, Ringo Starr enjoyed his time in the spotlight with the release of the...2019-09-301h 23Yesterday and TodayBeatles ’73 pt7The fall of 1973 was a busy time for all four former Beatles, with three new albums in development and a flurry of other activities from September through November. With his new band in shambles and his back to the wall, McCartney took his latest batch of songs and his most trusted musical confidants to Lagos, Nigeria during monsoon season to craft what would become his quintessential post-Bealtes masterpiece. But the adverse conditions were not limited to interpersonal conflicts - many in Lagos accused the troupe of attempting to appropriate their music during the recording sessions. Paul & Linda were even mugged...2019-09-161h 23Yesterday and TodayBeatles ’73 pt6It’s July of 1973 and two former Beatles are at the tops of both the album and singles charts in America. As Paul’s Red Rose Speedway and Live and Let Die duked it out with George’s Living in the Material World and Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth), John Lennon is once again back in the studio working on his long-awaited solo follow-up to 1971’s Imagine LP. While Some Time In New York City may have, at one point, seemed like the bold new direction for John and Yoko, the couple’s troubled marriage and recent critical d...2019-09-021h 17Yesterday and TodayBeatles ’73 pt5Nearly three years had passed since George Harrison's mammoth opus All Things Must Pass burned up the charts and cemented the quiet Beatle as one of the premiere voices of 1970's rock and roll. In the summer months of 1973, a follow-up at last arrived in the form of the ambitious, eclectic and (some would say) righteous new LP titled Living In the Material World. Once again, Harrison's hooky licks and serene lyrical imagery shot right to the top of the charts, helped in part by the corresponding #1 single Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth), which dethroned the reigning #1...2019-08-191h 23Yesterday and TodayBeatles ’73 pt4Hot on the heels of their successful new album Red Rose Speedway and monster worldwide hit My Love, Paul McCartney and Wings were ready to take the stage, at long last, in the United Kingdom. This would be Paul’s first such tour of his home country since 1966, the year The Beatles stopped touring. Unlike the Wings University Tour a year prior, the band was now taking the stage in planned concert events in some of the same locations graced by the fab four in their heyday, and McCartney’s rocking new ensemble did not disappoint. From raucous rockers like Soil...2019-08-051h 22Yesterday and TodayBeatles ’73 pt3Paul McCartney and Wings needed a hit. With their debut LP Wild Life and subsequent scattershot singles not setting the world on fire, the band that had to learn on the run found themselves on shaky ground. Enter Red Rose Speedway - a slick, polished record with punchy pop potential and a mammoth lead-off single in the sweeping McCartney ballad My Love. While the musical merit of Macca’s latest batch of material may be up for debate, neither lover nor hater could deny its power-pop charm and staying power on the charts. Form the rocking Big Barn Bed, to RA...2019-07-221h 13Yesterday and Today66 – Beatles ’73 pt2It’s the spring of 1973 and rumors of a Fab Four reunion are reaching a fever pitch. With John, George and Ringo playing together once more in service of the forthcoming Ringo album, and with Apple at last severing ties with controversial manager Allen Klein, the stage was seemingly set for The Beatles to return. But could they? Should they? As the world pondered, Apple prepared for a slew of major releases, including new records from Paul McCartney & Wings, George Harrison’s hotly anticipated follow-up to All Things Must Pass, Ringo Starr’s first ever full-length pop album effort, Yoko Ono’s...2019-07-081h 22Yesterday and TodayBeatles ’73 pt1It’s 1973 and another major year of transformation and activity for each of the four former Beatles has begun. As Paul McCartney and his band Wings prepare for their impending UK tour, trouble strikes at home in the form of a pot bust wherein police seized several marijuana plants growing in the McCartneys’ garden. Let off with a fine much in the same way the Lennons were several years prior, Paul & Linda would feel the ramifications from this for several years to come. John & Yoko, meanwhile, found themselves continuing to drift apart following the disastrous election night mishap of the year...2019-06-241h 05Yesterday and TodayEpisode 64 – Beatles ’72 pt8As the year 1972 draws to a close, all four former Beatles find themselves in the midst of a seachange in each of their lives both independent of each other and personally. Paul McCartney may have started off his solo career under the scrutiny of fans and critics, but the successful tours of his band Wings was beginning to change some minds about his relevance as a solo artist. With the release of Hi Hi Hi/C Moon in the waning months of ‘72, McCartney begins a string of successes that will carry him further than any had thought capable of even a...2019-06-101h 21Yesterday and TodayEpisode 63 – Wings on the Farm w/ Dan EaleyIn this special bonus edition of Yesterday & Today, we take a break from our regularly scheduled program to bring you our first-ever interview episode! This week we sit down with musician Dan Ealey, who, in 1974, spent the early weeks of summer with Paul McCartney and Wings on Junior Putnam's farm outside of Nashville Tennessee. Posing as a reporter from Melody Maker Magazine, this Beatles super-fan made his way into the band's inner circle, befriending Denny, Jimmy, Geoff and eventually meeting and chatting with Paul. Buckle in for a roller coaster of a story as Dan recounts the journey of his...2019-05-271h 26Yesterday and TodayEpisode 62 – Beatles ’72 pt7With the sting of critical and commercial failure for their Some Time In New York City double album still lingering in the air, John and Yoko let trepidation be damned in the name of a charitable cause to take the stage at Madison Square Garden in the waning weeks of summer 1972. The One to One benefit concert was organized on short notice by Geraldo Rivera, following his expose of the appalling treatment of handicapped children at the Willowbrook State School in Staten Island. With enthusiastic support from the Lennons, Geraldo’s event would bring a Beatle back to the Garden fo...2019-05-201h 18Yesterday and TodayEpisode 61 – Beatles ’72 pt6Paul McCartney and Wings may have had a rough time taking off, but by the summer of 1972 things were looking skyward for the band as their Wings Over Europe tour rolled on. Enthusiastic word of mouth from across Europe hailed Macca’s new band as an electric live experience, with thunderous renditions of tunes from McCartney, RAM and Wild Life, an eclectic mix of covers such as Blue Moon of Kentucky and Long Tall Sally, plus brand new material being tested on eager audiences each and every night. When the tour did finally roll to a close, Wings was in ti...2019-05-061h 18Yesterday and TodayEpisode 60 – Beatles ’72 pt5It’s June of 1972 and a new double album from John Lennon and Yoko Ono has arrived: Some Time In New York City. After the critical and commercial success of John’s Imagine LP the year before, the table seemed to be set for a smash-hit follow-up in this massive 4-sided package...but that success was not to be. Taking inspiration from the couple’s political activism since their arrival as permanent NYC residents in the summer of ‘71, Some Time In New York City was intended to be listened to as a newspaper of sorts, a snapshot of the times and a re...2019-04-221h 15Yesterday and TodayEpisode 59 – Beatles ’72 pt4Though only living in New York City for about a year, John and Yoko had became synonymous with their adopted home by the Spring of 1972. The Nixon administration, however, had other ideas. Basing their case on John’s 1968 Cannabis conviction, the US Government set their sights on deporting the politically outspoken Lennon from the United States in advance of the 1972 Presidential Election. John’s growing contacts in the radical community drew the watchful eye of FBI Director J Edgar Hoover and the Nixon White House, both anxious to avoid a repeat of the 1968 “Chicago 7” protests outside the Democratic National Convention. Complica...2019-04-081h 17Yesterday and TodayEpisode 58 – Beatles ’72 pt3The Wings University tour has drawn to a close, and Paul McCartney’s plan to start from scratch had taken shape exactly as he had hoped it would. Wings was now a tested group, with a tight set and the kind of camaraderie you can only get from dividing up pound notes in a pub along the open road. And so the band embarked again into the studio, ready to put their new sound to record on a brand new LP project...but Paul’s lucky streak was about to run out. The latest Wings single, Give Ireland Back to the...2019-03-251h 16Yesterday and TodayEpisode 57 – Beatles ’72 pt2Already an album deep and plus one new lead guitarist, Paul McCartney’s new band was poised for takeoff in the early months of 1972. But Wings had a ways to go before flying high, and Paul wisely resolved to break the band in on a low-stakes, unannounced English University tour to help find and focus their sound. From York to Newcastle and everywhere in-between, Paul, the Dennys, Linda and Henry loaded up the van to take their rock and roll on the road. Meanwhile, in New York City, John and Yoko continued to settle into their new home with a we...2019-03-111h 20Yesterday and TodayEpisode 56 – Beatles ’72 pt1It’s 1972! While the dream of The Beatles may have been left behind in sixties, this new year saw with it a boom in activity from the solo careers of John, Paul, George and Ringo. John & Yoko’s new home of New York City certainly made the couple feel welcome, despite the David Frost Show exchange that had ended in a shouting match with audience members the December prior. Undeterred from their political endeavors, the couple launched into another series of protests in the new year, as well as a new series of recordings to capture the various protest songs they...2019-02-251h 03Yesterday and TodayEpisode 55 – The Story So Far... (feat. Ryan Brady)Welcome to the story so far! In this episode we discuss some of the key events from the winter of 1969 right up until the end of 1971, and a LOT has transpired in those two short years. Hosts Paul, James and Wayne discuss the Beatles break-up, the formation of Wings, John and Yoko’s evolution and the ascendance of George Harrison as a musical force to be reckoned with. With a lot to unpack in this episode, you’d think we wouldn’t have time for much else...but abandon your sorrow - we have something special up our sleeves! This e...2019-02-181h 14Yesterday and TodayEpisode 54 – Beatles ’71 pt8It’s the end of 1971 and John and Yoko have truly made New York City their home. Newfound neighbors such as self-proclaimed dirty hippy David Peel and fellow cyclist Bob Dylan were helping the couple fit right in to the big apple (pun) lifestyle. But it was their new friends in the radical community such as Jerry Rubin who were making the biggest impression on the politically outspoken Lennons. Tangible success at last befell the couple in the cause of the imprisoned MC5 manager John Sinclair, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison for attempting to give two joints to an...2019-02-111h 21Yesterday and TodayEpisode 53 – Beatles ’71 pt7Emboldened by the slow-burn success of RAM, and anxious to prove himself in life beyond The Beatles, Paul McCartney was at last ready to reveal to the world the ambitious new project he had been working on for months. Enter: WINGS. In the years since The Beatles left live performance behind, John, George and Ringo had each found themselves back in the spotlight for concerts in one form or another, but curiously the Beatle who loved playing before an audience the most had shied away from taking the stage the longest. Those days were now over, as Paul McCartney’s ne...2019-02-041h 09Yesterday and TodayEpisode 52 – Beatles ’71 pt6The success of the Imagine LP was a welcome one for John and Yoko, who were settling into their new permanent residence of New York City in the fall of 1971. Immersed in both the art scene and the radical political underground, the couple had fallen in love with their new home and immediately set to work on a myriad of creative projects. On October 9th, Yoko’s This Is Not Here art exhibition premiered in Syracuse, which featured contributions from Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and others in addition to Yoko’s showcased body of work. Noticeably absent from the...2019-01-281h 10Yesterday and TodayEpisode 51 – Beatles ’71 pt5John Lennon was not about to back down from a challenge. With his former songwriting partner achieving commercial success with the runaway US single Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey from the UK #1 RAM album, John’s solo work took a turn toward the charts. The Imagine LP was in many ways the culmination of everything John’s music had been over the years - equal parts catchy, light, heavy, political, hard-rocking, tender and introspective - missing only the kinds of radical experimentation that had alienated the general public in the past. From the downright bubbly Oh Yoko, to the haunting ballad Jeal...2019-01-211h 23Yesterday and TodayEpisode 50 – Beatles ’71 pt4With RAM sitting high atop the charts, It Don't Come Easy blaring across radios worldwide and the finishing touches being placed on the Imagine album, the summer months of 1971 were bustling with former Beatle activity. Though mocked for its perceived underperformance by George and John, Paul McCartney's second outing was a steady seller that leap-frogged early criticism and seemed to only improve with age, even to this very day. But while a success for Paul was welcome news in the McCartney camp, it was another former Beatle in the summer of '71 that would steal the show...by putting...2019-01-141h 32Yesterday and TodayEpisode 49 – Beatles ’71 pt3While the rift between Paul McCartney and his former bandmates grew wider by the day, the bond between John, George and Ringo seemed to only strengthen in the summer of 1971 against their common enemy. The RAM album was slow to gain momentum, though eventually found its footing at #1 on the UK charts, and “Beatle Ed” (as the other ex-Beatles privately dubbed him) had recently won the first round of litigation in his bid to free himself from the Beatles contract. The anger was palpable and tensions at their peak when Lennon was pushed over the edge by several antagonistic messages left...2019-01-071h 09Yesterday and TodayEpisode 48 – Beatles ’71 pt2With the solo efforts of John, George and Ringo still on the charts, the spring of 1971 saw Paul McCartney putting the final touches on the follow-up solo release that he hoped would help restore his name as a hit-maker and cement his status as a contender with the likes of his former bandmates. The result was RAM, a more polished studio LP that included an abundance of pure McCartney sound and Beatle-esq melody. From the sprawling Back Seat Of My Car to the stripped-down, almost Yer Blues/For You Blue-esq Three Legs, McCartney proved he had more in him than...2018-12-301h 49Yesterday and TodayEpisode 47 – Beatles ’71 pt1While the year prior began with uncertainty, 1971 began with a clear message: The Beatles were no longer together. But in the fall of the group that had meant so much to so many, came a spring of new creative energy from its former members, unrivaled in quantity since the heights of Beatlemania. George Harrison was celebrating a #1 LP and #1 single in America with his solo debut, and John Lennon’s Plastic Ono Band was the kind of critical success he had hoped for but had yet to achieve with his solo efforts prior. Ringo’s two LPs from 1970 were hardly char...2018-12-2349 minYesterday and TodayEpisode 46 – Beatles ’70 pt7As the year 1970 draws to a close, the holiday season brings with it even more releases from the now-former Beatles and other Apple Recording Artists. Alongside John Lennon’s own Plastic Ono Band LP that December comes a companion album from wife Yoko titled Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band. While the cover is nearly identical to John’s, the songs on this collection most certainly were not, as John, bassist Klaus Voorman and fellow fab Ringo Starr laid down some heavy jams in support of Yoko’s wild vocal stylings. On the more commercial side of the former Beatle pool, George...2018-12-1741 minYesterday and TodayEpisode 45 – Beatles ’70 pt6It’s the winter of 1970, and there are three new LP’s from three former Beatles for fans around the world still mourning the band’s demise. With the Nashville-tinged Beaucoups of Blues LP, fans got a taste of Ringo’s vocals alongside the very top talent in country music. A novelty such as it was, Ringo’s album was quickly overshadowed by the two other projects he had contributed to in the summer and fall: new albums from George Harrison and John Lennon. First up, the epic triple album All Things Must Pass - a monster smash success and brilliant...2018-12-101h 21Yesterday and TodayEpisode 44 – Beatles ’70 pt5Despite the breakup of The Beatles, or perhaps because of it, 1970 was one of the single most creatively prolific periods in the lives of its former members.George Harrison’s epic double album sessions were in the final stages of mixing, and this oversized debut would be the kind of jaw-dropping musical statement to his bandmates and the world that he had always deserved. John Lennon was back in the studio recording his own statement, the kind of intensely personal and back-to-basics album that the Get Back project could have only ever dreamed of becoming. Joining John was pal Ringo St...2018-12-031h 20Yesterday and TodayEpisode 43 – Beatles ’70 pt4Despite a record-setting #1 LP and a #1 single to match, the top-selling Beatles were no more. Paul’s announcement sent shockwaves throughout the world, as friends and fans tried to make sense of the bitterness that had consumed such a beacon of peace, love and positivity for so many. John Lennon was quick to assign blame, set the narrative against his former writing partner and dive headfirst into an album of intensely personal, all-new material. Under the therapeutic guidance of Primal Scream founder Arthur Janov, Lennon mourned the loss of the musical force he had set into motion over a decade pr...2018-11-261h 20Yesterday and TodayEpisode 42 – Beatles ’70 pt3With the release of the McCartney album in April of 1970, Paul McCartney brought to light what had been his reality for nearly a year: The Beatles were no more. He and wife Linda were an instant target for angry fans and angry press for being the messenger of this awful news that up to this point was merely speculation and rumor on the part of the public. Many, including John Lennon, saw Paul’s move as a strategy to sell the aforementioned solo album, but if that WAS the case, it was a bizarre album to go out on su...2018-11-191h 21Yesterday and TodayEpisode 41 – Beatles ’70 pt2It’s the spring of 1970, and The Beatles have reached a crossroads, and the rift between the once-lockstep foursome was now growing beyond their ability to stop it. As he did in 1968 when he became the first Beatle to quit the band during the tumultuous double album sessions, Ringo Starr lead the path forward on March 27th by releasing the first commercial solo album by a Beatle: Sentimental Journey. This collection of crooner classics was hardly a masterpiece, but it draws an important distinction in Beatle history from prior solo projects in that it is a studio collection of traditional so...2018-11-121h 22Yesterday and TodayEpisode 40 – Beatles ’70 pt1It’s 1970! As a changed and frantic world looked to the fresh, new decade with careful optimism, the dream of The Beatles remained on life support following John Lennon’s private exit from the group several months prior in the run-up to the release of Abbey Road. Still, on January 3rd a new Beatles recording session took place at number two studio, EMI. George, Paul and Ringo were back in the studio to record George’s I Me Mine for the upcoming release of the Get Back project as an LP and feature film. This session, which also included overdubs on Pau...2018-11-051h 18Yesterday and TodayEpisode 39 – Beatles ’69 pt11It’s December, 1969, and The Beatles find themselves with a #1 album on both sides of the Atlantic, a #1 single with Something/Come Together, an album and film in the works for release in the new year, and...all but finished as a functioning group. What remained of the dream was in the process of being sorted out by Allen Klein and his people at Apple, while the band members focused on individual pursuits. Perhaps most notable amongst those pursuits being George Harrison going back out on tour as a support musician for Delaney & Bonnie throughout England that month. The Beatle wh...2018-10-291h 14Yesterday and TodayEpisode 38 – Beatles ’69 pt101969 was undoubtedly one of the most difficult, trying years that The Beatles ever faced - but with Abbey Road dominating charts around the world, the group caught a rare ray of sunshine in the form of yet another stellar hit record. But instead of popping the champagne, the band couldn’t help but continue to scratch their heads at the pervasive “Paul Is Dead” rumor, gaining more and more traction by the day. While Paul McCartney was certainly far from death, The Beatles as a unified entity were nearing their own end times and solo projects populated the later half of the...2018-10-2238 minYesterday and TodayEpisode 37 – The Story So far...Since episode one of the podcast, we’ve seen the Beatles evolve from a raucous pop quartet into the undisputed masters of modern musical craft - and more importantly, we’ve seen four boys transform into four men. This week on the show we take a moment to reflect on the four short years that were so transformative for John, Paul, George and Ringo, with an eye toward their future solo trajectories. From Beatles For Sale to Abbey Road, the evolution of songwriting, attitude and technique is staggering - indeed time seems to pass very differently for The Beatles. In this...2018-10-151h 35Yesterday and TodayEpisode 36 – Beatles ’69 pt9The Beatles’ Abbey Road was an instant worldwide hit and would go on to become a template for modern popular music...but which side the listener prefers is a musical inkblot test, sharply dividing listeners even amongst the Beatles themselves. Side A’s straightforward compilation of tracks features benchmarks for each member of the band and their respective songwriting abilities, but what George Martin and Paul McCartney cooked up for side B was truly groundbreaking in its innovation and execution. Like Brian Wilson’s fabled (and at the time unreleased) Smile LP from a few years prior, Martin and McCartney attemp...2018-10-081h 10Yesterday and TodayEpisode 35 – Beatles ’69 pt8On September 26th, 1969, the final studio album to be recorded by The Beatles was released: Abbey Road. With the tumultuous Get Back sessions still tucked away (more or less) on the shelf, John, Paul, George and Ringo got together one final time to create what would become an innovative, groundbreaking album that many argue sounds as fresh and modern today as it did upon its release. Newer studio techniques and instrumentation were used giving the record this timeless quality, including the moog synthesizer which adorned several of the tracks and would become a prog rock and top 40 staples over the...2018-10-0148 minYesterday and TodayEpisode 34 – Beatles ’69 pt7Like a supernova, the summer of ‘69 was a burst of unprecedented prolific energy from the world’s brightest band. But the end was near. Following another fruitful bed-in for peace, this time in Montreal Canada, John and Yoko record and release a new anthem for the peace movement: Give Peace A Chance. The song carried the Lennon/McCartney writing credit, a rare peace-offering from John to Paul in one of the most trying periods of their lives. As The Beatles put the final touches on their forthcoming album, known for a time as “Everest”, their commercial successes continued to mount. The #1 h...2018-09-241h 21Yesterday and TodayEpisode 33 – Beatles ’69 pt6It’s the spring of 1969 and the Beatles are back in the studio working on a new album...but a storm cloud looms overhead. Business disagreements and personal differences continue to ebb away at the once united foursome at every turn, and things went from bad to worse when John, George and Ringo signed with Allan Klein to become the Beatles manager and fill the long-vacant seat left by the late Brian Epstein. Paul’s serious and justified reservations about letting Klein into the organization are ultimately undercut by his desire to include his new inlaws, the Eastmans, into the band...2018-09-171h 22Yesterday and TodayEpisode 32 – Beatles ’69 pt5With the arduous Get Back sessions behind them, and with no interest in ever revisiting the recordings, The Beatles faced an uncertain future. Against the protests of Paul McCartney, John, George and Ringo appoint businessman Allan Klein to manage the affairs of the fledgling Apple Corps, driving a further wedge into the group’s dynamic. Producer George Martin was convinced that the band was over, while friends and business partners wondered where to go from here. The answer came in the same form it had after the similarly difficult double album sessions months before: each Beatle branched out in seperate di...2018-09-101h 21Yesterday and TodayEpisode 31 – Beatles ’69 pt4It was a quiet Thursday morning on January, 30th 1969 as the garment district of London went about their work week. The cold winter air suddenly crackled with a sound from the rooftop of 3 Saville Row - the biggest band in the world were performing their brand new album. This rooftop performance marked the ending of the Get Back project, providing the live finale to what had evolved into a concert film. It was an iconic moment, but one born of frustration by a band that was nearing the end of their capabilities to creatively fulfill one another - four people w...2018-09-031h 22Yesterday and TodayEpisode 30 – Beatles ’69 pt3A week after walking out on the Twickenham sessions, George Harrison agreed to rejoin his bandmates to finish what would soon be referred to as the “Get Back” project...with a couple of caveats. The first being to abandon the cold, barren Twickenham for a cozier studio atmosphere which presented itself in the form of 3 Savile Row, London. The new Apple Studios was set-up by John’s friend Magic Alex, who promptly transformed the space into an incomprehensible jumble of needless technological decoration. The Beatles, however, liked the actual room itself that Alex had found, and after a redesign were back i...2018-08-271h 10Yesterday and TodayEpisode 29 – Beatles ’69 pt2As rehearsal for The Beatles next project at Twickenham Film Studios dragged on, the barren atmosphere of the studio space reflected the distant bandmates who occupied it. The distance was cut by growing agitation with the ever-pushy Paul who tried his hardest to rally the weary John, George and Ringo, but who by doing so only wound up driving a further wedge into their friendship. George was especially aggravated by Paul’s “coaching”, as well as Yoko Ono’s ever-growing influence over John, which sparked heated arguments both on and off camera and culminated in George walking out of the sessions...2018-08-201h 03Yesterday and TodayEpisode 28 – Beatles ’69 pt1It’s a new year and the Beatles are back in the studio. Mere weeks following the release of their titanic eponymous double album (now colloquially dubbed “the white album” after it’s all-white outer packaging) the band was once again called together with another big idea from Paul. The goal? To rehearse a brand new album of new songs, film the rehearsal and then perform the album in some sort of live setting. That process would be broadcast as a tv special and the live performance of the new material would be released as the next album. Michael Lindsay-Hogg was sign...2018-08-131h 20Yesterday and TodayEpisode 27 – Beatles ’68 pt111968 was another year of drastic transformation for The Beatles, and by December the group was ready to take a breath and let the world continue to absorb their new double album. Apple's biggest success story, Mary Hopkin, was back in the studio with Paul preparing a full length LP to follow-up on the massive hit single Those Were The Days, and the pair was joined by Donovan (who had made quite an impact on the Beatle sound in 1968). John and Yoko retreated to their Kenwood home where John would pen a new slew of songs such as Don't Let...2018-08-061h 13Yesterday and TodayEpisode 26 – Beatles ’68 pt10It's November of 1968 and the world is soaking in the new double album by The Beatles! While most the tracks on the new record were quite accessible, some baffled (and continue to baffle) listeners and challenged the limits of pop music. John Lennon's Revolution trifecta is a an experiment in sound unmatched by any other Beatles recording. Fans first heard the track in its rocking glory on the flip-side to the monster single Hey Jude earlier in the year. For the "White Album", the original version (rejected for the single by the others as being "too slow") finally saw the...2018-07-3058 minYesterday and TodayEpisode 25 – Beatles ’68 pt9Numbers, Colors & MusicEpisode 25The new Beatles double album is here! On November 22nd, 1968 the band released their 9th full length studio recording, the self-titled behemoth colloquially known as "The White Album". The follow-up to Sgt. Pepper was a dramatic departure from the acid drenched sound paintings of the year prior and offered the most variety in song styles ever seen (either before or since) on a Beatles recording. Fans and critics alike were confused by the tonal shift, but as with any Beatles album commercial success was soon...2018-07-231h 23Yesterday and TodayEpisode 24 – Beatles ’68 pt8Episode 24October 13, 1968 through November 21, 1968It's the fall of 1968 and TWO Beatles solo albums are on the way. George Harrison holds the honor of the first solo record released by a Beatle (if we're not counting the Family Way soundtrack by Paul two years prior) with Wonderwall. Wonderwall is a soundtrack album chockfull of jams and electronic sounds that pushed some major boundaries at the time.Next up would be the most controversial release of any one Beatles' career: John and Yoko's Two Virgins LP. While the actual record did little to ro...2018-07-1656 minYesterday and TodayEpisode 23 – Beatles ’68 pt7September 16, 1968 through October 11, 1968With Ringo back in the group and Hey Jude continuing its domination on the charts, The Beatles made one last push to wrap their ambitious double album project in time for a holiday release. A hallmark of the sessions was the diversity of song style, with the band recording tender ballads like I Will, raucous rockers like Birthday, haunting epics like Happiness Is A Warm Gun and Long Long Long, to borderline novelty tracks like Honey Pie and The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill. While this diversity reigned, the double album did find itself...2018-07-091h 18Yesterday and TodayEpisode 22 – Beatles ’68 pt6August 22nd, 1968 is a landmark day in Beatles history: the day a member of the biggest band on the planet...quit. The Beatles' double album sessions were growing more tense by the day, and in the dog days of the summer of 1968 tensions finally boiled over. Accounts of what specifically happened vary; some claim it was a clash with Paul McCartney over his domineering direction in the studio, some say it was simply insecurity on Ringo's part, but whichever the case Ringo Starr made history as the first Beatle to quit the band. Of course, Ringo's holiday would be short-lived...2018-07-021h 23Yesterday and TodayEpisode 21 – Beatles ’68 pt5Once upon a time...or maybe twice...it was the summer of 1968! The so-called "summer of love" was in full swing as the Beatles continued work on their ambitious new double album project. From Paul's raucous "Helter Skelter", to John's vicious "Sexy Sadie", the Lennon-McCartney songwriting duo continued to dominate and the double album was looking to be their most successful release yet. But George's contributions to the new record were no slouch either, with Eric Clapton guesting on what some consider to be his finest Beatles work: "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". George was well on his way to...2018-06-251h 19Yesterday and TodayEpisode 20 – Beatles ’68 pt4It's June 1968 and The Beatles' double album is finally taking shape. Kicking things off this month was the very first all-original composition by Ringo Starr, a years-in-the-making honky tonk number called Don't Pass Me By. And the Beatles wouldn't pass it by, spending as much time and energy on Ringo's first track as they had for any of those that came before. It was moments like these that drew a sharp distinction from the tension that was beginning to haunt these sessions - a tension never before experienced on a Beatles project. The four boys who had entered the EMI...2018-06-1858 minYesterday and TodayEpisode 19 – Beatles ’68 pt3It's April 1968 and The Beatles are back from India and open for business with a new company: APPLE. The concept of Apple Corps began as a clever way to reinvest money into creative endeavors, rather than pay it all to the taxman...but it soon blossomed into, as Paul put it, a type of "western communism" that sought to change the world of pop music from the top down and the bottom up. The company would be divided into several sectors including records, manufacturing, retail, publishing and technology, each designed by the Beatles themselves to promote art, music, culture, innovation...2018-06-111h 10Yesterday and TodayEpisode 18 – Beatles ’68 pt2It was a long road to Rishikesh, but in the spring of 1968 The Beatles had finally arrived. Eager for a much-needed holiday and in search of spiritual regeneration, they found themselves in India on the foothills of the Himalayas with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi for an extended seminar in transcendental meditation ("TM"). TM was an effective alternative to the abuse of drugs and alcohol, and enthusiasm for it was shared by fellow members of the pop elite such as singer/songwriter Donovan, Mike Love of the Beach Boys and actress Mia Farrow (along with her sister, Prudence) who joined the...2018-06-041h 17Yesterday and TodayEpisode 17 – Beatles ’68 pt1It's 1968! After a year of incredible highs and dizzying lows, The Beatles took on the new year with energy and enthusiasm. The boys entered the studio to record rockers, pop tunes and ballads that would be counted among their very finest, as well as a segment for the upcoming Yellow Submarine film still in development. Macca's ode to Fats Domino, Lady Madonna, and John's rocking Hey Bulldog roared with the kind of sound and energy of the band's pre-psychedelic recordings, while Across the Universe grew from the type of poetic song-craft of the year prior. The early weeks of the...2018-05-2840 minYesterday and TodayEpisode 16 – Beatles ’67 pt6Roll up! Roll up for the epic finale to 1967! The year that changed so much in the lives of The Beatles would continue its transformative effects in the fall and winter, with new music, a new film, a solo project and a new business venture all happening at once. The boys' latest single, Hello Goodbye, would dominate the charts in November and serve as a bridge between the Sgt. Pepper era and the group's next record, Magical Mystery Tour. Released as an EP in Britain, and as an LP in North America, Magical Mystery Tour was a collection of new...2018-05-211h 23Yesterday and TodayEpisode 15 – Beatles ’67 pt5Still riding high on the critical and commercial success that Sgt. Pepper brought, the Beatles entered the so-called "summer of love" as the spokespeople for their generation. Beloved by both fan and critic alike, John, Paul, George and Ringo took to the biggest audience of their career, representing Great Britain in the worldwide telecast "Our World" and debuting for it their new smash single "All You Need Is Love". With another chart topper in the bag, the band also made great strides toward ditching the harder drugs that had begun to take a destructive toll earlier in the year...2018-05-141h 23Yesterday and TodayEpisode 14 – Beatles ’67 pt4We're back with a detailed look at side B of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band! To open the second half of the record, George Harrison picks up where he left of on Revolver's "Love You, Too" with the Indian-influenced "Within You, Without You". A moody choice for the otherwise bright record, George's exercise in writing western pop for eastern instrumentation is a beautiful exploration of the soul through the lens of a young man on the verge of the biggest period of spiritual enlightenment of his life. Of course the follow-up, Paul's "When I'm Sixty Four" is an exp...2018-05-071h 05Yesterday and TodayEpisode 13 – Beatles ’67 pt3At long last, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band has arrived! It's the spring of 1967 and The Beatles have unleashed their eight LP on the world -- and the reactions are pouring in: "ALL HAIL SGT PEPPER!" While many would argue that song-for-song, Revolver was a stronger effort, Pepper tapped into the cultural zeitgeist like no other pop record in history, simultaneously reflecting the culture whilst also guiding it to the path forward. The album begins with its eponymous title track, and scorching lead guitar kicks in the door to let the listener know this isn't quite the Beatles you...2018-04-3052 minYesterday and TodayEpisode 12 – Beatles ’67 pt2Is the world ready for the "new" Beatles?" After the successful, but comparatively disappointing commercial debut of their new sound courtesy of the Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever single, the band put readied their final touches on the LP considered at the time to be their masterpiece. Well, at least Paul McCartney and producer George Martin thought so...the other three Beatles had mixed feelings themselves about the new direction. Drugs and drink gripped their talons into John Lennon (only 26 at the time) who considered Sgt. Pepper to be a solid, but workman-like exercise. George Harrison's mind was still in...2018-04-2242 minYesterday and TodayEpisode 11 – Beatles ’67 pt1It's a new year for the Beatles, and with it a new album in the works. After half a decade of nearly non-stop live performances, the band were at last able to enjoy the fruits of their fame, and the freedom to experiment in bold new directions. But the real question was, would the public follow them in those bold new directions? Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields Forever, recorded the prior December, would be the true test of the band's new direction. It's one thing to listen to "Tomorrow Never Knows" as the play-out end of an LP, but another...2018-04-161h 09Yesterday and TodayEpisode 10 – Beatles ’66 pt4The Beatles may have been riding high on the critical and commercial success of Revolver, but a tour of the tumultuous United States was in full swing, and danger loomed large around every corner. Manager Brian Epstein's attempt to quell the outrage from the American public over remarks from John Lennon that the group was more popular than Jesus Christ proved futile, as Bible Belt radio stations torched albums, staged boycotts and stoked the frenzy to a fever pitch. Beatlemania, once an outlet for youthful energy and positivity, now brought a different kind of enthusiasm from the likes of the...2018-04-091h 23Yesterday and TodayEpisode 09 – Beatles ’66 pt3Turmoil may have followed the Beatles on tour, but in the studio the band reached its zenith with their 7th and perhaps finest LP ever: Revolver. While Sgt. Pepper nearly a year later tends to be remembered as their greatest achievement, it's on Revolver where the combined efforts of John, Paul, George and Ringo shine the brightest and in the most cohesion. Psychedelia is, for the first time, used as a songwriting tool by the band who by this point had been well into dropping acid. Even Paul, the notorious LSD hold-out, had finally succumb to the pressures of his...2018-04-021h 13Yesterday and TodayEpisode 08 – Beatles ’66 pt2It's the summer of 1966, and for four scruffs from the mean streets of one of Great Britain's most raucous port cities...it's good to be the kings. But the uninterrupted reign of the Beatles was bound to have a breaking point, and as the group kicks off their 3rd major world tour, they're about to find theirs. To kick of their tour, the band enjoyed a triumphant return to their old stomping grounds of Hamburg, Germany, where the specters of the past loomed large and served as a reminder to the boys that they had been cut from rough cloth...2018-03-261h 15Yesterday and TodayEpisode 07 – Beatles ’66 pt1It's 1966! Join the Yesterday & Today podcast as we enter perhaps the single most transformative year in the history of The Beatles, the year that would bring us butcher covers, final live performances, tomorrows that never know and strawberry fields forever. This week we cover January through June of 1966, wherein we find the Beatles hard at work on their 7th LP release Revolver. In these first few months of the new year George Harrison marries to model and longtime girlfriend Pattie Boyd, John Lennon delivers an off-the-cuff interview to friend and journalist Maureen Cleave that will haunt the group in the...2018-03-191h 22Yesterday and TodayEpisode 06 – Beatles ’65 pt6The year 1965 was one of the busiest, most ground-breaking and prolific years in the Beatles' career; second, perhaps only to the madness of 1964 - and it's not over yet! In the final weeks of December, the band's sixth studio album, Rubber Soul, would cement the group as more than a simple pop-rock combo, but as musicians that would continually redefine genre and transform the very concept of an album itself from a simple collection of songs, to one unified artistic statement. From the touching "In My Life" to the stinging harder edges of "Think For Yourself" and "You Won't See...2018-03-121h 22Yesterday and TodayEpisode 05 – Beatles ’65 pt5The Beatles had once again triumphantly returned to Britain after a whirlwind tour of North America...but the break in activity wouldn't last long. By September, EMI was quick to remind the boys that they needed a new LP for the Christmas season, so once again John, Paul, George and Ringo returned to the studio to pull a record out of thin air. But this time it was different. This time, the record itself was being thought of as a piece of art that The Beatles could craft using all they had learned up to this point. By October, they...2018-03-051h 03Yesterday and TodayEpisode 04 – Beatles ’65 pt4It's the summer of 1965, and The Beatles are conquering North America...again! With a number one movie, a number one single and a number one album on all the charts, John, Paul, George and Ringo's popularity showed no signs of decay more than a year into their planetary super-stardom, and on their return to America in August they continued to dominate. This week we take a closer look at the biggest concert tour the group would ever embark on -- beginning with the very first arena rock concert EVER, The Beatles at SHEA STADIUM! Also in this episode, the fabs...2018-02-261h 17Yesterday and TodayEpisode 03 – Beatles ’65 pt3Everyone could use a little "HELP!", and the Beatles are about the unleash it around the world! It's the release of their second feature film, the plot-laden romp that puts Beatle Ringo in a world of trouble - and the threetles set to defend their bound buddy. But that's not all the summer months of '65 had to offer, the LP release of the film's corresponding album was a major breakthrough for the band, where songwriting and melody once again took a dramatic leap forward from the mostly backward-looking "Beatles for Sale". The group also embarked on their first North A...2018-02-191h 20