Recent Posts
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#134 – Revolution 1 with guest James Campion (author “Take A Sad Song – The Emotional Currency of ‘Hey Jude'”)
Following the flower power vibes of 1967, 1968 found the Beatles diving into transcendental meditation, looking inward, and grounding themselves back to the real world around them, which was getting pretty tumultuous. A back-to-basics vibe that was moving through the music scene, combined with John's growing want to speak his mind on current events...
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#135 – Getting Better with guest Debbie Davis (singer, musician)
The yin and yang of Lennon and McCartney are rarely so perfectly on display as they are in the chorus of "Getting Better." Paul's eternal optimist, "I've got to admit it's getting better, a little better all the time" runs right up against the sardonic side of John: "It can't get no worse."...
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#136 – Michelle with guest Janice Mitchell (author, “My Ticket To Ride”)
Perhaps the ultimate song written for the purpose of playing it on a beat up old acoustic at a party so you can meet girls (apologies for that run on sentence), "Michelle" was written by Paul back in 1959 for just that purpose. You can easily imagine him brooding in a smokey corner, wearing a turtle neck, and singing an early version of this tune...
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#137 – Dr. Robert with guest Bruce Ferber (writer, producer, author)
If there was any inclination the Fab Four were down to “expand their minds,” by the time Revolver came around, there was very little second guessing. The sounds are out there, backwards, mystical....
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#138 – Good Day Sunshine with Wayne Federman (comic, actor, author, producer)
If ever a Paul song fit the oft-used descriptor of “jaunty,” it’s “Good Day Sunshine.” A tune written during the Revolver sessions, it’s one of the sunnier moments on an album that sees a bit of a darker side of the Beatles than we’d seen before. It’s maybe not the weightiest thing he’s ever done...
Reviews
Ranking the songs of the Beatles? What could possibly go wrong? But somehow this podcast gets it just right thanks to the wit and charm of the co-hosts and their guests. The listener quickly discovers the rankings are used not to incite heated arguments but rather as a starting point to spark a positive deep dive into every Beatle song. Put simply, Ranking The Beatles is a welcome addition to the Beatle podcast universe.
Required listening if you like The Beatles at all. Great guests every week and Jonathan and Julia are fun and genuinely funny (even the tired Mike Love jokes). I listen every Tuesday morning as soon as I wake up. One week around Christmas they took the week off so I just slept the whole week until there was a new episode. It was worth the wait.
Nice to see a truly excellent new Beatles podcast. This one is hosted by a very appealing young couple, who along with their well selected guests, have a winning combination of professional musical knowledge and the enthusiasm of fans. It’s an interesting format that by definition promises to only get better as it goes along. If they can make the “Only a Northern Song” episode good then they’re unstoppable