Episodes

#173 – Matchbox with guests Jak Locke & Angie Tusa

The affection The Beatles had for Carl Perkins’ music is no secret. “Matchbox” was a longtime part of the band’s early live show, first sung by John, then by Pete Best, then again by John. Starting in ’63, Ringo took it over for a few BBC sessions, then in studio in June of ’64, with Perkins himself hanging in the studio with them. Their cover is a swinging, sloppy, rollicking fun mess. Ringo fumbles lyrics and melodies all over the place, but, in Jonathan’s opinion, it’s a fun, fast tune showing a bit of that raw rocker vibe that Beatles were starting to take their first steps away from as they grew and experienced more and more. Is that enough to elevate the track to something Fab-worthy? 

Julia doesn’t really agree, and neither do this week’s guests. Our pals Jak Locke and Angie Tusa return to the show. Since we last connected, Angie has started a blog called After The End, a deep chronological dive into the entire solo catalog of The Beatles. Jak’s history with rockabilly in his band The Monochromes helps give us a good resource this track, and it’s history, which goes well beyond Carl Perkins. We touch on all sorts of topics in this fun, in-person (yay!) episode. We also try out a new game, Bruce’s Brain Busters! Be sure to follow Angie along on the blog an on Twitter, and check out all Jak’s musical projects at jaklocke.com! What do you think? Too high? To low? Or just right, like Baby Bear’s porridge? Be sure to follow along, leave your comments, and join in on the discussion on the rankings at Facebook (facebook.com/rankingthebeatles), on Twitter at @rankingbeatles, and on Instagram @rankingthebeatles. Enjoying the show and want to show your support? Check out https://anchor.fm/rankingthebeatles/support to drop a coin in the tip jar!

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Reviews

Judge Timbers

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.

spazaru

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.

finfan64

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

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