#146 Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band & #145 With A Little Help From My Friends with Sam Whiles (host of “Paul or Nothing” & “Macca In Your Attic)

After enjoying the anonymity of traveling incognito during the Beatles 1966 post-touring break, Paul came up with the idea of creating alter ego for The Beatles as a band, allowing them the freedom to do whatever they wanted, without the weight of the Beatles name attached. Once the project began with that idea in mind, he (along with Beatles’ tour manager and assistant Mal Evans) wrote what would essentially be the intro, fanfare, and title track of the album of same name for Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (“the band”). It’s a loose, heavy rocker, with really interesting harmonies, a fantastic Paul vocal, fantastic Paul guitar, and a killer drum sound from Ringo. With some help from George Martin, they really create a movie of the mind, starting with the murmur of the crowd, the tuning of instruments, laughter, applause. And it all segues into the spotlight for Ringo, “With A Little Help From My Friends.” A song custom tailored to Ringo’s strongest points as a vocalist, as well as his personality, this song really cements the persona of Ringo as everyone’s lovable uncle. It’s also probably more of a biographical song for the drummer, as he so often talks of his love of playing and being with others, he truly craves that camaraderie of friendship and community. It’s his signature song, and for good reason, you can’t not smile when listening to it.

Returning to the show this week to talk about these songs, as well as berate Jonathan for many-a-previous rankings, is our pal Sam Whiles of the “Paul or Nothing” and “Macca In Your Attic” podcasts! Sam chats with us about the dawn of Paul’s creative dominance in the Beatles, Beatle podcast tshirts, whether the concept of Sgt. Pepper is genius or pretentious, and the idea of songs versus tracks. We also touch on emotional response versus energy response, presidential impressions, and the Kim Kardashian of the Beatles story! Be sure to check out “Paul or Nothing” and “Macca In Your Attic,” and follow Sam on Twitter @McCartneyPod and Instagram @paul_mccartney_pod. He’s one of the best!

What do you think? Too high? Too low? Just right? Let us know in the comments on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/rankingthebeatles, Instagram @rankingthebeatles, or Twitter @rankingbeatles! Be sure to check out RTB’s official website, www.rankingthebeatles.com! Enjoying the show, and wanna show your support? Buy Us A Coffee!