Episodes

#111 – Here, There, & Everywhere with Dave Depper (guitarist, Death Cab For Cutie)

The friendly creative rivalry between the Beatles and the Beach Boys arguably hit it’s peak in 1966 when the bands released two albums that routinely top “best album ever” lists, the Beatles’ Revolver and the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds. Lennon and McCartney had been inspiring Beach Boys mastermind Brian Wilson to up his songwriting, and vice versa. On Revolver, this influence shines through in the harmony-laden “Here, There, and Everywhere,” a song Paul managed to scribble together while waiting for John to wake up for a songwriting session. Not a bad way to kill some time. It’s an absolutely gorgeous song that, honestly, I’m not sure why in the hell I have it ranked at #111. I must’ve been in a weird mood the day I did this ranking, or maybe I was halfway through a bottle wine (I did make this list during quarantine afterall), but this song is just beautiful. Between the melody and the 3 part harmony, I pick up real mid 60s Brian Wilson vibes here (not surf era, more the Summer Days…/Pet Sounds era), and it makes me think that while “Here, There, and Everywhere” has a really basic backing track, I wonder if it might have benefited from a more intricate style Brian Wilson production?

To chew on my latest ranking abomination, we’re happy to welcome back Death Cab for Cutie guitarist Dave Depper! Since we last chatted with Dave, his band has released the fantastic album Asphalt Meadows, as well as an acoustic version of the album, and he’s released a solo album which is an entire cover of the Air album Moon Safari. Busy fella!

Dave calls this song “the most beautiful song ever recorded by anyone,” but in shocking news, Julia’s not quite feeling it! We chat with Dave about creative spontaneity, remixes, Paul’s stunning dexterity as a singer, God-level songwriting, and one of the best stories about meeting a Beach Boy (not that one, and probably not the other one you’re thinking of either). Check out Dave on tour with Death Cab for Cutie and the Postal Service this fall (if you can snag a ticket), and head to davedepper.com or deathcabforcutie.com to pick up his tunes and DCFC’s, or anywhere you choose to listen to/buy music.

What do you think? Too high? Too low? Or just right? Follow along and let us know your thoughts on Facebook, Instagram @rankingthebeatles, or Twitter (I’m never calling it X) @rankingbeatles. Be sure to visit rankingthebeatles.com for all your RTB needs, tshirts, posters, you name it!

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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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