When They Was Fab: Electric Arguments About the Beatles

Marv and I sit down and chat about the Ringo selections on Rob Sheffield's "100 Best Solo Beatles Songs" list.    As Dana Carvey might say, "isn't it conveeeeenient" that each claims one of the top four.      More seriously, we discuss the nature of such lists, how, when and why - and we talk about the thirteen selections.    Does Ringo deserve 25% of the take?     Is thirteen too little?

More of our thoughts on the "Life in Lyrics" podcast.    Martin Quibell and I discuss Episodes 6, 7, and 8.     The episodes are entitled "Silly Love Songs", "A Day in the Life" and "Hey Jude".    However, roughly fifteen different songs get covered within the three episodes...

A Beatles special you might not know about.     In 1977, NBC purchased "The Beatles Forever", a variety-entertainment special from ITC Entertainment (aka: The company led by Sir Lew Grade).    The Toppermost gang "comes together" to discuss this Thanksgiving spectacular!

Martin Quibell and Sam Whiles (Paul or Nothing) join to discuss the final Wings show of the summer 1973 tour.      If your experience of Wings Live begins with Jimmy McCulloch, you are in for quite a different experience.     Excerpts have been available for years (and are now on the official McCartney YouTube channel), but we are discussing and describing the full show, including "Turkey in the Straw."

Martin Quibell joins this week as we discuss the recent "fan mixed" Underdubbed version of "Red Rose Speedway".    Sorry Paul, the term still is not going to catch on among the general public.        This mix is probably more accurately referred to as an "Elements" or (to borrow a term from the Lennon camp), a "stripped" mix - it is not something that ever existed for Paul, or that he used to make decisions on future directions, but it *is* a reflection of the stages these songs passed through.

Welll...It's one for the money, two for the show, three to get ready now go cat go!    George "Don't Call It a Comeback" Harrison joined his buddy Carl Perkins and his other buddies Ringo Starr and Eric Clapton to pay tribute to their friend and mentor Carl Perkins in a Cinemax special filmed in 1985 and aired in the UK (and later in the US) in 1986.   Lonnie Pena co-hosts.

A grand old painter died last night.     I must've done something wrong.    More life, more lyrics from McCartney and Muldoon.     Lonnie Pena and I run through three more episodes of the "Life in Lyrics" podcast, talking about their talking, but also presenting some general chat about "Maxwell's Silver Hammer", "Yesterday" and "Picasso's Last Words."

Paul McCartney and Paul Muldoon return for the second season of the "Life in Lyrics" podcast.    We sit down to consider the first two episodes of the new season ("Love Me Do" and "Band on the Run"), and talk about the slight stylistic change between the two seasons.    We also talk a bit about the return of Paul McCartney's 1961 Hofner, and the Apple-approved, Sam Mendes directed quartet of biopics planned for 2027 release!

It was Sixty Years Ago Today...   Beatlemania finished its reach as the Fab Four use New York City, Miami Beach and the Ed Sullivan Show to broadcast across the United States.    We not discuss the Fab Four, but Fred Kaps, Mitzi Gaynor, Rossi and Allen, Pillsbury, Aero Shave (Wet, Wet, Wet!) and Kent Cigarettes, and even manage a bit of Davy Jones and Leonard Nimoy.

Before he jetted off to New York, and then Vegas, Sir Paul and his team dropped the fiftieth anniversary release of "Band on the Run", highlighted by the "Underdubbed edition."     This week we consider the new release and look at what is under the orchestra and horns.

Lonnie Pena and I consider the recent production "The Beatles and the BBC".     An interesting collection of BBC clips ranging the Beatles years and beyond with some effort putting the "Threetles" in the historic context of the band they once were.

Marv and I finish our review of episodes nine to twelve of the McCartney "Life and Lyrics" podcast and look forward to what we might find in the second series which is expected in the coming weeks!    Magical Mystery Tour (roll up), The Birds of McCartney (not Linda or Nancy), Too Many People and Helter Skelter

Lonnie Pena and I sit down to consider the John Lennon episode of "A Life in Ten Pictures".     One hour is barely enough time to give an overview of a "regular person's" life, much less a complex superstar.     How well did the BBC accomplish that task, and are the photos chosen really representative of a chameleon-figure like John Lennon?

More from the Muldoon and McCartney Life in Lyrics podcast.     "Penny Lane", "Here Today", "Uncle Albert" and "Live and Let Die".     A study in how Paul McCartney thinks about characters, both his own and those given to him for a song.   Martin Quibell co-hosts, which only seems proper.

Time continues to march on as Jon Stone, Martin Quibell and I (Naturally!) move through the latter half of 2023.    Not just "Now and Then", but a number of tremendous books, a new Ringo EP, more touring from Sir Ringo and Sir Paul and collaborations with Dolly Parton and the Rolling Stones,.

The "Gab Four" are together again for the first show of 2024.    A lot of Ringo, some chat on Beatle books from the first half of the year and "in memoriam" to folks like Royston Ellis, Chas Newby and Caroline Buckman.

This week: The "When They Was Fab" Christmas spectacular.     Three of the "Gab Four" review the 1995 "Rubber Band" album from Dutch band the Beatmas (featuring Soren Dahlberg).    The Fab Four were not the first to do Beatles-styled Christmas Carols.    Tune in for XMAS! fun.

Sam Whiles (Paul or Nothing) steps in as we discuss the life, loves and trousers of Denny Laine.    Also joining is Darin Murphy (who gets a few more words in than Roger McGough, the man who actually knew the Rutles).    Merry Happy Holidays to all.

We continue with our look at the 2023 remixes of "The Beatles 1962-1966".    As with disc one, the percussion blows us away.     Join Martin Quibell and I as we consider the remixes and discuss some of the recent announcements as we look forward to 2024.

Now we are channeling the SuperDeluxeEdition energy!    Nineteen new mixes on the first CD of 1962-1966.    Hear Ringo playing the bongos on "A Hard Day's Night".    Claves, handclaps, and drums as far as you can hear.    Martin Quibell (and a bit of Lonnie Pena) join as we talk the wonders of MAL and the ears of Giles Martin.