Podcasts about meet the beatles

I dive into the story about Vinnie Vincent selling his new record Guitarmageddon for the low low price of $2,000,000 and how it may be fn brilliant. I also answer Keith's question about Meet The Beatles.This is an example of the Patreon show.  Sick of the ads?  Want extra content?  Sign up for a measly $5 a month.PATREON - https://www.patreron.com/realizzypres...WEBSITE - https://www.izzypresley.comDawson's Links@Dawsangeles - Twitter/Instagram/Facebookhttps://www.patreon.com/watercoolerIzzy's linkshttps://www.lasvegasguitartradeshow.comhttps://www.sotastick.comhttps://vintageguitarsrus.comhttps://www.beeteramplification.comhttps://www.thesmokinkills.comhttps://www.7thavenuepizza.comhttps://www.lockecustomguitars.com]https://valkenburgusa.com https://www.monstersofrockcruise.comMERCH https://official-izzy-presley-store.creator-spring.comhttps://www.teepublic.com/user/official-izzy-presleyCAMEOhttps://www.cameo.com/realizzypresley RAISE YOUR GLASSEShttps://www.amazon.com/RAISE-YOUR-GLA...

This week on Classic Vinyl Podcast and our Meet The Beatles series, Justin and Tyler listen to and review The Beatles and their double A side single We Can Work It Out and Day Tripper. Give it a listen and let us know what you think. 

We discuss the hottest topics of the week! Paul Dano is Greatful After Tarantino Comments New Look at New Beatles LoboMania! Tom Holland's Spider-Man Performance Sam Raimi on Making Another Spider-Man Ryan Coogler Mixes Soda Rambo Prequel in Production White Lotus 4 Cast Announced Early Wonder Man Thoughts & MUCH MORE! Join the conversation... FacebookInstagramTwitterTikTokYouTubeRate/Review/Subscribe:Apple PodcastsSpotifyYouTube See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brian Orlando is not just the morning drive co-host at Long Island's 94.3 The Shark, but a second-generation psychic who uses the energy of song to help guide others.  His powerful status connects him with not only the local community but with music legends like Corey Taylor (Slipknot), Gavin Rossdale (Bush), and Kevin Martin (Candlebox).  A unique journey that added another talent to his resume, as he is also the author of Rock and Soul Tarot.Hosts Rich DeSisto and Steve Raymond uncover how Brian leveraged authentic conversations, not just typical interviews with rockstars to create unforgettable moments on-air, including on-the-spot performances and even a live radio proposal! You'll hear how he convinced musicians to jam live in the studio, stories about partnering with stars from Anthrax to Candlebox, and his heartfelt approach to radio philanthropy.  Like organizing a 24-hour telethon for Angela's House and a star-studded mental health awareness campaign after Chris Cornell's death.Brian opens up about how music saved his life as a teen, the healing power of songs like Blondie's "Heart of Glass," Soul Asylum's "Runaway Train," and Candlebox's "Far Behind," and the parallels between tarot and rock storytelling. Discover his journey from truck driver to on-air talent, the challenges of breaking into radio, navigating rejection, and his honest reflections on personal growth, intuition, and mental health.Topping it off, Brian shares a group tarot reading for radio professionals facing transitions and offers motivational advice for creators, broadcasters, and music fans confronting change.Whether you're into radio, classic rock, tarot, or stories of resilience and reinvention, this conversation is packed with behind-the-scenes tales, learning moments, and inspiration for anyone passionate about music, broadcasting, or self-discovery.(00:00) "Brian's Selfless Journey Through Radio"(5:13) Kazoo-Talica Charity Promotion(8:49) "Unexpected Interview and Connection"(12:13) "Song Mashup Instructions"(15:51) The Humility of Psychic Work(16:55) Music's Healing Power(20:26) "Candlebox Memories and Friendship"(24:53) Angela's House Charity Telethon Idea(27:31) "Chris Cornell Tribute Broadcast"(32:52) Father's Critique of Radio DJs(35:46) "Weekend Radio Memories, 2008"(39:58) "Radio: More Than a Novelty"(41:46) Radio Job Rejection Reflections(46:12) Rigid Interviews Lack Connection(46:53) Radio Career Connection Story(51:53) "Radio Audition Leads to Opportunity"(54:33) "Overcoming Comparison and Moving Forward"(57:20) "Embracing Change and New Paths"(59:51) "Rock and Soul Tarot Promo"Click here to make a donation to Angela's HouseClick here to purchase Rock n Soul TarotYou can download or stream every episode of AIRCHECK from Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. You can also listen on YouTube. Ask your Smart Speaker to “Play Aircheck Podcast”.If you're a radio vet with a story to tell we want to hear from you.Email us at Aircheckme@gmail.comFollow us on Facebook: facebook.com/aircheckmeTell us what you think and your favorite episode!

This week on Classic Vinyl Podcast and our Meet the Beatles series, Justin and Tyler bring you another Holiday song this time from the Fab Four. From the band's 5th annual fan club Christmas record, we listen to and review The Beatles and their Christmas gift of Christmas Time Is Here Again. Give it a listen and let us know what you think. Happy Holidays to all!

This week on Classic Vinyl Podcast, Justin and Tyler listen to and review Side 2 of The Beatles and their 5th studio album. Give it a listen and let us know what you think. 

This week on Classic Vinyl Podcast, Justin and Tyler return to their Meet The Beatles series and their 5th studio album Help. Give it a listen and let us know what you think.

This week on Classic Vinyl Podcast and our Meet The Beatles Series, we are on to episode #15 and the band's 1965 B side single to the song Help, I'm Down. Give it a listen and let us know what you think. 

This week on Classic Vinyl Podcast and our Meet the Beatles series, Justin and Tyler listen to and review the band's 1965 cover of a Larry Williams original, Bad Boy. Give it a listen and let us know what you think.

This week on Classic Vinyl Podcast, Justin and Tyler return with episode #13 of our Meet The Beatles Series. This time we listen to and review the band's 1965 B side single Yes It Is. As the B side to world chart topping song, Ticket To Ride, how do you think it holds up today? Give it a listen and let us know what you think. 

This week on Classic Vinyl Podcast, Justin and Tyler continue our Meet The Beatles Series and Side 2 of their 4th studio album Beatles For Sale. Give it a listen and let us know what you think. 

This week on Classic Vinyl Podcast, Justin and Tyler return with our Meet The Beatles series and side of one of the band's 4th UK studio album, Beatles For Sale. A departure for the band from their first three studio albums, it shows the band's maturation process. Give it a listen and let us know what you think. And don't miss our side 2 episode on the album next week. 

This week on Classic Vinyl Podcast and our 10th Meet the Beatles Episode, Justin and Tyler listen to and review the A and B side singles I Feel Fine and She's A Woman. Released in late 1964, how do you think these songs still hold up to this day? Give them a listen and let us know what you think.

This week on Classic Vinyl Podcast and our Meet the Beatles series, Justin and Tyler listen to and review side 2 of The Beatles and their 3rd studio album, A Hard Day's Night. Give it a listen and let us know what you think.

This week on Classic Vinyl Podcast and our Meet the Beatles series, Justin and Tyler listen to and review side 1 of The Beatles and their 3rd studio album, A Hard Day's Night. Give it a listen and let us know what you think, and do not miss the review of Side 2 next week. 

For the Record is a conversation series where we speak with all manner of music heads — DJs, music journos, indie label captains, record shop owners, listening bar kingpins, et al — about their stories + the music that makes them.Join the Crate Coalition: https://discord.gg/sAaG6a7bv4Few DJs could adequately represent the last three decades of New York nightclub history - no less do so with such iconic credentials as Justin Strauss. Since he was 17, when his first band was signed to Island Records, Justin has had a career that reads like a Who's-Who of the music scene, spinning at nearly every dance club that you'd ever want to go to.Starting as DJ at New York's legendary Mudd Club, he spun his way through The Ritz, Limelight, Area, Tunnel, M.K., Life, Centro Fly and more, pioneering his own distinctive sound, and becoming one of the most sought-after remixers and producers not just in New York, but in the world. He has worked with the gamut of artists - Depeche Mode, Hot Chip, Sergio Mendez, Tina Turner, Jimmy Cliff, B-52s, Luther Vandross, 808 State, Malcolm McClaren, Skinny Puppy, Goldfrapp, LCD Soundsystem to name a few and on over 300 records!MUSIC MENTIONSEarly years, from being in a band to becoming a DJ:- The Beatles- The Rolling Stones- The Kinks- The Who- James Brown- Chuck Berry- David Bowie- Milk 'N' Cookies- Island Records- Roxy Music- Sparks- Robert Palmer- Top of the Pops- New York Dolls- CBGB- Sex Pistols- The Mudd Club (NYC)- Studio 54- Max's Kansas City (NYC)- Paradise Garage (NYC)- François Kevorkian- The Limelight (NYC)- Aria (NYC)- Tunnel (NYC)- Danceteria (NYC)- Hurrah (NYC)- Palladium (NYC)- The Ritz (NYC)- Webster Hall (NYC)- Prince- Kraftwerk- Human League- Depeche Mode- Gang of Four- Tina Turner- Afrika Bambaataa- Liquid Liquid- ESG- SpotifyQ&A- Vinylmania (NYC)- Optimo- James Murphy- The Dare- Deewee- Soulwax- Fat White Family- Paranoid London- “Brat” by Charli XCX- “B2B” by Charli XCX- Hot Chip- Joe Goddard- Marcus Marr- Max Park- Prince LanguageDiscovering music today (30:42):- Clubs, DJ's & Friends- Bandcamp- BeatportFavorite clubs in NYC right now (38:52):- Gabriela (NYC)- Good Room (NYC)- Night Moves (NYC)- Public Records (NYC)- Nowadays (NYC)- Outer Heaven (NYC)- Jean's (NYC)- Baby's All Right (NYC)First album ever purchased (45:01):- “Meet The Beatles” by The BeatlesMost recent album purchased (45:45):- “Decius Vol. II (Splendour & Obedience)” by DeciusArtists discovered in the past year (46:48):- Decius- Otha- Charli XCX- Sleaford ModsDesert island discs (49:44):- “Computer World” by Kraftwerk- “Revolve” by The Beatles- “In the Jungle Groove” by James BrownCurrent and upcoming collab projects:- Each Other- Extra Credit

In this episode, Lisa, Bink, Bob, and I talk about the Beatles, how their music affected our lives, our favorite songs, favorite lyrics, the band's musicianship, musical composition skills, and much more! #beatles #The Beatles #Musicpodcast

This week on Classic Vinyl Podcast and our 7th episode of Meet the Beatles, Justin and Tyler finish out the Long Tall Sally EP with the songs Slow Down and Matchbox. 

To celebrate the release of The Beatles 1964 US Albums in Mono, Untitled T.J. invited Untitled Tony over to his Untitled Beatles Paradise, where the two middle-aged lads Beatled about for hours with these new HOTLY CUT platters. In this episode, the first in a sporadic series, they delve into this MOSTLY FAB box set, leading off with Side 1 of Meet The Beatles. While the hot wax spins, the Jurk Twins ponder:

Rachel sits down with dl to talk the '65 Beatles, and how much more she likes them every passing day   By Your Side by Svend Knutsen -joi- by dl

This week on Classic Vinyl Podcast and our Meet The Beatles series, Justin and Tyler listen to and review the first two songs off of the Long Tall Sally EP, Long Tall Sally and I Call Your Name. Give them a listen and let us know what you think!

This week on Classic Vinyl Podcast and our Meet The Beatles series, Justin and Tyler listen the I Want to Hold Your Hand and This Boy. With I Want to Hold Your Hand possibly being the kickoff to the entire British invasion, this is a very important song to history. Give it a listen and let us know what you think.

The rock music of Great Britain makes a splash from across the pond, technology and culture advances, and people start to get a bit... psychedelic — on this third episode of the History of Rock. (Check out the ⁠first and second podcast episode and/or ⁠⁠part one⁠⁠, ⁠two⁠⁠, ⁠three⁠, ⁠four⁠, five, and six of the accompanying Substack posts, with music examples!) Want to hear my music? For all things links visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠ScoobertDoobert.pizza⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to this pod's blog on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to receive deeper dives on the regular

This week on Classic Vinyl Podcast, Justin and Tyler return with their Meet The Beatles series and review She Loves You and I'll Get You. With the A side single She Loves You helping to kick off Beatlemania in the US, how do you think these two song still hold up to this day?

Martin Douglas dives into Meet the Beatles! by The Beatles. In this episode, we pay tribute to the ever-connected thread of musicians across time and space. In essence, the “British Invasion” meant taking American music (largely from Black artists) and selling it back to American audiences.  Hosts: Dusty Henry and Martin DouglasAudio producers: Martin Douglas and Roddy NikpourPodcast manager: Isabel KhaliliEditorial director: Larry Mizell Jr.  Support the podcast: kexp.org/cobainSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Classic Vinyl Podcast, Justin and Tyler continue their series Meet The Beatles and listen to and review The Beatles and their 1963 singles From Me To You and Thank You Girl. Give them a listen and let us know what you think.

Frank and Gaz go long and deep on the question of who got to meet the Beatles 'for real' in Australasia and beyond. In navigating the sensitive theme of sex and rock 'n' roll, they return to classical roots in the writing of Petronius, Ovid and Apuleius. Informed by these texts and the more recent 'Sex and the Beatles: 400 entries', they ask whether Beatles lyrics from 1963-64 suggest less innocent themes. Are there power games at play? And when John Lennon compared the tour to Satyricon, did he have in mind scopophilia?

This episode might be a fever dream, or it might actually be the best podcast about the Beatles and the 197th greatest album of all time, Meet the Beatles.   In preparation for the album, we reveal which Beatles member wrote most of the band's hits or some derivative of that question. Then we talk about apricot mallow plants, the proper way to eat a chicken wing, and Hulk Hogan's Real American Beer...brother! We also pulled a Home Alone at the baseball game and took the podium as the best Olympics podcast by discussing Olympic costumes.   Reeee-LAX, it won't be long until (53:00) minutes into this episode when we let Beatlemania run wild on you and Meet the Beatles. We discuss the Beatles' perspective on music, Smokey Robinson's influence on the Beatles, and the best songs from the British Invasion.    If you were looking for a podcast episode full of hero worship, it's not this puppy. But next week will be a new wave when we become the best podcast about the B-52s and their debut self-titled album. 

We watch “The Devil's Chord” (Series 14, Episode 2) where the Doctor and their now fully fledged companion Ruby Sunday travel back to the swinging 60's to meet the Beatles…whilst they were recording “Meet The Beatles”. As this trip down Penny Lane was occurring, the Doctor complains about the high price of tea, Ruby fangirls on Cilla Black (don't ask me... Imma ‘Merican), and the Maestro found Ruby standing there yet found her wanting. All of that plus John Lennon telling the Doctor ‘don't bother me' (courtesy of George Harrison... you're welcome Steve).

In this episode, Julian, Steve, and Arthur, are joined by Producer Mike to dive into the Beatles’ profound influence on music and culture. They reminisce about the band’s rise to fame, their groundbreaking music, and the cultural revolution of the 1960s. Personal experiences and historical insights paint a picture of the Beatles’ enduring legacy, from […] The post Meet The Beatles | Tales From Hollywoodland appeared first on The ESO Network.

In this episode, Julian, Steve, and Arthur, are joined by Producer Mike to dive into the Beatles' profound influence on music and culture. They reminisce about the band's rise to fame, their groundbreaking music, and the cultural revolution of the 1960s. Personal experiences and historical insights paint a picture of the Beatles' enduring legacy, from live performances to their cinematic ventures. The conversation also acknowledges the Beatles' early influences and the societal shifts they inspired, touching on personal encounters and the band's lasting impact on the world. We want to hear from you! Feedback is always welcome. Please write to us at  talesfromhollywoodland@gmail.com and why not subscribe and rate the show on Apple Podcast, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Goodpods, PlayerFM, YouTube, Pandora, Amazon Music, Audible, and wherever fine podcasts are found. #TheBeatlespodcast #Beatleshistory #FabFourdiscussion #Beatlestrivia #Beatlessongs  #Beatlesinfluence #Beatlesimpact #Beatleslegacy #Beatlesalbums #Beatlesmemories #Beatlesfandom #Beatlesanecdotes #Beatlesstorytelling #Beatlesculture #Beatlespodcastepisode #TalesFromHollywoodlandPodcast #StevenJayRubin #ArthurFriedman #JulianSchlossberg, #MikeFaber

Sara Schmidt returns to the podcast to discuss her new book, Dear Beatle People: The Story of the Beatles North American Fan Club. Dear Beatle People: The Story of the Beatles' North American Fan Club tells the stories of both the official and unofficial fan clubs in the US and Canada. With over 100 photos and rare historical documents like fan club membership cards and letters, this book gives new insights into the engine that fueled North American Beatlemania. You may know Sara as the founder and editor of the website, Meet The Beatles...For Real, a treasure trove of memories and photographs from fans that have met one or more of The Beatles in person. She's also the author of the book, Happiness is Seeing The Beatles: Beatlemania in St. Louis; and a contributing author to A is for Apple (Volumes 2 & 3); and has given presentations at Beatles conventions across the United States.  --------------------- Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter/X for photos, videos, and more from this episode & past episodes — we're @bcthebeatles everywhere. Follow BC the Beatles on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you're listening now. Buy us a coffee! www.ko-fi.com/bcthebeatles Contact us at bcthebeatles@gmail.com.

It was sixty years ago this month that The Beatles set foot in America and our country has never been the same ever since!Guest Co-Host Brad Page (I'm In Love With That Song podcast) and me delve into the frenzied state known as Beatlemania, that took over in February 1964, when The Beatles first played to the American TV audience on The Ed Sullivan Show.  We trace the back story to the group's debut album in their native Britain in 1963, an album that created such a stir that by years end, not one, but two record companies were vying to be the first to release a Beatles album in the US!And who were the men behind the scenes who lit the fuse for this cultural revolution?  And what is the connection between The Beatles and later rivals The Monkees?  And why did The Beatles take hold like no other band before or since has done?Give this episode a listen and find out!  It's fab!Listen to Brad Page's I'm In Love With That Song Podcast: https://lovethatsongpodcast.com/

"The Beatles Come to America" podcast was recorded in 2020 and then it was aired for the 1st time in 2021. In this limited episode podcast, the Beatle Guru Brooke Halpin and Tom Gouker discussed all the US Albums of the Beatles. This is the first time that we got together to discuss how we felt about the 2nd episode "Meet the Beatles" and how does the album look....60 years older. The Orginal Episode will be released on The Beatles Come to America right this intro....so enjoy! And, Let the Mania Begin! You can also check out Tom Gouker's podcast "The Jazz, Blues & R&B Podcast and Radio Show....PERIOD! Or Check out SCFB 355 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jazz-blues-r-b-podcast-and-radio-show/id1400504427 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/somethingcame-from-baltim/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/somethingcame-from-baltim/support

We break open episode 72 with news of our prestige TV sitcom, an early mystery word, our guest Huw Thomas, more on Smokey Robinson's GASMS, Huw's encyclopedic knowledge of pre-Beatles pop, The Wombles, the Zoobilee Zoo/Wombles venn diagram, Beatles Rock Band memories, British terms for being drunk, RB blowing minds once again, some early George Martin music, an Ergs! appearance, and the early gloom of John's aeolian "Not a Second Time." As always, you can find Team Blotto Beatles on Instagram (@blottobeatles) and Twitter (@blottobeatles), by emailing us (blottobeatles@gmail.com), or on the web (blottobeatles.com).  We want to hear from you!Please also take the time to rate and review us on Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.We have a shop!  Grab some merch.  You can always drunk dial us at 1.857.233.9793 to share your thoughts, feedback, confessions, and concerns and to be featured in an upcoming episode. Enjoying the show? Buy us a beer via the tip jar (don't forget to include a message telling us what we should drink with the money).You know we're making a list of it, see the canonical, argument-ending list of Beatles songs we are assembling here: https://www.blottobeatles.com/list & listen to it on Spotify here.Please remember to always enjoy Blotto Beatles responsibly.Peace and Love.Hosts: Becker and TommyGuest: Huw ThomasExecutive Producer: Scotty C.Musical Supervisor: RB (@ryanobrooks)Associate Musical Supervision: Tim Clark (@nodisassemble)#PeteBestGetThatCheck

Rachel and dl sit down and, you know, geek out.   Music in episode from live Beatle's appearances. 

You get two album reviews for the price of one in this episode! We examine the Beatles' second UK album With The Beatles, and compare it to their first US Capitol album, Meet The Beatles. Which one did Dave and Chris start with? What are the differences between the two? Which one do they like better?  We also talk about the upcoming EP release from Ringo. Enjoy the discussion! Complete episodes can be found at https://ivegotabeatlespodcast.podbean.com. Email: ivegotabeatlespodcast@hotmail.com Twitter: @ivegotabeatles Facebook: I've Got A Beatles Podcast Our video venture: "Song Album Career!" https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClqNdoDpQxpj6QMNDmXYYog

We've done a number of shows about the danger of AI -- mostly 'hard,' or self-aware AI. However, like fire, Artificial Intelligence, makes a terrible master but a useful servant. Case in point: a recently-discovered, barely-audible song that John Lennon recorded directly into a hand-held cassette player before his death in 1980 has been processed by an artificial intelligence algorithm that was 'trained' to replicate Lennon's voice, turning a barely-audible mess into a studio-quality track. Now, 23 years after their last group recording, The Beatles are about to release a new song! Join our elite squad of anti-elitists by becoming a Citizen Producer today: https://billwhittle.com/register/

BLAKE MORGAN is an American musician, singer, music producer, record label owner, and activist based in New York City. After releasing the alternative rock solo album Anger's Candy (1997) on Phil Ramone's N2K Sony/Red label,he began producing music independently and founded the label Engine Company Records in 2002, which in 2012 became ECR Music Group.Morgan was born and raised in Manhattan. He began playing the piano and going to music school at age five, with the aim of becoming a professional pianist. At age six his interest began to switch from classical composers to The Beatles, after his mother introduced him to Meet The Beatles. In first grade he began attending the United Nations International School in New York City. He stayed there for 12 years, and graduated with an International Baccalaureate. He concurrently continued his piano studies at Greenwich House Music School in Manhattan. Morgan's first gig was at CBGB's in New York, when older students from his school recruited him to play keyboards in their band. Since he was legally too young for the venue, they used his then short stature to smuggle him inside the club in a bass drum case. As the show began, Morgan came out of the case to jump on stage and play the synths. Morgan's political activism on behalf of artists began in May 2013, when a pointed email exchange between him and the founder of Pandora, Tim Westergren, regarding lowered royalties, was published in the Huffington Post. The article was met with much enthusiasm in the artist community, and Pandora lost $130 million in the stock market the following morning.Thanks for listening!!! Please Follow us on Instagram @hiddentracks99

In this episode of the "Here, There, and Everywhere" podcast, Jack Lawless interviews Janice Mitchell about her fascinating adventure overseas when she ran away from home to meet The Beatles in 1964, her experiences, and how she got rock and roll banned in Cleveland. This episode is a must-listen for any Beatles fan or anyone interested in the history of music. Don't forget to subscribe for more exciting guests and thought-provoking conversations!   Check out Janice's website: https://janice-mitchell.com/home Check out "My Ticket to Ride: How I Ran Away to England to Meet the Beatles and Got Rock and Roll Banned in Cleveland (A True Story from 1964)": https://www.amazon.com/My-Ticket-Ride-England-Cleveland/dp/1598511165   If you like this episode, be sure to subscribe to this podcast! Follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Or click here for more information: Linktr.ee/BeatlesEarth   ----- The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all timeand were integral to the development of 1960s counterculture and popular music's recognition as an art form. Rooted in skiffle, beat and 1950s rock 'n' roll, their sound incorporated elements of classical music and traditional pop in innovative ways; the band later explored music styles ranging from ballads and Indian music to psychedelia and hard rock. As pioneers in recording, songwriting and artistic presentation, the Beatles revolutionised many aspects of the music industry and were often publicised as leaders of the era's youth and sociocultural movements. Led by primary songwriters Lennon and McCartney, the Beatles evolved from Lennon's previous group, the Quarrymen, and built their reputation playing clubs in Liverpool and Hamburg over three years from 1960, initially with Stuart Sutcliffe playing bass. The core trio of Lennon, McCartney and Harrison, together since 1958, went through a succession of drummers, including Pete Best, before asking Starr to join them in 1962. Manager Brian Epstein moulded them into a professional act, and producer George Martin guided and developed their recordings, greatly expanding their domestic success after signing to EMI Records and achieving their first hit, "Love Me Do", in late 1962.   Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr all released solo albums in 1970. Their solo records sometimes involved one or more of the others; Starr's Ringo (1973) was the only album to include compositions and performances by all four ex-Beatles, albeit on separate songs. With Starr's participation, Harrison staged the Concert for Bangladesh in New York City in August 1971. Other than an unreleased jam session in 1974, later bootlegged as A Toot and a Snore in '74, Lennon and McCartney never recorded together again. Two double-LP sets of the Beatles' greatest hits, compiled by Klein, 1962–1966 and 1967–1970, were released in 1973, at first under the Apple Records imprint. Commonly known as the "Red Album" and "Blue Album", respectively, each has earned a Multi-Platinum certification in the US and a Platinum certification in the UK. Between 1976 and 1982, EMI/Capitol released a wave of compilation albums without input from the ex-Beatles, starting with the double-disc compilation Rock 'n' Roll Music. The only one to feature previously unreleased material was The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl (1977); the first officially issued concert recordings by the group, it contained selections from two shows they played during their 1964 and 1965 US tours. The music and enduring fame of the Beatles were commercially exploited in various other ways, again often outside their creative control. In April 1974, the musical John, Paul, George, Ringo ... and Bert, written by Willy Russell and featuring singer Barbara Dickson, opened in London. It included, with permission from Northern Songs, eleven Lennon-McCartney compositions and one by Harrison, "Here Comes the Sun". Displeased with the production's use of his song, Harrison withdrew his permission to use it.Later that year, the off-Broadway musical Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band on the Road opened. All This and World War II (1976) was an unorthodox nonfiction film that combined newsreel footage with covers of Beatles songs by performers ranging from Elton John and Keith Moon to the London Symphony Orchestra. The Broadway musical Beatlemania, an unauthorised nostalgia revue, opened in early 1977 and proved popular, spinning off five separate touring productions. In 1979, the band sued the producers, settling for several million dollars in damages. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978), a musical film starring the Bee Gees and Peter Frampton, was a commercial failure and an "artistic fiasco", according to Ingham. Accompanying the wave of Beatles nostalgia and persistent reunion rumours in the US during the 1970s, several entrepreneurs made public offers to the Beatles for a reunion concert.Promoter Bill Sargent first offered the Beatles $10 million for a reunion concert in 1974. He raised his offer to $30 million in January 1976 and then to $50 million the following month. On 24 April 1976, during a broadcast of Saturday Night Live, producer Lorne Michaels jokingly offered the Beatles $3,000 to reunite on the show. Lennon and McCartney were watching the live broadcast at Lennon's apartment at the Dakota in New York, which was within driving distance of the NBC studio where the show was being broadcast. The former bandmates briefly entertained the idea of going to the studio and surprising Michaels by accepting his offer, but decided not to.

Frank and Tim talk about introducing their nerdy interests to their young kids. Cheers! Beers of the Week Smuttnose Old Brown Dog American Brown Ale Jameson Orange Irish Whiskey

Today's Episode: Meet the Beatles (US Version) The Beatles Come to America is a limited run podcast/interview with host Tom Gouker (podcast host of "SOMETHING came from Baltimore") and the Beatles Guru Brooke Halpin (host of "Come Together with the Beatles & Brooke Halpin). 1. Bing-Listen: Check out The Beatles Come to America, Here is the Spotify Link but the show is on 18 platforms. https://open.spotify.com/show/0DYEATbZNw0jgRfQBjscsC?si=8f188fab89ec4c23 2. Continue to Listen to SOMETHING came from Baltimore. Episodes will launch on the release days during 2023. Facebook (Sign In and Rack Your Favorite US Albums from Best to Worst) https://www.facebook.com/thebeatlescometoamerica Tom Gouker's Links Please Subscribe to SOMETHING came from Baltimore Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj7HKmMrFB4vAQm3SKzvftA Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tomfunproductions Itunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../scfb-186.../id1400504427... Anchor: https://anchor.fm/somethingcame-from-baltim Brooke Halpin's Links Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Come-Together-with-The-Beatles-Brooke-Halpin-902306423141575 THIS IS A FREE PODCAST. SCFB is found on: Youtube, Itunes, Anchor, Spotify, Amazon Podcasts, Google Podcast, Overcast, Breaker, Castbox, Radio Public, Podbay, Stitcher....and more! Tom Gouker is also featured on a limited-run podcast about the Beatles called, "The Beatles Come To America", Join Tom and the "Beatle Guru" Brooke Halpin as we chat about the US Album Releases of the Beatles ("65", "Yesterday & Today" and "Hey Jude"...they are all there.) How To Get a Hold of SOMETHING came from Baltimore: Contacts Information: Email: somethingcamefrombaltimore@gmail.com Twitter: something came from baltimore (@tom_gouker) / Twitter Instagram: Something Came From Baltimore (@something.came.from.baltimore) Did You know that SOMETHING came from Baltimore is on "TheBocX.com". TheBocX.com - Something came from Baltimore is a Podcast and a 30-minute radio show and can be heard weekly (Thursday's at 7pm and 10pm EST) it's called, SOMETHING came from Baltimore THE SHOW. Check out the Station: Jazz Music Radio - The BocX Streaming Jazzy Music Support SOMETHING came from Baltimore: TIPS! Tom Gouker's Cash App Account: $ThomasGouker Tom Gouker's Venmo Account: Thomas-Gouker FRIENDS OF THIS PODCAST: Adult Music: https://adultmusic.podbean.com/ Neon Jazz: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/famous-interviews-neon-jazz/id546432639 The Same Difference 2 Jazz Fans - 1 Jazz Standard: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/same-difference-2-jazz-fans-1-jazz-standard/id1456627254 The Top 60 Jazz Podcast List including SOMETHING came from Baltimore is right here: https://blog.feedspot.com/jazz_podcasts/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/somethingcame-from-baltim/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/somethingcame-from-baltim/support

Author Dr Christine Feldman-Barrett discusses Meet The Beatles! with Chris Shaw. 

Racel and dl. Still here. Still talkin' Beatles.  Round 2 versechorusverse.com

dl, a lifelong Beatles lover and Rachel, a long time Beatles 'meh'er, begin a journey to see where an preacher and a skeptic will find common ground. In this episode we cover the formation of the beatles as well as Please Please Me/Introducing the Beatles. All music and recordings in episode are non owned fair use outtake recordings. Drinks in Episode: (real) appletini, and some Angry Orchard

At The Untitled Beatles Podcast, we're as ‘Murican as basebrawl, hawt hogs, and Snapple Pi. And because our ethos has and always will be “Spyak Anglish”, we (fine, one of us) know(s) the correct way to pronounce Capitol's seventh Beatles album is “Beatles VEE EYE”. Like “Vee Jay”, only instead of Jay, it's a different word (than where you come from. #JealousJasmineGuy) Anyone who calls this record “Beatles Six” has a deep hatred for either “The Beatles Story”, or rightfully, one of the least popular/worst selling albums ever released, “Meet The Beatles”. Still, semantics aside, Tony & T.J. continue their journey - with Open Arms - into the Beatles Capitol albums with a look into this surprisingly great (Chris) hodgepodge of songs, including a song the U.K. didn't even hear until the following year. How ya like them Snapples, Thatcher? Along the way, the two UBP Bad Boyoyoyoyoy's tell you what they see about:  

We start season four of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs with an extra-long look at "San Francisco" by Scott McKenzie, and at the Monterey Pop Festival, and the careers of the Mamas and the Papas and P.F. Sloan. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode. Patreon backers also have a ten-minute bonus episode available, on "Up, Up, and Away" by the 5th Dimension. Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by doing a first-pass edit, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt's irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/ Resources As usual, all the songs excerpted in the podcast can be heard in full at Mixcloud. Scott McKenzie's first album is available here. There are many compilations of the Mamas and the Papas' music, but sadly none that are in print in the UK have the original mono mixes. This set is about as good as you're going to find, though, for the stereo versions. Information on the Mamas and the Papas came from Go Where You Wanna Go: The Oral History of The Mamas and the Papas by Matthew Greenwald, California Dreamin': The True Story Of The Mamas and Papas by Michelle Phillips, and Papa John by John Phillips and Jim Jerome. Information on P.F. Sloan came from PF - TRAVELLING BAREFOOT ON A ROCKY ROAD by Stephen McParland and What's Exactly the Matter With Me? by P.F. Sloan and S.E. Feinberg. The film of the Monterey Pop Festival is available on this Criterion Blu-Ray set. Sadly the CD of the performances seems to be deleted. Patreon This podcast is brought to you by the generosity of my backers on Patreon. Why not join them? Transcript Welcome to season four of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs. It's good to be back. Before we start this episode, I just want to say one thing. I get a lot of credit at times for the way I don't shy away from dealing with the more unsavoury elements of the people being covered in my podcast -- particularly the more awful men. But as I said very early on, I only cover those aspects of their life when they're relevant to the music, because this is a music podcast and not a true crime podcast. But also I worry that in some cases this might mean I'm giving a false impression of some people. In the case of this episode, one of the central figures is John Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas. Now, Phillips has posthumously been accused of some truly monstrous acts, the kind of thing that is truly unforgivable, and I believe those accusations. But those acts didn't take place during the time period covered by most of this episode, so I won't be covering them here -- but they're easily googlable if you want to know. I thought it best to get that out of the way at the start, so no-one's either anxiously waiting for the penny to drop or upset that I didn't acknowledge the elephant in the room. Separately, this episode will have some discussion of fatphobia and diet culture, and of a death that is at least in part attributable to those things. Those of you affected by that may want to skip this one or read the transcript. There are also some mentions of drug addiction and alcoholism. Anyway, on with the show. One of the things that causes problems with rock history is the tendency of people to have selective memories, and that's never more true than when it comes to the Summer of Love, summer of 1967. In the mythology that's built up around it, that was a golden time, the greatest time ever, a period of peace and love where everything was possible, and the world looked like it was going to just keep on getting better. But what that means, of course, is that the people remembering it that way do so because it was the best time of their lives. And what happens when the best time of your life is over in one summer? When you have one hit and never have a second, or when your band splits up after only eighteen months, and you have to cope with the reality that your best years are not only behind you, but they weren't even best years, but just best months? What stories would you tell about that time? Would you remember it as the eve of destruction, the last great moment before everything went to hell, or would you remember it as a golden summer, full of people with flowers in their hair? And would either really be true? [Excerpt: Scott McKenzie, "San Francisco"] Other than the city in which they worked, there are a few things that seem to characterise almost all the important figures on the LA music scene in the middle part of the 1960s. They almost all seem to be incredibly ambitious, as one might imagine. There seem to be a huge number of fantasists among them -- people who will not only choose the legend over reality when it suits them, but who will choose the legend over reality even when it doesn't suit them. And they almost all seem to have a story about being turned down in a rude and arrogant manner by Lou Adler, usually more or less the same story. To give an example, I'm going to read out a bit of Ray Manzarek's autobiography here. Now, Manzarek uses a few words that I can't use on this podcast and keep a clean rating, so I'm just going to do slight pauses when I get to them, but I'll leave the words in the transcript for those who aren't offended by them: "Sometimes Jim and Dorothy and I went alone. The three of us tried Dunhill Records. Lou Adler was the head man. He was shrewd and he was hip. He had the Mamas and the Papas and a big single with Barry McGuire's 'Eve of Destruction.' He was flush. We were ushered into his office. He looked cool. He was California casually disheveled and had the look of a stoner, but his eyes were as cold as a shark's. He took the twelve-inch acetate demo from me and we all sat down. He put the disc on his turntable and played each cut…for ten seconds. Ten seconds! You can't tell jack [shit] from ten seconds. At least listen to one of the songs all the way through. I wanted to rage at him. 'How dare you! We're the Doors! This is [fucking] Jim Morrison! He's going to be a [fucking] star! Can't you see that? Can't you see how [fucking] handsome he is? Can't you hear how groovy the music is? Don't you [fucking] get it? Listen to the words, man!' My brain was a boiling, lava-filled Jell-O mold of rage. I wanted to eviscerate that shark. The songs he so casually dismissed were 'Moonlight Drive,' 'Hello, I Love You,' 'Summer's Almost Gone,' 'End of the Night,' 'I Looked at You,' 'Go Insane.' He rejected the whole demo. Ten seconds on each song—maybe twenty seconds on 'Hello, I Love You' (I took that as an omen of potential airplay)—and we were dismissed out of hand. Just like that. He took the demo off the turntable and handed it back to me with an obsequious smile and said, 'Nothing here I can use.' We were shocked. We stood up, the three of us, and Jim, with a wry and knowing smile on his lips, cuttingly and coolly shot back at him, 'That's okay, man. We don't want to be *used*, anyway.'" Now, as you may have gathered from the episode on the Doors, Ray Manzarek was one of those print-the-legend types, and that's true of everyone who tells similar stories about Lou Alder. But... there are a *lot* of people who tell similar stories about Lou Adler. One of those was Phil Sloan. You can get an idea of Sloan's attitude to storytelling from a story he always used to tell. Shortly after he and his family moved to LA from New York, he got a job selling newspapers on a street corner on Hollywood Boulevard, just across from Schwab's Drug Store. One day James Dean drove up in his Porsche and made an unusual request. He wanted to buy every copy of the newspaper that Sloan had -- around a hundred and fifty copies in total. But he only wanted one article, something in the entertainment section. Sloan didn't remember what the article was, but he did remember that one of the headlines was on the final illness of Oliver Hardy, who died shortly afterwards, and thought it might have been something to do with that. Dean was going to just clip that article from every copy he bought, and then he was going to give all the newspapers back to Sloan to sell again, so Sloan ended up making a lot of extra money that day. There is one rather big problem with that story. Oliver Hardy died in August 1957, just after the Sloan family moved to LA. But James Dean died in September 1955, two years earlier. Sloan admitted that, and said he couldn't explain it, but he was insistent. He sold a hundred and fifty newspapers to James Dean two years after Dean's death. When not selling newspapers to dead celebrities, Sloan went to Fairfax High School, and developed an interest in music which was mostly oriented around the kind of white pop vocal groups that were popular at the time, groups like the Kingston Trio, the Four Lads, and the Four Aces. But the record that made Sloan decide he wanted to make music himself was "Just Goofed" by the Teen Queens: [Excerpt: The Teen Queens, "Just Goofed"] In 1959, when he was fourteen, he saw an advert for an open audition with Aladdin Records, a label he liked because of Thurston Harris. He went along to the audition, and was successful. His first single, released as by Flip Sloan -- Flip was a nickname, a corruption of "Philip" -- was produced by Bumps Blackwell and featured several of the musicians who played with Sam Cooke, plus Larry Knechtel on piano and Mike Deasey on guitar, but Aladdin shut down shortly after releasing it, and it may not even have had a general release, just promo copies. I've not been able to find a copy online anywhere. After that, he tried Arwin Records, the label that Jan and Arnie recorded for, which was owned by Marty Melcher (Doris Day's husband and Terry Melcher's stepfather). Melcher signed him, and put out a single, "She's My Girl", on Mart Records, a subsidiary of Arwin, on which Sloan was backed by a group of session players including Sandy Nelson and Bruce Johnston: [Excerpt: Philip Sloan, "She's My Girl"] That record didn't have any success, and Sloan was soon dropped by Mart Records. He went on to sign with Blue Bird Records, which was as far as can be ascertained essentially a scam organisation that would record demos for songwriters, but tell the performers that they were making a real record, so that they would record it for the royalties they would never get, rather than for a decent fee as a professional demo singer would get. But Steve Venet -- the brother of Nik Venet, and occasional songwriting collaborator with Tommy Boyce -- happened to come to Blue Bird one day, and hear one of Sloan's original songs. He thought Sloan would make a good songwriter, and took him to see Lou Adler at Columbia-Screen Gems music publishing. This was shortly after the merger between Columbia-Screen Gems and Aldon Music, and Adler was at this point the West Coast head of operations, subservient to Don Kirshner and Al Nevins, but largely left to do what he wanted. The way Sloan always told the story, Venet tried to get Adler to sign Sloan, but Adler said his songs stunk and had no commercial potential. But Sloan persisted in trying to get a contract there, and eventually Al Nevins happened to be in the office and overruled Adler, much to Adler's disgust. Sloan was signed to Columbia-Screen Gems as a songwriter, though he wasn't put on a salary like the Brill Building songwriters, just told that he could bring in songs and they would publish them. Shortly after this, Adler suggested to Sloan that he might want to form a writing team with another songwriter, Steve Barri, who had had a similar non-career non-trajectory, but was very slightly further ahead in his career, having done some work with Carol Connors, the former lead singer of the Teddy Bears. Barri had co-written a couple of flop singles for Connors, before the two of them had formed a vocal group, the Storytellers, with Connors' sister. The Storytellers had released a single, "When Two People (Are in Love)" , which was put out on a local independent label and which Adler had licensed to be released on Dimension Records, the label associated with Aldon Music: [Excerpt: The Storytellers "When Two People (Are in Love)"] That record didn't sell, but it was enough to get Barri into the Columbia-Screen Gems circle, and Adler set him and Sloan up as a songwriting team -- although the way Sloan told it, it wasn't so much a songwriting team as Sloan writing songs while Barri was also there. Sloan would later claim "it was mostly a collaboration of spirit, and it seemed that I was writing most of the music and the lyric, but it couldn't possibly have ever happened unless both of us were present at the same time". One suspects that Barri might have a different recollection of how it went... Sloan and Barri's first collaboration was a song that Sloan had half-written before they met, called "Kick That Little Foot Sally Ann", which was recorded by a West Coast Chubby Checker knockoff who went under the name Round Robin, and who had his own dance craze, the Slauson, which was much less successful than the Twist: [Excerpt: Round Robin, "Kick that Little Foot Sally Ann"] That track was produced and arranged by Jack Nitzsche, and Nitzsche asked Sloan to be one of the rhythm guitarists on the track, apparently liking Sloan's feel. Sloan would end up playing rhythm guitar or singing backing vocals on many of the records made of songs he and Barri wrote together. "Kick That Little Foot Sally Ann" only made number sixty-one nationally, but it was a regional hit, and it meant that Sloan and Barri soon became what Sloan later described as "the Goffin and King of the West Coast follow-ups." According to Sloan "We'd be given a list on Monday morning by Lou Adler with thirty names on it of the groups who needed follow-ups to their hit." They'd then write the songs to order, and they started to specialise in dance craze songs. For example, when the Swim looked like it might be the next big dance, they wrote "Swim Swim Swim", "She Only Wants to Swim", "Let's Swim Baby", "Big Boss Swimmer", "Swim Party" and "My Swimmin' Girl" (the last a collaboration with Jan Berry and Roger Christian). These songs were exactly as good as they needed to be, in order to provide album filler for mid-tier artists, and while Sloan and Barri weren't writing any massive hits, they were doing very well as mid-tier writers. According to Sloan's biographer Stephen McParland, there was a three-year period in the mid-sixties where at least one song written or co-written by Sloan was on the national charts at any given time. Most of these songs weren't for Columbia-Screen Gems though. In early 1964 Lou Adler had a falling out with Don Kirshner, and decided to start up his own company, Dunhill, which was equal parts production company, music publishers, and management -- doing for West Coast pop singers what Motown was doing for Detroit soul singers, and putting everything into one basket. Dunhill's early clients included Jan and Dean and the rockabilly singer Johnny Rivers, and Dunhill also signed Sloan and Barri as songwriters. Because of this connection, Sloan and Barri soon became an important part of Jan and Dean's hit-making process. The Matadors, the vocal group that had provided most of the backing vocals on the duo's hits, had started asking for more money than Jan Berry was willing to pay, and Jan and Dean couldn't do the vocals themselves -- as Bones Howe put it "As a singer, Dean is a wonderful graphic artist" -- and so Sloan and Barri stepped in, doing session vocals without payment in the hope that Jan and Dean would record a few of their songs. For example, on the big hit "The Little Old Lady From Pasadena", Dean Torrence is not present at all on the record -- Jan Berry sings the lead vocal, with Sloan doubling him for much of it, Sloan sings "Dean"'s falsetto, with the engineer Bones Howe helping out, and the rest of the backing vocals are sung by Sloan, Barri, and Howe: [Excerpt: Jan and Dean, "The Little Old Lady From Pasadena"] For these recordings, Sloan and Barri were known as The Fantastic Baggys, a name which came from the Rolling Stones' manager Andrew Oldham and Mick Jagger, when the two were visiting California. Oldham had been commenting on baggys, the kind of shorts worn by surfers, and had asked Jagger what he thought of The Baggys as a group name. Jagger had replied "Fantastic!" and so the Fantastic Baggys had been born. As part of this, Sloan and Barri moved hard into surf and hot-rod music from the dance songs they had been writing previously. The Fantastic Baggys recorded their own album, Tell 'Em I'm Surfin', as a quickie album suggested by Adler: [Excerpt: The Fantastic Baggys, "Tell 'Em I'm Surfin'"] And under the name The Rally Packs they recorded a version of Jan and Dean's "Move Out Little Mustang" which featured Berry's girlfriend Jill Gibson doing a spoken section: [Excerpt: The Rally Packs, "Move Out Little Mustang"] They also wrote several album tracks for Jan and Dean, and wrote "Summer Means Fun" for Bruce and Terry -- Bruce Johnston, later of the Beach Boys, and Terry Melcher: [Excerpt: Bruce and Terry, "Summer Means Fun"] And they wrote the very surf-flavoured "Secret Agent Man" for fellow Dunhill artist Johnny Rivers: [Excerpt: Johnny Rivers, "Secret Agent Man"] But of course, when you're chasing trends, you're chasing trends, and soon the craze for twangy guitars and falsetto harmonies had ended, replaced by a craze for jangly twelve-string guitars and closer harmonies. According to Sloan, he was in at the very beginning of the folk-rock trend -- the way he told the story, he was involved in the mastering of the Byrds' version of "Mr. Tambourine Man". He later talked about Terry Melcher getting him to help out, saying "He had produced a record called 'Mr. Tambourine Man', and had sent it into the head office, and it had been rejected. He called me up and said 'I've got three more hours in the studio before I'm being kicked out of Columbia. Can you come over and help me with this new record?' I did. I went over there. It was under lock and key. There were two guards outside the door. Terry asked me something about 'Summer Means Fun'. "He said 'Do you remember the guitar that we worked on with that? How we put in that double reverb?' "And I said 'yes' "And he said 'What do you think if we did something like that with the Byrds?' "And I said 'That sounds good. Let's see what it sounds like.' So we patched into all the reverb centres in Columbia Music, and mastered the record in three hours." Whether Sloan really was there at the birth of folk rock, he and Barri jumped on the folk-rock craze just as they had the surf and hot-rod craze, and wrote a string of jangly hits including "You Baby" for the Turtles: [Excerpt: The Turtles, "You Baby"] and "I Found a Girl" for Jan and Dean: [Excerpt: Jan and Dean, "I Found a Girl"] That song was later included on Jan and Dean's Folk 'n' Roll album, which also included... a song I'm not even going to name, but long-time listeners will know the one I mean. It was also notable in that "I Found a Girl" was the first song on which Sloan was credited not as Phil Sloan, but as P.F. Sloan -- he didn't have a middle name beginning with F, but rather the F stood for his nickname "Flip". Sloan would later talk of Phil Sloan and P.F. Sloan as almost being two different people, with P.F. being a far more serious, intense, songwriter. Folk 'n' Roll also contained another Sloan song, this one credited solely to Sloan. And that song is the one for which he became best known. There are two very different stories about how "Eve of Destruction" came to be written. To tell Sloan's version, I'm going to read a few paragraphs from his autobiography: "By late 1964, I had already written ‘Eve Of Destruction,' ‘The Sins Of A Family,' ‘This Mornin',' ‘Ain't No Way I'm Gonna Change My Mind,' and ‘What's Exactly The Matter With Me?' They all arrived on one cataclysmic evening, and nearly at the same time, as I worked on the lyrics almost simultaneously. ‘Eve Of Destruction' came about from hearing a voice, perhaps an angel's. The voice instructed me to place five pieces of paper and spread them out on my bed. I obeyed the voice. The voice told me that the first song would be called ‘Eve Of Destruction,' so I wrote the title at the top of the page. For the next few hours, the voice came and went as I was writing the lyric, as if this spirit—or whatever it was—stood over me like a teacher: ‘No, no … not think of all the hate there is in Red Russia … Red China!' I didn't understand. I thought the Soviet Union was the mortal threat to America, but the voice went on to reveal to me the future of the world until 2024. I was told the Soviet Union would fall, and that Red China would continue to be communist far into the future, but that communism was not going to be allowed to take over this Divine Planet—therefore, think of all the hate there is in Red China. I argued and wrestled with the voice for hours, until I was exhausted but satisfied inside with my plea to God to either take me out of the world, as I could not live in such a hypocritical society, or to show me a way to make things better. When I was writing ‘Eve,' I was on my hands and knees, pleading for an answer." Lou Adler's story is that he gave Phil Sloan a copy of Bob Dylan's Bringing it All Back Home album and told him to write a bunch of songs that sounded like that, and Sloan came back a week later as instructed with ten Dylan knock-offs. Adler said "It was a natural feel for him. He's a great mimic." As one other data point, both Steve Barri and Bones Howe, the engineer who worked on most of the sessions we're looking at today, have often talked in interviews about "Eve of Destruction" as being a Sloan/Barri collaboration, as if to them it's common knowledge that it wasn't written alone, although Sloan's is the only name on the credits. The song was given to a new signing to Dunhill Records, Barry McGuire. McGuire was someone who had been part of the folk scene for years, He'd been playing folk clubs in LA while also acting in a TV show from 1961. When the TV show had finished, he'd formed a duo, Barry and Barry, with Barry Kane, and they performed much the same repertoire as all the other early-sixties folkies: [Excerpt: Barry and Barry, "If I Had a Hammer"] After recording their one album, both Barrys joined the New Christy Minstrels. We've talked about the Christys before, but they were -- and are to this day -- an ultra-commercial folk group, led by Randy Sparks, with a revolving membership of usually eight or nine singers which included several other people who've come up in this podcast, like Gene Clark and Jerry Yester. McGuire became one of the principal lead singers of the Christys, singing lead on their version of the novelty cowboy song "Three Wheels on My Wagon", which was later released as a single in the UK and became a perennial children's favourite (though it has a problematic attitude towards Native Americans): [Excerpt: The New Christy Minstrels, "Three Wheels on My Wagon"] And he also sang lead on their big hit "Green Green", which he co-wrote with Randy Sparks: [Excerpt: The New Christy Minstrels, "Green Green"] But by 1965 McGuire had left the New Christy Minstrels. As he said later "I'd sung 'Green Green' a thousand times and I didn't want to sing it again. This is January of 1965. I went back to LA to meet some producers, and I was broke. Nobody had the time of day for me. I was walking down street one time to see Dr. Strangelove and I walked by the music store, and I heard "Green Green" comin' out of the store, ya know, on Hollywood Boulevard. And I heard my voice, and I thought, 'I got four dollars in my pocket!' I couldn't believe it, my voice is comin' out on Hollywood Boulevard, and I'm broke. And right at that moment, a car pulls up, and the radio is playing 'Chim Chim Cherie" also by the Minstrels. So I got my voice comin' at me in stereo, standin' on the sidewalk there, and I'm broke, and I can't get anyone to sign me!" But McGuire had a lot of friends who he'd met on the folk scene, some of whom were now in the new folk-rock scene that was just starting to spring up. One of them was Roger McGuinn, who told him that his band, the Byrds, were just about to put out a new single, "Mr. Tambourine Man", and that they were about to start a residency at Ciro's on Sunset Strip. McGuinn invited McGuire to the opening night of that residency, where a lot of other people from the scene were there to see the new group. Bob Dylan was there, as was Phil Sloan, and the actor Jack Nicholson, who was still at the time a minor bit-part player in low-budget films made by people like American International Pictures (the cinematographer on many of Nicholson's early films was Floyd Crosby, David Crosby's father, which may be why he was there). Someone else who was there was Lou Adler, who according to McGuire recognised him instantly. According to Adler, he actually asked Terry Melcher who the long-haired dancer wearing furs was, because "he looked like the leader of a movement", and Melcher told him that he was the former lead singer of the New Christy Minstrels. Either way, Adler approached McGuire and asked if he was currently signed -- Dunhill Records was just starting up, and getting someone like McGuire, who had a proven ability to sing lead on hit records, would be a good start for the label. As McGuire didn't have a contract, he was signed to Dunhill, and he was given some of Sloan's new songs to pick from, and chose "What's Exactly the Matter With Me?" as his single: [Excerpt: Barry McGuire, "What's Exactly the Matter With Me?"] McGuire described what happened next: "It was like, a three-hour session. We did two songs, and then the third one wasn't turning out. We only had about a half hour left in the session, so I said 'Let's do this tune', and I pulled 'Eve of Destruction' out of my pocket, and it just had Phil's words scrawled on a piece of paper, all wrinkled up. Phil worked the chords out with the musicians, who were Hal Blaine on drums and Larry Knechtel on bass." There were actually more musicians than that at the session -- apparently both Knechtel and Joe Osborn were there, so I'm not entirely sure who's playing bass -- Knechtel was a keyboard player as well as a bass player, but I don't hear any keyboards on the track. And Tommy Tedesco was playing lead guitar, and Steve Barri added percussion, along with Sloan on rhythm guitar and harmonica. The chords were apparently scribbled down for the musicians on bits of greasy paper that had been used to wrap some takeaway chicken, and they got through the track in a single take. According to McGuire "I'm reading the words off this piece of wrinkled paper, and I'm singing 'My blood's so mad, feels like coagulatin'", that part that goes 'Ahhh you can't twist the truth', and the reason I'm going 'Ahhh' is because I lost my place on the page. People said 'Man, you really sounded frustrated when you were singing.' I was. I couldn't see the words!" [Excerpt: Barry McGuire, "Eve of Destruction"] With a few overdubs -- the female backing singers in the chorus, and possibly the kettledrums, which I've seen differing claims about, with some saying that Hal Blaine played them during the basic track and others saying that Lou Adler suggested them as an overdub, the track was complete. McGuire wasn't happy with his vocal, and a session was scheduled for him to redo it, but then a record promoter working with Adler was DJing a birthday party for the head of programming at KFWB, the big top forty radio station in LA at the time, and he played a few acetates he'd picked up from Adler. Most went down OK with the crowd, but when he played "Eve of Destruction", the crowd went wild and insisted he play it three times in a row. The head of programming called Adler up and told him that "Eve of Destruction" was going to be put into rotation on the station from Monday, so he'd better get the record out. As McGuire was away for the weekend, Adler just released the track as it was, and what had been intended to be a B-side became Barry McGuire's first and only number one record: [Excerpt: Barry McGuire, "Eve of Destruction"] Sloan would later claim that that song was a major reason why the twenty-sixth amendment to the US Constitution was passed six years later, because the line "you're old enough to kill but not for votin'" shamed Congress into changing the constitution to allow eighteen-year-olds to vote. If so, that would make "Eve of Destruction" arguably the single most impactful rock record in history, though Sloan is the only person I've ever seen saying that As well as going to number one in McGuire's version, the song was also covered by the other artists who regularly performed Sloan and Barri songs, like the Turtles: [Excerpt: The Turtles, "Eve of Destruction"] And Jan and Dean, whose version on Folk & Roll used the same backing track as McGuire, but had a few lyrical changes to make it fit with Jan Berry's right-wing politics, most notably changing "Selma, Alabama" to "Watts, California", thus changing a reference to peaceful civil rights protestors being brutally attacked and murdered by white supremacist state troopers to a reference to what was seen, in the popular imaginary, as Black people rioting for no reason: [Excerpt: Jan and Dean, "Eve of Destruction"] According to Sloan, he worked on the Folk & Roll album as a favour to Berry, even though he thought Berry was being cynical and exploitative in making the record, but those changes caused a rift in their friendship. Sloan said in his autobiography "Where I was completely wrong was in helping him capitalize on something in which he didn't believe. Jan wanted the public to perceive him as a person who was deeply concerned and who embraced the values of the progressive politics of the day. But he wasn't that person. That's how I was being pulled. It was when he recorded my actual song ‘Eve Of Destruction' and changed a number of lines to reflect his own ideals that my principles demanded that I leave Folk City and never return." It's true that Sloan gave no more songs to Jan and Dean after that point -- but it's also true that the duo would record only one more album, the comedy concept album Jan and Dean Meet Batman, before Jan's accident. Incidentally, the reference to Selma, Alabama in the lyric might help people decide on which story about the writing of "Eve of Destruction" they think is more plausible. Remember that Lou Adler said that it was written after Adler gave Sloan a copy of Bringing it All Back Home and told him to write a bunch of knock-offs, while Sloan said it was written after a supernatural force gave him access to all the events that would happen in the world for the next sixty years. Sloan claimed the song was written in late 1964. Selma, Alabama, became national news in late February and early March 1965. Bringing it All Back Home was released in late March 1965. So either Adler was telling the truth, or Sloan really *was* given a supernatural insight into the events of the future. Now, as it turned out, while "Eve of Destruction" went to number one, that would be McGuire's only hit as a solo artist. His next couple of singles would reach the very low end of the Hot One Hundred, and that would be it -- he'd release several more albums, before appearing in the Broadway musical Hair, most famous for its nude scenes, and getting a small part in the cinematic masterpiece Werewolves on Wheels: [Excerpt: Werewolves on Wheels trailer] P.F. Sloan would later tell various stories about why McGuire never had another hit. Sometimes he would say that Dunhill Records had received death threats because of "Eve of Destruction" and so deliberately tried to bury McGuire's career, other times he would say that Lou Adler had told him that Billboard had said they were never going to put McGuire's records on the charts no matter how well they sold, because "Eve of Destruction" had just been too powerful and upset the advertisers. But of course at this time Dunhill were still trying for a follow-up to "Eve of Destruction", and they thought they might have one when Barry McGuire brought in a few friends of his to sing backing vocals on his second album. Now, we've covered some of the history of the Mamas and the Papas already, because they were intimately tied up with other groups like the Byrds and the Lovin' Spoonful, and with the folk scene that led to songs like "Hey Joe", so some of this will be more like a recap than a totally new story, but I'm going to recap those parts of the story anyway, so it's fresh in everyone's heads. John Phillips, Scott McKenzie, and Cass Elliot all grew up in Alexandria, Virginia, just a few miles south of Washington DC. Elliot was a few years younger than Phillips and McKenzie, and so as is the way with young men they never really noticed her, and as McKenzie later said "She lived like a quarter of a mile from me and I never met her until New York". While they didn't know who Elliot was, though, she was aware who they were, as Phillips and McKenzie sang together in a vocal group called The Smoothies. The Smoothies were a modern jazz harmony group, influenced by groups like the Modernaires, the Hi-Los, and the Four Freshmen. John Phillips later said "We were drawn to jazz, because we were sort of beatniks, really, rather than hippies, or whatever, flower children. So we used to sing modern harmonies, like Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross. Dave Lambert did a lot of our arrangements for us as a matter of fact." Now, I've not seen any evidence other than Phillips' claim that Dave Lambert ever arranged for the Smoothies, but that does tell you a lot about the kind of music that they were doing. Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross were a vocalese trio whose main star was Annie Ross, who had a career worthy of an episode in itself -- she sang with Paul Whiteman, appeared in a Little Rascals film when she was seven, had an affair with Lenny Bruce, dubbed Britt Ekland's voice in The Wicker Man, played the villain's sister in Superman III, and much more. Vocalese, you'll remember, was a style of jazz vocal where a singer would take a jazz instrumental, often an improvised one, and add lyrics which they would sing, like Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross' version of "Cloudburst": [Excerpt: Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross, "Cloudburst"] Whether Dave Lambert ever really did arrange for the Smoothies or not, it's very clear that the trio had a huge influence on John Phillips' ideas about vocal arrangement, as you can hear on Mamas and Papas records like "Once Was a Time I Thought": [Excerpt: The Mamas and the Papas, "Once Was a Time I Thought"] While the Smoothies thought of themselves as a jazz group, when they signed to Decca they started out making the standard teen pop of the era, with songs like "Softly": [Excerpt, The Smoothies, "Softly"] When the folk boom started, Phillips realised that this was music that he could do easily, because the level of musicianship among the pop-folk musicians was so much lower than in the jazz world. The Smoothies made some recordings in the style of the Kingston Trio, like "Ride Ride Ride": [Excerpt: The Smoothies, "Ride Ride Ride"] Then when the Smoothies split, Phillips and McKenzie formed a trio with a banjo player, Dick Weissman, who they met through Izzy Young's Folklore Centre in Greenwich Village after Phillips asked Young to name some musicians who could make a folk record with him. Weissman was often considered the best banjo player on the scene, and was a friend of Pete Seeger's, to whom Seeger sometimes turned for banjo tips. The trio, who called themselves the Journeymen, quickly established themselves on the folk scene. Weissman later said "we had this interesting balance. John had all of this charisma -- they didn't know about the writing thing yet -- John had the personality, Scott had the voice, and I could play. If you think about it, all of those bands like the Kingston Trio, the Brothers Four, nobody could really *sing* and nobody could really *play*, relatively speaking." This is the take that most people seemed to have about John Phillips, in any band he was ever in. Nobody thought he was a particularly good singer or instrumentalist -- he could sing on key and play adequate rhythm guitar, but nobody would actually pay money to listen to him do those things. Mark Volman of the Turtles, for example, said of him "John wasn't the kind of guy who was going to be able to go up on stage and sing his songs as a singer-songwriter. He had to put himself in the context of a group." But he was charismatic, he had presence, and he also had a great musical mind. He would surround himself with the best players and best singers he could, and then he would organise and arrange them in ways that made the most of their talents. He would work out the arrangements, in a manner that was far more professional than the quick head arrangements that other folk groups used, and he instigated a level of professionalism in his groups that was not at all common on the scene. Phillips' friend Jim Mason talked about the first time he saw the Journeymen -- "They were warming up backstage, and John had all of them doing vocal exercises; one thing in particular that's pretty famous called 'Seiber Syllables' -- it's a series of vocal exercises where you enunciate different vowel and consonant sounds. It had the effect of clearing your head, and it's something that really good operetta singers do." The group were soon signed by Frank Werber, the manager of the Kingston Trio, who signed them as an insurance policy. Dave Guard, the Kingston Trio's banjo player, was increasingly having trouble with the other members, and Werber knew it was only a matter of time before he left the group. Werber wanted the Journeymen as a sort of farm team -- he had the idea that when Guard left, Phillips would join the Kingston Trio in his place as the third singer. Weissman would become the Trio's accompanist on banjo, and Scott McKenzie, who everyone agreed had a remarkable voice, would be spun off as a solo artist. But until that happened, they might as well make records by themselves. The Journeymen signed to MGM records, but were dropped before they recorded anything. They instead signed to Capitol, for whom they recorded their first album: [Excerpt: The Journeymen, "500 Miles"] After recording that album, the Journeymen moved out to California, with Phillips' wife and children. But soon Phillips' marriage was to collapse, as he met and fell in love with Michelle Gilliam. Gilliam was nine years younger than him -- he was twenty-six and she was seventeen -- and she had the kind of appearance which meant that in every interview with an older heterosexual man who knew her, that man will spend half the interview talking about how attractive he found her. Phillips soon left his wife and children, but before he did, the group had a turntable hit with "River Come Down", the B-side to "500 Miles": [Excerpt: The Journeymen, "River Come Down"] Around the same time, Dave Guard *did* leave the Kingston Trio, but the plan to split the Journeymen never happened. Instead Phillips' friend John Stewart replaced Guard -- and this soon became a new source of income for Phillips. Both Phillips and Stewart were aspiring songwriters, and they collaborated together on several songs for the Trio, including "Chilly Winds": [Excerpt: The Kingston Trio, "Chilly Winds"] Phillips became particularly good at writing songs that sounded like they could be old traditional folk songs, sometimes taking odd lines from older songs to jump-start new ones, as in "Oh Miss Mary", which he and Stewart wrote after hearing someone sing the first line of a song she couldn't remember the rest of: [Excerpt: The Kingston Trio, "Oh Miss Mary"] Phillips and Stewart became so close that Phillips actually suggested to Stewart that he quit the Kingston Trio and replace Dick Weissman in the Journeymen. Stewart did quit the Trio -- but then the next day Phillips suggested that maybe it was a bad idea and he should stay where he was. Stewart went back to the Trio, claimed he had only pretended to quit because he wanted a pay-rise, and got his raise, so everyone ended up happy. The Journeymen moved back to New York with Michelle in place of Phillips' first wife (and Michelle's sister Russell also coming along, as she was dating Scott McKenzie) and on New Year's Eve 1962 John and Michelle married -- so from this point on I will refer to them by their first names, because they both had the surname Phillips. The group continued having success through 1963, including making appearances on "Hootenanny": [Excerpt: The Journeymen, "Stack O'Lee (live on Hootenanny)"] By the time of the Journeymen's third album, though, John and Scott McKenzie were on bad terms. Weissman said "They had been the closest of friends and now they were the worst of enemies. They talked through me like I was a medium. It got to the point where we'd be standing in the dressing room and John would say to me 'Tell Scott that his right sock doesn't match his left sock...' Things like that, when they were standing five feet away from each other." Eventually, the group split up. Weissman was always going to be able to find employment given his banjo ability, and he was about to get married and didn't need the hassle of dealing with the other two. McKenzie was planning on a solo career -- everyone was agreed that he had the vocal ability. But John was another matter. He needed to be in a group. And not only that, the Journeymen had bookings they needed to complete. He quickly pulled together a group he called the New Journeymen. The core of the lineup was himself, Michelle on vocals, and banjo player Marshall Brickman. Brickman had previously been a member of a folk group called the Tarriers, who had had a revolving lineup, and had played on most of their early-sixties recordings: [Excerpt: The Tarriers, "Quinto (My Little Pony)"] We've met the Tarriers before in the podcast -- they had been formed by Erik Darling, who later replaced Pete Seeger in the Weavers after Seeger's socialist principles wouldn't let him do advertising, and Alan Arkin, later to go on to be a film star, and had had hits with "Cindy, O Cindy", with lead vocals from Vince Martin, who would later go on to be a major performer in the Greenwich Village scene, and with "The Banana Boat Song". By the time Brickman had joined, though, Darling, Arkin, and Martin had all left the group to go on to bigger things, and while he played with them for several years, it was after their commercial peak. Brickman would, though, also go on to a surprising amount of success, but as a writer rather than a musician -- he had a successful collaboration with Woody Allen in the 1970s, co-writing four of Allen's most highly regarded films -- Sleeper, Annie Hall, Manhattan, and Manhattan Murder Mystery -- and with another collaborator he later co-wrote the books for the stage musicals Jersey Boys and The Addams Family. Both John and Michelle were decent singers, and both have their admirers as vocalists -- P.F. Sloan always said that Michelle was the best singer in the group they eventually formed, and that it was her voice that gave the group its sound -- but for the most part they were not considered as particularly astonishing lead vocalists. Certainly, neither had a voice that stood out the way that Scott McKenzie's had. They needed a strong lead singer, and they found one in Denny Doherty. Now, we covered Denny Doherty's early career in the episode on the Lovin' Spoonful, because he was intimately involved in the formation of that group, so I won't go into too much detail here, but I'll give a very abbreviated version of what I said there. Doherty was a Canadian performer who had been a member of the Halifax Three with Zal Yanovsky: [Excerpt: The Halifax Three, "When I First Came to This Land"] After the Halifax Three had split up, Doherty and Yanovsky had performed as a duo for a while, before joining up with Cass Elliot and her husband Jim Hendricks, who both had previously been in the Big Three with Tim Rose: [Excerpt: Cass Elliot and the Big 3, "The Banjo Song"] Elliot, Hendricks, Yanovsky, and Doherty had formed The Mugwumps, sometimes joined by John Sebastian, and had tried to go in more of a rock direction after seeing the Beatles on Ed Sullivan. They recorded one album together before splitting up: [Excerpt: The Mugwumps, "Searchin'"] Part of the reason they split up was that interpersonal relationships within the group were put under some strain -- Elliot and Hendricks split up, though they would remain friends and remain married for several years even though they were living apart, and Elliot had an unrequited crush on Doherty. But since they'd split up, and Yanovsky and Sebastian had gone off to form the Lovin' Spoonful, that meant that Doherty was free, and he was regarded as possibly the best male lead vocalist on the circuit, so the group snapped him up. The only problem was that the Journeymen still had gigs booked that needed to be played, one of them was in just three days, and Doherty didn't know the repertoire. This was a problem with an easy solution for people in their twenties though -- they took a huge amount of amphetamines, and stayed awake for three days straight rehearsing. They made the gig, and Doherty was now the lead singer of the New Journeymen: [Excerpt: The New Journeymen, "The Last Thing on My Mind"] But the New Journeymen didn't last in that form for very long, because even before joining the group, Denny Doherty had been going in a more folk-rock direction with the Mugwumps. At the time, John Phillips thought rock and roll was kids' music, and he was far more interested in folk and jazz, but he was also very interested in making money, and he soon decided it was an idea to start listening to the Beatles. There's some dispute as to who first played the Beatles for John in early 1965 -- some claim it was Doherty, others claim it was Cass Elliot, but everyone agrees it was after Denny Doherty had introduced Phillips to something else -- he brought round some LSD for John and Michelle, and Michelle's sister Rusty, to try. And then he told them he'd invited round a friend. Michelle Phillips later remembered, "I remember saying to the guys "I don't know about you guys, but this drug does nothing for me." At that point there was a knock on the door, and as I opened the door and saw Cass, the acid hit me *over the head*. I saw her standing there in a pleated skirt, a pink Angora sweater with great big eyelashes on and her hair in a flip. And all of a sudden I thought 'This is really *quite* a drug!' It was an image I will have securely fixed in my brain for the rest of my life. I said 'Hi, I'm Michelle. We just took some LSD-25, do you wanna join us?' And she said 'Sure...'" Rusty Gilliam's description matches this -- "It was mind-boggling. She had on a white pleated skirt, false eyelashes. These were the kind of eyelashes that when you put them on you were supposed to trim them to an appropriate length, which she didn't, and when she blinked she looked like a cow, or those dolls you get when you're little and the eyes open and close. And we're on acid. Oh my God! It was a sight! And everything she was wearing were things that you weren't supposed to be wearing if you were heavy -- white pleated skirt, mohair sweater. You know, until she became famous, she suffered so much, and was poked fun at." This gets to an important point about Elliot, and one which sadly affected everything about her life. Elliot was *very* fat -- I've seen her weight listed at about three hundred pounds, and she was only five foot five tall -- and she also didn't have the kind of face that gets thought of as conventionally attractive. Her appearance would be cruelly mocked by pretty much everyone for the rest of her life, in ways that it's genuinely hurtful to read about, and which I will avoid discussing in detail in order to avoid hurting fat listeners. But the two *other* things that defined Elliot in the minds of those who knew her were her voice -- every single person who knew her talks about what a wonderful singer she was -- and her personality. I've read a lot of things about Cass Elliot, and I have never read a single negative word about her as a person, but have read many people going into raptures about what a charming, loving, friendly, understanding person she was. Michelle later said of her "From the time I left Los Angeles, I hadn't had a friend, a buddy. I was married, and John and I did not hang out with women, we just hung out with men, and especially not with women my age. John was nine years older than I was. And here was a fun-loving, intelligent woman. She captivated me. I was as close to in love with Cass as I could be to any woman in my life at that point. She also represented something to me: freedom. Everything she did was because she wanted to do it. She was completely independent and I admired her and was in awe of her. And later on, Cass would be the one to tell me not to let John run my life. And John hated her for that." Either Elliot had brought round Meet The Beatles, the Beatles' first Capitol album, for everyone to listen to, or Denny Doherty already had it, but either way Elliot and Doherty were by this time already Beatles fans. Michelle, being younger than the rest and not part of the folk scene until she met John, was much more interested in rock and roll than any of them, but because she'd been married to John for a couple of years and been part of his musical world she hadn't really encountered the Beatles music, though she had a vague memory that she might have heard a track or two on the radio. John was hesitant -- he didn't want to listen to any rock and roll, but eventually he was persuaded, and the record was put on while he was on his first acid trip: [Excerpt: The Beatles, "I Want to Hold Your Hand"] Within a month, John Phillips had written thirty songs that he thought of as inspired by the Beatles. The New Journeymen were going to go rock and roll. By this time Marshall Brickman was out of the band, and instead John, Michelle, and Denny recruited a new lead guitarist, Eric Hord. Denny started playing bass, with John on rhythm guitar, and a violinist friend of theirs, Peter Pilafian, knew a bit of drums and took on that role. The new lineup of the group used the Journeymen's credit card, which hadn't been stopped even though the Journeymen were no more, to go down to St. Thomas in the Caribbean, along with Michelle's sister, John's daughter Mackenzie (from whose name Scott McKenzie had taken his stage name, as he was born Philip Blondheim), a pet dog, and sundry band members' girlfriends. They stayed there for several months, living in tents on the beach, taking acid, and rehearsing. While they were there, Michelle and Denny started an affair which would have important ramifications for the group later. They got a gig playing at a club called Duffy's, whose address was on Creeque Alley, and soon after they started playing there Cass Elliot travelled down as well -- she was in love with Denny, and wanted to be around him. She wasn't in the group, but she got a job working at Duffy's as a waitress, and she would often sing harmony with the group while waiting at tables. Depending on who was telling the story, either she didn't want to be in the group because she didn't want her appearance to be compared to Michelle's, or John wouldn't *let* her be in the group because she was so fat. Later a story would be made up to cover for this, saying that she hadn't been in the group at first because she couldn't sing the highest notes that were needed, until she got hit on the head with a metal pipe and discovered that it had increased her range by three notes, but that seems to be a lie. One of the songs the New Journeymen were performing at this time was "Mr. Tambourine Man". They'd heard that their old friend Roger McGuinn had recorded it with his new band, but they hadn't yet heard his version, and they'd come up with their own arrangement: [Excerpt: The New Journeymen, "Mr. Tambourine Man"] Denny later said "We were doing three-part harmony on 'Mr Tambourine Man', but a lot slower... like a polka or something! And I tell John, 'No John, we gotta slow it down and give it a backbeat.' Finally we get the Byrds 45 down here, and we put it on and turn it up to ten, and John says 'Oh, like that?' Well, as you can tell, it had already been done. So John goes 'Oh, ah... that's it...' a light went on. So we started doing Beatles stuff. We dropped 'Mr Tambourine Man' after hearing the Byrds version, because there was no point." Eventually they had to leave the island -- they had completely run out of money, and were down to fifty dollars. The credit card had been cut up, and the governor of the island had a personal vendetta against them because they gave his son acid, and they were likely to get arrested if they didn't leave the island. Elliot and her then-partner had round-trip tickets, so they just left, but the rest of them were in trouble. By this point they were unwashed, they were homeless, and they'd spent their last money on stage costumes. They got to the airport, and John Phillips tried to write a cheque for eight air fares back to the mainland, which the person at the check-in desk just laughed at. So they took their last fifty dollars and went to a casino. There Michelle played craps, and she rolled seventeen straight passes, something which should be statistically impossible. She turned their fifty dollars into six thousand dollars, which they scooped up, took to the airport, and paid for their flights out in cash. The New Journeymen arrived back in New York, but quickly decided that they were going to try their luck in California. They rented a car, using Scott McKenzie's credit card, and drove out to LA. There they met up with Hoyt Axton, who you may remember as the son of Mae Axton, the writer of "Heartbreak Hotel", and as the performer who had inspired Michael Nesmith to go into folk music: [Excerpt: Hoyt Axton, "Greenback Dollar"] Axton knew the group, and fed them and put them up for a night, but they needed somewhere else to stay. They went to stay with one of Michelle's friends, but after one night their rented car was stolen, with all their possessions in it. They needed somewhere else to stay, so they went to ask Jim Hendricks if they could crash at his place -- and they were surprised to find that Cass Elliot was there already. Hendricks had another partner -- though he and Elliot wouldn't have their marriage annulled until 1968 and were still technically married -- but he'd happily invited her to stay with them. And now all her friends had turned up, he invited them to stay as well, taking apart the beds in his one-bedroom apartment so he could put down a load of mattresses in the space for everyone to sleep on. The next part becomes difficult, because pretty much everyone in the LA music scene of the sixties was a liar who liked to embellish their own roles in things, so it's quite difficult to unpick what actually happened. What seems to have happened though is that first this new rock-oriented version of the New Journeymen went to see Frank Werber, on the recommendation of John Stewart. Werber was the manager of the Kingston Trio, and had also managed the Journeymen. He, however, was not interested -- not because he didn't think they had talent, but because he had experience of working with John Phillips previously. When Phillips came into his office Werber picked up a tape that he'd been given of the group, and said "I have not had a chance to listen to this tape. I believe that you are a most talented individual, and that's why we took you on in the first place. But I also believe that you're also a drag to work with. A pain in the ass. So I'll tell you what, before whatever you have on here sways me, I'm gonna give it back to you and say that we're not interested." Meanwhile -- and this part of the story comes from Kim Fowley, who was never one to let the truth get in the way of him taking claim for everything, but parts of it at least are corroborated by other people -- Cass Elliot had called Fowley, and told him that her friends' new group sounded pretty good and he should sign them. Fowley was at that time working as a talent scout for a label, but according to him the label wouldn't give the group the money they wanted. So instead, Fowley got in touch with Nik Venet, who had just produced the Leaves' hit version of "Hey Joe" on Mira Records: [Excerpt: The Leaves, "Hey Joe"] Fowley suggested to Venet that Venet should sign the group to Mira Records, and Fowley would sign them to a publishing contract, and they could both get rich. The trio went to audition for Venet, and Elliot drove them over -- and Venet thought the group had a great look as a quartet. He wanted to sign them to a record contract, but only if Elliot was in the group as well. They agreed, he gave them a one hundred and fifty dollar advance, and told them to come back the next day to see his boss at Mira. But Barry McGuire was also hanging round with Elliot and Hendricks, and decided that he wanted to have Lou Adler hear the four of them. He thought they might be useful both as backing vocalists on his second album and as a source of new songs. He got them to go and see Lou Adler, and according to McGuire Phillips didn't want Elliot to go with them, but as Elliot was the one who was friends with McGuire, Phillips worried that they'd lose the chance with Adler if she didn't. Adler was amazed, and decided to sign the group right then and there -- both Bones Howe and P.F. Sloan claimed to have been there when the group auditioned for him and have said "if you won't sign them, I will", though exactly what Sloan would have signed them to I'm not sure. Adler paid them three thousand dollars in cash and told them not to bother with Nik Venet, so they just didn't turn up for the Mira Records audition the next day. Instead, they went into the studio with McGuire and cut backing vocals on about half of his new album: [Excerpt: Barry McGuire with the Mamas and the Papas, "Hide Your Love Away"] While the group were excellent vocalists, there were two main reasons that Adler wanted to sign them. The first was that he found Michelle Phillips extremely attractive, and the second is a song that John and Michelle had written which he thought might be very suitable for McGuire's album. Most people who knew John Phillips think of "California Dreamin'" as a solo composition, and he would later claim that he gave Michelle fifty percent just for transcribing his lyric, saying he got inspired in the middle of the night, woke her up, and got her to write the song down as he came up with it. But Michelle, who is a credited co-writer on the song, has been very insistent that she wrote the lyrics to the second verse, and that it's about her own real experiences, saying that she would often go into churches and light candles even though she was "at best an agnostic, and possibly an atheist" in her words, and this would annoy John, who had also been raised Catholic, but who had become aggressively opposed to expressions of religion, rather than still having nostalgia for the aesthetics of the church as Michelle did. They were out walking on a particularly cold winter's day in 1963, and Michelle wanted to go into St Patrick's Cathedral and John very much did not want to. A couple of nights later, John woke her up, having written the first verse of the song, starting "All the leaves are brown and the sky is grey/I went for a walk on a winter's day", and insisting she collaborate with him. She liked the song, and came up with the lines "Stopped into a church, I passed along the way/I got down on my knees and I pretend to pray/The preacher likes the cold, he knows I'm going to stay", which John would later apparently dislike, but which stayed in the song. Most sources I've seen for the recording of "California Dreamin'" say that the lineup of musicians was the standard set of players who had played on McGuire's other records, with the addition of John Phillips on twelve-string guitar -- P.F. Sloan on guitar and harmonica, Joe Osborn on bass, Larry Knechtel on keyboards, and Hal Blaine on drums, but for some reason Stephen McParland's book on Sloan has Bones Howe down as playing drums on the track while engineering -- a detail so weird, and from such a respectable researcher, that I have to wonder if it might be true. In his autobiography, Sloan claims to have rewritten the chord sequence to "California Dreamin'". He says "Barry Mann had unintentionally showed me a suspended chord back at Screen Gems. I was so impressed by this beautiful, simple chord that I called Brian Wilson and played it for him over the phone. The next thing I knew, Brian had written ‘Don't Worry Baby,' which had within it a number suspended chords. And then the chord heard 'round the world, two months later, was the opening suspended chord of ‘A Hard Day's Night.' I used these chords throughout ‘California Dreamin',' and more specifically as a bridge to get back and forth from the verse to the chorus." Now, nobody else corroborates this story, and both Brian Wilson and John Phillips had the kind of background in modern harmony that means they would have been very aware of suspended chords before either ever encountered Sloan, but I thought I should mention it. Rather more plausible is Sloan's other claim, that he came up with the intro to the song. According to Sloan, he was inspired by "Walk Don't Run" by the Ventures: [Excerpt: The Ventures, "Walk Don't Run"] And you can easily see how this: [plays "Walk Don't Run"] Can lead to this: [plays "California Dreamin'"] And I'm fairly certain that if that was the inspiration, it was Sloan who was the one who thought it up. John Phillips had been paying no attention to the world of surf music when "Walk Don't Run" had been a hit -- that had been at the point when he was very firmly in the folk world, while Sloan of course had been recording "Tell 'Em I'm Surfin'", and it had been his job to know surf music intimately. So Sloan's intro became the start of what was intended to be Barry McGuire's next single: [Excerpt: Barry McGuire, "California Dreamin'"] Sloan also provided the harmonica solo on the track: [Excerpt: Barry McGuire, "California Dreamin'"] The Mamas and the Papas -- the new name that was now given to the former New Journeymen, now they were a quartet -- were also signed to Dunhill as an act on their own, and recorded their own first single, "Go Where You Wanna Go", a song apparently written by John about Michelle, in late 1963, after she had briefly left him to have an affair with Russ Titelman, the record producer and songwriter, before coming back to him: [Excerpt: The Mamas and the Papas, "Go Where You Wanna Go"] But while that was put out, they quickly decided to scrap it and go with another song. The "Go Where You Wanna Go" single was pulled after only selling a handful of copies, though its commercial potential was later proved when in 1967 a new vocal group, the 5th Dimension, released a soundalike version as their second single. The track was produced by Lou Adler's client Johnny Rivers, and used the exact same musicians as the Mamas and the Papas version, with the exception of Phillips. It became their first hit, reaching number sixteen on the charts: [Excerpt: The 5th Dimension, "Go Where You Wanna Go"] The reason the Mamas and the Papas version of "Go Where You Wanna Go" was pulled was because everyone became convinced that their first single should instead be their own version of "California Dreamin'". This is the exact same track as McGuire's track, with just two changes. The first is that McGuire's lead vocal was replaced with Denny Doherty: [Excerpt: The Mamas and the Papas, "California Dreamin'"] Though if you listen to the stereo mix of the song and isolate the left channel, you can hear McGuire singing the lead on the first line, and occasional leakage from him elsewhere on the backing vocal track: [Excerpt: The Mamas and the Papas, "California Dreamin'"] The other change made was to replace Sloan's harmonica solo with an alto flute solo by Bud Shank, a jazz musician who we heard about in the episode on "Light My Fire", when he collaborated with Ravi Shankar on "Improvisations on the Theme From Pather Panchali": [Excerpt: Ravi Shankar, "Improvisation on the Theme From Pather Panchali"] Shank was working on another session in Western Studios, where they were recording the Mamas and Papas track, and Bones Howe approached him while he was packing his instrument and asked if he'd be interested in doing another session. Shank agreed, though the track caused problems for him. According to Shank "What had happened was that whe

Brian breaks down the early history of The Knack and the story behind the song that changed the life of the band - and a certain teenage girl. SHOW NOTES: Songs used in the episode: "Let Me Out" and "My Sharona" by The Knack https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124397021 https://www.metv.com/stories/that-is-the-real-sharona-on-the-cover-of-the-knacks-my-sharona https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Get_the_Knack https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Sharona

Brendan and Zach discuss YESTERDAY. They dive deep into the movie, discuss listener feedback and decide the suggestion for the next movie rung in the Ladder. The next movie discussion begins at 1:16:05. So (re)watch the film (currently streaming on streaming rental) and listen along to the discussion. Then stay tuned to hear what connected film we pick for next week. Submit your questions, comments, rating and suggested connections for next week's movie to themovieladder@gmail.com. You can find the podcast on Letterboxd (@TheMovieLadder) and Twitter (@LadderMovie). View our Watchlist to see all the movies suggested on this podcast. You can find each of us individually on Twitter (@FitzyBrendan and @brooksza) and Letterboxd (@FitzyBrendan and @brooksza).

On this latest episode of "Halftime with Chuck and Drew", the guys discuss the lack of TV viewership for the summer Olympic Games in Tokyo and then travel back in time to remember the morphing greatness and genius of the iconic 60s rock n' roll band, The Beatles.