An area heretofore unexplored on SATB is jazz: specifically, which artists took raw material from The Beatles and took it in a new direction. It is our good fortune to have within reach a true legend of the idiom: Ramsey Lewis, a multi-Grammy-winning keyboardist whose work spans decades and genres. In late 1968 – mere […]

1969 was a tremendous year, in the world generally and with The Beatles as well. We find ourselves commemorating (if not celebrating) a number of 50th anniversaries this year, among them the infamous Tate-LaBianca murders; tangentially tied to the “White Album” by Charles Manson’s (mis)reading of certain lyrics. That he was able to incite a […]

Few professional scribes received access to The Beatles like Ray Connolly. As a journalist with the Evening Standard, he found himself in the right place at the right time to cover the group during their final years. (It was to him that John confided that he’d quit the group; it was to Ray that Paul […]

Back in 2017, SATB first explored of Beatles collectors. This year, a terrific addition to Beatle literature arrived with the publication of Terry Crain’s new book, NEMS and the Business of Selling Beatles Merchandise in the U.S. 1964-1966. Terry didn’t merely catalog the merchandise of the period: instead, he methodically researched the history of the items marketed stateside, each […]

Beginning in 1978, George Harrison became drawn into a vocation he’d only dabbled in previously: filmmaker. HandMade Films came into being serendipitously, simply because he wanted to see Monty Python’s Life of Brian get made. This “accidental studio” went on to produce work of staggeringly high quality, resulting in works ranging from Time Bandits and The Long Good […]

The full story of The Beatles’ Rishikesh visit and their relationship with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi had never been explored in detail and from the inside before – until now. Susan Shumsky spent over twenty years studying TM, including seven working directly with the Maharishi. The author of 14 books, her newest – Maharishi and Me: Seeking Enlightenment with […]

In which I resume the conversation with engineer/producer Jerry Hammack, begun earlier this year. This time, our sounding board is writer/musician/engineer/producer/podcaster/returning guest Anthony Robustelli. We discuss the specifics of their studio work throughout 1967 and into 1968, encompassing Magical Mystery Tour and then some. Jerry’s third volume of The Beatles’ Recording Reference Manual series was recently […]

The first break-out star at Apple Records was, of course, Mary Hopkin with “Those Were The Days.” A huge international hit, it typed her as a cheery ingénue, somewhat removed from her folk roots (and aspirations). Other hits followed, diverging from her preferred stylistic path, until her second Apple album, Earth Song / Ocean Song (produced […]

Apple Jam is a Seattle-based recording and performing outfit specializing in Beatles music; specifically, songs written by Lennon-McCartney and Harrison that, for the most part, went unrecorded/released as “Beatles” product. My guests today are Richard Lovrovich, Jaekal Tristram and Doug Kilishek. In this conversation, they discuss the curation of obscure Beatles material: the selection process (what […]

It is not a unique observation to note that bandleader Duke Ellington and The Beatles shared some commonalities, creativity-wise. They were unclassifiable musically, and a great deal of what made their art magic came from the collaborative process, hardwired into their working method. My guest, musicologist Thomas Brothers, has written a terrific new book – Help: […]

Back in 2017, SATB featured a conversation with Ken Womack on the publication of volume one of his George Martin biography, Maximum Volume (here). In late 2018, volume two emerged, this one taking up the story where George Martin resumed production chores with The Beatles, this time as an independent contractor. It marked the era of […]

He’s back, and with a terrific topic: each of us choosing 7 moments in the history of The Beatles that we would’ve liked to have been around to witness as a fly on the wall. The criteria being, occasions where the history is unclear, or simply moments that would’ve been amazing to witness. This ended […]

You know him as the photographer responsible for one Beatles album cover (two in the US); their last group photo shoot, and as the official photographer on the “Get Back” / Let It Be project (his photos filled the book packaged with the original issue). But Ethan Russell also produced iconic images for the Rolling […]

This is the second part of a discussion begun with Doug Sulpy (co-author of Drugs, Divorce and a Slipping Image/Get Back), this time with blogger Dan Rivkin. His blog, They May Be Parted, is a detailed examination of the Nagra tapes of the “Get Back”/Let It Be project. Dan adds detail, analysis and context to the […]

You know him as the human music stand kneeling before John Lennon for “Dig A Pony” during the rooftop session of January 1969. But Kevin Harrington was much more than that: coming into The Beatles’ orbit beginning in January 1966 as an office boy at NEMS; an employee of the Saville Theatre the following year, […]

Back in 2000, Chip Madinger and Mark Easter produced an exhaustive study of every extant recording of the solo Beatles, up to that very year: studio sessions, live concerts and broadcasts. Eight Arms To Hold You was a one-of-a-kind detailed examination of what the four ex-Beatles did musically, when and with whom. The book went out […]

Two words: Peter Jackson Remember the “Winter of Discontent”? My guest today is Doug Sulpy, co-author (with Ray Schweighardt) of Drugs, Divorce and a Slipping Image (AKA Get Back: The Unauthorized Chronicle of the Beatles’ “Let It Be” Disaster.) With the announcement of the long-desired fresh look at the Let It Be project being in the works, we […]

  It’s the return of Jerry Hammack – creator of the Beatles Recording Reference Manual series. Volume 3, covering the end of 1966 (“Strawberry Fields Forever”) through the whole of Sgt. Pepper (plus Magical Mystery Tour) has just been published. Producer Ben Rowling and I discuss the high level of studio innovation that typified the post-touring era, and though […]

In a slight departure from the SATB norm, I present an account of the career of a Beatles peer: session guitarist Vic Flick, whose work appeared in 1960s music charts alongside The Beatles. Every Fab fan will know his soundtrack work on their first two United Artist films, but in addition to this, he contributed […]

First off, listeners: kindly indulge the first 15 minutes, which represents an audio document of 1968 (January through end of August). It’s one thing to know what happened that year, but it’s quite another to hear the immediacy of actual sound, both news and music. 1968 was a convulsive stream of history and it is with […]

The long-awaited conversation with producer Chris Thomas, recorded at the White Album Symposium in Monmouth University. Audio deficiencies with the sound due to the electrical system; deficiencies in my voice due to an ill-timed tribute to George’s Dark Horse Tour. Thanks to Ben Rowling Joe Rapolla, Dr. Kenneth Womack and everyone at Monmouth University.

In general, you can tell how well a conversation went by how long the show runs. At just past the two hour mark, you get an idea of how well things went with Lon Van Eaton, one-time Apple recording artist and protege of George Harrison. In addition to being one half of the Van Eaton […]

As a sonic landscape to accompany your holiday season demands: driving places – online shopping – gift-wrapping, and so forth, SATB presents an end-of-year look at the highlights of this years’ shows. We had some terrific guests this year, ranging from notables like Randy Bachman and the Mona Lisa Twins to SATB favorites like Erin […]

In the 2nd of a quartet of shows recorded (in part) at the White Album Symposium at Monmouth University (as well as the 2nd in a trio of shows covering Apple in its 50th year), I speak with my friend, Ken Mansfield: former manager of US operations of Apple, as well as author of several […]

In the first of what will be a series of shows originating from the White Album symposium held at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey, I am presenting my opening remarks, followed by a brief Q&A. For those who couldn’t attend, it gives you a good flavor of how these events go down. […]