Beatles60 Podcast

Beatles60

The Beatles60 Project
Walking in the Beatles’ boots sixty years ago every month. Pod hosts Andy and Larry trace the Fabs' experiences in real time. Our study group (across social media) is unofficial and independent. Contact https://beatles60.group/contact
Mal Evans, episode 1 of 3
In this episode of Beatle60 Live, our guest interviewer — historiographer Rob Geurtsen — and guest expert, Dr. Kenneth Womack discuss Ken’s upcoming book Living The Beatles Legend: The Untold Story of Mal Evans. Available for pre-order now, it’s scheduled for release on Tuesday. This discussion will be presented in three parts. This is episode one. Episode two will be out in a few days, and episode three by the end of the week.  In 1963, we find that without George Martin, Brian Epstein and Dick James facilitating and pushing the Fabs’ records, performances and songs, respectively, the Beatles probably would’ve remained in Merseyside, performing round and round the same local ballroom circuit.  Artists need support and facilitation. Mal and Neil (Aspinall), were both employed directly by the Beatles and played significant support roles.   Despite being compensated better than most laborers in similar positions, Mal was grossly underpaid. And yet his dedication to his work with the Beatles left a lasting impact on the group's legacy. An often overlooked factor in the Beatles’ success story was their willingness to take enormous risks. In this sense, Mal fit right in. It’s a mindset that can take you to the toppermost or can do you in. The book aims to provide significant glimpses into Mal's life, including the moments when he could no longer steer away from his collision with his own history.  More information and links: https://beatles60.group/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/beatles60/message
Nov 11, 2023
1 hr 18 min
We'll be back!
New season starts in October. Meanwhile: https://beatles60.group/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/beatles60/message
Aug 9, 2023
2 min
Surprise guest (big one!) and some academic mumbo jumbo clarified
He phones in. We never expected that Beatles60 would have this kind of reach. Very surprising. And Andy interrogates Larry about research terminology -- longitudinal, phenomenological, historiographic... Fun ensues!! Hey, this is just half an hour. Give it a listen. There's a surprise ending. Beatles60.group https://beatles60.group/ A Day In THEIR Life https://beatledrama.com/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/beatles60/message
Apr 1, 2023
29 min
Beatles’ first LP fails brilliantly
This episode is only on Mixcloud: https://www.mixcloud.com/lawrence-laferla/beatles-first-lp-fails-brilliantly/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/beatles60/message
Mar 26, 2023
1 min
The Beatles 1963 author Dafydd Rees, LiVE talk, Sunday 5 February
This Sunday Larry will be interviewing Dafydd Rees, author of THE BEATLES 1963. Anyone and everyone is welcome to listen to the live stream. Full event information is now up, here: https://beatles60.group/live/february-talk We ask members to register a name and email so that we can notify you once a month. Please opt in. Membership is free. Your email address is safe with Andy and me. No ads. No spam. No Nonsense. We're a community, not a business. Once you access the LiVE TALK event page you'll see a link to the start/end times in world time zones. And you'll see a link to join live as an audience member. Audience members remain private and muted. You can hear us, though! And it's nice to know you're there! If you can't listen live on Sunday, you can listen to the archived audio once we upload it (maybe next week). Our LiVE TALK this Sunday promises to be a great one.  For Britons of a certain age, it was an unforgettable year. For the rest of the world, this is like a prequel! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/beatles60/message
Feb 3, 2023
6 min
[Double Episode] From Indra to Ed: early Beatles' development from 1960 to the end of 1963
1962 was clearly an important year for the Beatles. They got signed, finalized their line-up, and even released their first single. But it was still prologue. 1963 would be the year that UK Beatlemania would explode. The Beatles would tour, get significant radio and TV exposure, and reach #1 on the UK Singles Chart, EP Chart, and Album Chart. November would bring the Royal Command Performance, and they would soon be looking to 1964, Ed Sullivan, and Worldwide Beatlemania.  **************************** NOTE: Be sure to check out the extensive compilation of LINKS that accompany every episode. Find the episode pages at https://beatles60.group/ **************************** In this episode of The Beatles60 Podcast, which we’re calling 'From Indra to Ed,' Andy and Larry look all the way back to Hamburg in 1960 and move forward to 1962 and just beyond, previewing the rise of Beatlemania. We talk about shows, tours, crowd levels and the press as we press through seven segments (intervals within 1963) we’ve identified as important in tracking The Beatles’ rise to the top of entertainment pages and then to the front page. In Britain, 1963 will become known as 'the year of the Beatles.' We offer a way to remember how the year 1963 progressed with the exponential growth of 'mania.' --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/beatles60/message
Jan 9, 2023
1 hr 21 min
The beats of different drummers
In this episode we talk about some of the confident eccentrics who influenced the Beatles, fellow travelers who marched to the beats of different drummers.  The Beatles were quite busy in the winter of 1962/63, as we’ve talked about before. A Pair of two-week stints in Hamburg, radio and television appearances, recording sessions, ‘Love Me Do’ rising in the charts. And as the winter turned into the Big Freeze, called the worst winter weather since 1739, there was more than just the beginnings of ‘Beatlemania’ happening in the UK. The other side of the Big Freeze would bring with it a flowering of modern culture. Women wore shorter skirts and mod hairstyles. The Profumo Affair scandalized an already weak establishment. A decade-plus of Tory government would be ending. Fashion, scandal, and the pill were turning the UK into something different. The Beatles would be a large part of the transition.  NOTE! We give you a nice long list of links for each episode. The links are almost as interesting as the podcast! See: https://beatles60.group/blog --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/beatles60/message
Nov 23, 2022
39 min
Hustling for national visibility
At the end of 1962 we look ahead to an historic winter freeze that immobilized most Britons for three months. But it was a great time to be the Beatles. ‘Love Me Do’ had been released on 5 October 1962. It had quite a ride on the UK Singles Chart, moving up and down and ultimately topping out at #17. The impressive fact about the Beatles’ first release was that it remained on the charts for 18 weeks. That was longer than most top ten or even top five singles stayed on. During those eighteen weeks, our boys and Brian Epstein remained as busy as ever. In this episode, we’ll talk about some more pieces of the puzzle during the ‘proto-mania’ days — the period before UK Beatlemania took hold. There was a change in music publishers in hopes that the Beatles would get some better promotion. As ‘Love Me Do’ remained on the charts, there were more and more radio and television appearances for the group. We talk about those things as well as give a brief introduction to the next periods in Beatles development, leading all the way up to February of 1964. Guest: Rob Geurtsen. NOTE! We give you a nice long list of links for each episode. The links are almost as interesting as the podcast! See: https://beatles60.group/blog --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/beatles60/message
Oct 30, 2022
45 min
17 with a bullet
Before the Beatles' rise to national and then international fame, just how cool was the UK? There was The Goon Show, Hammer Horror, and others (tell us what you remember!). But did it come close to reaching the level of cool in the US? Didn’t the cooler UK musicians strive to be more like American artists? Weren’t the coolest of films and their stars coming mainly from the US? What could make that change? 'Love Me Do,' the Beatles’ first single, was released on 5 October 1962. Interestingly, Dr. No, the first 'Bond film' was released the same day. Music and film from the UK was about to start having a huge impact in the UK, in the US, and worldwide. At this point starts a period of 'proto-mania,' the very beginning of the UK becoming the coolest of the cool. 'Please Please Me,' the Beatles’ second single would have its time on/atop the UK charts between January and March of 1963. So in this episode, we’re talking about the six-month period that preceded nationwide 'mania' in Britain. And we call it the 'Between the Singles' period. The title of this episode was adapted from a hit song from 1975. 'A bullet, in record-chart parlance, refers to a song selling strongly and/or moving up the charts.' (Wikipedia) The lyrics are pretty clever. You can hear the song and read along here: https://beatles60.group/eighteen-with-a-bullet (Recommended!!) NOTE! We give you a nice long list of links for each episode. The links are almost as interesting as the podcast! See: https://beatles60.group/blog --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/beatles60/message
Oct 5, 2022
28 min
Towards a first single
It’s September 1962. Ringo had been put in place as the final member in the Beatles’ lineup. Recording sessions had been done and the first single had been chosen. Before long, George Martin was to become very happy with the progress made by his funny-named band from the north. Welcome to Season 2, Episode 1 of the Beatles60 Podcast.  In this episode we talk about the convoluted path ‘Love Me Do’ followed to become the first Beatles single to be released (5 October). It wasn't without drama, so we talk about just what Ringo must have felt like when it seemed that he might be left off the recording. The conversation moves to how the working relationship was building between the Beatles and Parlophone’s studio team, led by George Martin. We also have a little discussion with author Jude Southerland Kessler about John’s mother, Julia. An episode packed with insights. Don’t miss it! NOTE! We give you a nice long list of links for each episode. The links are almost as interesting as the podcast! See: https://beatles60.group/blog --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/beatles60/message
Sep 28, 2022
45 min
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