Episodes
Ep. 162 | Fab Grammys
It’s the dead of winter! So toss them [sic, intentional] wet towels on yer [sic, unintentional] space heater, serve your guests a hearty slice of calico flaming cat, and cozy up for the biggest awards show this side of the regional Tonys - the Fab Grammys! This week, Tony, T.J., Sizzle Chest Casey, and the increasingly ill-behaved P3Z-Nutz, tackle - powder puff “footie” style - the complicated history of the Beatles and the Grammy Awards.
The (Lou) Gram Two get into the electric moog mood groove (#Madonna) and also demand to know:
🪠 If it don’t rain in Indianapolis in the summer time, why does Schneider ALWAYS carry a plunger in tool belt? And how come said plunger is in the upright position every time Ms. Romano walks by, guy? Go on, answer the question.
Is Gary Sinise a true nature’s child?
🍻 (Angry Chicago guy:) How come Ryne Sandberg didn’t win no Grammy for the 1984 novelty Cubs hit “Men In Blue”?
🤖 (P3Z-Nutz:) Hey, you Malört-soaked jagbag, that 45 only featured Rick Sutcliffe, Jody Davis, Leon Durham, Keith Moreland, and Gary Woods.
😭 (Angry Chicago guy:) (begins weeping, cries out for someone named “Joan?”)
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Ep. 159 | A Tribute to Denny Laine (1944 - 2023)
Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Denny Laine is in our ears and in our eyes. And since December 2023, also, sadly, in the skies. As Macca’s most consistent post-Beatles collaborator, Denny Laine’s imprint on Wings and Sir Paul's overall legacy is unquestionably secure. This week, Tony & T.J. look at some of Denny Laine’s greatest moments with Wings and beyond, and also ask:
🏈 Would the Florida State Seminoles still have acted like straight bi**hes had they been invited to the Kenny Rogers Roasters Bowl?
🍆 (Angry Chicago Guy) How come Jim Caviezel didn’t make no movie when Denny Laine wrote multiple songs about children on “London Town”? And how come Lauren Bobert don’t give me no lap treats when I watch Beatlejuice on VHS?
🌹 Is repeatedly discussing specific Chicagoland record stores that closed in the 1990’s the key to making millions of dollars hosting a podcast? (Out of nowhere, man, angry Chicago Guy callback:) And how come the Rose Records on Wabash don’t carry no Nancy Faust??
EPISODE LINKS
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Ep. 158 | Why We Love The Beatles
Ding Dong, Ding Dong! It’s a New Year! And all we are saying is, it’s about time we open a universal can of Beatles whoop-ass on 2024! Our first show of ’24 gets to the heart of why the UBP crew - and a good many listeners! - all passionately love this incredible band and their magical story; album after album, song after song, year after year, reissue after reissue…
But a few other major Beatles-related question remain, such as:
📺 In the fall of 1988, Sundays at 7p Eastern/6p Central and Mountain, did you watch ABC’s “Incredible Sunday” or FOX’s “21 Jump Street”? (*For our younger listeners, there were only two channels in 1988.)
🤖 (Angry Chicago Guy) How come Lapidos don’t got no Fest-branded jet packs for sale at the TWA hotel? (Tearing up:) And how come no lady won’t be the Rosie to my George Jetsons [sic]? And how come that jagbag P3Z-Nutz don’t return no fan mail? And why ain’t Magglio Ordóñez (zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz)
🎸 It’s totally normal for late 40-somethings to consider the stage and movie musical “Beatlemania’ their “Ed Sullivan Show”, yes?
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Ep. 150 | Liverpool Drag
What happens when you take the energy of Beatlemania and mix it with a helping of questionably written and performed Beatles-inspired songs? You get Liverpool Drag. Not the Beatles, but an unincredible simulation!
This week, Tony & T.J. examine the early 60's phenomenon of Beatle-inspired cash-in records. Are they good? Awful? Somewhere in between? The answer is, "yes".
Along the way, the Drag Duo ask:
🇺🇸 Since drag shows are unarguably killing our children, is the only solution to ban more books? Because, freedumb?
1️⃣ Who’s idea was it to exclude “Little Miss Margie” from The Manchesters “Not 1” compilation?
🗓️ Come March 2024, should MadTV’s Bobby Lee become eligible for the Untitled Beatles Podcast 7th Beatle Bracket?
Place a mop atop your head, shake it like a mimeograph, and chant “yeah” 3 times, because it’s Liverpool Drag on the UBP! Wooo!!!
EPISODE LINKS
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BONUS! Back in the U.S.S.R. from McCartney: A Life in Lyrics
Cue the Salt ’N’ Pepa: Pu-Pu-Pushkin’s real good…at producing podcasts and audiobooks! They’re the force behind the just-dropped “McCartney: A Life in Lyrics” pod, which is off to a delightfully entertaining and insightful start. The dulcet tones of Paul Muldoon had better be the future voice of AI. (We’re talking about practice. Not a game.)
And on this very special episode of the UBP, the Gab Two is proud to present, in partnership with Pushkin, a special airing of “McCartney: A Life in Lyrics” Episode 2. How cool is that?! This one one’s a Double Paul deep-dish on “Back In The U.S.S.R.”, a definitive #FileUnderRock track, though, as the episode sadly fails to acknowledge, was largely unknown until Billy Joel’s live take on “Kohuept” (2 LP’s on 1 CD!).
We’ll be back with our usual chicanery and a whole new episode/world, DON’T YOU DARE CLOSE YOUR EYES, next week. In the meantime, all 3.5 of us at the UBP are absolutely honoured to be associated with anything Macca-related. We hope you will enjoy the show as much as we did. Five Freaking Fabs!
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McCartney: A Life in Lyrics | Back in the U.S.S.R
What’s Paul McCartney, a Liverpudlian, doing writing about the Soviet Union in 1968? Turns out McCartney was doing a little Chuck Berry, a bit of The Beach Boys, some pastiche and a lot of subversion. Opening “The White Album”, “Back in the U.S.S.R.” raised some eyebrows. And because of The Beatles’ evolving position within the former Eastern Bloc the song has over the years taken on a life of its own, following the trajectory of the West’s often fraught relationship with the region.
Ep. 145 | Beatlefest 2023 Part 2: Live from the Fest Floor
Roll up! Roll up for another Untitled Beatles Podcast Field Trip, this time to the 2023 Chicago Fest For Beatles Fans. In this podcast concrète, T.J. and Tony - aka the Beavis & Butthead of the Beatleverse - take a 2-day sound bath of live Beatle music, as they scratch and sniff rare Beatles vinyl, aimlessly wandering and wondering:
🎃 Is Halloween slasher Michael Myers’ favorite Beatles song “Help!”, “Run For Your Life” or “Chuck’s Monster?”
🦸🏻♂️ How many records must T.J. collect to warrant wearing a collector’s cape?
〰️ Is there anyone still in line for Patti Boyd? Might want to check on them.
With interjections from Producer Casey, this episode is like taking a Time Machine back to August of 2023, or like wearing a Yellow Submarine Virtual Reality Helmet ($499) available on the official Beatles Store secret menu.
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Ep. 141 | Labor Day FALL PREVIEW
Summertime done, come and gone, oh my my! (#RingoGarcia) Yep, fall is upon us and with it means a boatload of forthcoming Beatles goodies! Maybe? Could there be a 50th “Mind Games”? A deluxe “Rubber Soul”? The long-anticipated expanded “Love Songs” box set, with a bonus 7” test pressing of “Girl”/“You’re Gonna Lose That Girl” and a gnome or two, for only $400? Sign us up!And over at Untitled Beatles Podcast HQ, we can’t wait to kick off the fall season with our usual chicanery and good times. This week, in the spirit of Labor Day, we sip good old American brews, and preview our line-up with a TV Guide style Fall Preview Guide! And this ain’t the free one you get in the Sunday paper, jack! It’s the real deal. And you’ll straight-up cheers *and* jeers all of your favorite returning fall shows on WUBP, Channel 3, like:
🥩 Wednesdays on “She’s The Sheriff”, does Suzanne Summers microwave her meat? And does a poster of Nancy Reagan and Mr. T make special guest Mickey Rooney trickle down?
👃🏻 On Saturdays, “Valerie’s Family” returns…sans Valerie! She wanted more money, so she died in a fire and “Aunt” Sandy Duncan showed up with scratch ’N’ sniff Betty and Veronica fan art for all!
👩🏽⚖️ And “Night Court” returns Thursdays, as alternate juror “Flannel Casey” (Chris Makepeace) explains to Selma Diamond why iTunes is for soccer moms; but no Band On The Run retrospective is complete without the ’89 “Barn Rehearsal” (WTF?) of the title track.
EPISODE LINKS
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Ep. 140 | UBP ESP: Our Red and Blue Album Reissue Predictions
Ice-T asked the question with which many Beatles fans wrestle on his 1988 hit, “Colors”: Red or Blue?
Both double albums are amazing chronicles of the Beatles’ chart hits and key album tracks. But they were assembled 50 years ago, and for their anniversary year, it’s been rumored that both LP’s will be reissued, remixed, and expanded! How do we know for sure? Well, it’s like Ice-T said in his 1988 hit, “Colors” - in arguably the most savage diss in rap history: “You don’t know me, foooooool! You disown me? Cool”! #SavageAF
This week, Tony & T.J. use the power of ESP to wildly speculate what essential Fab cuts will be added to each album. With music’s 2nd greatest catalog from which to choose (#1 is Korn, obvi), would the Red & Blue Two make similar adds? There’s only one way to find out! Send a check or money order to P3Z-Nutz! Or you could listen, I guess…because we also consider:
🍟 If The Beatles were McDonalds, would Allen Klein and Dave Dexter be the Fry Guys?
🍩 (Angry Chicago Guy:) HOW COME TONY CANCELLED DONUTS?
🐴👺 If Horst Fascher changed his name to Horse Fascist, would he be Florida's governor?
EPISODE LINKS
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Ep. 138 | The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil - A Very Special Untitled Beatles Field Trip
What happens in Vegas… sometimes gets leaked back to your partner in your podcast feed. This week, T.J. and Tony PRODUCER CASEY trek out to the desert to take in a Wednesday evening performance of The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil. Tony and P3Z-Nutz get left behind in the studio, but may just get the last laugh, as the Drab Dos give their reviews of the show and hit on such timeless topics as:
🥩 What’s Gordon Ramsey got against Tony, and what gives with all the GI issues? (Or would they be Doughboy issues? #callback)
👮 What’s a guy gotta do to get kicked out of the Mirage gift shop?
🤡 <angry Chicago guy> How come those fancy French clowns replaced the Old Style with 20-dollar craft brews, and I Am The Walrus with some Matchbox Twenty bullhooey?
And is it just us, or is P3Z sounding more and more like George Martin? #beatlesconspiracies
EPISODE LINKS
HEY COME AND MEET US AT THE FEST FOR BEATLES FANS IN CHICAGO AUGUST 11-13
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Ep. 137 | The Beatles Songs… That Aren’t
Even the most casual Beatles fan knows that Beatles songs are Beatles songs. But did you know that *some* Beatles songs *aren't* *Beatles* songs? #RuleOfSixAsteriks
"Follow me?" Or is that merely an obscure Lerner & Loewe song cut from Aaron Sorkin's "Camelot"? Look, here's the deal: Tony and T.J. thought it'd be a literal butt-gas to explore the wild world of "Beatles Songs That Aren't: The Song Titles The Beatles Gave Away." Now on Pair records and (gentlemen, we got the) Tapes.
On their Journey, when the lights go down in the cit-ay, they also ponderosa:
🦚 Which White Album cut doubled as the theme to a late 60's NBC sitcom? (Hint: it's the Bea Arthur vehicle "Sexy Sadie".)
🍺 Chicago over everything means Richard Marx > everything, yes? Including The Beatles? Yup, Chicago All-Starr Richard Marx > The Beatles. Done. #312 #NoLongerBrewedHere #Cowards
🥪 Does ELO listen to Wilco's ELT while eating a BLT, doing PCP on the CTA and listening to the UBP, now mornings on select NPR HD2 affiliates?
EPISODE LINKS
HEY COME AND MEET US AT THE FEST FOR BEATLES FANS IN CHICAGO AUGUST 11-13
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