Episodes
Ep. 99b | Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967), Part 2
Even the most casual Beatles fan has seen and touched the world’s most beloved album cover: “Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins”, which, controversially finished seventh in Dongz Monthly’s “Best Album Cover, With A Dong” 2020 poll. (#1, naturally, was Ted Nugent’s “Cat Scratch Fever”.)
But there’s another famous Beatles album cover we just learned about on #AskJeeves that has some mind-blowing music beneath the 1987 cassette’s thick j-card: “Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band!” In Part 2 of our deep dish on the most famous album EVER, we delve into Side 1, which is a real Dick Hyman-esque banger. Luckily for the masses, The Gab 2 also finds time to address:
📸 Was surrealist, EMI balcony photog Angus McBean his generation’s Calista Flockhart?
🎺 NFL Trivia: Was the halftime show of Super Bowl VI (pronounced “Vee-Eye”) “With The Beatles, With Horns!”?
🌭 (read in angry Chicago accent) How come Tony & T.J. don’t know the name of the engineer for “Fixing A Hole”, but Producer Casey does? Ya Jagbags!
It was 55 years ago today…plus about 10 days or so depending when you’re listening. So come celebrate “Pepper” with us!
Ep. 99a | Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967), Part 1
Every Beatles album is critically acclaimed, especially “Tomorrow Never Knows”(#FileUnderRAWK). But arguably, none is more important than “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”, especially the Dave Dexter version, which replaces “She’s Leaving Home” with “Little Child”, obviously bettering the album.
This week, Tony and T.J., with a little help from their friend, producer Casey, begin a three part Journey/Frumious Bandersnatch deep dish into this sadly, little-discussed record on its 55th anniversary. Along the way, they find their inner groove on the following topics:
🎹 Is Leonard Bernstein’s plucky piano cover of “She Said She Said” the definitive version?
🏖 Was there ever a time as magical as 1987’s Summer of Mike Love?
🏀 Is John Stockhausen the greatest avant point garde of all time?
As Capitol EMI might say, “It Was 55 Years Ago Today. Now re-buy this record.” Or just tuck yourself inside #FontLoversCorner and listen to the Gab Two geek out over this all-time Fab masterpiece!
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EPISODE NOTES:
Ep. 10.3 | Mono/Stereo Nerdout! (Deluxe Reissue Part 2)
Adjust your balance knobs: It’s Part 2 of the Limited Edition Colored Vinyl Numbered Gnome-Filled reissue of our 10th episode, Mono/Stereo Nerdout! This episode is so duophonic, you only hear the right channel in your left channel. #SemiDimensionalStereo
Today, we continue the gab geek out over Fab stereo and mono nuances, and also consider:
🍦 If stereo “Revolution” were a piece of ice cream, what flavour would it be?
🙀 Is Tony more of a Mr. Mistoffelees or a Rum Tum Tugger?
🤕 What’s up with so much loud harmonica in The Jon Spencer Blues Traveler?
It’s a magical, momentous, multinary matter-of-course conclusion, in one-channel stereo and, for a limited time, mono in your mind.
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EPISODE LINKS:
Ep. 10.2 | Mono/Stereo Nerdout! (Deluxe Reissue Part 1)
Our world is not binary. Nor is it monary. It's multinary!
However, in this SUPER DELUXE REISSUE of our 10th episode, T.J. and Tony discuss so many splendid nuances between The Beatles stereo and mono catalog, that this ELECTRONICALLY ENHANCED CLASSIC must be a 2-parter. Therefore, this HISTORIC LEGACY REBROADCAST is binary.
Along the way, the stereo derriere-eos ponder:
🏖 Is this the Untitled Beach Boys Podcast?
🇺🇸 Could Paul have picked a more thoughtless song to play at the 2001 Concert For New York City?
👵🏻 Is this the Untitled Jan & Dean Podcast?
Perhaps this ULTRA-RARE EXPANDED SPECIAL EDITION RERUN really is multinary!
EPISODE LINKS: Please subscribe! Come hang with us on Discord/Facebook/Twitter/Instagram! Drop us a review on Apple Podcasts!
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Originally published August 1, 2020
T.J. and Tony meander thru the magical minutiae of the Beatles monaural and stereophonic records, with detours into US LP quirks, the creepy Beach Boys, and the Honus Wagner T206 tobacco card of Beatle releases.
Brought to you by Heinz Beans.
Ep. 98 | "The White Album” as a Single LP
Tony’s favourite Beatles record is their beloved double album, “The Beatles Story”. Jokes! It’s the legendary, self-titled 2LP set better known as “The White Album”. T.J. loves it slightly less. Sir George Martin? He said on several occasions that he’d have preferred a more focused single album. Horses for courses, as they say. #MeatFreeMonday
Inspired by the official UBP Fifth Beatle’s controversial opinion (and a great suggestion from listener Mr. Sticker) Tony & T.J. each create their own 1LP “White Album”, changing the track listing, making odd edits, and utilizing the wealth of material surrounding this landmark record’s sessions. Plus, they each pick a 45 featuring an A & B side culled from their cut lists. Do your favorite songs stay? Do any classics get a #HeGone? Summertime Tony and Dr. T.J. Fever discuss this and more, like:
🛳 Which is a better Patti LuPone performance: the 1987 “Anything Goes” revival, or her cover of “Revolution 9”?
🚚 Was Ringo behind the wheel for the Baltimore Colts’ dead-of-night, winter escape to Indianapolis? Irsay it ain’t so!
🐓 Did Tony and his friend Dan get their glasses for WFLD Metromedia 32’s 3D airing of “Hondo” at 7-11 or White Hen Pantry?
Whether you’re #TeamJewel, #TeamDominicks, or #TeamGooGooDolls - all beloved Chicago-area grocery stores - come on down to 8-Track Avalanche and pick up this episode - or download it wherever podcasts and Jackson Browne 78tracks are sold.
EPISODE LINKS:
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Ep. 97 | The Beatles “At The Hollywood Bowl” (1977)
Fact: Since 2016, there’s no such thing as an authorized “live Beatles record” without Opie’s involvement.
Sure, “At The Hollywood Bowl” was originally released lo-fi style in 1977, back when Richie Cunningham was chillin’ with Potzie, Mrs. C, and the increasingly insane Chachi. But it wasn’t until Apple slapped Ron Howard’s name on a brand new cover (yuck) that this long-deleted title finally appeared on CD in dramatically improved sound, as a slightly forced tie-in with the “Eight Days A Week” film. So yeah, it was ol’ Winthrop (#TheMusicMan #GaryIndiana) who made a Splash with this Gung Ho re-release that’s Far and Away the only official live Beatles record.
In this episode, Tony and T.J. dive into Giles Martin’s stunning remix, on the 45th anniversary of George Martin’s original presentation of the legendary ’64 and ’65 Hollywood Bowl shows. Along the way, these Beautiful Minds Backdraft themselves into other pertinent topics, like:
☎️ Did the Nerk Twins inspire the Jerk Twins, later known as the Jerky Twins, and ultimately known as G.O.A.T. comedy act The Jerky Boys?
🕺 Are 8-track tapes the best way to (part 1) listen to your favorite music (concl.)?
😙 Does anyone know the omnipresent, looped, two-note whistler on The Ventures’ live album? And can they sue for royalties?
Replete with bonus tracks and new, incongruously stupid artwork, this reissue is not to be missed; and neither is this episode, which will ensure Sunday, Monday, Happy Days, Tuesday, Wednesday, Happy Days, Thursday, Friday, Happy Days, The Weekend comes, and kinda rips off a-ha’s “Take On Me” with his hit “Blinding Lights”.
Subscribe here, come hang with us on Discord/Facebook/Twitter/Instagram, and heeeeeeyyyyyyyyyy if you like us, spread the word by leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen.
"And now, here they are, the Untitled Beatles Podcast!" - Dick Biondi, probably
Ep. 96 | Beatle-esque Bangers, Part 2
Who was The Godfather of Gum?
What on earth is Elephant Six??
Who was the other guy in XTC???
None of them were The Beatles. Nor were they Beatlemania. But their music is an incredible simulation that could be considered “Beatle-esque”. In this “thrilling-esque” conclusion, T.J. and Tony continue trading their favorite songs that come close to That Thing The Fab Four Did. Like most journeys, this episode uncovers more questions than answers...
🥤 Why did Billy Joel succumb to madness during the Cola Wars?
📺 Did the kids on BBC’s Seven Up! series experience Monotones-Mania?
🎲 Was Andrew “Dice” Clay the 5th member of Badfinger?
No matter how you slice it (we slice it tavern-style), The Beatles DNA can be heard on worldwide chart toppers, crate-buried oddities, and your favorite cold, robot-selected algorithms.
EPISODE LINKS
- We know this list is far from complete—shoot us your favorite "Beatle-esque" tracks! Shout on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or NOW ON DISCORD!
- Be sure to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen.
Ep. 95 | Beatle-esque Bangers, Part 1
Webster’s dictionary defines “music” as… you know what, only d-bags start a sentence with that nonsense. So let’s cut right to the chase—without The Beatles, is there even music? Extreme, maybe (#MoreThanWords), but the Fabs—together and solo—rewrote the rules of what popular music could be many times over, inspiring a term now commonly known as “Beatle-esque”.
But what does “Beatle-esque” even mean? Is it even a word if it isn’t in Websters? Does Emanuel Lewis know?
Tony and T.J. consider what the term means to them, providing examples of how elements of Beatles music have seeped into some of their favorite songs by other artists. Along the way, the Gab Two ponder:
🚽 Did nepotistic 80’s singer Rockwell record his lone hit in the same room where Elvis died?
🍔 Would you let your child near a McDonalds clown with a quarter pounder in his pants?
🎹 Did Billy Joel’s wonton cussing in “Laura” inspire Macca’s “Big Boys Bickering”?
We’re Beatles fans, sure—but we also understand that some artists, namely Asia, Stephanie Mills and Joe Diffie, were better and bigger than The Beatles. So they get their due, too.
EPISODE LINKS:
- Send us your favorite "Beatle-esque" tracks! Shout on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or NOW ON DISCORD!
- Don't leave us hanging. Don't bring us down the way United Artists left E.L.O. out in the cold and off the charts. Be sure to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen!
Ep. 94 | A Hard Day’s Night - The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (U.S., 1964)
🎸 BOINNNNNNG
Arguably the most recognizable chord in the history of rock and roll, the opening G7add9sus4 lets you know INSTANTLY that it’s been a hard day’s night, and George Martin’s been working like a dog.
This week, T.J. and Tony dish deep on the United Artists LP of the Original Motion Picture Sound Track to The Beatles’ “A Hard Day’s Night.” Our dynamic duo gets duophonic, breaking things down track-by-track, including all the classic George Martin instrumentals.
Between tracks, we make time for the important stuff, like:
🐈 A preview of the first known copy of the long-rumored Asia / Alf collab
🍗 Which was more commercially viable: Kenny Rogers’s records for United Artists, or his roasted chicken?
🕵🏻♂️ T.J.’s audition for Beatle Forensics, his spinoff podcast inspecting every version of I’ll Cry Instead ever recorded
🏴☠️ And Tony’s audition for Is Joe English Dead, his spinoff podcast about dubious Google results and internet polls
This one’s not streamable, kids, so you’ll have to hit the record store crates for your copy, or send a self-addressed stamped envelope to:
T.J. Shanoff
Somewhere in Chicago.
And by Chicago, he probably means Deerfield.
EPISODE LINKS:
- Should next year’s Fifth Beatle Bracket include Dave Brubeck? YOU DECIDE. Come yell at us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or NOW ON DISCORD!
- Help us climb the charts! Please be sure to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen!
Ep. 3.2 | DELUXE REISSUE: George Harrison (1979) and Live in Japan (1991)
In honour of spring break, it’s a super deluxe reissue of the Untitled Beatles Podcast’s third episode. Travel back to the simpler times of 2020, a world under lockdown during a deadly global pandemic, when two old friends/comedy nerds try podcasting about their favorite band on a platform called Zoom. Spoiler: the band is The Beatles. Wax nostalgic about scrubbing your vegetables with soap while reliving the golden days of Covid-19 with all the bells and whistles you’ve come to expect from today’s Tangential Twosome.
Originally published June 13, 2020
T.J. turns Tony on... to two George Harrison solo albums: the self-titled 1979 studio record and the 1991 live double-LP with Eric Clapton's band. Plus detours into the Beatles Sirius channel, Mitch Weissman, Beatle baseball, and The Jimmie Nicol Telethon.