Episodes
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??
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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. 157 | Paul McCartney and Wings, ”Band on the Run” (1973) Part 2
Live from Meigs Field, it’s the final Untitled Beatles Podcast!
Of 2023, that is! Unless you know something we don’t? What is you [sic], a cop? If so, are you as effortlessly bouncy as the cop in "Hot Cop", the Village People's #2 Billboard Disco Charts smash from '78? #HotCop
Anyhoo, it’s onto Side 2, as we continue to deep dish “Band On The Run”, Paul’s most beloved album that doesn’t feature the word “Oratorio”. And because Tony, T.J., Producer Casey, and Sir Paul are all obviously Americans, we’ll consider the US version that includes the powerhouse single, “Helen Wheels”, not to mention much more memorable Macca music. Plus, we’ll examine this album’s rough beginning in Lagos and unmatched legacy within Paul’s recorded catalog, the celebrated cover and packaging, and also:
👖 Do some copies of “1967-1970” (2023 Remix) include the creepy 2000’s Subway jingle instead of “Now & Then”?
👗 Is the pronunciation of “Mamunia” the audio equivalent of Blue Dress vs Gold Dress?
🇨🇴The poster of Polaroids that came with the vinyl is fine, but is album’s most exquisite feature the massive UPC barcode on the front cover of the Columbia Records cassette?
#🔔🍆🔔🍆
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Ep. 156 | Paul McCartney and Wings, ”Band on the Run” (1973)
Many Macca fans would argue that Paul McCartney’s best post-Beatles album is the German 12” Maxi-Single of “All My Trials”. (#WixTrumpetSolo) But others just might suggest that it’s 1973’s still-beloved landmark, “Band On The Run”.
This week, Tony & T.J. celebrate 50 years of this true (and, maybe, ultimate) Macca classic with a deep dish on Side 1, which features some of Paul’s most celebrated, iconic mega-hits. Along this Journey (#LyingBesideU), the Soft Beatle Boyz also ask:
📼📼 Did the BOTR robbers in Lagos inspire the most iconic line in “Give My Regards To Broad Street”?
🌅 (Angry Chicago Guy:) “How come there ain’t no “A.M. Magazine”? (Threateningly) And how come Oprah never gave me no car?”
🐪🥪 Did Sha Na Na’s Screamin’ Simon really eat a camel sandwich at the sock-hop in “Grease”? And if so, why didn’t Bowser yip-dip-dip-dip-dip-dip-dip-dip stop him?
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Ep. 155 | The Beatles: 1967–1970, a.k.a. THE BLUE ALBUM (2023 Edition)
Not all greatest hits albums are for house-people and little thems. Some, like “1967-1970” (and its red, commie companion) are as essential as the bands they represent. This week, the Twerk Twins dish deep on the packaging, origin, and legacy of these history-making collections and their 2023 remixes, and also ask:
🦦 Would John have loved the 2011 Target-only 7” mix of “I Am The Walrus”?
📻 Is recycling the original hip-hop?
🌭 (Angry Chicago Guy:) How come The Red Album put ketchup around its plump, juicy frank of a logo? (Slowly, legitimately in crisis-mode:) And how come Tony Larussa got too woke to drive drunk no more?
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Ep. 154 | The Beatles: 1962–1966, a.k.a. THE RED ALBUM (2023 Edition PART 2)
Legendary comedian Redd Foxx once said of 1973’s 1962-1966 (a.k.a. The Red Album), “you big dummy, where is “If I Needed Someone”? Spoilers: Fred Sanford has been in the great junkyard in the sky for many years, but had he lived, he’d no doubt (#DontSpeak) be thrilled to know his dreams came true in the 2023 Expanded Remix of this seminal collection! Tony & T.J. delve into the powerful new remixes on Disc 2, wonder aloud if there’s simply too much Revolver, and also ask:
🍸 Dave Dexter’s grandson’s karaoke jam haas to be the James Bond “Help” intro, right?
⛷️ Do some rare copies of the Red Album (2023 Edition) feature the elevator piano version of “In My Life” that plays as three Golden Girls wannabes try skiing in an Amazon commercial?
🍭 Did “Run For Your Life” borrow from Elvis Presley’s best improvised song, “Baby Wants Candy, Yes Lets! (Play House)”?
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Ep. 153 | The Beatles: 1962–1966, a.k.a. THE RED ALBUM (2023 Edition)
November saw a fete of new Beatles releases and re-releases. So this month the Untitled Beatles Podcast begins a fab-four-course feast, guaranteed to be the toppermost of the ploppermost. We hope you like deep dish! A beginning…
1st Course: Amuse-bouche
A Siskel & Ebert review of Peter Jackson’s “Now and Then” music video
2nd Course: Deep Dish
Disc One of the 2023 Edition of the Red Album
3rd Course: Deep Dish
Disc Two of the 2023 Edition of the Red Album
4th Course: Deep Dish
2023 Edition of the Blue Album
On its 50th anniversary, the latest Giles Martin demix-remixes are a sonic revelation for Beatle sniffers of all palettes. And as always, T.J. and Tony offer these questions to fab folk of a certain vintage:
🥁 Yes, the merits of Ringo’s drumming have finally been brought to the fore, but are they Dave Grohl-approved?
🛥️ Why won’t Brian Epstein return my calls about having The Beatles play my private yacht in Dolby Pro-Logic 4.1 surround sound? Dealbreaker: They NEED to stand in a ITU-R BS 775 configuration!
🪘 Was the bongo tickle at the end of “And I Love Her” consensual?
Please pace yourself, there are two courses in this episode. And don’t load up on bread - your fingers will puff up and you won’t be able to properly play “Now and Then” on piano!
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Ep. 152 | Mind Games (1973) 50th Anniversary Part 2
Let’s keep on playing those Mind Games together, as we delve into the meat (City/Free Monday) of the album, the often overlooked album tracks. Do they deserve their heretofore reputation as merely green Capitol budget label re-issue worthy? Or are there some stone-cold Lennon classics in the mix? And is it cool in 2023 to talk honestly about “sanpaku eyes”? Spoilers: Yes is the answer! But, also:
🏀 Is Marvin Gaye’s cover of “Nutopian International Album”, as performed at the 1984 NBA All-Star game, definitive?
📼 The 1999 film “She’s All That” had a great many classic songs. Is the very best “Kiss Me”, by Six Seconds Of Hiss?
🔧 (Angry Chicago Guy): How come Lennon didn’t write no songs specifically about Schneider, the high-larious handyman on “One Day At A Time”? (With sadness, the Malort is kicking in:) And how come the beautiful Valerie Anne Bertinelli don’t reply to my handwritten letters?
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Ep. 151 | Mind Games (1973) 50th Anniversary
John Lennon’s solo output presents a sadly small sample size. Paul’s had 347 solo albums and counting, Ringo releases a new EP every hour on the 8’s, but for the most tragic reason imaginable, John’s catalog is comparatively the smallest. So, how do Beatlenerds and your everyday classic rock fans look at “Mind Games” on its’ 50th anniversary? It yielded a massive hit single, one of John’s most beloved. And rumor has it (#Adele) there’ll be a massive multi-disc reissue coming out in 2024. But does the album hold up 50 years later? Do Tony & T.J. agree on this record’s place in John’s recorded history? And will the single version of “Meat City” ever appear on a digital format? Don’t make producer Casey mix his own version, Universal!
There’s a lot of questions in this show, and a whole lot of butt-talk. Speaking of which, just as tight as a (Cleveland) Guardians rope trick, The Tight and Dumb A$$es (sfx: Beavis & Butthead laugh) not only explore the wonders of John’s return to music for the masses, they also find the time to ask:
🫨🎮 Did longtime Foreigner fan John Lennon invent improv when he sang “Yes, and is the answer…and head games is…the cure?”
🫏🤡 If your name is Markwayne, shouldn’t you threaten your own parents for naming you, “Markwayne”? Like, WTF, “Markwayne”?
🐄🐷(Angry Chicago Guy:) HOW COME THE VICTORY AUTO WRECKERS GUY DON’T EAT AT MOO ’N’ OINK?
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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!!!
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