Episodes
THIS WEEKEND: UBP @ The Fest for Beatles Fans
It's the 50th anniversary of Beatlefest <buzz> ... errr... The Fest for Beatles Fans™, and Tone-J ShanDozOff and Producer K3C Nutz will obviously all be there. Because at least one time a year:
The Untitled Beatles Podcast is filmed before a live studio audience.
Roll up and join us this Saturday, August 10, at 1 p.m. in the Palisades (Park) Ballroom at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare. Tickets and more details at thefest.com.
Ep. 179 | “A Hard Day’s Night” LP (1964)
One need not be Mark Lewisohn (TM) to agree that the two fabbest early Beatles albums are, in no particular order, “Jolly What!” and “A Hard Day’s Night”. In honor of Frank Ifield, who died in May and, tragically, missed out on this episode, we’re super proud to present the long awaited, much belated, Paperlated, Untitled Beatles Podcast deep dish on the “A Hard Day’s Night” LP! Spoilers: 5 FREAKING FABS!
In fact, it’s not just a great album; it’s one of the greatest and most timeless records ever made. Look, every Beatles album is mind-bogglingly great. And yet, it’s entirely possible that “A Hard Day’s Night” is the most perfect collection of songs they ever recorded. In this episode, the Fab Two On Pod dive into the album’s history and legacy, and also ponder from out yonder:
🕳️ (Angry Chicago Guy:) How come Weird Al didn’t do no parody of Los Bravos’ 1965 hit “Black Is Black” called “Crack Is Whack”? And how come The Buckinghams don’t play Chicagofest no more?
🥛🍯 “Hello Dolly” composer Jerry Herman wrote a musical called “Milk And Honey”, 23 years before the posthumous Lennon album of the same name was released. How banger is that brat summer trivia, bruh?
🕺🏾Does the German pressing of 2023’s “Red Album” reissue feature the Jellybean Benitez Remix of “And I Love Her”?
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Ep. 178 | “A Hard Day’s Night” Film (1964) Part 3
The Untitled Beatles Podcast 60th anniversary celebration of A Hard Day’s Night is in full swing, all thanks to Producer Casey’s decision to have an open bar. It is a classic film after all and… oh great. Tony just shaved his head to resemble Gene Siskel and now T.J. is trying to squish into his childhood Q-bert costume. Cheeky! And while these pie-eyed faboons intercept every drink (and jam butty) intended for the Fabs, they ponder:
💿 Which agency would you trust to protect your 1984 mint condition Criterion AHDN Laserdisc: Paw Patrol, Moon Patrol, or Snow Patrol?
👃🏻Is John’s nose very?
🔕 If 10-year-old David Janson’s pal Ding Dong is in fact “a bigot”, does that mean we need to cancel George Harrison’s holiday nut rocker of the same name?
Today’s episode is also a public service announcement, brought to you by Mothers Against Drunk Podcasting.
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Ep. 177 | “A Hard Day’s Night” Film (1970) Part 2
All right, cool, so a lot of y'all like "Head", whether giving it, or getting it, on DVD. Fine! But without question, A Hard Days Night - like Jets Detroit pizza - is better. Because it has to be. #PizzaMarketingTruths
Tony and T.J. continue to explore this still-vital film and its unbreakable impact on pop culture, and also ask:
🌇 Why were The Jeffersons always movin' on up in such a Rush?
🎬 Is "A Hard Day's Night" to the 60's what "From Justin To Kelly" is to the 00's?
🧸 Is it time for poor Paddington to start a Hims subscription?
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Ep. 176 | “A Hard Day’s Night” Film (1970)
Head. Some would argue it's not just a married birthday treat, but also the greatest rock film ever made. Others, like the UBP, contend that the 🐐 is 1964's "A Hard Day's Night", now in color, only on TBS.
This incredible film has lived on at Beatlefest, every imaginable home video incarnation, and a few important theatrical rereleases. It remains the cultural pilar of the Fabs early worldwide domination. Sixty years later, It holds up impeccably well as a musical, a social comment, a madcap comedy, a damn-near documentary, and a fun excuse to hear pitched-down versions of Beatles standards and wonder if you're losing your mind.
Tony and T.J. are more mad about this film than Paul Reiser was about Helen Hunt. (And who says our references aren't topical and 💯 Beatley? YOKO freaking guest starred, fellow Beatle weirdos!)But they have a few other queries, tight a$:
🍺 Is the Heineken Beatles cassette from 1986 a good thing, or a dangerous prelude to U2 hate-gifting that bad U2 album to everyone with an iPhone?
📼 Is MPI Home Video a good thing, or a dangerous prelude to Calderstone, a corporate Beatles entity neither Tony nor T.J. fully understand?
🐖 Is Jewel merging with Mariano's a good thing, or a dangerous prelude to Sarah McLachlan merging with Piggly Wiggly?
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Ep. 175 | Paul McCartney, “One Hand Clapping (2024) Part 2
The 4th of July is a wonderful time to remember that life’s all about picking sides - and, often, hands; across the water, and across America! And today we pick sides…deep dishing sides three and four of One Hand Clapping! Plus, we dive into the incredible bonus, backyard vinyl EP that under no circumstance should be included anywhere digitally, because the millions of peons who dare to get their music from places other than the Universal Music online store don’t deserve live “Blackbird”. (Nope, not letting this one go.)
Tony and T.J. agree that the first official release of “One Hand Clapping” is a masterpiece, perhaps one of Paul’s very best albums; unless one is Rob Sheffleld, in which case this would rank just below “Gone Troppo”. But when it’s time to pick sides, perhaps they’re more Siskel & Ebert and less Medved & Lyons as they also ponder:
🎻 Are you #TeamWix or #TeamActualOrchestra
🇺🇸 Are you #TeamCanadianREM, #TeamAmericanBarenakedLadies, or #TeamAmericaWorldPolice? #Fyeah
🦅 Are you #TeamGlenFrey or #TeamRandallCunningham?
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Ep. 174 | Paul McCartney, “One Hand Clapping” (2024)
What exactly is the sound of one hand clapping? Is it similar to one man napping? Some band slapping? Dumb planned crapping? Crumb...tanned...uh, line? LINE?
No, you can't get in line at your local record shoppe for a midnight release party, because the first ever official, complete vinyl issue of "One Hand Clapping" is being sold exactly as it would've been in 1974: exclusively on Universal's website. Eat it, beloved, local record stores!
And unlike Wacco Jacko's '88 parody "Eat It", these live-in-studio Wings tracks have never sounded fresher. 50 years after they were recorded, can a case be made that this is a top-tier McCartney album, filled with definitive versions of Macca classics? We'll leave that to Rob Sheffield, who'll rank "Love My Baby" ahead of "Watching The Wheels", and instead ask:
If NBC's "Geoff Emerick And A Dog" hadn't followed "Glücklich And Froh" in the fall of '77, would it have been a bigger hit?
If you mash up Paul Simon's "One Trick Pony" with Macca's "One Hand Clapping", do you get "One Simon's Hand Pony Macca's Clapping Trick"? Or might you, more than likely, find a different combination of words?
🐦⬛ (Angry Chicago Guy): HOW COME THE CD SOUNDTRACK OF "THE IN-LAWS" 2003 REMAKE AIN'T AVAILABLE AT CROW'S NEST? (Sadly, reeking of old Old Style) AND WHEN DID THE RAP SECTION OUTNUMBER SINATRAS?
EPISODE LINKS
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Ep. 173 | Rolling Stone's 100 Best Beatles Solo Songs (A Very Special Untitled Beatles Penpals Episode)
Is any magazine as influential as Rolling Stone magazine? From the iconic Garth Brooks/Goo Goo Dolls issue (4/93) to the glibly unsuccessful attempts to help sway the outcomes of the ass-brutal 2004 and 2016 elections, hooray for Rolling Stone! (And, Caddyshack fans, hooray for the Douglasses!)
We at the Untitled Beatles Podcast don’t dare hold a Beatles-related opinion without first consulting what the culture-makers at RS want us to know. So we were thrilled - no, THRILLED - when RS (dba Rob Sheffield) released a list this spring of the 100 Best Beatles Solo Songs!
In fact, we were so thrilled, we decided to start an old-school letter writing campaign all about the rankings - to each other! Thanks to the bravery and diligence of the U.S. Postal Service - which the previous president proudly tried to sabotage, because, uh, “Own the libs” I f’ing guess? - the New Box Tops (dba Tony & T.J.) read their pointed correspondences aloud. They have some questions, including:
🍕 (Angry Chicago fella): How come Paul’s got a song about Dominoes, and not a real Chicago pizza joint like the Barnaby’s in South Bend or the Old Town Pizza Hut on North & Wells that they turned into some woke Boston Market? And how come I keep getting kicked out of Old Town Ale House at 2 in the afternoon?
❤️📦 If Kurt Cobain were Jesus, would he have returned to stop “Cut Me Some Slack” from happening?
🍗 Is it a coincidence that the UBP is sponsored by Kenny Rogers Roasters in Malaysia, and longtime Beatle roadie Mal Evans and early 80’s supergroup Asia are both essential parts of The Beatles story? #MalAsia
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Ep. 172 | Favourite Beatle Musical Moments
It’s not so easy to pick favorites, is it? Whether foods, books, music, kids, or wives, picking your favorites can be a real pain in the rear end; which is a more socially acceptable way of saying “dumper”.
But(t) what about fave Beatles moments? Doesn’t every Beatles song (*except “From Me To You”) have indelible, life-changing, favorite moments? So how can any mere mortal pick their favorite Beatles moments without the strict, Maharishi-like guidance of Tony & T.J.? Well thanks to a great suggestion from loyal listener Glen K, this week the Gab Two pick some of the favorite moments in a career filled with the best songs in rock history (*except “From Me To You”, which is a fine song, but not when compared with “Please Please Me”. YA FEEL ME, BEATLES 1?)
In this episode, Tony & T.J. are overflo-ing (#Progressive #PollyHolliday) with both favorite and precious moments, among them:
🎸 Joe Val and Steve Satriani are the best rock guitar pickers not named Pink Floyd. Fight me? #WFUK-FM #Appleton
🐔 Does the Skokie, IL Browns Chicken (AND PASTA) accept gift cards from the Mandaluyong, Metro Manila Kenny Rogers Roasters?
🚫💵 (Angry Chicago Guy:) HOW COME THE MUSICAL “PIPPEN” AIN’T GOT NOTHING TO DO WITH THE CHICAGO BULLS? AND HOW COME RAP LEGEND BIG DADDY KAINE SANG “PIPPEN AIN’T EASY?”
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Ep. 171 | (Not So) Fab Greed
For us UBPeedles who also dig old school rap, it's clear that the Fat Boys cover of "Baby, You're A Rich Man" absolutely betters the Beatles' far less trilly/rappy original.
And some four decades since the Disorderlies soundtrack shocked the world, the Fat Boys have never been more relevant, en vogue, or even En Vogue.
Never gonna get it, never gonna get it (this reference)? Here goes: baby, you'd better be a rich them to afford Beatles-related reissues these days! A "Mind Games" cube for $1,700? WTF?!?! Only (rich) people, indeed...
Tony and T.J. delve into the shamefully burgeoning world of Fab Greed, the debut of Lennon/McCartney 2.0, and also:
🐏 Is buying a Billy Budapest Belt Buckle beyond Beatle believability?
🍁 Can "Primrose Hill" replace "Solsbury Hill" as the go-to music used in previews for autumn-based romantic comedies? (Angry Chicago Guy: AND HOW COME WAGS IS TOO WOKE TO SERVE SALISBURY STEAK NO MORE??)
😵 Does P3Z-Nutz know a little too much about T.J.'s mom? Uh-oh! AI stalker-of-dead-parents alert! #NotAGame #Practice
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