BC the Beatles Archiv

This week, we're sharing an episode of one of our favorite Beatles-adjacent podcasts, We Say Yeah!, a show about Cliff Richard and the Shadows. This is one of the only — if not the only — podcasts exclusively about Cliff Richard, who was, of course, a huge success in the UK, and a contemporary of the Beatles. Erika was recently a guest host, discussing Wonderful Life, a movie musical that was released mere days before A Hard Day's Night, but couldn't be more different.

About the podcast: Cliff Richard & The Shadows dominated the British pop and rock music world from 1958 to 1963 and weathered the storm of Beatlemania to continue to release hits for years to come. Many were even recorded in Studio Two at Abbey Road…and they wrote a lot of their own material!). Although pre-Beatles British rock and roll music is largely ignored by American rock historians, the We Say Yeah! podcast has spent nearly three years reviewing every single, EP and LP released by Cliff and The Shadows (either together or apart) in chronological order. 

Hosted by David “Ghosty” Wills, former Sirius/XM DJ and cartoon voice actor, each month’s episode features the host and a guest not only reviewing records but also venturing into sidebar discussions about popular music of the era, the film and television industry in Europe and more! 

In addition to hosting We Say Yeah!, David has been a Beatles fan since the age of 12 but came in through Paul McCartney’s solo career (which he says he loves “more than anything else on Earth”). He became a fan of Cliff Richard through his early 80’s U.S. hits and when he discovered an album of his 60’s hits.

Listen and subscribe to We Say Yeah!

Hear the full soundtrack to the film Wonderful Life

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Today we're joined by Laurie Kaye, author of the new book, Confessions of a Rock 'N' Roll Name-Dropper: My Life Leading up to John Lennon’s Last Interview.

As a young rock journalist, Laurie got the opportunity of a lifetime: to spend the day with John and Yoko at their home in New York City. She and her team spent hours with the couple, and the resulting interview was one of the most candid John had ever given. It touched on a wide range of topics, including their latest album release, John’s Lost Weekend, and his thoughts on Paul and the Beatles. It ended on an optimistic note, with John having high hopes for the future. But that day was December 8, 1980, and that interview was the last one that John ever gave. A few short hours later, John was tragically murdered.

Laurie tells this story, and so many more, in her new book. In this memoir, Laurie details her life up to that fateful day in 1980, a day she called “both the best and worst day of my life.” 

Laurie Kaye began her career at San Francisco’s top 40 station KFRC-AM, where she was both an on-air reporter and writer. She later moved to RKO radio, where she co-produced many rock specials, including RKO Presents the Beatles (later expanded and renamed The Beatles from Liverpool to Legend). Other notable projects include writing Dick Clark’s weekly radio countdown show and leading the location production of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’s Special Extended DVD Edition. Laurie now works in the film and tv industry, handling creative content and line producing for network docuseries.

Buy the book, Confessions of a Rock and Roll Namedropper: My Life Leading up to John Lennon’s Last Interview

Visit Laurie Kaye online

Hear John Lennon’s last interview, The Dakota Apartments, December 8, 1980

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Our excitement over the upcoming Sam Mendes Beatles biopics got us thinking about some of our favorite Beatles movies. From classics like Birth of the Beatles and Backbeat, to contemporary Beatles stories like Nowhere Boy and Yesterday, we look at some of the most impactful biopics to hit both the big and small screens.

And, inspired by the recent Academy Awards—and Sean Lennon’s win for the animated short, War is Over!—we created our own awards show for all things Beatles movies. Do you agree with our picks for the best—and the worst—in the Beatles Cinematic Universe? Find us on social media and let us know!

Our first Beatles biopics episode, discussing the upcoming Sam Mendes films

More about Sean Lennon’s animated short, War is Over!

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Sara Schmidt returns to the podcast to discuss her new book, Dear Beatle People: The Story of the Beatles North American Fan Club.

Dear Beatle People: The Story of the Beatles’ North American Fan Club tells the stories of both the official and unofficial fan clubs in the US and Canada. With over 100 photos and rare historical documents like fan club membership cards and letters, this book gives new insights into the engine that fueled North American Beatlemania.

You may know Sara as the founder and editor of the website, Meet The Beatles...For Real, a treasure trove of memories and photographs from fans that have met one or more of The Beatles in person. She’s also the author of the book, Happiness is Seeing The Beatles: Beatlemania in St. Louis; and a contributing author to A is for Apple (Volumes 2 & 3); and has given presentations at Beatles conventions across the United States. 

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Follow BC the Beatles on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you’re listening now.

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Contact us at bcthebeatles@gmail.com.

Four new Beatles biopics are coming, and we're obsessed! Oscar- and TONY-award winning director Sam Mendes will direct the films, slated for 2027, with full life rights for all four Beatles.

We break down what we know so far, speculate on what's to come, and opine on our dream casts.

Plus, we look at Pattie Boyd's upcoming auction full of memories of her time with both George Harrison and Eric Clapton, and congratulate Paul on being reunited with his original Hofner bass.

Beatles Get a Biopic. A Fab Four of Them, Actually (NY Times)

The Pattie Boyd Collection at Christie's Auction House

Paul McCartney's First Hofner Bass is Finally Returned (Bass Magazine)

 

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Follow BC the Beatles on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you’re listening now.

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Contact us at bcthebeatles@gmail.com.

This week marks what would have been George Harrison’s birthday… or is it birthdays? So we pulled one of our most popular episodes out of the archives in his honor. We’re looking at George’s early life in Liverpool, his all-encompassing guitar obsession, and the talent that even impressed the much-older John Lennon. Plus, we attempt to get to the bottom of the age-old question: what is George’s actual birthday?

Links we mentioned:

Rebeat's interview with Louise Harrison

George's childhood home on AirBnB

 

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Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter/X for photos, videos, and more from this episode & past episodes — we’re @bcthebeatles everywhere.

Follow BC the Beatles on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you’re listening now.

Buy us a coffee! www.ko-fi.com/bcthebeatles

Contact us at bcthebeatles@gmail.com.

This Valentine's Day, we're reading some of the love letters fans sent to the Beatles 60 years ago this year, published in 1964's Love Letters to the Beatles. Plus a recap of the 2024 Fest for Beatles Fans at the fabulous TWA hotel!

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It’s the 60th anniversary of the Beatles’ first American visit and their groundbreaking appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show. We’re tracing the twists and turns that brought the Beatles to America, and opened the doors to a cultural revolution in the process.

And we tell the story of Erika’s grandfather, the jazz guitarist who met the Beatles, got his picture taken by none other than Paul McCartney, and maybe… overdubbed George Harrison on The Ed Sullivan Show?

Rebeat’s interview with Louise Harrison

More about Erika’s grandfather, Hy White, and his encounter with the Beatles

“Take My Break, Please:” McCall and Brill’s opportunity of a lifetime—an appearance on Ed Sullivan—became a disaster, thanks to being on the bill with the Beatles (This American Life)

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This week, we welcome Dr. Richard Mills, author of the book The Beatles and Fandom: Sex, Death, and Progressive Nostalgia, as we discuss the intricacies of Beatles fandom in all its glory. From sex and death to slash fanfic and tribute bands, join us for this fun trip down the rabbit hole of the quirky, creative, and sometimes freaky fan world.

Read the AMAZING “Into My Life” fanfic: https://www.alsfrombothsides.org/intomylife/index.html

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The infamous "Butcher" cover inspired near-universal shock and disgust when it appeared as the original cover of The Beatles' Yesterday...and Today album. It was recalled after a single day, and albums with a butcher cover hidden underneath the replacement photo became one of the most highly-sought-after Beatles collectibles. But how much do you really know about the butcher cover?

We go through all the twists and turns of this fascinating story, including:

The incredible way the photographer, Bob Whitaker, entered the Beatles' orbit;

The wild photo session that produced the butcher images (along with some even crazier photos);

The struggle between The Beatles and Capitol over using the Butcher image as an album cover;

Capitol's panic and the herculean efforts they undertook to recall (and even bury) 750,000 albums;

The cover's legacy as a collector's item; and

What this chapter in The Beatles' story tells us about their evolution as the 1960s progressed.

We also discuss whether the recall was necessary in hindsight, and one of us reveals a lifelong fascination with doll heads.

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This week, we're exploring the Beatles' fashion sense and influence with Deirdre Kelly, author of the new book Fashioning the Beatles: The Looks that Shook the World.

Deirdre is a Canadian journalist, author and arts critic. Other books include the best-selling Paris Times Eight and Ballerina: Sex, Scandal and Suffering Behind the Symbol of Perfection.

Deirdre previously served as dance critic, pop music reviewer, and fashion reporter at The Globe and Mail, Toronto’s flagship newspaper. In 2017, she was appointed Editor and principal writer of the The York University Magazine, where she currently works. She has also been published in Marie Claire in London, Elle in New York, Vogue in Australia and is a writer for the arts e-zine, Critics At Large, in Toronto.

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The Beatles’ Anthology yielded more than an audio trip through the group’s history, it also produced the first “new” Beatles song since the band’s breakup in 1970. Utilizing a demo recorded by John Lennon in the 1970s, “Free As a Bird” became a sensation, with many fans likening its premiere to the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show. This is the story of how that track came to be, its reception, and the history behind its iconic music video.

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For our last holiday hiatus episode, we’re going back to our archives again, to look at a New Year's day that may have been one of the most pivotal moments in the Beatles’ career.

After just one month of being their manager, Brian Epstein arranged something that was unthinkable even weeks before — an audition with Decca, one of the UK’s top record labels. 

So on a freezing New Year's Day in 1962, the Beatles made a treacherous trip down to London, playing an eclectic mix of rock, standards, and Lennon-McCartney originals. It didn't go so well—the Beatles lost that contract to a competitor group, Brian Poole and the Tremeloes.

But that first rejection may have been a key to the Beatles' whole story going forward. And not only the Beatles’ story, but Brians, George Martin’s, and possibly even the entire British Invasion movement. So on this New Year’s week, we discuss a pivotal New Year's in the Beatles' history and ask the question: Would the Beatles have been the band we know today if they had passed the audition?

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For the last episode of 2023, we're re-living the most exciting thing to happen in the Beatles world this year: the release of "the last Beatles song," 'Now and Then.'

When 'Now and Then' was released in November, Allison joined a roundtable discussion with friends from two other Beatles podcasts: Tommy, Becker, and RB from Blotto Beatles; and Jonathan from Ranking the Beatles. They talked about everything — the arrangement, the song’s history, Peter Jackson’s video, the Red and Blue releases, and that controversial cover art. 

And if you don’t know these other two podcasts, pop over to their feeds and give them a listen afterwards—they're both fantastic.

Enjoy, and happy new year!

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+Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter/X for photos, videos, and more from this episode & past episodes — we’re @bcthebeatles everywhere. +Follow BC the Beatles on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you’re listening now. +Buy us a coffee! www.ko-fi.com/bcthebeatles +Contact us at bcthebeatles@gmail.com.