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Yesterday and Today
Episode 08 – Beatles ’66 pt2
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It's the summer of 1966, and for four scruffs from the mean streets of one of Great Britain's most raucous port cities...it's good to be the kings. But the uninterrupted reign of the Beatles was bound to have a breaking point, and as the group kicks off their 3rd major world tour, they're about to find theirs. To kick of their tour, the band enjoyed a triumphant return to their old stomping grounds of Hamburg, Germany, where the specters of the past loomed large and served as a reminder to the boys that they had been cut from rough cloth. Then, on to Japan where protests over their appearance at the Nippon Budokan temple in Tokyo soured what was otherwise a very successful, albeit sterile, visit. Next stop, the Philippines, where a run-in with the Marcos regime nearly ends in disaster for the band who felt lucky to escape with their lives. A violent encounter at the airport and a shake-down that robbed them of any profits they would have made from the performance left the boys shaken as they travelled onward to India for a respite on their way back to Britain. All the while a storm was brewing in North America that would haunt the band's legacy to this day...and it would only get worse from here...
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187. Beatles ’88 pt5
01:24:43It's the summer of 1988 and a fresh wave of "Lennon Fever" was sweeping its way across pop culture. In this case, however, not all of the attention on the late great John Lennon was positive - case in point the scathing, unapologetic, and often needlessly cruel biography called The Lives of John Lennon by author Albert Goldman. Goldman's feet were held to the fire by a furious but captivated public...glued to the drama by a media apparatus unable to look away from this trainwreck of a depiction of John's life in book form. While this circus took a toll on Yoko Ono, the Lennon clan nevertheless soldiered onward with its own various rebuttals to the Goldman narrative, and a dose of positivity as well. Not only was the forthcoming theatrical release of the Imagine documentary poised to reignite positive memories of the Beatles and of Lennon's successful solo works, but a star on the Hollywood walk of fame put to pavement a legacy that would, despite its occasional cracks, endure for generations to come.186. Beatles ’88 pt4
01:10:14As the summer of 1988 heats up, a new super-group emerges from the primordial soup of rock'n'roll...they are The Traveling Wilburys. Born from a supplementary recording session in support of George Harrison's latest Cloud 9 single, George (aka Nelson Wilbury) was joined by fellow music legends Tom Petty, Jeff lynne, Bob Dylan and Roy Orbison to produce the superb track Handle With Care -- quickly deemed too good to be buried on an extended single release. Of course music and activity continued respectively for Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr at this time, but for the Yesterday & Today podcast we will linger with George for a moment, as opportunity knocks at Friar Park...185. Beatles ’88 pt3
01:23:26It was a busy March in 1988, with new music, releases, conventions and interviews surrounding the world of the former Beatles. First up, a first since the Beatle days with George Harrison and Ringo Starr conducting an interview together for the television program Aspel & Company. This eventful exchange covered topics ranging from the death of John Lennon, the status of ex-Beatle relationships, lawsuits from the 70s and much more. In the new releases category, George's new single This Is Love is snatched up from the Cloud 9 LP -- and The Beatles CD leases wrap up with Past Masters (collecting singles and b-sides not yet released on the format). New recordings emerge with George Harrison's Ride Rajbun and Paul McCartney's collaboration with Johnny Cash titled New Moon Over Jamaica...plus a new song from a gathering of a special set of musicians calling themselves the Traveling Wilburys...184. Beatles ’88 pt2
01:23:00It's February 1988 and the promotional tour for George Harrison's Cloud 9 album remains in full swing. The former Beatle who often seemed the most uncomfortable with press tours was now in the thick of one, this time labeled as a "come back" story which further fried the nervous system. To cope, George (along with Cloud 9 producer Jeff Lynne) showed up for the radio program Rockline a few glugs too deep, and gave host Bob Coburn one of the most candid interviews Harrison would ever produce in his lifetime. Still, despite the annoyances of a media blitz, the "come back" narrative was hard to ignore - as Cloud 9 continued to sell gangbusters with the record buying crowd and its newest single, When We Was Fab, cracking the top 25 on both sides of the Atlantic...183. Beatles ’88 pt1
01:22:53It's 1988 and a busy year of activity in Beatle world kicks off with a wave of retrospection. On January 20th the band was inducted into the Rock'n'Roll hall of fame, a recognition of their achievements in music and their cultural impact upon the world. Unfortunately for them (and for, apparently, one agitated Beach Boy also in attendance), the legal squabbles dogging Paul, George and Ringo for nearly two decades crept their way onto the award stage, made manifest by an absent Paul McCartney. Some tempers flared at this highly visible snub, but cooler heads did eventually prevail, with George Harrison himself speaking fondly of Paul while accepting the award. Yoko Ono, meanwhile, stood poised to unveil the Lost Lennon Tapes radio program to the world, a treasure trove of audio artifacts from her and John Lennon's private archive, made public...182. Beatles ’87 pt6
01:26:29It's the end of 1987 and George Harrison is riding the wave of a major comeback. With a new hit single in Got My Mind Set On You speeding up the charts, and a new LP - Cloud 9 - connecting with both fans and critics in equal measure, Harrison's resurgence in the latter half of the 80s was proof positive once again of that lingering Beatle magic...so pervasive even nearing 20 years since the band's split. While Paul McCartney's greatest hits LP All the Best was no resurgence of fresh material, strong sales and a slew of tv appearances to promote the new single Once Upon A Long Ago put Macca back in touring mode...an endeavor that would truly take flight in the months to come...181. Beatles ’87 pt5
01:20:28On November 2nd 1987 Dark Horse Records releases Cloud 9 by George Harrison. While George himself would insist (and rightly so) that one cannot be in the midst of a "comeback" if one has been there the entire time, no one - not even George - could not deny the reinvigorated attention upon his music heralded by the LP's lead-off #1 single Got My Mind Set On You. The happy album in which this smash-hit record resided within was produced by buddy Jeff Lynne to sound (controversially to some) much like Jeff's work with the Electric Light Orchestra - energetic, grand in scope, and future-facing in its production techniques.From the nostalgic When We Was Fab to the defiant That's What it Takes, George Harrison WAS back, and at the top of his game nearly two decades after the breakup of the Beatles. Of course George would be joined on the charts shortly by a new single from Paul McCartney, and some fresh talk about the possibility of a Beatles reunion (of sorts)...180. Beatles ’87 pt4
01:24:21Even 17+ years after the breakup of the Beatles, solo career competition remained alive and well in the worlds of Paul McCartney and George Harrison. In October of 1987, George's first new single from a studio album release in over 5 years - Got My Mind Set On You - was blazing up the charts and stood poised to top them. The public's embrace of this unlikely comeback foretold the success of the forthcoming Cloud 9 LP, and - as if no time at all had passed since the days of all Things Must Pass - George Harrison hit the promotional trail. Not to be outdone by his former bandmate, McCartney's All the Best greatest hits compilation hit shelves the following November, and while its single Once Upon a Long Ago failed to reach the heights of Harrison's, this mammoth set of Macca marvels was no slouch on the album charts. All this, plus a return to Suzy and the Red Stripes as fall turns to winter, 1987...179. Beatles ’87 pt3
01:24:26It’s the summer of 1987, and once again a Beatle joins the Prince's Trust stage — and this time not one but TWO! First up the heretofore reclusive George Harrison, busy preparing his latest audio album and dipping his toe back into the waters of pop star life for the first time since his musical hiatus began nearly half a decade prior. Joining George to sing an all-star rendition of With A Little Help From My Friends was Ringo Starr, decidedly less busy following the crumbling Memphis sessions that caused his some substantial public embarrassment. All this and an LP of rock oldies from Paul McCartney as the heat rises on yet another momentous year in Beatles history!