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The Beatles: Note By Note
Bad Boy - Episode 86 with Jesse Pollack (All You Need Is Pod)
On this episode of our Beatles podcast, we take a song Peter barely knew and turn it into one of the most spirited conversations in the series. On Bad Boy, Note by Note brings in Jesse Pollack from All You Need Is Pod to talk about this iconic track, one of the last of its kind.
We cover:
-Larry Williams’ original versus the Beatles version and what changed in the arrangement
-John Lennon’s vocal performance and the debate over where it ranks among Beatles covers
-The emergency Help-era session, Beatles VI, and the rush to get the song to America
-The Hohner Pianet C, the Studer tape machine, and a new recording technique
Check out All You Need Is Pod: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-you-need-is-pod/id1857843520
Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.com
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries
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89. I'm Down - Episode 89 with Erik McIntyre
01:00:19||Season 2, Ep. 89In this Beatles podcast, we are joined by bass player Erik McIntyre to discuss the B-side of the Help! single. Written on the back of a telegram, this song was conjured up as a replacement for Little Richard's Long Tall Sally in The Beatles' set list. In the conversation, we dive into the history of the song and, with Erik's help, explore why this song was necessary in the Beatles catalog at this exact moment.We cover:-Decoding Paul McCartney's bass lines-The protest song Eve of Destruction and its role in the Beatles' songwriting-The legedary recording session that produced this song-The politics of being in a band and the importance of keeping it funCheck out Erik McIntire:https://www.instagram.com/erik_mcintyre/https://www.acemonroe.com/
88. Help! - Episode 88 with Jeremy Ivey
01:16:58||Season 2, Ep. 88This Beatles podcast episode attempts to get at why Help feels so relatable even after all these years. We are joined by songwriter Jeremy Ivey and open up the song as a John Lennon turning point, a George Harrison guitar showcase, and a surprisingly strange bit of Beatles detective work.We cover:-George Harrison’s lead guitar part, the chromatic descent, and the countrified feel of the playing-How John wrote Help, from the film title to Paul’s counter melody-The mystery of a secret recording session pieced together from photos uncovered in 2002-Where Help landed on the music charts with the other songs of the dayCheck out Jeremy Ivey: https://jeremyivey.netVideo on George's guitar part: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ec6M_6ua16o
87. That Means A Lot - Lecture Series 87 (bonus)
35:28||Season 2, Ep. 87In this Beatles Lecture Series episode, Kenyon argues that “That Means a Lot” is one of Paul McCartney’s strangest songs, sounding deeply like Paul and strangely unlike him at the same time as an apparently simple love song turns anxious, vulnerable, and hard to pin down. It makes you hear the song less as a minor castoff and more as a fascinating anomaly, where emotional need, uncertainty, and real musical ambition are all pulling in different directions.
87. That Means A Lot - Episode 87 with Mary Devlin (beatledirt)
01:20:06||Season 2, Ep. 87In this Beatles podcast episode, Mary Devlin joins us for a songwriter’s conversation about That Means a Lot, one of the more interesting Beatles deep cuts. As usual, there is more here than meets the eye, and we have a sharp discussion about songwriting, social media, and Beauty and the Beast.We cover:-How That Means a Lot could be Paul's response to Ticket to Ride-Is there a number of chords you need to have a good song?-PJ Proby’s version of the song-The Beatles’ multiple attempts to record the song, including a Beatles firstCheck out Mary's socials: https://hoo.be/beatledirt
85. Yes It Is - Lecture Series 85 (bonus)
33:42||Season 2, Ep. 85In this Beatles Lecture Series, “Yes It Is” stops sounding like a simple warning about a color and starts sounding like grief masked as control, with the lecture arguing the real “it” is pride and the performance carries a ghost-like weight. You also get a guided listen through the three-part harmony, why it feels unusually crunchy and a little unstable, how it shifts between tight clusters and barbershop-like movement, and the question of how much George Martin may have shaped what we’re hearing.
84. Ticket To Ride - Lecture Series 84 (bonus)
42:26||Season 2, Ep. 84This Beatles Lecture Series argues that Ticket to Ride is built on contradictions: the words keep flipping between heartbreak and irritation while the track itself feels bright enough to sound like a shrug. Once you hear how “not caring” can read like a mask instead of confidence, you’ll stop taking the song’s attitude at face value.
85. Yes It Is - Episode 85
01:38:35||Season 2, Ep. 85On this Beatles podcast, Note by Note goes deep on Yes It Is and why it lands like a private confession. We explore the emotional core, the craft behind the recording, and how this B-side fits into the bigger "cry for help" thread.We cover:-Storytime: Peter and Kenyon band history and origin story-Comparisons: Yes It Is next to This Boy and the A-side Ticket To Ride-Recording details: how the session evolved, including choices around vocals and takes-Music theory: harmony and chord movement, with a focus on why the chorus feels so intense]-Sound and texture: George’s volume pedal and how production shapes the mood
84. Ticket To Ride - Episode 84
01:20:59||Season 2, Ep. 84Season 2 kicks off with Ticket To Ride on this Beatles podcast, and it turns into one of those conversations where the song keeps getting bigger the longer you sit with it. We jump through personal memories, the emotional push and pull of a happy-sad track, the feel of that unforgettable guitar line, and a few surprising detours that shed more light on this song's role in the Beatles canon.We cover:-How Ticket To Ride hits different as grown-ups-The rhythm, groove, and musical choices that give the track its tension and momentum-Lyrics, title meaning, and how our brains mishear songs we swear we know-A pop culture thread that unexpectedly preserves a piece of Beatles history