Share

cover art for Bad Boy - Episode 86 with Jesse Pollack (All You Need Is Pod)

The Beatles: Note By Note

Bad Boy - Episode 86 with Jesse Pollack (All You Need Is Pod)

Season 2, Ep. 86
•

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

More episodes

View all episodes

  • 85. Yes It Is - Lecture Series 85 (bonus)

    33:42||Season 2, Ep. 85
    In 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. 84
    This 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. 85
    On 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. 84
    Season 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

  • 83. Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby - Episode 83 with Dan Rivkin (They May Be Parted)

    01:29:09||Season 1, Ep. 83
    A Beatles podcast where a “throwaway” closer turns into a full-on investigation with Dan Rivkin, the guy who went second-by-second through the Get Back Nagra tapes. If you’ve ever skipped “Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby,” this episode is a serious attempt to make you hear why it matters.We cover:- Dan Rivkin’s Nagra-tape method and why it changed Get Back study- Beatles for Sale’s closer, George’s vocal, and what the song is doing as an ending- Rex Griffin vs Carl Perkins vs The Beatles: what’s actually shared and what’s not- October 18 session details: one take, overdubs, and early STEED echo on vocal- Storytime: the 1964 “Another Beatles Christmas Show” pantomime and the live setDan Rivkin's website: https://theymaybeparted.com/

  • 82. What You're Doing - Episode 82 with Raymond Schillinger (You Can't Unhear This)

    01:26:43||Season 1, Ep. 82
    This week on our Beatles podcast, we bring in a fourth voice and it gets delightfully nerdy fast. Guest Raymond Schillinger from You Can’t Unhear This joins us to re-hear “What You’re Doing” like it is hiding in plain sight.We cover:- Why “What You’re Doing” feels like a throwaway song- The song’s girl group fingerprints in the call and response vocals- The bass fill at the end, maybe the first time the Beatles had one- Recording breakdown: the September 1964 sessions- Seltaeb, NEMS, Stramsact, the lawsuit, and the merch money falloutRaymond's Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@YouCantUnhearThis

  • 82. What You're Doing - Lecture Series 82 (bonus)

    39:14||Season 1, Ep. 82
    In this Beatles Lecture Series episode, Kenyon argues that “What You’re Doing” is less a breakup complaint than a song about powerlessness, where the core question is not why it hurts, but what is even being done to you. You will start hearing how the lyric framing, the repeated phrasing, and even the band’s stylistic choices work together to make that confusion feel like the point.

  • 81. I Don't Want To Spoil The Party - Episode 81 with Dr Terry Hamblin

    01:35:27||Season 1, Ep. 81
    In this Beatles podcast episode, we argue “I Don’t Want To Spoil The Party” only works because every Beatle leaves a crucial fingerprint. With special guest Dr. Terry Hamblin, we hear the song as a full-band fusion, not just a “John song.”We cover:- Songwriting origins on the 1964 North American tour and the country western frame- The September 29, 1964 session and the nine takes vs nineteen takes confusion- A debated vocal mystery and a Beatles first- Musical fingerprints: flat seven movement, the middle eight, Ringo’s toms, and George’s solo- Storytime on 1964 live TV performances, including Blackpool Night Out, Shindig, and Not Only...But Also