The Beatles: Note By Note

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

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/

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

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.

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

In this Beatles Lecture Series episode, you’ll hear “I Don’t Want to Spoil the Party” as an early moment where Lennon’s usual hurt-and-retaliate script gets quietly rewritten into something more adult, centered on the blunt turn of “I still love her.” Kenyon argues the music backs that up by dodging the neat, satisfying landing you expect and letting a more confident lead line reshape the mood, so the whole song feels like a story that refuses to be finished.

Every Little Thing is a Paul McCartney song that could fool you into thinking it is a John song, especially with John’s voice so forward in the verses. In this Beatles podcast episode of Note By Note, Peter, Kenyon, Josh, and guest TJ Byrnes break down the timpani punch, the Anthology 4 takes, and why this deep cut never quite plays by pop rules.We cover:- Recording sessions, the redo, and what Anthology 4 reveals in takes 6–7- Timpani as a claimed Beatles first, the piano credit debate, and the AKG D19 C drum mic switch- How it gets compared to What You’re Doing and the shift to arranged guitar solos- 1964 UK tour storytime, including the mid-tour nine-hour EMI sessionTJ Byrnes Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaqdTns-CVdVUMSk7xBhhmw

In this Beatles Lecture Series episode, Kenyon argues that Every Little Thing never fully settles, like it keeps dodging the clean landing you expect from a Beatles love song. You come away hearing the whole track as intentionally unresolved, both in the melody and the chord changes.