Share

cover art for Episode 07 – Beatles ’66 pt1

Yesterday and Today

Episode 07 – Beatles ’66 pt1

It's 1966! Join the Yesterday & Today podcast as we enter perhaps the single most transformative year in the history of The Beatles, the year that would bring us butcher covers, final live performances, tomorrows that never know and strawberry fields forever. This week we cover January through June of 1966, wherein we find the Beatles hard at work on their 7th LP release Revolver. In these first few months of the new year George Harrison marries to model and longtime girlfriend Pattie Boyd, John Lennon delivers an off-the-cuff interview to friend and journalist Maureen Cleave that will haunt the group in the coming months, Paul McCartney dabbles in experimental sound and helps launch the Indica Gallery in London and Ringo Starr delivers arguably the best drumming performance of his career on the wonderful John Lennon-penned track Rain. In North America, Capitol Records releases the Yesterday & Today LP, combining songs from the English Rubber Soul and the as-yes-to-be-released Revolver. In protest, the boys sent over their choice for the cover to this "butchered" compilation...which sparks some major controversy in the states. All this, plus discover what it sounds like to be in a car with a titanically stoned Bob Dylan and John Lennon!

More episodes

View all episodes

  • 196. Beatles ’89 pt6

    01:15:33||Ep. 196
    Ringo Starr is on the road! In August 1989 the All Star Band tour rolled across North America, featuring the talents of the many legendary rockers sharing the stage with Ringo...along with some special guests to boot. Chief amongst those special guests was none other than the boss himself, Bruce Sprringsteen, who joined two of his fellow E-Street Band members on stage before a crowd of star-struck fans. Ringo's comeback tour was a rousing success, but the ghosts of his past would continue to dog the former Beatle. This time in the form of a lawsuit from Chips Moman, alleging that Starr's drunken Nashville sessions were fit for public consumption. Ringo disagreed.
  • 195. Beatles ’89 pt5

    01:28:30||Ep. 195
    It's summer of 1989 and for the first time in history not one but TWO former Beatles are on tour! And for the newly sober Ringo Starr, these live shows were a helpful reminder of his skills as an artist and his importance to the world of music -- hitting the road with an all-star band of friends and like-minded creatives for a triumphant North American leg in July. Joe Walsh, Nils Lofgren, Dr. John, Billy Preston, Rick Danko, Levon Helm, Clarence Clemons, Jim Kelter and a host of special guests and rave reviews accompanied this All-Star Band on tour, and reinvigorated a wave of Beatles nostalgia...just in time for Paul McCartney to hit the road himself...
  • 194. Beatles ’89 pt4

    01:23:26||Ep. 194
    With Paul McCartney's newest LP Flowers in the Dirt climbing the charts and reigniting a wave of critical praise for Macca's music, Parlophone and Capitol release the second single slated from the album: This One. A rare glimpse into Paul's emotional state, the song captures a conciliatory tone of regret and longing...albeit alongside Paul's trademark deflection lurking around every corner. As the McCartneys dug in on promotion for the single, Ringo Starr had some big news of his own: his first ever concert tour! Ringo Starr and the All Star Band will pair Ringo with friends and musicians for a North American victory lap of hits, and the freshly sober Starr was ready to put rubber to the road on the idea starting later in the summer of 1989...
  • 193. Beatles ’89 pt3

    01:30:09||Ep. 193
    The eventful Beatle year of 1989 rolls on with a brand new release, and a brand new batch of critical acclaim for Paul McCartney. Still reeling from the critical failures of his last two projects of original material, Paul's so-called comeback album at last reached shelves -- the LP Flower in the Dirt -- and it did NOT disappoint. Through Macca's musical collaboration with Elvis Costello, plus a band of fresh and like-minded musicians playing strong material, this new record reasserted Paul's position as master of his craft...a position which was slowly but definitely evolving beyond success in the moment... into a success as a legacy.
  • 192. The Pete Best Interview

    53:32||Ep. 192
    The Yesterday & Today Podcast is proud to present an all-new extended interview with the one and only Pete Best! This summer, Pete hits the road with the Pete Best Band throughout North America, and we're here to talk to the former Beatle about his upcoming live appearances and much more. In 2008, Pete released the LP Hayman's Green, a rock'n'roll retrospective of Liverpool's music scene, the roots of the Best family and a look forward at life beyond The Beatles for one of rock's most storied figures. We'll discuss his solo music, his time with John, Paul, George and Stu, a firsthand account of 1995's Beatles Anthology and of course the one and only Casbah Coffee Club located at 8 Hayman's Green, Liverpool. We'd like to thank Pete, Roag and the entire Best family for this wonderful interview, and we hope you'll all catch Pete on tour this summer! 
  • 191. Beatles ’89 pt2

    01:24:05||Ep. 191
    It's March 1989 and a new solo album from Julian Lennon is fresh on the stands - a stylistic departure titled Mr. Jordan. This latest effort in some ways marked the end of Julian's success streak as a pop star, though the effort did still manage to chart in the US, Canada and even go top 20 in the Australian market. While John Lennon's eldest son endeavored to craft musical distance from his late father, Paul McCartney and George Harrison maintained the break-neck pace that had come to signify activity in the late 80s former Beatle world by each heading into the studio. McCartney's cover of the Gerry & the Pacemakers classic Ferry Cross the Mersey was a charity single intended to raise money for the victims and families of victims of the Hillsborough disaster in Liverpool. Harrison's new composition? A freshly penned tune with fellow Wilbury Tom Petty...
  • 190. Beatles ’89 pt1

    01:18:02||Ep. 190
    It's 1989 and George Harrison is still riding high on the success of the debut Traveling Wilburys LP! Of all the former Beatles, Harrison's late-80s resurgence resonated with near-universal public and critical acclaim, and the momentum of successful collaboration between George and producer Jeff Lynne showed no signs of slowing down. Also on an upturn in the early weeks of the year was Ringo Starr, whose newfound sobriety triggered an abundance of activity -- from starring in the PBS children's television show Shining Time Station (as the unflappable Mr. Conductor) to a collection of recent selections dubbed Star Struck: The Best of Ringo Starr vol2. Meanwhile, the release of the LP Spike by Elvis Costello heralded the coming of newly co-written material with Paul McCartney - material destined for McCartney's own resurgence in the months to come...
  • 189. Beatles ’88 pt7

    01:37:04||Ep. 189
    It's the end of the line for 1988, and the beginning of the epic super-group: The Traveling Wilburys! With the release of their debut LP ``Volume 1", George Harrison and friends Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison and Jim Keltner floored both modern and classic rockers alike with a signature blend of harmony, guitar, and rambler-style songcraft. Listeners of the day, curious to know if the band could live up to the heights of their strong debut single Handle With Care, were not disappointed. From the joyous noise of Heading for the Light to the often-hilarious lyrics of Dirty World, six old friends proved to the masses that age has nothing to do with good music, and that the combined talents of otherwise disparate musicians could amount to something spectacular. Of course the December 6th passing of bandmate Roy Orbison would put a damper on the otherwise happy affair - still, through the heartache and pain, the music of the Traveling Wilburys was a beacon of comfort to those who might need to hear that they were not alone anymore...
  • 188. Beatles ’88 pt6

    01:12:02||Ep. 188
    A flurry of developments in the lives and legacies of all four former Beatles permeated October 1988, starting with the debut of the feature-length IMAGINE film chronicling the life of John Lennon, opening in movie theaters across the world. This template for future Beatles archival projects was met with warm embrace by John's fans, and was an important milestone in the preservation of film footage and audio artifacts from throughout Lennon's life. Another former Beatle in preservation mode was Ringo Starr, having finally sought help for alcoholism with his wife Barbara Bach later in the month. After decades of substance abuse Ringo has resolved to clean up, so as to evade the fates of his less fortunate and departed friends and fellow rockers. And lastly a new single, from a super-group calling themselves "the Traveling Wilburys"...