Episodes
Ep. 43 | “Mother” Ultimate Mix and Beatles Streamers
We are back from our hiatus with a brand new episode! In which TJ and Tony evaluate some brand new Fab Four content! (OR IS IT?)
This week, we dig into:
The newly released version of "Mother" from John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band: Ultimate Mix, or Ultimately Uneventful?
The mysterious new "Beatles EPs" popping up on streaming services like Spotify—All About the Girl, New Years Workout, Meditation Mix, and so on
The baffling inclusion of "Here Comes the Sun" on The Beatles For Kids - Animals compilation
Our own proposals for some unique new streaming Beatles EPs
And, of course, all the usual shenanigans, tangents, needle drops, Bernard Purdie mythology, classic TV sitcom talk, and JUST MAYBE... the debut of a never-before-heard Olivia Newton John collaboration.
LINKS
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Ep. 6.2 | Discovering the Beatles (Deluxe Reissue)
More new episodes are coming soon, but today Tony and TJ have pressed a limited edition light green vinyl of another classic episode exclusively for their top fans on Spotify. Personally curated by Producer Casey, the fresh remix and remaster of Discovering the Beatles features an A-List assortment of musical moments and nostalgic needle drops. A limited quantity is available for this offer - while supplies last - so act quickly!
[FROM JULY 2020] TJ and Tony take their long and rambling road down memory lane, reminiscing about discovering the Fab Four for the first time, with detours to Grease, Webster and NBC-era Letterman.
Shout-outs to Pear Records, Denny Dent and Valerie Harper.
Fact cheque please: D.A. Pennebaker not Pennemaker, Sherman Hemsley not Helmsley.
Special "She's So Heavy" style edit courtesy of Zoom.
LINKS:
This week's Pandora playlist
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Ep. 14.2 | Deluxe Reissue: Help! LP (1965)
The guys go all Dave Dexter this week, issuing a remixed, remastered, special deluxe vinyl edition of their August 2020 deep dish into the Help! LP. More music, more goofs, maybe a little extra reverb, but always the same classic Tony and TJ tangents.
[FROM AUGUST 2020] For the 55th anniversary of the Help! album, TJ and Tony go track by track, offering hot takes on Maureen Cleave and a cautionary tale for prospective buyers of the Back to the Future III soundtrack.
LINKS:
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Ep. 42 | Deep Dish: Brainwashed (2002)
It seems almost unfathomable, but this past week would’ve been George Harrison’s 78th birthday, almost 20 years after his body exited the material world. In honor of that melancholy milestone, Tony & T.J. do a deep dish into his last album of new material, 2002’s Brainwashed; much of which was recorded as George knew he was dying. It’s a poignant, beautiful record, which gets its proper due here, but of course doesn’t stop the Untitled Duo from their usual insane diversions; including, but not limited to:
The not-so Quiet Beatle taking on those perpetual #prannies, Oasis
Thinkin' about girls at church
The Grammys’ favorite band (and #prannies favorite band, too): Toto
And, a hot take on blues legend Robert Cray: COVID denier? (Disclaimer: he’s not. Unless he is. Oh shit is he?)
LINKS:
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Ep. 41 | The Decca Auditions (1962)
This week, Tony and TJ hop in their time machine to revisit some of the earliest proto-Beatles (pre-Ringo!) recordings: The Decca Auditions. Never officially released—you can find them all on YouTube, or if you're lucky, a Japanese import CD—these tapes capture the band at their most raw. Things to look forward to:
The guys get... a little punchy
The Fab Three get a little nervous for the big audition
Poor Pete Best gets the Charlie Brown treatment (why's everybody always pickin' on him?)
Tony gets a lesson in British proper noun pronunciation
And TJ (spoiler alert?) finds a way to tie it all back to musical theater and 80s sitcoms.
We'd like to say "thank you" on behalf of the show and ourselves, and we hope we passed the audition.
LINKS
Check out this week's Pandora playlist
Subscribe here, or anywhere you get your podcasts
Pete's the best Beatle drummer. Change our minds on Facebook.
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Ep. 40 | Beatles Valentimes [sic]
Love is in the air, and for Tony, TJ, and the Fab Four, it's more than just holding hands. This Valentine's Day, the guys present some of their favorite Beatles love songs. Not the 1977 Love Songs compilation; not the 2006 Cirque du Soleil soundtrack. They cut straight to the good stuff. We're talking:
Romantic and carnal love (content warning: the F word gets some action here)
Freudian mother-lover mashups
Chili dogs outside the Tastee Freez
And just maybe an unexpected wild card or two
LINKS:
This week's Pandora playlist
Subscribe here, or anywhere you get your podcasts
What'd we miss? Yell at us on Facebook.
Ep. 39 | Deep Dish: The Beatles’ Second Album (1964)
The gang continues its exploration of the early U.S. Capitol Records releases, this week covering the covers-heavy Beatles' Second Album.
Tony owns up to his early underestimation of this classic,
TJ goes to bat for his official Fifth Beatle,
Bryan Adams brings his piano to your mom's porch,
And we think we've maybe stumbled upon the next great (grown-ups only) classic rock radio format, just in case this whole podcast thing doesn't pan out.
Apologies in advance to the City of Sacramento, and those who are sensitive to explicit language.
LINKS:
Ep. 38 | Solo Beatles Mt. Rushmore
For this week's show, Tony and TJ blast their current favorite Fab Four solo tracks into the side of a mountain for everyone to see and hear. It's a long and meandering drive to the Black Hills of South Dakota, but along the way:
We learn about Tony's irrational love for a wailin' saxophone and his irrational fear of a pie in the face
TJ reveals just how too-much he knows about ill-conceived sitcom spin-offs
And we make a pit stop for a taste of George Harrison's favorite Indian carry-out.
Hear this week's picks on our Pandora playlist.
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Ep. 37 | Caveman (Film Review)
This week TJ and Tony dust off their "Sneak Previews" sweaters to review the cult classic Caveman, starring Ringo Starr.
Is this difficult-to-stream comedy superior to A Hard Day's Night?
Is this hard-to-watch romp more enjoyable than Two Virgins?
Is it better than a stag film shown in a small room at Beatlefest 81?
In this spoiler-laden assessment, the Tangential Two wax nostalgic about the golden era of NBC's Thursday night line-up, Ribbie and Roobarb, and a pre-Fox television landscape.
Meanwhile, R.E.M. finds their way within blowtorch range of a Barenaked Ladies/They Might Be Giants hot take. Plus TJ and Tony dream of turning this celluloid oddity into a cruise ship musical that's sure to win a coveted "Code Oscar."
See you at the movies!
BONUS Ep. 36 | Phil Spector Dead at 81
As a bonus podcast, we have an excerpt from Twitch & Shout on the Chicago4Real Twitch Channel, in which TJ and Tony acknowledge the passing of legendary murderer and record producer Phil Spector. They discuss his connection to the Fab Four and the complications of assessing the artistic work of a convicted killer.
Plus an excerpt from I Dream of Jeannie!
This was originally broadcast on January 18, 2021.