Episodes
BONUS! Back in the U.S.S.R. from McCartney: A Life in Lyrics
Cue the Salt âNâ Pepa: Pu-Pu-Pushkinâs real goodâŚat producing podcasts and audiobooks! Theyâre the force behind the just-dropped âMcCartney: A Life in Lyricsâ pod, which is off to a delightfully entertaining and insightful start. The dulcet tones of Paul Muldoon had better be the future voice of AI. (Weâre talking about practice. Not a game.)
And on this very special episode of the UBP, the Gab Two is proud to present, in partnership with Pushkin, a special airing of âMcCartney: A Life in Lyricsâ Episode 2. How cool is that?! This one oneâs a Double Paul deep-dish on âBack In The U.S.S.R.â, a definitive #FileUnderRock track, though, as the episode sadly fails to acknowledge, was largely unknown until Billy Joelâs live take on âKohueptâ (2 LPâs on 1 CD!).
Weâll be back with our usual chicanery and a whole new episode/world, DONâT YOU DARE CLOSE YOUR EYES, next week. In the meantime, all 3.5 of us at the UBP are absolutely honoured to be associated with anything Macca-related. We hope you will enjoy the show as much as we did. Five Freaking Fabs!
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McCartney: A Life in Lyrics | Back in the U.S.S.R
Whatâs Paul McCartney, a Liverpudlian, doing writing about the Soviet Union in 1968? Turns out McCartney was doing a little Chuck Berry, a bit of The Beach Boys, some pastiche and a lot of subversion. Opening âThe White Albumâ, âBack in the U.S.S.R.â raised some eyebrows. And because of The Beatlesâ evolving position within the former Eastern Bloc the song has over the years taken on a life of its own, following the trajectory of the Westâs often fraught relationship with the region.
Ep. 145 | Beatlefest 2023 Part 2: Live from the Fest Floor
Roll up! Roll up for another Untitled Beatles Podcast Field Trip, this time to the 2023 Chicago Fest For Beatles Fans. In this podcast concrète, T.J. and Tony - aka the Beavis & Butthead of the Beatleverse - take a 2-day sound bath of live Beatle music, as they scratch and sniff rare Beatles vinyl, aimlessly wandering and wondering:
đ Is Halloween slasher Michael Myersâ favorite Beatles song âHelp!â, âRun For Your Lifeâ or âChuckâs Monster?â
đŚ¸đťââď¸ How many records must T.J. collect to warrant wearing a collectorâs cape?
ă°ď¸ Is there anyone still in line for Patti Boyd? Might want to check on them.
With interjections from Producer Casey, this episode is like taking a Time Machine back to August of 2023, or like wearing a Yellow Submarine Virtual Reality Helmet ($499) available on the official Beatles Store secret menu.
EPISODE LINKS
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Ep. 144 | The Beatles Live at Stowe School (1963)
No less an authority than Mark Lewisohn knows that the skiing scene in "Help!" was filmed in Stowe VT, during the 1997 Winter X-Games, exclusively on ESPN.
But before (ahem, #apres) skiing was a very Beatles activity, Stowe was known as a small British boys school (Ringo! Ringo!), where the Beatles gave one of their longer and most interesting concerts whilst on the cusp of British fame.
Recently, a tape surfaced of the mostly complete show, and like the Star Club release in 1970's, this one is truly a mammoth moment in Beatles history. Tony & T.J. gab fab on the concert, the set list, and the immense historical significance. And because they're morons, they also ponder:
đ2ď¸âŁđ Do Dolly Parton and the Twotles perform the definitive whisper version of "Let It Be"?
đď¸ If you yell "How Do You Do It" repeatedly at an All Starr band concert, will Ringo and Steve Lukather feel compelled to tease it?
đŹđ§ Would Brexit have happened had rich white British kids learned to not clap on the f**king 1 and 3, ffs?
EPISODE LINKS
Check out Malik Rashaun and Max Comeau's "Play McCartney" album on Bandcamp
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Ep. 143 | John & Yoko / Plastic Ono Band - âSome Time in New York Cityâ (1972) Part 2
ÂżQuè Pasa, New York? Mornings, on WXTV, Univision 41, Nueva York! But also, thatâs a refrain from arguably the most commercially viable song from John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Bandâs âSome Time In New York Cityâ. So why wasnât the semi-title track a single? Why didnât it lead off the album; not enough racial epithets in the title? And who in the love of Danza decided âAngelaâ - a heart-wrenching tribute to Judith Light - belongs on ANY Lennon comp? So many preguntas! Què Pasa, indeed!
Fortunately/Maybe (#Oasisish) itâs time for part two of the highly anticipated CHICAGO STYLE deep-dish of one of the most derided solo Beatles albums this side of âThe Family Wayâ soundtrack! And as if this 2LP set isnât long enough - the Giles Martin deluxe remix is slated to include the full 117 minute version of âAuâ - the UBPâs very own Capân Jamrag and Lt. Scumbag (#PossibleForestGumpReference), to answer these, and more!
đ đ˝ Who the HELL did Bono think he was when he spent Christmas Eve â93 hand delivering cassettes of âZooropaâ to everyone in the world?
đ Was Yoko the inspiration for one of 1982âs great raunchy comedy films? Hint: check out her #SixPack. #KennyRogersRoasters
đđ¨ There may not be much difference, between Tucker Carlson and someone with an actual dong, if you listen to their fartbeat. True?
EPISODE LINKS
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Ep. 142 | John & Yoko / Plastic Ono Band - âSome Time in New York Cityâ (1972) Part 1
All four solo Fabs released legendary albums in their lives. But among the critical darlings (âGone Troppoâ), chart topping smash hits (âRingo Ramaâ, 5.1 edition) and absolutely despised, forgotten about, piles of doggie poo poo doo doo (âBand On The Runâ), there are some solo albums that remain quite difficult to categorize. Like this weekâs Deep Dish Part 1 (CALORIE ALERT!) on the ever-controversial John & Yoko âSome Time In New York Cityâ.
Is this a terrible record? Is it actually brilliant? Has it aged better than expected in the 50 years since its release? What do you think this is, pal, âSound Opinions?â Sure, you come here for us to answer those fab questions, but you also may be wondering:
đżđ Is it fair to judge whatâs on a CD by the size of itsâ â87 longbox?
đť Should classic rock radio still play the heavily edited, phat-shaming, radio friendly version of the albumâs single, â[Your] Woman Is The Bigger Of The Girlsâ? Or is it time we finally cancel The Drive, 97.1? (Ed note: Cancel Culture is ruining America and must end! Unless it's books, constitutional rights, science, personal freedoms, rule of law, arts funding, kindness, actual f**king facts, etc...)
3ď¸âŁ4ď¸âŁ (Angry Chicago Guy) How come Coach Ditka let William the Fridge Perry tackle a nun during Super Bowl XX, (slower, rhythmically, drunk on Malort) but not Sweetness?
Like Was (not Don Was) once sang: open the door, get on the floor, everybody go watch âDinosaursâ! (#NotTheMama) Fridays, on ABC! But first, yo, check dis out!
EPISODE LINKS
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Ep. 141 | Labor Day FALL PREVIEW
Summertime done, come and gone, oh my my! (#RingoGarcia) Yep, fall is upon us and with it means a boatload of forthcoming Beatles goodies! Maybe? Could there be a 50th âMind Gamesâ? A deluxe âRubber Soulâ? The long-anticipated expanded âLove Songsâ box set, with a bonus 7â test pressing of âGirlâ/âYouâre Gonna Lose That Girlâ and a gnome or two, for only $400? Sign us up!And over at Untitled Beatles Podcast HQ, we canât wait to kick off the fall season with our usual chicanery and good times. This week, in the spirit of Labor Day, we sip good old American brews, and preview our line-up with a TV Guide style Fall Preview Guide! And this ainât the free one you get in the Sunday paper, jack! Itâs the real deal. And youâll straight-up cheers *and* jeers all of your favorite returning fall shows on WUBP, Channel 3, like:
𼊠Wednesdays on âSheâs The Sheriffâ, does Suzanne Summers microwave her meat? And does a poster of Nancy Reagan and Mr. T make special guest Mickey Rooney trickle down?
đđť On Saturdays, âValerieâs Familyâ returnsâŚsans Valerie! She wanted more money, so she died in a fire and âAuntâ Sandy Duncan showed up with scratch âNâ sniff Betty and Veronica fan art for all!
đŠđ˝ââď¸ And âNight Courtâ returns Thursdays, as alternate juror âFlannel Caseyâ (Chris Makepeace) explains to Selma Diamond why iTunes is for soccer moms; but no Band On The Run retrospective is complete without the â89 âBarn Rehearsalâ (WTF?) of the title track.
EPISODE LINKS
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Ep. 140 | UBP ESP: Our Red and Blue Album Reissue Predictions
Ice-T asked the question with which many Beatles fans wrestle on his 1988 hit, âColorsâ: Red or Blue?
Both double albums are amazing chronicles of the Beatlesâ chart hits and key album tracks. But they were assembled 50 years ago, and for their anniversary year, itâs been rumored that both LPâs will be reissued, remixed, and expanded! How do we know for sure? Well, itâs like Ice-T said in his 1988 hit, âColorsâ - in arguably the most savage diss in rap history: âYou donât know me, foooooool! You disown me? Coolâ! #SavageAF
This week, Tony & T.J. use the power of ESP to wildly speculate what essential Fab cuts will be added to each album. With musicâs 2nd greatest catalog from which to choose (#1 is Korn, obvi), would the Red & Blue Two make similar adds? Thereâs only one way to find out! Send a check or money order to P3Z-Nutz! Or you could listen, I guessâŚbecause we also consider:
đ If The Beatles were McDonalds, would Allen Klein and Dave Dexter be the Fry Guys?
đŠ (Angry Chicago Guy:) HOW COME TONY CANCELLED DONUTS?
đ´đş If Horst Fascher changed his name to Horse Fascist, would he be Florida's governor?
EPISODE LINKS
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Ep. 139 | The Beatlesâ Fab Live Moments (LIVE from Beatlefest 2023!)
They did it live! The Untitled Beatles Podcast recorded their first-ever live show at The Fest For Beatles Fans in Rosemont, IL; proud home of a Caddyshack restaurant and a surprisingly large mafia influence. It marked Tonyâs second consecutive Fest, and T.J.âs first since 2010. What kind of Beatles madness would the Gab Two create in front of an unsuspecting, live audience, as they break down a handful of their favorite live Beatles performances?
Sadly, Producer Casey accepted a canât miss opportunity engineering (only! NO PRODUCING ALLOWED, âENGINEER CASEYâ) the Titled Bee Gees podcast and had to miss the fun. But when Producer Caseyâs away, will the boys go astray (#1980sSitcomPromo) as they also discuss:
đ Is it really heckling if two Chicago jagbags scream at Fest For Beatles Fans house band Liverpool to play more Badfinger? [angry Chicago guy] AND HOW COME NO MARY HOPKINS?? [sic]
đšđ Might the (genuinely awesome) Lapidos family ever consider adding Bette Middler and Kenny Rogers trivia to the Fest line-up? Maybe on the closing Sunday at 11:59pm, under the stairs?
đď¸đđď¸đ Do 4 out of 5 Festers really prefer Jimmie Nicol to Ringo? And would 10 out of 10 election deniers agree that the attendance for UBPâs live debut was the biggest crowd of people assembled in one room at one time in all of history? Was be wild!
EPISODE LINKS
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Ep. 4.1 | DELUXE REISSUE: Approximately Infinite Universe (1973)
Yang Yang! Youâve given me a Yang Yang! And weâre thinking of YokoâŚso weâve decided to reach into our archives for a limited, deluxe remix/remaster/reissue/bonus Gnome edition of our vaunted 4th episode in 2020, where we deep-dished a Tony favorite: Yoko Onoâs âApproximately Infinite Universeâ!
Did you know itâs TWO albums? Well hell yeah, it is! Good for Tony. Butt, what about T.J.? Well, there are even more questions that must be answered, such a$:
đ§šSpoilers: Did Yokoâs âDeath Of Samanthaâ predict the âWhoâs The Boss?â series finale decades before it aired?
âď¸đ Does anyone remember the 1990âs Fiddler On The Roof/Don Henley theme restaurant, âSunrise Sunset Grillâ?
đ Was San Diego Clipper great World B. Free really a bastard? And if not, WTF with Yokoâs hateful tune?
EPISODE NOTES:
HEY COME AND MEET US AT THE FEST FOR BEATLES FANS IN CHICAGO AUGUST 11-13
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Originally published June 20, 2020
Tony turns TJ on...to Yoko Ono's 1973 double-LP Approximately Infinite Universe. They explore the merits of her influence and the complexities of her marriage to John at the time this album was recorded. TJ comes to terms with his disdain for Elephant's Memory, particularly the saxophone, and Tony reveals his least favorite song of all time. Spoiler: it's not by The Beatles (Remember, they like them!)
UBP LIVE | August 12 | Chicago Fest for Beatle Fans
"F**K IT WE'LL DO IT LIVE!"
Join Tony, T.J., and Producer Casey for our FIRST EVER LIVE TAPING of the Untitled Beatles Podcast at the 2023 Chicago Fest for Beatles Fans (f.k.a. Beatlefest).
Saturday, August 12, 2:15 PM
Hyatt Regency O'Hare
"Tell Me What You See" / SeaTac Room
There will be shenangans. There will be prizes. There will be piano ("SO ANNOYING!").
SEE YOU THERE.