Thanks, I'm glad you liked it. That was a complicated episode to put together, so I'm relieved that it's clear and understandable. That isolation is from a fan-made reconstruction of the Help! multis using the 5.1 channels from the blu ray of the movie that came out in 2013. I think iTunes checks reviews before they post them, so it may just take a little time for it to show up, but thank you for taking the time do that!
Something I've always wondered. What are some of the differences in the production techniques of George Martin as opposed to say, Ron Richards (The Hollies, The Spencer Davis Group, P.J. Proby) or John Burgess (Manfred Mann, Peter & Gordon, Freddie & The Dreamers). All of them appear to have switched from two-track to four-track and then four-track to eight-track at around the same time (if my headphones aren't deceiving me).
The techniques as far as I can tell are generally the same, but the talents at work were very very different. And Martin's approach to the studio=as-instrument was more sophisticated than any other producer in Britain. He gradually imprinted this on The Beatles starting from the beginning.
@Solaris I’ve just finished parts 3 and 4 of the podcast and I’m amazed at the quality you’re producing here. The info was great, the depth and enthusiasm in which you tell the story and the quality of the samples used is staggering. A massive well done from me!! Can’t wait to hear the rest!
I’m enjoying this series immensely. Admittedly, I’m behind but only because I like to listen in long blocks. Your episodes are the perfect length for the material and your approach but that means that hold off and bundle them. Silly request: can you offer these files in Google Play or Band Camp as well? If not, that’s totally understandable but I had to ask (see below). Of course, as a bonus, BandCamp offers lossless, too. Not to mention certain happy customers can offer to okay more if they choose. I ask because purchasing music from iTunes has a wonky effect that breaks my iOS Sort Artist fields. Don’t ask, trust me. I use those extensively and when they break it takes a few days to resync and transcode to lower bitrate the large library I carry around. I miss the convenience of iTunes downloads but it’s not worth it for me despite being strongly inclined to purchase these.
I hadn't thought of that, but I will most certainly look into it. Being able to offer lossless downloads of these tracks would be great. Thanks for the suggestion!
Episode five is live! THE CLARINET SCORE FOR WHEN I'M SIXTY-FOUR “When I’m Sixty-Four” is Paul McCartney’s nostalgic throwback to British music hall, and a tribute to his father, Jim McCartney. Today, we examine George Martin’s iconic clarinet score for the song, and consider how much Paul had a hand in writing that score. We’ll also go into the recording studio to recreate the clarinet score with three musicians, led by John Reeks, Professor of Music at Loyola University, and we’ll break the score down to see what we can learn about its construction and composition.
EPISODE 5 BONUS I played clips of our re-recording of the score to demonstrate various points in the podcast, but here's a complete take of the performance by John Reeks and his students, Logan Lambert and Alex Murano. (John has a little fun near the end on bass clarinet and adds a bit of a twist that isn't in the original score.)
Is anyone having trouble getting the latest episode from iTunes? It won’t let me download it to my phone.
A heads up for anyone in the NYC/NJ area: next weekend I'll be doing this multimedia presentation at The Beatles' White Album: An International Symposium, as well as interviewing Chris Thomas on Saturday November 10 and moderating a few of the other talks. A bunch of great writers and educators are going to be there, including Mark Lewisohn, Tim Riley, Ken Womack, Walter Everett and Allan Kozinn, and I'm looking forward to catching up with some old friends while making new ones. If you're in the NYC/NJ area and you're a Beatles fan, come check it out. It's going to be a great time. Schedule of Events | The Beatles’ THE WHITE ALBUM: An International Symposium - Nov 8-11, 2018 | Monmouth University
Since I’m flying back from the White Album Symposium today, I won’t be uploading the new episode until tonight. I’ve got interview material for two more episodes with me, though. I had a busy weekend!
A few pics from the White Album Symposium this weekend at Monmouth University. Here's me interviewing Chris Thomas on stage, then a shot of Chris and me after the talk, and a pic of my presentation on Sunday about The Beatles going from 4-track to 8-track during these sessions. That's Allan Kozinn in the foreground.
And a shot of me introducing Allan Kozinn for his fascinating talk about the series of Revolution songs. That's Mark Lewisohn on the left side of the pic taking notes. Also in that room: Tim Riley (Tell Me Why, Lennon: The Man, The Myth, The Music) and Walter Everett (The Beatles as Musicians). Quite a gathering of Beatle writer brainpower in one spot! Please enjoy the psychedelic light show on our heads from the projector.
Here's a moment from Mark Lewisohn's 2.5 hour overview of everything that was happening in The Beatles' lives during the making of the White Album. This was a great peek into what volume three of the trilogy will be, full of clips and photos I'd never seen, and connections that were just waiting to be made.
Ok last one. Here's a frame from the Powerpoint I made for my presentation. This chart shows the 4 track recordings vs the 8 track recordings on the album, with Chris Thomas' sessions marked by "CT."
EPISODE 6: Not So Simple - "From Me To You" and other early singles The Beatles’ first four singles seem to be fairly straightforward live studio recordings, but George Martin expended a good bit of effort to polish these songs up for release. Today, we listen through the session tapes for The Beatles’ third single, “From Me To You,” to trace Martin’s process for crafting the record, and we’ll discuss how Martin applied the same process in the recording of The Beatles’ other early singles. We also talk with writer and music producer Jerry Hammack, who helps us understand how all of this was accomplished using 1963 technology. Producing The Beatles is available on iTunes, Google Play, Spreaker, Castbox, Stitcher and SoundCloud (and I'm
I posted this in the White Album thread but since it's going to get lost in the flow of posts, I thought I'd post it here. Ken Womack and I wrote this for the Independent, and it went online yesterday for the anniversary of the release. Five myths The Beatles' White Album deluxe anniversary edition puts to the test
The only thing I can say negative about this podcast is... It goes by too fast! Leaves me wanting more. Thanks again for your dedication to this. Keeps things concise and sets the record straight.
I want to use this opportunity and sincerely thank you for the joy you are giving us. There are quite a few Beatles podcasts and this one is a highlight among the best of them. The care you employ while putting them together is palpale. Production wise this is the very best of them all, while I must definetely state that I do not take production values as the only criterium for the qualiyty of a podcast, but it adds to the appeal of yours. While you have not been offering much essentially new information for these ears it's a pure joy to follow you and to discover still unheard nuances. Plus the way you present it I'd chose yours as an entry point for Beatles newbies who want to gain some deeper appreciation. Thank you so much and ... keep going. No Apple account here, therefore no iTunes review.