Untitled Beatles Podcast

As the leaves turn “Drive My Car Orange” and “Nowhere Man Taupe” in anticipation of next week’s long-awaited Rubber Soul SDE, we here at UBP HQ are taking some time to honor a few non-fab artists.

With chisels and rasps in hand, T.J. and Tony carve away at the sacred Meigs Field granite peak, each revealing their favorite musical performers that aren’t John, Paul, George, Ringo, Jimmie or Purdie. It’s Mount Rushmore Beyond The Beatles!

Throughout this laborious process they also wonder:

📻🪗 Has radio station WKRP ever played Mike Post’s version of th...

New Episode Alert! We’re falling for fall at the Untitled Beatles Podcast, especially because Rubber Soul is coming up, like a flower! And now more expansive/expensive than ever! Tony & T.J. share their thoughts on this forthcoming, much anticipated, deluxe version and also ask: 

🎤 How many instrumental versions must an album contain before it’s legally filed under “Karaoke”? #FileUnderKaraoke

🎞️ Sure, George Martin wasn’t a huge fan of the U.S. albums; but what are the odds he simply adored “Reel Music”? AND HOW COME HIS NEOPO BABY KID AIN’T GOT THE STONES TO REMIX “MOVI...

Beatle Bottoms. To some, bottoms is a synonym for “tushie”, as they say in the industry. For Tony & T.J., it’s their least favourite Fab 4 songs. And boy do they just disagree. But there ain’t no good guy, there ain’t no bad guy, there’s only this deluxe reissue of one of our favorite early episodes, reproduced for disc by Grandmaster Casey.

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[Originally released September 5, 2020]

Clickbait: Are T.J. and Tony in a Beatles cult? The answer may dumbfound you!!

In this Labor Day Spectacular (not that spectacular r...

Originally aired May 22, 2021

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The British Rubber Soul is for the birds! OK, that might be a little aggressive. The album's a masterpiece, but T.J. and Tony make a pretty compelling argument that nobody really misses "What Goes On," and that Dave Dexter's U.S. version for Capitol Records is just a superior collection.

It's so fine.

It's sunshine.

It's PART TWO of our U.S. Rubber Soul deep dish. And along the way, we ponder:

Where does journalist Maureen Cleave fit into the lineup: Is she...

Originally aired May 15, 2021

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Hey hey! It's our birthday, and we're gonna have a good time. And amazingly, T.J. managed to do an entire year's worth of podcasts before finally cutting loose on his all-time favorite version of his all-time favorite album: the Capitol Records U.S. edition of Rubber Soul. Dave Dexter helps the Fab Four find their inner folksters, and, not to spoil the podcast or anything: TONY AND T.J. ENTHUSIASTICALLY APPROVE.

In Part 1 of their deep dish, the guys remember how they first discovered Rubber Soul, compare...

“Oklahoma was never like this?” Really, Sir Paul? AGAIN with the complaining about the 1999, Hugh Jackman-led revival of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s first banger? Oh sure, Paul - go ahead and be all Tipper Gore-y about that opening scene where Aunt Eller is churning butter like some barnyard horndog, milking every delicate inch of that up and down churn work. And don’t get me started on how Paul handled the edits to the “Farmer & The Cowman” dance break! He (allegedly) threw the London Cast Recording CD at Heather Mills!! That's a $17.99 CD, my guy!   Who the hell knows what Macca was talking a...

Forgive us, dear reader, for sounding Jaded. But most real McCartney fans will admit that Aerosmith’s 2001 LP “Just Push Play” is better than literally any solo Macca; and perhaps even better than most Beatles albums. (*Does not include “Live At The Star Club Vol. 2”)

But, in turn, would there even be an Aerosmith without Macca’s 1986 offering, “Press To Play”? We’ll leave that to the rock scholars to decide. But one thing is for sure: “Press To Play” is now officially 40 years old, or, in U.S. presidential terms, at least three decades older than the girls a certain or...

Listen.
Do you hear that?
Those are crickets.
Crickets at the Marriott Suites O’Hare, abandoned site of Chicago’s Fest for Beatles Fans. Unfortunately, there are no humans at this year’s festival as it has been postponed to retool. #KitO’ReToole

Some of the crickets are in ill-fitting Sgt Pepper costumes, others don obscure Beatles ephemera while wacking tambos to off-key “Yellow Submarine” singalongs, and a small number of lonely small-minded crickets are still wearing their pit-stained anti-Yoko t-shirts, repping for the original incels.

Oh and look!
There’s even an aphid...

Beatle Bangers? I barely even Beatle knew’ers! Is this thing on? No, for real, is this thing on? The microphone in my hand, I mean. Is it on? Can people hear these bits or is the silence merely judgement? What if the XLR is broken? Or the DI? Maybe the audio fella’s on coke? Surely that’s possible, but what if the silence is because these “jokes” are terrible? And maybe they’re not even jokes at all, but more of a psychological crisis, thinly masquerading as “comedy”? If so, would there be more questions like:

🥩 Is Tony prou...

The great Todd Rundgren once sang, "I don't wanna work, I wanna Beatle Banger, all day!"

Well, Mr. Motor City (sorry Jack White! Not sorry, Kid C&ck!), the UBP is back with yet another powerful/perhaps controversial edition of UBP Beatle-esque Bangers! These are, well, bangers that the UBP-3 believe share lysergic properties with songs written by the Fab 5, and perhaps, one or three of Tony Sheridan's #BeatBros. Do you like these bangers? Do you prefer post-bangers, e.g. Bangers and AfterMASH? Do you want more questions, like:

💣 Angry Chicago Guy: "How come Harry Sch...

To quote the great Rob Thomas, "Man it's a hot one!" This week, the guys are keeping cool ("So cool" -- Rob Thomas) and we hope you are too. And, frankly, we like our hot summer days like we like our Let It Be... Naked!

Please enjoy this classic from the UBP stacks.

Originally aired 10 July, 2021

Take it off! Wait, leave some on! In anticipation of the continuing delay of Peter Jackson's Get Back film, T.J. and Tony react to the recent Vanity Fair teaser about said project, then delve into the...

The Untitled Beatles Podcast has done it!

We are Free As A Bird from Disney’s Beatles Anthology!

There were moments of Real Love; Now And Then. But would the new Episode 9, comprised largely from the 2003 Special Features DVD, provide some Hope Of Deliverance? Would the new episode finally bring T.J. Off The Ground? Is Producer Casey Looking for Changes in how it’s edited? Does Tony simply want Peace in the Neighbourhood, allowing us to enjoy the old and the new? Also, what’s with all these “Off The Ground” references, did this week’s ran...

Since it’s a holiday weekend, this episode’s blurb was written by A.I. (American Intelligents)

Happy 250th birthday to the United States of America! And hey America, what better way to celebrate than with an American podcast about the world’s most famous American group, The Beatles!!

We salute these Beatles American hometowns:
John - Menlove Ave, New York City
Paul - Forthlin Drive, Carolina Shores, NC
George - Wavertree Hall Farm, Virginia
Ringo - Dingle, Idaho

And since The Beatles have been #1 in America’s heart since 17...

Originally aired October 29, 2022

HOLY MOLY IT'S HERE. And Tony and T.J. want to talk about it. Join the Fab Fellas as they go Full Culkin™ on the latest (and perhaps greatest? LISTEN TO FIND OUT!) Super Deluxe Special Edition reissue of the Beatles' groundbreaking 1966 LP "Revolver".

This is just part one—more to come once we get to spend some time with the vinyl box set.

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Originally aired November 5, 2022

We're back! Our super deluxe vinyl box sets arrived in the mail, and Tony and Teej are ready to d...

Consensus on the new Paul McCartney album has, to say the least, been mixed. Classical Bi-Monthly writes, “Where the f are the Liverpool Oratorio outtakes?" Dance Tuesdays proclaimed, “No Fireman? No interest”. And MAGA Monthly pouts with vitriol, “Why won’t woke Macca record with current, hit-makin’ patriots like Vanilla Ice, Lee Greenwood, or Chachi?”

But here at the UBP, we all adore “The Boys of Dungeon Lane”. Side 1 is perhaps Macca’s finest slab of wax. But what about Side 2? Is this where the patented Macca Fillers creep in? Or is Side 2 on par with the UNIFORMLY BELOVED...

Two forever fab octogenarian knights have both released brand new albums in this, the space age year of 2026. Truly a remarkable achievement.

Meanwhile, two grotty quinquagenarian jagwads attempt to sort through all of the permutations and variations of the latest of these offerings, Sir Paul McCartney’s The Boys of Dungeon Lane.

These are the Boys of Dumb Dumb Lane.

Throughout this 2-parter they ponder the deep deep feelings (wrong album dumb dumbs) that this platter has to offer. Such as:

💿🏬 Is Boys of Dungeon Lane an album or more of a pop-up...

What’s the worst decision in Beatles history? Some might say it’s John’s “bigger than Jesus” remark, or letting “Magical Mystery Tour” air in black & white on the BBC. And yet, as decided by the good folks at Disney+/Apple/Calderstone/Zaappderstone, it would appear that the single most egregious moment in Fab history is the original “Beatles Anthology 8” runtime: 81 minutes. 81 minutes? IN THIS ECONOMY? 

Fortunately (sfx: buzzer) much like labor laws, voting rights, and pride in this once great nation, Disney's "Beatles Anthology 8" has been drastically reduced. What’s survived is typically stunning both visually and musicall...

Greetings, Untitled Beatle Peedles! It’s a big weekend in Fab History, as arguably the most important link to the Beatles music and ethos just debuted a new release. And it’s all BeatleWorld is talking about.

That’s right, the Untitled Beatles Podcast has finally dropped their deep dish of “Disney+ Presents: The Beatles Anthology 7 (Only Make It Shorter)”. This episode covers a seminal year in Beatles lore. And if you’ve ever watched the original Anthology and thought, “Hmm, cancel the Apple Boutique, it’s too woke!”, then this edit is for YOU!

Tony and T.J. have...

For over 50 years, Saturday Night Live has been one of the most Important shows for rock music in the history of the nascent television medium. While, arguably, the most famous moment in the show’s history (and Tony’s favorite?) is RHCP’s multi-key 1992 version of “Under The Bridge”, there have been others. (Musical Guest The Ting Tings ripping up a photo of Colonel Sanders comes to mind.)

Fortunately, just in time for NBC’s never more relevant, May sweeps season finale of SNL, they pulled in the big guns: RHCP! Oh s**t, Frusciante and Kiedis (LLC) are bus...

What’s MORE thrilling than sitting through a slide show of your strange friend’s vacation photos?

Answer: LISTENING to the slideshow!

UBP co-host T.J. and UBP Producer Casey welcome back other UBP co-host Tony with all sorts of fab catching up (but no catching up on hot dogs! #chi-town #hotdogetiquette #nobodysezchi-town). They talk Ringo and Paul and then talk Ringo and AI, because you can’t spell “Ringo and Paul” without “AI”. Plus they have a row over 3 Saville Row.

They also ask:

🍀 Is Record Store Day to record collectors what S...

In this hotly anticipated Part 2, T.J. and Casey and their Sunshine Band pick up the pieces for Florida Man, Tony Mendoza, still buggin’ out in the Everglades.

They wrap up their deep deep dish on Ringo’s “Long Long Road”, and T.J. “press night invite” Shanoff does his finest Chris Jones impression (Angry Drunk Chicago Guy: “I WAS ALWAYS MORUVA HEDY WEISS GUY MYSELF”) and opines on Brendan Hunt’s new one-man show “The Movement You Need” at Steppenwolf’s Magic Carpet Theater.

And between the bits, they babble on wondering:

🎤💉 Is autotune the new Ozempic?

This week “Guys from The Untitled Beatles Podcast” (not to be confused with “Guys from Toto” or “Guys from Survivor”) pay homage to the great Frank Sinatra album Duets - as T.J. and guest co-host Producer Casey laugh it up over Ringo’s newest country platter, Duets Long Long Road —while ailing co-host Tony uses Duets-era technology to phone in his commentary all the way from Fort Lauderdale (not the first time that guy has phoned it in, just ask the Chicago improv community).

Between all the chuckles and landline logistical delays, the team wonders:

🌬️ How on ea...

This week, P3Z-Nutz reports (not) live from down under with another fab fav classic episode!

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Originally aired May 8, 2021

This week T.J. and Tony follow the Fab Four "under the equator" (as they say) for their ripping June 1964 concert in Melbourne, Australia. It's the rare show that captures the Beatles in peak performance shape, and in high quality audio and video. The guys go through track-by-track, and also find time to cover:

• Their favorite early 2000s post-grunge band
• Their least favorite 80s NBC TV theme
• The breakfast menu at the...

The guys are back (even if their voices aren't), and catch up on all the wild Beatlenews and Beatlereleases from the past few weeks.

It's been a hard day's fortnight, & Tony & T.J. have been working like dogs to buy, rent, or look at all the following:

New Paul album, new Ringo album, new John meditation mixes, new George Dark Horse label re-releases, new Wings documentary & soundtrack, new John concert movie, new documentary about Paul's lost bass, Evolver 62 documentary now streaming, and a new one-person show in Chicago about The Beatles by actor/writer (& Chicagoan...

It was five years ago today
When Teej and Tony told their friends to play
A VHS that T.J. had around
With its super warbly 80s sound
So may we introduce to you
The film you’ve loved for all these years:
Paul McCartney’s “Give My Regards to Broad Street”

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Originally aired April 17, 2021

At long last, T.J. and Tony review Sir Paul's magnum opus: Give My Regards to Broad Street. Starring and written by Paul McCartney, the 1984 movie was panned by critics and audiences alike, b...

It's the end of March Fabness, and there's no time to waste in crowning the Official Legally Required 9th Beatle. 

Spoiler Alert: it's all Chicago bay-bee! Slippers for only sleepers! Glass Onions! One Shining Martha My Duke you know what let's just play the episode, k?

EPISODE LINKS

Everybody clap your hands, the UBP is Happy Just To Big Dance With You! That’s right: it’s March Fabness once again, and that means it’s time to crown the official, legally-Calderstone-sanctioned 9th Beatle Bracket, A Ron Howard Motion Picture.

This year’s Beatle Bracket, much like the origins of the Fab 5, begins and ends in Chicago! From the Beatles BBC sessions recorded during the WLS Barn Dance, to the infamous rooftop concert atop Second City’s Pipers Alley parking lot, Chicago was the home of every significant Beatles event. Few will forget John’s touching tri...

In honour of spring break, it’s a super deluxe reissue of the Untitled Beatles Podcast’s third episode. Travel back to the simpler times of 2020, a world under lockdown during a deadly global pandemic, when two old friends/comedy nerds try podcasting about their favorite band on a platform called Zoom. Spoiler: the band is The Beatles. Wax nostalgic about scrubbing your vegetables with soap while reliving the golden days of Covid-19 with all the bells and whistles you’ve come to expect from today’s Tangential Twosome.

Originally published June 13, 2020

T.J. turns Tony on...

It’s one of the biggest albums of the late 1980’s.

No, not “Small World”, Huey Lewis & The News’ misguided attempt at a jazz-pop record that sadly gave us a song called “Bobo Tempo”, and can be found in near mint condition for a dollar in used record bins across the country. Rather, dear bleeder, it’s George Harrison’s comeback album, “Cloud 9”. Led by its spirited cover of “Got My Mind Set On You”, and the unofficial theme to Disney’s Mulan (“Breath Away from Heaven”), this is a record that’s held up through the years as one of the best by a solo...

Look. George Harrison took five years after "Gone Troppo" to complete his 1987 masterpiece "Cloud Nine", so excuse us if we take a couple weeks to wrap up our long awaited deep dish.

This week, the Untitled Twotles finally get around to talking about side one, and promise not to wreck the episode with tacky gated reverb like some sorry Fine Young Cannibals knockoff.

EPISODE LINKS

After spending the past three weeks in 1995’s Anthology universe, the Untitled Beatles Podcast needs a break. So this week… we head WAY BACK… to 1987.

That’s right. At long last, by popular demand—LLGH! Cheers, big ears!—Tony and T.J. delve into George Harrison’s smash-hit solo record, “Cloud Nine”, which T.J. SHANOFF LOVED LONG BEFORE ALL YOU BANDWAGON B*S.

Along the way, they find time to foray into Format Foyer, and answer the pressing questions like:

📼🌴 OK, but does T.J. own the 1987 cassette released on Contessa records in Indonesia?

💿💦 W...

Some say the “Sgt. Pepper”, post-touring era is the peak of The Beatles recorded music. Others prefer Korn.

For those who are slightly more into The Beatles, Tony, T.J. and Producer Casey deep dish Episode 6 of “The Beatles Anthology”. This has always been one of the most fertile and astonishing chapters in Beatles history, but we can all be thankful that Disney truncated it by 15 minutes for those of us in a rush. Beep beep, toot toot, no time for the “For No One” bridge, damn it!

And, sure! The UBP3zteetles (you try it, tough gu...

Real Beatlefans have been saying it on the DL (#JimmyButler) for years: "Who the hell needs Rubber Soul?"

Certainly not “The Beatles Anthology”, which puts nearly as much emphasis on the 1965 classic as they do “The Beatles At The Hollywood Bowl” (Pre-Ron Howard Edition). OK so maybe it’s not that bad, but c’mon Apple, it’s RUBBER SOUL! (#HeyHey #Rip)

For better AND worse, Beatles Anthology 5 is much like its predecessors; chock full of incredibly remastered footage and audio; while missing certain key elements for time or perhaps simply to please a mouse. (SFX: Buzzer) S...

Wait no more, it’s Anthology 4! It’s better streaming, and also way worse! It’s shorter, which is nice, and also truly stupid. Official Beatles history is being re-written forever, a travesty that's never sounded or looked so good. Yes, if you’ve also found yourself stroking out at the tightening and edits of “Beatles Anthology - 2025”, you’ve got some pals at the Untitled Beatles Podcast. We’ve never been more grateful for such glorious Beatles product, and also, hey Calderstone, WTF MY DUDES???

It’s quite the conundrum as the fellas deep dish the 4th installment of...

How late’s too late to wish people a Happy New Year …? How late’s too late to run a New Year Preview episode of a Beatles podcast? LOOK: THIS EPISODE DROPS JANUARY 31ST SO CLOSE ENOUGH.

We’re back, baybee! Join Tony and T.J. as they spend the better part of an hour writing down their deepest wishes for Beatle baubles in 2026, lighting them on fire, and releasing them into the night sky. And UBP GenZ Correspondent Skylar Moody drops in with reflections on the recent news of a BeatleFest furlough. Er, I mean the Fest for...

Originally released September 23, 2023

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...

We pick up where we left off, in March 1963. The Gab Two follow the Fab Four along their journey in Anthology episodes 2 and 3: touring Britain, navigating Beatlemania, (probably) disappointing the Queen Mother, (probably) disappointing the boys in Paris, and—just in case you haven’t had enough coverage of it—INVADING THE STATES. #Don’tTellICE

Tee-Jay and Tony continue their Disney+ Deep Dish, and in classic Gen X fashion, spend most of their time waxing poetic about how much cooler everything was in the 90s. Their nostalgic trip leads them to the important inquiries, like:

⚡️🐱‍👤 Which one’a those Mi...

Short attention spans. Am I right? I mean you’re reading this right now, when you could be with your family or punching a Nazi. (We at the UBP heartily encourage both.) Fortunately, the good folks at Apple & Disney are well aware of short attention span syndrome, most felt during slow dissolves and still images over credits. Thankfully, they’ve done us the favor of removing some incredible Beatles content to save time, all while making the remaining and new footage look and sound perfect. Less Beatles content, more commercials? What kind of Calderstoner would say no to that?

Many Beatles scholars (NOT YOU, Lewisohn) often cite this familiar and prophetic John Lennon quote: "It came in a vision – a man appeared on a flaming pie and said unto them, 'From 2020 on, all crucial Beatles film projects will be kept behind a Disney paywall, where you will pay to subscribe and still get commercials'." John later relied on this memory to write the inspired-by-Joan Lunden Pepper track, ”Good Morning, Good Morning America”.

(Angry Chicago Guy: AND HOW COME THEY LET STRAHAN ON THAT SHOW BUT DON’T GOT BRIAN URLACHER?)

Back to The Beatles. If you w...

We’re off this week for the holidays! Please enjoy this beloved holiday classic. And if you’ve got episode ideas or things you’d like to hear more or less of on the show in 2026, drop us an email at untitledbeatlespod@gmail.com.

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Originally released December 25, 2021

It’s been a real gear year for the Untitled Beatles Podcast and it’s all due to you! ’Spect some of you are getting out a 50¢ piece to weigh down your rare out of print Beatles Christmas Flexi Discs. For those going without these cherished “on...