Untitled Beatles Podcast

It’s obvious that The Beatles first love was music. But their fabbest love was for the American sport of baseball, with its electrifying foul balls, nail-biting bunts, and contemplative rain delays. And that’s why this week, T.J. and Tony have each compiled a major league set of fab tunes to compete against one another in this All-Star Beatle Batting Order Midsommer Classic.

This Week in Untitled Beatles Baseball:

 🥁 After a severe brow-beating from Cubs manager Lee Elia, is pinch drummer Jimmie Nicol getting sent down to the minors?

 🔮 Did superstitious T.J.’s “8-Tr...

We couldn’t leave this kitten alone! It’s the chilling conclusion to our deep dish of Beatles ‘65 (aka Beatles ‘LXV). This time our absolutely gabulous hosts inquire:  🍳 On “She’s A Woman” does Ringo play a chocalho, a cylindrical shaker, or a traditional British breakfast?

 🎹 Could T.J. Shanoff’s Gliss Forensics one day be used to solve fab crimes?

 ✊ With regards to the American Beatles catalog, did Dave Dexter Jr. remaster or remasturbate? Plus another edition of “What Was Up Geoff Emerick’s Ass?” All that and a bag of bubble and squeak!

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EPISO...

Most rock historians agree that The Beatles were ahead of their time, as evidenced by their impressive entrance at the Royal Command Performance via jetpack. In fact, the lads from Liverpool were so ahead of their time, they released an album in 1964 called Beatles ’65 (!!!). And boy did it age them, judging from their sullen publicity photos, maturing songwriting, and Wurther’s Original hard candies thrown at them on stage. As the Rutles would later say, "Ouch!" This week T.J. and Tony deep dish another curious LP in their long forgotten American discography - Beatles ’65 - an album that has noth...

Summer of ‘59 is a classic Macca b-side. 1967 was the frigid Summer of Gloves. The summer of ‘69 was when you got your first real g string. But only 1982 was the Summer of Producer Casey, and some of Tony & T.J.‘s most formative, favorite hits, blasting off from WLS-FM, young B96, and Downtown Records & Tapes. And in our continued look at the (you can do) magic of 1982, upon the year’s 40th anniversary, we talk about those great tunes, many more Beatles-related releases, and other “Brady Brides”-worthy madcap hijinks, like:  🎸Zeppelin rocked okay, but could they touch Kenny Loggins & Steve Perry?  📺...

This week T.J. and Tony are rising up and back on the streets, basking in the glory that is The Year MCMLXXXII (or for laypeople, 1982). The gruesome nineteen-eighty-twosome reach out and grab their favorite moments from The Beatles Reel Music, Paul’s Tug of War, and Elton John’s tribute to John Lennon. Plus enough 80s tangents to give your silver spoons Pac-Man Fever.

As always, they ask the tough fab questions, such as:

🤖 Who said “Toti mundo nati” better? Paul, Mork, or Mr. Roboto?

🕺🏻 Would “Ballroom Dancing” have been a stronger B-side for the Grease...

In a slightly belated celebration of Paul's 80th birthday, we're gonna have a good time. The Untitled Beatles Podcast presents a Special Deluxe Reissue of one of our favorite episodes, originally recorded in the early pandemic days in honor of his 78th.

EPISODE LINKS: Please subscribe! Come hang with us on Discord/Facebook/Twitter/Instagram!  Drop us a review on Apple Podcasts!

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Originally published July 12, 2020

T.J. and Tony profess their love for Sir Paul, celebrating their five favorite post-Beatles McCartney songs while contemplating future nuptials. It's 60+ minutes of fuzzy fe...

Paul McCartney’s greatest-ever composition is “100 Moon”, sometimes known as “C (“Sí”) Moon”, and pronounced, of course, “Key Moon”. Whether this makes any sense is in the eye of the Untitled Beatleholder, and, possibly, Eric Holder, the last attorney general before America pulled a #HeGone.

With that Temporary Non-sequitary out of the way, The Untitled Beatles Podcast is proud to celebrate our 100th episode*! (*May or may not be our 100th episode.) Tony, T.J., and Producer Casey have been fab gabbing about niche, indie (500) band The Beatles since the the halcyon days of panic-wiping down groceries in Spring, 2020. Ou...

The Untitled Beatles Podcast will be back next week with our 100th episode celebration.   Here are a few things that could better use your attention this week: Support the right to choose Donate to the National Network of Abortion Funds Support women creators BC the Beatles Another Kind of Mind All About the Girl One Sweet Dream The Beatles Books: “A Women’s History of the Beatles” Spend time in other people’s shoes: This American Life: "But I Did Everything Right"

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It was 80 years ago today that Sir Paul McCartney was born! In honor of this awesome moment in Fab Four history, the Untitled Beatles Podcast is proud to present part three of our look at his most important record: the “Hope For The Future” EP. (#Thrash)

WAIT! HOLD UP, YO! STOP THE PRESSES, NEWSIES! We’re actually discussing Side 2 of the iconic, legendary “Pepper”, as the cool kids call it. And whether you prefer your transition from “Good Morning, Good Morning” to the “Sgt. Pepper” reprise in mono or stereo, we hope you will enjoy our final installment of this...

Even the most casual Beatles fan has seen and touched the world’s most beloved album cover: “Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins”, which, controversially finished seventh in Dongz Monthly’s “Best Album Cover, With A Dong” 2020 poll. (#1, naturally, was Ted Nugent’s “Cat Scratch Fever”.)

But there’s another famous Beatles album cover we just learned about on #AskJeeves that has some mind-blowing music beneath the 1987 cassette’s thick j-card: “Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band!” In Part 2 of our deep dish on the most famous album EVER, we delve into Side 1, which is a real Dick Hyman-esque banger. Luc...

Every Beatles album is critically acclaimed, especially “Tomorrow Never Knows”(#FileUnderRAWK). But arguably, none is more important than “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”, especially the Dave Dexter version, which replaces “She’s Leaving Home” with “Little Child”, obviously bettering the album. This week, Tony and T.J., with a little help from their friend, producer Casey, begin a three part Journey/Frumious Bandersnatch deep dish into this sadly, little-discussed record on its 55th anniversary. Along the way, they find their inner groove on the following topics:  🎹 Is Leonard Bernstein’s plucky piano cover of “She Said She Said” the definitive version...

Adjust your balance knobs: It’s Part 2 of the Limited Edition Colored Vinyl Numbered Gnome-Filled reissue of our 10th episode, Mono/Stereo Nerdout! This episode is so duophonic, you only hear the right channel in your left channel. #SemiDimensionalStereo

Today, we continue the gab geek out over Fab stereo and mono nuances, and also consider:

 🍦 If stereo “Revolution” were a piece of ice cream, what flavour would it be?

 🙀 Is Tony more of a Mr. Mistoffelees or a Rum Tum Tugger?

 🤕 What’s up with so much loud harmonica in The Jon Spencer Blues Tr...

Our world is not binary. Nor is it monary. It's multinary!

However, in this SUPER DELUXE REISSUE of our 10th episode, T.J. and Tony discuss so many splendid nuances between The Beatles stereo and mono catalog, that this ELECTRONICALLY ENHANCED CLASSIC must be a 2-parter. Therefore, this HISTORIC LEGACY REBROADCAST is binary.

Along the way, the stereo derriere-eos ponder:

 🏖 Is this the Untitled Beach Boys Podcast?

 🇺🇸 Could Paul have picked a more thoughtless song to play at the 2001 Concert For New York City?

 👵🏻 Is this the Untitled Jan & Dean Podcast?

Tony’s favourite Beatles record is their beloved double album, “The Beatles Story”. Jokes! It’s the legendary, self-titled 2LP set better known as “The White Album”. T.J. loves it slightly less. Sir George Martin? He said on several occasions that he’d have preferred a more focused single album. Horses for courses, as they say. #MeatFreeMonday

Inspired by the official UBP Fifth Beatle’s controversial opinion (and a great suggestion from listener Mr. Sticker) Tony & T.J. each create their own 1LP “White Album”, changing the track listing, making odd edits, and utilizing the wealth of material surround...

ATTENTION: VERY PROFESSIONAL PROMOTIONAL ANNOUNCEMENT We are back live on Twitch for another installment of Twitch and Shout: PRIMETIME! Come hang with T.J., Tony and Producer Casey this Tuesday, May 10, at 7pm CT for an hour of gabbing fab. We'll talk about The Beatles, our upcoming 100th episode, and maybe even play Beatles Trivial Pursuit! We haven't had the meeting about it yet! We hope you'll join the fun. Set your alarm for 7 p.m. CT PRIMETIME, and find us at twitch.tv/chicago4real or at  https://www.untitledbeatlespodcast.com/live Thanks, as always, to our fine fri...

ATTENTION: VERY PROFESSIONAL PROMOTIONAL ANNOUNCEMENT We are back live on Twitch for another installment of Twitch and Shout: PRIMETIME!Come hang with T.J., Tony and Producer Casey this Tuesday, May 10, at 7pm CT for an hour of gabbing fab. We'll talk about The Beatles, our upcoming 100th episode, and maybe even play Beatles Trivial Pursuit! We haven't had the meeting about it yet!We hope you'll join the fun. Set your alarm for 7 p.m. CT PRIMETIME, and find us at twitch.tv/chicago4real or at  https://www.untitledbeatlespodcast.com/liveThanks, as always, to our fine friends at...

Fact: Since 2016, there’s no such thing as an authorized “live Beatles record” without Opie’s involvement.

Sure, “At The Hollywood Bowl” was originally released lo-fi style in 1977, back when Richie Cunningham was chillin’ with Potzie, Mrs. C, and the increasingly insane Chachi. But it wasn’t until Apple slapped Ron Howard’s name on a brand new cover (yuck) that this long-deleted title finally appeared on CD in dramatically improved sound, as a slightly forced tie-in with the “Eight Days A Week” film. So yeah, it was ol’ Winthrop (#TheMusicMan #GaryIndiana) who made a Splash with this Gung Ho re-release...

Who was The Godfather of Gum?

What on earth is Elephant Six??

Who was the other guy in XTC???

None of them were The Beatles. Nor were they Beatlemania. But their music is an incredible simulation that could be considered “Beatle-esque”. In this “thrilling-esque” conclusion, T.J. and Tony continue trading their favorite songs that come close to That Thing The Fab Four Did. Like most journeys, this episode uncovers more questions than answers...

 🥤 Why did Billy Joel succumb to madness during the Cola Wars?

 📺 Did the kids on BBC’s Seven Up...

Webster’s dictionary defines “music” as… you know what, only d-bags start a sentence with that nonsense. So let’s cut right to the chase—without The Beatles, is there even music? Extreme, maybe (#MoreThanWords), but the Fabs—together and solo—rewrote the rules of what popular music could be many times over, inspiring a term now commonly known as “Beatle-esque”.

But what does “Beatle-esque” even mean? Is it even a word if it isn’t in Websters? Does Emanuel Lewis know?

Tony and T.J. consider what the term means to them, providing examples of how elements of Beatles...

🎸 BOINNNNNNG

Arguably the most recognizable chord in the history of rock and roll, the opening G7add9sus4 lets you know INSTANTLY that it’s been a hard day’s night, and George Martin’s been working like a dog.

This week, T.J. and Tony dish deep on the United Artists LP of the Original Motion Picture Sound Track to The Beatles’ “A Hard Day’s Night.” Our dynamic duo gets duophonic, breaking things down track-by-track, including all the classic George Martin instrumentals.

Between tracks, we make time for the important stuff, like:

🐈 A...

It's been a long time Now we're Back live on Twitch That's right! Come hang with Tony and T.J. this Tuesday, April 12, at 6 pm CT for an hour of Beatle babble. We'll talk:

 🎰 Tony's recent pilgrimage to Vegas to see Cirque du Soleil's LOVE

 🐭 This wild Dick Clark pitch to have the Beatles take over Disneyland that's been going around the internet

 🍳 The (Pete) Best of Terri Hemmert's Breakfast with the Beatles this week

 🗣 All the great, real-time comments and questions from the audience

 🃏 And whatever else we have time for! We hop...

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...

Cue the synth brass and Yamaha DX7, it’s The Final Countdown to One Shining Moment; two songs definitely not written by John Tesh. Or were they? Buckle up for part two of March Fabness, where a sweet sixteen of important figures across the Beatles universe battle it out for the 2022 Fifth Beatle Championship! Awesome, baby! The matchups are intense. Neil or Klaus? Mark or Marcia? Derek or The Dominoes? Rule of threes, or just keep going? Plus, Tony, T.J., and Producer Casey consider:  😸 Which 1980’s classic cartoon cat are you: Garfield, or Stucliffe?  🇨🇦🇺🇸 Guess Who loves The Music Man?  👶🏻 How do...

There are a few unreleased tracks that most serious fans of rock’s 2nd greatest band (#1 is probably Asia, but only time will tell) have clamored to hear for years: Pete Best’s lost solo verse on “Free As a Bird”, “Flying” - sung in Yiddish, and the 26 minute “Sgt. Pepper’s Inner Groove” come to mind. And yet, no unreleased Beatles track has become the stuff of legend quite like "Carnival of Light". Mark Lewishon has “allegedly” heard it - if you believe the LIBEATLERAL MEDIA, that is - but few others have.

UNTIL NOW. THAT’S RIGHT. ALL F**KING CAPS...

What’s more exciting than March Madness? March Fabness, of course! You don’t need to be Jay Bilas (or South Pacific’s Luther Billis - #RayWalston) to play along with Tony, T.J., and Producer Casey, as they dramatically determine the 2022 Fifth Beatle Champion! Also, if your whole office isn’t playing along with us, they have failed and you should quit your jobs immediately. Seriously, where are your priorities?

Round one is filled with stunning, Cinderella-story upsets on the road to the title, and along the way, Beatleworld’s Jim Pantz (#HelloFriends) and Steve Weirdo debate:

March means one thing: SPORTSBALL. Or, two things: SPORTSBALL AND OFFICE GAMBLING.

But for those of us with (at best) a passing interest in sportsball, how are we supposed to get on the fun?

Fear not, fellow Fab Five aficionados! This year, the Untitled Beatles Podcast puts our brackets to better use: to finally crown THE FIFTH BEATLE.

DOWNLOAD YOUR OFFICIAL 2022 FIFTH BEATLE BRACKET HERE.

Tell your friends! Maybe start your own pool, make it interesting. We hear that some of the more reputable Vegas establishments have Magic Alex at 2000-to-1.<...

The Untitled Beatles Podcast’s all-time favorite “Sanford & Son” character was, obviously, Grady. So, shake it up Grady now (shake it up Grady), and join us for this deluxe, remixed, world podcast premiere of “Twitch & Shout”, the Untitled Beatles Podcast’s foray into live video on www.twitch.tv/Chicago4Real.

In this episode, we’re joined by longtime, renowned Second City producer Kelly Leonard, a fellow Beatle-nerd—and host of the "Getting to Yes, And" podcast—who shares his thoughts on “Get Back”, and more, including:

 🐶 Is Kelly’s dog’s part of an unusually vacuous conspiracy cab...

"Seinfeld" is one of those shows that, strangely, never caught on. Nobody’s seen it and fewer remember it. Anyway, it was a show about nothing, and so is this week’s Untitled Beatles Podcast. While working like mad in their day/night/both jobs, The Gab Two didn’t have the requisite time to do their usual, vigorous, often dangerous show prep. But they let it roll, Bob, and the result is a wild #banger, including fierce debates about:

 🧤 Who would you rather step out with, John Lennon or Joe Jackson? (As in the British new-wave pianist, no...

This is a new phase Untitled Beatles Podcast...essential to the content of seeing the film, Get Back in IMAX was that Tony & T.J. each recorded their experiences driving to the theater; in comes the warmth and general nonsense of discussing the film together in a live bar performance, as reproduced for mp4 by Producer Casey. Also in this very special episode: 

 📻 Baby, if you’ve ever wondered, does T.J. wax nostalgic when his favorite sitcom actor leaves the material world? 

 📷 Which better suits the George Martin Orchestra’s “This Boy”: Sad Ringo (not living in a van) d...

Would you look at that? It was JUST Valentimes Day! And, beloved listener, please accept our belated gift: the thrilling conclusion to our conversation about the tunes inspired by Beatle significant others.

T.J. and Tony talk tender tunes, play some Pattie (Boyd) Cake, and ponder:

 💋 Which is sexiest: “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” or Lenny and the Squigtones?

 🎼 Which Barry Manilow banger (#barrybanger) inspired the key change in John Lennon’s “Woman”?

 🦘 Was that strange lady who made Men At Work’s Colin Hay nervous, in fact, Pattie Boyd?

It’s not too...

Would you look at that? It’s almost Valentimes Day! Better run to CVS or lastminutegiftcarddepot.oops and show that special someone how much you care. Or, better yet, you could write your lover song after song after song that will forever stand the test of time and be meaningful to millions all over the world? I mean John, Paul, & George did it, why can’t you? #FailureAlert

With so much love in the air, Tony & T.J. look at some of their favorite songs inspired by The Beatles significant others. Along the way, their hearts explode with...

For centuries, humankind has wondered:

What does the “B” in “B-side” stand for?

Blench? Brackle? Bywoner?

Perhaps we’ll never know. 

By the by, this week T.J. and Tony bloviate brusquely about B-sides by The Beatles, like a barrel of barmy bywoners. Baby they are not rich men, but their benevolence for this band will never blench!

Be that as it may, they often brood:

 🌊 Could Tony’s inimitable soprano have secured him a spot with The Beach Boys, or was he forever destined to push Al Jardine’s sad in...

If your ideal “Penny Lane” ends with a trumpet riff, if you prefer “I Am The Walrus” with extra beats, if you struggle to enjoy “And I Love Her” without the longer outro: a) seek help, friend, and b) "Rarities" was a big part of your 80's Beatles experience!

Tony & T.J. deep dish on Capitol’s long-forgotten 1980 offering and the wholly different '78 U.K. version, and along the way, consider:

📻 Is “The Boombox In The Backseat Of Tony’s Car" the standout track on "Ram"?

🌈 Is mono “Don’t Pass Me By” a better song on the Capit...

Rage Against The Machine sang, “Know Your Enemy”.  Perhaps they were really singing “Know Your NME”, in reference to the U.K. magazine’s recent ranking of *almost* every Beatles song?Turns out, TJiskel and TonEBert’s rankings differ wildly from NME’s, and each other’s! Good thing (#FineYoungCannibals) Producer Casey is there to set the record straight, as we reveal our own exhaustively exhausting rankings of the Beatles catalog, and also delve into other major Beatles news, like:

🚦Which 1982 hit-maker doubled as a traffic eye in the sky for WBBM/CBS-2?

🏀🏈 Is T.J’s Derrick Rose Beatles so...

For many, the most significant Beatle fundraising contribution on record is Macca’s nonsensical gibberish on the extended mix of Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”

For Tony and T.J., it’s the George Harrison-organized “Concert For Bangla Desh,” whose 3-LP boxed set just turned 50 years old. The album and film are powerful, joyous, and iconic, filled with both bangers and ladeshers. In this episode, the Gab Two salutes their favorite moments and other hawt topics like:

🏀 Who was a better New York Knick: Eric Clapton or John Starks?

😵 Have Leon Russell and Le...

UBP Exclusive: 85th Beatle Bruce Springsteen sang “Cover Me”. And in this Uber Deluxe Remix Archive #Gnomedition of an early episode, Producer Casey lets loose and drops in all the great (and G-d awful) covers of Beatles classics.

Get clam-baked and join us as we ponder:

🛥Does Tony groove, man, to the silky smooth sounds of Yacht Soul?

🧅 Who wins a Chicago Band-Beatle-off: The Ides Of March or The Buckinghams?

💸 What’s the deal with the (allegedly) too damn high prices at the Stax Records gift shop?

If you like Skank and...

Is any solo Paul and/or Wings album as controversial as “Wild Life”? (OK, fine, we see you, “Standing Stone”.) In (gently belated) honor of its 50th anniversary, Tony and T.J. kick off 2022 with a “Wild Life”-off, and debate the highs and lows of one of Macca’s most polarizing and #ekaturkel albums. Along the way, the Whatever Happened Two discuss: 

🤖 Is Huey Lewis’s jazz-adjacent LP “Small World” fantastic, or merely made of plastic? Maybe Vicki knows? 

🏊🏻‍♂️ Are early 70’s, indulgent rock guitar solos the original “Baywatch”? 

🚽Was Sir Paul feelin’ alright while recording “Mumbo” because h...

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 “only fans” records, T.J. and Tony will cover each holiday curiosity released from 1963-1969, with noses red from holiday cheer.

In this very special holiday episode:

 🍆 Ho Ho Ho! Will the boys succeed in referencing “Ding Dong” on XXXmas day?

 🍗 Yeah Yeah Yeah! Since T.J. and Tony have gone righ...

Sure, "A Day In The Life" is ok, and "Tomorrow Never Knows" is fine, but only one Beatles album closes with maybe their greatest song, "Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand".   It was certainly Something New for Capitol to close their third Beatles album in German, not to mention generously including 5 songs fans in ’64 had already purchased a few weeks beforehand. (#NowOnCapitol!) And yet, because it’s The Freaking Beatles, it’s such a fun and uniquely Capitol album.   Tony and T.J. fawn over this million-seller and along the way ask the hard questions they don’t address in Liverpool, like:  

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...