On this episode of our Beatles podcast, we really put this song up to the test. Growing up, Peter felt that this might be one of the greatest Beatles songs, but does he still feel that way today? Together, with our guest Rob Collier (beatles_bass_lines), we dive deep into the song and see what is going on beneath the surface. By the end, we settle the score and decide where this song lands in the pecking order of Beatles songs.

We cover:

-The music theory of the song
-Similarities to Yesterday
-A deep dive on the Pianet C and related instruments
-A storytime on how Northern Songs, the Beatles music publishing company, went public on the London Stock Exchange

Check out Rob
https://www.patreon.com/cw/BeatlesBassLines
https://linktr.ee/beatlesbasslines

On this episode of our Beatles podcast, we are joined by our special guest and film correspondant, Stephen Ptacek along with another super-special surprise guest. The episode is long and loose but the conversation is engaging about one the weirdest, most interesting and complicated Beatles projects.

We take on the film’s bigger questions, move through it scene by scene, dig into behind-the-scenes material, listen to radio promos and interview clips, and even get into a restored cut scene. At the end, we give Help! the only thing it was missing: a rating.

In this Beatles podcast, we are joined by bass player Erik McIntyre to discuss the B-side of the Help! single. Written on the back of a telegram, this song was conjured up as a replacement for Little Richard's Long Tall Sally in The Beatles' set list. In the conversation, we dive into the history of the song and, with Erik's help, explore why this song was necessary in the Beatles catalog at this exact moment.

We cover:

-Decoding Paul McCartney's bass lines
-The protest song Eve of Destruction and its role in the Beatles' songwriting
-The legedary recording session that produced this song
-The politics of being in a band and the importance of keeping it fun

Check out Eirk McIntire:
https://www.instagram.com/erik_mcintyre/

https://www.acemonroe.com/

This Beatles podcast episode attempts to get at why Help feels so relatable even after all these years. We are joined by songwriter Jeremy Ivey and open up the song as a John Lennon turning point, a George Harrison guitar showcase, and a surprisingly strange bit of Beatles detective work.

We cover:

-George Harrison’s lead guitar part, the chromatic descent, and the countrified feel of the playing
-How John wrote Help, from the film title to Paul’s counter melody
-The mystery of a secret recording session pieced together from photos uncovered in 2002
-Where Help landed on the music charts with the other songs of the day

Check out Jeremy Ivey: https://jeremyivey.net
Video on George's guitar part: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ec6M_6ua16o

In this Beatles podcast episode, Mary Devlin joins us for a songwriter’s conversation about That Means a Lot, one of the more interesting Beatles deep cuts. As usual, there is more here than meets the eye, and we have a sharp discussion about songwriting, social media, and Beauty and the Beast.

We cover:

-How That Means a Lot could be Paul's response to Ticket to Ride
-Is there a number of chords you need to have a good song?
-PJ Proby’s version of the song
-The Beatles’ multiple attempts to record the song, including a Beatles first

Check out Mary's socials: https://hoo.be/beatledirt

On this episode of our Beatles podcast, we take a song Peter barely knew and turn it into one of the most spirited conversations in the series. On Bad Boy, Note by Note brings in Jesse Pollack from All You Need Is Pod to talk about this iconic track, one of the last of its kind.

We cover:
-Larry Williams’ original versus the Beatles version and what changed in the arrangement
-John Lennon’s vocal performance and the debate over where it ranks among Beatles covers
-The emergency Help-era session, Beatles VI, and the rush to get the song to America
-The Hohner Pianet C, the Studer tape machine, and a new recording technique

On this Beatles podcast, Note by Note goes deep on Yes It Is and why it lands like a private confession. We explore the emotional core, the craft behind the recording, and how this B-side fits into the bigger "cry for help" thread.

We cover:

-Storytime: Peter and Kenyon band history and origin story
-Comparisons: Yes It Is next to This Boy and the A-side Ticket To Ride
-Recording details: how the session evolved, including choices around vocals and takes
-Music theory: harmony and chord movement, with a focus on why the chorus feels so intense
-Sound and texture: George’s volume pedal and how production shapes the mood

Season 2 kicks off with Ticket To Ride on this Beatles podcast, and it turns into one of those conversations where the song keeps getting bigger the longer you sit with it. We jump through personal memories, the emotional push and pull of a happy-sad track, the feel of that unforgettable guitar line, and a few surprising detours that shed more light on this song's role in the Beatles canon.

We cover:

-How Ticket To Ride hits different as grown-ups
-The rhythm, groove, and musical choices that give the track its tension and momentum
-Lyrics, title meaning, and how our brains mishear songs we swear we know
-A pop culture thread that unexpectedly preserves a piece of Beatles history

A Beatles podcast where a “throwaway” closer turns into a full-on investigation with Dan Rivkin, the guy who went second-by-second through the Get Back Nagra tapes. If you’ve ever skipped “Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby,” this episode is a serious attempt to make you hear why it matters.

We cover:

- Dan Rivkin’s Nagra-tape method and why it changed Get Back study
- Beatles for Sale’s closer, George’s vocal, and what the song is doing as an ending
- Rex Griffin vs Carl Perkins vs The Beatles: what’s actually shared and what’s not
- October 18 session details: one take, overdubs, and early STEED echo on vocal
- Storytime: the 1964 “Another Beatles Christmas Show” pantomime and the live set

Dan Rivkin's website: https://theymaybeparted.com/

This week on our Beatles podcast, we bring in a fourth voice and it gets delightfully nerdy fast. Guest Raymond Schillinger from You Can’t Unhear This joins us to re-hear “What You’re Doing” like it is hiding in plain sight.

We cover:

- Why “What You’re Doing” feels like a throwaway song
- The song’s girl group fingerprints in the call and response vocals
- The bass fill at the end, maybe the first time the Beatles had one
- Recording breakdown: the September 1964 sessions
- Seltaeb, NEMS, Stramsact, the lawsuit, and the merch money fallout

Raymond's Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@YouCantUnhearThis

In this Beatles podcast episode, we argue “I Don’t Want To Spoil The Party” only works because every Beatle leaves a crucial fingerprint. With special guest Dr. Terry Hamblin, we hear the song as a full-band fusion, not just a “John song.”

We cover:

- Songwriting origins on the 1964 North American tour and the country western frame
- The September 29, 1964 session and the nine takes vs nineteen takes confusion
- A debated vocal mystery and a Beatles first
- Musical fingerprints: flat seven movement, the middle eight, Ringo’s toms, and George’s solo
- Storytime on 1964 live TV performances, including Blackpool Night Out, Shindig, and Not Only...But Also

Every Little Thing is a Paul McCartney song that could fool you into thinking it is a John song, especially with John’s voice so forward in the verses. In this Beatles podcast episode of Note By Note, Peter, Kenyon, Josh, and guest TJ Burns break down the timpani punch, the Anthology 4 takes, and why this deep cut never quite plays by pop rules.

We cover:

- Recording sessions, the redo, and what Anthology 4 reveals in takes 6–7

- Timpani as a claimed Beatles first, the piano credit debate, and the AKG D19 C drum mic switch

- How it gets compared to What You’re Doing and the shift to arranged guitar solos

- 1964 UK tour storytime, including the mid-tour nine-hour EMI session

TJ Byrnes Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaqdTns-CVdVUMSk7xBhhmw

On this Beatles podcast episode of The Beatles Note by Note, we start with Honey Don’t and end up in some surprisingly detailed territory. If you like songwriting context, studio specifics, and a few 1964 detours that explain why certain songs stuck, this one is for you.

We cover:
- Where Honey Don’t came from, and how the Beatles folded it into their live set before giving it to Ringo
- The last Beatles for Sale recording session and how quickly they put the track together
- A version-by-version compare: Carl Perkins, the Beatles, and John’s Plastic Ono Band jam
- Ringo’s 1964 tonsil surgery story and the strange press attention around it
- The “Ringo for President” campaign and what it said about youth culture at the time

A Buddy Holly deep cut turns into a surprisingly big conversation in this Beatles podcast episode. With guest Chris McGovern, also known as the Gen X Muse, we dig into why “Words of Love” hits so differently on Beatles for Sale.

We cover:
- What Buddy Holly meant to the Beatles
- Who may or may not be singing
- The packing case Ringo plays
- The recording session details
- A retrospective of Brian Epstein's youth

The Gen-X Muse: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/chris-h-mcgovern

You would not expect a psychoanalyst to pick Eight Days a Week as the song to talk about, but once he explains why, it clicks. In this Beatles podcast episode, we dig into why their newest hit at the time still feels like an intentional throwback, with little “odd” details that make it more interesting the longer you listen.

We cover:

- Who actually wrote it, and where the title “Eight Days a Week” may have come from
- The intro they could not get right, and why the released version fades in
- The musical move that makes the song feel slightly unresolved (in a good way)
- How and why it became a U.S. #1 single, plus the Beatles for Sale EP context
- A quick Help! pre-production storytime: “Eight Arms to Hold You” and how the film got its final shape

We recorded this one with our guest Augustin literally out at sea on a cruise ship, which somehow feels perfect for a high-energy cover like Kansas City. In this Beatles podcast episode, we talk Beatles landmarks, the messy songwriting history behind the tune, and why this performance hits the way it does on Beatles for Sale.

We cover:

- Guest interview with Augustin (Sound and Story), calling in from a cruise ship near Tenerife
- Beatles landmarks: 7 Cavendish Avenue, Abbey Road, 57 Green Street, and 57 Wimpole Street
- Song history: Lieber and Stoller, Little Richard’s “hey, hey, hey” section, and why credits get messy
- Recording on Oct 18, 1964: live take, piano overdub, handclaps, and the fade-out choice
- Storytime: the 1964 North American tour and the $150,000 Kansas City show

Most people skip Mr Moonlight on Beatles For Sale, so on this Beatles podcast we put it on trial. Kenyon and Peter are joined by Nancy to settle it: is Mr Moonlight secretly great, or truly cursed?

We cover:
- Why Mr Moonlight is the most skipped track on Beatles For Sale
- The song’s path back to Roy Lee Johnson and Dr Feelgood and the Interns
- Version comparison: Star Club performance vs the Hollies version
- Recording comparison: Anthology take with tremolo guitar vs the official release with Paul’s organ solo
- Storytime: the 1964 North American tour and the night Bob Dylan got the Beatles properly high

What happens when an underground Twin Cities hip hop veteran picks the softest song on Beatles for Sale as his favorite track on the album?

On this episode we bring in our old friend Alexei, known as Crescent Moon from Kill the Vultures and Mixed Blood Majority, to talk about why I’ll Follow the Sun hits him so hard. We get into his path from early Minneapolis hip hop crews to folk duos busking Dylan style, and how that journey opened the door to the Beatles.

We cover:
- The wild origin of the song, written by Paul at 16 while sick at home
- The stripped down “bedroom pop” feel of the Beatles’ recording, complete with Ringo drumming on his knees
- Bad covers of the song
- A cursed 7-Up slogan during the "Uncola" campaign

In this episode of our Beatles podcast, we invite music critic and musician Giggens into the room to help us pick apart why this cover still hits like a shot of adrenaline. Let's take Rock and Roll Music and make it Beatles. We kick off with our usual on-mic chaos, then settle into the fun stuff: how we frame a song, what we listen for, and why John’s full-throttle vocal changes the game. Along the way we test the line between rock and roll and rock, talk pacing and sequencing on Beatles For Sale, read period liner notes out loud, and let Giggens weigh the musician brain against the critic brain. It is playful, fast, and very us. No spoiler-y deep dives, just the energy of a barn burner, a few ridiculous jokes, and an honest, punchy verdict at the end. If you like hearing passionate people argue about what makes a performance work, this one’s for you.

This week on our Beatles podcast, we cover “Baby’s in Black”, not just a normal track on Beatles for Sale. It’s a doorway. Peter and Kenyon step through it and bring listeners along, mixing storytime with close listening and a lot of spirited back-and-forth. They trace a line from early Hamburg nights and an art-school circle to a song that feels old and new at the same time, then dig into why that mood fits this moment in the album. You’ll hear them puzzle out who carries the tune when two voices move as one, why this waltz feel hits differently, and how a few studio choices shaped what we now hear. If you like episodes where the conversation changes how the song lands, this one’s for you. Come for the harmonies, stay for the way longing and loss thread through the whole thing.