Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (The Beatles)

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello and welcome to McCartney and Gold.
This is the podcast thatdebates and dissects a great
album of popular music.
I am Steve Sumner and I'mjoined by my fellow judges.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
Brett Listen, I'm hoping we all have a splendid
time, but I cannot and I willnot guarantee it.

Speaker 3 (00:16):
Yes, I see what you've done there excellent work
and David Hughes, it'swonderful to be here.
Certainly a thrill.

Speaker 1 (00:22):
Lovely stuff.
We are going to throw in somestories, mixing our opinions,
sprinkle over a sportingknockout format, whatever that
means, and we're going to pitthe songs against each other in
a battle to the death.

Speaker 3 (00:32):
Oh, here you go.
What Filling me up with yourrules.

Speaker 1 (00:36):
Lovely stuff, but stop butting in, even with
Beatlepuns.
No butting in, please.
We're going to pit the songsagainst each other in a battle
to the death, but with news andman chat until we reach a grand
final and reveal which song isthe unassailable winner.
As ever, we promise to bebiased, uninformed and unruly.
Right here we go, filling theblanks.
Oh, good evening, good evening.

(00:58):
Or, if you're listening earlierto this in the day, good
morning, good morning.

Speaker 2 (01:02):
Yes, I am hosting for the first time I have the time.
What's going on now?
Okay, good, well done, I've gotit.
He's quick and he caught upwith us.

Speaker 1 (01:08):
I'm hosting for the first time, which means it is,
of course, getting better,getting better all the time.
Very nice there we go, eventhough I host my own podcast.
I'm a little bit nervous aboutdoing this, but I'm sure the
tile Be fixing a hole.

Speaker 3 (01:22):
Get through with a little help from your friends.

Speaker 1 (01:24):
Absolutely brilliant, well done.
Good, this is going very well,very good.
Sadly, let's get to moretenuous now.
Sadly, our Beatles episodesalways overrun dramatically.
I'm hopeful that we can getthis in the can quickly and I
won't still be recording it whenI'm 64.
Yes, lovely stuff.
It took me forever to edit thelast episode down into something
manageable, but I'm used tothat as Uh I don't know.

(01:48):
That's just a day in the lifeof an average podcast.

Speaker 2 (01:51):
Okay, gotcha we needed the last bit to kind of
really understand.

Speaker 1 (01:55):
I know, I know, I know it's okay, lovely,
beautiful, that was great.

Speaker 2 (01:59):
I don't know how you'd have got Lucy in the sky
with diamonds on that.

Speaker 1 (02:02):
No, some of those were uh challenging.

Speaker 2 (02:03):
Very hard, just not happening.

Speaker 1 (02:05):
Let's be honest, just challenging to the point of it
Superb.
Thank you very much.
On this episode we arediscussing one of the most
famous and highly regardedalbums of all time.
It is Sergeant Rutter's OnlyDarts Club Band by the Rutles.

Speaker 2 (02:18):
Ah great, eric Hyde's finest work.
I'm only joking, of course.

Speaker 1 (02:21):
It's Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
movie soundtrack by the BeeGees.

Speaker 2 (02:25):
Oh, that's a that you , in the preceding weeks before
doing this podcast, you sent usa trailer to that on YouTube and
it is oh yeah.
Oh, you cannot unsee it.
I think that's what they showin A Clockwork Orange.
I think that's what they showthe main character in that, when
they're trying to torture himwith awful video images.

Speaker 3 (02:43):
It's just appalling.
Oh my god, so is this the bestBeatles album.

Speaker 2 (02:50):
What are you doing?
What are you doing?
Stop trying to back host it.
Stop trying to backroom hostthis show.

Speaker 3 (02:55):
Don't back-host it, I'm just generally asking you to
you can't, you can't.

Speaker 2 (02:59):
You can't.

Speaker 3 (02:59):
Casually, like you can't say.

Speaker 2 (03:01):
Steve, you can host it.
Our rageous use Unbelievable.

Speaker 3 (03:05):
But I'm casually asking you you can, you can?
Is this See?
Hosting cannot be allowed.
You can ask.

Speaker 1 (03:10):
You can answer my questions, you cannot ask Okay,
alright.

Speaker 2 (03:13):
No questions.
Right, steve, you need to ask aquestion, otherwise the podcast
starts at its hands.
Right.

Speaker 1 (03:19):
I'm sorry, I'm having a test.
Some reason Steve has.

Speaker 2 (03:21):
Dave has done some incredible kind of cyber voodoo.
Because you're silent at themoment, steve, I don't know
what's happening.

Speaker 1 (03:26):
No, I know You've just dropped out, completely
Right.

Speaker 2 (03:29):
Dave has got serious powers.

Speaker 1 (03:31):
He's got powers I don't like.
So are we back on?

Speaker 3 (03:33):
It's getting better, fuck sake.
Yes, go for it Okay.

Speaker 1 (03:36):
So here's the question on everybody's lips,
especially Dave's.
Is this answer no, by the way,the greatest Beatles album?

Speaker 3 (03:46):
No, of course it's not Well if you ask the classic
rock magazine in the 1990s, thenyes, it definitely was, and
probably into the 2000s.

Speaker 2 (03:55):
It was always there in the enemies greatest albums
of all time.
Yeah, that, and Marvin GayeMojo, I think you're raising the
most pertinent.

Speaker 1 (04:03):
The most pertinent thing here, which is the bigger
question.
There was a period of time whenwe were growing up when it was
absolutely considered byeverybody to be the greatest
album of all time, and in thelast two to three decades that
reputation has graduallywithered away a little bit.
It's still in the top tens, top20s, top 50s, but it's no

(04:24):
longer always unassailablenumber one, why I'm not asking,
I'm just, I'm just Mulling it.

Speaker 3 (04:31):
Why don't we record it loud Out loud and then, at
the end, come out with thatconclusion about why it happened
.
To get the pod verse.
Why?
Why is it?
I mean I hate to come out withthat conclusion.

Speaker 2 (04:40):
It's kind of put a kind of narrative tension to
this or any kind of arc or.
I mean, should we just say whatthe best song is Fucking now
and then go home Come?

Speaker 3 (04:49):
on.

Speaker 1 (04:49):
Yeah, right so round one Chaps.

Speaker 3 (04:51):
Are you ready?
Yes, Hang on.
Remind me what we're Fuck us.
What we're doing A quiz.

Speaker 1 (04:57):
No, we're doing round one of McCartney and fucking
Goal.
Fuck that.

Speaker 4 (05:01):
This is going great.

Speaker 1 (05:02):
Jesus Christ.

Speaker 2 (05:03):
David, would you please stop stopping me, I see
what we're like.
49 episodes in this is smoothas fuck.

Speaker 3 (05:09):
I don't know Round one, I'd say, yes, I should have
called it round one.

Speaker 2 (05:13):
What do we usually call it Qualifying round?
Right, okay, so actually forgeneral audience.

Speaker 3 (05:20):
It should be called round one, because that's so
much easier.
Am I this bad?
I like it.
Am I this bad?
I'm making a mental no nexttime when I'm hosting.
He's loving it.

Speaker 2 (05:31):
He's going to be like this with me as well.
I mean, we have given him peltsfor 47 episodes.

Speaker 3 (05:36):
Why haven't I called it round one for 47 episodes?

Speaker 2 (05:39):
I'm going to get it as well next week, don't worry,
it's all good right.

Speaker 3 (05:42):
Right the qualifiers gentlemen, now let's do round
one that makes sense.

Speaker 1 (05:46):
Round one Round one of the qualifiers.
He's Sergeant Pepper's LonelyHearts Club band.
Yes, the main one versusSergeant Pepper's.
Lonely Hearts Club band.
The reprise slash reprise,depending on how you feel about
saying it.
Lonely Hearts Club band.

Speaker 2 (06:59):
The Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club band.
We hope you enjoy the show.
Sergeant Pepper's Lonely HeartsClub band.
The sorry versus time to go.

(07:20):
We'd like to start you onceagain.
Sergeant Pepper's won an armyon the hearts of men.
It's getting very nearly end.

(07:44):
The first round of thequalifiers Brett.
Oh wow, I mean, obviouslyyou've got both Sergeant
Pepper's there.
I just want to say from apersonal point of view, I'm
holding up my I don't know ifyou can see that, unfortunately.

(08:06):
Can you see that that's mygranddad's release book from the
Second World War, and he wasI'm listening to this on my
phone.

Speaker 3 (08:14):
No, you can't, and obviously no, I'm not actually
listening to it.

Speaker 2 (08:15):
But imagine in your ears On the podcast app Is
coming in a soldier's releasebook from 1946, second World War
.
He fought for six years in theSecond World War and he was
called Dennis Pepper and he wasa Lieutenant Sergeant, so he was
the original Sergeant Pepper.

Speaker 4 (08:30):
So this is.

Speaker 2 (08:31):
Yeah, granddad Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club band
, as it's known in my family,and these.
So it's a very beautiful kindof pointy title for an album.
Both of these songs are it'sabout your granddad.

Speaker 1 (08:43):
The launch into this album this is yeah, it's about
my granddad.

Speaker 2 (08:46):
It's fantastic, Literally.
This is a launch off point intothis album which is, as we've
discussed earlier, an iconic 60smoment.
This is one of thequintessential 60s albums, is it
not?

Speaker 3 (09:01):
Well, yeah, should we talk themes, since we're doing

Speaker 2 (09:06):
Why not?
Let's do it.
Yes, let's theme it up.
Is it a concept album?
No, no, I mean, I'll Well.

Speaker 4 (09:15):
I'm gonna say yes.

Speaker 2 (09:17):
Oh good, I'm gonna say yes, but let's get to some
debates.

Speaker 3 (09:19):
But the concept is not all about Sergeant Pepper's
Lonely Hearts Club band but theconcept is probably like an
eccentric musical Britishnessthat they kind of pull together
which draws on multi-strands ofculture, british culture and
society.
There isn't a common storythread that makes it a concept
album but they bring togetherall of these British cultural

(09:42):
and musical influences.

Speaker 2 (09:44):
Yeah, I mean I'm being childish when I say no,
because I don't think anything.
Thinks a concept album.
What is a concept albumactually?
Can you name your concept albumthat?
Doesn't talk about when youreally interrogate it, it's not
by Prog Rock band.

Speaker 1 (09:54):
Yeah, I was about to say yes, in being Prog Rock,
there are plenty of them.
I mean, you know it's like this, I mean literally.

Speaker 2 (10:00):
No one listens to Prog Rock.
No one listens to it anymore.
The 70s are gone.
No, it's fine.

Speaker 1 (10:04):
But I mean all right to be clear.
I listened to some Rush stuffthe other day where there's a
song called the Trees on a Rushalbum, and then, two albums
later, there's a follow-up songabout what happened to the Trees
because people wanted to followup on the stories.

Speaker 2 (10:20):
You know, I mean it's like this, Nice you know
there's lots of In Prog.

Speaker 1 (10:23):
you will find concept albums that are tight.

Speaker 2 (10:26):
Yeah, With sequels, it seems With sequels yeah, yeah
and side projects that thenmention the sequel or something
you know.
You know cross-pollinate.

Speaker 1 (10:35):
But you can give Sergeant Pepper a pass because
it was the first time anyone wasdoing something like that.
But I think in terms of what'scome afterwards in concept album
, it is very, very loose yeah.

Speaker 2 (10:44):
So know, in the sense of like, when the Prog rock
bands took it to the zenith ofthese ultimate degrees of making
it super concept-y, as they arehaving sequels three albums
later.

Speaker 1 (10:55):
I think it's thematically and vibe-wise it's
nicely linked, in the same waythat lots of albums are just
collections of songs and nothingelse.
Sergeant Pepper has a niceunifying vibe and sort of old
psychedelic sort of atmosphereto it, which is lovely.
But is what I would call aconcept album?
No, not particularly.

Speaker 3 (11:13):
But it's good.
So it sounds like we've allagreed it's a concept album.
Then that's what I'm hearing.
We'll let you have it.
We'll let you have it, yeah.

Speaker 2 (11:22):
I don't know what.
I'm going to change my vote toyes, it is a concept album.
Can we now continue with thepodcast?
Thanking that.

Speaker 3 (11:28):
Yes.

Speaker 2 (11:29):
Fantastic Two to one.
It goes through to the nextround of.

Speaker 1 (11:33):
Is it or is it not a?
Concept album Brett for thelove of God, please vote for
Sergeant Pepper, the reprise, orProg rock Pepper, the main one.

Speaker 2 (11:39):
Um, they're both amazing.

Speaker 3 (11:40):
Let's vote for reprise.

Speaker 2 (11:41):
Fine.
No no, let's, we're all goingto vote separately.
I'm going to infosage, andpeppers Opening track is amazing
.
He's vocal and it's incredible.
I don't really want to, youknow stop the show it's
fantastic.
They're both great.
The guitars are amazing on bothof them.
They're so atmospheric.
Love them both, but I will gowith the okay.

Speaker 3 (12:02):
If I was going to be making a case for the reprise to
win out and go through to thenext round, I would prefer it
because it rocks along at afaster pace.

Speaker 1 (12:12):
It's rockier yeah.

Speaker 2 (12:13):
It's got a lot going on.
It's got a lot of stuff on theoutro.

Speaker 1 (12:16):
Yeah, it's definitely heavier yeah.

Speaker 3 (12:18):
It's more fun in it.
Yeah, it's an all four Beatles,I think, are singing on it.

Speaker 2 (12:22):
There's a lot going on on the, especially on the
outro, and you know when you getto I don't want to geek out too
early when you get to the re,the kind of the remastered,
remix versions that they put outin the last deluxe Sergeant
Pepper's version Uh hello, it'sChristmas, Kaching, let's get
something out that you can hearkind of.
You can hear a bit more clearly, like all of them clattering
way at the end of it as well,and just the kind of chaos that

(12:44):
leads into a day in the life.
Obviously they're trying tobuild up to that point to kind
of make it chaotic, but um, yeah, they're also.

Speaker 3 (12:52):
I'll go for the reprise then.
Fair enough.

Speaker 1 (12:54):
I am as well because and for me it's, it's it's about
the.
It's about the energy thatMcCartney brings to it, cause
it's that one, two, three, wow,it's like, wow, she hasn't
really done since, like thefirst song of the first Beatles
album, um, which I just it's andit's, it's just heavier, I'm,
I'm, I'm very much, very much areprise guy.
I mean, I love both, but that'sdefinitely my, my choice of the

(13:17):
two.
Oh, I wasn't expecting that, sowe are already losing the main
title track which does not gothrough.
You feel happy.
I'm not really happy with that.

Speaker 2 (13:26):
Have you really chuffed with yourself.

Speaker 3 (13:29):
You're not happy with that Cause.

Speaker 2 (13:30):
I was.
I wanted to give you said.
You said at the start let's gofor the reprise.

Speaker 3 (13:32):
I wanted to give reprise one vote and then I was
expecting the, the actual one,the real one, to go through.

Speaker 1 (13:39):
To go through you knob.

Speaker 2 (13:41):
Oh, you're such a fucking unbelievable knob
Contrary.
You've contraried yourself intofucking corner.
Dave, this is like Dave Hughessquared.
Yeah, and the end of youfucking yourself over Fucking
believable.

Speaker 3 (13:56):
I'm in the contrarie corner, ridiculous.

Speaker 2 (13:59):
Yeah.
But I'm not happy with theresult of what you?
You were five, I mean.
Take a long hard.
Look at yourself, man, yeah.

Speaker 1 (14:09):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (14:09):
He's right, I think everything Brett said I second.
I'm totally right, right.

Speaker 2 (14:13):
Round two is getting the chair for the rest of the
podcast, please, david.
Thank you, okay, getting better.

Speaker 1 (14:20):
Getting, getting better versus fixing and whole.

Speaker 4 (14:59):
I'm fixing the whole.
Well, the rain gets in andstops my mind from wondering
where it will go.
Oh, I'm feeling the cracks thatran through the door and kept

(15:22):
my mind from wondering where itwill go, and it really doesn't
matter if I'm wrong and rightwhere I belong and right where I
belong.
See the people standing therewho disagree, never win.

(15:46):
I wonder why they don't get inmy door.
I'm painting the room in acolorful way.

Speaker 3 (15:55):
Oh, getting better.
I blim in love that it's great.

Speaker 2 (16:00):
I love it.
I do love it.

Speaker 3 (16:01):
But I really love it Fixing a hole Like what hole?
Yeah, what hole is he fixing?

Speaker 2 (16:07):
Well, he would I think it's basically, it's
McCartney being McCartney.
My my understanding isMcCartney being McCartney is he.
He was literally fixing a holein a roof in your house, in your
house in Scotland.

Speaker 3 (16:18):
I always thought that and then wrote a song about it.
I always thought that as ateenager, that's the legend,
because he doesn't actually eversay it's fixing a hole in the
roof, does he?
But I'd always assumed likefixing a hole is.

Speaker 2 (16:28):
I don't know he goes that far.
He's not that, he's not quitethat.
Oh my God, I could not disagreemore with that.

Speaker 3 (16:33):
He says fixing a hole where the rain gets in, doesn't
it so that you automaticallyliterally?
Your literal mind then takesyou to where it must be a roof,
what no?

Speaker 4 (16:40):
No, the fuck are you talking about McCartney.

Speaker 3 (16:43):
here is he's fixing a hole in the creative direction
at the heart of the Beatles,because from 1967 onwards,
that's what he was fixing.

Speaker 1 (16:51):
Oh my God, that's worse.
That's worse than your idiot.
You've gone from totallyliteral to just ridiculous.

Speaker 3 (16:59):
Steve, tell me what hole is he fixing.

Speaker 1 (17:02):
I mean listen to the lyric right, the beautiful thing
about fixing a hole.

Speaker 2 (17:05):
He's fucked up being you.
He's got some tarmac.

Speaker 1 (17:09):
He's got his.
I'm putting some cork, I'mcorking a hole.

Speaker 3 (17:12):
Surely.

Speaker 2 (17:14):
I've got some roof felt to light.
Yeah, got some line.
I got some line.
Tell me about the lyrics, steve.

Speaker 1 (17:18):
No, I don't think it's just going to get hijacked
again and again.
I'm going to just no, no do.

Speaker 2 (17:23):
Tell us about he promised he's going to be good
now I'm fixing a hole where therain gets in.
We put him in contrary corner,remember.
So he's going to be good now.

Speaker 1 (17:30):
It stops my mind from wondering.
I think that.
Do you know what I mean?
It's like fixing a hole wherethe rain gets in which, and
stops my mind from wonderingwhere it will go.
It's the most brilliantlypsychedelic lyric McCartney does
on the whole album because it'sso wonderfully nebulous in what
it could mean.
It's this idea, you know it's.

(17:51):
I think that's more LSD thanhalf the stuff on Lutie in the
sky.
The idea that I might thinkit's about DIY is mad to me.

Speaker 2 (17:58):
I do think it is about DIY and I think it's about
the point of doing something,doing a task that just stops
your, literally your mindwandering and going a bit mad.
Sometimes we just need to dostuff just to kind of stop our
minds going round and round andround on the same.
I agree, I agree with that.

Speaker 1 (18:12):
I think the genesis might be of that, but I think
it's a brilliantly psychedelicsounding.
You know this idea that I'mdoing something, so it can be
both in a way, but I'm doingsomething, mean you're, you know
, because the psychedelia on SgtPepper.
There's two types ofpsychedelia.
There's like mind blowingpsychedelia and then there's
this kind of like old schoolBritish have a cup of tea, funny

(18:35):
colors, village greenpsychedelia and Sgt Pepper's
more you know, like Sid Barrett.
It's a very Sid Barrett styleSgt psychedelia, which is what
this is, and I think fixing ahole encompasses that
brilliantly.

Speaker 3 (18:48):
So he says I'm painting a room in a colorful
way.
So, brett, you think, like it'sa literal, he's got his due lux
paint swatch out.
Oh, definitely, he's definitelygot some swatches out and he's
thinking shall I go salmon, pinkor rude teal?

Speaker 2 (19:04):
That's what he's looking at.
That's what he's basicallythinking.
Yeah, I think.

Speaker 1 (19:08):
But there's nothing more psychedelic than that
either.
I mean, this is the time whenthey were getting like the mural
put on the side of the Applebuilding and stuff, you know,
and you're going from like blackand white Beatles album covers
like two years previously tolike the most colorful album.
You know color you could havegot in some greens and blues and
everything else.
So you know again, even if it'sliteral in terms of actual due

(19:30):
lux style, stick it on the wallpainting.
It's still incrediblypsychedelic.

Speaker 2 (19:35):
I think it probably was inspired.
It's obviously it's a metaphorhe's using and also the benefit.

Speaker 3 (19:41):
It's a metaphor for psychedelia.
A joy of DIY.
It's actually just a DIY song.

Speaker 2 (19:45):
It's a metaphor.
Yeah, it's a DIY manual,basically.

Speaker 3 (19:50):
The lyrics are brilliant, yeah, aren't they?
And they do have that doubletriple meaning and I love them,
they do.

Speaker 1 (19:56):
I'm voting fixing a hole.
I'm going in.

Speaker 3 (19:57):
I'm not as much as I do like fixing a hole, and I do
really like it.
I'm blooming love gettingbetter, so I'm going to vote.

Speaker 2 (20:06):
I'm blooming, love it .
I'm going to vote for gettingbetter.
I'm glad you're getting betterbecause I feel it too.
It's going through.

Speaker 3 (20:13):
Yeah, it's a really rocky song, isn't it?
And we'll talk about that inthe course finals.

Speaker 2 (20:17):
Fantastic.
I love it.
I've got a very personal reasonto love it as well, so there's
lots of love I have for thatsong Love it All right.

Speaker 1 (20:24):
So getting better goes through, much to my chagrin
, which is French for chagrin.
So next, next ones up againsteach other.

Speaker 2 (20:33):
Is it round three, round three, let's call it round
three with a little help frommy friends, just making up
rounds Making up rounds.

Speaker 1 (20:40):
It's the third.
Yeah, exactly this is the thirdqualifying round with a little
help from my friends, joeCocker's finest moment, which is
obviously being covered byRingo he's a bit sad Against
when I am 64.

Speaker 4 (20:59):
When I get older, losing my head many years from
now, will you still be sendingme a Valentine's birthday
greetings bottle of wine?
I just need someone to love.
To be anybody, I want somebodyto love.

(21:24):
Oh, I get by with a little helpfrom my friend Gonna drive a
little help from my friend.

Speaker 2 (21:34):
Oh, I get by with a little help from my friend.
Yes, I get by with a littlehelp from my friend, with a
little help from my friend.
Well, you've got two Maca songsthere, haven't you?

Speaker 4 (21:50):
You've got two Maca songs.

Speaker 2 (21:51):
Yeah there are, shall I still stat attack you?
We've got seven Maca songs inthis album, one Harrison and
four Lennon.

Speaker 4 (21:59):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (21:59):
I'm going to go earlier with this.
I think this is McCartney'sweakest showing on a post-65
album.

Speaker 3 (22:04):
What with a little help?

Speaker 2 (22:05):
No, his contribution to an album, oh what.

Speaker 3 (22:08):
Sgt Peppers.

Speaker 2 (22:08):
I think this is his weakest contribution to an album
.

Speaker 3 (22:09):
Songwriting, mccartney's weakest contribution
to a post Hang on Post-.

Speaker 2 (22:15):
The Beatles cat amongst the Post.

Speaker 3 (22:17):
What Did you say, 67?
The.

Speaker 2 (22:19):
Pigeons 65.
I'm saying Post from Seoul.

Speaker 3 (22:22):
This is his weakest show.

Speaker 2 (22:24):
Abbey Road.
Hello, Excellent on that.

Speaker 3 (22:27):
I mean, the only one would be would be Let it Be,
wouldn't?
It Exactly, I've thought ofthis through, and actually he
carries that album.

Speaker 2 (22:35):
I've got a feeling though that Steve loves a song
on that, so he won't disagreewith me.

Speaker 3 (22:40):
Could you say the?

Speaker 2 (22:41):
word.
His best song in this album isSgt Peppers.

Speaker 3 (22:46):
Boom.
I don't agree with that.
Come on.

Speaker 1 (22:49):
No, I don't think I agree with that.

Speaker 2 (22:51):
Okay, Well, we'll get to what you do think I don't?
I can't agree with that.

Speaker 3 (22:55):
Tell us now, because you're I can't make the case for
it yet, because I haven'tthought about it enough.

Speaker 2 (23:00):
But I think it's through.
Well, no, I have Listen to itas we go through the podcast and
think, if you can think ofseven songs that McCartney
contributes to an album, thatthe only reason that you could
possibly make that argument isbecause the quality of his
contributions to the otheralbums are so so high.

Speaker 3 (23:18):
That's it, Good boy.
And you could.
You could actually make thatargument, because even if you
went for-.

Speaker 2 (23:24):
Yes, I can the other?
Two weakest ones which I wouldsay is Let.

Speaker 4 (23:28):
It Be and the White Album.
That's for my album.

Speaker 3 (23:30):
Those contributions to those are so high.
I still don't agree.

Speaker 1 (23:35):
You can't the White Album.
Hang on, Brett Brett, yourmicrophone's got you've, you've
lost, you've got no audio at all.

Speaker 3 (23:42):
No, no, I can't Really.

Speaker 2 (23:43):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (23:43):
Oh it's gone back.

Speaker 1 (23:43):
It came back again.

Speaker 2 (23:44):
I think I must have blown it with that high note of
Absolutely, I think he was justsilent Wow.

Speaker 1 (23:49):
Would you say then that the part of the reason is
because actually he contributes.
There's too much McCartney onthis album, you know, because he
contributes seven songs.
Perhaps if you chose the bestfive would you not feel the same
.

Speaker 3 (24:00):
Well, you're going to say Brett, you're going to say
it's because it's the so muchfiller McCartney filler on this.

Speaker 2 (24:04):
I don't think there's filler, I just don't.
I just I think you're rightwith your summation of my
argument.
I love the fact that you youintuited what I was going to
argue and you're probably quiteright.
I just think he's stronger onthe other albums.
I think the strongest songs onthis album are Lennon's, despite
the fact everyone thinksMcCartney saves the Beatles with
the concept of this album andhe does in a lot of ways and
I'll get to that later butactually he's songwriting

(24:24):
because he's so concerned aboutsaving the Beatles and the
fallout of not wanting to playlive anymore, all of this stress
going on.
You know it's, it's.
It's very, very competent andincredibly melodic what he does.
He's so professional and it'sgreat.
All of the songs.
I like them.
I do like them.
They're just not his greatestwork since Rob, rob, rob so long
.

Speaker 3 (24:42):
So you said songwriting there, his
songwriting contribution and I,okay, I can sort of see that in
terms of how, in terms of puresongwriting maybe I'm still not
going to give it to you, butmaybe, but in terms of his
production, because he brings alot of production, a lot of
production to this album and interms of musicality because he

(25:03):
plays some of the outstandingmusical moments on this album
and unbelievably, completelyvital I mean in every sense,
it's totally vital to thecontinuation of the Beatles.
Obviously we know that, but likea ridiculous, so we're on, yeah
, we're on, with a little helpfrom my friends and when I'm 64.

Speaker 2 (25:20):
Yeah, I didn't expect that comment to receive so much
kind of scrutiny.
If I'm honest, I'm quite gladit did.
But I was just thought youmight just shrug it off.
I thought I'll try and be a bitcontroversial and see what
happens and boom.

Speaker 3 (25:35):
Well, we've just done the previous round, we've just
done getting better and fixing awhole.
So in terms of songwriting,okay, I'll give you those aren't
two of his that they'reexcellent songs, but they're not
two of his absolute greatest.
But in terms of musicality andproduction, they're right up
there.

Speaker 2 (25:56):
Yeah, so as complete songwriting, I was very careful
as a lawyer.

Speaker 3 (26:02):
Yeah, I'm picking it apart now, and okay, if it's
pure songwriting, I don't knowmaybe, but I'm still not giving
it to you yet and you've alreadybeen in contraric or you've
already argued with yourself.

Speaker 2 (26:12):
David lost, so I don't know why you're fucking
starting with me, Because I'veactually thought this.
I've actually thought itthrough.

Speaker 1 (26:19):
Can I assume bringing us back to the competition for
a second?
That's when I'm 64, is goingout here.

Speaker 3 (26:24):
Not from me.
I'm voting for it.
Oh, okay, shall we talk aboutthem and let's talk about them.

Speaker 2 (26:31):
It's almost exciting, steve.
We don't know what's going tohappen.
Who's going to win?
Let's talk about both songs andsee which one fucking wins.

Speaker 1 (26:36):
Yeah, well, it's the ultimate, let's just pitch it.
The pitch open here.
It's probably, of all theexamples of what Lenin would
call McCartney's granny music,this is probably, I would say,
the top one.
It's like you know that was,that was that thing he told
McCartney's granny music songs.
I would say, apart from maybeHoney Pie, you know, this is

(26:59):
like the number one granny musicsong.

Speaker 2 (27:01):
Your mother should know probably is possibly higher
up on that on the grannygrannyometer.

Speaker 1 (27:06):
Yeah, maybe.

Speaker 2 (27:07):
Maybe not, though You're right.
It could be higher on hisgrannyometer, I agree, but he
wrote this, ironically, when hewas 13.
Yeah, the earliest songs thathe wrote that survived into the
people.
He's reminded of it this yearbecause his father turned 64.

Speaker 3 (27:21):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (27:22):
Looking around for material anyway, but his dad
turned 64 this year.

Speaker 3 (27:24):
That's often like I've heard that before that
McCartney and it's oftenrepeated as McCartney wrote it
when he was a teenager.
But right.

Speaker 2 (27:33):
Oh, are you going to be a revisionist Well, it's a
story here and attack both ofthese sacred cows?
No, but I think it isdocumented that he wrote the
music when he was a teenager.

Speaker 3 (27:41):
He didn't write the lyrics, he didn't put the melody
over the top, so the Beatlesused to play this as a just as
an instrumental sort of fillerpolice in when they needed to
fill, presumably when theyneeded to fill time in between
songs in Hamburg or something,but it wasn't a song in the
sense that he hadn't written thelyrics and it wasn't when I'm

(28:03):
64 as we know it.
Oh, interesting I think when I'm64 gets.
I mean, it's sort of primeMcCartney bashing territory.
This isn't it.
Haters going to hate, but Ilove this.
This is great.
Haters going to hate.

Speaker 2 (28:18):
I do Like.
It's fantastic.
It's a great little jauntymelody.
You can.
You hum it immediately afterhearing it.
It's great, but it's against,with a little help from my
friends, which is, which is kindof a semi Beatles classic,
would you say.

Speaker 3 (28:29):
With a little help from my friends.
Oh, it's an absolute classic.

Speaker 1 (28:31):
Yes, but it's also.
It's a Beatles performancewhich when I'm 64 isn't, you
know, when I'm 64 is essentiallyMcCartney and some fucking
oboes and shit.

Speaker 4 (28:40):
You know it's, it's it's?

Speaker 1 (28:42):
it's just a straight up McCartney on his own thing
and what I love for me it's a nobrainer because with a little
help from my friends, has gotthe actual let's not be so
reductive that when I'm 64becomes McCartney plus some
oboes and shit.
Yes, sorry, that was completelyunfair.
They're clarinets on reflection.

Speaker 2 (29:04):
Yeah, Come on, Steve, get your woodwinds right mate.

Speaker 1 (29:07):
Sorry, completely the wrong woodwind then, but I
stand by everything else I said.

Speaker 2 (29:11):
You're kind of convinced of me, steve.
I was on the fence with these.

Speaker 1 (29:13):
And also let's talk about it.
Usually I would not be swayedby a cover, but the Joe Cocker
version of whether little helpfrom my friends, you know, just
shows what I mean.
It's a completely differentstyle of of doing it, but it's
just for not him doing that.
A woodstock is one of the alltime greatest moments.

(29:34):
Can you imagine him trying todo when I'm 64?
I mean it wouldn't stand it.

Speaker 2 (29:40):
Far out man, Peace and love.

Speaker 1 (29:42):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (29:42):
No, that's true.

Speaker 1 (29:44):
Hold on.
You know it's like it's notgoing to work because the song
isn't strong enough to translateand also to be honest with you,
my other vote against it is thevery speeding.
I really dislike the fact thatthey've edited up so that he
sounds like Kermit the Frog.
They speed up his vocal by likea little bit to make him sound
a little bit more hilly in meand that doesn't work for me.

(30:04):
You'll take from this that I'mvoting against when I'm 64.

Speaker 3 (30:08):
Yes, I think we've got it yeah, we got that memo.
Yeah, that came through Someoboes and shit.

Speaker 2 (30:14):
What do you think?
Emma Thompson, robert Smith andMagic Johnson think of this
song?
Which song?
When I'm 64.
Say it again, that's a strangepairing, emma Thompson, emma
Thompson, because you're allfucking talking at me Emma
Thompson, robert Smith and.

Speaker 3 (30:28):
Magic Johnson, robert Smith, as in the cure frontman.

Speaker 2 (30:32):
That's it, and Magic pick it apart.
Is everything I say is notgoing to be totally picked apart
.

Speaker 3 (30:37):
Well, not everybody knows who Robert Smith is Deeply
analytical.

Speaker 2 (30:40):
These are fucking.
Come on.
Everyone who listens to thispodcast, I guarantee, knows who
Robert Smith is.
Okay.

Speaker 1 (30:45):
I'm assuming all these people are 64.

Speaker 2 (30:47):
Well done, steve.
That's the clue.
Well done, you got it.
Yes, so it's interesting, isn'tit?
I'm just the point I'm makingis like when you're a 25 year
old man in the 60s and peoplewhen they're 64 then did look
really fucking old, now we'vegot to point me like, oh, they
don't seem old to us.
I mean, obviously we're nowcloser to 64 than we were a long
time ago, but it's that pointof the difference is actually

(31:10):
get older and society changingand the way people look changing
and what we expect of people asthey get to 64.
Now, if you look back at thedocumentary on, even get back
where they're talking tointerviewing people in the
street.
It's amazing that footage ofthe interviews to get all the
different characters and aspeople are getting as they're in
their 60s, they really look old, whereas you wouldn't achieve
it now.

Speaker 1 (31:30):
What's your point in relation to the song, though no?

Speaker 2 (31:33):
there's no point.
It was just a titillating kindof thing to kind of show the.
I think I'm explaining that, thedistance we've come since the
60s and what a concept is Ifyou're writing a song now when
I'm 64, if Taylor Swift writes asong now when I'm 67, it's
going to be like, oh it'sinteresting, but that you know
that might.
Or Adele does it, but you justthink of his next album or
something.
You know it's not going to haveas much cachet.

(31:54):
We're getting older, we'reliving longer.
That's my point we're livinglonger.

Speaker 3 (31:59):
We are, as we're waiting for this tie, particular
tie, to resolve itself between,with a little help from my
friends and when I'm 60, we aredefinitely getting older.

Speaker 1 (32:07):
Well, what?

Speaker 2 (32:08):
are you voting for?

Speaker 3 (32:08):
I've gone.

Speaker 1 (32:09):
I've gone.

Speaker 2 (32:10):
I've gone.
We knew what you were goingwith.
Right as I'm going for, I meanI don't want to do it because
you persuaded me to, and rightnow I don't feel.
If I'm going for with a littlehelp from my friends, that's the
fucking opening.
Love it.

Speaker 1 (32:23):
So I love how I run it.
It's beautiful and, Dave, youwere going for when I'm 64,
weren't you so?

Speaker 2 (32:29):
but it's gone, okay, with a little help from my
friends goes through no helpfrom these friends as to what
your favorite song was.

Speaker 1 (32:37):
Right, I don't understand your notes.

Speaker 3 (32:40):
Okay, so that was the third qualifier, steve, and the
fourth qualifier, which islabeled number four, on the
sheet that I helpfully wrote outand provided.

Speaker 1 (32:50):
Yeah, no, I got that, but why is she's leaving home,
lucy?

Speaker 3 (32:52):
And this because they've already gone through, so
so the spoiler there is thatthe quarter finals.
We've put three songs throughalready to make this work.
From a numerical point of view,I'll get that.

Speaker 1 (33:03):
But you'll have to help me.
We'll have to go off off micwhile I work out how to put the
quarter final, the quarterfinals, together, because I
don't understand how sport worksRight.

Speaker 2 (33:12):
You have done 47 episodes of this, though.
This is genius.

Speaker 1 (33:15):
Yeah, yeah, all right , cool.
So the fourth qualifier isbeing for the benefit of Mr Kite
versus oh with and you withoutyou.

Speaker 4 (33:58):
The band begins at 10 to six when Mr K performs his
tricks without a sound and Mr Hwill demonstrate 10 summer sets
he'll undertake on solid ground.
They've been some days inpreparation.
A splendid time is guaranteedfor all and tonight Mr Kite is

(34:21):
having a bill.
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (34:27):
This is the two of my least favorite songs in the
album.
I would say this is a bit of awell end qualified.

Speaker 3 (34:32):
Yeah, funny, you should mention that because who
organized this?

Speaker 2 (34:35):
Yeah, go on Funny, I should say who organized this
organize what the draw?

Speaker 3 (34:40):
you mean that this lineup, that would be me.

Speaker 1 (34:42):
Dave, because he thought he was hosting at the
point when this was written, soyou can't blame me for this no,
I'm not, I was look, I waspointedly looking at him.

Speaker 2 (34:50):
Yeah, I mean, he knew what he was doing.
He did answer bless him.

Speaker 3 (34:55):
So your least favorite, brett, and this might
be Lenin's least favorite aswell.
Ty of this whole this wholeshenanigan.
Lenin hated being for thebenefit of Mr Kite.
I really enjoy it and I thinkthat Lenin often hated stuff
that he created that broughtquite a lot of pleasure to other

(35:17):
people.

Speaker 2 (35:18):
Yeah, he was.
He was dissatisfied withStrawberry Fields.
There's a famous there isn'tthere where he's talking to
George Martin.
He's gone.
I've record it all again andGeorge Martin says what?
Even Strawberry Fields, he goes, yes, especially.

Speaker 1 (35:27):
Strawberry Fields Especially.

Speaker 3 (35:28):
Especially.

Speaker 2 (35:29):
Especially that bit of genius production he did when
you listen to both versions ofStrawberry Fields.
I was listening to them todayand it's like take one and then
go to take 26.
It's just the two differentkeys, different speeds,
completely different approaches,and then what they then produce
as from those two take, it'sjust ridiculously achievement
from a production point of view.
It's extraordinary.

Speaker 1 (35:48):
Yeah, but I, I mean, I completely agree with that and
I love Strawberry Fields and Ilove that version of it.
But if I'd, you know, had somebeautiful ballad in my head
about this sort of lilting semiacoustic song and that
psychedelic semi nightmare toend up, I might be quite miffed.

Speaker 2 (36:07):
It is a huge act of production that almost takes
over from the song.
I think I can see Lenin's pointof view that there's actually a
better version in his head.
I do get that and I hear thatwhen I listen to it.
But I think also it's anamazing version that achieved.
I don't think the version inhis head is really there, ever
possible.

Speaker 3 (36:22):
Right.
So what's going through then?
This tie is being for thebenefit of Mr Kite, which Lenin
claims later he hated, andwithin you, without you, which a
lot of people have claimed thatthey don't like.

Speaker 2 (36:42):
I think it's my least favorite ever Beatles track
ever, really yeah, yeah.

Speaker 3 (36:46):
Well, actually that's a good question.
What would be the contenders?

Speaker 2 (36:50):
It's definitely.
It's definitely my top three,or maybe bottom three I don't
know how these things work butyeah, for the worst Beatles
track, oh, this Baby's in Black,100% I like.
Baby's in Black.

Speaker 3 (37:00):
All right, okay with it, within you, without you.
Which song?

Speaker 4 (37:04):
did.

Speaker 1 (37:05):
George.

Speaker 3 (37:05):
Harrison want to include in this album instead of
.

Speaker 1 (37:09):
Only a Northern Song.
Yes, oh, which I would havepreferred it was recorded for
this album and I would havepreferred I think it was
recorded for this album.
It was recorded for at thePepper Sessions and it was meant
for this, and I think that it'sgot a more interesting Genesis,
a more interesting story, andit fits better on Sergeant
Pepper than this does.

Speaker 3 (37:26):
I disagree.
Yeah, the reason I asked thatis because we were going through
Brett's list of like bottomthree Beatles songs and I
wondered whether only a Northernsong might be in there.

Speaker 2 (37:37):
No, I quite like it, I quite dig it.
Yeah, I quite dig it.

Speaker 1 (37:40):
And also, but if you really listen to it after the
podcast, if you go and listen toit, the amount of psychedelic
weirdness going on on it's onlya Northern song in your
headphones, sort of panning fromleft to right is so Sergeant
Pepper compared to this greatbig sitar track.
That frankly takes me out ofthe album.

(38:01):
I don't dislike the track.
I like within you without you.
I just don't want it here.
I think that even though onlyNorthern songs probably a weaker
track in some ways it's I thinkit's 100% more Sergeant Pepper
Than within you without you is.

Speaker 2 (38:15):
I think it should be here.
I would have much rather.
I'd rather not have the norm.
It's only also gonna ratherhave in a light On this in a
light.

Speaker 3 (38:24):
Now that's going into what is the inner light.

Speaker 2 (38:26):
Brett, explain that to it was the B side of it was.
There's none, I'm stilllistening that once we're once,
once you explained who RobertSmith was, everyone else turned
off In a light is, I think, theB side to paperback writer, so
it would have been released in66.
I hope I'm right and that God,I don't know, I'm flying off

(38:47):
super pants here.
But yeah, I think it was, andthat was like Another for a of
George Harrison songwriting intoIndian music, but it's just
much, much better tune, I think.
Much better tune, much betterrid of.
Much better Chorus vocal musicyou know melodic ideas on it,
and this one, this one justseems a bit interminably Going

(39:10):
round and round.

Speaker 3 (39:11):
Yeah, really ever the fast-making case for this.
The things I like about withinyou, without you, is listening
to George Martin making theLondon Symphony orchestra
imitate Indian classical music,so that that thing that he does
with the instrument or composersfor the instruments there, I
think that's really clever, likeechoing and weaving in and out

(39:32):
of the Indian classicalmusicians.

Speaker 1 (39:35):
I agree with that.
But again the problem is thatyou've got George Harrison and
George Martin again.
It's not really a Beatles track.
It's okay, I do agree with that.

Speaker 3 (39:43):
I would live if George had recorded an whole
album of this kind of music,indian classical, with George
Martin producing it with theLondon Symphony Orchestra, you
know, guesting on it I.
That would be reallyinteresting.

Speaker 1 (39:57):
I'd be into that.
I don't want it on pepper and,as I say, if you go back to only
in all the song, you've gotother Beatles doing stuff and
mucking about on it which justseems a bit.

Speaker 3 (40:05):
But this wouldn't be in my bottom three Beatles
tracks within you without you.

Speaker 2 (40:10):
But it's a showpiece moment.
If you're talking about thethis moment in this mid 60s, a
summer of love, all of thosethings.
To Harrison going to Indiastudying yoga is a massive thing
, so he's gonna want to put on asong like this to introduce the
world.
Is it unbelievable opportunityto introduce the world to?

Speaker 3 (40:29):
yeah and not only that, it opens side to, doesn't
it?

Speaker 2 (40:32):
We've got a big slot and but this is interesting,
this round is the end of side aand opening side to.
So if you had this album onCassette, as many of us would
have done back in the 90s, youcould just flip over.
You'd have to listen to beingfor the benefit of the kind.
You could skip with him aboutyou, it's perfect, so you could
skip out those two songs if,within you, without you, was a
food, it would be an apple.

Speaker 3 (40:51):
I like it, but not a lot.

Speaker 1 (40:53):
I mean much, much how I feel about that analogy.
I'll be honest.
It's crunchy, it's crunchy, butthat's not gonna sustain me for
very long.
Right, are we assuming that mrKite's going through them?

Speaker 2 (41:06):
Yes, it weirdly cleans your teeth as well,
doesn't it?
That's good.
I am voting for being for thebenefit mr Kite.

Speaker 3 (41:15):
Yeah, as am I three nil Dave, you are a renail.

Speaker 1 (41:20):
All right, lovely stuff.
And then finally, the finalround is lovely, rita, who is a
meter maid.

Speaker 4 (41:25):
Not only do we get, to meet her.

Speaker 1 (41:26):
But we find out her profession also against.
Good morning, good morning.

Speaker 4 (41:54):
It's up to you.

Speaker 2 (41:56):
I've got nothing to say, but it's okay, oh uh, you

(42:20):
can raise time, make time babe,Ah, wha, okay.
So Lennon versus McCartney here.
I mean, I really love GoodMorning, so I'm definitely gonna
vote for that.
It's just a absolute belter.
It's super charged, it's great,A Lovely Reader's, really,
really nice pop song.
But the lyrics, I mean it'shard to really love it.

Speaker 3 (42:41):
So good morning.
Good morning, Lennon said itwas rubbish, which is just
another example of-.
Oh, Lennon said it was all fuck.

Speaker 4 (42:50):
What did Lennon like?

Speaker 2 (42:53):
Fucking Norwegian Wood.
And that was about it.
Maybe half have come together.

Speaker 1 (42:58):
I think the way that Lennon writes I think you made a
point earlier about McCartneywhich is really important, which
is that McCartney was puttinghimself under a lot of pressure
to come up with stuff.
But I think Lennon's writingwhen he's under pressure to
match what McCartney is doing issome of his best, but he
doesn't like it.
He prefers it when he's writingthings like I don't know God or

(43:19):
something, some of the stuff onPlastic Ono Band which I find
interminable quite a lot of thetime, because he's taken the
time to say proper John Lennon-ystuff that he feels is coming
from inside him, or evensomething like I'm the walrus,
where he's taken time to bepsychedelic on his own terms,
whereas stuff on Sergeant Pepperis very much.
Paul's told us we're making analbum.

(43:40):
I've got to pull my socks up.
I better come out withsomething.
Here's Benefit and Mr Kite.
Here's Good Morning.
Good Morning, whatever it is,but actually they're fucking
brilliant.
It's just that he doesn't likeit because he does it sort of
subconsciously and he's one ofthe best people ever at it.
So we get these nuggets ofcomplete Lennon brilliance that
he's been forced to make underpressure.
He hates them.
We love them and I think that'sa really interesting.

Speaker 3 (44:02):
And, of course, the context in which he says these
things.
Isn't it Because he?
Said these things in the earlyto mid-70s when he was reacting
against, you know, the Beatlesand he never had the benefit of
Beats me breaking up.

Speaker 2 (44:18):
He never had the benefit of time.

Speaker 3 (44:20):
So if he'd revisited these in the late 80s or 90s,
when all the classic rockmagazines were having a Sergeant
Pepper's loving, then you knowhe might have been kinder.
Yeah, I think it.
And also he is massivelycontrarian.

Speaker 1 (44:36):
As much as you accuse me of being contrarian, oh
hugely Lennon is slightlyarch-contrarian Totally, but I
think he was, in fairness, stillvery rude about these songs in
that In that 1980 Playboyinterview as well.
So he did have a full decade,13 years between, and was still
being rude about them.

Speaker 2 (44:53):
So what didn't he like about Good Morning?
I can understand maybe BenefitMysticite because he I mean
Lennon famously wanted being forthe Benefit Mysticite to sound
like Sawdust and he had veryspecific things he'd say to
George White about production.
But what didn't he like aboutGood Morning?
Is it because he kind of pullshis punches in the lyrics?

Speaker 3 (45:11):
He said it was a All the Lennon songs.
He dismissed it.
It's a throwaway piece ofgarbage.

Speaker 2 (45:15):
Well, it's inspired by Kellogg's Cornflakes
apparently.
Yeah, that's the way he waswatching Italian Nick that game
when he kind of wrote it.
But all of Lennon's songs onthis really Maybe not at least
since he's gone down but thisand Trilby Fields, all about
disassociation, the kind ofmelting of his egos going on an
acid trip.
I mean, his kind of ego is kindof melting.
So Good Morning is again.
It's got nothing to say, butthat's okay, all of those type

(45:36):
of things he comes up with inthe lyrics.
Which is which does actuallysupport Steve's argument that
it's not a concept album,because you've got McCartney's
kind of shiny, characterful,vordervillean, walkthrough
British culture and then you'vegot Lennon's essentially four
songs about disconnection andnot really kind of feeling like
he's just.

Speaker 3 (45:55):
He pulls British culture into this, doesn't he?
But it's more contemporary.
He mentions Meet the Wife,which was a.
British sitcom of the 1960s.
So, whereas McCartney's sort ofpulling in, as you say, like
Victorian Vorderville in 60s.

Speaker 2 (46:09):
Yeah, and all of that , all of those, there's plenty
of British culture infused inall of these, so even within you
, without you which is there's alot of melded kind of
Anglo-Indian influences inBritish culture.

Speaker 4 (46:25):
And I like the way that the.

Speaker 3 (46:26):
London Symphony Orchestra combined with the
Indian classical musicians, youknow, and sort of represents
that.

Speaker 1 (46:32):
Right.
What are we voting for then?
Lovely Rita, good morning, goodmorning.

Speaker 2 (46:37):
I'm definitely voting for.
Good Morning, I mean lovelyRaces, good morning.

Speaker 3 (46:40):
What's the animal noises at the end?
What's that all about?

Speaker 2 (46:42):
Just a minute.
Do you think it's going out?
That's why you're asking thisquestion.
So you're definitely voting,rita, aren't you?
Me, I've worked him out.
Oh, it's Davies.
I think I've read Dave'sBeatles-based mind, because he's
trying to.
He's stealing your job, steve.
He's trying to host thispodcast.

Speaker 1 (46:57):
He's been doing it for the beginning.
Well, I'm voting Good Morning,good morning, good morning.

Speaker 2 (47:01):
Oh.
Ok, so we don't need, you canask that question in the next
round, that's why I thought thatmight happen.

Speaker 4 (47:06):
Oh, ok.
So let's talk about lovely Rita.
Lovely Rita, it's going out.

Speaker 2 (47:09):
It's two, two, it's two, one, isn't it?
Yeah, it is great, it's great,it's great, it's great, rolling
Well, lovely Rita is talkingabout now.

Speaker 3 (47:16):
Ok, so yeah, but it's .
The Beatles.
Give you moments, right, a fewseconds here and there in random
songs, and they're not a hookor a theme and they're not
repeated elsewhere in the song,but they're like little musical
Easter eggs, and the first fewseconds of lovely Rita is one of
those for me.
So up until the drum fill,you've got George Martin on

(47:38):
piano, which I think is speededup to sound like a honky-tonk
sound, and I think it's.
I assume it's McCartney'sbacking vocals and that that.
I think it's like nine secondsof music.
It's just absolutely gorgeous.
And then it's not a theme.

Speaker 4 (47:53):
It's not repeated elsewhere in the song.

Speaker 3 (47:55):
And I don't know.
I'm trying to think of otherartists that give you that,
these little nuggets, just checkaway this.

Speaker 2 (48:13):
It's a very good point.

Speaker 3 (48:14):
There's a few, on Abbey Road, in the medley, and
there's other moments you canprobably think of on other
Beatles songs.
But so, lovely Rita, for me I'mvoting for it, not only because
it's got that, but particularlybecause it's got that intro.

Speaker 1 (48:27):
Also, I think that lovely Rita is a great example
of McCartney taking JustMcCartney's vocals, lifting
things that could be turgid andmaking them phenomenal Because
he's just, he's so on top of it,he's so on it.

Speaker 2 (48:43):
It's a great vocal.

Speaker 1 (48:44):
It's such a fruity tune.
And it's like nobody else coulddo it, Even when he goes.

Speaker 2 (48:52):
Rita exclaims it before the little piano solo
comes in, even the timing onthat it's like if he.

Speaker 1 (48:57):
Yes, the phrasing everything it's like if he
brought a different energy to itthat any other energy just, or
any other singer just, wouldn'tpull it off and it would be an
absolute stinker.
But it isn't because he bringssort of the McCartney sunshine
to it in such a brilliant way.

Speaker 3 (49:18):
And the bass line.
How about the bass line?
Yeah, you're right, it'samazing, isn't it?

Speaker 4 (49:21):
It's cracking, it is cracking.
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (49:23):
I mean, his bass lines from 65 onwards are just
fucking amazing.
He's so good.

Speaker 1 (49:29):
Yeah, they become dramatically more complicated
mid-60s onwards, don't?

Speaker 2 (49:32):
they.

Speaker 1 (49:33):
And he doesn't get the credit yeah.

Speaker 2 (49:34):
But he's a brilliant bassist.
Yeah, a brilliant bassist.

Speaker 3 (49:37):
Because he's so outstanding at songwriting and
production and ideas and he justdoesn't get the.
That's true.
He doesn't get talks aboutenough.

Speaker 1 (49:46):
Maybe, if you do look at top bassist polls.
He is always up there.

Speaker 2 (49:50):
Oh is he.
He is always up there.

Speaker 3 (49:53):
He's very, very well respected in bass circles.
Ok, so we're going to saygoodbye to Lovely Rita, but I've
got two questions for you.
All right, all four.
Beatles are playing whichunconventional instrument on
Lovely Rita.
They're all credited as playingwhat Melotron?
They are household items Spoonsno Good guess Comb and paper.

(50:18):
There's a lot of them.

Speaker 2 (50:21):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (50:22):
Nice yeah.

Speaker 3 (50:24):
Mouth trumpets Lastly who said about Lovely Rita?
It's boring people doing boringthings.

Speaker 1 (50:32):
McCartney.

Speaker 3 (50:32):
No, McCartney would never say anything about it.

Speaker 2 (50:36):
Lenin would definitely have said that.

Speaker 1 (50:38):
Oh, I thought it was a trick question because it was
like the most obvious Leninquote ever.
No, it's very much.

Speaker 3 (50:43):
Lenin Dismissed, lovely Rita.

Speaker 2 (50:45):
Yeah, I love the fact that all of these quizzes,
Steve always over things, it onestep and always gets the
question wrong.

Speaker 1 (50:53):
Because you overthink it.
I know not of what you speak,sir Steve.

Speaker 2 (50:58):
Bob Dylan episode for Fur4Proof.

Speaker 1 (51:00):
OK, and the first quarterfinal is the Sergeant
Pepper reprise, depending on howyou're feeling against Getting
Better.

Speaker 3 (51:09):
Getting Better.
I hope goes through, becauseI'm going to vote for it.

Speaker 2 (51:12):
Well, I love this song.
It's very personal to mebecause Getting Better.
Yeah, I had a friend called.

Speaker 3 (51:18):
Cool, so it is going through.

Speaker 2 (51:19):
Well, mate, yes, I'll be honest, I love it.
It has very special meaning tome because I had a friend called
Carlos Bertaza, who was anincredible man and he is very
good friends of my friend TintShow I've mentioned before on
this program who and both ofthem are in a Beatles band
called the Silvers.
And I met Carlos through TintShow and it was an extraordinary

(51:39):
, incredible thing to go tosomewhere like Argentina, where
they're both from, and just tomeet people who get the same
shit as you.
It's incredible to travel thatfar.
He was the John Lennon in theband, but he was also, amazingly
, he was a conductor in theBuenos Aires Philharmonic.
He was director of Teatro Colón, which is their Royal Albert
Hall.

(52:00):
He just today, he just lookedtoday and saw that the
Philharmonic in Bogota, colombia, has just released a video of
him conducting their orchestrafrom many years ago.
You know, I met him probably ahandful of occasions, but I
loved him.
He's a beautiful person.
He's sadly no longer with us,but we always used to sing this

(52:24):
song because we'd always talkabout the world going to shit in
a handbasket and then we'dalways start singing, getting
better all the time, and thatwas kind of a kind of comical
punchline to get out.
That's fine.
So sometimes I hear the songand it just makes me cry.
I've heard it played live acouple of times and just
suddenly I'm like crying.
Oh shit, wow, it's just hit metotally.
So I will vote for this prettymuch all the way through this

(52:46):
podcast.
So for Carlos, I'm voting forgetting better.

Speaker 1 (52:50):
Nice, okay, so I would vote for Sergeant Pepper
Rapiz, but nonetheless it isgoing out.
So getting better goes throughRight.
So this is, with a little helpfrom my friends, against.
For the first time she'sleaving home.

Speaker 4 (53:33):
Stairs to the kitchen , clutching her handkerchief,
quietly turning the back, doggie, stepping outside.
She is free.
We gave her most of our lives.

(53:58):
We gave her everything moneycould buy.
She's leaving home after livinga lot for so many years she's
leaving home.

Speaker 2 (54:18):
What's the first thing that happens here on a
Beatles record?

Speaker 3 (54:21):
Uh that no other Beatles are playing on it.
I don't know.
That happens on yesterday,doesn't it?

Speaker 2 (54:26):
No, actually two things happen here, on a Beatles
record, I think, but definitelyone.
Come on, dave, you've read aCatlin Moran book?

Speaker 3 (54:33):
Oh, is this something about feminism?

Speaker 2 (54:39):
It's not about feminism, it's just, I mean, I
love that.

Speaker 3 (54:43):
It's through the eyes of a woman I don't know.

Speaker 2 (54:45):
No, it's the first credited woman to play on a
Beatles song.
Sheila Bromberg, who plays theharp.

Speaker 3 (54:53):
Oh, I mean I was thrashing around roughly in the
ballpark next door.
I wasn't across town, but Iwasn't really quite in the same
ballpark, was I?

Speaker 2 (55:05):
You're in a different postcode.

Speaker 4 (55:07):
No, not really.
It was a good effort.

Speaker 2 (55:09):
And also, this is not arranged by George Martin, oh
yeah.

Speaker 1 (55:16):
He wasn't available, was he, and they got someone
else in.
He was like a film score guy.

Speaker 2 (55:20):
Yeah, it's Mike Leander, I think, and it's very
much more romantic and syrupythan Martin's stuff, I think.

Speaker 1 (55:26):
Yes, and I think George Martin hated it as well,
didn't he?

Speaker 2 (55:28):
Yeah, and he hated the fact that McCartney, because
he was just busy and McCartneywas just like I can't make, I'm
going to go and get someone elseto arrange it, then Got to get
it done.
He literally couldn't waitthree days.
I think that's always stuck abit in George Martin's score, a
bit that it's like could you nothave waited like a week?

Speaker 4 (55:41):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (55:42):
But no, that's what we've got.
I'm really happy that we'retalking about she's leaving home
.

Speaker 1 (55:47):
Me too.

Speaker 3 (55:48):
If we end up talking about it because it goes out
here, I will be very sour.
I'm just throwing that outthere as not really a veiled
threat, more a threat.

Speaker 2 (55:59):
Just a threat and you do live close to me, so all
right, it's not going to goagainst being for the benefit of
Mr Guy.
I mean that just only gotthrough because it was against
George Harris' song.

Speaker 3 (56:06):
It's with a little help.
It's with a little help from myfriends.

Speaker 2 (56:09):
Oh, I've misread the missive.
Okay, that is a bit more of ajuicy one, isn't it?
Okay, well, let's vote.
Let's vote.
This is exciting.
Let's vote.
Just before we vote.
Does, with a little help frommy friends, have the curio of
being possibly the only song acover of a Beatles song is
actually superior to theoriginal.

Speaker 3 (56:30):
Well, okay, do you think that the cover is superior
to the original?

Speaker 2 (56:34):
Yes.

Speaker 3 (56:35):
Because, Brett, you have said before it must be, one
of the early Beatles ones thatno cover of the Beatles is
better than the original.

Speaker 2 (56:45):
Yeah, I know, that's why I'm it's pointing that it's
me asking the question, Isuppose.

Speaker 3 (56:49):
Yes, it is yes unusual for sure I would say
that the cover by Joe Cocker isa very, very good cover, yeah,
and it's got extra sentimentalvalue for everybody who grew up
with that TV show.

Speaker 4 (57:06):
The Wonder Years, the Wonder Years, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 3 (57:10):
So it's got extra value because of that.

Speaker 2 (57:12):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (57:13):
However, it's not better than the original.

Speaker 4 (57:16):
No, it's not.

Speaker 2 (57:37):
But I was just posing it as a titillating question.

Speaker 1 (57:40):
I prefer it.
But there you go you see somepeople do prefer it.

Speaker 2 (57:43):
You prefer.

Speaker 1 (57:43):
Joe.

Speaker 3 (57:44):
Cocker.

Speaker 1 (57:44):
Yes.
I do I do, but I like thisversion too.
But I, you know, I think.

Speaker 2 (57:48):
Jarvis's dad.

Speaker 1 (57:49):
Yeah, jarvis's dad, that's right.
I think the Joe Cocker versionhas a depth and a soul to it
that this doesn't, but this is avery different beast.

Speaker 3 (57:59):
Well, yeah, but George Martin was very I'm going
to say very good at taking thesoul out of the Beatles.

Speaker 1 (58:07):
So there's not a lot of soul in.

Speaker 3 (58:10):
Oh there, that's an interesting.

Speaker 2 (58:11):
A lot of Well it really goes for the
controversial statements, Likewe are.
This is a podcast of entirelyfilled with clickbait.

Speaker 4 (58:18):
Yeah, it's unbelievable.
Well, click this up.

Speaker 2 (58:20):
Steve Whack this on TikTok.
What else have we got?

Speaker 4 (58:24):
Let's think about it.

Speaker 1 (58:24):
Derek.

Speaker 2 (58:24):
Taylor was a cunt.

Speaker 1 (58:27):
Malavans had a massive eating disorder and
screwed young girls.

Speaker 3 (58:34):
I don't think we can put that on TikTok without being
cancelled, but I say that andI'm a massive lover of soul and
Aretha Franklin is my favouritevocal artist of all time.
However, if you listen to theanthology and I'm thinking
particularly of some of theHarrison songs, george Martin, I

(58:57):
don't know, maybe it wasn'tGeorge Martin, maybe it was the
Beatles as a whole they stripout the soul.

Speaker 1 (59:03):
When you said to hang on a minute, when you said
strip the soul out of theBeatles songs, you didn't mean
like.
You meant strip the influenceof soul music out of them.

Speaker 3 (59:11):
Absolutely yeah.
Oh Jesus Christ, Dave, Was thatnot clear?

Speaker 1 (59:14):
No, it sounded like you were saying George Martin
took the spirit out of theirsongs and they were just sitting
here trying to process theenormity of what you'd said.
That makes a lot more sense now.

Speaker 2 (59:27):
Okay, but such, but such is.
But, dave, such is the shitthat you come out with.
We didn't even think to.

Speaker 4 (59:33):
Neither was the question, If you know what's in
this.

Speaker 2 (59:35):
I don't understand.
We thought he definitely meansthat.
Such is the outrageousstatement you come out with.

Speaker 3 (59:40):
I guess we both share a bit of the blame.
On that one then no that'stotally on you.

Speaker 1 (59:47):
Massively ambiguous, I'm afraid I can't remember
where we are.
We are debating, with a littlehelp from my friends, versus
she's leaving home.
Oh yeah, because you said.

Speaker 3 (59:57):
Jarvis Cocker.
Sorry, Joe Cocker.

Speaker 1 (01:00:02):
Not Jarvis Cocker, come on now.

Speaker 3 (01:00:03):
Has Put it together, has got more soul in his version
.
Yeah.
Yeah, I'd agree with that, butI think the Beatles version is
better, Okay well.

Speaker 2 (01:00:11):
That yeah, fine, so you agree with George Martin in
removing the soul, as in thesoul music, from their
songwriting.

Speaker 3 (01:00:18):
I think for the Beatles it works better.
Yeah, okay.

Speaker 2 (01:00:24):
Yep, no, I agree.
I am going to vote and I've gotto decide then, haven't I?

Speaker 1 (01:00:30):
No, I haven't voted.

Speaker 2 (01:00:31):
Oh, what are you voting for?

Speaker 1 (01:00:32):
I'm voting for the Beatles.
This is very hard because,before researching the album and
listening to the album for thefirst time and I haven't
listened to this I never, ever,ever listen to this album Ever.
I just don't.

Speaker 3 (01:00:44):
I don't go back to it and I put it on.

Speaker 2 (01:00:46):
It's not in heavy rotation, was there?

Speaker 3 (01:00:48):
ever a period where you did listen to it in heavy
rotation, steve?
Yes, only.

Speaker 1 (01:00:53):
When I was getting into the Beatles.
Yes, I mean when I was gettinginto the Beatles and I went
through that obsessive phasewhen I was listening to all the
Beatles albums a lot then, yes,but once the Beatles obsession
was over, there were then lotsof Beatles things I went back to
.
Sergeant Pepper wasn't one ofthem, however.
I put this on and I was in thecar and she's leaving home,

(01:01:13):
kevin and I thought, oh, this isone of the Syrupy McCartney
ones.

Speaker 4 (01:01:18):
I don't particularly remember liking this and by the
end of it, not only were all thehairs on my arm, you were
weeping at you, not.

Speaker 1 (01:01:25):
I was nearly.
I was nearly in tears and allthe hairs on my arm were up ass,
and it's a very, very long timesince a piece of music has done
that to me and I was like whatjust happened.

Speaker 2 (01:01:38):
Um, you've, you've aged 20 years.
Last time you heard it you were27,.
Like yeah, fucking right, she'sfucking right to leave home,
fucking ass old parents and theylike how ungrateful.

Speaker 1 (01:01:46):
Yeah, unbelievable.

Speaker 2 (01:01:48):
What a bitch All the sacrifices they made, yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:01:50):
But no, I, I honestly , I was on the verge of tears
and I'm going to vote she'sleaving home, simply on the
basis that it's so long since apiece of music has has moved me
in unexpectedly in that way, uh,that I was quite taken aback, I
have to say.

Speaker 2 (01:02:07):
Yeah.
No, I think it's a much moreinteresting song than with a
little help from my friends.
I think with a little help frommy friends is is again.
Is what I'm saying is is isjust McCartney doing, mccartney
brilliant going.
Oh, needs to write a song forfor Ringo, for this album I've
got a jam called Bad FingerBoogie.
Get some friends around withjam out.
Yeah, I'll pop it out.
There we go.
Yeah, that's like a kind of asemi classic that just

(01:02:28):
represents the sixties.
Bush done Right.

Speaker 3 (01:02:30):
What's next?

Speaker 2 (01:02:31):
So with a little help , from my friends home is really
beautiful, and I'm voting forit also, so it's a three.

Speaker 3 (01:02:35):
Yeah, three now she leaving.
Yeah, it's a three nil.
So, brett, with a little helpfrom my friends, that was um.
That was an existing Boogiethat McCartney already had, was
it?

Speaker 2 (01:02:45):
Yeah, I think, I think, yeah, I think that they
literally kind of kind ofliterally jamming people around
the house of Lenin's part,lenin's house at the end of the
party and yeah.
So they just kind of worked onit there.
They needed something for forRingo and obviously had to get
that very high note at the end,which took a number of attempts.

Speaker 4 (01:03:02):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:03:03):
And maybe, maybe, john.
Then and one of the scrotum.

Speaker 3 (01:03:07):
Yeah, just to get him up there.
Get him up one of thedrumsticks and a seven out of
him, obviously yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:03:15):
Actually they called it in.
I expected it they into him.

Speaker 1 (01:03:19):
They grabbed him at the end of the session and he
was scheduled to sing the vocalthe next morning, wasn't it?
And they said no, you're doingit now and he's like what.

Speaker 3 (01:03:25):
And they deliberately caught him.

Speaker 1 (01:03:27):
Yeah, he caught him off off beam so that he couldn't
overthink it, which I thoughtwas really good.

Speaker 2 (01:03:32):
That's great production right there.

Speaker 1 (01:03:34):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:03:34):
Whoever come up with that album.

Speaker 1 (01:03:36):
Well, yeah and well, apparently it was the, it was
the other three Beatles.
They clumped together in a sortof moment of solidarity.
Right, we're nailing him.
He's doing it now.

Speaker 2 (01:03:45):
It's a really, it's a really high note and my friend
Tinchot, who does play in aBeatles band, has to do this
song, sometimes live, and he hasto sing it and he always hits
the note perfectly.
I mean it's just like respectyou, it's hard to.
Luckily they never playedplayed it live.
So obviously they don't playlive after 66, but it's a tough

(01:04:07):
one to produce.

Speaker 3 (01:04:08):
Ringo must play it live though.

Speaker 2 (01:04:11):
Oh, he will play it live.
Of course he does.

Speaker 1 (01:04:14):
But he'll get.
Well, let's find it on YouTubeand we'll take bets on whether
he does the last note on his ownor whether he gets other people
to sing it, who knows?
Right, so she's leaving home,goes through three nil, which
leaves us with the benefit ofthis to kite being four versus,
for the last, sorry first timein this competition, lucy in
Skyward.

Speaker 2 (01:04:32):
Diamonds Wow Fantastic.

Speaker 4 (01:05:06):
Set us bank flowers of yellow and green Towering
over your head.
Look up, all the girls with thesun in her eyes and she's gone.
Lucy in the sky with Diver.

Speaker 2 (01:05:43):
I just want to take us back a minute because we
haven't really gone into theGenesis album.
We've just assumed that it justplopped into existence.
This album essentially definesthe 60s?
I think it does.
I don't think that's anoutrageous statement.
I think this album defines the60s.
If you're going to produce amontage of images that define
the 60s, this album is there.
This could be in the top fiveimages you'd choose to describe

(01:06:05):
the 60s.

Speaker 4 (01:06:12):
It defines what comes .
When people think of the 60s,they think of the stuff that
came out of 67.

Speaker 1 (01:06:16):
By 68 you're into everything's monochrome and
rights in the streets and allsorts.
For whatever reason, the hippiething is the thing that stays
in people's minds.

Speaker 2 (01:06:29):
This album was massive for us in the 90s it was
always top of the list.

Speaker 4 (01:06:33):
It was huge.

Speaker 2 (01:06:34):
If the 60s were the 90s, it was the big thing in the
90s.
You remember that.
This album is right there.
How does it just plop intoexistence?
How does it change pop musicfrom?
As Time Magazine says, this isthe album that changes pop music
into an art form.

Speaker 3 (01:06:49):
Yeah, I agree with that.
Going back to what you two werejust saying now, I think when
we describe music as timeless,we could either mean that it
doesn't put down its roots inone particular time period.
I think it could also mean thatit's not rooted in one
particular genre.
I think that this album fitsthat latter definition.

(01:07:10):
It sounds very much like the1960s when you listen to it.
It's incredibly, but it doesn'tfeel like it's stuck in one
particular genre.

Speaker 2 (01:07:20):
It's not stuck in one genre, but I think this is the
most dated Beatles album.

Speaker 3 (01:07:24):
I think it's the one that's ironically Dated in the
sense that you listen to it andyou would say, oh, it sounds
very 1960s.

Speaker 2 (01:07:35):
More than Abbey Road does, or more it just feels very
summer of love.

Speaker 3 (01:07:40):
But although it's somehow the poster album for
Flower Power in 1967 and theSummer of Love, it never really
gets stuck in that genre for me.
So a lot of the music that youlisten to from 1967 and that
summer don't really sound likethis album.
This is a very diverse,musically diverse album through

(01:08:00):
and out.

Speaker 2 (01:08:01):
It's got the biggest budget of an album, probably up
to that point in history.
It's got a $75,000 budget.
They spend three months in thestudio making it.
It's going to sound differentto the first Pink Floyd album.

Speaker 1 (01:08:10):
Yeah, but I think we should return to Brett's
original question, which I thinkis really interesting, which is
how do they get here?
Because it starts off reallyslowly, doesn't it?
Yeah, they get here.

Speaker 2 (01:08:20):
I'm going to tell you all the way back to 29th of
August, Candlestick Park, SanFrancisco.
It's the last ever Beatles gig29th of August.

Speaker 4 (01:08:27):
Which year?

Speaker 2 (01:08:28):
66.
Is that all right?
Yeah, we're good on the factcheck.
I think you did.

Speaker 1 (01:08:35):
Just going to take a break.
When he googles that or getsthe books out, make sure.

Speaker 2 (01:08:40):
Okay, so 1966, 29th of August in picture day.
If you're in San Francisco,you've paid to go and see the
Beatles.
They're in the middle of theCandlestick Park, they're
playing in the middle of thepitch, and then you're not
standing by that stage, you arein the seats, so you're
literally watching them play onthe halfway line.
I mean, you're so it's soremoved from.

(01:09:00):
Do you know how many songs theyplayed that night?

Speaker 3 (01:09:02):
I don't know Six.
Did anyone hear how many songsthey played that night?

Speaker 2 (01:09:05):
No, one could hear shit.
Yeah, I can't.
How many do you reckon theyplayed 12.
Thank you, Thank you, Steve.
Just to move the fuckingpodcast 11 songs 11 songs.
They played half an hour Halfan hour.
How many songs?

Speaker 3 (01:09:22):
Taylor Swift plays for three hours Half an hour 11
songs.
If you'd waited like the wholeday and paid however many
dollars back then, which wouldhave been a lot, I'm sure.

Speaker 2 (01:09:35):
Okay so I've got two more questions for you.
What's the capacity of theconcert?
How many tickets could theysell?
Just roughly.

Speaker 3 (01:09:42):
Like 25,000.

Speaker 2 (01:09:44):
The capacity is 32,000.
How many do they sell?
Oh, it must be a sellout, buthow many people are watching
them?
That's the question.
32,000?
, no, 25,000.
They do not sell the show out.
Oh right, which is mind fuckingblowing.
Okay, they've had an awfulsummer.
They've had to go to thePhilippines where they pissed
off Emelda Marcos, the fascistdictator's wife, with the shoes.

(01:10:05):
With the shoes, she had a lotof shoes.
They basically got knock on thehotel door.
Hey, income tax inspector, uos,$80,000, so they literally have
to bribe the way out of thecountry.
They get punched on the way tothe airplane.
They just about get on anescape.
There's death threats to themin Japan.
They're under huge problems inAmerica because Lenin said in an

(01:10:25):
interview for the Daily MirrorI think it was, the Beatles are
bigger than Jesus.
Now Ku Klux Klan trying to stoptheir gigs, and so yeah, we're
a terror organization.
We've got ways of doing thesethings.
They're under huge pressure.
They play this gig they don'teven sell it out, and then at
the end of the gig, when they'replaying on the middle of the
stadium, miles away from thefans who can't hear shit,

(01:10:49):
they're bundled into the back ofan armored van and at that
point they go to Paul McCartneywho had been taken for ages we
don't want to play any more.
And he goes yeah, I agree, wecan't play live anymore.
So George Harnes was threatenedto quit.
They've played over a thousandshows live, but that is the last
show they ever play.
And Macca has to think and heis, paul McCartney has to think

(01:11:09):
of how the fuck are we going tosurvive as a band that doesn't
play live?
And that concept in 1966 isalmost impossible.
It's like describing streamingvideos before it happens, like
how do you, how do you be a bandwithout playing live?
It doesn't make any sense.
Well, even their year isplanned around tours, even
though what we would now see now, it doesn't make any sense.
But they had to make sense ofthat.

Speaker 3 (01:11:30):
And it's a representation of how far and
how quickly music had developedfrom 1963.
Oh, it's extraordinary.

Speaker 2 (01:11:39):
The lightning speed.
But the point is, the stressthey have in that summer is the
reason, is the gestation forthis album, for exactly this the
fact they go completely theother way and they spend three
months in the studio, which hasnever been done before.
They get three months off aswell after that tour, which is
interesting, and that point.
So McCartney, if I can go on abit more, mccartney goes on, so

(01:12:04):
the lightning goes off, as thedo some acts in a film Harrison
goes to study yoga, ringoStardust goes to hang out with
his new baby at his home and bechilled and eat baked beans, and
McCartney decides he's going to.
Because he's McCartney, he'sgoing to drive his Austin DB
through France on a holiday.
But he doesn't want to be knownas McCartney, so he literally

(01:12:25):
gets a disguise together.
He gets like an InspectorClusso type disguise, puts some
fake glasses on, fake wig, fakeeyebrows, a big Mac and he
drives around France completelyunmolested by anyone.
No one notices him.
He's no longer Paul McCartneyand he spends his time making
experimental cinematography inthe.
Champs Elysees and things likethat only Paul McCartney would
do.
And he's like so, he's enjoyingit.

(01:12:45):
And then he tries to get intothis disco one night and they're
like no, fuck off.
And he's like what?
And he goes no fuck off, goaway.
You look scruffy, you look abit like Peter Sellers, and it's
.
He goes back to his homeroom,takes off his disguise and then
walks back as Paul McCartney andvoila, he's lit into the
nightclub.
But it's at this point.
So this couple of weeks he'sthinking about the idea of the
alter ego, of being someone else, of stepping into someone

(01:13:07):
else's shoes and inhabiting adifferent skin.
And after that he's picked upby Mal Evans to go on a flight,
to go on a safari, and he'sthey're eating their dinner and
he and Mal Evans are asking topass the salt and pepper.
And he says what?
Pass the salt and pepper?
And he hears that as SergeantPepper on that flight, at that

(01:13:27):
moment, and then this kind ofwhole idea coheres in Beatles
legend to think of the alter egoand coming up with this idea of
this band.
They can step into differentskins, be different people.
They're not themselves whenthey go up to the microphone and
they're singing as thischaracter, and that's how
Sergeant Pepper is sold to therest of the band and how he
conceives it.
So it's all comes from thispressure of being the Beatles.

(01:13:48):
He turns that pressureliterally into a diamond from a
lump of coal.
It could have broke them, butit didn't.
It just made them extraordinary.

Speaker 3 (01:13:58):
I think at this point they're all still pulling in
the same direction and music hadchanged dramatically from the
early sixties through to thispoint in such a quick period of
time.
So it had gone from a pointwhere you make all your money
from the tour and then the albumis just there to promote the

(01:14:19):
tour to a point where you makeyour money from the album and
the tour is there to promote thealbum.
And so they openly said at thetime there was a feeling that
the album could go on tour forthem.
But also it's coming off theback of Revolver where they've
just created Tomorrow NeverKnows which you could never

(01:14:40):
reproduce live.
So they were heading in thatdirection, into songwriting,
creating songs that you couldnever produce live.
So the thought of having tothen tour these things and play
them live was becoming redundant.

Speaker 2 (01:14:55):
Yeah, how many songs did they play on Revolver at
that last gig?
Zero.
They played zero songs fromRevolver.
So yeah, you're right, and thepromoters lost money on that gig
.

Speaker 1 (01:15:07):
Right, so we come back to these two songs then.
Mr Kite versus Lucy in the Sky.

Speaker 2 (01:15:10):
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.
So I have talked on for ages, Iknow, but I wanted to set the
scene in the quarterfinals, halfor three of the podcast.
I am for Lucy in the Sky withDiamonds, obviously, of course
you are and am I.
As is Dave.
As is Dave because he's got asense.
Well done, dave.
Okay.

Speaker 3 (01:15:27):
Yeah.
I guess, so I do.
I love being for the benefit ofMr Kite, despite what Lenin
says about it.

Speaker 1 (01:15:34):
Yeah, that's great.
I really like it.
I really like it.

Speaker 2 (01:15:37):
It is cool.

Speaker 4 (01:15:37):
It's very cool.

Speaker 3 (01:15:38):
Yes, it is just Lenin reading phrases from a poster
that he found in an antique shopwhen they were on location
filming the video for StrawberryFields.
But some artists can sing thephone book and make it sound
enjoyable.

Speaker 1 (01:15:53):
Yeah, but I don't think that's him reading.
I think he manages to cohere itinto feeling like it's not just
a bunch of phrases written offa poster.
It's like you know, it feels Idon't know.
It engages me in the sort ofnarrative of what these people
are like, I think it'sbrilliantly done.

Speaker 3 (01:16:09):
No, I agree, and I think the production by George
Martin, oh, really adds to it.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, phenomenal,yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:16:18):
Lenin asked it to sound like sawdust, didn't he?
He wanted to smell the sawdust.
Yeah, and there's a brilliantexcerpt in Revolution, the Head,
where Ian McDonald is famouslysnooty in that book about
appraising all the Beatles songs.
And he's like this wasn't evenLenin's most outrageous request.
He wanted one song to soundlike an orange.
Just fucking genius.

Speaker 1 (01:16:39):
Genius in every sense .

Speaker 2 (01:16:41):
I love it.

Speaker 1 (01:16:42):
Right.
So, despite our love of Mr Kite, lucy, and the sky goes through
somewhat, inevitably three nil,which means the final, no, how
do I say this?
The final quarterfinal.
Final quarterfinal, I would saythe last quarterfinal.

Speaker 2 (01:16:57):
Thank you.

Speaker 1 (01:16:57):
That's the word I'm looking for.
The last quarterfinal is goodmorning.
Good morning.
Good morning Against, for thefirst time a day into life.

Speaker 2 (01:17:09):
Well, it's Lenin versus Lenin.
We know what's going to gothrough.
Obviously, even people in thecheap seats know what's going to
go through.
Yes, we all know what's goingto go through, for fuck's sake?
Come on, let's grab a bit here.
Come on, people.

Speaker 1 (01:17:18):
Right, so let's talk about.
Is there anything else to sayabout good morning?
Good morning before theincredible amazingness of a day
in the life goes through.

Speaker 2 (01:17:25):
Yes, Dave, what happens at the end of good
morning?
Good morning, oh, the animals.
What about the animals?

Speaker 3 (01:17:30):
Yeah, what's going on with the animals, great band.
Well, how's the life in the?

Speaker 2 (01:17:34):
sun.
It's good, don't let me bemissing to do not ask Steve
about that.

Speaker 3 (01:17:37):
So at the end of good morning, good morning, they
insert a series of animal noises, and the concept here was that
each animal should be capable ofeating the next preceding one.

Speaker 1 (01:17:54):
Wow, that is arbitrary, and then some isn't
it.

Speaker 2 (01:17:57):
Yeah, it's pretty bad , but he was on a lot of LSD.
He was on a lot of LSD at thetime.

Speaker 3 (01:18:04):
But that's one of the things where this album is a
departure, but also there's acommon theme running through it.
It's playful and it's out there, it's experimental.

Speaker 1 (01:18:13):
That you cannot deny, that you cannot deny oh yeah,
it's very playful.
It's the sort of thing youwould expect from this album.

Speaker 2 (01:18:19):
Yeah, they were literally playing in the studio,
weren't they?
They were discovering the joysof all of these things they
could do.
I mean Les Farringo star,because he was the drummer,
which, when you're doing a threemonth long album, is fucking
boring.

Speaker 3 (01:18:30):
He did talk about that, didn't he?

Speaker 1 (01:18:33):
He learned to play chess, didn't he?

Speaker 3 (01:18:35):
Yes, he did it on some documentary back in the 90s
.
I think it was the 25thanniversary documentary.

Speaker 2 (01:18:41):
Ringo started playing chess it's a very amusing
concept.
So he started off losing to MalEvans and by the end of
recording he was fuckingshitting on Gary Kasparov.

Speaker 1 (01:18:53):
Well, you say this about Ringo Ringo playing chess.
What was George Harrison'sresponse to being bored?

Speaker 2 (01:19:00):
I don't know.

Speaker 1 (01:19:01):
His response was to not bother to turn up.
He turned up to, I think, fewersessions on Zahra and Pep than
any other album they'd done sofar.

Speaker 2 (01:19:09):
Wow.

Speaker 1 (01:19:11):
And many of the albums that came after, which
again is why without you windsme up a little bit, because it's
basically he turns up, doesSolo track on his own with a lot
of orchestration and none ofthe other Beatles, and then bogs
off again.
There's very, very littleGeorge Harrison on this record.
So I do believe that we arethrough to the semi-finals, and
the first semi-final unless Davetells me otherwise, because he

(01:19:31):
understands these things betterthan I do is getting better
versus she's leaving home.

Speaker 3 (01:19:35):
Yeah, it is.
We've got two McCartney tracksgetting better against she's
leaving home, against each other, and then the second semi-final
.
We've got two Lenin tracks Lucyin the sky against the day in
the life.
But anyway, before we get there, shall we discuss whether this
is.
Please don't say.

Speaker 1 (01:19:52):
Who were the Beatles?

Speaker 3 (01:19:54):
I've been saving that one up.

Speaker 2 (01:19:58):
He made me fucking explain, robert Smith earlier
Steve.
Who were the?

Speaker 3 (01:20:02):
Beatles Right Bob McCartney, yeah, yeah right,
let's not, let's not do that.
Come on, what were you gonnasay I?
Was gonna say do we need anideal version of Sergeant
Peppers?

Speaker 1 (01:20:14):
Absolutely.
Yes, I have made one on Spotify.
I shall send it to you.
Of course you have.

Speaker 2 (01:20:20):
George Martin says it's where the biggest regret of
his career is not putting, Ithink, the double A side on this
album.

Speaker 3 (01:20:26):
What was the double A side?
What the double A side was.

Speaker 4 (01:20:30):
Strawberry.

Speaker 2 (01:20:30):
Fields Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane and the
original album.
The concept of this album wasan album about childhood, so
both of those songs are redolentof childhood strawberry fields
and Penny Lane.

Speaker 1 (01:20:41):
And they have them.
And they have them in the bagat the beginning as well, didn't
they?

Speaker 2 (01:20:44):
So they started this but then they, they panic.

Speaker 3 (01:20:48):
Okay.
Why didn't they include thosesongs on the album?

Speaker 2 (01:20:54):
Because very good structural reasons why they.
Well, there was.
I think it was because theyfinished them early and then
they just finished they needed adouble A side, so they get them
out.

Speaker 1 (01:21:05):
They product to the market and then finish the album
.

Speaker 2 (01:21:07):
But they didn't need an A side.
They thought they needed an Aside and because the world at
that point was still basedaround hey, you're a band, you
tour, you release singles, Isometimes do an album they
forgot, they didn't really putthe onus on the album being the
most important thing and theyjust yeah, and, as Steve says,
they rushed out the release ofthose two songs because they
were ready.

Speaker 1 (01:21:27):
So they spunked to basically spunk the two best
songs on the album On a double Aside, before the album came out
, I believe.

Speaker 2 (01:21:34):
I was a travesty.
Well, just record anything as aB side and shove it put within
without you, on a B side withwhatever, because it doesn't
matter.
This is famously the onlysingle they released.
It didn't get to number one inthe UK.

Speaker 3 (01:21:44):
So George Martin is on record as saying, I think in
the same documentary back in the25th anniversary, as saying
that at the time it wasconvention not to put the
singles on the, the openingsingles, on the album, because
it was felt like it was cheatingthe public because you sold
them the single and then youbunged those two songs on the

(01:22:05):
album.
Solve them that as well.
Yeah, so there was a goodstructural reason why those
opening singles never appearedit's a structural reason.

Speaker 2 (01:22:12):
I don't know if it's a good structure.

Speaker 1 (01:22:14):
Yeah, but that's just a quirk of when they made them.
Imagine if they'd like recordedlovely Rita meter made in good
morning.
Good morning at the beginningof the sessions.
Put them out as an A side and aB side and we would have got
those two on the album.
It's totally arbitrary, it'sjust when they got recorded they
would have.

Speaker 3 (01:22:27):
I mean, they knew what a single sounded like, and
George Martin famously knew whata number one song sounded like,
so he would have waited untilhe's he had what he thought was
a number one song and then putthat out and release both of
them.

Speaker 2 (01:22:39):
A side for the counter argument to, by the way,
we can't shoot the fans is hey,fans, would you rather listen
to the being for the benefit ofmr Cutten with me without you in
the same sitting, or havestrawberry fills and penile on
this disc?
What do you rather spend threequid on?
I know I'd fucking on.

Speaker 3 (01:22:55):
Also, you got to ask ten years later whether the
public was ready for strawberryfields and penny lane at that
time because, as you say, theywere kept off number one by what
?
What's the?

Speaker 2 (01:23:06):
song Engelbert Humperding.
Engelbert Humperding yeah,these release me.
It's a classic.

Speaker 1 (01:23:13):
It is a classic.
Yeah, I mean they are to.
You know that's one of Lenin'sgreatest lyrics and one of
McCartney's greatest evermelodies.

Speaker 3 (01:23:20):
I mean that that one of George Martin's greatest ever
regrets.

Speaker 1 (01:23:23):
Yeah, totally.
I mean.
I mean, you know, imagine ifyou took off.
I mean we could debate foreverwhat you could take off, but but
take them off and put somethingand put those two on there and
you have an album that I can'tnow say has dated as badly as I
think this out.
I love this album, it'sbrilliant, but I don't think
it's dated brilliantly.
You put those two songs on.

(01:23:43):
I Just keep my trout shot.
There's nothing.

Speaker 3 (01:23:46):
I can say so on your ideal version, steve.
On Spotify, what, what songs doyou take?

Speaker 1 (01:23:51):
off.
Well, let's have a look.
I'm gonna read you the playlistthat I've got.
This is my ideal sergeantplaylist here, yeah how you've
got your own hearts club band,with a little help from my
friends, lucy In the sky withdiamonds, penny Lane getting
better, fixing a wholestrawberry fields forever.
Being the benefit of mr Kite,only a northern song.
Oh, good morning.
Good morning, sergeant Pepper.
Reprise day in the life.

Speaker 3 (01:24:12):
So what?
You leave a lovely room.

Speaker 1 (01:24:16):
And when I'm 64, I think yeah and well within you
without you.
And within you without you.
So I swapped out Harrison for a.
Harrison took off to McCartney.
Mccartney put on a betterMcCartney and and a Lenin.

Speaker 2 (01:24:27):
Yeah, I mean it's ridiculous you just those two
songs are huge.
They're, they're gonna be amongthe best Seven songs on any
Beatles album, right?
So to leave both of them off isfucking mental.

Speaker 1 (01:24:39):
Well, also what's interesting is that, just in
terms of the history of thispodcast, the last time I tried
to have this conversationbecause for me rubber- soul
weighty history.
Yes, but you know, when wediscussed the same issue on
rubber soul and I tried to sortof say, look, if you could get
the double a side, we can workit out day trip on rubber.
So it'd be much, much betteralbum which is standby,
everyone's going ask Steve, yeah, whatever.

(01:25:00):
I mean, come on, it's a word,yeah, but notice that on this
occasion, Both you have anobsession with.
Yeah, I do like to read, I dolike to fix out Revisionist
tracks, fixing albums.

Speaker 2 (01:25:13):
I love you are literally fixing a hole.

Speaker 1 (01:25:17):
I'm very I'll do it with black crows albums.
I'll do it with all my favoritebands.
If there are b-sides and thingsfrom sessions that I can take
out and put in and debate,that's fine.
On this occasion, what'sinteresting is that there was
absolutely zero descent fromeither of you on this concept.
In fact, I think you youpitched it.
Do you know what I mean?
It's like Dave, dave, dave, whois the king of shutting me down
when I have a.
What should have gotten.

(01:25:37):
This album Is the one thatraised this, which kind of says
everything you need to knowabout, about story feels forever
and Benny Lane, you know,needing to be on this album only
because I think we'vepreviously established it as a
moot point and and I'm happy toexplore it, we're in it, I'm
trees there was a brief momentof you two actually agreeing.

Speaker 2 (01:26:01):
I believe he's such a belittling fucker right.

Speaker 1 (01:26:04):
I believe at some point we were discussing Getting
better versus she's leaving, sowe're into the semi-finals now.
We're into the semi-finals andthe first semi-final is a double
McCartney.

Speaker 2 (01:26:14):
I stop fucking presenting.

Speaker 1 (01:26:17):
I've given up.
He's not gonna let me do it hisway.
He's my way.
He's just gonna talk over me.
That's fine, getting betterAgainst.
She's leaving her.

Speaker 2 (01:26:29):
Okay, so this is.
This is tight now, because bothof these are very cool songs.
It's not tight, getting better,is it?
But getting better isinteresting because it is very
much, as it's quite rarely thishappens, but it's kind of a
co-write getting better, like it.
Yes, one would write a bit ofit and it doesn't happen much
after this album.
Actually, there's quite a fewexamples, and she's leaving home
also.

(01:26:49):
It happens on because Lenindoes that kind of Greek chorus.

Speaker 1 (01:26:54):
Yeah, I think you're pushing the.
I Think I think it's pushingthe idea of co-writer, because I
think I think back in the dayhe used to sit guitars opposite
each other and write after songeach, whereas this is now.
You know it's a McCartney songand London will do some bits in
the course, yeah, of course, byby second Beatles period.

Speaker 3 (01:27:11):
This is what a co-writer sounded like yeah,
yeah, this is exactly greatAgreed.

Speaker 2 (01:27:15):
Yeah, yeah, like you're, you're, that's.
That's I'm making the argumentas in.
We all know that the legend wasthat Lenin McIro songs.
Then we, we Ski-ki Beatles fansif you listen to podcast,
that's you, I'm afraid it is.
Embrace it.
We know that they really didn'twrite songs nose-to-nose after
like 1963 in some hotel inNewcastle.

(01:27:35):
That's when they stopped.
When they wrote she loves, it'spretty awesome.
They wrote song nose-to-nosetogether.
So we know that that legend iskind of an apocryphal tale.
But on this album there arekind of quite a few examples, or
more than others, of them kindof Helping each other quite a
lot and you can hear theinfluence really clearly on
these.
Certainly these two songs.
It's nice there together.
It's nice there together.

Speaker 3 (01:27:56):
There's some great examples on getting better
aren't there in the lyrics.
So what?
What are the lyrics that yeah?

Speaker 2 (01:28:02):
That's exactly.
I mean, like McCartney's lyricsand vocals are great on the
song and then the Lenin's lyricsare so much darker.
They're so much darker likeDave's what?
What do you want to say aboutthe difference in their lyrics
here?
Because you pose the question.

Speaker 3 (01:28:16):
Yeah, I love that line.
So it's getting better all thetime, which is classic,
mccartney.
And yeah, lenin responds withit can't get no worse, which is
classic.

Speaker 4 (01:28:28):
Lenin yeah, but I think he yeah, but he also wrote
Steve to slap his head.

Speaker 1 (01:28:33):
No, I'm just letting it pass, I'm letting you wash
over the men.
And it's darker, isn't it?
Because he, he says let Lenin,says.

Speaker 3 (01:28:42):
Allegedly Lenin adds the lines I used to be cruel to
my woman.

Speaker 2 (01:28:46):
I've beat her and kept her apart, apart from the
things that she loved.
But, man, I was mean, but I'mchanging my scene.

Speaker 1 (01:28:53):
Hmm, although noticed that you didn't finish that,
because I think, man, I was mean, I was changing my scene and
I'm doing the best that I canvery very weak ending to that
set of lyrics.
Yeah, it's like they're greatup until then and it's like but
I'm doing, yeah, the best that Ican.
It's like oh, jesus Christ, isthat you what you're gonna
finish on, okay, thanks?

Speaker 2 (01:29:13):
Yeah, I mean the rest .

Speaker 3 (01:29:15):
Yes, you're right actually right, and that's more
than we can't.
I know.

Speaker 2 (01:29:20):
I like, I like it, you like it.
They're definitely the mostarresting four lines in the song
as in sense of like, the lyricsare great, I'm to the point,
and then you like, you'relistening to those, you're like
what it's.
It's a nice counterpoint.
But then you've got thecounterpoint with she's leaving
home with Lenin doing the kindof Greek chorus thing.
I think that's incredible, thestuff.
I think.

Speaker 1 (01:29:38):
I think that's amazing not not least because
you see.

Speaker 4 (01:29:41):
I.

Speaker 1 (01:29:42):
Again.
That's why that the whole goodand get, no worse thing
Irritates me, I think becauseit's such a trope, because you
look at, she's leaving home andwhat you get is is two sides of
the same story and I think it'smuch suckler.
Instead of going that one's asunny songwriter but that one's
really dark and subversive,you're going no one of them's,
telling one side of the storyand somewhat unbelievable,

(01:30:03):
especially for 1967.
They're telling both sides ofthe story so that you sympathize
with the girl.

Speaker 4 (01:30:09):
Yeah, yeah, thanks to the counterpoint vocal.

Speaker 1 (01:30:11):
You sympathize with the parents as well, which is a
billion times more subtle thanthe getting better counterpoint.
So so, anyway, I think you'llbe understanding that she's
leaving home.
Is getting my vote here.

Speaker 2 (01:30:22):
Yeah, I mean she's leaving home.
To have the double counterpointwhere everyone can find a point
of sympathy is Remarkablesongwriting.

Speaker 1 (01:30:29):
Yeah, it really knocked me off my off my feet
when I heard it this time around.
Yeah, well, I think, I thinkyour points very salient about
me listening to it as an olderman.
I think that's fair.

Speaker 2 (01:30:38):
Yeah, and that's there's.
I think there's an alexis salesketch about that, about the
fact when you're young Like,yeah, fucking parents, and then
you're gonna go like, oh,there's someone, great for these
kids.
You know just the whole waythat as you age, that song is
like almost Determinant of howold you're getting.
Um, I've, I've said it from thestart to bell with it.
I'm gonna vote for gettingbetter, because it means a lot

(01:30:58):
to me.
Um, dave, I'm gonna put you soan exciting position there got
the casting.

Speaker 3 (01:31:03):
Dave, you got the casting vote, so I do love the
uh, I do love the Lenincounterpoints to getting better
and those lyrics and I also lovethe.
The third verse.
There's like a drone, likeIndian instrument that comes in
underneath.

Speaker 4 (01:31:16):
Yes, agree, I think it's a tambourine.

Speaker 3 (01:31:19):
I read in any mcdonald.

Speaker 1 (01:31:21):
Which comes out much better in these new remixes and
remasters of the last couple ofyears as well.

Speaker 3 (01:31:26):
Really good and the production on getting better is
is fantastic.
It's masterful, which I thinkactually is primarily by
McCartney rather than Martin.
On that song, mccartney was theone that and the and the remix
is very nice.

Speaker 2 (01:31:41):
So then, if we want to get so fucking geeky, we talk
about this in the original, theremaster and the remix.
But the remix that came out onthe last iteration of the, the
christmas cash in Beatlesrelease, um, it's really nice.
Yeah it's, it's remix.
You can.
It's a bit more gnarly.

Speaker 3 (01:31:55):
Um, and I'm anyway, gone I'm talking about getting
better, because I'm not votingfor it.
So oh she's leaving home is ourfirst finalist Okay, lovely,
wow, it's beautiful, it'sbeautiful.

Speaker 2 (01:32:08):
It is because it's McCartney, and if my theory is
to hold true, this this can't bewon by a mccartney song.
So I'm worried.
I'm worried, all right.

Speaker 1 (01:32:17):
So our second semi final, two Lenons, which is Lucy
in the sky, which we've reallytalked about so far.

Speaker 2 (01:32:22):
Vs the day of the life which we've really not
talked about.

Speaker 1 (01:32:24):
So far.

Speaker 2 (01:32:24):
No, this is gonna be a lot to say here there's a lot
to say.

Speaker 3 (01:32:27):
Well, okay, so a day in the life we haven't talked
about, but we do like to killour sacred cows on McCartney and
Gull.
So, um, let's vote a day in thelife out.
Shall, we vote it out.
Who's with me?

Speaker 1 (01:32:40):
Anyone Are you talking about?
No, absolutely not.
Come on, shut the fuck up.
Let's get rid of it, absolutely, without talking about it.
It's rubbish, it's just.
Yeah, let's not talk about it.
Yeah it does not.

Speaker 2 (01:32:51):
It's a half it's very half baked.
The production is poor.

Speaker 3 (01:32:55):
I mean the concept.
The concept is weak.
I mean, they didn't have enoughfor one song, did they?

Speaker 2 (01:33:00):
No, they kind of got two arse ends of a song and
stuck them together and theorchestra's not in tune.

Speaker 3 (01:33:04):
Let's get rid of it, come on.

Speaker 1 (01:33:06):
Let's get rid of it.
He's right.

Speaker 3 (01:33:08):
Do you know what he's won me over?
Let's Sod it's who's facing forLucy in the sky.

Speaker 2 (01:33:12):
Everyone is, of course, after that, rousing.

Speaker 3 (01:33:14):
No one, so um Lucy in the sky with diamonds.

Speaker 2 (01:33:17):
What is the famous legend here?

Speaker 3 (01:33:18):
We all know it.
It lacks a chorus.
That's not that one.
Okay, lucy in the sky withdiamonds.
The famous legend is that it'sgot nothing to do with LSD.

Speaker 4 (01:33:30):
Yeah nothing.

Speaker 2 (01:33:32):
Julian Lennon came home from school and he had a
picture and John Lennon saidwhat is that, julian?

Speaker 3 (01:33:38):
He said it's Lucy in the sky with diamonds and that's
what John wrote, and it was apicture of his school friend who
was called Lucy.

Speaker 2 (01:33:44):
It's not about LSD.
And then he said, what's otherpictures?
He said, oh, it's a chicken ina hat.
Oh, cold turkey is it?
Lovely.

Speaker 1 (01:33:54):
Fucking brilliant.
It's not about a heroine.

Speaker 2 (01:34:00):
No.

Speaker 1 (01:34:01):
So I think, lucy in the sky, which I think is going
here, I think so.
It's wonderful.
I think it's wonderful.
I don't think it's about.

Speaker 4 (01:34:10):
LSD.

Speaker 1 (01:34:10):
I think the easy way to work out that it's not about
LSD is that Lennon would havegiven it up some point.
He would have gone.

Speaker 2 (01:34:15):
No, that's a very strong argument, steve.

Speaker 1 (01:34:17):
That's as simple as that.
He had 13 years before hisdeath to go.
Do you know what, actually?
And he never did, and and hewould have given it up at some
point.

Speaker 2 (01:34:25):
He didn't, he was not afraid of telling the truth.
No, exactly.

Speaker 1 (01:34:29):
So I don't think it was and again what I like about,
in the same way that I thinkfixing a hole was, I think Lucy
in the sky is the other songthat shows this very British,
very Sid Baratesque psychedeliaand it's just wonderful.
I mean that the images arewonderful, the production is
wonderful, his vocals wonderful.
It's a great song.
It just ain't day in the life.

Speaker 2 (01:34:49):
It's extraordinary.
I mean it's a vocal.
It's a vocal, especially at thefirst part, is pretty much one
note.
I mean to make that musical isvery fucking hard.
You know it's very god, it isyeah.

Speaker 1 (01:35:03):
And and bearing in mind that that you, you
referenced earlier my leastfavorite song of all time, which
my great, which is don't,please don't let me be a
misunderstood by the animals,yeah, and the reason.
I hate that and rent about itis because it's all on the same
bloody note.

Speaker 2 (01:35:15):
Which is fascinating, because so is Lucy in the sky
and I never even noticed,because it's so much you don't
notice, because that's how goodit is, that everything the
production and the performance,that's how beautiful his vocal
is, just the way, the wayLenning can deliver a vocal that
no one else could really.
You can get away with that.
Yeah, extraordinary, wow.

Speaker 1 (01:35:34):
That's an incredible, incredible song.
It just just as, as you saidabout McCartney's songwriting
earlier, it's not that it's bad,it's just.
There are other Beatles albums,but it does even better.
Yeah, it's just.
I think Lucy in the Sky has togo here because it's right at
the top of this album.
It's just going to be pipped byA Day in the Life.

Speaker 2 (01:35:51):
It's here a very huge brick wall called A Day in the
Life.
Yeah, it's just ain't going tobeat that.
So is that 3-0,?
Yes, dave, yes.

Speaker 3 (01:35:59):
If you're not going to vote out A Day in the Life,
then I'm going to have to votewith you.
A Day in the Life goes through3-0.

Speaker 1 (01:36:06):
Which means Well, which means Don't do which means
me, I was seeing you up.

Speaker 3 (01:36:11):
I was seeing you up For the love of God.
Which means what, steve?

Speaker 1 (01:36:14):
The worst backseat drive I've ever met.
Unbelievable, which means,ladies and gentlemen, said the
first time host of thisparticular podcast.
The final is she is leaving thehouse in a sad manner versus A
Day in the.

Speaker 4 (01:36:31):
Life.
Friday morning at 9 o'clock sheis far away, waiting to keep
the appointment she made,meeting a man from the motor

(01:36:53):
trade she.
What did we do?
That was wrong Is heavy.
We didn't know it was wrong.
Firm is the one thing thatmoney can't buy Something inside
that was always denied for somany years.

(01:37:18):
She's leaving home, bye, bye.

Speaker 3 (01:37:33):
This is a song that resonates with me more as I move
through life.

Speaker 2 (01:37:39):
I think from being, and you've got two children who
are now teenagers.

Speaker 3 (01:37:43):
So from being a teenager myself listening to
this, to being a parent ofteenagers, to looking at what my
parents sacrificed for me andthen thinking about the
emotional complication thatwraps itself around us every
year that we go through life.
This does resonate in a waythat Steve was describing

(01:38:05):
earlier, where you werelistening to it in the car and
you felt really emotional aboutit.
I get that same feeling when Ilisten to this now, which I
don't know that I did when I wasa teenager.
She's leaving home is just abrilliant song that I could
listen to endlessly.
I absolutely love it.
It's beautiful.

(01:38:26):
I know that George Martindidn't get to do the
orchestration, but whoever diddid a brilliant job.

Speaker 2 (01:38:34):
It's Mike Leanne.
Do you know the Melanie Coestory?
Does that mean anything to you?
Melanie Coe appeared on ReadySteady Go when she was 14.
She did a competition with FourEver Girls about miming to a
song.
The person who judged who wouldwin the competition was Paul
McCartney.
He chose Melanie Coe and heshook her hand and all of those
things.
As a result, she was really aboolean and nice.

(01:38:57):
They asked her to come back andshe did a year as a backup
dancer on Ready Steady Go.
She was a teenager in swingingLondon.
She's right in the middle of it.
She's seen Stevie Wonder, dustySpringfield, all of these
things.
She goes on a night out and herfriend bump into John Lennon in
a nightclub.
They're right in the heart ofswinging in the 60s.

(01:39:17):
As a result, being in the heartof swinging in the 60s, she's
doing the age of 17.
She's kind of got a boyfriendand she gets pregnant.
She kind of freaks out becauseit's still the 60s, very
conservative time.
She just leaves a note for herparents, leaves the car, goes
off with her boyfriend anddisappears.

(01:39:39):
This turns into an article inthe Daily Mail which Paul
McCartney reads and then writesa song she's Leaving Home.
So the mad circularity of that,that McCartney didn't even know
that he'd met her and judged aprize on a program that she won,
and then it changed the courseof her life because it spun her

(01:39:59):
out into this whole differentworld that she would never be
otherwise it's fucking mad.
And then, only a couple of yearslater did she work out as her,
because her mum heard McCartneytalk about the genesis of the
song later on.
So yeah, it's really crazy,isn't it?
Absolutely.
What a crazy world so it'spretty crazy.

Speaker 4 (01:40:20):
It's a beautiful song .

Speaker 2 (01:40:20):
It really is.
It's not the usual area for apop song, is it either as well?
But, it's just literally cometo them from reading that
article.

Speaker 1 (01:40:30):
But then they were doing a lot of that.
By this point They'd from sortof remember so long was very
quickly.
It was sort of songs about allsorts of interesting subjects.

Speaker 2 (01:40:39):
Yeah, from newspaper articles they got Me, and Mr
Mustard is from a newspaperarticle.
She's Leaving Home is from anewspaper article Day in the
Life, day in the Life.
He's reading oh, there we go.

Speaker 3 (01:40:54):
Mr Kite is a poster.
Mr Kite is a poster.

Speaker 2 (01:40:58):
But Day in the Life.
The relevant then fact, thereis Dave.
This song is versus Day in theLife, so they're both inspired
by newspaper stories.

Speaker 3 (01:41:07):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:41:08):
Pretty crazy.

Speaker 3 (01:41:09):
She's Leaving Home.
I mean, it doesn't actually sayhow old she is.
I mean we assume that she's ateenager who's leaving home.

Speaker 2 (01:41:14):
She was 17.
She could be 47.

Speaker 3 (01:41:17):
You know today's generation.

Speaker 2 (01:41:19):
They never leave home , do they they never?

Speaker 1 (01:41:22):
do that's how you say it.
Certainly post 30.

Speaker 2 (01:41:25):
You're paying the mortgage all those years Of
course it is?

Speaker 4 (01:41:28):
Of course it is.

Speaker 2 (01:41:29):
And then will they chip in with the rent pay for
the tax put up with them allthese years.
Unbelievable, unbelievable.
So it's against Day in the Lifewhich we haven't talked about,
so let's talk about it.

Speaker 4 (01:42:07):
I saw the photograph Woke up, fell out of bed,
dragged the comb across my head,Found the way downstairs and
drank a cup and looking up Inoticed I was late Found the way

(01:42:41):
downstairs what Day in the Lifeis.

Speaker 2 (01:42:45):
Again, it is another Lenin song.
We had two Lenin songs in thesemi-final which could have been
in the final, couldn't itListening to Sky vs?
Is it a Lenin song?
Yeah, well, that's what'sinteresting it is.
It's incredibly acid.
All of the beautiful points inthe song are Lenin.
It's a two-part song.
It's a magnificent surface ofwhat he's feeling at this time

(01:43:08):
his disassociation.
He reads about a friend of his,tara Brown, who is the person
who drove his car into a trafficlight and died.
He knew him.
I don't think he was closefriends, but I think he knew him
from parties and stuff.
He blew his mind out on a car.
I just had to laugh.
It's this weird disassociationhe's going through at this point

(01:43:29):
with his emotions and his stateof being.
He's so strung out in so manyways.
And then he's medicating withLSD, which is not a good idea.
I'm trying to find some meaning, but this song is as any of
that.
I think this is a finer song,even than Strawberry Fields,
which is a similar song.

Speaker 3 (01:43:49):
Yeah, I definitely agree with that, and Strawberry
Fields is an epic song.

Speaker 2 (01:43:55):
Yeah, and it's an absolutely.

Speaker 3 (01:43:57):
This is what Most people might have this in their
top three Beatles songs of alltime.
It's huge, but it's definitelyon some level it's a co-write.
And you could even chuck GeorgeMartin in there as well for the
amount that he adds to itsproduction.

Speaker 2 (01:44:16):
Yeah.
But this is what's interestingabout this song, because the
juxtaposition is this incrediblyacid, disassociated character,
literally crumbling, laughing atcrazy things, and it's
beautiful ethereal sense to it.
And then you've got McCartney'sbit right in the middle which
is almost I woke up, got out ofbed, dragged to the comb across

(01:44:39):
my head.
I mean it's almost too dull fora diary entry, but yet it's
made it into one of the greatestsongs of all time as a set of
lyrics.
It's incredible thatjuxtaposition between Lennon's
acid disassociation andMcCartney's very melodic,
consonant warmth and that workssuper well, but juxtaposition is
the point.
I think that's the thing, and itworks superbly well, doesn't it

(01:45:00):
?

Speaker 1 (01:45:00):
But I think the McCartney Whatever you think
about the McCartney bit on itsown- no, I love it.

Speaker 2 (01:45:05):
I love it, I love it.

Speaker 1 (01:45:06):
No, no, no, I know I do too, but whatever one thinks
about it, you can't deny that itmakes the Lennon bit so much
better because you've juxtaposedthis sort of sunny bit in
between this incrediblyDesolation.

Speaker 2 (01:45:21):
Yeah, it's beautiful desolation and it's so necessary
and it makes it better.
It's more almost than the sumof its parts of song.
Both of its parts are great,but the way they combine and who
would think to do that?
But it works and that's almosta microcosm of the whole Beatles
post-66 period You've got.
Lennon is quite acid-y anddisassociated and disconnected

(01:45:44):
in lots of ways and McCartney isjust trying to hold it all
together and be consonant andmelodic and make everyone happy.
And they managed to pull it offfor a number of years and thank
God they did, but it just showsthat disparity between their
characters and why they werestronger together than they ever
were as solo artists.

Speaker 3 (01:46:05):
When I think about a day in the life, the lyrics are
I'm not going to say thatthey're meaningless, but they
are plucked, as you say.
Lennon plucks them from theirlittle vignettes, from newspaper
articles that he's read.
They don't really mean too muchtogether.
And then you throw inMcCartney's bit.

(01:46:25):
Certainly this song doesn'thave a chorus, so it doesn't
hang together like that as likea song.
We all absolutely love it and Ithink it's the music.
So when I think about a day inthe life, as much as anything,
it's that kind of fragility ofthe acoustic guitar that
Lennon's strumming as the songopens and his voice, and then

(01:46:48):
the build, and then you've gotthe McCartney bit and that's
beautiful music as well.
And then you've got anotherbuild, and it's the piecing
together rather than it being akind of classically well written
song that we use Agreed anddetails as well.

Speaker 1 (01:47:07):
It's like the musical details Aside from the
orchestra, which we can talkabout separately, like the piano
in the McCartney bit Dread tocome across my head.
Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding,ding, ding, ding, and it's just
there and it's gone, one ofthose Beatles moments.
Wow, what that was a theselittle, these touches these
attention to details.

Speaker 2 (01:47:28):
It's phenomenal.
They throw away.
Wow, it's quite.
Yeah, it's an extraordinarypiece of music, the drums as
well, the way they roll acrossit.

Speaker 3 (01:47:36):
It's just so good, you know, and to drum against an
acoustic guitar is so rare.
We definitely need to talkabout Ringo's drumming on this,
because that is just sensationalOn the whole album.

Speaker 2 (01:47:47):
They're chucking loads of mad shit at him, aren't
they?
He's got?

Speaker 3 (01:47:49):
the.

Speaker 2 (01:47:50):
Whirlitzers, carnival music, fucking three, four
times, four, four, and he'sdoing this.

Speaker 1 (01:47:56):
The thing about he does brilliantly on this is he
doesn't try to propel the songin any way.
He's playing along with whatthey're doing the guitar and the
piano and everything else arepropelling the timing.
Oh, totally, and he's justgoing beautiful and in no way
doing what a drummer's supposedto do, which is keeping the beat
, yeah, and he's basically sortof an extra musician, like an

(01:48:20):
accompanying musician.

Speaker 2 (01:48:21):
Yeah, yeah, which is brilliant.
Yeah, it's riffing off, it,isn't it?
It's beautiful.
He's really listening to thevocal.
It's so good.
So there seems to be nodisagreement here about this.

Speaker 4 (01:48:31):
Well before we get to voting.
I've got to admit, man, it'sjust.
Is there anything?

Speaker 3 (01:48:33):
bad we can say about a day in the life.

Speaker 2 (01:48:36):
I'm sure someone's playing a C minor at the end on
accident on that last chord.
But apart from that, no, haveyou heard?

Speaker 1 (01:48:43):
the final chord, where they do the hum instead of
the, the hum instead of thepiano.
We're Beatles geeks.

Speaker 3 (01:48:50):
Of course, we've heard it, of course you have.

Speaker 1 (01:48:52):
Sorry, it was just a my ringtone when it's on the.

Speaker 3 (01:48:55):
Actually I hadn't heard it, but it's on the super
deluxe edition that they've justre-released.

Speaker 1 (01:49:00):
Yeah, and you just listen to it go.
Oh my God, this would be somuch worse if they'd done this.
Ah, it's no, it's no way nearas good as the piano.
Yeah, that's kind of what a dayin the life is, isn't it?

Speaker 3 (01:49:10):
It's like it's a day in the life, isn't it?
You can't change any of itbecause it's it is what it is.
It needs to hang together likeit is.

Speaker 2 (01:49:20):
No, but it nearly like if George Martin thinks not
including Strawberry Fields washis greatest mistake as a
producer.
If he'd have included the huminstead of that massive chord at
the end of this album, thatwould have been his greatest
mistake as a producer 100%.
But that's how close they were.
They were pretty, probablypossibly pretty close to putting
on their recorded is.
It was an idea going around,but, yeah, thank God they didn't

(01:49:42):
.
Could you imagine this albumending?
Well, actually, this albumdoesn't end and it ends in a
little thing.
This is how ingenious they are.
They'd realised that the outgroove on a record, if you let
it slip over, would justcontinue to play.
That's why they put that onthat groove they put.

Speaker 1 (01:49:57):
Oh, if you play it backwards it does say some rude
things apparently, but I'venever heard about that.

Speaker 2 (01:50:00):
Ah right, but if you're on a vinyl, that should
just keep looping forever.
Never could be any other way.
Never could be any other way.

Speaker 3 (01:50:08):
So that is the last thing you hear Didn't they stick
dog whistles on it as well?
So it was supposed to.
Yeah, I can hear it.

Speaker 1 (01:50:14):
I still hear it, do you?
Yeah, I still hear it.
I can hear it very clearly.
I think it comes in just beforethe vocal, but yeah, I hear it
very clearly and I always usedto go the fuck is that, and then
the funny thing comes in.

Speaker 2 (01:50:32):
Wow.

Speaker 1 (01:50:32):
Yeah, still hear it.

Speaker 2 (01:50:34):
Okay, so what?
We voting for people?

Speaker 1 (01:50:36):
Day in the life.

Speaker 2 (01:50:39):
What do you want me to make this interesting?
I'm afraid I can't.
I know you can try.

Speaker 4 (01:50:46):
No, it's gonna be 3 nil isn't it?
I have voted for a day youasked most Beatles fans.
I think that a day in the lifewould win over most Beatles
tracks and as Right.

Speaker 3 (01:50:57):
I mean she's leaving home with win over most Beatles
tracks for me.
But not a day.
It's a day in the life it's aday in the life.

Speaker 1 (01:51:03):
It's ridiculous how good it is.
I mean it's ridiculous how goodit is.
It's just everything about it.
It's perfect and the atmosphereis again completely uncopiable.
It's a good question.
Has anyone ever tried to coverit?
I mean you'd be able to remindme of it.

Speaker 3 (01:51:18):
Yeah, you would, because it's not good in a
conventional way.

Speaker 2 (01:51:24):
You can't point to it .

Speaker 3 (01:51:25):
It's not like covering a fantastically written
Beatles song and taking it in adifferent direction.

Speaker 4 (01:51:31):
It's about all those details.

Speaker 3 (01:51:32):
It is about all those details yeah, that they put
into it and you can't reallycover that.
No, it's like.

Speaker 1 (01:51:37):
Brett said it's so much more than the sum of its
parts.
But, like you know, I want todisagree with you about the sort
of quality of the songunderneath.
That was my point about, with alittle help from my friends is
that I find it a bit middling asa song.
And then you listen to JoeCocker and you're like, oh wow,
there's a really good song herethat really and if you know that
coped with being translatedinto another form is actually

(01:51:57):
that probably isn't true of aday of the day in the life.

Speaker 2 (01:52:00):
It's just so incredible to listen to.
It's so transportive, isn't it?

Speaker 1 (01:52:04):
When he goes into that vocal after the McCartney
section.

Speaker 2 (01:52:07):
It's just like wow, you're always close to flying as
you can.

Speaker 1 (01:52:11):
Apparently, there's an ongoing debate that no one
has ever settled as to who'sdoing that.

Speaker 4 (01:52:18):
Oh really, I've always assumed that was.

Speaker 2 (01:52:20):
Lenin.

Speaker 1 (01:52:21):
I've always assumed it was Lenin, but apparently no
one has ever ever got to thebottom of it, and the more you
listen to it, the more you thinkit's the whoever beatle you
didn't start with.
Oh, is it?
Ringo, you've started like wehave with Lenin.

Speaker 2 (01:52:34):
No it wasn't Ringo.

Speaker 3 (01:52:37):
We can narrow down the investigation To three of
them?
Yes, I think we can narrow itdown to two.

Speaker 1 (01:52:41):
Oh it's okay.

Speaker 2 (01:52:45):
Superb.
Well, we need to.
You know how.
We need to end this podcast Ona massive hum, On a massive hum.

Speaker 1 (01:52:52):
Right.
Well, let's declare then a dayin the life the worthy winner of
the Sergeant Pepper episode ofMaka in the Goals Ready, here we
go.
Three, two, one.

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.css-r6mb8g{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:1;overflow:hidden;}Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

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Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (The Beatles)

Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang