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This week marks what would have been George Harrison’s birthday… or is it birthdays? So we pulled one of our most popular episodes out of the archives in his honor. We’re looking at George’s early life in Liverpool, his all-encompassing guitar obsession, and the talent that even impressed the much-older John Lennon. Plus, we attempt to get to the bottom of the age-old question: what is George’s actual birthday? Links we mentioned: Rebeat's interview with Louise Harrison George's childhood home on AirBnB   --------------------- Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter/X for photos, videos, and more from this episode & past episodes — we’re @bcthebeatles everywhere. Follow BC the Beatles on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you’re listening now. Buy us a coffee! www.ko-fi.com/bcthebeatles Contact us at bcthebeatles@gmail.com.

This Valentine's Day, we're reading some of the love letters fans sent to the Beatles 60 years ago this year, published in 1964's Love Letters to the Beatles. Plus a recap of the 2024 Fest for Beatles Fans at the fabulous TWA hotel! --------------------- +Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter/X for photos, videos, and more from this episode & past episodes — we’re @bcthebeatles everywhere.+Follow BC the Beatles on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you’re listening now.+Buy us a coffee! www.ko-fi.com/bcthebeatles+Contact us at bcthebeatles@gmail.com.

It’s the 60th anniversary of the Beatles’ first American visit and their groundbreaking appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show. We’re tracing the twists and turns that brought the Beatles to America, and opened the doors to a cultural revolution in the process. And we tell the story of Erika’s grandfather, the jazz guitarist who met the Beatles, got his picture taken by none other than Paul McCartney, and maybe… overdubbed George Harrison on The Ed Sullivan Show? Rebeat’s interview with Louise Harrison More about Erika’s grandfather, Hy White, and his encounter with the Beatles “Take My Break, Please:” McCall and Brill’s opportunity of a lifetime—an appearance on Ed Sullivan—became a disaster, thanks to being on the bill with the Beatles (This American Life) --------------------- +Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter/X for photos, videos, and more from this episode & past episodes — we’re @bcthebeatles everywhere.+Follow BC the Beatles on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you’re listening now.+Buy us a coffee! www.ko-fi.com/bcthebeatles+Contact us at bcthebeatles@gmail.com.

This week, we welcome Dr. Richard Mills, author of the book The Beatles and Fandom: Sex, Death, and Progressive Nostalgia, as we discuss the intricacies of Beatles fandom in all its glory. From sex and death to slash fanfic and tribute bands, join us for this fun trip down the rabbit hole of the quirky, creative, and sometimes freaky fan world. Read the AMAZING “Into My Life” fanfic: https://www.alsfrombothsides.org/intomylife/index.html --------------------- +Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter/X for photos, videos, and more from this episode & past episodes — we’re @bcthebeatles everywhere+Follow BC the Beatles on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you’re listening now+Buy us a coffee! www.ko-fi.com/bcthebeatles+Contact us at bcthebeatles@gmail.com

The infamous "Butcher" cover inspired near-universal shock and disgust when it appeared as the original cover of The Beatles' Yesterday...and Today album. It was recalled after a single day, and albums with a butcher cover hidden underneath the replacement photo became one of the most highly-sought-after Beatles collectibles. But how much do you really know about the butcher cover? We go through all the twists and turns of this fascinating story, including: The incredible way the photographer, Bob Whitaker, entered the Beatles' orbit; The wild photo session that produced the butcher images (along with some even crazier photos); The struggle between The Beatles and Capitol over using the Butcher image as an album cover; Capitol's panic and the herculean efforts they undertook to recall (and even bury) 750,000 albums; The cover's legacy as a collector's item; and What this chapter in The Beatles' story tells us about their evolution as the 1960s progressed. We also discuss whether the recall was necessary in hindsight, and one of us reveals a lifelong fascination with doll heads. --------------------- +Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter/X for photos, videos, and more from this episode & past episodes — we’re @bcthebeatles everywhere.+Follow BC the Beatles on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you’re listening now.+Buy us a coffee! www.ko-fi.com/bcthebeatles+Contact us at bcthebeatles@gmail.com.

This week, we're exploring the Beatles' fashion sense and influence with Deirdre Kelly, author of the new book Fashioning the Beatles: The Looks that Shook the World. Deirdre is a Canadian journalist, author and arts critic. Other books include the best-selling Paris Times Eight and Ballerina: Sex, Scandal and Suffering Behind the Symbol of Perfection. Deirdre previously served as dance critic, pop music reviewer, and fashion reporter at The Globe and Mail, Toronto’s flagship newspaper. In 2017, she was appointed Editor and principal writer of the The York University Magazine, where she currently works. She has also been published in Marie Claire in London, Elle in New York, Vogue in Australia and is a writer for the arts e-zine, Critics At Large, in Toronto. --------------------- +Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter/X for photos, videos, and more from this episode & past episodes — we’re @bcthebeatles everywhere.+Follow BC the Beatles on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you’re listening now.+Buy us a coffee! www.ko-fi.com/bcthebeatles+Contact us at bcthebeatles@gmail.com.

The Beatles’ Anthology yielded more than an audio trip through the group’s history, it also produced the first “new” Beatles song since the band’s breakup in 1970. Utilizing a demo recorded by John Lennon in the 1970s, “Free As a Bird” became a sensation, with many fans likening its premiere to the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show. This is the story of how that track came to be, its reception, and the history behind its iconic music video. --------------------- +Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter/X for photos, videos, and more from this episode & past episodes — we’re @bcthebeatles everywhere.+Follow BC the Beatles on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you’re listening now.+Buy us a coffee! www.ko-fi.com/bcthebeatles+Contact us at bcthebeatles@gmail.com.

For our last holiday hiatus episode, we’re going back to our archives again, to look at a New Year's day that may have been one of the most pivotal moments in the Beatles’ career. After just one month of being their manager, Brian Epstein arranged something that was unthinkable even weeks before — an audition with Decca, one of the UK’s top record labels.  So on a freezing New Year's Day in 1962, the Beatles made a treacherous trip down to London, playing an eclectic mix of rock, standards, and Lennon-McCartney originals. It didn't go so well—the Beatles lost that contract to a competitor group, Brian Poole and the Tremeloes. But that first rejection may have been a key to the Beatles' whole story going forward. And not only the Beatles’ story, but Brians, George Martin’s, and possibly even the entire British Invasion movement. So on this New Year’s week, we discuss a pivotal New Year's in the Beatles' history and ask the question: Would the Beatles have been the band we know today if they had passed the audition? --------------------- +Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter/X for photos, videos, and more from this episode & past episodes — we’re @bcthebeatles everywhere.+Follow BC the Beatles on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you’re listening now.+Buy us a coffee! www.ko-fi.com/bcthebeatles+Contact us at bcthebeatles@gmail.com.

For the last episode of 2023, we're re-living the most exciting thing to happen in the Beatles world this year: the release of "the last Beatles song," 'Now and Then.' When 'Now and Then' was released in November, Allison joined a roundtable discussion with friends from two other Beatles podcasts: Tommy, Becker, and RB from Blotto Beatles; and Jonathan from Ranking the Beatles. They talked about everything — the arrangement, the song’s history, Peter Jackson’s video, the Red and Blue releases, and that controversial cover art.  And if you don’t know these other two podcasts, pop over to their feeds and give them a listen afterwards—they're both fantastic. Enjoy, and happy new year! --------------------- +Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter/X for photos, videos, and more from this episode & past episodes — we’re @bcthebeatles everywhere.+Follow BC the Beatles on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you’re listening now.+Buy us a coffee! www.ko-fi.com/bcthebeatles+Contact us at bcthebeatles@gmail.com.

We’re taking a break for the holiday season, so we pulled a fun and timely discussion from our back catalog. In this episode from December, 2018, we look at the two most famous—and most polarizing—holiday songs from the solo Beatles: Paul's "Wonderful Christmastime" and John's "Happy Xmas (War is Over)." Are these two songs as far apart from each other as they seem? Other songs/versions we reference in the episode: “Wonderful Christmastime” — Shins cover (2012) “Wonderful Christmastime” — Monkees cover (2018) Miley Cyrus, Mark Ronson ft. Sean Ono Lennon - "Happy Xmas (War is Over)" Official Performance (2018) “Listen, the Snow is Falling” (Plastic Ono Band, 1971) --------------------- +Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter/X for photos, videos, and more from this episode & past episodes — we’re @bcthebeatles everywhere.+Follow BC the Beatles on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you’re listening now.+Buy us a coffee! www.ko-fi.com/bcthebeatles+Contact us at bcthebeatles@gmail.com

Mal Evans is best known as the Beatles’ roadie, but he was much more: a trusted confidant, driver, Mr. Fix-It, drug procurer, and, most importantly, husband and father. Today, we’re joined by Mal’s son, Gary, and the author of the new biography Living the Beatles’ Legend: The Untold Mal Evans Story, Kenneth Womack, to discuss Mal’s life, legacy, hidden talents, and why the Beatles wouldn’t have been the same without him. CW: gun violence; death by suicide --------------------- +Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter/X for photos, videos, and more from this episode & past episodes — we’re @bcthebeatles everywhere.+Follow BC the Beatles on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you’re listening now.+Buy us a coffee! www.ko-fi.com/bcthebeatles+Contact us at bcthebeatles@gmail.com.

Did you know that George and Giles Martin have their own action figures? When Giles Martin saw the action figure that designer David McGurk created of his father, George Martin, he liked it so much that he arranged for it to sell in the Abbey Road store. That limited run of 100 action figures sold out within hours. David McGurk makes a variety of retro pop culture action figures through his company, Lightening Boltz Action figures. And George and Giles Martin aren’t the only Beatles-related figures he’s made. Some are of the Beatles themselves, but he also creates likenesses of people in the Beatles’ wider circle like Paul McCartney’s dad Jim Mac, and more recently, two versions of Brian Epstein.  David joined us to about his work; his love of the Beatles; and his recent experiences with Giles Martin, Abbey Road Studios, and even Paul McCartney himself. Follow David on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightning_boltz_action_figures/ or visit his website: https://lightningboltztoys.bigcartel.com/ --------------------- +Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter/X for photos, videos, and more from this episode & past episodes — we’re @bcthebeatles everywhere.+Follow BC the Beatles on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you’re listening now.+Buy us a coffee! www.ko-fi.com/bcthebeatles+Contact us at bcthebeatles@gmail.com.