Yesterday and Today

Latest Episodes:

Episode 62 – Beatles ’72 pt7 May 20, 2019

Show notes

With the sting of critical and commercial failure for their Some Time In New York City double album still lingering in the air, John and Yoko let trepidation be damned in the name of a charitable cause to take the stage at Madison Square Garden in the waning weeks of summer 1972. The One to One benefit concert was organized on short notice by Geraldo Rivera, following his expose of the appalling treatment of handicapped children at the Willowbrook State School in Staten Island. With enthusiastic support from the Lennons, Geraldo’s event would bring a Beatle back to the Garden for a charitable cause in the span of a year - the last being George Harrison’s historic Concert for Bangladesh. John and Yoko were backed by the Elephant’s Memory Band, and Lennon tore through a hurriedly-rehearsed set of solo songs, covers and even the Beatles’ Come Together across two performances that late August day. While the shows left John energized, the reviews were once again harsh - a blow that would derail any future touring plans for John and send him once again to a dark place. John wasn’t the only former fab to struggle in the latter half of 1972 - Paul McCartney’s home was raided on drug charges, and Ringo Starr’s former band leader Rory Storm died alongside his mother in their Liverpool home on September 28th. George Harrison, however, found himself back in the studio developing tracks for the follow-up to his mega-successful All Thing Must Pass...

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 61 – Beatles ’72 pt6 May 06, 2019

Show notes

Paul McCartney and Wings may have had a rough time taking off, but by the summer of 1972 things were looking skyward for the band as their Wings Over Europe tour rolled on. Enthusiastic word of mouth from across Europe hailed Macca’s new band as an electric live experience, with thunderous renditions of tunes from McCartney, RAM and Wild Life, an eclectic mix of covers such as Blue Moon of Kentucky and Long Tall Sally, plus brand new material being tested on eager audiences each and every night. When the tour did finally roll to a close, Wings was in tight formation, ready to head back into the studio and deliver the goods! Meanwhile, in America, John and Yoko retreated to San Francisco to clear their heads and lick their wounds following the rough release of their Sometime in New York City double LP. It was in San Francisco where the couple met up with investigative journalist Geraldo Rivera, who was covering the Lennons struggle to uncover the whereabouts of Yoko’s daughter Kyoko. In the midst of this report, conversation between John, Yoko and Geraldo turned to a recent story the journalist had run on appalling conditions at the Willowbrook home for handicapped children in New York. John and Yoko were inspired to action, but it was Geraldo who suggested the couple use their talents to generate some real money through a charity concert at Madison Square Garden...

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 60 – Beatles ’72 pt5 Apr 22, 2019

Show notes

It’s June of 1972 and a new double album from John Lennon and Yoko Ono has arrived: Some Time In New York City. After the critical and commercial success of John’s Imagine LP the year before, the table seemed to be set for a smash-hit follow-up in this massive 4-sided package...but that success was not to be. Taking inspiration from the couple’s political activism since their arrival as permanent NYC residents in the summer of ‘71, Some Time In New York City was intended to be listened to as a newspaper of sorts, a snapshot of the times and a reflection of the beliefs that the couple held most dear. To many in the record-buying public, however, Some Time (and its hefty double album price tag) read like a smattering of complaints and hollow rhetoric, further alienating the couple from those outside the radical community. Right or wrong, John and Yoko were taken aback by the failure of the record and plans for a tour seemed to be in jeopardy. Paul McCartney, meanwhile, decided to take the touring plunge with WINGS, launching the the very first major headlining concert tour by any Beatle since the band ceased touring in 1966. WINGS OVER EUROPE saw Paul, Linda, Denny, Henry and Denny in red-hot form after the training grounds of English University gigs, and the band was already knee-deep into the recording of the follow-up to their LP Wild Life...

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 59 – Beatles ’72 pt4 Apr 08, 2019

Show notes

Though only living in New York City for about a year, John and Yoko had became synonymous with their adopted home by the Spring of 1972. The Nixon administration, however, had other ideas. Basing their case on John’s 1968 Cannabis conviction, the US Government set their sights on deporting the politically outspoken Lennon from the United States in advance of the 1972 Presidential Election. John’s growing contacts in the radical community drew the watchful eye of FBI Director J Edgar Hoover and the Nixon White House, both anxious to avoid a repeat of the 1968 “Chicago 7” protests outside the Democratic National Convention. Complicating matters further was the continued disappearance of Anthony Cox, Yoko Ono’s ex-husband who went into hiding with their daughter Kyoko somewhere in America. Were the Lennons to be deported, a reunion between mother and daughter would be rendered impossible, and the fight to remain in America began. Meanwhile, in England, Paul McCartney and Wings had also found themselves in political hot water after their single Give Ireland Back To The Irish was banned by the BBC. In response to this, or in spite of it, the band’s next single was decided more innocuous, the sunshine nursery rhyme Mary Had A Little Lamb. With a children’s opus on the charts, Wings rehearsed for their first major tour of Europe. But Paul and Linda’s scrappy new band wouldn’t be the only former Beatle to be banned in ‘72...

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 58 – Beatles ’72 pt3 Mar 25, 2019

Show notes

The Wings University tour has drawn to a close, and Paul McCartney’s plan to start from scratch had taken shape exactly as he had hoped it would. Wings was now a tested group, with a tight set and the kind of camaraderie you can only get from dividing up pound notes in a pub along the open road. And so the band embarked again into the studio, ready to put their new sound to record on a brand new LP project...but Paul’s lucky streak was about to run out. The latest Wings single, Give Ireland Back to the Irish, was banned on the BBC and under-performed on the US charts (though did manage to climb to the #1 spot in Ireland and...Spain?). While controversy may have been expected on their protest song single, producer and old friend Glyn Johns walking out on the new Wings LP recording session came as more of a surprise...and a shock. Ringo, meanwhile, found himself on a hot streak of singles, this time with the monstrous Back Off Boogaloo - inspired by newfound friend Marc Bolan of T.Rex. The pair would even film a movie on the grounds of John & Yoko’s former Tittenhurst Park estate, which was made possible by the Lennons’ finding a permanent new home across the pond in New York City. That is, if the Nixon administration doesn’t get to them first...

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 57 – Beatles ’72 pt2 Mar 11, 2019

Show notes

Already an album deep and plus one new lead guitarist, Paul McCartney’s new band was poised for takeoff in the early months of 1972. But Wings had a ways to go before flying high, and Paul wisely resolved to break the band in on a low-stakes, unannounced English University tour to help find and focus their sound. From York to Newcastle and everywhere in-between, Paul, the Dennys, Linda and Henry loaded up the van to take their rock and roll on the road. Meanwhile, in New York City, John and Yoko continued to settle into their new home with a weeklong stint on popular late night talk show, The Mike Douglas Show. This extended appearance would carry with it iconic musical performances, interviews with celebrities and political radicals alike, and a very special meeting between John and his boyhood idol Chuck Berry. It was an unforgettable event and helped to remind the American public that the Lennons were here to stay. As winter turns to Spring, both Lennon and McCartney would find themselves back in the studio preparing new solo albums...

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 56 – Beatles ’72 pt1 Feb 25, 2019

Show notes

It’s 1972! While the dream of The Beatles may have been left behind in sixties, this new year saw with it a boom in activity from the solo careers of John, Paul, George and Ringo. John & Yoko’s new home of New York City certainly made the couple feel welcome, despite the David Frost Show exchange that had ended in a shouting match with audience members the December prior. Undeterred from their political endeavors, the couple launched into another series of protests in the new year, as well as a new series of recordings to capture the various protest songs they had written over the past several months. While John may have been the most outspoken activist of his former bandmates, one issue managed to capture and inspire both Lennon and McCartney to songwriting action: Bloody Sunday. The plight of the Irish drove Paul’s new band Wings into the recording studio in early 1972 to record Give Ireland Back to the Irish, which would join John’s Luck of the Irish and Sunday Bloody Sunday in the cannon of former Beatle support for the Irish cause. Another major move for Paul McCartney and Wings was also around the corner, in the form of a planned university tour of Great Britain in the weeks and months to come...

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 55 – The Story So Far... (feat. Ryan Brady) Feb 18, 2019

Show notes

Welcome to the story so far! In this episode we discuss some of the key events from the winter of 1969 right up until the end of 1971, and a LOT has transpired in those two short years. Hosts Paul, James and Wayne discuss the Beatles break-up, the formation of Wings, John and Yoko’s evolution and the ascendance of George Harrison as a musical force to be reckoned with. With a lot to unpack in this episode, you’d think we wouldn’t have time for much else...but abandon your sorrow - we have something special up our sleeves! This episode of Yesterday features a crossover with the hit Paul McCartney solo podcast TAKE IT AWAY, as co-host Ryan Brady journeys out into the Los Angeles night with Paul Kaminski to witness a screening of the Wings concert film “The Bruce McMouse Show” at the Arclight in Hollywood. Paul and Ryan discuss Wings, podcasting and the pluses and minuses of anatomical correctness on cartoon mice in this ride along the red rose speedway. So join us for recap, fun on the open road and some surprises along the way in this very special episode, and be back again in 2 weeks for the beginning of 1972!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 54 – Beatles ’71 pt8 Feb 11, 2019

Show notes

It’s the end of 1971 and John and Yoko have truly made New York City their home. Newfound neighbors such as self-proclaimed dirty hippy David Peel and fellow cyclist Bob Dylan were helping the couple fit right in to the big apple (pun) lifestyle. But it was their new friends in the radical community such as Jerry Rubin who were making the biggest impression on the politically outspoken Lennons. Tangible success at last befell the couple in the cause of the imprisoned MC5 manager John Sinclair, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison for attempting to give two joints to an undercover police officer two years earlier. Following a rally headlined by John and Yoko, who penned a new song for the occasion, Sinclair was released from prison and New York’s newest residents found themselves emboldened to use their celebrity for similarly targeted causes. From the plight of the Irish to the women’s liberation movement, John and Yoko made their voices heard...but it was the tragedy of Attica State which would spark the most heated debate between the former Beatle and his new neighbors. One cause the couple was no longer ready to fight for? The conflict with Paul McCartney. At last a reconciliation between the most influential songwriting duo of the 20th century was reached, but by the end of 1971 the last thing on the minds of John, Paul, George and Ringo was a reunion. Political activism, starring film roles, unlikely success and new bands were just the tip of the iceberg for the rest of the 1970’s to come...

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 53 – Beatles ’71 pt7 Feb 04, 2019

Show notes

Emboldened by the slow-burn success of RAM, and anxious to prove himself in life beyond The Beatles, Paul McCartney was at last ready to reveal to the world the ambitious new project he had been working on for months. Enter: WINGS. In the years since The Beatles left live performance behind, John, George and Ringo had each found themselves back in the spotlight for concerts in one form or another, but curiously the Beatle who loved playing before an audience the most had shied away from taking the stage the longest. Those days were now over, as Paul McCartney’s new band prepared to take flight on the back of a brand new album: Wild Life. This was a rough-edged, garage-rock-ey band effort that was perhaps more akin to the Get Back project than its more polished predecessor - with jam tracks like the unruly Mumbo and wandering organ crooning on its eponymous Wild Life. Like nearly all of McCartney’s initial solo endeavors, Wings was off to a shaky start with this LP, failing to crack the top 10 in his native England and spawning no single-worthy tracks to help buoy sales. But Paul wasn’t the only former Beatle struggling with a launch in the fall of ‘71 - when George Harrison appeared on the Dick Cavett show to promote the Apple film Raga, America learned of the struggle to release the long-awaited Concert for Bangladesh soundtrack album, stemming from a sales dispute with Apple’s American distributor Capitol Records. The struggles of solo flight would continue into the winter, but prove to be the growing pains of four artists who were discovering just what it meant to pave their own path forward...

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected