Yesterday and Today

Beatles ’76 pt4

Wings conquer America! It's May of 1976 and Paul McCartney and Wings are making their way across North America on the latest leg of their triumphant WINGS OVER THE WORLD tour. While the stage was rumored to be set for a fab four reunion during the band's Toronto performance, John and Yoko's no-show once again derailed hopes for all four former Beatles to join forces once again - be it on or off the stage. John may not have made it, but George and Ringo had a great time witnessing Macca's 2+ hour electrifying set, as did the thousands of screaming fans that echoed the enthusiasm chanted by audiences at each stop on Wings' tour thus far. From Philadelphia to Maryland to Atlanta to Boston, McCartney's victory lap stretched on and on -- and after seeing Paul on stage, the conversation began to shift from Paul's former bandmates joining him, to the enjoyment of Paul himself. While the offers for the reunion of John, Paul, George and Ringo were far from a distant memory, one thing was for certain - you'd think that people seemed to have enough of silly love songs. But we look around us and we see it isn't so. Oh no. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beatles ’76 pt3

Live from New York, it's the Nerk Twins! It's the Spring of 1976 and Paul McCartney is on the verge of conquering America once again with his band Wings. Where The Beatles made history in 1964, Paul was poised to do so again, this time on his own merits and with the support of the band that many had laughed off as a forgettable side-project some four years earlier. Paul's newfound success was a lucky (and well-earned) twist of fate, but the fortune most surprising to Macca was perhaps the newfound friendship he enjoyed with his old bandmate and songwriting partner John Lennon. The two had rekindled a jovial relationship that most would have considered dead in the water earlier in the decade - but against all odds John and Paul found themselves on friendly footing in the spring of 1976. So friendly, in fact, that a reunion between the two on national television very nearly happened one windy April night - on NBC's hit new show Saturday Night. Lennon and McCartney sat giggling in John's Dakota apartment building as SNL's Lorne Michaels offered the former Beatles a measly sum to reunite on his program - a gag that proved nearly too tempting to resist for John and Paul. Though the pair ultimately decided not to take the trip down to Rockefeller plaza to accept the offer, many a laugh was shared, and it appearing an honest-to-goodness reunion wouldn't be too far-fetched to conceive of. But the next day, when an excited Paul showed up with a guitar in the hopes of writing songs with his friend John, the fates were less kind. April 26th, 1976 would go down in history as the last date in which John Lennon and Paul McCartney would see each other live and in person ever again... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beatles ’76 pt2

With successful tours of Britain, Australia and now Europe under his belt, Paul McCartney once again stood poised to take America by storm as he had with the Beatles over a decade prior. Back in 1964, The Beatles came to America with a new hit single and album to tout...would McCartney attempt to repeat that success with Wings? The answer came at audiences in America and around the world at the speed of sound, with the release of a new LP titled WINGS AT THE SPEED OF SOUND! This new album, released a mere few months after its successful predecessor VENUS & MARS, was recorded in the time the band would have taken to tour Japan - had the Japanese government not stopped the Wings tour from entering the country. With time on his hands and a fresh batch of tunes crafted on the road, Paul, Linda, Denny, Jimmy and Joe entered the studio to craft the most slick, radio-friendly LP of McCartney's entire post-Beatles career up to that point - complete with disco boogies, ear-worm pop jingles and a healthy dose of rock and roll for good measure. Unlike any other Wings record, WINGS AT THE SPEED OF SOUND features vocals from every member of the band, and original compositions from both Denny Laine and Jimmy McCulloch (with lyric contributions from Jimmy's writing partner Colin Allen on the hard-rocking Wino Junko). With wounds mended between he and his former colleagues, and with a 50 million dollar reunion concert offer still on the table, would the specter of The Beatles overshadow Macca's grand concert return to the USA? Or would his new #1 charting album lend a #1 charting single to seal the deal for American audiences? You know what they say...some people want to fill the world with silly love songs... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beatles ’76 pt1

It's 1976, and once again reunion rumors around the four former Beatles are reaching a fever pitch. This latest batch were inspired by full page advertisements taken out in several major US newspapers by concert promoter Bill Sargent. This zealous entertainment personality amped his original 30 million dollar offer to the former fabs to a whopping 50 MILLION - all for a 25 minute closed-circuit Beatles reunion concert to be broadcast around the world. Each ex-Beatle may have been living their own lives and enjoying the fruits of their own individual successes at the dawn of 1976, but a 50 million offer was enough to at the very least have been discussed...even if it, too, was summarily rejected by John, Paul, George and Ringo. Sargent wasn't the only one clamoring for Beatles content at the top of 1976 -- fan-festivals such as Beatlefest reveled in Beatles nostalgia and continued to gain momentum as the the 70s progressed, pulling its guest list from a varied array of insiders and affiliates from in and around the lives of the Beatles. One such insider was Mal Evans, who himself had graced the stage of Beatlefest the year prior...but on January 5th of 1976 a series of shocking events lead to the death of Mal in an officer-involved shooting. Mal played an integral role in Beatles history, and his tragic death left an aura of sorrow and uncertainty upon the new year for Beatles fans - but it wasn't the only death to rock the lives of the Beatles in the opening months of 1976. Both Paul McCartney's and John Lennon's respective fathers died within two short weeks of each other shortly thereafter - mirroring the events of their mother's respective passings nearly 20 years prior. Lennon's unresolved schism with his father was a dark cloud that hung upon John's life, and it was with bitter irony that John and Paul both found themselves mourning a parent's passing so close in proximity to one another in the weeks that followed... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Little Wing feat. Paul Salley

The Beatles are a big act to follow - but with Wings, Paul McCartney set his sights on not just surviving in a post-fab world, but soaring in one. From dingy college campus shows and rainy tour bus nights, to the astronomical heights of Wings Over the World, Macca's grand experiment grew to become one of the biggest musical enterprises in the world by the end of 1976. While earlier incarnations of the band showed glimmers of their potential, it wasn't until 1974 and the addition of guitarist virtuoso Jimmy McCulloch, that the group was able to make manifest the kind of success even McCartney himself would be taken aback by. Jimmy's hard rocking sound and staggering musical ability was the perfect compliment to bandmates Paul, Linda, Denny and Joe for 3 chart-topping studio albums and a slew of hit singles. In the years since leaving Wings, followed by his tragic death shortly thereafter, Jimmy's contributions to this worldwide phenomenon were largely down-played - tinged with stories of conflict and substance abuse. But Jimmy McCulloch's full tale will at last be told in the upcoming book Little Wing: The Jimmy McCulloch Story, written by Jimmy's biographer and our guest on the show today, Mr. Paul Salley. Paul's book is a labor of love years in the making, compiling interviews with insiders, colleagues and family in an endeavor to set the record straight about Jimmy's life. On today's episode we'll chat with Paul about Jimmy's various groups, his songwriting successes and learn more about the Wings member often referred to as "the whiz kid". We'd like to thank Paul for joining us on the show today, and encourage everyone to check out his Little Wing fan page for more on Jimmy and updates on his forthcoming book. Take us down, Jimmy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beatles ’75 pt11

It's the end of 1975, and this transformative year in Beatles history would in many ways set a new standard for John, Paul, George and Ringo in the latter half of the decade to follow. George Harrison's latest single, This Guitar (Can't Keep From Crying), taken from his modestly successful Extra Texture LP, would be the last single released on the original Apple label, and subsequently fail to enter the billboard hot 100 singles chart. George may have entered the 1970's as a musical force to be reckoned with, but this disappointing showing cast some doubt upon the former fab's future commercial vitality. The Beatle to beat at the end of 1975 was the previously D.O.A Paul McCartney, whose group Wings were still running singles up the charts from their Venus & Mars album in December of 1975. Blocked from the Japanese leg of their wildly successful Wings Over the World tour, Paul and Linda returned home for the holidays to work on tracks for a heretofore unplanned Venus & Mars follow-up LP. The McCartneys also made time to stop by the Dakota building in New York City to pay a visit to John & Yoko, who were busy tending to the newborn Sean Ono Lennon when Paul and Linda arrived on their doorstep singing Christmas carols. The arrival of Sean signified a seismic shift in John's personal life - as Lennon had begun clearing the decks of work-related projects since the advent of Yoko's pregnancy earlier in the year. Ringo Starr, meanwhile, may not have had an album release in 1975, but his greatest hits compilation Blast From Your Past satiated fans for content heading into the Christmas season. The changes fortified in 1975 would continue on into the new year, and 1976 was poised to be a landmark for the heights of former Beatle success... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beatles ’75 pt10

Paul McCartney may have been the former Beatle with the most to prove in the early days following the Beatles' breakup...but by the latter half of 1975 McCartney and his group Wings were the band to beat from his former colleagues. A slew of hit singles and 2 consecutive top albums made Wings one of the most influential and relevant sounds of the mid 1970s, with no sign of the group slowing down as they rounded the corner into 1976. While on tour in Australia, the Wings sound truly reached fruition, with new members Jimmy McCulloch and Joe English adding their own distinct flavor to McCartney & his cohorts night after night in the land down under. From Adelaide to Kingsford to Brisbane to Melbourne, Wings seemed unstoppable in their pop dominance...but it was't until their attempted entry into Japan that the band would experience their first major setback and serendipitously their next big break... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beatles ’75 pt9

It's the fall of 1975 and George Harrison's new LP Extra Texture is the most current musical offering from the former Beatles. For many, this album was a step in the right direction from the drug and depression-tinged Dark Horse LP from the year prior, in which the rock-bottom of George's personal life seemed to make its way to record. From the toe-tapping You (the album's first single and a top 20 hit in the US) to Smokey Robinson inspired tracks like Can't Stop Thinking about You, to the downright irreverent His Name Is 'Legs' (Ladies and Gentlemen), Extra Texture showed the world a George Harrison that was slowing inching his way back to the heights of earlier in the decade. Paul McCartney was busy eyeing new heights as well, with a massive world tour underway for his band Wings - flying high on the success of their Venus & Mars album from earlier in the year. As the band made their way halfway around the world for the Australian leg of the Wings Over The World tour, Wings found itself on the cusp of power-pop domination not seen for any former Beatle since their touring heyday. But while Paul and George had renewed commercial success on the mind, John Lennon was busy welcoming a great personal success to the world. Sean Ono Lennon was born to proud parents John & Yoko on John's 35th birthday, October 9th, 1975. This warm moment of family and new possibilities stood in stark contrast to the disarray of Lennon's so-called "lost weekend" in years prior, and signaled yet another big change for John in the years to come... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

100th Episode Celebration!

We're celebrating 100 episodes of the Yesterday & Today Podcast! This over-sized anniversary spectacular is packed with special guests, special features, music, memories and more - and we can't wait for you all to hear it. On January 27th, 2018, the Yesterday & Today podcast went live for the first time, bringing to the internet airwaves a Beatles chronology over 20 years in the making. Now here we are, 100 episodes later, and we'd like to take this opportunity to thank our listeners with a special episode celebrating not only the life of the podcast, but the lives of the many Beatles fans who listen to our show. In this episode we'll hear from Wayne Kaminski, creator of the Yesterday & Today podcast, about how the project grew and evolved from its cassette tape beginnings in the early 90's - up through the latest remastering process you've been enjoying in each and every episode. But that's not all - we put out the call for fans of the show to submit their OWN special Beatles memories, and our lovely listeners from around the world answered that call and then some! In this special 100th episode celebration you'll hear from our wonderful audience, as well as from some very special guests - guests ranging from top Beatle podcasters to folks directly connected to the Beatle world and beyond! Our heartfelt thanks to everyone who listens to the show, and to those who contributed to our 100th episode celebration. A pleasant time is guaranteed for all! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beatles ’75 pt8

It's the fall of 1975, and the decade that brought so much music from the four former Beatles has reached its halfway point. It seems John, Paul, George and Ringo have each made peace with the band's demise, but big changes were still in store for their respective personal lives in the coming months. Paul McCartney was at the top of the singles and LP charts with his mega-hit Venus & Mars album and corresponding toe-tapper Listen To What The Man Said. Wings was flying so high, in fact, that the band embarked on an ambitious year-long World Tour, the first such tour from any former Beatle in a decade. As the Macca festivities kicked off in the UK, Ringo Starr was in attendance...albeit without his wife Maureen, who divorced Starr on the grounds of adultery in July. By contrast, John Lennon's once-rocky marriage to Yoko Ono was seemingly back in full swing, with the couple expecting their first child in the coming weeks. All recording for John would be halted in preparation for the baby, though Lennon's songwriting and creativity would blossom in other ways during the advent of this so-called "house-husband" period. George Harrison was finished recording as well, but not for long. On September 22nd Apple released the brand new LP Extra Texture, and its first single You was quick to make the top20. George's latest record was a step into the light from the dark and somber Dark Horse album, and Hari 's songs were at last back on track to mainstream appeal... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.