Yesterday and Today

Beatles ’89 pt3

The eventful Beatle year of 1989 rolls on with a brand new release, and a brand new batch of critical acclaim for Paul McCartney. Still reeling from the critical failures of his last two projects of original material, Paul's so-called comeback album at last reached shelves -- the LP Flower in the Dirt -- and it did NOT disappoint. Through Macca's musical collaboration with Elvis Costello, plus a band of fresh and like-minded musicians playing strong material, this new record reasserted Paul's position as master of his craft...a position which was slowly but definitely evolving beyond success in the moment... into a success as a legacy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Pete Best Interview

The Yesterday & Today Podcast is proud to present an all-new extended interview with the one and only Pete Best! This summer, Pete hits the road with the Pete Best Band throughout North America, and we're here to talk to the former Beatle about his upcoming live appearances and much more. In 2008, Pete released the LP Hayman's Green, a rock'n'roll retrospective of Liverpool's music scene, the roots of the Best family and a look forward at life beyond The Beatles for one of rock's most storied figures. We'll discuss his solo music, his time with John, Paul, George and Stu, a firsthand account of 1995's Beatles Anthology and of course the one and only Casbah Coffee Club located at 8 Hayman's Green, Liverpool. We'd like to thank Pete, Roag and the entire Best family for this wonderful interview, and we hope you'll all catch Pete on tour this summer! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beatles ’89 pt2

It's March 1989 and a new solo album from Julian Lennon is fresh on the stands - a stylistic departure titled Mr. Jordan. This latest effort in some ways marked the end of Julian's success streak as a pop star, though the effort did still manage to chart in the US, Canada and even go top 20 in the Australian market. While John Lennon's eldest son endeavored to craft musical distance from his late father, Paul McCartney and George Harrison maintained the break-neck pace that had come to signify activity in the late 80s former Beatle world by each heading into the studio. McCartney's cover of the Gerry & the Pacemakers classic Ferry Cross the Mersey was a charity single intended to raise money for the victims and families of victims of the Hillsborough disaster in Liverpool. Harrison's new composition? A freshly penned tune with fellow Wilbury Tom Petty... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beatles ’89 pt1

It's 1989 and George Harrison is still riding high on the success of the debut Traveling Wilburys LP! Of all the former Beatles, Harrison's late-80s resurgence resonated with near-universal public and critical acclaim, and the momentum of successful collaboration between George and producer Jeff Lynne showed no signs of slowing down. Also on an upturn in the early weeks of the year was Ringo Starr, whose newfound sobriety triggered an abundance of activity -- from starring in the PBS children's television show Shining Time Station (as the unflappable Mr. Conductor) to a collection of recent selections dubbed Star Struck: The Best of Ringo Starr vol2. Meanwhile, the release of the LP Spike by Elvis Costello heralded the coming of newly co-written material with Paul McCartney - material destined for McCartney's own resurgence in the months to come... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beatles ’88 pt7

It's the end of the line for 1988, and the beginning of the epic super-group: The Traveling Wilburys! With the release of their debut LP ``Volume 1", George Harrison and friends Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison and Jim Keltner floored both modern and classic rockers alike with a signature blend of harmony, guitar, and rambler-style songcraft. Listeners of the day, curious to know if the band could live up to the heights of their strong debut single Handle With Care, were not disappointed. From the joyous noise of Heading for the Light to the often-hilarious lyrics of Dirty World, six old friends proved to the masses that age has nothing to do with good music, and that the combined talents of otherwise disparate musicians could amount to something spectacular. Of course the December 6th passing of bandmate Roy Orbison would put a damper on the otherwise happy affair - still, through the heartache and pain, the music of the Traveling Wilburys was a beacon of comfort to those who might need to hear that they were not alone anymore... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beatles ’88 pt6

A flurry of developments in the lives and legacies of all four former Beatles permeated October 1988, starting with the debut of the feature-length IMAGINE film chronicling the life of John Lennon, opening in movie theaters across the world. This template for future Beatles archival projects was met with warm embrace by John's fans, and was an important milestone in the preservation of film footage and audio artifacts from throughout Lennon's life. Another former Beatle in preservation mode was Ringo Starr, having finally sought help for alcoholism with his wife Barbara Bach later in the month. After decades of substance abuse Ringo has resolved to clean up, so as to evade the fates of his less fortunate and departed friends and fellow rockers. And lastly a new single, from a super-group calling themselves "the Traveling Wilburys"... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beatles ’88 pt5

It's the summer of 1988 and a fresh wave of "Lennon Fever" was sweeping its way across pop culture. In this case, however, not all of the attention on the late great John Lennon was positive - case in point the scathing, unapologetic, and often needlessly cruel biography called The Lives of John Lennon by author Albert Goldman. Goldman's feet were held to the fire by a furious but captivated public...glued to the drama by a media apparatus unable to look away from this trainwreck of a depiction of John's life in book form. While this circus took a toll on Yoko Ono, the Lennon clan nevertheless soldiered onward with its own various rebuttals to the Goldman narrative, and a dose of positivity as well. Not only was the forthcoming theatrical release of the Imagine documentary poised to reignite positive memories of the Beatles and of Lennon's successful solo works, but a star on the Hollywood walk of fame put to pavement a legacy that would, despite its occasional cracks, endure for generations to come. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beatles ’88 pt4

As the summer of 1988 heats up, a new super-group emerges from the primordial soup of rock'n'roll...they are The Traveling Wilburys. Born from a supplementary recording session in support of George Harrison's latest Cloud 9 single, George (aka Nelson Wilbury) was joined by fellow music legends Tom Petty, Jeff lynne, Bob Dylan and Roy Orbison to produce the superb track Handle With Care -- quickly deemed too good to be buried on an extended single release. Of course music and activity continued respectively for Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr at this time, but for the Yesterday & Today podcast we will linger with George for a moment, as opportunity knocks at Friar Park... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beatles ’88 pt3

It was a busy March in 1988, with new music, releases, conventions and interviews surrounding the world of the former Beatles. First up, a first since the Beatle days with George Harrison and Ringo Starr conducting an interview together for the television program Aspel & Company. This eventful exchange covered topics ranging from the death of John Lennon, the status of ex-Beatle relationships, lawsuits from the 70s and much more. In the new releases category, George's new single This Is Love is snatched up from the Cloud 9 LP -- and The Beatles CD leases wrap up with Past Masters (collecting singles and b-sides not yet released on the format). New recordings emerge with George Harrison's Ride Rajbun and Paul McCartney's collaboration with Johnny Cash titled New Moon Over Jamaica...plus a new song from a gathering of a special set of musicians calling themselves the Traveling Wilburys... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beatles ’88 pt2

It's February 1988 and the promotional tour for George Harrison's Cloud 9 album remains in full swing. The former Beatle who often seemed the most uncomfortable with press tours was now in the thick of one, this time labeled as a "come back" story which further fried the nervous system. To cope, George (along with Cloud 9 producer Jeff Lynne) showed up for the radio program Rockline a few glugs too deep, and gave host Bob Coburn one of the most candid interviews Harrison would ever produce in his lifetime. Still, despite the annoyances of a media blitz, the "come back" narrative was hard to ignore - as Cloud 9 continued to sell gangbusters with the record buying crowd and its newest single, When We Was Fab, cracking the top 25 on both sides of the Atlantic... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.