Yesterday and Today

Beatles ’81 pt2

It's spring 1981 and Ringo Starr is on a whirlwind press tour to promote his new film Caveman. By his side - newfound love and freshly minted bride Barbara Bach, Ringo's co-star in the film and acclaimed actress in her own right. On April 27th the couple tied the knot accompanied by friends and family, amongst them George Harrison and Paul McCartney. Paul, meanwhile, spent the spring continuing work on his forthcoming solo LP at Air Studios London with producer and longtime friend George Martin...and it was evident from these sessions that this record would be something truly special... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beatles ’81 pt1

With the tragic events of the year prior fresh in everyone's minds, the year 1981 began with a whimper and a lament for the loss of John Lennon to such a senseless act of gun violence. Grief can take many forms, and in the case of John's devastated longtime friend and collaborator Paul McCartney, work would prove to be the best medicine. Plans for Wings to take to the studio were scuttled in favor of recording sessions on the secluded Island of Montserrat...far away from the troubles of home and in the company of old friend and Beatles producer George Martin. As February rolled into March, Paul and George played host to many a musical friend - from the iconic Carl Perkins and Stevie Wonder, to fellow former Beatle (and now, sadly, only one of 3 living to hold the title) Ringo Starr. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beatles ’80 pt9

December 8th, 1980. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beatles ’80 pt8

It's November 1980, and John & Yoko's new LP Double Fantasy is inching up the charts. Reviews were mixed to start, but no one (critic or fan alike) could deny that it was a relief to have new John Lennon material after so many years of musical silence. The album's lead-off single (Just Like) Starting Over had cracked the top 20 on both sides of the Atlantic, and the Lennons were conducting a whirlwind of interviews and publicity pieces to pound the drum of their return. While the other former Beatles settled in for the holiday season (Ringo preparing a Caribbean getaway in the Bahamas with girlfriend Barbara Bach, the McCartneys and the Harrisons back home in England), all seemed calm in the Beatle world, all seemed right... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beatles ’80 pt7

It's fall, 1980 and all four former Beatles are buzzing with musical activity. In September Ringo Starr resumed sessions on his upcoming You Can't Fight Lightning LP at Cherokee Sound Studios, laying down cuts such as "Brandy" and seeking the commercial resurgence that had alluded him for nearly 5 years. Paul McCartney, meanwhile, reconvened his band Wings for rehearsals at Kent's Finston Manor, prepping tracks for a new LP themselves and eyeing a return to the tour that had been derailed at the top of the year by Paul's drug bust. Then, on November 17th, Geffen Records release John Lennon and Yoko Ono's new LP Double Fantasy LP - the triumphant return to studio recording that fans had waited so long to hear. But were the reviews up to Lennon's expectations? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beatles ’80 pt6

John and Yoko are back in the studio moving a mile a minute to produce not one, but TWO comeback records, after their 5 year long hiatus. The studio time was vastly different from prior recordings, as booze and drugs were limited and Sean was brought in from time to time to check in on the recordings and add to the familial atmosphere. Paul McCartney, meanwhile, continued his own recordings at Rude Studio for the next Wings LP, and George Harrison wrapped sessions for his upcoming LP Somewhere In England. But despite his nearly 20 years of experience in the recording industry, Harrison was about to encounter something he never experienced...his album was about to be rejected by the label... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beatles ’80 pt5

The Hit Factory, New York's oft-base of operations for some of the biggest names in recorded music, was once again brimming with the sounds of new John Lennon songs in August of 1980. With a 5 year absence separating recording sessions for Lennon, the burst of creative energy spawned earlier in the year was quickly building up into a new studio album for both John AND Yoko. From songs like Starting Over and Steppin' Out to an unlikely collaboration with rock band Cheap Trick, John was back in a big way...and even more importantly: he was having FUN. With both George and Ringo also in the studio cutting tracks for their next respective albums, 1980 was turning out to be one of the most productive post-breakup periods of activity for the four former Beatles... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beatles ’80 pt4

It's the summer of 1980 and a flurry of recording and activity abounds for all four former Beatles. The most surprising of which is that of John Lennon who, after having spent several years not seriously pursuing the writing of tracks for an album release, suddenly found himself with "creativity diarrhea" after a harrowing sea voyage to Bermuda. By the end of July John was on his way back to New York making plans to re-enter the studio for the first time in nearly 5 years. With inspiration at a peak for Lennon, McCartney found himself preparing songs as well...albeit with the feeling of "going through the motions" as it pertained to his band Wings. The group was still technically functional despite a solo release from Macca earlier in the year, but time was proving to run out on Paul's grand musical experiment of the 1970s. Ringo Starr, too, was hard at work on sessions for his then-titled new LP You Can't Fight Lightning, which saw contributions from the aforementioned Wings on the album's title track. With all this new music in the air, George Harrison instead took a look backward at the songs that defined his career to that point - a memoir co-written with longtime Apple Scruff Derek Taylor titled I Me Mine... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beatles ’80 pt3

It's summer 1980 and John Lennon is on the move. Following a holiday in South Africa, the reclusive former Beatle found himself in Bermuda, a location that would prove formative for the resurgence of musical endeavors and a major tap in the wellspring of creativity. Inspired by tales of new wave acts echoing the sounds that once solely graced the grooves of Yoko Ono solo LPs, John got to writing songs again...and writing A LOT. A correspondence began between him and Yoko in NY, wherein the couple would write and record demos of new songs for the other to hear over the phone...and before either had realized what was happening, a new album was beginning to form. While John churned away on his first new music in 5 years, Paul McCartney was back in the studio with Wings demoing new tracks for their follow-up to the prior year's Back to the Egg LP. But with Paul McCartney solo tunes on the charts...was Wings' fate sealed? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beatles ’80 pt2

In the wake of Paul's "Japanese Holiday", big changes were abound in the life of the McCartney family - both personal and professional. A smattering of recordings captured at Hog Hill from the year prior were about to see the light of day in the form of the second solo release from Paul McCartney since the dissolution of the Beatles: a new LP titled McCARTNEY II. This bizarre collection of electronic sounds and melodies were -- in retrospect -- a forerunner of much of the styles that would become so prominent in popular music over the decades to come. At the time, however, reviews were mixed. Regardless of the critical reception, tracks such as Temporary Secretary, Waterfalls, Nobody Knows and Coming Up proved that once again Macca was on the precipice of the bleeding edge of musical innovation -- even over 18 years into his recording career. While Paul's latest solo release was gracing store shelves, Ringo Starr was graced with the presence of one Miss Barbara Bach, who -- on the set of their new film Caveman -- quickly turned from professional to intimate... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.