One of the most fascinating aspects of The Beatles’ career is how, with George Martin’s guidance, they advanced the art of recording, as they went from twin track to four track to eight track tape. Today, we examine how The Beatles progressed f

009 It's Gonna Be Alright: Revolution - Part I (Revolution 1 & 9)

1 Jul 22nd, 2019 36m 17s

Sparked by the air of social upheaval in 1968, John's song "Revolution" spawned three very different recordings: Revolution 1, Revolution 9, and Revolution (the single version). Today, in the first of a two part episode, we look at how Revoluti

007 Changing Speeds - The 'Varispeed' Technique

Dec 31st, 2018 20m 1s

Building off George Martin’s half-speed, wind up piano technique, The Beatles and their producer used varispeed — variable speed recording — to alter the sound of instruments, vocals, and even entire rhythm tracks of songs. These alterations ch

006 Not So Simple - "From Me To You" and other early singles

Nov 20th, 2018 21m

The Beatles’ first four singles seem to be fairly straightforward live studio recordings, but George Martin expended a good bit of effort to polish these songs up for release. Today, we listen through the session tapes for The Beatles’ third si

004 The Beatles on Multitrack, Part 2

Oct 15th, 2018 17m 50s

In the second half of our brief overview of how George Martin and The Beatles used multitrack recording, we’ll hear how they pushed four-track recording to its breaking point, and we’ll learn how they managed the complex arrangements on Sgt Pep

002 Look At Him Working

Sep 17th, 2018 21m

George Martin’s score for “Eleanor Rigby” builds on the classical string quartet form that the producer introduced The Beatles to on the song “Yesterday.” In this episode, we examine the writing and recording of the score with cellist Karen Ray

001 Wind Up Piano

1 Sep 3rd, 2018 21m 28s

George Martin’s memorable piano solo for “In My Life” was one of his favorite contributions to any Beatles recording. In this episode, we examine the special technique Martin used to capture this solo on tape, as well as how he used this same t

010 It's Gonna Be Alright: Revolution — Part II (single version)

1 Sep 9th, 2019 23m 32s

In examining the making of the third version of Revolution (after Revolution 1 and Revolution 9), we talk to musician and composer Casey McAllister to consider the origins of the recording’s intro; author and producer Jerry Hammack fills us in

008 Producing an "Unproduced" Album - Get Back/Let It Be

Mar 11th, 2019 34m 2s

With Apple’s announcement that Peter Jackson will be reworking the Let It Be footage, we go back to the actual sessions to examine this period from George Martin’s perspective. Martin and The Beatles advanced the use of the recording studio in

005 The clarinet score for "When I'm Sixty-Four"

Oct 29th, 2018 22m 13s

“When I’m Sixty-Four” is Paul McCartney’s nostalgic throwback to British music hall, and a tribute to his father, Jim McCartney. Today, we examine George Martin’s iconic clarinet score for the song, and consider how much Paul had a hand in writ

016 Now and Then

Jan 14th, 2024 31m 40s

Beatle author Ken Womack and Ranking the Beatles host Jonathan Pretus join me to discuss the tech that made the Beatles’ new single “Now and Then” possible. And from John's haunting vocal to Giles Martin's stirring string arrangement, we peel b

015a A closer look at the "Live and Let Die" Orchestration

Jan 14th, 2024 5m 14s

A little extra mini-episode examining George Martin’s orchestration for “Live and Let Die,” with a recreation of part of the arrangement.

015 Paul McCartney and Wings, "Live and Let Die"

Jan 14th, 2024 28m 42s

In our penultimate Season 1 bonus episode, we examine another solo recording, this time Paul McCartney’s thrilling theme song for the 1973 James Bond film, Live and Let Die. I’m joined by Allan Kozinn, co-author of The McCartney Legacy Volume 1

016 Now and Then

Nov 15th, 2023 31m 40s

015a A closer look at the "Live and Let Die" Orchestration

Jun 19th, 2023 5m 14s

A little extra mini-episode examining George Martin’s orchestration for “Live and Let Die,” with a recreation of part of the arrangement.

015 Paul McCartney and Wings, "Live and Let Die"

Jun 5th, 2023 28m 42s

014 George Harrison, "Isn't It A Pity"

Dec 20th, 2022 23m 50s

In the second episode looking at the making of All Things Must Pass, we explore the recording of the largest production on the album. We hear from participants at the sessions, listen to outtakes and isolations, peek into Mal Evans’ diaries, an

013 George Harrison, "My Sweet Lord"

Apr 25th, 2022 38m

Today, the first of two episodes exploring the production of George Harrison’s first solo album, All Things Must Pass, with new research and interviews drawn from the book Ken Womack and I wrote on the making of the album. In this episode, we c

012 John Lennon, "Love" (S1 bonus episode)

Feb 22nd, 2021 22m 2s

In the first bonus episode for Season 1, we step outside of our regular format and take a peek into solo Beatles territory, with a look at the recording of John Lennon’s song “Love” from his first post-Beatles solo album, John Lennon/Plastic On

011 Nothing Is Real: Strawberry Fields Forever, take 26

Apr 13th, 2020 27m 20s

Recording Strawberry Fields Forever was a complicated, layered process, famously requiring the cutting together of two different takes in two different keys and tempos. Today we put our magnifying glass on the second of those takes, take 26, wi

Upcoming Side Project: Sister Tempest soundtrack

Apr 21st, 2019

I’ll be composing and producing music for an upcoming independent horror film called Sister Tempest. Please listen to this brief message for details about the film, and check out the kickstarter page for this project to learn how you can contri

Producing The Beatles - Podcast Intro

Aug 16th, 2018 1m 53s

Welcome to the podcast dedicated to exploring the revolutionary collaboration between producer George Martin and The Beatles. Join us each episode as we not only discuss the making of Beatles songs from their producer's point of view, but also