Fixing A Hole - The Beatles podcast you didn't know you needed

11 February 1962 has become a legendary day in the history of Abbey Road. The recording studio located on a residential street in north London. For on that day, John, Paul, George and Ringo recorded 11* songs for there debut album, Please Please Me. In this weeks episode we start a new series taking a deep dive into The Beatles album catalogue, from Please Please Me released in March 1963, through...

Following the tragedy of December 1980, Yoko took control of her husbands audio, visual and written legacy. Producing a series of releases which would not only keep John's name out there, but also carry on his message of 'Peace'. In recent hears John's youngest son Sean has taken over control producing a series of wonderful archive box sets. In this week's episode Paul and Mark discuss how John's...

In the Spring of 1961 The Beatles made their first professional recordings under the guidance of Bert Kaempfert. The German orchestra leader, composer and A&R man for Polydor records. Kaempfert was looking for musicians to back his recent signing Tony Sheridan. John, Paul, George and Pete Best would record two sessions for Polydor. In this weeks episode we look at the background to these histo...

In episode 58 Mark and Paul reviewed the rather excellent new album from Paul McCartney 'The Boys Of Dungeon Lane'. An album on which Paul reflects on his pre-fame past. In this episode we are also looking back to those years. With an overview of 2 tapes (or should that be 3?). Which capture the early days of group. The first dating from April and July 1960 and featuring Stuart on bass. The other...

With his 84th birthday just weeks away. Paul has gifted fans his first new collection of songs in 5 years. The question is: Is The Boys Of Dungeon Lane worth the wait? SPOILER ALERT! Yes! To find out why listen to episode 58 0f Fixing A Hole. The Beatles Podcast You Didn't Know You Needed. An extended version of this podcast is available on our Patreon channel: http://patreon.com/fixingahole Sampl...

If you play all 22 original UK singles in chronological sequence, you witness first hand the creativity of John, Paul, George and Ringo. That  progress was not a smooth climb. There are some huge leaps which can be demonstrated by the singles Strawberry Fields Forever, Hey Jude and Let It Be. The groups 7th single, A Hard Days Night, indicated that they were starting to move away from there 'Beat...

With the news that Apple are moving back into 3 Saville Row and opening a Beatles experience in 2027. To not only include access to the roof, but a recreation of the basement studio where they recorded and filmed the Get Back sessions in the January of 1969. In this episode Mark and Paul discuss the story of the Apple studio. From the disaster that 'Magic Alex' built to becoming one of the best eq...

When the exciting news dropped last week that apple are opening 3 Saville Row as a London Beatles experience, the Beatles network went into overdrive with rumours about what this would be and when it would open. Paul and Mark couldn't let this momentous news pass by. So here is our take on the subject.  Welcome to this special episode of Fixing A Hole. The Beatles Podcast You Didn't Know You Neede...

In August 1968, The Beatles Apple records label made their debut with their 'First Four' single releases. Mary Hopkin - Those Were The Days, Jackie Lomax - Sour Milk Sea, Black Dyke Mills Band - Thingumybob and The Beatles own new single Hey Jude. Over the next couple of years Paul, George and Ringo would embrace working with new talent that the label discovered. Writing songs, playing on recordin...

Following a series of low key tours in 1972 and 72. Wings embarked on a 13 month world tour in the autumn of 1975. A tour which would see they start by playing cinemas and theatres in the UK, before progressing to huge arenas in the USA. The Wings Over The World tour would see Paul go from being ex-Beatle Paul. To Paul McCartney the founder of the multi million selling band Wings. In this episode...

A couple of weeks back my daytime job took me to Wallasey, or more precisely New Brighton. Formerly the location of the Tower Ballroom, where The Beatles played 27 times during there formative years. Seeing the site of this long gone venue, got me thinking about other venues around the UK which have a Beatles connection. In this weeks episode we begin a new occasional series in which we deep dive...

When Paul, George, Ringo and the John Lennon estate won control of the groups back catalogue in late 1989. It marked a changing point in the way The Beatles back catalogue was managed. Gone were the themed compilations from EMI, Rock 'N' Roll Music, Love Songs, Reel Music, etc. Instead we have been treated (on the whole) to a series of currated released designed for both the casual music lover and...

The Hoffner violin bass is an iconic symbol of Paul's days with The Beatles. Sometime during the 60's, or was it the 70's Paul's original 1961 Hoffner disappeared. Lost for 50 years, until some pure detective work by a few individuals discovered where it was hiding. In this episode Paul and Mark review the documentary feature 'McCartney: The Hunt For The Lost Bass'. If you enjoy reading Agatha Chr...

In August 2024 when we published episode 1, I had no idea that 20 months later we would be publishing weekly, or that we would reach the milestone of 50 episodes!  To celebrate this achievement Mark and I take a look back at our highlights of the previous 49 editions. Share some details about our backgrounds and why Fixing A Hole came about. Plus tells a few stories about his 52 years of being a B...

When you read the biographies of John, Paul, George and Ringo, it's very obvious how hard they worked to progress from 4 school boys playing music for fun, to becoming the entertainment phenomenon of the 20th Century. This work ethic did not stop when fame came. In fact with everyone wanting a piece of them, record company, Television, radio, journalists, fans. There daily schedule exploded. In th...

Back in episode 20 of Fixing A Hole, my co-presenter and producer Mark declared that his favourite Beatles album is Revolver. That's the UK 14 track edition, not the edited 11 song Capitol version from American which I discovered back in 1975. I on the other hand have avoided this question, as depending on what day of the week it is, my favourite could be one of two, or three, or four..... In this...

Back in the October of 2022, my good lady and I travelled into London, to see a lecture by world renowned Beatles expert Mark Lewisohn. Evolver 62 at the Bloomsbury theatre was a fascinating in site into the year The Beatles evolved from a club band to EMI recording artists and beyond. From his unique archive  Mark presented 62 facts about the groups progression in 1962. Now, a DVD and download vi...

Since 1987 and the 20th anniversary of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. You could be forgiven for thinking that every year their is a celebration of a Beatles anniversary. March 2026, marks a forgotten anniversary, at least as far as Apple are concerned. For on March 6th 1976 all 22 original UK Beatles singles were reissued in smart new picture sleeves. Amazingly all 22 plus a new release of...

Towards the tail end of 2025, Paul released a book 'Wings - Story Of A Band On The Run' together with a tie in compilation album of Wings material on CD and vinyl. In early 2026 this was followed by a documentary film 'A Man On The Run' together with another CD and vinyl compilation album. For episode 45 Paul and Mark review both the documentary and soundtrack album and answer the question, 'Is Pa...

Unthinkable as it might appear today, by January 1967 The Beatles had not released any new recordings for 5 months. Back then, rumours started to circulate that John, Paul, George and Ringo couldn't come up with any new material, and was this the end of the Fab Four? In February, we got the answer. Yes, it was the end of the Fab Four, the mop top image of 63 and 64 was now a distant memory. With a...

In this week's episode Paul and Mark discuss what it was like to be a band looking for fame in the early 1960's and was it all they hoped it would be, when they achieved it!   The discussion is centred around 4 British films originally released between the mid-60's and early 70's. The Beatles own 'A Hard Day's Night'. Two vehicles for 70's heartthrob David Essex 'That'll Be The Day' staring Ringo...

In August 1963 Johnny Dean published the first issue if The Beatles Monthly. A UK magazine aimed directly at teen fans oof John, Paul, George and Ringo. For the next 6 years it documented the activities of the group, together with song lyrics, letters and pen pal connections. With exclusive pictures and a direct link to the band. It is an an often overlooked primary source for collectors, 60 years...

In the summer of 2006 a new Beatles album was announced, 'Love'. The soundtrack to the Cirque De Solei production in Las Vegas. When the album appeared in November of that year it received a mixed reaction. You were either in the this is sacrilege camp. 'How dare they tamper with the band pack catalogue'. Or, you were of the mindset of being curious as to how, Giles Martin with the help of his far...

Episode 40: The 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th Beatles (Extended Episode)   I’ve never understood the term 5th Beatle. There were only four members of the group, John, Paul, George and Ringo. However, I will concede that there were four individuals who were integral to the success of the band.   In this weeks episode we look at four people Brian Epstein, George Martin, Neil Aspinall and Mal Evans who forme...

Between their split in 1970 and Johns murder 10 years later. The media were obsessed with the question, ‘When are the Beatles getting back together?’   Even after the events of December 1980, the question became, ‘Are you going to regroup with Julian taking Johns place?   However, as history tells us, John, Paul, George and Ringo did record together. Just not all in the studio at the same time, an...