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

Following on from last week’s pirate radio edition of Fixing A Hole we carry on with the pirate theme. Looking into the under the counter world of Beatles bootlegs.   We trace the origins of these Illegal releases in the late 60’s with the infamous Bob Dylan boot  ‘Great White Wonder’ and the plethora of low-fi compilations of Beatles concerts, radio and television appearances which began to surfa...

Unlike the United States where you could hear wall-to-wall pop music on the radio 24 hours a day. In early 1960's Great Britain, the airwaves were controlled by the BBC. With numerous restrictions imposed on them including the dreaded 'Needle Time', which impacted on the number of records that could be broadcast weekly by the network. The broadcasting of 'Pop Music' was limited to a few shows per...

By the summer of 1964 The Beatles had conquered the world. Hot on the heels of their first visit to America, they were back at work. But not in the recording studio. This time it was the film studio, to make their first feature film ‘A Hard Day’s Night’.   Back in the 60’s pop acts were fair game for feature films. Be it a cameo appearance or some convoluted storyline. ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ broke n...

On 29 January 1964 while playing an 18-day residency at the Paris’ Olympia Theatre. The Beatles entered the Marconi Studios in Paris, for their first and only session for EMI outside of the United Kingdom. A session with a specific purpose. To rerecord two of their biggest hits ‘She Loves You’ and ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’.    However, these weren’t straight rerecording’s, but German language ver...

Patrick Humphries is a well-respected music journalist and author. He worked for both the NME and Melody Maker from the mid-70’s and has written features for Mojo, VOX and Record Collector. In addition, he has authored books about Nick Drake, Bruce Springsteen, and Elton John among many others. In a change to our advertised episode. Patrick joined Mark and Paul to talk about his latest book, ‘With...

At lunchtime on January 10th 1969, George Harrison walked out of Twickenham film studios and out on his band mates. As he left his parting words were, ‘I’ll see you in the clubs’.   The Beatles January 1969 ‘Get Back’ sessions were all about throwing aside the excesses of ‘Sgt. Pepper’ and getting back to a more basic sound which would allow them to play live together as a group. Just as they had...

On their return from India in the spring of 1968. The Beatles set about recording the ‘White Album,’ a collection of 30 songs, many of which were written in Rishikesh.    In between these 6 months of recording sessions, they released their 18th single ‘Hey Jude’ and launched their own record label Apple.   In episode 7 of Fixing a Hole we look at the 2021 Peter Jackson documentary ‘Get Back’. Whic...

Ever since Paul McCartney announced he was leaving the group on 10th April 1970. Fans desire to hear new, or unreleased Beatles music has never stopped.    In this episode we tell the story of how a series of articles published in the New Musical Express back in 1974, lead to EMI searching the tape vault for unreleased Beatles recordings. Compiling two reels of tape of unreleased music and the exe...

  Each year between 1963 and 1969 The Beatles gifted members of the official UK fan club, specially recorded Christmas messages. These exclusive recordings have not only become collectors’ items. They inadvertently trace the story of the group. From the lovable ‘Moptops’ who conquered the world. Through the psychedelic years of peace and love. To John, Paul, George and Ringo starting to drift apar...

Like an old family photograph, or a treasured gift. Music has the ability, to instantly transport you back in time to the place where you first heard a certain song. Or trigger a special memory, of a first date, or family gathering.   In the first episode of Fixing A Hole, Beatles expert Paul Humbley told the story of how he discovered The Beatles as a 10-year-old and the impact they have had on h...

In 1968 John, Paul, George and Ringo released their 9th studio album, simply titled The Beatles. But almost immediately it became known as the White Album.    Welcome to episode 3 of Fixing A Hole, The Beatles podcast you didn’t know you needed. This time my co-host Mark Wakely quizzes me on the White Album. We discuss the writing and recording. Richard Hamilton’s pop art cover design. The mono an...

You may be of a generation to whom the phrase ‘Gold Top’ describes a bottle of milk. But when it comes to Beatles cassettes that phrase takes on a different meaning.    Welcome to episode 2 of Fixing A Hole, The Beatles podcast you didn’t know you needed. In which my co-host Mark Wakely quizzes me on the history of Beatles cassette production in the UK, and in particular, how the album Sgt. Pepper...

What is a collector? According to the dictionary definition it is: A person who collects things of a specified type, professionally or as a hobby. That in a nutshell describes me, Paul Humbley, founder of Fixing A Hole. The Beatles podcast you didn’t know you needed. 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of my Beatles collecting journey.   In this edition my co-host Mark Wakely uncovers the roots of my...

  We live in a world where music has become a commodity. You can have 2 million songs in your pocket and not own any. When the CD arrived in the early 1980s heralding in the digital age of music. No one would have predicted 40 years later new vinyl records would still be being pressed and sales would be in the ascendancy.   This new vinyl era has its roots in the early days of rock ‘n’ roll. When...