The Beatles: Only A Northern Song

In September 1969, John took a phone call which saw him assemble a band and be onstage within 24 hours. Join us as we explore the birth of the Plastic Ono Band at the Toronto Rock And Roll Revival...

The talent continues to flow through The Beatles' own label - Apple Records. Join us as fresh talents such as Jackie Lomax, Badfinger and Billy Preston are helped along by various members of the Fab Four.

Tired of being the plaything of the taxman and EMI, The Beatles set up their own company and subsidiary record label. The talent scouts worked overtime, finding exciting new artists to join The Beatles on Apple Records. Join as as we explore the birth and growth of Apple Records... 

The final album recorded by The Beatles was overtaken by a flurry of rumours of the untimely death of Paul McCartney - with many finding 'clues' of his demise in the album's iconic cover. Join us as we wrap up the Abbey Road sessions...

Ever the musical innovators, George Harrison introduced a ground-breaking instrument - the Moog synthesiser - to their latest album project, bringing a new dimension to many tracks. Join us as the Abbey Road sessions continue.

George Martin’s suggestion of combining smaller fragments of songs into a longer piece had struck a chord with Paul, who offered up many half-finished songs for the project. While it took John a little longer to follow the lead, he did eventually come to the party. Join us as the Abbey Road sessions continue...

July 1969 saw The Beatles experimenting with both sound and form on what would be their swan song album. Join us as the Abbey Road sessions continue…

July 1969 saw The Beatles put the finishing touches to Ringo's latest underwater fantasy, record two of George's career-defining songs - and John bring a song to the studio which would land him in hot water with one of his heroes. Join us as the Abbey Road sessions continue...

With the help of producer George Martin, The Abbey Road LP saw The Beatles expand their horizons by dovetailing pieces of songs together to create medleys of very different musical genres. Join us as Side B of Abbey Road begins to take shape - and John & Yoko record an everlasting anthem from their honeymoon bed.

By mid-April 1969 - with both sides of a new single recorded and ready to release - The Beatles returned to sessions for their new LP. Paul introduces a 1950s-style classic, and Ringo creates another underwater-themed children's classic, as  the Abbey Road sessions continue...

With the Get Back sessions finished, The Beatles could have been excused for not doing much at all. Instead, John and Paul married their girlfriends within a week of each other, and the band recorded a new single and began working on a new LP. Join us as The Beatles begin the Abbey Road sessions...

On 30 January 1969, The Beatles played their last ever live performance on the rooftop of their Apple Offices in Savile Row, London. Join us for the inside story of their final show, and the culmination of the Get Back project...

In this episode, we flip the Let It Be LP onto Side B, exploring early working versions of each song drawn from the hours of Nagra film reels, and the acetates prepared by the Get Back sessions producer Glyn Johns.   

  The Beatles spent all of January 1969 working on their new album and film project. In this episode, we take a deeper dive into the songs that make up Side A of the Let It Be album – tracing each song from its humble beginnings, through its rehearsals and development, to a complete and sometimes final version of each track. Drop the needle on this!  

There were very few silences when filming rehearsals for the Get Back sessions in January 1969. The quick wits of each band member would often conjure up a blast from the past, or even a spur-of-the-moment improvisation to blow away a few cobwebs before getting back to work.  In this episode, we will take a listen to some of those moments between the takes…

George Harrison had been dubbed ‘The Quiet Beatle’ - but by January 1969, he had begun to assert himself more than ever before. He had come prepared with a handful of songs to offer the group for the Get Back project, but as he was side-lined more and more, his frustration grew to a point where he quit the band. Join us as we revel in the beauty of a handful of Harrisongs as the Get Back sessions...

In this episode, we sit in on the Get Back Sessions of January 1969 as The Beatles pay tribute to the rock and roll artists who captured their attention, inspiring the sounds which would launch a whole new invasion from the opposite side of the Atlantic…   

Country and Western music would have been just one part of The Beatles' vast musical diet growing up in Liverpool. In this episode, we focus on some of the country flavoured songs captured during filming for the Get Back sessions of January 1969…

Like many performers of the 1960s, The Beatles had a soft spot for rhythm and blues – and were well-known for their love of African American artists. In this episode, we will take a look at some of the rhythm and blues and soul classics jammed by The Beatles during the Get Back sessions - from the hits of the most celebrated stars to the most obscure B-sides of the one-hit wonders.

For The Beatles, the new year of 1969 began on a large, open, very cold sound stage at Twickenham film studios on the 2nd of January. They  assembled to begin their new film, album and live show project - which didn't go to plan. Join us for a fascinating insight into the Get Back sessions...  

John Lennon and Paul McCartney are generally regarded as the greatest songwriters of the 20th Century. Their prolific output not only kept The Beatles going for close to a decode, but there were plenty of songs left over to keep other artists in the business. Join us as we delve into more songs The Beatles gave away...

After four months in the studio, sessions for the new Beatles LP were drawing to a close in October 1968. With plenty of songs to choose from, the band were getting to a point where they needed to make some final decisions about which tracks to keep. But it wasn’t over yet… Join us as The Beatles complete The Beatles...

John, Paul and George dabble with a range of muses, musical styles and studios, as the sessions for the White Album enter their fourth month. Join us as we dig deeper into recordings for The Beatles, and the stories behind some of their most iconic songs.

The Beatles mess with the experts' minds, jam a classic or two, watch an old movie and make comment on inequality - and all that's just in one week of September 1968! Join us for more insights into the White Album sessions...

August 1968 saw the release of a new single, Ringo's return to the band, the introduction of a superstar guest guitarist, and a graduation to eight-track recording. The Beatles' first live television appearance in over a year would soon follow. Join us for more White Album sessions...