The Beatles Stuffology Podcast

The second song on With The Beatles goes under the JG/Andrew microscope today with All I've Got To Do. Does it continue the album's run of quality after the terrific opener? How go Lennon's vocals? And for how long can two people prevaricate over picking a score for the song while essentially working out format points on the fly?    Rankings: Track-by-track Ranking eMail: beatlesstuffology@gmail.c...

We kick off the second Beatles album this episode with "It Won't Be Long". How does the song work as an opening track to the album? Does it deserve its somewhat-neglected reputation? Plus there's a discussion of Across The Universe, a film neither JG nor Andrew have actually, at any point, seen. And as if that wasn't enough, there's the introduction of a new format point! But what will it be? Ther...

We flip She Loves You over to cover its B-side this episode with the largely-forgotten I'll Get You. Does the song deserve to languish in obscurity? How does it fare stylistically? And just how long can JG vamp for while Andrew desperately tries to find some statistics?   eMail: beatlesstuffology@gmail.com Twitter: @beatles_ology JG's Writing: Judgementally Reviews...

It's the mighty She Loves You this episode on Stuffology, the biggest-selling Beatles single of them all. Does the song deserve its totemic reputation? How does Brian Epstein factor into this? And when discussing production, just how pretentious can JG get? (hint: fairly!)   eMail: beatlesstuffology@gmail.com Twitter: @beatles_ology JG's Writing: Judgementally Comments...

We flip the disc for our song choice this week and cover the B-side "Thank You Girl". Did the song deserve to be an A-side as originally intended? What was going on in the charts at this time? And why the diversion into Cliff Richard talk? (to be honest, the last of those questions may not be answered after listening). Thanks, Thank You Girl!   eMail: beatlesstuffology@gmail.com Twitter: @beatles_...

We leave Please Please Me behind and stroll into the world of non-album singles as JG and Andrew get to grips with The Beatles very first number one, "From Me To You". Does the song deserve its place as the very first of the band's to top the charts? How long will it take until Ringo gets mentioned?  And how good is the "song length to podcast episode length" ratio?   eMail: beatlesstuffology@gmai...

With each individual track now covered it's time to turn our attention to the album as a whole, as JG and Andrew discuss Please Please Me as a singular work rather than a broken-up series of tracks. How does the album stand up when considered as a whole? Just how much cultural context can be squeezed into one episode before they actually get round to talking about the album this episode is ostensi...

We make it to the end of Please Please Me this week with the totemic "Twist And Shout". Does the song deserve its mythical reputation? Is it the perfect capper to the album? And how many off-the-subject diversions can one episode manage to encapsulate?   Twitter: @beatles_ology eMail: beatlesstuffology@gmail.com JG's Writing: Judgementally Comments...  

We're nearly there! This episode sees the second-last track on Please Please Me covered, as JG and Andrew chat about "There's A Place". How does the song stand up? How are the harmonies? Can anyone find anything to say about this particular track? (glance at the running time for this episode and see if you can figure it out!)   eMail: beatlesstuffology@gmail.com Twitter: @ beatles_ology JG's Writi...

As we shuffle gainfully (gainfully? Sure!) towards the end of the album we first get to sample "A Taste Of Honey". How does a ballad like this stack up against the rest of the album? What do liminal spaces have to do with anything? Why is Billy Dee Williams mentioned? And, perhaps most importantly of all, why do our Mexican and Swedish listeners get a shout-out?   eMail: beatlesstuffology@gmail.co...

It's George's turn at the old microphone stand with this Side Two ditty, "Do You Want To Know A Secret". How does he compare alongside messers Lennon and McCartney when it comes to vocals? Is everything being taken entirely seriously? And why did anyone think it was a good idea to mention the semiotic thickness of the text? These, and many fewer, questions are answered right here!   eMail: beatles...

JG and Andrew continue through Side Two of Please Please Me with "Baby It's You". How does the second Shirelles cover go (and does the album really call for two of them)? How many sha-la-la-la-la's are strictly necessary? And just how seriously should those backing vocals be taken?   eMail: beatlesstuffology@gmail.com Twitter: @beatles_ology JG's Blog: Judgementally Comments...  

We reach the title track of the first album this time as JG and Andrew tackle "Please Please Me". Is the track mighty enough to deserve having the album named after it? How impressive is George Martin this time out? And can the conversation actually remain on track? (surprisingly, yes!).   Since this is posting on 25th December I would also be remiss if I didn't turn to face you, break the fourth...

For this episode JG and Andrew tackle "Ask Me Why", which given the fairly muted reaction seems like an entirely valid question. How's Lennon doing on the old lead vocals? Is there much going on anywhere else? And just how long can two people string out a conversation that clearly isn't going anywhere?    eMail: beatlesstuffology@gmail.com Twitter: @beatles_ology JG's Writing: Judgementally Commen...

We delve into Ringo's first vocal for this episode as we discuss "Boys". Is it a decent cover version? Does Ringo manage to make a good impression? And how long will it take before we inevitably get round to mentioning Thomas The Tank Engine?   eMail: beatlesstuffology@gmail.com Twitter: @beatles_ology JG's Writing: Judgementally Comments...

This week JG and Andrew find themselves in Chains as another song on Please Please Me gets the Stuffology treatment. Is is any better or worse than the last track? Why was it so popular at the time? And how does George get on?   eMail: beatlesstuffology@gmail.com Twitter: @beatles_ology JG's Writing: Judgementally Comments...

Shuffling right along through Please Please Me we come to this, the first cover. How do the Beatles manage with material not of their own making? How does Lennon's first lead vocal (well, that we're talking about anyway) come off? And is it better than Misery (and perhaps more relevantly, could it be worse?)   eMail: beatlesstuffology@gmail.com Twitter: @beatles_ology JG's Writing: JG Judgementall...

We deal with the second song on Please Please Me this episode as we tackle the all-too-aptly named "Misery". Does the song justify its spot as the second track on the album? How does the style fit with the rest of the tracks? And just why do Pink Floyd get name-checked?   eMail: beatlesstuffology@gmail.com Twitter: @beatles_ology JG's Writing: Judgementally Comments...

We reach the first track of the first album on today's episode as we discuss "I Saw Her Standing There". Does it make for a good album opener? Is it a good representation of the band? And just how well (or otherwise) does the 70's Lennon cover with Elton John stand up? (hint: not great!)   eMail: beatlesstuffology@gmail.com Twitter: @beatles_ology JG's Writing: Judgementally Comments...

For our second episode we dive into the B-side of the first entry, which means we're covering P.S. I Love You. How does the song compare to its A-Side? Does the structure hang together? And just why do the Chipmunks intrude on the conversation?   eMail: beatlesstuffology@gmail.com Twitter: @beatles_ology JG's Writing: Judgementally Comments...

Welcome to a brand new podcast about the Beatles! We kick off the first episode with a discussion of "Love Me Do". How does it rate? Does it stand up? And how long will we get before someone uses the word "nascent"?   eMail: beatlesstuffology@gmail.com Twitter: @beatles_ology JG's Writing: Judgementally Comments...