Yesterday and Today

It’s July of 1973 and two former Beatles are at the tops of both the album and singles charts in America. As Paul’s Red Rose Speedway and Live and Let Die duked it out with George’s Living in the Material World and Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth), John Lennon is once again back in the studio working on his long-awaited solo follow-up to 1971’s Imagine LP. While Some Time In New York City may have, at one point, seemed like the bold new direction for John and Yoko, the couple’s troubled marriage and recent critical disappointments lead each to retreat to their own respective studio albums for a more polished, if more expected, set of creative efforts. While recording new music may have once again proved to be a healthy outlet for John’s frustrations, time in the studio was beginning to feel like hard work for the former Beatle, whose immigration troubles and mounting personal and professional hardships were taking an increasingly critical toll. McCartney, meanwhile, was enjoying the encore leg of his wildly successful Wings UK Tour - at last beginning to taste the levels of success he had once enjoyed as a Beatle. Toward the tail end of July, the triumphant Wings returned to the studio to begin sessions for a new album, but Paul’s lucky streak was about to run out... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Nearly three years had passed since George Harrison's mammoth opus All Things Must Pass burned up the charts and cemented the quiet Beatle as one of the premiere voices of 1970's rock and roll. In the summer months of 1973, a follow-up at last arrived in the form of the ambitious, eclectic and (some would say) righteous new LP titled Living In the Material World. Once again, Harrison's hooky licks and serene lyrical imagery shot right to the top of the charts, helped in part by the corresponding #1 single Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth), which dethroned the reigning #1 record, McCartney's Red Rose Speedway. Unlike the power-pop singalong songs from Red Rose, Material World focused on matters of the spirit and the burdens of corporeal life in a record that, even though successful, turned many fans and critics off with its preachiness. Scathing digs at former bandmate McCartney scorched through tracks like Sue Me, Sue You Blues and Miss O'Dell, in addition to the open mockery of the Wings Fun Club on its back cover. George had a bone to pick, and pick he did at just about everything wrong with humanity from his vantage point. This record marked a new era for Harrison, one which would alienate many fans, while the target of his ire, McCartney, would go on to score hit after hit despite the attacks. In fact, McCartney's next hit single ALSO debuted in those dog days of summer, as a certain secret agent would be forced to Live And Let Die... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hot on the heels of their successful new album Red Rose Speedway and monster worldwide hit My Love, Paul McCartney and Wings were ready to take the stage, at long last, in the United Kingdom. This would be Paul’s first such tour of his home country since 1966, the year The Beatles stopped touring. Unlike the Wings University Tour a year prior, the band was now taking the stage in planned concert events in some of the same locations graced by the fab four in their heyday, and McCartney’s rocking new ensemble did not disappoint. From raucous rockers like Soily, Big Barn Bed, The Mess and their soon-to-be-smash single Live And Let Die, to the epic ballads Paul had become so known for since those aforementioned Beatle days, Wings travelled the country and dominated each stop. Manchester, Bristol, Oxford, Leeds, Newcastle, Edinburgh, London’s legendary Hammersmith Odeon -- this was a rock and roll band at their peak. While Wings took the country by storm, George Harrison was busy putting the final touches on his upcoming LP, his first full length record of new material since 1970’s mammoth All Things Must Pass. With Paul finally achieving the critical and commercial success that eluded his early solo works, would George (the critical and commercial darling up to this point) have the goods to go toe to toe with the Macca machine? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Paul McCartney and Wings needed a hit. With their debut LP Wild Life and subsequent scattershot singles not setting the world on fire, the band that had to learn on the run found themselves on shaky ground. Enter Red Rose Speedway - a slick, polished record with punchy pop potential and a mammoth lead-off single in the sweeping McCartney ballad My Love. While the musical merit of Macca’s latest batch of material may be up for debate, neither lover nor hater could deny its power-pop charm and staying power on the charts. Form the rocking Big Barn Bed, to RAM-era highlights like Get on the Right Thing, to the medley reminiscent of Paul’s efforts on Abbey Road, Wings was at last taking to the sky and proving to a skeptical public what they were truly made of. As McCartney and company prepared to tour the record in their first major foray into Britain, another Apple release entered the charts in the form of George Harrison’s catchy and sweet Give Me Love single. George’s plea for peace was a long-awaited return for Harrison, whose forthcoming album Living in the Material World stood poised to do battle with Red Rose Speedway on the charts... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It’s the spring of 1973 and rumors of a Fab Four reunion are reaching a fever pitch. With John, George and Ringo playing together once more in service of the forthcoming Ringo album, and with Apple at last severing ties with controversial manager Allen Klein, the stage was seemingly set for The Beatles to return. But could they? Should they? As the world pondered, Apple prepared for a slew of major releases, including new records from Paul McCartney & Wings, George Harrison’s hotly anticipated follow-up to All Things Must Pass, Ringo Starr’s first ever full-length pop album effort, Yoko Ono’s Approximately Infinite Universe and a comprehensive Beatles reissue package dubbed the “red and blue” double albums. With such a burst of product, proximity and creativity from each of the former fabs, it’s no wonder reunion rumors ran rampant. Output may be on the upswing, but challenges also remain: will John be deported from the United States? Can George live up to the massive solo success that came before? Will Paul at last win the critical and commercial acclaim that so largely eluded him during his early years as a solo artist? At least one of those answers will materialize in the form of Paul’s massive worldwide single smash-hit “My Love”... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It’s 1973 and another major year of transformation and activity for each of the four former Beatles has begun. As Paul McCartney and his band Wings prepare for their impending UK tour, trouble strikes at home in the form of a pot bust wherein police seized several marijuana plants growing in the McCartneys’ garden. Let off with a fine much in the same way the Lennons were several years prior, Paul & Linda would feel the ramifications from this for several years to come. John & Yoko, meanwhile, found themselves continuing to drift apart following the disastrous election night mishap of the year prior. As Yoko prepared her latest album for release, news of a marriage on the rocks began to seep into the press, and the once-inseparable couple looked ahead to an uncertain future. While trouble may have plagued Lennon and McCartney in the early weeks of 1973, George and Ringo were immersed in musical productivity. Work on the Living in the Material World album continued, amidst George scoring the coveted Record of the Year Grammy Award for The Concert for Bangladesh. Ringo Starr was in the studio in LA, joined by John Lennon, a band of all-star players and producer Richard Perry, working on an album of new pop material that was downright startling in quality... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As the year 1972 draws to a close, all four former Beatles find themselves in the midst of a seachange in each of their lives both independent of each other and personally. Paul McCartney may have started off his solo career under the scrutiny of fans and critics, but the successful tours of his band Wings was beginning to change some minds about his relevance as a solo artist. With the release of Hi Hi Hi/C Moon in the waning months of ‘72, McCartney begins a string of successes that will carry him further than any had thought capable of even a year prior. George Harrison began his solo endeavors perhaps more strongly than any of his former bandmates, but the quiet Beatle remained quiet for nearly the entirety of the year, with a new album in development that would ultimately prove to be a crossroads for his career. Ringo Starr meanwhile was picking up steam with a string of successful singles, finishing out the year strongly with the premiere of his film Born to Boogie, starring Marc Bolan. John Lennon was the first to set sail into solo life...but now he finds himself lost at sea. With his latest album and concert appearance panned by critics, the dejected Lennon faced harassment and deportation at the hands of the Nixon administration. John’s only hope was in Nixon’s defeat, but alas that was not to be... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this special bonus edition of Yesterday & Today, we take a break from our regularly scheduled program to bring you our first-ever interview episode! This week we sit down with musician Dan Ealey, who, in 1974, spent the early weeks of summer with Paul McCartney and Wings on Junior Putnam's farm outside of Nashville Tennessee. Posing as a reporter from Melody Maker Magazine, this Beatles super-fan made his way into the band's inner circle, befriending Denny, Jimmy, Geoff and eventually meeting and chatting with Paul. Buckle in for a roller coaster of a story as Dan recounts the journey of his Rickenbacker bass from himself, to Denny, to Jimmy, to Paul, back to him, then round and round to a smattering of owners for 42 years until finally arriving back in Dan's hands nearly a half century after his journey to the farm. Coming up this June the 2nd, 2019 Dan will be hosting a 45th anniversary party of the Junior's Farm visit with a concert and rare appearance of special guest Geoff Britton, Wings drummer during that golden summer. So don't miss out on your opportunity to see a piece of history in the making - take yourself back to Junior's Farm! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

With the sting of critical and commercial failure for their Some Time In New York City double album still lingering in the air, John and Yoko let trepidation be damned in the name of a charitable cause to take the stage at Madison Square Garden in the waning weeks of summer 1972. The One to One benefit concert was organized on short notice by Geraldo Rivera, following his expose of the appalling treatment of handicapped children at the Willowbrook State School in Staten Island. With enthusiastic support from the Lennons, Geraldo’s event would bring a Beatle back to the Garden for a charitable cause in the span of a year - the last being George Harrison’s historic Concert for Bangladesh. John and Yoko were backed by the Elephant’s Memory Band, and Lennon tore through a hurriedly-rehearsed set of solo songs, covers and even the Beatles’ Come Together across two performances that late August day. While the shows left John energized, the reviews were once again harsh - a blow that would derail any future touring plans for John and send him once again to a dark place. John wasn’t the only former fab to struggle in the latter half of 1972 - Paul McCartney’s home was raided on drug charges, and Ringo Starr’s former band leader Rory Storm died alongside his mother in their Liverpool home on September 28th. George Harrison, however, found himself back in the studio developing tracks for the follow-up to his mega-successful All Thing Must Pass...   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Paul McCartney and Wings may have had a rough time taking off, but by the summer of 1972 things were looking skyward for the band as their Wings Over Europe tour rolled on. Enthusiastic word of mouth from across Europe hailed Macca’s new band as an electric live experience, with thunderous renditions of tunes from McCartney, RAM and Wild Life, an eclectic mix of covers such as Blue Moon of Kentucky and Long Tall Sally, plus brand new material being tested on eager audiences each and every night. When the tour did finally roll to a close, Wings was in tight formation, ready to head back into the studio and deliver the goods! Meanwhile, in America, John and Yoko retreated to San Francisco to clear their heads and lick their wounds following the rough release of their Sometime in New York City double LP. It was in San Francisco where the couple met up with investigative journalist Geraldo Rivera, who was covering the Lennons struggle to uncover the whereabouts of Yoko’s daughter Kyoko. In the midst of this report, conversation between John, Yoko and Geraldo turned to a recent story the journalist had run on appalling conditions at the Willowbrook home for handicapped children in New York. John and Yoko were inspired to action, but it was Geraldo who suggested the couple use their talents to generate some real money through a charity concert at Madison Square Garden... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It’s June of 1972 and a new double album from John Lennon and Yoko Ono has arrived: Some Time In New York City. After the critical and commercial success of John’s Imagine LP the year before, the table seemed to be set for a smash-hit follow-up in this massive 4-sided package...but that success was not to be. Taking inspiration from the couple’s political activism since their arrival as permanent NYC residents in the summer of ‘71, Some Time In New York City was intended to be listened to as a newspaper of sorts, a snapshot of the times and a reflection of the beliefs that the couple held most dear. To many in the record-buying public, however, Some Time (and its hefty double album price tag) read like a smattering of complaints and hollow rhetoric, further alienating the couple from those outside the radical community. Right or wrong, John and Yoko were taken aback by the failure of the record and plans for a tour seemed to be in jeopardy. Paul McCartney, meanwhile, decided to take the touring plunge with WINGS, launching the the very first major headlining concert tour by any Beatle since the band ceased touring in 1966. WINGS OVER EUROPE saw Paul, Linda, Denny, Henry and Denny in red-hot form after the training grounds of English University gigs, and the band was already knee-deep into the recording of the follow-up to their LP Wild Life... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Though only living in New York City for about a year, John and Yoko had became synonymous with their adopted home by the Spring of 1972. The Nixon administration, however, had other ideas. Basing their case on John’s 1968 Cannabis conviction, the US Government set their sights on deporting the politically outspoken Lennon from the United States in advance of the 1972 Presidential Election. John’s growing contacts in the radical community drew the watchful eye of FBI Director J Edgar Hoover and the Nixon White House, both anxious to avoid a repeat of the 1968 “Chicago 7” protests outside the Democratic National Convention. Complicating matters further was the continued disappearance of Anthony Cox, Yoko Ono’s ex-husband who went into hiding with their daughter Kyoko somewhere in America. Were the Lennons to be deported, a reunion between mother and daughter would be rendered impossible, and the fight to remain in America began. Meanwhile, in England, Paul McCartney and Wings had also found themselves in political hot water after their single Give Ireland Back To The Irish was banned by the BBC. In response to this, or in spite of it, the band’s next single was decided more innocuous, the sunshine nursery rhyme Mary Had A Little Lamb. With a children’s opus on the charts, Wings rehearsed for their first major tour of Europe. But Paul and Linda’s scrappy new band wouldn’t be the only former Beatle to be banned in ‘72... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Wings University tour has drawn to a close, and Paul McCartney’s plan to start from scratch had taken shape exactly as he had hoped it would. Wings was now a tested group, with a tight set and the kind of camaraderie you can only get from dividing up pound notes in a pub along the open road. And so the band embarked again into the studio, ready to put their new sound to record on a brand new LP project...but Paul’s lucky streak was about to run out. The latest Wings single, Give Ireland Back to the Irish, was banned on the BBC and under-performed on the US charts (though did manage to climb to the #1 spot in Ireland and...Spain?). While controversy may have been expected on their protest song single, producer and old friend Glyn Johns walking out on the new Wings LP recording session came as more of a surprise...and a shock. Ringo, meanwhile, found himself on a hot streak of singles, this time with the monstrous Back Off Boogaloo - inspired by newfound friend Marc Bolan of T.Rex. The pair would even film a movie on the grounds of John & Yoko’s former Tittenhurst Park estate, which was made possible by the Lennons’ finding a permanent new home across the pond in New York City. That is, if the Nixon administration doesn’t get to them first... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Already an album deep and plus one new lead guitarist, Paul McCartney’s new band was poised for takeoff in the early months of 1972. But Wings had a ways to go before flying high, and Paul wisely resolved to break the band in on a low-stakes, unannounced English University tour to help find and focus their sound. From York to Newcastle and everywhere in-between, Paul, the Dennys, Linda and Henry loaded up the van to take their rock and roll on the road. Meanwhile, in New York City, John and Yoko continued to settle into their new home with a weeklong stint on popular late night talk show, The Mike Douglas Show. This extended appearance would carry with it iconic musical performances, interviews with celebrities and political radicals alike, and a very special meeting between John and his boyhood idol Chuck Berry. It was an unforgettable event and helped to remind the American public that the Lennons were here to stay. As winter turns to Spring, both Lennon and McCartney would find themselves back in the studio preparing new solo albums... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It’s 1972! While the dream of The Beatles may have been left behind in sixties, this new year saw with it a boom in activity from the solo careers of John, Paul, George and Ringo. John & Yoko’s new home of New York City certainly made the couple feel welcome, despite the David Frost Show exchange that had ended in a shouting match with audience members the December prior. Undeterred from their political endeavors, the couple launched into another series of protests in the new year, as well as a new series of recordings to capture the various protest songs they had written over the past several months. While John may have been the most outspoken activist of his former bandmates, one issue managed to capture and inspire both Lennon and McCartney to songwriting action: Bloody Sunday. The plight of the Irish drove Paul’s new band Wings into the recording studio in early 1972 to record Give Ireland Back to the Irish, which would join John’s Luck of the Irish and Sunday Bloody Sunday in the cannon of former Beatle support for the Irish cause. Another major move for Paul McCartney and Wings was also around the corner, in the form of a planned university tour of Great Britain in the weeks and months to come... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.