The Beatles: Note By Note

A Beatles podcast where a “throwaway” closer turns into a full-on investigation with Dan Rivkin, the guy who went second-by-second through the Get Back Nagra tapes. If you’ve ever skipped “Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby,” this episode is a serious attempt to make you hear why it matters.

We cover:

- Dan Rivkin’s Nagra-tape method and why it changed Get Back study
- Beatles for Sale’s closer, George’s vocal, and what the song is doing as an ending
- Rex Griffin vs Carl Perkins vs The Beatles: what’s actually shared and what’s not
- October 18 session details: one take, overdubs, and early STEED echo on vocal
- Storytime: the 1964 “Another Beatles Christmas Show” pantomime and the live set

Dan Rivkin's website: https://theymaybeparted.com/

Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.com
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries
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This week on our Beatles podcast, we bring in a fourth voice and it gets delightfully nerdy fast. Guest Raymond Schillinger from You Can’t Unhear This joins us to re-hear “What You’re Doing” like it is hiding in plain sight.

We cover:

- Why “What You’re Doing” feels like a throwaway song
- The song’s girl group fingerprints in the call and response vocals
- The bass fill at the end, maybe the first time the Beatles had one
- Recording breakdown: the September 1964 sessions
- Seltaeb, NEMS, Stramsact, the lawsuit, and the merch money fallout

Raymond's Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@YouCantUnhearThis

Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.com
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries
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In this Beatles Lecture Series episode, Kenyon argues that “What You’re Doing” is less a breakup complaint than a song about powerlessness, where the core question is not why it hurts, but what is even being done to you. You will start hearing how the lyric framing, the repeated phrasing, and even the band’s stylistic choices work together to make that confusion feel like the point.

Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.com
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this Beatles podcast episode, we argue “I Don’t Want To Spoil The Party” only works because every Beatle leaves a crucial fingerprint. With special guest Dr. Terry Hamblin, we hear the song as a full-band fusion, not just a “John song.”

We cover:

- Songwriting origins on the 1964 North American tour and the country western frame
- The September 29, 1964 session and the nine takes vs nineteen takes confusion
- A debated vocal mystery and a Beatles first
- Musical fingerprints: flat seven movement, the middle eight, Ringo’s toms, and George’s solo
- Storytime on 1964 live TV performances, including Blackpool Night Out, Shindig, and Not Only...But Also

Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.com
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this Beatles Lecture Series episode, you’ll hear “I Don’t Want to Spoil the Party” as an early moment where Lennon’s usual hurt-and-retaliate script gets quietly rewritten into something more adult, centered on the blunt turn of “I still love her.” Kenyon argues the music backs that up by dodging the neat, satisfying landing you expect and letting a more confident lead line reshape the mood, so the whole song feels like a story that refuses to be finished.

Website: https://www.notebynoteseries.com
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoteByNoteSeries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notebynoteseries
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.