The Beatles Stuffology Podcast

We bow out Rubber Soul with easily the most controversial song on it, Run For Your Life. Does the song deserve it's dismal reputation? Is Lennon right when he claims it's the worst song he ever wrote for the Beatles? And is there any redemption to be had here? Rankings: Track-by-track Ranking eMail: beatlesstuffology@gmail.com Twitter: @beatles_ology Instagram: beatlesstuffology JG's Blog: Judgementally Reviews… Andrew’s Blog: Stuffology   Produced By: The sounds of things, and by JG McQuarrie

We're almost at the end of Rubber Soul now but before the album bows out we have two final tracks to cover. One is rather notorious and the other is this, If I Needed Someone. How is George's songwriting coming along? Has he managed to pull up alongside Lennon and McCartney in the writing stakes? And how much jangle can one song meaningfully contain?   Rankings: Track-by-track Ranking eMail: beatlesstuffology@gmail.com Twitter: @beatles_ology Instagram: beatlesstuffology JG's Blog: Judgementally Reviews… Andrew’s Blog: Stuffology   Produced By: lateral disarmament in favour of JG McQuarrie

There's probably some really clever way of saying that we made you, um, wait for this episode but here it it now but I can't think of one so anyway, it's Wait! Is there much to get worked up about here? Does it continue to give Side 2 of Rubber Soul a boost? And who is the stand-out performer on the track? (Hint: rhymes with Bingo Car) Rankings: Track-by-track Ranking eMail: beatlesstuffology@gmail.com Twitter: @beatles_ology Instagram: beatlesstuffology JG's Blog: Judgementally Reviews… Andrew’s Blog: Stuffology   Produced By: some minor kind of miracle and JG McQuarrie

It's another all-time classic to fall under the Stuffology microscope this episode with Lennon's mighty In My Life. Does the song deserve its reputation as one of his very best pieces of work? Do the rest of the band contribute equally? And just how many cover versions are there to be discussed? Rankings: Track-by-track Ranking eMail: beatlesstuffology@gmail.com Twitter: @beatles_ology Instagram: beatlesstuffology JG's Blog: Judgementally Reviews… Andrew’s Blog: Stuffology

It's another Bitchy McCartney Number (tm), of which we have had a few lately but how does "I'm Looking Through You" comare to the others? Is there a Wilburys-esque twist (pun very much intended) in the mix? And who's playing what, exactly?   Rankings: Track-by-track Ranking eMail: beatlesstuffology@gmail.com Twitter: @beatles_ology Instagram: beatlesstuffology JG's Blog: Judgementally Reviews… Andrew’s Blog: Stuffology   Produced By: Dint of hard work, let's claim, and the fickle, fast fingers of JG McQuarrie

Time for a little Euro-jaunt? Why, I think it might be, as it's time for Girl to take the centre stage! Is it a metaphor around Catholic values? Can Lennon manage to land the genre style? And how funny can one set of backing vocals be?   Rankings: Track-by-track Ranking eMail: beatlesstuffology@gmail.com Twitter: @beatles_ology Instagram: beatlesstuffology JG's Blog: Judgementally Reviews… Andrew’s Blog: Stuffology   Produced By: Waiting for several million years of evolution to pass so the technology can be invented and used by JG McQuarrie

It's Ringo's chance to take centre stage on Rubber Soul as What Goes On dolefully shuffles into view. Is this song as doleful as all the other doleful songs Ringo has sung? Is it worthy of inclusion in a list of doleful Ringo songs at all? And is there any other world to describe this song as other than doleful? Doleful. Rankings: Track-by-track Ranking eMail: beatlesstuffology@gmail.com Twitter: @beatles_ology Instagram: beatlesstuffology JG's Blog: Judgementally Reviews… Andrew’s Blog: Stuffology   Produced By: State of the art hardware rendered only somewhat useful by JG McQuarrie

It's time for a little Gallic flair in podcastland as "Michelle" sashay's into view. How unusual is the song in the Beatles back catalogue? Do cover versions add anything at all? And how did our beloved podcast hosts (it says here) come to the song in the first place? Rankings: Track-by-track Ranking eMail: beatlesstuffology@gmail.com Twitter: @beatles_ology Instagram: beatlesstuffology JG's Blog: Judgementally Reviews… Andrew’s Blog: Stuffology   Produced By: Pressing some buttons in a DAW. But also by JG McQuarrie

It's time for Andrew and JG to discuss The Word this episode, but what is The Word anyway? Does this song work as a precursor to All You Need Is Love? How convincing does the whole thing sound? As is this where the mythologisation of Lennon as "the love one" really begins? Plus there's a discussion around JG's overall rankings of literally every single Beatles song (with the relevant playlist now available on Spotify!)   Rankings: Track-by-track Ranking eMail: beatlesstuffology@gmail.com Twitter: @beatles_ology Instagram: beatlesstuffology JG's Blog: Judgementally Reviews… Andrew’s Blog: Stuffology   Produced By: And large by JG McQuarrie

Time for George's first entry into Rubber Soul as JG and Andrew tackle Think For Yourself. Is the song as bitter as it sometimes appears? How does the political angle work? And who's the impost important player on the track? Plus we dive into the postbag for a little correspondence. (Also, apologies for JG's slightly odd sound - thanks to some technical constrains, the sound quality isn't it's usual high standard. Apologies, folks!)   Rankings: Track-by-track Ranking eMail: beatlesstuffology@gmail.com Twitter: @beatles_ology Instagram: beatlesstuffology JG's Blog: Judgementally Reviews… Andrew’s Blog: Stuffology   Produced By: Blind Luck and JG McQuarrie

It's time for a minor-league Lennon "classic" this week as we stray into Nowhere, Man (cough). Does the song deserve its high reputation? Is it fair to call it entry-level Beatles? And does it have the weight that's often attributed to it?   Rankings: Track-by-track Ranking eMail: beatlesstuffology@gmail.com Twitter: @beatles_ology Instagram: beatlesstuffology JG's Blog: Judgementally Reviews… Andrew’s Blog: Stuffology   Produced By: The bye, by JG McQuarrie

We turn to relationships and their success or lack thereof as Paul gives us "You Won't See Me" this week. How does the song stand up to the other Jane Asher songs? How must it feel to have your relationship very publically catalogued in this way? And is the song a little under-rated?   Rankings: Track-by-track Ranking eMail: beatlesstuffology@gmail.com Twitter: @beatles_ology Instagram: beatlesstuffology JG's Blog: Judgementally Reviews… Andrew’s Blog: Stuffology   Produced By: JG McQuarrie

Time for a bit of Scandi fun this episode as we indulge in a bit of Norwegian Wood (missus). Does the song represent a genuinely new direction for The Beatles? Does it actually manage to qualify as poetry? And are there any cover versions that do it justice? Plus we dip into the mailbox for a bit of commentary.   Rankings: Track-by-track Ranking eMail: beatlesstuffology@gmail.com Twitter: @beatles_ology Instagram: beatlesstuffology JG's Blog: Judgementally Reviews… Andrew’s Blog: Stuffology   Produced By: JG McQuarrie

It's time for a fresh new album with a fresh new sound this episode, as JG and Andrew kick off their Rubber Soul discussions with Drive My Car. Does the song prove to be a worthy album opener? Are there any interesting cover versions? Does this truly herald a new period in the band's history? And, perhaps most importantly, why did nobody check out the Beat Bugs episode with this title? Rankings: Track-by-track Ranking eMail: beatlesstuffology@gmail.com Twitter: @beatles_ology Instagram: beatlesstuffology JG's Blog: Judgementally Reviews… Andrew’s Blog: Stuffology   Produced By: JG McQuarrie  

We flip the single this episode to cover the other A side of the first doube-A, Day Tripper. Do Andrew and JG manage to settle which is the best of the two songs? Does Day Tripper stand up to We Can Work It Out's high bar? And how many cover versions do you need to listen to in order to find a decent one? Rankings: Track-by-track Ranking eMail: beatlesstuffology@gmail.com Twitter: @beatles_ology Instagram: beatlesstuffology JG's Blog: Judgementally Reviews… Andrew’s Blog: Stuffology   Produced By: JG McQuarrie

It's time for not only a double-A single but in some ways the double-A single. In this case, Andrew and JG are tackling We Can Work It Out first (despite some faffing about). Is it the better of the two songs on the single? Will they both agree on which song is superior? And does the song work on its own terms?   Rankings: Track-by-track Ranking eMail: beatlesstuffology@gmail.com Twitter: @beatles_ology Instagram: beatlesstuffology JG's Blog: Judgementally Reviews… Andrew’s Blog: Stuffology   Produced By: JG McQuarrie

It's something of a minisode this week, as JG and Andrew plug a(nother) gap by covering I'm Down vastly out of sequence (but hey, at least they remembered!). Does the song work as a straightforward rocker? Is there a cover version that might surpass the original? And do minisodes work (answers to the mailbag please!)? Plus... well, plus nothing actually - it is a minisode!   Rankings: Track-by-track Ranking eMail: beatlesstuffology@gmail.com Twitter: @beatles_ology Instagram: beatlesstuffology JG's Blog: Judgementally Reviews… Andrew’s Blog: Stuffology   Produced By: JG McQuarrie

We draw our various discussions around Help! to a conclusion as JG and Andrew finally get to tackle the entirety of the actual album itself. Does the album cohere as a single unit despite being half-soundtrack, half-other-stuff? Is it effective as an overall piece of product? And does it really signify a change of eras? Plus we jump into our inbox once again for a little listener correspondence. Rankings: Track-by-track Ranking eMail: beatlesstuffology@gmail.com Twitter: @beatles_ology Instagram: beatlesstuffology JG's Blog: Judgementally Reviews… Andrew’s Blog: Stuffology   Produced By: JG McQuarrie

We return to movie-land this week as Help! hoves unconvincingly into view. Is the movie a worthy successor to A Hard Day's Night? Is the depiction of race as bad as everyone thinks it is? And, perhaps most importantly, is it actually entertaining in any way?   Rankings: Track-by-track Ranking eMail: beatlesstuffology@gmail.com Twitter: @beatles_ology Instagram: beatlesstuffology JG's Blog: Judgementally Reviews… Andrew’s Blog: Stuffology   Produced By: JG McQuarrie

With the unquestionable professionalism that everyone has come to expect from this podcast, unfortunately Dizzy Miss Lizzy got posted instead of Yesterday. Entirely JG's fault and he holds his hands up and admits it. Which is nice. So, um, here's Yesterday! Is one of the best-known songs of all time really worthy of that reputation? Is it possible to discuss the song without lapsing into conversations about cover versions? And is it a song that benefits from being covered anyway? Also, we're moving our posting day to Wednesdays now, rather than Saturdays. So now you can enjoy Stuffology during the week!   Rankings: Track-by-track Ranking eMail: beatlesstuffology@gmail.com Twitter: @beatles_ology Instagram: beatlesstuffology JG's Blog: Judgementally Reviews… Andrew’s Blog: Stuffology   Produced By: JG McQuarrie