The Beatles: A Time of Extremes
Episode 51
Episode date - October 26, 2012
By late 1968, it seems as though everything that Beatles were doing, together or apart, was taken to extremes.
“Hey Jude”, their new single was deliberately designed to be the longest 45 RPM single, while its B-side, “Revolution”, was deliberately designed to raise the hackles of the hippie revolutionary crown that was constantly trying to recruit the Beatles into their causes.
Paul recorded some of the gentlest material of his career, but placed it alongside “Helter Skelter”, a song deliberately designed to be louder and harder than anything that preceded it. Meanwhile, John continued to raise the ante in his quest to alienate himself from the public who clung to desperately his older image.
In this show, we capture those extremes, with what may be the most emotionally powerful single ever released by the Beatles, followed by other tracks that convey the confusion and rampant experimentation that defined this period of their career.
Featured tracks include:
1) Hey Jude
2) Revolution
3) I Will (early take)
4) I’m So Tired (early take)
5) Why Don’t We Do It in the Road (early take)
6) Julia (early take)
7) Song for John
8) Mulberry