This week Tim, Shaun & Peter ranked the Beatles UK studio albums. Topic covered include: which Beatle writes with the most interesting chords, how to construct a Beatles canon, how much Beatles material was contractual, whether the Beatles’ career can be divided into a John phase and a Paul phase, and when they came to terms with the album as form. Also, is David Essex from Essex? On which album is Ringo’s bass drum pedal squeak featured? Which is worse, Help the album or Help the film? Did the Beatles invent goth rock? And which is better, the Shaunometer or the Petergraph? There’s only one way to find out…

This week, Tim did a monologue on the fourth and final studio album by The Move, Message From The Country. Topics covered include: whether this is a concept album or not, the contrast between the chaos of the band’s career and the coherence of the record, whether The Move were one of the greatest groups of the 1960s and the significance of biblical references on the album. Also, are they the only UK band to have been sued by the Prime Minister? Exactly how much Christian eschatology is there on the album? When does a thing stop being a thing? And finally, when the band talk about a message from the country, which country exactly are they talking about?

This week, Peter did a monologue on the third album by Nick Drake, Pink Moon (for Jacob!). Topics covered include: Nick Drake’s biography, which album is Nick Drake’s best, the question of overdubbing, the guitar playing on the album, and the rediscovery of Nick Drake in the 1990s. Also, what’s the holy trinity of failure? Did Nick Drake leave the tapes for the album in the record company reception? What’s the meaning of 11? What happens if a Nick Drake song goes over 4 minutes? And the hardy perennial: is it a concept album?