The Beatles World Cup
What's the greatest Beatles song of all time? We think there's only one way to find out - by pitting every Beatles song against each other in the ultimate winner-takes-all tournament! Join Jono, Rob and special guests as they progress through the rounds robins, knockouts, and finals to find the ultimate Beatles song. It won't be easy, it will be contentious, but one thing's for sure - no song is safe... Not even your favourite.
Episodes
59 episodes
The Best... Source of Information
How do you like your Beatles facts? Exquisitely researched in minute detail? In one-sided Anthology form? Or 8 hours long and counting? This week, we're looking at the best sources of Beatles information on offer, in any format (semi-week...
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20:00
The Best... Non-Standard Instrument
We're back... again! This week: The Best Use of Non-Standard Instrument. Forget your guitars and drums and pianos - this is all about the beautiful, the obscure or the downright odd instruments that have turned up in Beatles tracks...
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10:03
The Best... Ringo-centric Song
Don't pass this one by! It's all about Ringo this week, as we work out which Ringo-centric Beatles song is the best of all. We'll act naturally as we dive into a strange bouquet of deeply sonorous musical oddities, but which one will we drum up...
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11:16
The Best... Album Cover
Our Best of specials continue this week with a deep dive into the best Beatles album cover of all time. From photos to drawings, collages to single shots, psychedelia to.. well... nothing! 12 to choose from, only one can win... unle...
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19:40
The Best... Opening Track
We're back! After an epic 51 heats, and a wee lie down for a few months, Jono & Rob are back with a special series celebrating the best of the best of the Beatles. This week, the best opening track of a Beatles album. Fro...
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14:07
The Redemption Episode
64 Beatles tracks are through to the knockout rounds of The Beatles World Cup ... but there's just time for a quick revisit of our choices, and the opportunity to right some wrongs and wrong some rights. Rob & Jono each pick a song to bring...
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17:29
Heat 51 - The End Of The Beginning
It's here - the final heat of The Beatles World Cup, where we find the final of our 64 tracks that will be going through to the next round. And it's a doozy, as Let It Be and Hey Jude go head to head. It gets deep, it gets emotional, but we rem...
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28:17
Heat 50 - We'll Never Walk Down Lime Street Anymore
It's our 50th heat and the penultimate one, as we race towards the end of the epic first round of The Beatles World Cup. This week, three very random tracks are on the block: All I've Got to Do, Matchbox and Maggie Mae. And if those don't excit...
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14:32
Heat 49 - Train Ticket to Ryde
You go for weeks without many real Beatles classics coming along, and then three turn up at once! It's getting tougher towards the end, as this week I Want To Hold Your Hand, Ticket to Ride and I Saw Her Standing There are put forward. Two must...
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20:27
Heat 48 - Jukebox Cafe Fantasy (or A Bit of W*nk)
The first of our three track heats, as A Taste of Honey, Do You Want to Know a Secret and Not a Second Time compete in this grand charade. One features in Doctor Who, one features in Doctor Sleep, and one doesn't even sound like the Beatles. Bu...
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15:02
Heat 47 - What Rhymes With More?
We've come to the last of our 4-track heats, as All Together Now, Anna (Go To Him), Dizzy Miss Lizzy and It Won't Be Long go head to head to compete for supremacy and the chance to continue as a potential GOAT contender. More exciting than Beat...
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17:09
Heat 46 - Three 'I's in One Breath
A very internally focused but delightful bunch of songs this week, as we round the final straight of heats. We choose from I'm a Loser, I've Just Seen A Face, Octopus's Garden and I'll Follow The Sun. Note: we're not who we appear to be...
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17:51
Heat 45 - 45... 45... 45... 45...
Misogyny! Death Threats! The Watusi! Jeff Lynne! This week's songs have it all! Join our wacky lineup of tracks as Run For Your Life, Revolution #9, If I Needed Someone and Free As A Bird take each other on. Right? RIGHT!
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23:14
Heat 44 - Can't You See it's Too Much?
Still reeling from last week's double classic takedown, this week we're back to quirky mix territory, with a ragtag bunch of oddities, curios, covers and harmonicas. Listen with interest as It's All Too Much, Words of Love, I Should Have Known ...
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17:23
Heat 43 - Crocs & Scotch in an Airport Bar
Well f**k... that's pretty much our response when we picked out this week's random Beatles tracks (well, apart from Mr Moonlight). 3 stone cold classics on the block this week: The Long & Winding Road, A Day in the Life and Yesterday. Two o...
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25:18
Heat 42 - Rob & Jono Split Up
It had to happen really... 42 episodes in and we've found the mix of 4 random Beatles songs that will rock our hitherto peaceful and tolerant co-hosting to the core. But which threatens to shatter the peace? Lovely Rita, I Wanna Be Your Man, As...
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18:22
Heat 41 - All You Need Is Stats
We take a moment this week to take stock of our 40 heats thus far - fun stats ahead! Then we crack straight into picking a winner from four more random Beatles tracks. This week, Here Comes The Sun, Honey Pie, All You Need is Love and I'll Be B...
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24:35
Heat 40 - Sifty Intake of Breath
Welcome to Weird Seedy Sifty Song Week, as another four random Beatles songs go head to head to win their spot in the next round. To tickle your fancy this week, (breathe in noisily) I'll Get You, Oh! Darling, We Can Work It Out and Girl....
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20:51
Heat 39 - There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Lyrics
We're firmly back in middle of the road territory this week, as four more random tracks make their case. Which will rise like cream to the top of the breakfast bowl? Good Morning Good Morning, I Need You, Mother Nature's Son or Yes It Is? ...
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19:31
Heat 38 - Soul & Pepper
It's time for a Soul & Pepper showdown, as Nowhere Man goes up against the title track of SPLHCB... but could Act Naturally or Till There Was You swipe in and take this week's crown? The tension is palpable!
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20:45
Heat 37 - Full of Contradictions
It had to happen really - we, Rob and Jono, haven't disagreed too widely over 36 heats. But this time around, we're polar opposite when it comes to one of these four songs: Dig A Pony, Wait, Little Child & Any Time at All. But will the spli...
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17:36
Heat 36 - Stuffed Crust Revolution
Aaaand we're back on track with some truly viable greats on offer this week. We'll be weighing up the merits of Paperback Writer, Roll Over Beethoven, Revolution (the rockier single version), and There's A Place. Oh and somehow Pizza Hut and Su...
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18:58
Heat 35 - The Carl Perkins World Cup
After the big hitters of last week, we reach one of 'those' heats where... well... the cards have fallen in a interesting way, and by interesting we mean 'sigh'. We have to choose a winner to go through though, and it'll be either When I Get Ho...
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16:28
Heat 34 - Miley in the Sky with Wind Machines
Some big hitters duke it out this week with Love Me Do, I Want You (She's So Heavy), Lucy In the Sky with Diamonds and She Loves You ready to do battle. Only one will go through, just like only one has a wind machine in the mix, only one has be...
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22:05