DEFINING THE MUSICAL AND CULTURAL LANDSCAPE OF THE BEATLES
BEATLES SCHOLARS SCOTT FREIMAN & KENNETH WOMACK MAKE LEARNING ABOUT THE BEATLES AN ENTERTAINING, EDUCATIONAL, AND INFORMATIVE EXPERIENCE WITH DECONSTRUCTING THE BEATLES!!!
There are two Beatles scholars that instantly grab my attention when I hear their names spoken in Beatles-related circles and conversations. They both have the distinction and status of being academic specialists in their respective fields and they also possess the uncanny ability to present their material in a highly entertaining, engaging, and informative manner. They have the talent for reinforcing the notion that learning about the Beatles can be rewarding, challenging and fun, for EVERYONE. These two gentlemen are named Scott Freiman and Ken Womack!
SCOTT FREIMAN AND KEN WOMACK
Both of these individuals have extensive lists of accomplishments in their respective portfolios. I will provide a few links for you to explore at your leisure and a portion of the significant amount of their musical and literary contributions as it relates to the Beatles. You will be impressed!
Background information:
Scott Freiman:
About Scott Freiman — deconstructing the music
Deconstructing the Beatles | PBS
Ken Womack:
Kenneth Womack – Everything Fab Four
Episode 122: LIVING THE BEATLES LEGEND WITH KEN WOMACK AND GARY EVANS – YouTube
Now that you have familiarized yourselves with Scott and Ken’s illustrious backgrounds, we will present some of the products that I have purchased from their stellar catalogs. I have all of Scott’s Deconstructing the Beatles dvds and I have all of Ken Womack’s numerous scholarly Beatles books. Not merely to just have them as a collector, but as a result of them being quality-laden pieces which I return to time and time again!
SCOTT FREIMAN-DECONSTRUCTING THE BEATLES STORY:
Several years ago a very close friend of mine (the best man at my wedding who was also an avid Beatles devotee) invited me to a local theater to view one of Scott Freiman’s Deconstructing the Beatles programs. To be frank and honest, I was initially resistant to going, thinking “what else could I learn that would be different from what I already know”? It was the subtle arrogance often exhibited by first generation fans who believe they no longer can be surprised, startled or impressed by new Beatles-related information. Luckily, my smarter instincts prevailed and I went to see the filmed presentation of Scott at the theater.
After that first presentation, I never missed another one of his Deconstructing the Beatles film series when it appeared locally. The mark of a good teacher is when the learning of new information is NOT a task, but becomes the welcome assimilation, absorbing and pondering of that information, motivating you to think about what you have just seen or heard. Scott has those skills. He has a mastery of his material and a two hour presentation by him feels like you have only been there for fifteen minutes, leaving you consistently yearning for more… I loved the trivia question section of his presentations that ranged from simple questions to those that might be quite difficult for some. To demonstrate how good of an instructor Scott Freiman is, I have no doubts that even non-Beatle fans who may have attended his lectures, left the theater wanting to know more about the band that contines to fascinate us all.
Here is an example of Scott’s talent as he discusses the connection between Beethoven and the Beatles.
Beethoven, “Because” and John Lennon – YouTube
Here are photos and descriptions of the fabulous Deconstructing the Beatles dvd series as exhibited at the CultureSonar website. As stated before, they are all truly excellent!!!
Unfortunately for those who live outside the United States and Canada it is my understanding that the DECONSTRUCTING THE BEATLES dvd series is currently only available in the USA and Canada.
The photos of the front and back of the dvds are from the CultureSonar website as well as the description of the dvd contents!
“Deconstructing The Beatles” is a multimedia lecture series conceived and delivered by Scott Freiman
© 2025 Deconstructing the Music, LLC. All rights reserved.
Legal services provided by Donaldson + Callif, LLP
Deconstructing the Beatles | A Trip Through Strawberry Fields | Episode 103 | PBS
Deconstructing the Beatles’ “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Help!” 2-Film Set
A Hard Day’s Night: Follow the band’s huge breakthrough in America, culminating in the innovative smash-hit film.
Help!: The creative frenzy continues into 1965, as the band transitioned to a more mature, deeper style of songwriting and production.
Deconstructing The Beatles – CultureSonar
The Beatles “Deconstructing Abbey Road” 2-Film Set
Abbey Road: Side One. This album is so great, we needed two films to cover it. Begin with the so-called “song side” of Abbey Road, with deep dives into “Come Together,” “Something,” “I Want You (She’s So Heavy),” and the rest of Side One, including an analysis of “The Ballad of John and Yoko” and “Old Brown Shoe.”
Abbey Road: Side Two. Learn about the Eastern rhythms on “Here Comes the Sun,” the influence of Beethoven on “Because,” and the reason why “Her Majesty” ended up as the album’s hidden track. Then explore the entire Side Two medley. Also includes deconstructions of “Give Peace a Chance” and “Come and Get It.”
Deconstructing The Beatles – CultureSonar
Deconstructing the Beatles: “The Early Years” Exclusive 2-Film Set
The Birth of the Beatles. From a garden party meeting in 1957 to the “toppermost of the poppermost” by the end of 1962, explore the band’s remarkable Origin Story.
1963: Yeah, Yeah, Yeah: This was the year that defined the “mania.” It began with their early sessions with George Martin and ended with worldwide acclaim. Follow each frenzied step.
Deconstructing The Beatles – CultureSonar
Deconstructing The Beatles – CultureSonar
Deconstructing The Beatles’ “Rubber Soul” Feature Film
Rubber Soul. Make a masterpiece, from scratch, in thirty days? No problem! This is a really entertaining race against the clock
Deconstructing The Beatles – CultureSonar
Deconstructing The Beatles’ “Revolver” – Feature Film
Revolver. Many music polls list Revolver as the top album of all time, with good reason. Dig into this extremely-fertile creative process.
Deconstructing The Beatles – CultureSonar
Deconstructing The Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper” – Feature Film
Sgt. Pepper. For a band that wasn’t sure it was even a band anymore (having recently stopped touring), The Beatles hit another creative peak here.
Deconstructing The Beatles – CultureSonar
Deconstructing The Beatles’ “White Album” – Feature Film
The White Album. After the studio wizardry of Sgt. Pepper, the band wanted to get back to basics. The approach may have been simpler, but the breadth of styles — from music hall to metal — is dazzling.
Deconstructing The Beatles – CultureSonar
Deconstructing The Beatles’ “Magical Mystery Tour” – Exclusive Feature Film
Magical Mystery Tour. Failed film. Incredible album. That vastly oversimplifies a complex story, as you’ll see.
Deconstructing The Beatles – CultureSonar
The Beatles “Chords and Progressions” (DVD)
In “Chords and Progressions,” acclaimed “Beatleologist” Scott Freiman explores the Beatles’ chordal songwriting secrets and the music theory behind those progressions. He “deconstructs” more than fifty of their hit songs including Hey Jude, Day Tripper, In My Life, She Loves You and more.
Those of you familiar with Scott’s “Deconstructing The Beatles” films will get an extra kick out of this video. He goes even deeper here, diving into the musicology behind these immortal songs. While you don’t need to know any music theory to understand what Scott’s discussing, it’ll be even more rewarding if you do.
“Chords and Progressions” will help you master the techniques behind many Beatles hits. Then you can apply these songwriting secrets to your to your songs and you, too, can share some of the Lennon & McCartney magic.
Deconstructing The Beatles – CultureSonar
A Special Acquisition
Only 200 copies were issued of this special collectors item that I purchased. Scott had 200 special super collectors editions of the Abbey Road Super Collector 2-dvd set made. Those that purchased this edition had their names placed on the cover of the dvd, and also on a special poster (shown below). The purchasers of this edition also had their names in the credits at the closing of the film. There was a very large frameable canvas-like print of the Abbey Road album cover which would be wonderful to view in anyone’s music room which was provided to the super deluxe purchasers as well.
Abbey Road Super Collectors Edition–ONLY 200 MADE
Here is a description of the package this is on YouTube:
“Deconstructing Abbey Road” Superfan Collectors Edition – YouTube
KEN WOMACK
Ken Womack has several qualities as a Beatles-book author that I distinctly admire. He is an expert researcher. He does not know how to write a bad uninteresting book. He is patient until he gets the answers to the questins he is pondering. He has an insatiable appetite and resolve to find out MORE about the Beatles story, even when critics declare we have heard it all before. When I learned that Ken Womack was chosen to write the biography of Mal Evans, I was ecstatic as I knew the story would be told properly with the sensitivity necessary to fully understand the GENTLE GIANT and his devotion to the greatest band ever. He did an excellent job and he has us all eagerly awaiting the 2nd volume of his Mal book, expected in 2026.
He is an academic and an intellectual but he truly understands the information that the typical Beatles fan yearns for and treasures! He has tremendous Beatles instincts and I am proud to consider him a wonderful Online friend!
LIST OF KEN WOMACK’S BEATLES-RELATED BOOK TITLES
Here are some of the Kenneth Womack book titles that I own. Detailed descriptions of the book contents can be viewed by clicking the respective links provided with each title!
I have given the the links for Amazon US, Amazon UK and the link for The Fest For Beatles Fans. Not all of the titles may be available at all 3 of the sites but the links are provided for your convenience!
Living the Beatles Legend: The Untold Story of Mal Evans―The Untold Story of the Beatles’ Roadie Hardcover – November 14, 2023
by Kenneth Womack (Author) Dey Street Books
FEST FOR BEATLES FANS-SIGNED COPIES
AMAZON UK
The Mal Evans Story – Chat With Author Ken Womack: Living The Beatles Legend
Introducing the Beatles: Background and Resources Paperback – September 22, 2023
by Kenneth Womack (Author), Joseph Rapolla (Author)
Kendall Hunt Publishing
US AMAZON
UK AMAZON
FEST FOR BEATLES FANS
Beatles Books : Beatles Gifts and Products, The Fest for Beatles Fans
All Things Must Pass Away: Harrison, Clapton, and Other Assorted Love Songs Hardcover – July 20, 2021
by Kenneth Womack (Author), Jason Kruppa (Author) Chicago Review Press
AMAZON US
AMAZON UK
FEST FOR BEATLES FANS
Beatles Books : Beatles Gifts and Products, The Fest for Beatles Fans
Fandom and The Beatles: The Act You’ve Known for All These Years
by Kenneth Womack (Editor), Kit O’Toole (Editor) Oxford University Press
FEST FOR BEATLES FANS
Beatles Books : Beatles Gifts and Products, The Fest for Beatles Fans
AMAZON US
AMAZON UK
John Lennon 1980: The Last Days in the Life Paperback – September 15, 2020
by Kenneth Womack (Author) Omnibus Press
FEST FOR BEATLES FANS
Beatles Books : Beatles Gifts and Products, The Fest for Beatles Fans
AMAZON US
John Lennon 1980: The Last Days in the Life: Womack, Kenneth: 9781787601369: Amazon.com: Books
AMAZON UK
The Beatles in Context (Composers in Context)
by Kenneth Womack (Editor) Cambridge University Press Dec. 23, 2021
FEST FOR BEATLES FANS
Beatles Books : Beatles Gifts and Products, The Fest for Beatles Fans
Amazon US
Amazon.com: The Beatles in Context (Composers in Context): 9781108409520: Womack, Kenneth: Books
AMAZON UK
The Beatles in Context (Composers in Context): Amazon.co.uk: Womack, Kenneth: 9781108409520: Books
Solid State: The Story of “Abbey Road” and the End of the Beatles Hardcover – Illustrated, 15 Oct. 2019
by Kenneth Womack (Author), Alan Parsons (Foreword) Cornell University Press
FEST FOR BEATLES FANS
Beatles Books : Beatles Gifts and Products, The Fest for Beatles Fans
Amazon US
AMAZON UK
Maximum Volume: The Life of Beatles Producer George Martin, The Early Years, 1926–1966 Paperback – September 3, 2019 by Kenneth Womack (Author) Chicago Review Press
FEST FOR BEATLES FANS
Beatles Books : Beatles Gifts and Products, The Fest for Beatles Fans
AMAZON US
Maximum Volume: The Life of Beatles Producer George Martin, The Early Years, 1926–1966: Womack, Kenneth: 9781641600057: Amazon.com: Books
AMAZON UK
Sound Pictures: The Life of Beatles Producer George Martin, The Later Years, 1966–2016 Paperback – September 3, 2019 by Kenneth Womack (Author) Chicago Review Press
FEST FOR BEATLES FANS
Beatles Books : Beatles Gifts and Products, The Fest for Beatles Fans
AMAZON US
AMAZON UK
The Beatles Encyclopedia: Everything Fab Four
by Kenneth Womack (Author) Greenwood Publication date-November 21, 2016
FEST FOR BEATLES FANS
Beatles Books : Beatles Gifts and Products, The Fest for Beatles Fans
AMAZON US
The Beatles Encyclopedia: Everything Fab Four: Womack, Kenneth: 9781440844263: Amazon.com: Books
AMAZON UK
The Beatles Encyclopedia: Everything Fab Four : Womack, Kenneth: Amazon.co.uk: Books
The Beatles, Sgt. Pepper, and the Summer of Love (For the Record: Studies in Rock and Popular Music) Hardcover – July 3, 2017 Lexington Books
by Kenneth Womack (Editor), Kathryn B. Cox (Editor), Kenneth L. Campbell (Contributor), Jacqueline Edmondson (Contributor), Michael Frontani (Contributor), Katie Kapurch (Contributor), Mark Osteen (Contributor), Kit O’Toole (Contributor), Joe Rapolla (Contributor), Robert Rodriguez (Contributor), Bruce Spizer (Contributor), Jerry Zolten (Contributor)
FEST FOR BEATLES FANS
Beatles Books : Beatles Gifts and Products, The Fest for Beatles Fans
AMAZON US
AMAZON UK
New Critical Perspectives on the Beatles: Things We Said Today (Pop Music, Culture and Identity) Hardcover – June 23, 2016by Kenneth Womack (Editor), Katie Kapurch (Editor) Published by Palgrave Macmillan
FEST FOR BEATLES FANS
Beatles Books : Beatles Gifts and Products, The Fest for Beatles Fans
AMAZON US
AMAZON UK
The Cambridge Companion to the Beatles (Cambridge Companions to Music) Paperback – December 14, 2009
by Kenneth Womack (Editor) Cambridge University Press
FEST FOR BEATLES FANS
Beatles Books : Beatles Gifts and Products, The Fest for Beatles Fans
AMAZON US
AMAZON UK
Long and Winding Roads: The Evolving Artistry of the Beatles by Kenneth Womack
AuthorPaperback – May 30, 2007 Published by Continuum
FEST FOR BEATLES FANS
Beatles Books : Beatles Gifts and Products, The Fest for Beatles Fans
AMAZON UK
Reading the Beatles: Cultural Studies, Literary Criticism, And the Fab Four Paperback – February 9, 2006
by Kenneth Womack (Editor), Todd F. Davis (Editor) Published by State University of New York Press
FEST FOR BEATLES FANS
Beatles Books : Beatles Gifts and Products, The Fest for Beatles Fans
AMAZON US
AMAZON UK
SCOTT FREIMAN AND KEN WOMACK COLLABORATE AND CONDUCT: THE FAB FOUR MASTER CLASS
You take two bright minds who foster, stimulate and encourage intellectual growth and development, and put them together to teach an Online Beatles Master Class, and you have a clear recipe for success. This fee-based course which you can choose the episodes you wish to purchase, view, and “participate in” are valuable resources to expand your Beatles knowledge. They also have a flat rate where you can decide to pay a single discounted reduced rate to enjoy viewing all of the presentations being offered in that particular Master Class. Details are provided in the links below.
Did I forget to mention that Professor Womack also teaches a Beatles class at Monmouth University in New Jersey? So little time…so much to know! JHB (Yellow Submarine)!
Introducing “The Fab Four Master Class” – YouTube
Just want to conclude by saying I enjoy the work of both of these highly-skilled educators. I hope they will continue to release more wonderful and powerful works that will make us smile and “think.”
Closing motto: “The Day You Stop Learning, is the Day You Stop Living!”
BUZZ
OUR BOOK OF THE WEEK – RECIPE RECORDS
Recipe Records – A Culinary Tribute to The Beatles
Invite your friends to “jam” with recipes such as “Stuffed Sgt. Peppers,” “Strawberry Pie Forever,” “Savoy Truffles,” “You Say Goodbye, I Say Jell-O,” and more! The cookbook contains recipes which “pair well” with song selections, trivia, stories, quips, and quotes about the Fabs. 50 recipes to celebrate 50 years of the Fabs are cleverly set out, and feature recipes from Beatles Book Store friends, Jude Southerland Kessler and David Bedford! This book makes a terrific gift for anyone who likes to eat….and dig The Beatles!
First met Scott Freiman on the 2018 Flower Power cruise giving one of his Deconstructing The Beatles presentations. Now we’re friends on FB and I have all of his DVDs. Really excellent and enjoyable!
Met Ken Womack in 2019 in Chicago at The Fest For Beatles Fans. Recently got and read his Mal Evans bio. Loved it! Such a sad ending, though, to such a sweet, lovable guy.