1 BWTB CHRISTMAS SHOW 2014 * John & Yoko – Happy Xmas (War Is Over) `71 * George – Ding Dong – Dark Horse 1974 1 2 9:13 BREAK This morning we will feature all 7 of the Beatles XMAS messages…which were FLEXI DISCS sent out to FAN CLUB members only… They did one each year between 1963 & 1969… we’ll hear `em all along w/ some solo Holiday tunes from JPG&R… Some novelty Beatles songs and a few surprises! As well as some XMAS faves from people who worked, recorded and produced The Beatles… Here are the Beatles and their 1st XMAS message from 1963… * 1st / Fan Club X Mass Single 1963 (5:02) Scripted by Tony Barrow – NEMS Pub. Manager / who ran fan club Recorded Oct. 17th/ Released Dec. 6th 1963 /@ Abbey Road – 1st day w/ Four Track Recording Sessions for “I Want to Hold You Hand” 2 3 * Dora Bryan - All I Want For Christmas Is A Beatle `64 She also had a Top 20 hit in 1963. * Ringo Starr – I Wanna Be Santa Claus - I Wanna Be Santa Claus * The Fab Four –The Christmas Song– HARK! * Beatles 1964 – 2nd Christmas Message ‘Another Beatles Christmas Record” – (4:06) Recorded Monday Oct. 25th 1964 / By the time of the release of this flexi the Fan Club membership had risen to 65,000 and Christmas flexi disks were made for every member. It came with a special sleeve and with a Fan Club newsletter. Notice on the label that the 1964 fan club flexi plays at 45 rpm, all the others play at 33 1/3. Released Dec. 18th 1964 Another Beatles' Christmas Record was not sent to American fans. Rather, at Christmastime 1964, US fans received an edited version of The Beatles' Christmas Record, which was sent to British fan club members in 1963. Also, as opposed to using flexi-discs, the US fan club sent the message in a tri-fold cardboard mailer, with the "record" embedded in one of the flaps of cardboard 3 4 *The Beatles - Let It Be - Let It Be Our only non -Xmas related song this morning for all of you not celebrating anything except The Beatles. 9:40 /Break * Ringo – Little Drummer Boy – I Wanna Be Santa Claus *Beatles 1965 3rd Christmas Message – (6.26) Recorded Nov. 8th/Released Dec. 17th, 1965 Sessions for Think For Yourself – Rubber Soul Several off-key, a cappella versions of "Yesterday" are dispersed throughout the record, alongside Lennon's "Happy Christmas to Ya List'nas," "Auld Lang Syne," a one-and-a-half-line version of the Four Tops' "It's the Same Old Song", which they quickly stop before they violate the copyright, and an original poem titled "Christmas Comes But Once a Year." A second version of Auld Land Syne segues messily into a cover of Barry McGuire's Eve of Destruction 4 5 Members of the Beatles' U.S. fan club did not receive this (or any) Christmas flexi-disc in 1965. Rather, they received a black and white postcard, with a photo of the Fab Four and the message "Season's Greetings -- Paul, Ringo, George, John." The Beatle Bulletin, the publication of the U.S. fan club, explained in its April 1966 edition that the tape arrived too late to prepare the record in time for Christmas • The Shins – Wonderful Christmas Time – Xmas Rules Wings - Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reggae – B Side / Wonderful Christmas Time * The Fab Four – Blue Christmas – HARK! ** NEWS HERE 10:10 – BREAK Back with the… *Beatles 4th Christmas Record 1966 (6:40) 5 6 Pantomime / Everywhere it’s Christmas Recorded Nov. 25 in the basement of Dick James Music / The 1st Double A sided Beatle Xmas disc This time the free disc given to fans was in the form of a pantomime written by The four lads. It was ten separate items, together with the title song, which was mixed together at Abbey Road on 2nd December 1966 by the writer of the previous Christmas outings, Tony Barrow. Pantomime sleeve design by Paul McCartney. * Becky Lee Beck - “I Want A Beatle For Christmas,” – Single 1964 Challenge Records There were also at least four records released in 1964 that were titled “I Want A Beatle For Christmas,” with versions released by Jackie & Jill, Patty Surby And The Canadian V.I.P’s, The Fans and Becky Lee Beck. The version released by Becky Lee Beck was written by legendary luthier John Suhr, who has built guitars and basses for such musicians as Mark Knopfler, Eric Clapton, Peter Frampton, Lou Reed, and Victor Bailey. When discussing the record, John Suhr recalled: “In the fall of 1964, I took Becky Lee, and her brother Bobby, to Nashville to do two tracks for a single. We did ‘I Want a Beatle for Christmas. Silvo Danti Speaks 6 7 Frank Sinatra – Jingle Bells - A Jolly Christmas (Capitol Records `57) The Fab Four –Sleigh Ride – HARK! Newcastle Road - Christmas w/ The Beatles Back w/ 5th XMAS Message 10:40 BREAK *Beatles 1967 5th Christmas Record – * Christmas Time Is Here Again (6:10) Recorded Nov. 28th 1967 – EMI ABBEY ROAD THE ORIGINAL BEATLES with special guest appearance by the feet and voice of VICTOR U. SPINETTI and Something Else by MALCOLM LIFT-EVANS. Another little bite of the Apple: Produced by George (Is Here Again) Martin. FUN Facts ABOUT 1967 Message 7 8 Last Record recorded as a group. / Front cover by Lennon & Ringo / Back cover by Julian Lennon Also mentions the then mysterious Apple ….. / Only song from any Xmas Message to be copy written * Tom Petty – Christmas All Over Again - * Chuck Berry - Run Rudolph Run – Single `58 Written by Johnny Marks and Marvin Brodie. The song was first recorded by Berry in 1958 and released as Chess Records 1714. It hit number 69 in the Billboard Hot 100. * Darlene Love – White Christmas – Phil Spector Christmas APPLE …Brian Wilson listens in July * Ringo Starr – Come On Christmas Christmas Come On – I Wanna Be Santa Claus 11:10 BREAK * Three Blonde Mice - Ringo Bells (2:27) - Single 8 9 Atco REC# 45-6324 * Beatles 1968 6th Christmas Message – (7:55) The 1968 and 1969 Christmas flexis are double-sided and while all of the previous flexi's had paper record labels, the 1968 and 1969 disks have the information printed on the black flexi disk with white ink 1st X Mass to be recorded individually by each Beatle~~~~ John – Weybridge, Surrey Paul – St. John’s Wood George – Southern Calf. (During Electronic Sounds recordings) 9 10 And Ringo – Home at Ascot Cover Painting by Julian Lennon Features / Tiny Tim – Nowhere Man / Compiled by friend and DJ Kenny Everett * The FAB FOUR – Jingle Bells via Tomorrow Never Knows * Ringo Starr – Winter Wonderland – I Wanna Be Santa Claus * SLADE – Merry Christmas Everybody – Dec. 1973 #1 UK Note: John Lennon was next store recording Mind Games New York Record Plant / while Slade were mixing that song…John LOVED it! 11:40 BREAK 10 11 *Beatles Last (7th) Christmas Message 1969 – (7:42) Released Dec. 19th, 1969 / Really a very John & Yoko X Mass Message Paul gives us an almost full song…very 1st LP McCartney like… Ringo does get in a plug for his then current film project The Magic Christian. And interviews himself GEORGE IN LA w/ MAL EVANS The cover seen above was designed by Ringo and his son Zak. It was edited together by Radio 1 disc-jockey Kenny Everett, but this time credited to his real name, Maurice Cole. CLOSE W/ • Paul - Wonderful Xmastime LIVE Apollo NYC fin 11 .