On February 14-18, 1972, John Lennon and Yoko Ono did a one week co-host stint on US television’s Mike Douglas Show. This performance aired on the Feb. 14th show and was actually taped two weeks earlier on Jan. 31st. John and Yoko are joined onstage by the Elephants Memory Band to perform a song from John’s most recent Imagine album called “It’s So Hard”. Later in the year, Elephants Memory would record with the Lennons again on John and Yoko’s next album, the double LP Some Time In New York City. This first show with the Lennons also included musical guests The Chambers Brothers, attorney/political activist Ralph Nader and comedian Louie Nye. The show opens up with Mike himself singing his own interpretation of the Beatles’ Rubber Soul classic “Michelle”.

For “It’s So Hard”, John sings and plays rhythm guitar while Yoko hits a bongo drum. The Elephants Memory lineup included Stan Bronstein on sax, Richard Frank Jr. on drums, Wayne “Tex” Gabriel on lead guitar, Adam Ippolito on piano and Gary Von Scyoc on bass.

Click the image above to play the video.

Here are some Amazon links to read more on, or purchase, some music related to this post:

1) Some Time In New York City (remaster) – 2010 remaster of original 1972 double LP with Plastic Ono Band & Elephants Memory.

2) Imagine (remaster) – 2010 remaster of original 1971 LP with Plastic Ono Band & Flux Fiddlers. Includes classic version of title track.

3) Rubber Soul (remastered) – 2009 remaster of original 1965 stereo U.K. LP by The Beatles. Includes “Michelle”.

4) More Amazon links for any of your favorite Beatles-related music: The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.
Visit www.thebeatlesrarity.com for a new Beatles rarity each week, plus lots more!

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On February 19, 1965, The Beatles did an afternoon recording session to record John Lennon’s new song, “You’re Going To Lose That Girl.” The 4-track mix consisted of John’s Gretsch rhythm guitar, Paul McCartney’s bass and Ringo Starr’s drums on track 1, George Harrison’s guitar solo and electric piano on track 2, backing vocals from John, Paul & George on track 3, and John’s lead vocal on track 4. After doing more filming for their upcoming film Help!, they returned to the song on March 30 to add overdubs that included a new track 2 with a better guitar solo by George, bongos and an acoustic piano.

“You’re Going To Lose That Girl” was the last of the songs recorded for the Help! film, from which this clip originates. At the end of the scene, one of the great swami Clang’s thugs uses a chainsaw to saw a hole in the floor around the drum kit. The producer reports that they will have to re-record the song due to a buzzing noise, and The Beatles begin asking one another who was buzzing. As they look to Ringo, he and the drums fall through the floor.

Click the image above to play the video.

Extra info: “You’re Going To Lose That Girl” was re-titled “You’re Gonna Lose That Girl” in the U.S.

Here are some Amazon links to read more on, or purchase, some music related to this post:

1) Help! (Remastered) 2009 remastered stereo CD of original 1965 UK LP, including “You’re Going To Lose That Girl”.

2) Help! 2007 remastered 5.1 surround DVD of original 1965 film Help! starring The Beatles and with bonus features. Includes the clip of “You’re Going To Lose That Girl” seen here.

3) Ringo 2012 – Ringo Starr’s new album.

4) More Amazon links for any of your favorite Beatles-related music: The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.
Visit www.thebeatlesrarity.com for a new Beatles rarity each week, plus lots more!

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Welcome back for yet another Beatles Rarity Of The Week. “Something” was a song written by George Harrison in January 1969 and later featured, not only on the Abbey Road album later in the year, but also on the A-side of a single coupled with John Lennon’s “Come Together” on the B-side. This was George’s first composition (and last) to be issued on the top side of a Beatles single. It was a good pick too because it topped the U.S. charts (Billboard) and reached number 4 on the U.K (Melody Maker) charts. It is second only to Yesterday as being the most covered Beatles song of all time. Both John Lennon and Paul McCartney praised “Something” as among the best songs written by George, or that the group had to offer.

For this week’s BROW, I’m sharing a recording of the song while still a work in progress. This is a mono mix of “Something” that’s basic track was laid down on May 2, 1969. Billy Preston, who had recently worked with The Beatles during the Get Back/Let It Be sessions, played organ, while Paul played bass. George Harrison played rhythm guitar through a Leslie speaker and John played a second rhythm guitar. Ringo Starr, of course, manned the drum kit. At this point the song was 7:48 due to a extended jam at the conclusion (some of which I’ve included here) and labeled as take 36.

On May 5th, The Beatles upgraded take 36 with the following changes: Paul redid his bass track and George added the lead guitar parts, including his fantastic solo. Billy Preston added more organ overdubs sometime before July 11th, which was the date George recorded his first lead vocal for the track. The extended jam at the end was also shortened. The end result, take 37, would receive further improvements later in the week, when George would return to the studio to redo the vocal track, with some assistance from Paul. With the new vocal track, a stereo mix was created for the master we hear on Abbey Road.

Here now, with the original vocal track, is take 37, complete with sound engineer Phil McDonald’s take announcement.

The Beatles have a break on the set of the Abbey Road photo shoot, 1969

Links to Amazon.com items in The Beatles catalog related to this post are listed below. Click for further info or, if you like, to purchase the music:

1) Abbey Road (Remastered) 2009 remaster of original 1969 smash album tat was to be the last recorded by The Beatles. Includes the finalized master of “Something”.

2) Anthology 3 1996 2-CD set containing out-takes and special versions of Beatles recordings from the final 2 years before the broke up. Includes a demo version of “Something” recorded on George Harrison’s 26th birthday (Feb. 25, 1969).

3) Find more Beatles-related music on Amazon: The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.
Visit www.thebeatlesrarity.com for a new Beatles rarity each week, plus lots more!

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“The Fool On The Hill” was a Lennon/McCartney original, used in the Magical Mystery Tour film and accompanying LP/EP set. It was actually conceived by Paul McCartney, who stated in an interview that he wrote the song with someone like Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in mind. He claims that he looked at the Maharishi as someone that was considered a fool to his detractors. However, the earliest memories of the song occur around the time of the sessions for the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album, a few months before The Beatles first met with the Maharishi. Paul had actually played the song for John Lennon on piano during a writing session for the “Pepper” track, “With A Little Help From My Friends.” The Beatles Anthology 2 CD set has the first recorded demo of the song, taped on September 6th, 1967, along with an account of take 4, made on September 25th, by which time the recording of the song in earnest had begun. The basic track for the master was completed by September 27th, and the flutes were added on October 20th as the finishing touch.

On October 30th, 1967, during filming of the Magical Mystery Tour television special, Paul, along with camerman Aubrey Dewar, traveled down to Nice, France, without the other Beatles. The idea was to shoot sequences of him prancing and skipping about in a rocky mountainous area, for use in the “Fool On The Hill” segment of the film. As seen in this video excerpt, the scene is portrayed as a daydream of Paul’s that occurs while he sits on the Magical Mystery Tour bus, waiting for the magic to begin.

The finished film premiered on December 26th (Boxing Day) in the U.K. on BBC1 and has been on several VHS releases throughout the late 1970s and up through the 1990s. The most recent official release of the film was on DVD in 1997, and it is currently out of print. Fortunately, it still can be found if you visit the right stores. (I have added a link below to a 3rd party Amazon vendor who still has copies, if you are interested.)

Click the image above to play the video.

Here are some Amazon links to read more on, or purchase, some music related to this post:

1) Magical Mystery Tour (Remastered) – 2009 remaster of original 1967 LP, including “The Fool On The Hill”.

2) The Beatles – Magical Mystery Tour – 1997 DVD of the complete 1967 film, including “The Fool On The Hill”.

3) More Amazon links for any of your favorite Beatles-related music: The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.
Visit www.thebeatlesrarity.com for a new Beatles rarity each week, plus lots more!

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"Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, The Beatles & Bournemouth" by Nick Churchill

I spent a little while chatting with Nick Churchill, formerly of the Daily Echo in Bournemouth, U.K., about his new book, about which I wrote a short article last month (viewable here). The book is titled Yeah Yeah Yeah – The Beatles & Bournemouth, and it came out last September (2011).

Bournemouth, as I’m sure many reading already know, is a resort town on the southern coast of England, and Nick’s book gives us a plethora of details about many historical events that link The Beatles to this beautiful British settlement.

In the previous article, I point out some of the interesting ties listed on the book’s back cover of Beatles happenings in Bournemouth. These include:

1) The Beatles played more theater shows at the Bournemouth Gaumont (16 in all) than any other concert venue in the U.K. outside of London, and a taping of one of their shows there is the earliest known recording of a theater performance by the group.

2) A gig at Bournemouth’s Winter Gardens Theater on November 16, 1963, was the source of footage used by all three U.S. television networks covering the new “Beatlemania” craze in Europe. The resulting Nov. 21st telecast predated the Beatles’ Ed Sullivan Show appearance by two and a half months.

3) The famous cover art photo used on the With The Beatles album was taken in Bournemouth by Robert Freeman in 1963.

4) George Harrison’s first Beatles song, “Don’t Bother Me,” was written while staying in Bournemouth.

5) The story told in the 1969 Beatles single “The Ballad of John and Yoko” began while John was traveling to Mimi’s house where he ended up “standing in the dock at Southampton.” John actually purchased this home for Mimi, near Bournemouth.

Yeah Yeah Yeah also has around 200 previously unpublished Beatles photos (many by the late Harry Taylor of the Bournemouth Times). The book’s forward is written by Howie Casey, a long time Liverpudlian friend of The Beatles who was in Howie & The Seniors in the sixties and toured with Paul McCartney and Wings in the seventies.

For more about Nick and his book, check out what he himself has to say, right here:

From the book: The Beatles at the Palace Court Hotel in Bournemouth in August, 1963

More about Nick’s book can be found on the blog
http://beatlesbournemouth.blogspot.com.

And the book can be ordered from the publisher’s website at
www.beatlesandbournemouth.com.

Visit www.thebeatlesrarity.com for a new Beatles rarity each week, plus lots more!

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Happy New Year and welcome, once again, to the Beatles Rarity Of The Week! One of the songs The Beatles worked on during the first week of February 1968 was John Lennon’s “Across The Universe.” It would be nearly two years before the song would see a release, and then it would only be on a charity LP called No One’s Gonna Change Our World, compiled in 1969 to benefit the World Wildlife Fund. John originally wanted the song to be a single, but when “Lady Madonna” was chosen instead, John agreed to contribute it to the charity LP. Later in the year, bird sound effects were mixed into take eight in order to make it fit in thematically with the album.

During the sessions, The Beatles experimented heavily with the recording by adding in overdubs of guitar, harp, bass and drums, all played backwards. Paul McCartney recruited two teenage female fans (Lizzie Bravo and Gayleen Pease), who were standing outside the studio, to come in to the session and sing backing vocals on the song’s “nothing’s gonna change my world” phrases. Four tracks of humming were also piled onto the already complicated mix before take eight was considered complete.

The particular account of the song I’ve featured here comes from a rough take-home mix given to John of take seven. It doesn’t include the backwards bass or drums but does incorporate the backwards guitar and harp as well as humming during the “om” chants and near the ending. This mix of the song has been bootlegged and is known among collector’s circles as the “Hums Wild” version.

The Beatles, circa February 1968

Extra info: On April 1st 1970, producer Phil Spector modified take eight of the song for inclusion on the Let It Be album. He removed the bird sound effects and backing vocals (from both The Beatles and two female fans). He also added the overdubbed cellos, violas, violins, harp, trumpets, trombone, choir and additional drums by Ringo Starr. This final mix was slowed down from the key of D to C-sharp.

Here are some Amazon links to read more on, or purchase, some music related to this post:

1) Let It Be (Remastered) – 2009 remastered CD of original 1970 Beatles album featuring “Across The Universe”.

2) 1967-1970 (Blue) Remastered – 2010 remastered 2-CD set containing original 1973 hits compilation of Beatles tracks from 1967-1970 and featuring Let It Be album version of “Across The Universe”.

3) Let It Be… Naked – 2003 CD featuring a stripped down version of Let It Be album containing a ‘naked’ version of “Across The Universe” without the overdubs added later by producer Phil Spector.

4) The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.
Visit www.thebeatlesrarity.com for a new Beatles rarity each week, plus lots more!

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For your holiday VOW this year, I’ve dug up Paul McCartney’s 1979 promo video for “Wonderful Christmastime.” Many of you have probably been hearing it lately, playing over the PA in all of the department stores, while getting your holiday shopping done, and so I thought I’d post up the visuals to go with it.

Although it has a Christmas theme, it was recorded most likely in the summer of 1979, during Paul’s sessions for his McCartney II album. Like the other songs from these sessions, Paul plays all the instruments, although his band Wings are present in the video. While the McCartney II album was not released in final form until May of 1980, a double album test pressing version, prepared in extremely limited quantities, was out in late 1979. However, “Wonderful Christmastime” was not on it, or on the final version of the album. It was only issued as a single on November 16, 1979. Years later, in 1993, it appeared on the U.K. remaster CD of the Wings album Back To The Egg as a bonus cut. More recently two different edits of it appeared on the June 2011-issued deluxe edition of McCartney II (along with a DVD that contains this featured video). The video was filmed at the Fountain Inn, located in Ashurst, West Sussex, U.K.

Paul was the third of the solo Beatles to release a festive song for the holidays. John Lennon had released his “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” single in 1971, and George Harrison’s “Ding Dong, Ding Dong” was released in 1974. Ringo Starr released an entire album of Christmas songs on CD in 1999 titled I Wanna Be Santa Claus.

Whatever happens to be playing on your stereo or video player this week, I wish you all happy holidays, and plenty of peace and love going into the new year.

Click the image above to play the video.

Beatles music makes great gifts over the holidays. Here are some Amazon links to read more on, or purchase, some music related to this post, for your favorite Beatlemaniac:

1) McCartney II (Archive Collection) a beautiful set of three CDs and a DVD. All of the 2011-remastered tracks from original 1980 McCartney II album plus extras that appeared only on the rare test pressing double album, blus two edits of “Wonderful Christmastime”. The DVD contains the video seen here plus much more music. Click for details.

2) Back to the Egg 1993 remaster of original 1979 Wings album. Features two holiday bonus tracks: “Wonderful Christmastime” and “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reggae”.

3) Power To The People: The Hits 2010 CD hits collection of John Lennon’s best, including “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)”.

4) Dark Horse 1992 CD remaster of original 1974 Dark Horse album featuring George Harrison’s Happy New Year song “Ding Dong, Ding Dong”.

5) Christmas Collection: 20th Century Masters 2003 CD remaster of Ringo Starr’s 1999 I Wanna Be Santa Claus CD with lots of good and “cheery” Christmas music.

6) More Amazon links for any of your favorite Beatles-related music: The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.
Visit www.thebeatlesrarity.com for a new Beatles rarity each week, plus lots more!

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Happy Nat holds his copy of The Beatles Christmas Album (SBC 100)

One week before Christ­mas Day, 1970, mem­bers of The Beatles Official Fan Club received in their mailboxes an entire vinyl album con­taining seven very spec­ial Christmas messages from the group to their fans. The disc was a compilation, accumula­ting all of the individual Christmas me­ssages that had been distributed each year to the fan club between 1963 and 1969. The English version of the album was called From Then To You. The Amer­ican version, which is the subject of this article, was simply called The Beatles Christmas Album. The front and back of the American album and the front of the English album are shown below (click to see enlarged photos).

Apple SBC 100 The Beatles Christmas Album (front), released Dec. 1970

Apple SBC 100 The Beatles Christmas Album (back), released Dec. 1970

Lyn 2154 From Then To You (front), released Dec. 1970

Tony Barrow

It was Beatles PR man Tony Barrow who came up with the idea in 1963 for The Official Beatles Fab Club to issue free Christmas messages from the group to all paid-up fan club members. Tony had many good ideas during his years with The Beatles and even coined the now widespread term “Fab Four” in an early press release. Tony remained with The Beatles until they set up their company Apple Corps. in 1968, at which time he set up his own show business PR firm in London.

Format of the original Christmas message releases

The Christmas messages began in 1963 and came in the form of a 7-inch record made of very thin flexible plastic (called a “flexi” or “flexi-disc”) in the U.K. Most came with a newsletter of sorts from the fan club office, and a couple also had liner notes by Tony Barrow himself. In the U.K. there were seven issued in all, for every December between 1963 and 1969. In the U.S., the 1963 message was sent out in 1964, as the American fan club did not begin until 1964. It was sent on a tri-fold “soundcard”, similar to a post card that can be played on one side with a turntable, while the other side of the card contains newsletter info. The 1965 disc was not sent at all because it was not received from the U.K. in time. Both the 1966 and 1967 messages were issued in America on a “soundsheet,” which was a larger rectangular black piece of thin plastic. It had a newsletter on one side, and the other side was playable on a turntable. The 1968 and 1969 American discs were flexis, just like the U.K. messages. All but one of the discs played at 33 1/3 rpm (like a long play record), due to the fact that they were longer than a typical song of the day (between 4 and 8 minutes). The shortest message was on the 1964 disc and clocked in at 4:04. This was the only one that played at 45 rpm, like a single. The last two flexis were the longest (between 7 and 8 minutes each) and played on two sides, whereas all of the others were one-sided.

Description of each message 1963-1969

Each of the seven messages are described briefly below:

1. The Beatles Christmas Record (1963): John Lennon & Ringo Starr both sing a few rounds of “Good King Wenceslaus,” and The Beatles all sing “Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer.” There is also a Christmas greeting script that was written by Tony Barrow that each Beatle cheerfully delivers. Also released on soundcard in U.S. in Dec. 1964. Time: 5:00
2. Another Beatles Christmas Record (1964): The Beatles run through another script prepared by Tony Barrow and conclude by singing “Oh, Can You Wash Your Father’s Hair” to a piano accompaniment followed by the sound of running feet as the sound on the disc fades away. Unlike other flexis, this one plays at 45rpm instead of 33 1/3 rpm. Not issued in U.S. (where the 1963 message was distributed in 1964 instead). Time: 4:05
3. The Beatles Third Christmas Record (1965): The group sings an off-key account of “Yesterday.” The Beatles follow another of Tony Barrow’s scripts, though it is obvious John is doing so reluctantly, judging by his mumbling and not making much sense. They sing a short line of “It’s The Same Old Song” (a Four Tops hit) and a cadence-driven version of “Auld Lang Syne” that somehow references the gore in Vietnam. After a few more words they sing “Christmas Comes But Once A Year,” which segues back into another off-key rendition of “Yesterday.” Not issued in U.S. (because it was not received by the U.S. fan club in time to be distributed for the holiday season). Time: 6:26
4. Pantomime: Everywhere It’s Christmas (1966): Unlike previous years, there is no Tony Barrow script to follow. The Beatles came up with a pantomime idea and open with a short piano tune called “Everywhere It’s Christmas,” followed by some group harmonies where they sing something called “Orowaynya.” After that, there is a series of humorous skits, sound effects and even yodeling. Then there is another piano tune called “Please Don’t Bring Your Banjo Back” followed by a reprise of “Everywhere It’s Christmas.” The British sleeve has colorful artwork designed by Paul McCartney. It was issued in America on a one sided thin vinyl record similar to a flexi-disc and a postcard without the artwork. Time: 6:40
5. Christmas Time (Is Here Again) (1967): Another series of skits interlaced with bits and pieces of a theme song, “Christmas Time (Is Here Again),” with Paul on piano and George on acoustic guitar, John on timpani, and Ringo on drums. All four cheerfully chant the title. There are also parody commercials and a segment where The Beatles portray a band called “The Ravellers” to sing a song called “Plenty Of Jam Jars.” It was issued in America on a one sided thin vinyl record similar to a flexi (called a soundsheet) and a postcard without the artwork. Time: 6:10
6. The Beatles Sixth Christmas Record (1968): Each Beatle recorded his part separately, and it was later edited together. Paul plays an acoustic Christmas song which starts off with him singing “Happy New Year, Happy Christmas, Happy Easter, Happy Autumn, Happy Michaelmas, Happy Christmas, everybody to you.” John reads some of his crazy writings similar to what he did in his In His Own Write book, with various echo effects on his voice. George speaks with Tiny Tim who sings “Nowhere Man” in a falsetto voice, and Ringo talks nonsense. For the first time the disc plays on two sides instead of one due to it’s longer duration. Issued in U.S. on flexi-disc just like the U.K., however the year-old 1967 U.K. cover is used on the 1968 U.S. version and the title is listed as “The Beatles 1968 Christmas Record.” Time: 7:55
7. The Beatles Seventh Christmas Record (1969): Each Beatle recorded his part separately, and it was later edited together. On this message we hear John and Yoko walking around outside and talking outside their new Ascot home. John also interviews Yoko about “freedom of mind and everything.” Paul plays another acoustic Christmas improvisation where he sings “This Is To Wish You A Very Merry Christmas, This Is To Wish You A Happy New Year.” Ringo sings something that seems to be called “Good Evening To You Gentlemen,” which continues into part of “The End” from the Abbey Road album. George gives a quick holiday greeting. Once again, due to its longer duration, the disc plays on two sides instead of one. Also issued with same cover art on flexi-disc in the U.S. Time: 7:42

Even though only five of the seven messages were received by U.S. fan club members, all seven messages appeared on both the U.S. and U.K. fan club albums. Both contained the 1963-1966 messages on side 1 and the 1967-1969 messages on side 2.

Spotting the fakes

The Beatles Christmas Album has been frequently counterfeited. Here are some authenticity tests to determine if your copy is real. If any one of these tests fail, you have an illegitimate version of the record.

1. The earliest fakes have blurry cover photos on the front side. One authenticity test is to look at the photo of the four Beatles in the lower left corner. The photo should be sharp enough to see both of Ringo’s eyeballs. If the right eye is covered by a dark shadow, it is a counterfeit. Click photo at right to enlarge.
2. Similar to the first test, if you look directly over John’s head in the photo immediately to the right of the lower left corner photo, you will plainly see the words “Theatre Royal”. If this does not show up distinctly, it is a counterfeit. Click photo at right to enlarge. Note: The album pictured in the photo is authentic, but the “Theatre Royal” is not not large enough to be seen in this picture.
3. All legitimate copies of this record were manufactured at Capitol’s Winchester, Virginia factory. The pressing machines there made a 1 ½” diameter indentation ring which is 5/8″ out from the center hole. If the LP has a different sized indentation, or if there is no indentation there at all, then it is a fake. Most fakes have a significantly larger indentation ring. I see them on sale for $400 on Ebay all the time, and they aren’t worth $10. The correct appearance of this ring is seen in the photos below, and it shows up clearest on the sliced Apple side (i.e. side 2) (click to enlarge).

   The Beatles Christmas Album Side 1 Label

   The Beatles Christmas Album Side 2 Label

4. On legitimate copies, four markings are etched into the trail-off area of the vinyl (all should be apparent):
   • the catalog number “SBC-1-100-A” on side 1 and “SBC-2-100-B” on side 2
   • a crudely drawn rifle (symbol of Winchester, VA, factory where all legitimate copies were pressed).
   • a hand etched “sf”
   • a scripted typset that reads “Bell Sound”
5. Any colored vinyl pressings are fakes.

When in doubt about any of these, consult a reputable dealer, such as ones I’ve listed below.

Worth

Here is a general idea of what different pressings of the fan club Christmas releases are valued at today (near mint/very good):

1. The Beatles Christmas Album (Apple SBC 100) $500/$200
2. From Then To You (U.K. Christmas Album) (LYN 2153/54) $600/$240
3. I’ve recently seen a set of all seven of the U.K. original flexi-discs with jackets and all accompanying newsletter literature in near mint condition for $5000. Individual flexis will have variable worth depending on condition and whether or not jacket and all accompanying literature are present.
4. 1964 U.S. Soundcard (actually 1963 message) $300/$120
5. 1966 U.S. Soundcard $300/$120
6. 1967 U.S. Soundcard $300/$120
7. 1968 U.S. Flexi-disc $250/$100
8. 1969 U.S. Flexi-disc $200/$80

Note: 1964 and 1965 messages not issued in U.S.

Final info/acknowledgments

The subject of all photographs of singles, album jackets, etc., in this article are of actual items within my very own record collection. These items are listed as entries in my online vinyl inventory as linked below:

1. Apple SBC 100 The Beatles Christmas Album (US LP)
2. Lyn 2154 From Then To You (UK LP)
3. Lyn 492 The Beatles Christmas Record (1963 UK flexi)
4. Lyn 757 Another Beatles Christmas Record (1964 UK flexi)
5. Season’s Greetings from The Beatles (1964 US flexi)
6. Lyn 948 The Beatles Third Christmas Record (1965 UK flexi)
7. Lyn 1145 Pantomime: Everywhere It’s Christmas (1966 UK flexi)
8. Season’s Greetings from The Beatles (1966 US flexi)
9. Lyn 1360 Christmas Time (Is Here Again) (1967 UK flexi)
10. Season’s Greetings from The Beatles (1967 US flexi)
11. Lyn 1743/1744 The Beatles Sixth Christmas Record (1968 UK flexi)
12. Americom H-2041 The Beatles 1968 Christmas Record (1968 US flexi)
13. Lyn 1970/1971 The Beatles Seventh Christmas Record (1969 UK flexi)
14. Americom H-2465 The Beatles Seventh Christmas Record (1969 US flexi)

A few dealers in Beatles collectibles

Perry Cox: email to perrydcox@aol.com
Gary Hein: visit online at www.beatles4me.com
Rockaway Records: visit online at www.rockaway.com.

Happy Nat would like to credit the following people and resources for assistance with this article:

• Beatles For Sale On Parlophone Records by Bruce Spizer
• Introducing The Beatles Record Price Guide by Stanley Panenka
• Price Guide For The Beatles American Records by Perry Cox & Frank Daniels
• The Ultimate Beatles Encyclopedia by Bill Harry
• The following websites: meltingpot.fotunecity.com, www.mybeatlescollection.com, fab4collectibles.com
• Heather for photography, coding and proofreading

Please let me hear from you if you have questions, comments, corrections or anything to add about the Beatles Fan Club Christmas releases. I’d love to hear from you!

Here are some Amazon links to read more on, or purchase, some holiday-type Beatles-related music:

1) Christmas Collection: 20th Century Masters A nice CD of Christmas tunes by Ringo Starr (2003).

2) Free As a Bird / I Saw Her Standing There / This Boy / Christmas Time (Is Here Again) 1995 CD-single “Free As A Bird” containing track “Christmas Time (Is Here Again)” used in 1967 Beatles fan club message.

3) McCartney II (Archive Collection) – Deluxe remastered 2011 3-CD & DVD edition of original 1980 LP, containing a couple different edits and video of “Wonderful Christmastime”.

4) Power To The People: The Hits – John Lennon 2010 CD hits compilation w/”Happy Xmas (War Is Over)”.

5) More Amazon links for any of your favorite Beatles-related music: The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.
Visit www.thebeatlesrarity.com for a new Beatles rarity each week, plus lots more!

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On August 1, 1965, after over a year of no live performances on U.K. television, The Beatles took the stage at the ABC Theatre to perform six numbers on the program Blackpool Night Out. Along with both sides of their new single (“Help!” and “I’m Down”), they performed the A-sides of the previous two singles (“Ticket To Ride” and “I Feel Fine”) and two songs from their latest LP, Help! The first of these was Ringo Starr’s vocal performance of the Buck Owen’s song “Act Naturally”. The second, featured here for the VOW, is Paul McCartney’s solo performance of “Yesterday.”

The audience during “Yesterday” is quite interesting, as they are likely used to screaming, but aren’t sure how to react to such a gentle song. As the stage lights darken, John Lennon and George Harrison make their exit, and Ringo remains sitting quietly at his drums. Paul plays his acoustic guitar upside down, and is accompanied only by the house band’s string quartet. The audience remains unusually quiet until Paul’s final note. At that point, as the screaming applause fills the room, the lights come up, and John Lennon runs on stage to present Paul with a bouquet of flowers, saying “Thank you, Ringo. That was wonderful.”

This performance of “Yesterday” (along with”I Feel Fine”, “Ticket To Ride” and “Help!” from the same show) appears on the Beatles Anthology 2 CD set. All six Blackpool performances except “I Feel Fine” appear, at least partially, on episode 4 of the Beatles Anthology home video documentary. This show would be The Beatles’ last non-mimed U.K. television performance until “All You Need Is Love” in 1967.

Click the image above to play the video.

Beatles music makes great gifts over the holidays. Here are some Amazon links to read more on, or purchase, some music related to this post, for your favorite Beatlemaniac:

1) Anthology 2 1996 2-CD set featuring out-takes, live performances and other historic Beatles recordings between 1965-1968. Includes the version of “Yesterday” heard in this post.

2) The Beatles Anthology – 2003 reissue of 5 DVD set with over 10 hours of Beatles commentary and historic performances, including the performance of “Yesterday” seen in this post.

3) Help! (Remastered) 2009 stereo CD remaster of original 1965 album, featuring original stereo master of “Yesterday”.

4) More Amazon links for any of your favorite Beatles-related music: The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.
Visit www.thebeatlesrarity.com for a new Beatles rarity each week, plus lots more!

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Welcome to the Beatles Rarity Of The Week. Forty three years ago on Dec. 11, 1968, The Rolling Stones recorded a television special to promote their Beggar’s Banquet LP. Similar to the Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour theme from the previous year, the Stones went for a circus atmosphere with plenty of musical guests and circus acts, to include clowns, flying trapeze acts and even elephants. The name of the special was to be the Rolling Stones Rock And Roll Circus, and along with the Stones the line-up planned included Jethro Tull, The Who, Marianne Faithful, classical pianist Julius Katchen, Taj Mahal and Traffic. Just before filming was to begin, multi-instrumentalist Steve Winwood quit Traffic, leaving them understaffed. To counter the crisis, Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger talked John Lennon into attending for a performance or two instead.

John agreed, and along with Yoko Ono, put together his own supergroup of Eric Clapton on guitar, Rolling Stone Keith Richards on bass, and Mitch Mitchell from the Jimi Hendrix Experience on drums. He dubbed the line-up as ‘The Dirty Mac’ and chose The Beatles’ White Album track “Yer Blues” as the number to perform, reasoning that it would be relatively easy for everyone to learn.

The film was roughly one hour long with each of the guest bands performing during the first half, with circus performance shorts in between bands. The second half of the show was Rolling Stones performances. The filming actually took place during an all-night party that did not end until after the Stones performed “Salt Of The Earth” at around 6:30am on December 12th. By that time, John and Yoko had left and the enthusiasm of the other guests had lost ground. Furthermore, many were of the opinion that The Who’s performance of “A Quick One While He’s Away” stole the show. For these reasons, it was never aired on television or released on home video until 1996.

For the BROW I’m featuring a Dirty Mac rehearsal performance of “Yer Blues” played sometime on December 11th before filming began. Although John is singing a guide vocal, it is barely audible and completely absent in spots. However, the guitars are loud and gritty, and the band sounds like they are ready to go.

The Dirty Mac, Dec. 1968

Extra info:

1) Steve Winwood went on to form the band Blind Faith with Eric Clapton shortly after this was filmed.

2) Nine months after the Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus was filmed, Eric Clapton played “Yer Blues” again with John as part of The Plastic Ono Band. This performance can be heard on the first Plastic Ono Band album Live Peace In Toronto 1969.

Beatles music makes great gifts over the holidays. Here are some Amazon links to read more on, or purchase, some music related to this post, for your favorite Beatlemaniac:

1) Rock & Roll Circus – 1996 CD release of the entire show, featuring all of the bands mentioned above and The Dirty Mac’s live performance of “Yer Blues.

2) The Rolling Stones – Rock and Roll Circus 2004 DVD release of the entire show, featuring all of the bands mentioned above and a couple versions of The Dirty Mac’s live performance of “Yer Blues.

3) Live Peace in Toronto 1969 – 1995 CD remaster of original 1969 album featuring The Plastic Ono Band (John Lennon, Eric Clapton) performing “Yer Blues” live.

4) Additional Amazon links for your favorite Beatles-related music: The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.
Visit www.thebeatlesrarity.com for a new Beatles rarity each week, plus lots more!

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