The Beatles Rarity » Ringo Starr

Beatles Rarity Of The Week – “Good News” (extra from ‘Vertical Man’ sessions)

Happy Nat — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:00:58 +0000

Ringo Starr

Welcome to the Beatles Rarity of the Week. With Ringo Starr’s new album Ringo 2012 hot off the presses, I thought it would be a good week to scrounge up a Ringo rarity. Has it really been 50 years since he first went on a record?!

Additionally, you can consider this a follow-up to an earlier article I made, back in April 2011, concerning the BBE disc (Best Buy Exclusive) that accompanied the first few copies of Ringo’s 1998 Vertical Man CD when bought from Best Buy (you can find that post here, if you like, but I’ll give the necessary details here too).

The BBE disc contained three tracks from the ‘Vertical Man’ sessions that were not included on the CD: Mr. Doubleitup, Sometimes and Good News. The single release from this CD, a track called “La-De-Da,” contained an alternate edit (for radio) of the title track, along with another non-album tune from the ‘VM’ sessions called “Everyday.” While both “Everyday” and “Mr. Doubleitup” ended up as bonus tracks on the Japanese issuance of the Vertical Man CD, “Sometimes” and “Good News” were never issued on anything official other than the very limited BBE disc. If you’d like to hear “Sometimes,” visit the link I listed above. As this week’s BROW, I’m offering up “Good News.” Both of these tracks give us Ringo back in that country vein he’s been known to be partial to over the years. “Good News,” in fact, is about as country as Ringo gets – complete with lyrics about his truck breaking down and even a mention of Johnny Cash. As the name implies, it’s also an uptempo feel-good type of song written by Ringo with bandmates Mark Hudson and Steve Dudas, along with collaborator Bruce Grakal. Ringo not only sings and plays drums but also strums rhythm guitar with Mark and Steve. Mark also plays lead guitar and garnishes the track with his ever-recognizable backing vocals. Lee Rocker is also on board playing an upright bass. Although not credited in the BBE liner notes, the piano is likely played by Jeff “Skunk” Baxter.

For a good sampling of Ringo’s new album, Ringo 2012, click here.

Ringo Starr - Good News

Cover art for Vertical Man BBE Bonus Disc, 1998

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

1) Vertical Man – Original 1998 Vertical Man CD, 1998

2) Vertical Man (Japanese Import) – Japanese version of Vertical Man with bonus tracks “Everyday” and Mr. “Doubleitup”, 1998

3) Ringo 2012 – Ringo Starr’s latest CD, 2012.

4) Ringo Starr VH1 Storytellers – Live performances by Ringo Starr and the Roundheads, 1998

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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You’re Going To Lose That Girl (clip from Help!, 1965)

Happy Nat — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:00:28 +0000

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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Beatles Rarity of The Week – “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” (earliest demo)

Happy Nat — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:00:10 +0000

I’m hoping most of those reading this have had the opportunity to check out Martin Scorsese’s recent biographical documentary George Harrison: Living In The Material World by now. Back in October it made it’s debut in cinemas across the U.K. and was also released on home video. In the U.S., it made it’s first appearance on HBO, with the promise posted on GeorgeHarrison.com of a home video release in the Spring. The 3 1/2 hour feature is divided into two parts with the first part focusing on George’s “Beatle-years” and the second part mainly focusing on the time after The Beatles, up to George’s death in 2001. However, part two actually begins with a 1968 acoustic demo of George’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”. Since this demo is only presented as a 45 second edit containing one verse, and not available on any official releases anywhere else, I thought some of you out there might like to hear it in it’s entirety.

This demo of George’s White Album classic is the earliest known recorded account of the song. It was recorded in late May 1968, when The Beatles had recently returned from their time learning about Transcendental Meditation with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, in Rishikesh, India. Since the band had written some 35 new songs while on the trip, they were eager to record some demos and make plans for the next album. They had decided to convene at George’s bungalow (named Kinfauns) in Esher Surrey, U.K. to do just that.

A tape of 23 demos from the recordings The Beatles did then has survived (known as the Kinfauns demos) and circulates among Beatles-collectors. The sound quality on the tape is far from superb, but yet good enough to get an idea of how developed many of the songs that ended up on the White Album were at this point. The tape concludes with five George Harrison demos, and only two of the five ended up making the final cut for the forthcoming 2-LP set. Specifically George’s 5 songs were: “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”, “Circles”, “Sour Milk Sea”, “Not Guilty” & “Piggies”.

“While My Guitar Gently Weeps” has George adding to his guitar and vocal track with an organ on the bridges and ending. The lyrics are yet to modified to the version we are accustomed to now. This earliest known demo of the song pre-dates the demo heard on the Beatles Anthology 3 CD set by two months. The electric version we hear on the White Album was recorded during the first week of September 1968 and features Eric Clapton on lead guitar and Paul McCartney on fuzz bass.

The Beatles - While My Guitar Gently Weeps (demo)

George Harrison at his Kinfauns home in Esher, circa 1968

Extra info: Of George’s 5 offerings on the Kinfauns demos, only “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” and “Piggies” ended up on the “White Album”. “Not Guilty” and “Circles” were both recorded later by George on solo albums (George Harrison and Gone Troppo, respectively). “Sour Milk Sea” was covered by Apple artist Jackie Lomax and released as a single in 1968 (with George, Paul, Ringo and Eric Clapton backing Jackie up on the recording – see this post for more info on that). In addition to the 23 demos recorded at Kinfauns, four additional demos from this period were recorded at John Lennon’s home (Kenwood) and appear on the Beatles Anthology 3 CD set. They are “Happiness Is A Warm Gun”, “Mean Mr. Mustard”, “Polythene Pam” and “Glass Onion”.

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) The Beatles (White Album) (Remastered) – 2009 2-CD remaster of original 1968 stereo double LP. Contains the stereo master of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” (electric version).

2) Beatles Anthology 3 1996 2-CD collection of out-takes and alternate versions of Beatles tracks in their final two years 1968-1969. Includes an acoustic demo from July 1968 of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” (not the same demo featured here). Also includes Beatles studio version of “Not Guilty” – a White Album out-take mentioned above.

3) Let It Roll: Songs by George Harrison – 2009 remastered collection of George Harrison’s best, including a live version of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” from the Concert For Bangla Desh (1971).

4) George Harrison – 2004 remaster of original 1979 LP featuring George Harrison’s solo version of “Not Guilty”.

5) Gone Troppo – 2004 remaster of original 1982 LP. Contains George Harrison’s solo version of “Circles”.

6) Ringo 2012 – Ringo Starr’s new album, pre-order only until Jan. 24, 2012.

7) 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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“Ringo 2012″ – a preview

Happy Nat — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 22:12:10 +0000

Back on November 25th, I made a post alerting everyone of Ringo’s upcoming new album Ringo 2012 and giving some details about it (check that out here). Since we are coming up on the release date in 10 more days, I thought it a good time to give everyone a sneak preview.

The lead single for the album, “Wings” is actually a remake of an earlier single made in 1977, that was taken from his Atlantic album Ringo the 4th. Since this was released digitally back on January 10th (2012), I’ve decided to share another of the nine tracks on the disc.

“Anthem” is the album opener and a good representation of the upbeat nature of the entire collection. Co-written with Glen Ballard, Ringo delivers a good driving beat behind lots of punchy guitar, effectively giving it an overall “feel good” kind of sound.

One may want to think of Ringo 2012 as a continuation of his highly successful 1973 album Ringo. Although, unlike that offering, there are no “guest Beatles”, the new album does feature a remake performance of one of the 1973 Ringo tracks – a song written by Ringo himself called “Step Lightly.” In keeping with the feel of the new album, the re-make version has been injected with a lot more beat and liveliness. And, like the Ringo album, Ringo 2012 has our famous drummer joined in the studio with an impressive list of fine musicians that you’ve likely heard of before, to include (in alphabetical order): Michael Bradford, Ann Marie Calhoun, Matt Cartsonis, Steve Dudas, Charlie Haden, Amy Keys, Kelly Moneymaker, Richard Page, Van Dyke Parks, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Dave Stewart, Bruce Sugar, Benmont Tench, Joe Walsh , Don Was, and Edgar Winter.

For more details about Ringo 2012, check out my earlier post. See below, to pick up your copy.

Ringo Starr - Anthem

Ringo 2012, released on January 31, 2012

Here is a list of all available formats of Ringo 2012 with Amazon links to read more on, or purchase:

1) Ringo 2012 – Ringo 2012 9-track standard CD.

2) Ringo 2012 – Ringo 2012 9-track MP3 digital download.

3) Ringo 2012 [Amazon.com Exclusive CD+DVD Version] – Ringo 2012 Deluxe version: 9-track CD + DVD with over 15 minutes of commentary and live performance footage.

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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Beatles Rarity Of The Week – Something (take 37 from Abbey Road sessions)

Happy Nat — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 10:00:19 +0000

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 - Something

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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Beatles Rarity Of The Week – Across The Universe (the ‘experimental’ take 7)

Happy Nat — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 10:00:33 +0000

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 - Across The Universe (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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Ding Dong Ding Dong (George Harrison original promo video, 1974)

Happy Nat — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 10:00:44 +0000

Welcome to the last offering from The Beatles Rarity in 2011.

Two years ago on Dec. 28, 2009, I featured George Harrison’s “Ding Dong, Ding Dong” in demo form as a BROW (Beatles Rarity of the Week), which you can catch here. I also mentioned it on last week’s VOW (Video of the Week), and that got me thinking about it. Since it is George Harrison’s only anthem for the new year, I thought I’d feature the finalized version and promo video for today’s VOW.

This festive track was released on an Apple single in time for the New Years’ festivities on Dec. 6, 1974, and also hails from George’s Dark Horse album released three days later. The lyrics have George telling us to “ring out the old, ring in the new” and we see him doing this in the video as he appears in various Beatle-garb, such as his gray collarless suit and Sgt. Pepper uniform. Since his former bandmate, Ringo Starr, plays drums on the track, we can see him in the video too. There are lots of other musicians, including keyboardist Gary Wright on piano, Ron Wood on guitar (credited as “Ron Would If You Let Him” on the Dark Horse liner notes), Mick Jones on guitar, Alvin Lee on guitar, and old friend Klaus Voormann on bass. Additional drums were on the record from long time friend and session man Jim Keltner. The horns you hear are played by Tom Scott. The spirit of Sir Frank Crisp is also credited.

Most of you likely recall that George had written a song called “The Ballad Of Sir Frankie Crisp” that appears on his All Things Must Pass album. Frankie was a lawyer, microscopist and horticulturist who was the former owner of the Henley-On-Thames mansion George was living in at Friar Park. He had purchased it in 1895 and died in 1919. When George purchased it in 1970, it had been in a state of neglect for 60 years.

Click the image above to play the video.

As I said before, this will be the last post for 2011, and I want to thank all reading (no matter when you’re reading it!) for being here. Just being here to read the posts, make comments and all of the input, feedback and encouragement I have received is what keeps things going on TheBeatlesRarity. I know I said that last year but it deserves a repeat. 2011 has been a very busy year on the site and I have great expectations for 2012 as well. Last year I mentioned new ideas for 2011 and they turned out better than I expected (with new successful additions such as Collectors Corner and the two Fab 4 Radio shows BROWCAST and Side Track Sunday). You can also continue to count on the old stand-bys (BROWs, Cartoons and VOWs). There will be plenty of more cool stuff like this in the new year too, if I have anything to do with it, so I hope you’ll stick around!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
See you here in 2012…

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

1) Dark Horse 1992 CD remaster of original 1974 album, featuring “Ding Dong, Ding Dong”.

2) 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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Wonderful Christmastime (Paul McCartney’s original 1979 promo video)

Happy Nat — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 10:00:19 +0000

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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Collector’s Corner -The Beatles Christmas Album: U.S. edition issued to fan club members, 1970

Happy Nat — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 11:00:32 +0000

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:

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
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
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
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
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
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
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.

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.
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.
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
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”
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):

The Beatles Christmas Album (Apple SBC 100) $500/$200
From Then To You (U.K. Christmas Album) (LYN 2153/54) $600/$240
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.
1964 U.S. Soundcard (actually 1963 message) $300/$120
1966 U.S. Soundcard $300/$120
1967 U.S. Soundcard $300/$120
1968 U.S. Flexi-disc $250/$100
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:

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)”.

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Yesterday – Blackpool Night Out performance, Aug. 1, 1965

Happy Nat — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 10:00:50 +0000

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”.

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