Welcome to your 2011 Holiday-week BROW!

As most fans are aware, each year from 1963 through 1969, The Beatles recorded a special Christmas greeting for their fans. The Official Beatles Fan Club in England sent flexi-discs containing the Christmas messages to its members each holiday season. Last year, I featured the 1965 message, so this year, I move one year ahead to the 1966 message, simply titled “Pantomime: Everywhere It’s Christmas.” It was recorded on November 25, 1966, at Dick James Music, only one day after recording take one of John Lennon’s newest composition, “Strawberry Fields Forever.”

Of course a newsletter was issued with the flexi-disc. It was written by fan club secretary Freda Kelly and signed by Freda, with a second signature for Anne Collingham. Anne Collingham was actually a fictitious entity made up by Beatles public relations man Tony Barrow, to serve as the head of the northern and southern U.K. branches of the fan club.

Instead of a typical script-driven Christmas greeting, as had been done on the previous three Christmas messages, The Beatles came up with a pantomime idea and acted out different humorous skits in a wide array of voices. There are also two songs: “Everywhere It’s Christmas” (the title theme) and “Please Don’t Bring your Banjo Back.” A reprise of “Everywhere It’s Christmas” is presented at the end of the record, which immediately follows a short statement from Beatles assistant Mal Evans.

If you want to follow along while it plays, here is a track listing for the record (although the flexi-disc has no banding between each track):

Song: Everywhere It’s Christmas
Orowayna (Corsican Choir and Small Choir)
A Rare Cheese (Two Elderly Scotsmen)
The Feast
The Loyal Toast
Podgy The Bear and Jasper
Felpin Mansions: Part One (Count Balder and Butler)
Felpin Mansions: Part Two: (The Count and the Pianist)
Song: Please Don’t Bring Your Banjo Back
Mal: Everywhere It’s Christmas
Reprise: Everywhere It’s Christmas

The Beatles Fourth Christmas Record, issued Dec. 16, 1966

It’s been an absolute blast bringing you the BROWs, VOWs, interviews and the newest addition to the site – Collector’s Corners – along with all the other extras this year. I thank each and every one of you for being a part of my web site home for these tributary posts about the world’s best band. Fab holiday wishes go out to you all from me to you.

Yours truly,
Happy Nat

And I still say, 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: 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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Okay, so may I test your Beatles knowledge here for a minute? Do you know who Freda Kelly is?

If your not sure, here is a clue from George Harrison:

That little excerpt comes from the very first Christmas disc sent to members of The Beatles Fan Club during the holiday season of 1963. Liverpudlian Freda Kelly was the Beatles Fan Club Secretary from 1963 until it closed in 1972, two years after the breakup of The Beatles. The Official Beatles Fan Club originally formed in May of 1962 and was managed by Bobbie Brown, but when Bobbie became engaged in 1963, Freda took over and remained the secretary until the end. Freda first met The Beatles way back in the days when they were playing The Cavern Club in Liverpool and was actually one of the Cavernites – a group of protesters fighting to keep the Cavern from closing down, in both 1963, and 1966 (it was eventually destroyed in 1973 and later rebuilt across the street from the original location).

Freda was in Beatles manager Brian Epstein’s inner circle of confidants and was along for many Beatles happenings and even visited their homes. And, in the office, she handled sacks and sacks (and sacks!) of mail from Beatles fans around the world. Forty years ago, after the fan club was no more, Freda continued with her private life, content with her memories of the Beatles days. But now, film makers have encouraged her to go public and make a film of her story and experiences during that magical period.

Happy Nat w/Freda Kelly, March 2011

I had the pleasure of meeting Freda back in March 2011 and she is the sweetest woman in the world! She spoke briefly with me and you can hear that interview here (though it is noisy as a Beatlefest was going on around us).

Good Ol’ Freda is a documentary film about the untold story of Freda Kelly, The Beatles’ trusted secretary and friend throughout their rise to fame. The movie’s title comes from the line The Beatles shouted out to her on that same Christmas recording I shared with you above. TheBeatlesRarity.com is currently joining in the effort to raise the funds to make the film a reality. If you’d like to help, please visit Kickstarter.com, a website where you can make a donation to a film and get a reward in return (signed DVDs, photos of Freda with the Beatles, movie credit, even lunch or a personal tour of Liverpool with Freda!). We are trying to raise $50,000 by 11-11-11. Click here for a direct link to Freda’s Kickstarter page, if you would like to read more about it and support this very worthwhile film.

Here is a fascinating video clip showing a few never before seen photos of The Beatles with Freda.

Good Ol’ Freda – Kickstarter Video from Tripod Media on Vimeo.

It’s been 50 years since Freda began her work for the Fab Four and this movie will be the first time she’s sharing her memories, so please help out if you can. You can also join the Good Ol’ Freda Facebook group here and she is on Twitter at @goodolfreda.

As mentioned above, donors for Freda’s movie will be receiving rewards such as signed DVDs, photos of Freda with the Beatles, movie credit, even lunch or a personal tour of Liverpool with Freda! They will also be listed on Freda’s website (currently under construction) at www.fredakelly.com.

The Director of Good Ol’ Freda is Ryan White, the producer/director of Pelada, an award-winning documentary about a trip to 25 countries told through the lens of pick-up soccer. The film premiered at the prestigious SXSW Film Festival in 2010 and has played in over 20 film festivals worldwide. It’s been broadcast in as many countries and received rave reviews from Variety, The New York Times, and Sports Illustrated. Prior to Pelada, White had a longstanding collaboration with eight-time Emmy winner Sherry Jones.

Good Ol’ Freda is scheduled for release in late 2012 or early 2013 and will be the first Beatles documentary of its kind.

To view the official press release of on the film, click here.

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

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Happy Nat w/Freda Kelly, March 2011

Liverpudlian Freda Kelly was the Beatles Fan Club Secretary from 1963 until it closed in 1972, two years after the breakup of The Beatles. The Official Beatles Fan Club originally formed in May of 1962 and was managed by Bobbie Brown, but when Bobbie became engaged in 1963, Freda took over and remained the secretary until the end. Freda met The Beatles first way back in the days when they were playing The Cavern Club in Liverpool and was actually one of the Cavernites – a group of protesters fighting to keep the Cavern from closing down in both 1963 and 1966 (it was eventually destroyed in 1973 and later rebuilt across the street from the original location). When The Beatles sent their first Christmas flexi-disc message to their fan club members in 1963, Freda was mentioned by George Harrison, as heard here:

Note: After playing, click the play/pause button again to keep it from playing simultaneously with the interview below.

Another of the assistants mentioned, named as Anne Collingham, was actually a fictitious entity made up by Beatles public relations man Tony Barrow, to serve as the head of the fan club. By 1967, Freda had taken over the full running of the club and also worked for Beatles manager Brian Epstein’s NEMS Enterprises, as well as The Beatles own company, Apple. Yet with all of her duties, it was Freda in charge of seeing that all of that fan club mail was opened (up to 400 letters a day!), and sending the newsletters and messages to the membership of over 16,000 people.

Freda was a special guest at the New York Metro Fest For Beatles Fans this year, and I had the pleasure of having a quick chat with her. Although I’m sure she has a lot of interesting tales to tell concerning her time with The Beatles, her time was limited with all of the Fest activities that she was a part of, but I was very thankful that we had the chance to talk. As you might expect, Freda is a very sweet person and was an absolute pleasure to speak with. My talk with her is shared below.

Note: The live music and “Fest-ing” in the background was not to be avoided as this is the atmosphere of Beatles Fests (or if it isn’t, there is a problem somewhere!). Nevertheless, Freda’s voice is a little soft so you may have to listen close in spots. Enjoy!

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

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Welcome to your Christmas-week BROW!

The Beatles Christmas Message Flexi-Disc issued on Dec. 18, 1964

As most fans are aware, each year from 1963 through 1969, The Beatles recorded a special Christmas greeting for their fans. The Official Beatles Fan Club in England sent flexi-discs containing the Christmas messages to its members each holiday season. Last year, I featured the 1963 message and so this year I shall post the 1964 message, simply titled Another Beatles Christmas Record. It was recorded on October 26, 1964, which was the same day they recorded What You’re Doing and Honey Don’t for their Beatles For Sale album. It was also the only flexi to play at 45rpm insead of 33 1/3 (for those of you who remember turntable settings).

Of course a newsletter was issued with the flexi-disc. It was written by The Beatles press officer Tony Barrow (who’s idea it was, by the way, to do the Christmas recordings each year, in the first place). Here is what it read:

Just a year ago The Beatles made their first Christmas record for exclusive distribution to fan club members. Now at the end of another splendid period of world-wide pop supremacy our fabulous foursome have made a second equally precious recording as a Christmas gift to the club’s 65,000 Beatle People. This disc will not be in the hit parade. Additional copies will never be pressed. The contents of this sleeve will make each fan club member the envy of numerous friends. Money can’t buy ANOTHER BEATLES CHRISTMAS RECORD – but with membership of the most with it fan club in Britain, the disc comes through your letter-box free of charge in time for yuletide parties and holiday record sessions. This is the uniquely pleasant way in which John, Paul, George and Ringo choose to say Thank You to thousands of their loyal fans throughout the nation. The Official Beatles Fan Club of Great Britain operates from special offices in Central London. National Secretaries Anne Collingham and Bettina Rose have a hard-working staff of full-time assistants to help run the club affairs. And in every country throughout the British Isles there is a local Area Secretary to look after members’ queries on a voluntary basis. Overseas you’ll find a branch of the club in more than a score of countries scattered around the globe. Each branch is run quite independently but with the authorisation and supervision of Anne and Bettina in London.

The four boys find time to pop into the club headquarters despite their hectic schedule of tours, television appearances, recording sessions, film work and broadcasts. The girls in the office still retain vivid memories of the morning Paul dropped in for a chat, joined in with the gang to stamp up a batch of membership cards and then treated the entire staff to an excellent lunch in a nearby steakhouse!

TONY BARROW

It’s been fun bringing you the BROW this year and I thank you all for being a part of my new web site home for these tributary posts. Fab holiday wishes go out to you all from me to you.

Want to make a suggestion for a future Beatles Rarity of the Week? Then let me hear from you. Read about more Beatles rarities and suggest one for me to post. You can begin by searching for different versions of specific tracks right here.

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

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Welcome to this year’s Christmas BROW. Most Beatles fans realize that 1963 was a big year for the Fab Four. They had already accomplished a string of #1 singles as well as a number one album early in the year and another one out by late November that also topped the charts in many European countries. The Beatles Fan Club was also in full swing in the UK. On December 6, 1963, British members of the fan club were sent a one sided flexi-disk with The Beatles wishing their fans a Merry Christmas, singing Christmas songs and thanking them for their support. The response was so good that the Christmas records became a tradition and a new one was recorded and sent to fan club members every year The Beatles were together (i.e. through 1969) and then in 1970 an album was created that recapped all of the previous Christmas records on one disk. Since they were only released to fan club members officially, they became quite rare after The Beatles separated. Here for your review is the first one The Beatles released in 1963. It was recorded on October 7th in Abbey Road studios for you historians. Merry Christmas everyone.

Picture sleeve for 1963 Beatles Christmas Record issued exclusively to fan club members.

Want to make a suggestion for a future Beatles Rarity of the Week? Then let me hear from you. Read about more Beatles rarities and suggest one for me to post. You can begin by searching for different versions of specific tracks right here.
Visit www.thebeatlesrarity.com for a new Beatles rarity each week, plus lots more!

Related posts:

1. Beatles Rarity Of The Week – Another Beatles Christmas Record (1964 fan club record) Welcome to your Christmas-week BROW! As most fans are aware,...
2. Freda Kelly – Beatles Fan Club Secretary, 1963-1972 Liverpudlian Freda Kelly was the Beatles Fan Club Secretary from...
3. Good Ol’ Freda – the film, the memories and the magic Okay, so may I test your Beatles knowledge here for...