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BWTB CHRISTMAS SHOW 2014

* John & Yoko – Happy Xmas (War Is Over) `71

* George – Ding Dong – Dark Horse 1974

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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”  

 

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* 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

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*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

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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)  

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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

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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  

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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

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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)  

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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

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*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