The History of the Beatles Christmas Records
Their rock contemporaries (The Rolling Stones, The Animals) looked down on the
novelty of a Christmas Record, while their pop contemporaries (The Four Seasons,
The Beach Boys) saw it as an opportunity to cash in. But the Beatles themselves
managed again, somehow, to have it both ways. The Beatles Christmas Records were
sent to the Official Beatles Fan Club once a year between 1963 and 1969; not
Christmas songs per se, they mostly consisted of just the lads themselves
clowning around in the studio, creating Xmas (and other) improvised songs, and
inserting the obligatory holiday wishes.
However, what sounds like novelty is actually a quite fascinating slice of the
legacy. For one thing, they contain original Beatles songs that haven't been
released or are hard to find. From obvious goofs like "Everywhere It's
Christmas" to the excellent "Christmas Time Is Here Again" (a song which
contains some of Ringo's finest moments on the drums), to the Paul solo "Happy
New Year", which sounds like "I've Got A Feeling" would had it been done on his
mostly-acoustic hearth-and-home McCartney album. And we can't forget what these
records must have meant to the fans in an analog, media unsaturated time; these
discs, even today, sound like a phone conversation with all four Beatles at
once.
Most importantly, though, these records contain a clear delineation of the
Beatles Arc of History. When listened to all at once, chronologically, they
provide a startling parallel to the band's own adventures. The earliest ones are
full of energy and overwhelming optimism, but they're simple and only subtly
adventurous. As they move into 1965, more experimentation comes into play, and
the lads begin to take creative hold of the medium, ad-libbing and using the
studio to full effect. By the time the series ends, the series is only
perfunctorily about Christmas or the Fan Club: everyone sounds restless and the
collaborative spirit has vanished. These records never uncover the unhappiness
that Let It Be does; they're very pleasant (and fun) listening. But don't think
they don't tell part of the story... by 1969, Yoko appears more than Paul does.
The Beatles Lyrics
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