Before you all get too inebriated and cannot see the keyboard, I want to wish everyone on the Board a wonderful Christmas time, and thany you for the interesting, informative and good natured messages which you have posted.

It has been a very violent year, and we really do need to give peace a chance in 2005.

If only people would listen to good music, and appreciate the simple words in Beatles songs.... love is all you need...love is all you need....life is too short for fussing and fighting my friends.

Happy Holidays Everyone!!!

I hope you all have a safe, healthy, prosperous and joyous New Year!

Remember... "War Is Over, if you want it"!!!

Really??? A year went by I want to wish each and every person here a blessed holiday. I feel at times as your my extended family.Have yourself a wonderful christmas time

BBC to air Beatles Christmas Radio Special
by Martin Lewis

BBC TO AIR BEATLES CHRISTMAS RADIO SPECIAL
DECEMBER 27th SHOW FEATURES LEGENDARY FAN CLUB DISCS
PROGRAM WILL AIR ON BBC RADIO & INTERNET

On Monday December 27, Britain's BBC Radio 2 network will broadcast a two-hour radio special centered on the seven Beatles Christmas records produced exclusively for their fan club members between 1963-1969. The program is structured as a documentary about the legendary recordings.

The show airs in the UK 5pm-7pm GMT on BBC’s Radio 2 network. It should also be possible to hear the show over the internet on BBC’s website. Air time in the US: Eastern time: 12 noon – 2pm EST, Pacific time: 9am – 11am PST.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/r2music/documentaries/beatles/

The original recordings were distributed to British Beatles fan club members by mail on flimsy plastic 7” 45-rpm "flexi-discs" in distinctive paper covers. The discs naturally had a very low audio fidelity. American Beatles fan club members (who of course were a year behind the Brits) missed out on the 1963 Christmas recording and received annual recordings from 1964-1969. For the first few years they were pressed onto plastic-coated postcards – which was the standard US format for novelty-style recordings. For the last couple of years they were distributed on the UK-style "flexi-disc."

Given that none of the Beatles' Christmas material (save the song "Christmas Time Is Here Again" from the 1967 fan club disc) has ever been commercially released - and the fact that the material will be aired on the very copyright-conscious BBC - it is virtually certain that special permission has been obtained from Apple to allow the broadcast of extracts from the flexi-discs.

(Though US Beatles radio shows bend the rules and frequently play clips from these discs during the holiday season - to be strictly accurate - they are NOT legally available for broadcast. The government-licensed BBC would not risk copyright claims from Apple by playing unsanctioned material.)

The radio special brings up the issue of whether the Christmas recordings might ever be released commercially in the future. There was actually once a legally-issued, limited-edition private release album that presented all seven recordings. It was created by the Official Beatles Fan Club (for whom all the original recordings were made.) It pressed up a 12" vinyl album called "The Beatles Christmas Album" in 1970 – which was made available to existing (and new) fan club members in the UK and USA that Christmas. The price was nominal – but the purchase had to be in conjunction with payment of the fan club subscription for the upcoming year.

Bear in mind that the Beatles had very publicly split up in the April of that year – so there was certainly not going to be any new Beatles Christmas recording for fan club members that December! Nor one might imagine – was there a strong motive for the UK and US fan clubs to be renewing memberships – let alone recruiting new members. Fan clubs in those days were about active artists – not disbanded groups.

In any event – that 1970 release while technically legal – was certainly not a full commercial release in retail outlets.

The only official release to date of any material from the original seven recordings is a full-length version of the song "Christmas Time Is Here Again" - heard several times in truncated form on the 1967 fan club record – which was included as track 4 of the "Free As A Bird" CD single released in November 1995.

There has been speculation before from fans about a commercial CD release of all the recordings – but there has never been official word about plans to release the material.

There are currently many audio and video projects that would seem to be of greater priority – not least the re-mastering of the entire official Beatles audio catalogue on CD. Plus the possible first CD release of the album "Live At The Hollywood Bowl." And DVD projects ranging from "Help!" "Magical Mystery Tour," "Let It Be," and "Shea Stadium" to a collation of all the TV promotional films.

On the other hand – as one very respected senior Beatles insider has privately told his friends - the recent, very controversial release of the "Capitol Albums" box-set of the 1964 Americanized, duophonic, artificially echo-enhanced recordings (which has caused great dismay among Beatles purists) indicates that the motivation for releasing Beatles product is now primarily driven by the profit motive rather than by choices that honor the Beatles’ artistic heritage.

However - if an album is ever released of these seven Christmas fan club recordings – at least there will be no controversy about which versions to release. Unlike the Capitol versions of the Beatles British catalogue - which were sonically altered, sliced and diced by corporate "suits" in America to accommodate what they presumed were American tastes – the US fan club never presumed to tamper with the Beatles’ artistic choices. So the only versions that exist to be released are the original British recordings as approved by the Beatles. And for that true Beatles fans can be grateful.

The radio show has been produced by "Ten Alps" - an independent TV/radio production company recently set-up by Band-Aid/Live-Aid creator Sir Bob Geldof. The show description from the production company's website reads:

A Beatles Christmas - BBC Radio 2

'A Beatles Christmas' highlights a fascinating slice of the Beatles legacy and features rare material, focussing on the traditional Christmas records which were sent out exclusively to Beatles fan club members from 1963-1969. These recordings not only featured Christmas songs by the Beatles, but also include entertaining ad-libs and pantomime banter between all 4 Beatles, which provide a fascinating insight into how their lives changed dramatically between '63 & '69. Kenny Everett produced and featured in the Beatles Christmas records in 1968 & 1969. Zak - Ringo's son, designed the cover of the 1969 record. The 1966 record, with a cover designed by Julian Lennon, was called Pantomime and featured a toast to the Queen. These records were a Christmas tradition for thousands of Beatles fans around the world.


Published December 20, 2004

Merry Christmas everybody!

Happy Christmas Everybody !

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all Beatle people and you know who you are!!!!!!!!! Bobbo54

A fabber Christmas than promised!
by Martin Lewis

So much for the official information given in advance to consumers and the media by the BBC!

The BBC radio special "A Beatles Christmas" aired today (Monday December 27th) – and it was a fabulous broadcast. Those who missed it may hear it streaming online (free-of-charge) anytime for the next 7 days on the BBC’s website by clicking here.

But much to the surprise of listeners (including me!) - the program had only partial resemblance to the information about the program given out in advance on the BBC's official website and in its official press release! The BBC actually seriously under-promoted a show that had ultra-rare material of interest to all core Beatles fans.

Like every other member of the public and media, I had no reason to believe that the information given out by the BBC would be so much at variance to the actual program. So the informational note that I wrote for this website on December 19th was based on the data provided by the BBC. Little did we know that the show actually contained material much more intriguing than the content that had been advertised.

The official BBC website and the official website of the program-makers’ production company two weeks ago both posted information stating that the program would be primarily based on the seven "flexi-disc" records issued between 1963 and 1969 exclusively to members of the official Beatles fan club.

And that led me to speculate that the BBC must have received special dispensation from Apple to air the material. (The BBC is a publicly-licensed organization and it would never risk exposing itself to legal action from Apple by broadcasting large amounts of material that had not been released commercially – without prior approval to do so.)

But while the radio special made several mentions of those seven discs (especially in the first 35 minutes of the two-hour show) – and featured an excellent interview with Beatles press officer Tony Barrow who had written and coordinated the recording of the early discs – there was comparatively little of those vintage recordings actually featured in the show. There were a few brief spoken-word soundbites – mainly from the early discs. A very brief splash of the lads singing a Christmas carol... And of course there was the commercially-released version of the 1967 song "Christmas Time Is Here Again" (Track 4 of the "Free As A Bird" single from 1995).

However – the show was NOT a disappointment. Quite the reverse. While a program based solely on the Fan Club records would of course been fairly interesting to us fans - the actual program that was broadcast was actually much more fascinating than the described show.

Instead of using the Fan Club records as the Beatles content for the program - the show actually drew extensively on material originally recorded for various BBC Radio programs that had aired in the Christmas period in the years between 1963 and 1969 – much of it very rarely (if ever) heard since then. In that respect the material was actually much fresher to the ears than hearing just the widely-bootlegged Fan Club records again.

Of especial interest was the material from the Christmas 1963 and 1965 editions of the BBC's weekly radio program "Saturday Club" and the Beatles' own 1963 Christmas radio special. There was a lot of musical larking about by the lads - including spoofing their own songs, Christmas carols – and something that sounded suspiciously like a throwaway affectionate dig at Freddie & The Dreamers - who were of course always regarded as a tongue-in-cheek novelty act!

Singer Lulu narrated this new special. It also featured interviews with some of the artists who had been support acts in the two Beatles' Christmas stage shows that took place in London in the winters of 1964 and 1965. We heard from 1964 emcee (and Australian comedic singer) Rolf Harris - and from Chris Dreja of The Yardbirds (one of the support bands on the 1965 show lineup).

We also heard from Mancunian singer Elkie Brooks - who sang in the 1965 show. Elkie Brooks had enormous UK success in the 1970's – though only a cult following in the US. (Trivia notes: Elkie was co-vocalist with the late Robert Palmer in the early 70's rock-soul band Vinegar Joe. And her brother, Tony Mansfield, was drummer in Billy J. Kramer's backing band - The Dakotas.)

There were also a few soundbites from Paul reminiscing about the origins of the Christmas Fan Club records – generously crediting Tony Barrow with the inception of the discs. The date and origin of that interview was not noted. It sounded recent to my ears. Perhaps others can shed light on it.

Lulu spoke a little of what the Beatles had been doing during the Christmas period of each year from 1960 onwards. The Beatles content heard in the show consisted broadly of four types of material: Interviews given by the Beatles to BBC radio programs that had been originally broadcast around various Christmases between 1963 and 1969. Music specially recorded for those BBC shows (including some enjoyable recordings NOT used on the "Live At The BBC" album.) Some commercially-released Beatles records – including some early and live material from the "Anthology 1" album. And some very funny interchanges with BBC radio hosts such as Brian Matthews (a name and voice familiar to Beatles fans from the "Live At The BBC" album) - and of even greater interest - extended unedited sequences with fellow Liverpudlian Kenny Everett.

(Everett was a former pirate radio DJ who joined BBC Radio in 1967. His rapport with the Beatles was so great that he was entrusted with recording and editing their 1968 and 1969 Fan Club records. Those were the last two records – made at a point that the Beatles were reluctant to gather together to record ensemble greetings for their fans.)

We heard the Beatles larking around with Rolf Harris – singing back-up vocals on a specially-rewritten Beatle-themed parody of his hit novelty song "Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport" – and we heard John and Paul improvising radio jingles for Kenny Everett to use on his weekly BBC radio show.

The banter and musical shenanigans all took place for the benefit of the BBC and their British fans, so - like the Fan Club records - they are rife with intrinsically British cultural references. The jokes make frequent reference to radio and TV shows that would only be known by Brits who were around in the 1960's. By way of example there is a brief parody of the BBC TV panel show "Juke Box Jury." So some of the throwaway gags will naturally be fairly incomprehensible to those not familiar with the source being spoofed. But the good nature and natural humor of the Beatles is infectious even without understanding each and every reference. What is most enjoyable is the sound of the Beatles playing around musically in the studio. A spoof medley of their hits is an especial delight.

The one mystery is how the official advance description of the program was so far adrift from the actual program – and how that fact may impact the possibility of a commercial release of the Fan Club records. An Apple-sanctioned broadcast of the discs – which the BBC's advance publicity strongly hinted at – might have signaled an openness by Apple to such a release. The fact that there was almost certainly no sanction of the program by Apple – perhaps lessens the likelihood of that.

The BBC is not noted for commissioning and promoting programs that are greatly at variance to the announced content. Which gives rise to the suspicion that perhaps the program content changed at the last minute owing to objections expressed by Apple.

On the other hand - the program that aired really did not sound as if it had been hastily re-edited to take account of some material suddenly being withdrawn. It sounded like a well-constructed, well-written show – which intentionally drew heavily from the riches discovered in the BBC's own archives. That had to have taken careful combing through the BBC vaults – and the scheduling of interviews with the key participants (such as Rolf Harris, Tony Barrow, Elkie Brooks and Chris Dreja.) All that takes much more time than just a couple of weeks.

Since the official advance description of the program promised a 2-hour show based specifically on the Fan Club records (with no mention of the vintage BBC Radio shows) - one can speculate as to what happened.

It is possible that the program’s makers planned to make the radio program they originally described – pre-sold it to the BBC on that basis – promoted it in advance as such – and then at some point discovered that the Fan Club records could not be freely broadcast as they had supposed – and were forced to change the content of the program.

Perhaps they discovered for themselves that airing the Fan Club records on the BBC would require Apple’s permission. Perhaps Apple became aware of the planned show and notified the producers accordingly.

If that was what happened – it was a blessing in disguise – since it may have been the cause of the producers broadening the scope of the program to discover and incorporate the much rarer BBC archive material.

However – they clearly forgot to update the original program description that they had prepared – and it was that misleading description that was released to the public and media by the BBC in mid-December.

But if it transpires that the BBC material and the recollections about the two Beatles Christmas stage shows (1963 and 1964) were ALWAYS planned for the special – then the producers and the BBC are guilty of a sizable promotional faux pas.

If the program description they issued had accurately depicted the breadth of its scope and the rarity of much of its content – it might have made the show much more press-worthy – and thus it would have reached a much wider audience.

I have left a voicemail for my dear old pal Tony Barrow (we go back 34 years!) seeking more information about the creation of the program – and will report back when I hear from him.

Solving the BBC Crimble mystery
An update on the Beatles Christmas Show story by Martin Lewis

Well I have now had extensive conversations about the creation of the British radio special "A Beatles Christmas" with my dear pal Tony Barrow and also with Des Shaw - the creator/producer of the show. In my last piece I speculated about why the program as advertised was so much at variance with the program as broadcast. My primary theory was that at some point between the time the show was publicly announced and the time the show was completed - there was a copyright issue that arose with Apple. And that the subsequent changes in the program did not catch up with the advance publicity material that had been previously issued.

There are very few merits I can think of in being as old as I am (!) - but one of them is that after being involved in the Beatles world since 1967 - one's instincts about the hows and whys of things in the Beatles world tends to be fairly astute...

It was indeed a copyright issue that arose with Apple that caused the changes. But - as previously noted - those changes actually brought Beatles fans some unexpected Christmas cheer.

The story is roughly this. (Diplomatic language has been deployed in some places where discretion is the greater part of my 37 year history...!)

The radio program was conceived as a 2-hour special based primarily about the Fan Club Christmas Records. The idea was to feature the discs prominently - along with stories behind the writing and recording of the discs. The intention was to augment the discs with a secondary theme - some examples of other Christmas-related Beatles material. eg contributions to various BBC radio shows and recollections about their 1963 and 1964 Christmas stage shows.

The producers of the radio show started out on the project with specific reason to believe that there was no broadcasting restriction on the original seven discs. (Extracts from those seven discs are certainly aired with impunity on American radio every Christmas.) However - during the course of the production - Apple became aware of the project and respectfully but firmly informed the producers of its position that material on the seven discs could NOT be aired on radio without specific approval. Apple was adamant about this point. Since the show had already been committed to be broadcast by BBC Radio (which as a public sector broadcaster has strict rules about copyright) - there was no way that the show could afford to enter into a dispute with Apple. And it was too late in the day to cancel the show altogether.

Accepting this ruling with disappointment - the producers decided to look in more depth at the BBC material that they had previously anticipated would simply augment the Fan Club discs. They discovered that there was a far greater wealth of material there than they had first thought. The Beatles appeared on several BBC radio shows around the Christmas holidays - especially in 1963 and 1964 - and there was much to draw from. There was also some extensive material recorded by BBC deejay and Beatle pal Kenny Everett for his own radio shows in 1967 and 1968.

There have been quite a few BBC radio broadcasts in the past that drew on BBC programs from the 1960's - but none of them appear to have drawn quite so heavily on the original Christmas-themed material. There was Kevin Howlett's excellent two-hour BBC Radio special in 1982 "The Beatles At The Beeb" - and his 1988 series of 14 half-hour shows "The Beeb's Lost Beatles Tapes." There was also a BBC Boxing Day radio special produced in the 1980's by one "P. Hughes" - also titled "A Beatles Christmas" which certainly used some of the vintage material.

(For further background on the BBC's Beatles archive - see: www.beatletracks.com/barchive/beeb.html)

But necessity being the mother of radio producers' invention - there had never been the opportunity of a two-hour radio special (that's a full two hours without any commercials) dedicated solely to the topic of Christmas and the Beatles. So there was an opportunity to go deeper into the 1960's source material than previous shows had allowed.

While some of the musical material and banter may well have surfaced over the years on various bootlegs - a large amount of the material had certainly not been broadcast since its original airing. And the percentage of the general population that collects obscure Beatles bootlegs is probably miniscule - so the material that was broadcast was undoubtedly fresh to the ears of the vast majority of listeners in the UK and elsewhere.

Incidentally - the Paul McCartney recollections about the Christmas Fan Club recordings apparently came from a late 1980's BBC radio special "McCartney On McCartney."

Those who listened carefully to the new BBC special may have heard some material that seemed to be non-BBC in origin and not officially commercially released! Giving rise to speculation that such material could not have been broadcast by the copyright-sensitive BBC without direct express permission of Apple.

There certainly DID seem to be some such material - but I can tell you categorically that no official permission was sought nor given for that material from Apple. Let's just say that it could be described to be governed by something that radio producers always optimistically describe as the rules of "Fair Usage"!

There was a scramble to complete the re-jigged program in time for its December 27th airdate. To the credit of the producers - while the show certainly differed considerably from the advance description - it did not SOUND like a last-minute dash. The skill of the writing and presentation did not give away the fact that the new structure of the show had actually evolved of necessity comparatively late in the day.

The changed emphasis of the show occurred too late in the day to be effectively communicated to the outside world - particularly in the mad rush before Christmas. So the websites of the BBC and the production company continued to advertise a show that was radically different to the finished result.

So - that solves the mystery of the Beatles Christmas radio special that turned out to be both less and more than advertised. I think that producer Des Shaw and his team did an outstanding job in less-than-ideal circumstances. It's a shame that those circumstances precluded the show presenting some material that would have made the program even better.

There are a couple of chaps (and a couple of ladies) I know who I'm sure will actually enjoy the final program very much. So I have arranged to ensure that those four special folks get to hear the show on CD. Perhaps it might even lead to an expanded version of the special at some point in the future. I certainly hope so...



Published January 3, 2005