
Here's a handy collection of links to all of the Christmas flexi discs issued by the Beatles. Since becoming a Fab Four fanatic, these gems have been far and away my favorite bits of holiday listening. These floppy records were issued to members of the Beatles official fan club in the UK & the USA, with a compilation LP issued in 1970.
Each record is a time marker in the Beatles' career, starting out humble and cheeky, progressing through the druggy art phase, and ending with a heady John + Yoko love fest. The 3:50 mark of the 1969 record finds them trudging through leaves, mumbling about peace. As Yoko trails off into some kind of mind train, Lennon starts singing "Good King Wenceslas," obviously annoyed. It's kind of wonderful.
If you're a Beatles fan and you've never heard these, you're in for a treat. There are tons of great gags, song snippets, and out-takes. My favorite has always been the 1966 edition, a pantomime on record featuring two elderly Scotsmen munching on a rare cheese and later, Podgy the Bear and Jasper. Oh, so great.
Links below! Happy holidays, Line-Outsters!
1963: The Beatles' Christmas Record
1964: Another Beatles Christmas Record
1965: The Beatles' Third Christmas Record
1966: The Beatles' Fourth Christmas Record – Pantomime: Everywhere It's Christmas
1967: Christmas Time is Here Again!
1968: The Beatles' 1968 Christmas Record
1969: The Beatles' Seventh Christmas Record
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