One of the many perks of being a member of the Official Beatles Fan Club was that as Christmas neared, one would receive a special flexi-disc record containing Christmas messages from the Fab Four themselves. Starting in 1963 and continuing through 1969, the Beatles recorded hilarious, Goon-type greetings that may have baffled a few of their American fans! I make it a tradition to listen to these recordings, as well as outtakes from the sessions, each Christmas season. They are a constant source of holiday cheer for me and countless Beatles fans.
The Christmas record featured in this post is the 1966 release entitled Pantomime: Everywhere It's Christmas, recorded November 25th at music publisher Dick James' house. The night before, the Beatles had convened at EMI's Studio Two to tackle a first take of John's stupendous "Strawberry Fields Forever." Housed in a psychedelic cover designed by Paul McCartney, Pantomime is perhaps the most creative and interesting of all the Christmas flexi-discs. Playing off the British Christmas tradtion of musical-comedy theatre productions, the Beatles add their own unique twist to the format. The video is a Lego animation film created by Leftfield Studios in 2003 as a visual accompaniment to the Beatles' record--I think it is perfectly executed and quite fun to watch!
So, to one and all, a Happy Crimble and a Merry Goo Year!
Check back soon for another special Christmas posting...
(References: The Beatles on Apple Records by Bruce Spizer and That Magic Feeling by John C. Winn)
The Christmas record featured in this post is the 1966 release entitled Pantomime: Everywhere It's Christmas, recorded November 25th at music publisher Dick James' house. The night before, the Beatles had convened at EMI's Studio Two to tackle a first take of John's stupendous "Strawberry Fields Forever." Housed in a psychedelic cover designed by Paul McCartney, Pantomime is perhaps the most creative and interesting of all the Christmas flexi-discs. Playing off the British Christmas tradtion of musical-comedy theatre productions, the Beatles add their own unique twist to the format. The video is a Lego animation film created by Leftfield Studios in 2003 as a visual accompaniment to the Beatles' record--I think it is perfectly executed and quite fun to watch!
So, to one and all, a Happy Crimble and a Merry Goo Year!
Check back soon for another special Christmas posting...
(References: The Beatles on Apple Records by Bruce Spizer and That Magic Feeling by John C. Winn)
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4 comments:
Alison: Just found your blog for the first time and what caught my eye was the Bomp! magazine. I have that issue! I loved that magazine while it lasted. You can find an interview with the late great Greg Shaw in a DVD called "The Beach Boys and Satan." Bomp Records still exists (and has a website).
I hope you and your readers will stop by my Beatles news website Abbeyrd's Beatles Page (http://abbeyrd.best.vwh.net) and my Beatles Examiner column on Examiner.com at http://www.examiner.com/x-2082-Beatles-Examiner. Look forward to hearing from you.
Steve Marinucci
Hi, Steve! It's wonderful to hear from you. I have always been a huge fan of your Beatles page. Please check out my Beatles blog: http://childofnaturebeatles.blogspot.com
Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment.
Alison
Hi, Steve! It's wonderful to hear from you. I have always been a huge fan of your Beatles page
Beatles Fan
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