Christmas Music Advent Calendar Day 4: The Beatles

Okay, so this one might not be as unheard of as the previous ones we've looked it, but it is something that you might not be familiar with.

Let's continue our Christmas Music Advent Calendar with a classic group - The Beatles!

Basically back in the day, the Beatles had a fan club, and every year they'd send out special free goodies to the members. They'd send things like pictures, newsletters and other little things like greetings via a small single album record. It was a little something to say hello to their fans and wish them a Happy Holiday, and keep them entertained with something a little silly. They'd been doing it for a few years, but this was the first time they'd prepared a script beforehand.

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They started doing these in 1963. While subsequent years have music and skits, earlier albums feature spoken greetings to their listeners. Usually they were recorded off the cuff, and weren't thought about a lot. The Beatles' 1967 Christmas album, Christmas Time Is Here Again!, was their most comprehensive holiday message to date. This time, the script had a main plot that revolved around a fictional group called the Ravellers trying out for a BBC radio show, and it serves as a tribute to radio and television programs they used to listen to and attend back in the day. The ensemble plays the piano and sings "Plenty of Jam Jars" in the skits, which also feature tap dancing and a fake advertising.

It contains pretty much the only time they ever did something close to a Christmas Carol, a song called "Christmas Time is Here Again." John played the timpani, Paul was on piano, George is on guitar and Ringo's got the drum set. George Martin also recorded a little something that year for the fans. This record is definitely different for them, though. It also contains a lot of..... well, weird stuff. But maybe you can include this simple melody in your caroling this year!

Christmas-ly yours,

Behka