HAVE A GEAR YEAR . . . . . . !

On this day in music history: December 18, 1970 - “The Beatles Christmas Album” by The Beatles is released. Produced by Tony Barrow, George Martin and Kenny Everett (aka Maurice Cole), it is recorded at Dick James Music, Abbey Road Studios in London and various other locations from October 17, 1963 - November 1969. The album is a special compilation released exclusively to members of the band’s fan club in the UK (titled “From Then To You” there) and the US only, following the bands’ break up earlier in the year. It features the seven Christmas messages recorded by The Beatles between 1963 and 1969 originally released on plastic flexi-discs. The holiday messages consisting of holiday greetings from the band also with skits and original songs, were recorded as a thank you gift to fans and as a response to the enormous volume of fan mail they receive. The album receives only limited, non commercial distribution, with original copies becoming highly valuable collector’s items. Due to its lack of a wide release, it has been widely bootlegged in its entirety and individually over the years. Legitimate copies feature a smaller mould ring on the LP labels, where as the bootlegs have a much wider mould ring in the center. The real US LP’s also feature a machine stamp from “Bell Sound” studios in New York as well as the initials “sf” for mastering engineer Sam Feldman, and the “rifle” etching from Capitol Records’ Winchester, VA pressing plant. The LP jackets on real copies have crisp detailing in the photos, with the fakes having blurring on certain images. On December 15, 2017, Apple Corps reissues the seven Christmas fan club messages as “Happy Christmas Beatle People! (The Christmas Records)”. The set packaged in 7 ½" x 7 ½" box, contains the seven 7" discs pressed on colored vinyl, reproducing the original sleeve artwork and labels from the UK singles, also including a booklet.