December 19: Lily The Pink

On By Laura MorganIn Christmas, Music

The Beatles only released three singles in 1968, though since one of them was Hey Jude it probably still counts as a good year. Fortunately it was also a good year for another McCartney – Paul’s brother Mike, who with The Scaffold had a Christmas number one with Lily The Pink. There is nothing Christmassy about it, but it’s very jolly, so it’s an excellent way to perk up the first day of the busiest week of the year (though actually it looks as though I have a couple of hours to spare on Thursday, so let me know if you need anything).

I’ve also included a photo of Paul and Mike as toddlers, because why wouldn’t you?

mccartneys

December 18: Christmas Eve

On By Laura MorganIn Christmas, Music

No, I know it isn’t Christmas Eve today, but traditionally we celebrate Advent Sundays with a bit of crooning, and this is as close as Ringo gets to that. He even holds back on the drums, a bit. Not much. (But he makes up for his restraint in the first half of the song by coming in with an extended solo at about the two and a half minute mark.) This is a sweet song, though! I hope you enjoy it too.

December 17: We All Stand Together

On By Laura MorganIn Christmas, Films

I said EYE was excited and that you SHOULD be, not that you WOULD be. But you should, because this song is adorable, and the animation that accompanies it even more so (if you have quarter of an hour to spare you should go and watch the full-length version). This wasn’t a Christmas number one, because in the same year it was released Band Aid and Wham’s Last Christmas occupied the number one and two slots, which seems reasonable, but it did make it to number three – and all three songs, having occupied the top of the charts in 1984, attained the peculiar feat of re-entering the charts a year later, so that Christmas 1985 sounded almost exactly like Christmas 1984, if you weren’t listening carefully. Only with extra Aled Jones. Happy last weekend before Christmas!

December 16: Christmas Time Is Here Again

On By Laura MorganIn Christmas, Music

And so on to the Beatles fan club Christmas message for 1967, which is notable for including the only Actual Christmas Song by the Actual Beatles, Christmas Time Is Here Again. Like 1966’s message (which we have conveniently skipped because despite listening really hard I can’t work out if it’s a bit racist) it is presented as a revue-style sketch which makes nearly no sense at all, but it does at least have some good songs. Speaking of which, here also is 1967 UK Christmas number one single Hello, Goodbye. Feel free to enjoy either, both or neither, although if you don’t watch Hello, Goodbye you are being foolish because the video is great. Make sure to watch out especially for the reveals at 01:14 and 02:45. I’m excited about tomorrow and so should you be.

December 15: The Very Thought Of You

On By Laura MorganIn Christmas, Music

This is only middlingly Christmassy, inasmuch as it isn’t Christmassy at all, but it sounds it because it’s a 1930s standard with a lush musical arrangement, and it was once recorded by Bing Crosby, who is of course the Christmassiest singer of all, and also by Nat King Cole, who is of course the second Christmassiest singer of all (and as it happens there’s more Nat to come in a few days’ time). With a song as lovely as this you don’t need to make excuses, anyway, it’s just a joyful thing to listen to, ideally whilst roasting chestnuts on an open fire.

And the reason it fits into the Beatles theme is that this version is from Tony Bennett’s 2006 album Duets: An American Classic, recorded in celebration of Bennett’s eightieth birthday – yes, he did just turn ninety – and it features Paul McCartney, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I just have (three times in a row).

December 14: Listen, The Snow Is Falling

On By Laura MorganIn Christmas, Music

Awww. Isn’t this twinkly? And it’s got jingle bells and everything. This was the b-side to 1971’s Happy Xmas (War Is Over), although I think the version we’re listening to here is a later re-recording. Whatever, I love it, and I am going to learn the words and play it out loud and sing along ALL CHRISTMAS. Make sure to listen to the end for the wind/footsteps FX.

December 13: Do They Know It’s Christmas?

On By Laura MorganIn Christmas, Music

Today we were going to have the 1966 Beatles Christmas message, but I don’t think I can bear to listen to another one. Plus there is no timely single to accompany it, since the last single the Beatles released in 1966 was Yellow Submarine/Eleanor Rigby in August of that year, and then there was nothing until the spring of 1967. I blame the drugs. (Although to be fair, when they did come back it was with the double whammy of Strawberry Fields/Penny Lane, so they obviously did something useful with all that spare time. Drugs, mostly, I think.)

But I really need to listen to a proper Christmas song. As you know, Paul didn’t play or sing on Do They Know It’s Christmas?, at least not the 1984 version which is the only one we’re interested in (he played bass on the 2014 version, but I’m not going to make you listen to that). He was asked to be part of the 1984 recording but wasn’t able to make it, so instead he sent in a spoken word message which made up part of the b-side of the original single. So with this most tenuous of Beatle connections, please enjoy an actual Christmas song that you know. Make the most of it, because tomorrow we’re going properly weird.

December 12: Blue Christmas

On By Laura MorganIn Christmas, Music

I love the (appropriately) bluegrassy guitar on this, especially when it gets to do a solo, and I am sad that there is so little interest out there in the world in Ringo’s 1999 Christmas album that I can’t seem to find out who is playing it. The song is slightly compromised, for me, by the surprising BLART with which Ringo begins his singing. One thing I have been able to discover is that several of the tracks on this album were recorded within a single day, which is somehow unsurprising. Some of them seem to have been recorded in a single take (and not in the good way). Still, it’s worth it for the guitar, I promise.

December 11: Mull Of Kintyre

On By Laura MorganIn Christmas, Music

We’ve featured this song before, back in 2010 when the theme was UK Christmas number one singles since 1976 – which, like this year’s, left me very little leeway in terms of the quality of tunes selected. That’s slightly unfair to the song, though, which isn’t as bad as I think it is, even if it’s no Always On My Mind. We had the official video last time, so – in order not to repeat myself six years later – today here’s a live version from the Mike Yarwood Christmas special of 1977, hence added stars, sparkle and general seasonal appeal, and don’t say I never treat you to anything, although I am a bit worried for everyone’s health given the quantity of dry ice being pumped out onto the stage at regular intervals. It can’t be good for the bagpipes either, can it? But then, I can’t think of anything that would necessarily be good for bagpipes, except a very strict set of rules about who is allowed to play them. I digress. Here’s Paul.

December 10: Twin Rudolphs

On By Laura MorganIn Christmas, Music

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer isn’t anyone’s favourite Christmas song, is it? Or is it? If it isn’t your favourite Christmas song neither of these versions is likely to change your mind, but it’s the only Christmas classic that has been recorded by multiple Beatles and so it gets a starring Saturday spot here.

Version 1 is the 1979 b-side to Paul McCartney’s Wonderful Christmastime and is optimistically entitled Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reggae, which makes it sound quite good, doesn’t it? It’s really not, although the very last note is quite nice. Version 2 is (of course) from Ringo’s Christmas album, and as well as being definitely better than Paul’s, features a voiceover, a mistake which they just left in, and (of course) a key change. And the backing vocals are really good! The lead vocals still sound like Ringo. Do keep listening to the end, which is everything you are hoping it will be.