The Beatles 1968 Fan Club Christmas Flexi-disc

Recorded in November 1968 at the London homes of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, and in the back of Ringo’s diesel-powered removal van, somewhere in Surrey. The voice of George harrison is heard because the G.P.O. did something right and joined up 6,000 miles of telephone links at an appropriate moment. It was noteworthy for being the first Beatles Christmas fan club disc the boys recorded separately.

The 1968 offering is a collage of odd noises, musical snippets, and individual messages. McCartney’s song “Happy Christmas, Happy New Year” is featured, along with John’s poems “Jock and Yono” and “Once Upon a Pool Table.” Also notable is George Harrison introducing a bizarre little rendition of “Nowhere Man” by the ukulele-playing Tiny Tim. Also included is a sped-up snippet of the Beatles’ own “Helter Skelter” and a brief snippet of “Baroque Hoedown” which was used three years later in Disneyland’s Main Street Electrical Parade. (Finally, the US fans got a flexi-disc for Christmas in 1968, but it came in a modified version of the 1967 UK sleeve.)

The 1968 Christmas recording was unique because unlike previous fan club recordings the flexi disk was double-sided. And while all of the 1963 through 1967 flexi’s had paper record labels, the 1968 disks had the information printed right on the black flexi disk with white ink.

Of note the 1968 Christmas recording was also unique because unlike previous fan club recordings the flexi disk was double-sided. While all of the 1963 through 1967 flexi’s had paper record labels, the 1968 disks had the information printed right on the black flexi disk with white ink.