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The Beatles

From 1963 until 1969 the Beatles put together single-sided flexi discs with a Christmas message that were distributed to their fan club members. All seven of these were included in a 12" LP and sent as a final farewell to members in 1970. Various bootlegs of that limited LP have been floating around for years, and with assorted outtake material and rehearsal chatter included, plus the complete acetate of "Christmas Time (Is Here Again)," that is what has been assembled here in this festive boot from Yellow Dog Records. Aside from "Christmas Time," which is a pretty good holiday song by any standards, nothing reaches serious artistic heights, but the sheer zany joy of the Beatles is pretty irresistible as they joke and pun their way through short skits and fractured Christmas carols. By 1965 everything gets drenched in reverb and quick edits, and tape loops by 1967 make these recordings in their own way as experimental as any of the group's serious material. John Lennon's genius for wordplay is rampant everywhere, and odd horn blasts and snippets of songs dart in and out. By 1969 the four Beatles were recording their holiday messages separately, and the sequence was edited together for unity, and yes, Yoko is there, too. As a sort of alternate history of the Beatles told through holiday tidings, The Complete Christmas Collection is fascinating and fun, and makes one wish that it could have gone on forever. ~ Steve Leggett, All Music Guide