What's on New Year's Eve 2009?

New Year's Eve Party with Beatles, Beach Boys Tribute Bands
OC Pavilion (Santa Ana, CA)

OC Pavilion's New Year's Eve revue Fun Fun Fun! features live performances by tribute acts Paperback Writer (in the style of The Beatles), Beach Toys (Beach Boys), and Pleasant Valley Sunday (The Monkees). A separate room provides DJ music and dancing, and tickets include a midnight champagne toast and hot and cold hors d'oeuvres.
Ring in the New Year at the OC Pavilion performing arts center with the great rock tunes of yesterday at the Fun, Fun, Fun New Year’s Eve celebration. Tribute bands featuring the music of the Beatles, Beach Boys & Monkees will be on hand for hours of entertainment.The show begins at 8:00 p.m. Tickets include the champagne toast at midnight, hot & cold hors d'oeuvres, and a chocolate fountain. Performances from Paperback Writer, The Beach Toys and Pleasant Valley Sunday begin at 8:00 p.m. on the OC Pavilion main stage. DJ music and dancing is available downstairs in the Vault VIP Lounge.Paperback Writer performs live the most complex Beatles songs that others simply can't perform. Due to their outstanding show, they have already toured the world and U.S. to include: The Caribbean Islands, Grand Cayman Islands, Mexico, Panama City Panama, Manta Ecuador, Sitka Alaska, Victoria British Columbia, New Orleans, Louisiana, Winston, Salem, North Carolina, Orlando, Florida, Las Vegas, Nevada, and many more.The Beach Toys transport audiences to a simpler time by recreating the sight, sound, and mannerisms of the most recognizable band that influenced a generation. From the striped shirts and Sansabelt slacks, to the suede "Beatle Boots" and wavvy hair, right down to the definitive harmonies and groundbreaking lyrics about life in California. They play the same instruments, have "the look", and spot-on capture the sound that defined the 60's.Pleasant Valley Sunday magically recreates the actual T.V. show comedy along with the great music of The Monkees! They even have the real laugh track, Mr. Babbit (Monkees rent-seeking landlord) as well as sound effects and props right from the real T.V. show. Pleasant Valley Sunday was awarded the honor of being selected to perform (over other Monkees tribute bands) at the 2004 Monkees Convention in Los Angeles, California

A thoroughly Beatles New Years Eve
Wednesday, Dec 31 6:00p to Thursday, Jan 1 (2009) 1:00a
at The Whale & Ale: Whale & Ale, San Pedro, CA
Yes, they are back....
The Backbeats, The Beatles Tribute Band
Enormously popular on their last three visits to The Whale & Ale, are back in Pedro

Las Vegas...

and what was then...

The New Year in England on Beatles trail - with McCartney concert
From: Chicago Sun-Times Date: September 10, 1989 Author: Jack Schnedler Copyright (null) Chicago Sun-Times. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information) Copyright information

Fanatics of the Fab Four can greet 1990 in style on a New Year's Beatles tour of England. The one-week winter vacation, departing the United States on Dec. 29, costs $1,349 per person, double occupancy, including airfare from New York, hotels in London and Liverpool, and a ticket for the Jan. 3 Paul McCartney concert in Birmingham.
Organizer of "The Definitive Beatles/McCartney Tour to Britain" is Charles F. Rosenay, a Beatles buff from New Haven, Conn. He has been conducting two-week summer "Magical Mytersy Tours" for a number of years under the aegis of Liverpool Productions.

MALTA, 2007 New Year's Eve Gala Dinner with " The 4Fabs "
Start the New Year in style and enjoy an unforgettable experience
New Year's Eve Gala dinner in the hotel's Grand Ballroom with live entertainment into the small hours.

New Year's Eve with The FAB Beatles Tribute Band, The Rutledge December 31, 2008

Celebrate New Year's Eve with The FAB, a Beatles Tribute band, at The Rutledge. There will be free valet and a champagne toast.
Note: This event is for adults ages 21 and up only.

New Year's Eve with the Mahoney Brothers - the Beatles Show
Recher Theatre Towson, MD
Wed, Dec 31, 2008 08:00 PM

John Lennon's ghost...

John Lennon was killed 28 years ago, but managed to lend a posthumous appearance in a commercial. A foundation that supports getting children all over the world a laptop use Lennon‘s powerful image to spread their message. The “One Laptop per Child” Foundation was created in 2005 after the solar-powered XO laptop was created. The goal is to outfit every child with a computer according to Reuters.

“Imagine every child no matter where in the world they were could access a universe of knowledge. They would have a chance to learn, to dream, to achieve anything they want,” a voice and video image of Lennon has been created to say.

“I tried to do it through my music, but now you can do it in a very different way. You can give a child a laptop and more than imagine, you can change the world.”

Aside any creepy consderation regarding the commercial itself, we pretty sure those Cambodia children, who lack internet connect, would prefer food or vaccines... Anyhow, if you'd like to know something more about the project, you may take a look belove

Today in Beatles History...

Today in Beatles History
December 30

1962
Heather See is born.

1963
'Beatles Christmas Show', at the Astoria Cinema, Finsbury Park, London.

1964
'I Feel Fine' number 1, 5th week (UK New Musical Express chart).
'Another Beatles Christmas Show' at the Hammersmith Odeon, London (two performances).

1965
Planned start of the Silkie's promotional visit to the USA. They are forced to cancel it owing to their failure to obtain their visas and work permits.

1966
Studio 2. 7.00pm-3.00am. Mono mixing: 'When I'm Sixty-Four' (remix 8, from take 4). Tape copying: 'Strawberry Fields Forever' (of remix mono 12). Recording: 'Penny Lane' (tape reduction take 6 into take 7, overdub onto take 7). Mono mixing: 'Penny Lane' (remixes 1, 2, from take 7). Producer: George Martin; Engineer: Geoff Emerick; 2nd Engineer: Phil McDonald.
Remix of 'When I'm Sixty-Four' speeding up the tape. Copy of 'Strawberry Fields Forever' for the US.

1967
'Hello, Goodbye' number 1, 1st week (Billboard).

1969
John interview with Desmond Morris for ATV's 'Man Of The Decade'.

1970
'Rolling Stone' publishes its director's interview to John. [?]

Paul begins High Court proceedings to end the Beatles partnership. [31 December?]

1994
'Live At The BBC', number 19 in Chile, 2nd and last week in the Top 30.
Evening: Maureen Cox dies in Seattle. Ringo, Isaac Tigrett, Zak, Jason and Lee are with her.

1995
'Anthology 1' number 2, 4th week in the Top 200 (Billboard).
'Free As A Bird' number 10, 1st week in the Top 200 (Billboard).

The Beat Goes Online

The Beat Goes Online is an online resource of the World Museum Liverpool inspired by Liverpool’s significant contribution to popular music, The Beat Goes On showcases Merseyside’s vibrant music scenes that have played a major part in the city’s life over the past 60 years.

In The Beat Goes Online you can explore the topics from the exhibition in more depth. This online resource offers a broader perspective, relating the exhibition themes to issues and debates concerning popular music more generally, to get you thinking about popular music in different ways. For example, find out what connects the alternative, underground rock scenes of Liverpool and the Iranian capital, Tehran. Or consider the role of photographers in the making of pop stars.

Find it here

Beatles fan creates giant mural to be placed in Liverpool

An artist who is obsessed with The Beatles has been commissioned to paint a huge image of his heroes to hang in the reception area of a major Liverpool office development.
Simon Crossley, 28, of Hopgrove, York, took two weeks to complete the mural, which will be moved to its new home in the European Capital of Culture next month.

Artist Simon Crossley with his painting of the Fab Four

The painting of the Fab Four was commissioned by Gazeley Ltd, one of the world’s leading industrial property developers, and will hang in the reception of its new office block in Liverpool.
Mr Crossley, an art and design graduate of York St John University, explained: “The gallery in Wakefield where I display some of my work approached me about this time last year.
“The owner buys my work and sells it on, and it was him who got me the commission.
“It’s great, because The Beatles are my favourite band, and it was good money and hopefully from this I should get more interest in my portfolio.
“Obviously because it’s Liverpool the client requested a painting of The Beatles and I came up with the idea of mixing two album covers – Beatles For Sale and Revolver.”
The former Tadcaster Grammar School pupil created the mural, entitled Love Is All, Love Is Everyone, using acrylic, and took two weeks to finish the job.
“I specialise in pop art at the moment, but in the new year I am going to do some landscapes of York,” he explained.
Mr Crossley’s talents also saw him appearing in The Press four years ago, when he produced a series of portraits of the world’s top 16 snooker players.
His works hung in the players’ area during the Travis Perkins UK Snooker Championship at The Barbican.
His latest work was on display earlier this month at the The Wall Gallery in Wakefield, but is now ready to head to its Liverpool home.

by Richard Catton

The Complete Beatles' Christmas Related Records & Songs Collector's Bible

1 - THE BEATLES
Beginning in 1963, the Beatles recorded a special six or seven minutes Christmas Record and distributed it by mail to members of their fan club as Christmas Greetings. It was manufactured as a seven-inch flex-disk and have never been legitimately released.

THE BEATLES CHRISTMAS RECORD
LYNTONE LYN 492
Date Released To Fan Club Members: 6th December, 1963
Produced by George Martin
SIDE A: The Beatles Christmas Record (5'00")
(By John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Richard Starkey and Tony Barrow)
Recorded : 20th October, 1963 at Abbey Road

ANOTHER BEATLES CHRISTMAS RECORD
LYNTONE LYN 757
Date Released To Fan Club Members: 18th December, 1964
Produced by George Martin
SIDE A: Another Beatles Christmas Record (4'05")
(By John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Richard Starkey)
Recorded: 26th, 27th, 28th October, 1964 at Abbey Road

THE BEATLES THIRD CHRISTMAS RECORD
LYNTONE LYN 948
Date Released To Fan Club Members: 17th December, 1965
Produced by George Martin
SIDE A: The Beatles Third Christmas Record (6'26")
(By John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Richard Starkey)
Recorded: 19th October, 1965 at Abbey Road

THE BEATLES FOURTH CHRISTMAS RECORD - PANTOMIME: EVERYWHERE IT'S CHRISTMASThe
LYNTONE LYN 1145
Date Released To Fan Club Members: 16th December, 1966
Produced by George Martin
SIDE A: Beatles Fourth Christmas Record - Pantomime: Everywhere It's Christmas (6'40")
(By John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Richard Starkey)
Recorded: 25th November, 1966 at Abbey Road

CHRISTMAS TIME IS HERE AGAIN!
LYNTONE LYN 1360
Date Released To Fan Club Members: 15th December, 1967
Produced by George Martin
SIDE A: Christmas Time Is Here Again! (6'10")
(By John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Richard Starkey)
Recorded: 28th November, 1967 at Abbey Road

THE BEATLES 1968 CHRISTMAS RECORD
LYNTONE LYN 1743-4
Date Released To Fan Club Members: 20th December, 1968
Produced by The Beatles
SIDE A: The Beatles 1968 Christmas Record - Part 1 (3'36")
(By John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Richard Starkey)
Recorded: Separately at Fall, 1968
SIDE B: The Beatles 1968 Christmas Record - Part 2 (4'19")
(By John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Richard Starkey)
Recorded: Separately at Fall, 1968

THE BEATLES SEVENTH CHRISTMAS RECORD
LYNTONE LYN 1970-1
Date Released To Fan Club Members : 19th December, 1969
Produced by The Beatles
SIDE A: The Beatles Seventh Christmas Record - Part 1 (3'34")
(By John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Richard Starkey)
Recorded: Separately at Fall, 1969
SIDE B: The Beatles Seventh Christmas Record - Part 2 (4'08")
(By John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Richard Starkey)
Recorded: Separately at Fall, 1969

All the sleeves of these seven records and the frre download link can be found here

FROM ME TO YOU (US issued as "The Beatles' Christmas Album")
APPLE LYN 2154

(Above: UK issue - "From Then To You"; Below: US issue - "The Beatles' Christmas Album")

Date Released To Fan Club Members : 18th December, 1970
SIDE A:
THE BEATLES CHRISTMAS RECORD (5'00")
Recorded: 20th October, 1963
Produced by : George Martin
ANOTHER BEATLES CHRISTMAS RECORD (4'05")
Recorded: 26th, 27th, 28th October, 1964
Produced by: George Martin
THE BEATLES THIRD CHRISTMAS RECORD (6'26")
Recorded: 19th October, 1965
Produced by: George Martin
THE BEATLES FOURTH CHRISTMAS RECORD -
PANTOMIME: EVERYWHERE IT'S CHRISTMAS (5'00")
Recorded: 25th November, 1966
Produced by: George Martin
SIDE B:
CHRISTMAS TIME IS HERE AGAIN! (6'10")
Recorded: 28th November, 1967
Produced by: George Martin
THE BEATLES 1968 CHRISTMAS RECORD (7'55")
Recorded: Separately at Fall, 1968
Produced by: The Beatles
THE BEATLES SEVENTH CHRISTMAS RECORD (7'42")
Recorded: Separately at Fall, 1969
Produced by: The Beatles

2 - PAUL McCARTNEY
In 1979, Sir Paul had released his own Christmas Single to his fans as Christmas Greetings.

WONDERFUL CHRISTMASTIME / RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REGGAE
PARLOPHONE R 6029
Date Released: 16th November, 1979
Produced by Paul McCartney
SIDE A: Wonderful Christmastime (3'44")
(By Paul McCartney)
Instrumentation: Paul McCartney: Bass guitar, guitar, keyboard, backing vocal, lead vocal, Linda McCartney: Keyboard, backing vocal
SIDE B: Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reggae (1'43")
(By Johnny D. Marks)
Instrumentation: Paul McCartney: Bass guitar, guitar, keyboard, backing vocal, lead vocal, Jack Falon: Violin

3 - RINGO STARR
In 1999, right before the new millennium, Ringo had released his own Christmas Album to his fans as Christmas Greetings.
I WANNA BE SANTA CLAUS
MERCURY546-668-2
Date Released: 19th October, 1999 (US)
Produced By Mark Hudson And Ringo Starr
COME ON CHRISTMAS, CHRISTMAS COME ON (3'35")
(By Richard Starkey, Mark Hudson and Dean Grakal)
Instrumentation:
Ringo Starr: Drums, percussion, lead vocal
Mark Hudson: Bass guitar, electric guitar, percussion, horn arrangement, backing vocal
Scott Gordon: Harmonica, percussion
Pat Zicari: Saxophone
Gary Burr, Sarah Hudson, Brett Hudson, Steffan Fantini, Marc Fantini, Kiley Oliver, Tess Whiteheart, Dick Monda and The Xmas Files Singers: Backing vocals
WINTER WONDERLAND (2'55")
(By Richard B. Smith and Felix Bernard)
Instrumentation:
Ringo Starr: Drums, percussion, lead vocal
Mark Hudson: Bass guitar, electric guitar, backing vocal
Steve Dudas and Bill Hudson: Electric guitars
Jim Cox: Wurlitzer, piano
Gary Burr: Backing vocal
I WANNA BE SANTA CLAUS (3'46")
(By Richard Starkey, Mark Hudson and Dick Monda)
Instrumentation:
Ringo Starr: Drums, percussion, lead vocal
Mark Hudson: Bass guitar, acoustic guitar, keyboard, percussion, backing vocal
Steve Dudas: Electric guitar
Jim Cox: Keyboard, string arrangement
Scott Gordon: Percussion
Dan Higgins: Recorder
Timothy B. Schmit and Christina Rasch: Backing vocal
Natasha and Tanya: Little elves
THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY (3'21")
(By Harry Simeone, Henry V. Onorati and Katherine K. Davis)
Instrumentation:
Ringo Starr: Drums, percussion, lead vocal
Mark Hudson: Bass guitar, electric guitar, percussion, backing vocal
Steffan Fantini and Marc Fantini: Electric guitars and backing vocal
Steve Dudas and Ben Labi: Electric guitars
Jim Cox: Wurlitzer, B3 organ
Scott Gordon: Percussion
Bob Murphy, Ian Halliday, Roger Houth, Willie Cochrane: Bagpipes
Jim's Bag and Mark's Pipe: Bagpipe arrangements
Timothy B. Schmit: Backing vocal
RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER (2'24")
(By Johnny D. Marks)
Instrumentation:
Ringo Starr: Drums, percussion, lead vocal
Mark Hudson: Bass guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, percussion, backing vocal
Steve Dudas: Acoustic guitar, electric guitar
Jim Cox: Keyboard, horn arrangement
Scott Gordon and Christina Rasch: Percussion
Dan Higgins: Saxophone
CHRISTMAS EVE (4'26")
(By Richard Starkey and Mark Hudson)
Instrumentation:
Ringo Starr: Drums, percussion, lead vocal
Armand Sabal-Lecco: Bass guitar
Mark Hudson: Acoustic guitar, electric guitar, backing vocal
Jim Cox: Piano, string arrangement
Gary Burr: Backing vocal
THE CHRISTMAS DANCE (4'13")
(By Richard Starkey, Mark Hudson, Jim Cox and Steve Dudas)
Instrumentation:
Ringo Starr: Drums, percussion, lead vocal
Jim Cox: Bass guitar, string arrangement, horn arrangement
Mark Hudson: Acoustic guitar, electric guitar, backing vocal
Steve Dudas: Acoustic guitar, electric guitar
Dan Higgins: Saxophone
Gary Burr: Backing vocal
CHRISTMAS TIME IS HERE AGAIN (4'06")
(By John Lennon, Paul McCartney George Harrison and Richard Starkey)
Instrumentation:
Ringo Starr: Drums, percussion, bellows, lead vocal
Mark Hudson: Bass guitar, acoustic guitar, percussion, backing vocal
Steve Dudas: Acoustic guitar, electric guitar
Jim Cox: Acoustic guitar, accordion, keyboard
Matt Hurwitz: Acoustic guitar
Bob Murphy, Ian Halliday, Roger Houth and Willie Cochrane: Bagpipes
Mark's Bag and Jim's Pipe: Bagpipe arrangements
Joe Perry: Guitar solo
John Titta, Gary Burr, Sarah Hudson, Brett Hudson, Bill Hudson, Steffan Fantini, Marc Fantini, Kiley Oliver, Tess Whiteheart, Dick Monda and The Large Elf Choir: Backing vocal
BLUE CHRISTMAS (2'58")
(By Jay W. Johnson and Billy Hayes)
Instrumentation:
Ringo Starr: Drums, percussion, lead vocal
Mark Hudson: Bass guitar, backing vocal
Steve Dudas: Electric guitar
Jaydee Maness: Pedal steel guitar
Gary Burr: Backing vocal
DEAR SANTA (5'15")
(By Richard Starkey, Mark Hudson and Steve Dudas)
Instrumentation:
Ringo Starr: Drums, percussion, lead vocal
Mark Hudson: Bass guitar, percussion, backing vocal
Jim Cox: Keyboard, string arrangement, horn arrangement
Scott Gordon: Percussion
Dan Higgins: Saxophone
Gary Burr: Backing vocal
WHITE CHRISTMAS (3'14")
(By White Christmas)
Instrumentation:
Ringo Starr: Drums, percussion, lead vocal
Mark Hudson: Percussion, backing vocal
Armand Sabal-Lecco: Bass guitar
Steve Dudas: Electric guitar
Jaydee Maness: Pedal steel guitar
Jim Cox: B3 organ, synthesizer
Timothy B. Schmit, Bill Hudson and Christina Rasch: Backing vocal
PAX UM BISCUM (PEACE BE WITH YOU) (4'46")
(By Richard Starkey, Mark Hudson and Scott Gordon)
Instrumentation:
Ringo Starr: Drums, mellotron, synthesizer, percussion, lead vocal
Joe Perry: Electric guitar
Mark Hudson: Mellotron, synthesizer, percussion, recorder, backing vocal
Scott Gordon: Keyboard, synthesizer
Jim Cox: Percussion, string arrangement
Steve Dudas: Percussion
Kalijut Bhamra: Tabla
Marc Fantini, Steffan Fantini and Teisha Helgerson: Backing vocal


CHRISTMAS RELATED SONGS:

The Beatles
Christmas Time (Is Here Again)
(Taken From "Free As A Bird" Single)
(Lennon/McCartney/Harrison/Starkey)

Christmas time is here again
Christmas time is here again
Christmas time is here again
Christmas time is here again

Ain't been round since you know when
Christmas time is here again
O-U-T spells "out"

Christmas time is here again
Christmas time is here again
Christmas time is here again
Christmas time is here again

Ain't been round since you know when
Christmas time is here again
O-U-T spells "out"

Christmas time is here again
Christmas time is here again
Christmas time is here again
Christmas time is here again

Ain't been round since you know when
Christmas time
[music continues and fades to background]

SPOKEN

This is Paul McCartney here.
I'd just like to wish you
everything you wish yourself for Christmas.

This is John Lennon.
Saying on behalf of the Beatles,
have a very Happy Christmas and a good New Year.

George Harrison speaking.
I'd like to take this opportunity to wish you
a very Merry Christmas, listeners everywhere.

This is Ringo Starr.
And I'd just like to say Merry Christmas
and a really Happy New Year to all listeners

- John Lennon
Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
(Lennon/Ono)

(Happy Xmas Kyoko
Happy Xmas Julian)

So this is Xmas
And what have you done
Another year over
And a new one just begun
And so this is Xmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young

A very Merry Xmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear

And so this is Xmas
For weak and for strong
For rich and the poor ones
The world is so wrong
And so happy Xmas
For black and for white
For yellow and red ones
Let's stop all the fight

A very Merry Xmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear

And so this is Xmas
And what have we done
Another year over
A new one just begun
And so happy Xmas
We hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young

A very Merry Xmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear
War is over, if you want it
War is over now

Happy Xmas


- George Harrison
Ding Dong, Ding Dong
(Harrison)

Ding dong, ding dong
Ding dong, ding dong
Ding dong, ding dong
Ding dong, ding dong

Ring out the old, ring in the new
Ring out the old, ring in the new
Ring out the false, ring in the true
Ring out the old, ring in the new

Ring out the old, ring in the new
Ring out the old, ring in the new
Ring out the false, ring in the true
Ring out the old, ring in the new

Ding dong, ding dong
Ding dong, ding dong
Ding dong, ding dong
Ding dong, ding dong

Yesterday, today was tomorrow
And tomorrow, today will be yesterday, oh

So ring out the old, ring in the new
Ring out the old, ring in the new
Ring out the false, ring in the true
Ring out the old, ring in the new

(Oh, one more)

Ring out the old, ring in the new
Ring out the old, ring in the new
Ring out the false, ring in the true
Ring out the old, ring in the new

(And again)

Ring out the old, ring in the new
Ring out the old, ring in the new
Ring out the false, ring in the true
And ring out the old, ring in the new

(Off we go, let me hear you out there)

Ding dong, ding dong
Ding dong, ding dong

Bookshelf: The Beatles Christmas Book

Happy Crimble!

Belmo and Garry Marsh are pleased to announce the publication of their new book, The Beatles Christmas Book: Everywhere It's Christmas. The book will ship in August and is available now for pre-orders. The 236 page book retails for $30.
The Beatles Christmas Book is the first and only book presenting a comprehensive and entertaining look at everything Beatles and Christmas. Here is a brief overview of a few of the chapters...

The Fan Club Christmas Flexis: From 1963 to 1970 British and American fan club members were treated to special Christmas flexi-discs featuring the Fab Four singing Christmas tunes, telling stories and jokes, wishing fans happy holidays and more.
The Beatles Christmas Shows: During the holiday seasons of 1963/64 and 1964/65 The Beatles headlined 60 holiday concerts in England. The Fab Four entertained their fans with skits and music. Other performers on the bills were The Yardbirds, Gerry and The Pacemakers, Billy J Kramer and the Dakotas, Cilla Black, Lulu and many others.
On The Radio: The Beatles were the favored pop singing group on BBC Radio in the Sixties. And during the holidays The Beatles appeared numerous times giving hilarious interviews and singing their hits live on the air.
Memorabilia: Some of the rarest Beatles memorabilia are those associated with Christmas - rare glass ornaments from the early Sixties, original fan club greeting cards, records, toys, concert programs, newspaper articles and ads, magazines, photographs and a lot more.
Novelty records and bootlegs: Novelty songs were extremely popular in the Sixties and had such titles as "All I Want For Christmas Is A Beatle" or "Ringo Bells". There were tribute albums, cover songs and numerous bootlegs of The Beatles Christmas Fan Club Flexis. All are covered here.
Alf Bicknell Remembers: Alf was the chauffeur for The Beatles and had kept a diary of his time with them. His holiday entries provide an insider's view of The Beatles during the Christmas season.
Complete Discography (Group and Solo): Every group and solo Christmas release (American and English) is detailed - including dates, labels and descriptions.
Front Cover Art: Beatles artist extraordinairre William Stout created the very special cover painting for the book. He calls his painting "The Beatles As Father Christmas". Truly amazing.

Order information:
United States - $30 per book (free shipping). Includes a free art print.
Canada - $30 plus $8 shipping. Includes a free art print.
Outside the United States - $30 plus $12 shipping. Includes a free art print.
Payment method: PayPal (to Belmo at sfb@fuse.net)/ cash/ check (US banks only and made payable to: S. Belmer (NOT Belmo)/ or International Money Order payable to S. Belmer (NOT Belmo). Mail to: Belmo, PO Box 17163, Ft. Mitchell, KY 41017.

Seven Inches of Success

She Loves You
no production credits
Released on August 1963
Uk Chart Position #1 (Re-Chart #45 in 1983)
Us Chart Position #1 (charted Jan. 25, 1964 for 15 weeks)
Rolling Stone Top 500 Songs: #64

S-4152

The Swan label may have been for the birds (no less than ten variations of this single were released between 1963 and 1964), but it was Parlophone who ended up with egg on their face when they sold the US distribution rights to The Beatles’ early singles rather than release them on Capitol (their US distribution arm). When this single reached #1 on both sides of the Atlantic (the first Beatles single to do so), Parlophone clipped the wings of Swan and their ilk by keeping subsequent US releases in the family. Today, the Swan single is an interesting entry-level collectible, though some variations sell for hundreds of dollars (the version you see here is one of the most common). The B side, "I’ll Get You," later appeared on The Beatles’ Second Album (along with the A side) and much later resurfaced (in part) on Elvis Costello’s "No Dancing."

Track list:
She Loves You (John Lennon/Paul McCartney) 2:18
I'll Get You (John Lennon/Paul McCartney) 2:04

Release list:
UK August 1963 Parlophone 7" R5055
US January 1964 Swan 7" S-4152
JPN EMI/Odeon 7" EAR-20224 picture sleeve
NZ 1963 Parlophone 7" NZP-3148
CAN Capitol 7" 72125
JPN Apple 7" AR-1058 picture sleeve
US 1988 Capitol CDS/CSS 44281
US 1993 Capitol 7RED S717688 red vinyl

A Hard Day's Night
no production credits
Released on July 1964
Us Chart Position #1 (re-charted #52 on July 1984)
Us Chart Position #1 (charted July 18, 1964 for 13 weeks)
Us B-Side Chart Position #53 (charted July 25, 1964 for 4 weeks)

R 5160

Scha-wung. The implications of which reverberated for years to come. So much hinged on the opening seconds of any new Beatles song, like when mana must have first hit the tastebuds after a long hunger, and scha-wung schwasn’t what anyone expected. Of course, it’s all sweetness after that. As for the implications, look to "Magic Carpet Ride," "Last Child," etc. (which is Latin for I’m too lazy to list the others). "Things We Said Today" (the B side in the UK) is another taste of honey from Paul; the US got the superior "I Should Have Known Better." Both B-sides also appear on the soundtrack to A Hard Day’s Night.

Track list:
A Hard Day's Night (John Lennon/Paul Mccartney)
Things We Said Today (John Lennon/Paul Mccartney)

Us/Can 7-Inch Single Track List:
A Hard Day's Night
I Should Have Known Better

7-Inch Ep Track List:
A Hard Day's Night
Things We Said Today
Tell Me Why
And I Love Her

Release list:
UK July 1964 Parlophone 7" R 5160
UK 1964 Parlophone 7EP GEP8920 picture sleeve
US July 1964 Capitol 7" 5222
GER 1964 Odeon 7" 1C 006 04466 picture sleeve
ITA 1964 Parlophone 7" QMSP 16363
MEX Capitol 7EP EPEM 10042 picture sleeve
NZ 1964 Parlophone 7" NZP3167
CAN 1976 Capitol 7" 5222

Ticket To Ride
no production credits
Released on April 1965
Uk Chart Position #1 (Re-Chart Position #70, 1985)
Us Chart Position #1 (B-Side Chart Position #39)
Rolling Stone Top 500 Songs: #384

5407

In the Seventies Apple issued the Blue and Red albums, which featured an actual discography of The Beatles including singles with the B sides (!) listed. Imagine. Anyway, one single in particular always caught my eye: "Ticket To Ride/Yes It Is." (I don’t know who first came up with the idea of separating A and B sides by a forward slash, but we’re still doing it today.) You see, "Yes It Is" hadn’t appeared on any album yet, so it was a complete mystery to me. A Beatles song I hadn’t even heard of before? I won’t liken it to finding the lost Dead Sea scrolls, but it did make my world a little larger. When I heard "Yes It Is" for the first time, larger still. It’s a mopey, downbeat ballad wherein John laments a lost love and the guitars drift in and out like ghosts. It puts a lump in my throat every time. "Ticket To Ride" (aah, finally getting to the A side) is an early cousin to "Norwegian Wood," experimenting with feedback while watching a relationship fall apart from a detached distance. Speculation on the song’s true meaning apparently runs rampant, so I’ll spare you from the sparring on Songfacts this time. Yes, The Carpenters did do a version of "Ticket To Ride." And, yes, it did blow giant monkey chunks.

Track list:
Ticket To Ride (John Lennon/Paul McCartney) 3:02
Yes It Is (John Lennon/Paul McCartney) 2:40

Release list:
UK April 1965 Parlophone 7" R5265
US April 1965 Capitol 7" 5407 picture sleeve
US 1968 Capitol 7" 5407 w. A Subsidiary Of on label
US 1969 Capitol 7" 5407 red/orange label
GER Odeon 7" 22 950
JPN Odeon 7" OR-1261 picture sleeve
NZ Parlophone 7" NZP3182
US 1971 Apple 7" 5407
US 1975 Apple 7" 5407 w. All Rights Reserved on label
UK 1976 Parlophone 7" R5265 green sleeve
US 1976 Capitol 7" 5407 orange label
US 1978 Capitol 7" 5407 purple label
UK April 1985 Parlophone 7" R5265


Help!
production credits unknown
Released on July 1965
Uk Chart Position #1
Us Chart Position #1 (charted Aug. 7, 1965 for 13 weeks)
Rolling Stone Top 500 Songs: #29

5476

Heavy things afoot here, but mostly a lot of tapping toes as "Help!" topped the US and UK charts. The B side is one of their best nonalbum entries, although oddly it doesn’t seem to have charted as so many Beatles B sides do. Paul’s vocals on "I’m Down" are scorching. "Help!" of course served as the title track for the band’s next album/film, and the elpee version included a montage of sounds at the beginning if memory serves (and, in my case, it usually stops serving after 4 pm).

Track list:
Help! (John Lennon/Paul McCartney) 2:16
I'm Down (John Lennon/Paul McCartney) 2:30

Release list:
UK July 1965 Parlophone 7" R 5305
US July 1965 Capitol 7" 5476 orange/yellow swirl
JPN 1965 Odeon 7RED OR-1412 red vinyl
US 1968 Capitol 7" 5476 orange/yellow w. "A subsidiary of..." in perimeter
UK 1969 Parlophone 7" R 5305 green company sleeve
US 1969 Capitol 7" 5476 orange/red target
US 1971 Apple 7" 5476
US 1975 Apple 7" 5476 w. "All Rights Reserved"
US 1976 Capitol 7" 5476 orange label
US 1978 Capitol 7" 5476 purple label
US 1994 Capitol 7WHT S7-17691 white vinyl


We Can Work It Out / Day Tripper
Produced by George Martin
Released on December 1965
Uk Chart Position #1
Us Chart Position #1 (charted Dec. 18, 1965 for 12 weeks)

5555

These two tracks took us halfway there to Rubber Soul and its warm, psychedelic setting. Paul’s "We Can Work It Out" (which appears to be the A side in the US, the B side in the UK) has its precedent in "I’ve Just Seen A Face," its antecedent in "Wait" and "I’m Looking Through You." Likeable, though the accordion/organ is a little hokey today. John’s "Day Tripper" is an angrier affair, an unsatisfying encounter cut from the same stuff as "Norwegian Wood." Of note is the opening guitar riff to "Day Tripper," which I could name in six notes. More on these tracks (including who wrote what) appears on Songfacts for Day Tripper and We Can Work It Out.

Track list:
We Can Work It Out (John Lennon/Paul McCartney) 2:10
day tripper (John Lennon/Paul McCartney) 2:47

Release list:
UK December 1965 Parlophone 7" R5389
US December 1965 Capitol 7" 5555
NZ 1965 Parlophone 7" NZP3194
GER 1966 Odeon 7" 23 122 picture sleeve
ITA 1966 Parlophone 7" QMSP 16388 picture sleeve
US 1968 Capitol 7" 5555 yellow/orange label reissue
ARG 1968 Odeon Pops 7" RRSXP001
UK 1976 Parlophone 7" R5389 green sleeve reissue
JPN 1977 EMI Odeon 7" EAR-20231 picture sleeve
UK 1985 Parlophone 7" R5389 picture disc
US 1986 Capitol Starline 7" X-6293 black label
US 1996 Capitol 7PNK S7-18895 pink vinyl


All You Need Is Love
Produced by George Martin
Released on July 1967
Uk Chart Position #1 (Re-Chart #47, 1987)
Us Chart Position #1 (B-Side Charted #34 On July 29, 1967 For 5 Weeks)
Gold Record (9/11/67) . . . Rolling Stone Top 500 Songs: #362

5964

I think many people have interpreted the song’s message as "You can do anything with Love," when in fact it’s more like "You can’t do anything different than anybody else with Love." Not exactly inspirational, although John’s utopias always seemed to align more with communism than anarchy. (And the lyrics may simply be a case of something that sounds cool on the surface.) The B side is more psychedelic, no doubt influential on The Rolling Stones (whose Mick Jagger and Brian Jones appear on the recording according to Songfacts). Both the A and B side later appeared on the catch-all Magical Mystery Tour album.

Track list:
All You Need Is Love (John Lennon/Paul McCartney) 3:57
Baby You're A Rich Man (John Lennon/Paul McCartney) 3:07

Brazilian 7-inch EP track list:
all you need is love
baby you're a rich man
penny lane
strawberry fields forever

Release list:
UK/SWE July 1967 Parlophone 7" R5620 picture sleeve
US July 1967 Capitol 7" 5964 orange/yellow swirl label
BRA 1967 Odeon 7EP 7BTD2.003 picture sleeve
ITA 1967 Parlophone 7" QMSP-16408 picture sleeve
JPN 1967 Odeon 7RED OR-1763 red vinyl, picture sleeve
NZ 1967 Parlophone 7" NZP3236
US 1968 Capitol 7" 5964 "A subsidiary of..." on label
US 1969 Capitol 7" 5964 red orange label
US 1971 Apple 7" 5964
JPN Apple 7" AR-1763
US 1975 Apple 7" 5964 "All rights reserved" on label
UK 1976 Parlophone 7" R5620
US 1976 Capitol 7" 5964 orange label
US 1978 Capitol 7" 5964 purple label
AUS'L Parlophone 7" A-8263 picture sleeve
US 1981 Capitol Starline 7" 6300
UK Parlophone 7PIC RP5620 picture disc
UK July 1987 Parlophone 7" R5620 picture sleeve
UK 1989 Parlophone CDS/CSS CD3R/TCR5620
US 1994 Capitol 7PNK S7-17693 pink vinyl
US 1997 Capitol CDSPRO DPRO-12119


Hey Jude
no production credits
Released on August 1968
Uk Chart Position #1 . . . Us Chart Position #1 (charted Sep. 14, 1968 For 19 Weeks)
B-Side Us Chart Position #12 (charted Sep. 14, 1968 For 11 Weeks)
4x Platinum Record

2276

You know, Ringo really is the greatest drummer in the world. His skipping style is stamped all over "Hey Jude." And of course, so is Paul. Though written for John’s son, Julian, it was Paul’s baby from beginning to end. You’ve got the patchworked pieces pasted seamlessly into a single epic, the soulful screaming, the almost classical melody. The flip is the original, searing version of "Revolution" from John. Man, they don’t make singles like this anymore. Both songs turned up on the catch-all compilation Hey Jude and appeared before the White Album but better harbinger the music of Abbey Road. (Compare "Hey Jude" to "Oh Darling" and "Revolution" to "Come Together.") In case you’re wondering, the Stones released "Street Fighting Man" b/w "No Expectations" the same month. Who won? Anyone who bought both singles.

Track list:
Hey Jude (John Lennon/Paul McCartney) 7:11
Revolution (John Lennon/Paul McCartney) 3:22

Release list:
UK August 1968 Apple 7" R5722
US August 1968 Apple 7" 2276
ITA 1968 Parlophone 7" QMSP-16433 picture sleeve
JPN 1968 Odeon 7RED OR-2121 picture sleeve, red vinyl
NZ 1968 Parlophone 7" NZP-3288
US 1975 Apple 7" 2276 w. all rights reserved
NZ Apple 7" NZP-3288
US 1976 Capitol 7" 2276 orange label
US 1978 Capitol 7" 2276 purple label
US 1983 Capitol 7" 2276 black colorband label
US 1994 Capitol 7BLU S7-17694 blue vinyl

Beatles' Era - The music of the '60s and the '70s

A compressed music and images collage

Beatles' Era - The music of 1967

Beatles' Era - The music of 1968

The First Beatles Virtual Museum Christmas

Due to the Xmas holidays...

...the updates of the BVM will be reduced in next days. Please be patient and have a good time!

Meanwhile, enjoy once more the mythical Beatles' Chrismas Records Collection!

The Beatles' Christmas Record
Recorded at EMI Studios 17 October 1963
Download

Another Beatles' Christmas Record
Recorded at EMI Studios 26 October 1964
Download

The Beatles' Third Christmas Record
Recorded at EMI Studios 8 November 1965
Download

Pantomime: Everywhere It's Christmas
Recorded at Dick James House Studio 25 November 1966
Download

Christmas Time Is Here Again
Recorded at EMI Studios 28 November 1967
Download

Happy Christmas 1968
Recorded November-December 1968
Download

Happy Christmas 1969
Recorded November-December 1969
Download

With the Beatles in India - Part 4

by Paul Saltzman

These are excerpts from the new, Deluxe Limited Edition, box-set book, The Beatles in India. The time that John, Paul, George and Ringo spent at the Ashram in India, in 1968, was the single most creative period in their illustrious careers--they were inspired to write 48 songs in the few weeks they were there. But the real reason they went to India was to find inner peace: George Harrison shared this with me in one of the many intimate times I was fortunate to spend with the Fab Four.

Part 3 here or start from here

Meeting The Beatles

The ashram sat on a small plateau among wooded hills. A narrow dirt road ran from the front gate to the back of the property, and a barbed-wire fence surrounded the property, ensuring the ashram's privacy. Along the road, away from the cliff, behind a low chain link fence were six long, whitewashed bungalows each with five or six double rooms. Flowerbeds filled with large red hibiscus blossoms garlanded the ashram and several vegetable gardens, tended by a turbaned old gardener, supplied some of the fresh vegetables we ate. Peacocks inhabited the surrounding woods and occasionally one would wander onto the ashram grounds.

I was walking through the ashram the next morning when I saw John, Paul, George, and Ringo sitting with their partners-Cynthia Lennon, actress Jane Asher, Pattie Boyd Harrison and Maureen Starkey-as well as Donovan and Mal Evans at a long table by the edge of the cliff that overlooked the Ganges and Rishikesh. Somewhat nervously, I walked over.

"May I join you?" I asked. "Sure, mate." said John, "Pull up a chair." Then Paul said, "Come and sit here." and pulled a chair over next to him. As soon as I sat down, to my surprise, I heard this voice in my head scream, "Eek! It's the Beatles!" Before I even had time to think, I was surprised by a second voice within me. This one was calm, deep and resonant: "Hey, Paul," it said, "They're just ordinary people like you. Everyone farts, and is afraid in the night." And from that moment on, I never thought of them as the Beatles again, but rather, as four individual human beings.


At a pause in their conversation, John turned to me and said, "So, you're from the States, then?" "No, Canada," I answered. He playfully turned to the others, "Ah! He's from one of the Colonies, then." I said, "Yes," as we all laughed. "You're still worshipping Her Highness, then?" "Not personally," I quipped, as we all laughed again, "but we still have her on our money." "Lucky you," joked Ringo, and Paul joined in with another tease. I came back with, "Well, we may have her on our money, but she lives with you." As we continued to roll with the laughter, Cynthia good-humouredly interceded: "Leave the poor chap alone. After all, he's just arrived." "No problem," I responded, and John turned to the others with a final, "Ah! You see, mates, they still have a sense of humour in the Colonies!" and we all laughed again. After that, they just took me into their small family. Later, someone got up and said they were going to meditate. Within moments all were gone except Mal and me. I asked him if they were really as cool as they seemed. "Not always," he answered, "but pretty much."

Over the following days Mal and I became buddies. He had been with the Beatles from the beginning of their success. He was a big teddy bear of a man who had been a part-time bouncer at the Cavern Club in Liverpool when the Beatles played there. He was hired in 1963 by their manager, Brian Epstein, to be one of their 'roadies'. Now, he was a personal assistant to all four of them, taking care of their needs both in England and on the road, as he was doing in Rishikesh. He called them, "the boys."

I first became aware of the Beatles dancing to their early rock and roll songs, like Twist and Shout, Roll over Beethoven, and Please, Mr. Postman. By the time Can't Buy Me Love hit number one on the pop charts, in April 1964, I was a fan. Beatlemania was already exploding, worldwide, and they first toured Canada that year. On September 7 they came to Toronto. I was then twenty-one and will never forget the feeling of electricity crackling in the air as they sang twelve songs and eighteen thousand of us, packed to the rafters in Maple Leaf Gardens, yelled and screamed and set off so many flash bulbs that it seemed like fireworks popping all over the arena. It was a matinee performance, and after it was over we all made our way out of the Gardens into the late-afternoon summer sunlight, onto Carlton and Church streets. The police had blocked traffic from the area, and as the huge crowd of fans filled the deserted streets you could almost hear a pin drop. Electricity still tingled in the air. There was no jostling, yelling or calling to friends, just silence, parted by the odd hushed voice, everyone still transported by the magic of the Beatles.


On August 8, 1966, the Beatles released their album Revolver in North America. I remember it vividly. Word was that the album would sell out on that first day and I rushed to buy a copy. Back at my house, my girlfriend and I smoked a joint, stretched a long yellow extension cord out the front window into the warm sun and set up my hi-fi on a large multicolored Indian bedspread on the front lawn. I put the vinyl LP disc on the turntable and we lay down, cuddled up next to each other, my arm under her head, and closed our eyes. From the first note to the last I was transported. That day, the Beatles opened a door in my psyche. I can't think of any other way to say it. It was a key moment in my life, and the song that actually did this was Tomorrow Never Knows. Lying there on the grass, eyes closed, the sun on my face, gently stoned and super focused, the lyrics sank into me. I knew the Beatles were telling me of a journey I had not yet made, of an internal place that held great love and knowing.

The Beatles and their group ate at the table by the cliff, shaded by a flat thatched roof covered with vines and held up by white wooden poles. Breakfasts were cereal, toast, juice, tea and coffee. Lunch and dinners were soup, plain basmati rice and bland but nutritious vegetarian dishes with almost no spices. Occasionally, I ate with them. Crows settled in the trees nearby and silver-gray, long-tailed langur monkeys gathered on the flat roof of the nearby kitchen, both waiting for an opportunity to grab a scrap of food someone might leave behind. Perhaps this is where John wrote Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me and My Monkey. Occasionally, a vulture circled lazily overhead, hanging in the updraft, pausing on its way back across the river to the non-vegetarian side of the Ganges, beyond Rishikesh-itself a designated vegetarian area. George and Pattie, Ringo and Mal all had cameras with them and, as we sat around the table by the cliff, they took snap shots of the group. It felt like we were all on a family picnic. The day after I met them, I asked each of John, Paul, George and Ringo, individually, if they minded my taking the odd snap shot. Nobody minded at all. I had my inexpensive Pentax camera with 50mm and 135mm lenses and although I had never been a photographer, I liked taking pictures.

People on the meditation course were off on their own, meditating ten to twelve hours a day, including Prudence Farrow. The Beatles spent their time meditating, resting, writing songs and attending the Maharishi's lectures, or having private, group sessions with him on the roof of his bungalow. My days were free to meditate, relax and hang out with the Beatles, their partners, Mal, Mia Farrow, Donovan and Mike Love, usually in small groups at the table by the cliff.

The next afternoon, Donovan, Mal, John, Paul, George, Cynthia, Jane, Pattie and her sister Jennie and I were sitting around chatting about meditation, agreeing that more than one voice would play in one's thoughts and the key was to simply go back to one's mantra. John said, "Not so easy, really. I often have music playing in me head." George seemed the most serious about meditation, followed by John. Paul seemed less serious, but he'd had several profound experiences, he said, enjoying the time he dropped away from busy, worldly thoughts. Ringo was the least interested. John did say, though, that there was a friendly competition amongst the four of them to see who was really getting the best results.

Part 5 here

Abbey Road Album Cover Parodies - 3

Beatles Official Releases Story - Help!

Label Parlophone
Catalogue No.'s PMC 1255 (Mono)
PCS 3071 (stereo)
CDP 7 46439 2 (C.D.)
Matrix No.'s:
Mono : XEX 549-2; XEX 550-2
Stereo: YEX 168-2; YEX 169-1
1982 Mono : XEX 549-3; XEX 550-2
Release date 6th August 1965
30th April 1987 (CD)

Total time 33:22

U.K. Album Chart Detail : Entry Date : 14th August 1965
Highest Position : 1 ... for 9 weeks from 14th August 1965
Weeks in Chart : 37
+2 from 24th July 1971 (reached no.33)
+2 from 9th May 1987 (CD release, reached no.61)

Detail : The Beatles fifth official album release, and second film soundtrack.
Once again, side one contains the seven songs from the film, with side two having 6 tracks recorded during the same period. And yet again, the American version feautured ONLY the film songs with added film score, and the entire track selection were spread over four releases (Beatles VI, Help, Rubber Soul and Yesterday And Today).
In the U.K. "Help!" had advance orders of 250,000 and actually sold 270,000 units in it's first week. Eventually it sold almost One Million copies, with world-wide sales estimated at about 2,500,000.
Naturally it went straight to No.1 where it knocked "The Sound Of Music" off the top slot, but just two months later, it conceded the summit back to "The Sound Of Music".

Cover photography was by Robert Freeman, but no sleeve notes are present.
Any Boy Scout will probably tell you that the semaphore that The Beatles are indicating on the front cover is not H-E-L-P ! ... but spells N-U-J-V !! ... (more tricky to create a song from that title !)

One should also note that the "Takes" were not as counted on previous recordings, in that now the new recording techniques allowed a basic backing track to be laid down, with many overdubs, voices, and additional instrumentation added onto the initial "take".
Therefore we get lower take counts, but the sessions actually taking a lot longer !

It should also be noted that further tracks were recorded in these sessions :
"If You've Got Trouble" (1 take only) on 18th February 1965, which was left unreleased .... AND ....
"That Means A Lot" (6 takes) were recorded 20th Feb, and 30th March and also ignored for release.
"Wait" (4 takes) were recorded 17th June 1965 ... ignored for this release, but brought back out when one track short for the next album (see Rubber Soul)

The album was also part of "The Beatles Collection" 13 album box set (see Beatles Collection).

On 30th April 1987 this album had it's first release on C.D. which was published in stereo, with a catalogue number of CDP 7 46439 2
And on the same day, the record shop H.M.V. produced a special 12" numbered 3 CD Box Set Comprising:
Help
Rubber Soul
Revolver
+ "Beatles Monthly No.12" - July 1964
This set had a catalogue number of BEA CD 25/2, and was in a limited edition of just 2,500 copies.

The C.D. was also part of "The Beatles Box" 15 C.D. box set (see Beatles C.D. Box).

The album was also available on 4" reel-to-reel tape,
1965 - Catalogue number TA-PMC 1255 (3¾ ips twin-track mono tape) - first edition (mono only) in a cardboard box.
1968 - Catalogue number TA-PMC 1255 (3¾ ips twin-track mono tape)
TD-PCS 3071 (3¾ ips 4-track stereo) these editions in a "jewel" box.

Prior to 1973:
The album was released on stereo cassette tape (1⅞ ips) - Catalogue number - TC-PCS 3071.
The album was also released on 8-track stereo continuous play cartridge (3¾ ips) - catalogue no. 8X-PCS 3071

In November 1987 the album was released on cassette tape (stereo only) - Catalogue number - TC-PCS 3071 (Originally released September 1965).

U.S. Import
This was an essential import purchase in 1965 as the American version of the album contained the Beatle songs from the film (no extra's !) ... and six orchestral pieces from the film by The Ken Thorne Orchestra.
This release was on the Capitol label (catno. SMAS 2386).
It was released on 13th August 1965, and stayed at number one in the U.S. for 9 weeks.
The gatefold sleeve for the U.S. release can be seen below



Side 1
Help ! Lennon-McCartney Recorded 13th April 1965 in 12 takes
(Takes 1-8 were the backing track)
Final mix - take 12. 2:16
The Night Before Lennon-McCartney Recorded 17th February 1965 in 2 takes
Final mix - take 2. 2:32
You've Got To Hide Your Love Away Lennon-McCartney Recorded 18th February 1965 in 9 takes
The first Beatle track to have an outside musician brought in to play an extra instrument, Johnnie Scott on Flute.
Final mix - take 9. 2:07
I Need You Harrison Recorded 15th February 1965 in 5 takes
Final mix - had overdubs added to take 5 on 16th February. 2:27
Another Girl Lennon-McCartney Recorded 15th February 1965 in 1 take ... but ...
Final mix - had overdubs added on 16th February. 2:04
You're Going To Lose That Girl Lennon-McCartney Recorded 19th February 1965 in 2 takes (Takes 2 & 3 !)
Final mix - take 3. 2:16
Ticket To Ride Lennon-McCartney Recorded 15th February 1965 in 2 takes (take 1 was a false start)
Final mix - take 2. 3:09

Side 2
Act Naturally Morrison-Russell Recorded 17th June 1965 in 13 takes
12 takes were perfecting the backing, take 13 added Ringo
Final mix - take 13. 2:29
It's Only Love Lennon-McCartney Recorded 15th June 1965 in 6 takes
Final mix - take 6. 1:55
You Like Me Too Much Harrison Recorded 17th February 1965 in 8 takes
Final mix - take 8. 2:34
Tell Me What You See Lennon-McCartney Recorded 18th February 1965 in 4 takes
Final mix - take 4. 2:35
I've Just Seen A Face Lennon-McCartney Recorded 14th June 1965 in 6 takes
Final mix - take 6. 2:02
Yesterday Lennon-McCartney Recorded 14th June 1965 in 2 takes
Final mix - take 2. 2:03
Dizzy Miss Lizzy Williams Recorded 10th May 1965 in 7 takes
Final mix - take 7. 2:53

Mono/Stereo Differences
"Help !" The mono and stereo versions have the same instrumental track, but different vocals.

Released Versions:
First pressings (1965) - Mono and Stereo versions
The standard yellow block writing Parlophone label.
The "All rights of the manufacturer" message around the edge of the label now starts with "The Gramophone Co. Ltd."
The label DOES have "Sold in the U.K..." statement.
The "mono" or "stereo" text on the cover is only in outline block type.

Second pressings (1966) - Mono and Stereo versions
The standard yellow block writing Parlophone label.
The "All rights of the manufacturer" message around the edge of the label now starts with "The Gramophone Co. Ltd."
The label DOES have "Sold in the U.K..." statement.
The "mono" or "stereo" text on the cover is in small solid black type.

Third Pressings (1969) - Mono and Stereo versions
The standard yellow block writing Parlophone label.
The "All rights of the manufacturer" message around the edge of the label starts with "The Gramophone Co. Ltd."
The label does NOT have "Sold in the U.K..." statement.

Fourth Pressings (1969) - Mono and Stereo versions
Now with a silver/black Parlophone label.
The "All rights of the manufacturer" message around the edge of the label now starts with "EMI Records Ltd."
The label has one EMI boxed logo.

Fifth Pressings (1973) - Stereo version only
Silver/black Parlophone label.
The "All rights of the manufacturer" message around the edge of the label now starts with "EMI Records Ltd."
The label has TWO EMI boxed logos.

Sixth Pressings (1982) - Mono version only
Now with a yellow/black Parlophone label.
The "All rights of the manufacturer" message around the edge of the label now starts with "EMI Records Ltd."
This release is on a lightweight vinyl.

Seventh Pressings (1995) - Stereo version only
Now with a Black and Silver Parlophone label.
The sleeve has a printed statement which reads:
"This album has been Direct Metal Mastered From a Digitally Re-mastered Original Tape to give the best possible sound quality"
This release is (surprisingly) on a lightweight vinyl.