At this late date with anthologies, amped-up John Lennon demos, and Anniversary editions, you wouldn’t think there were any Beatle “rarities” left in the vault, but there are!
Between the years 1963 and 1969, the Fab Four released special Christmas records only to members of their fan clubs in the UK and US. A segment of 1967’s record appeared on the Anthology set in 1995 and there was a limited-edition release of all 7 records as a vinyl box set in 2017.
These records were put together quickly and mainly featured the boys fooling around, occasionally breaking into song. They were sent to the fans on cheap, one-sided flexi-discs. The running time for these special recordings ran between 3 and 7 minutes, but they were a nice perk for those who had forked over membership dues.
Never produced in great numbers to begin with, many of these discs have been lost over time. But for any die-hard fan, they are a “must-have” item. Thanks to the internet and digital recording, you can find mp3 versions of all these records at various sites around the web.
