Genre: pop
Rating: 3 stars ***
Title: Happy MIchaelmas
Company: Album Globe
Catalog: AG
8146
Year: 1981
Country/State: UK
Grade (cover/record): VG+ / VG+
Comments: --
Available: 1
Catalog ID: 6206
Price: $45.00
So if you'd been a British member of The Beatles fan club, every Christmas between 1963 and 1969 you would have received a special seasonal message from the Fab Four. Released on 7 inch flexidiscs, the seasonal messages were basically throwaway gags that were occasionally mildly funny, but normally just kind of strange in Monty Python sort of way.
Clearly a bootleg, in 1981 the Album Globe/Adirondack Group label released "Happy Michaalmass". As far as I can tell, the album pulled together most of the material from the 1967, 1968, and 1969 Christmas releases.
- Simply because it was the closest thing to a 'true' song, 'Christmas Time Is Here Again' was probably the compilation's highlight. Not to say it was a good Beatles song ...
- The other 'A' side highlight was McCartney's on-the-spot adlib 'Happy Christmas To You'.
- Clearly recorded when the band had given up it's creative ghost, side two was largely taken up by forgettable John and Yoko dialogue. Harrison was all but absent, while Starr only showed up for a bit of nonsensical dialogue and long enough to pitch his film "Magic Christian". Once again, McCartney stole the show with the song fragment 'Happy Christmas, Happy New Year' showcasing his usual degree of serving to showcase his usual degree of professionalism.
Apple apparently threatened to sue and as a result the album was withdrawn. Needless to say, copies are now fairly rare.
I'll
give it an extra star just for the weirdness factor ...
Happy Michaelmas" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Christmas Time Is Here Again - 3:14
2.) Jamming and Jiving from There To Here - 10:02
(side
2)
1.) Phone Call and Levity Moments - 2:23
2.) Yoko and John Special Thoughts
3/) George Inserts Message
4.) Yoko and John Conversations In a Garden
5.) Happy Christmas John & Yoko and Beatles
6.) Ringo Merry Christmas
7.) Magic Christian
8.) Christmas Time Is Here Again - 2:41