{"id":29800,"date":"2015-12-23T22:54:40","date_gmt":"2015-12-24T03:54:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.allyngibson.com\/?p=29800"},"modified":"2015-12-24T09:01:28","modified_gmt":"2015-12-24T14:01:28","slug":"a-newish-beatle-esque-christmas-album","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.allyngibson.com\/?p=29800","title":{"rendered":"A New(ish) Beatle-esque Christmas Album"},"content":{"rendered":"

Among the podcasts I listen to regularly, one I particularly enjoy is Things We Said Today<\/a>, a weekly podcast of Beatles discussion with Ken Michaels, Steve Marinucci, Al Sussman, and Allan Kozinn. A year ago, the podcast changed its focus from Beatles news to a weekly theme, and this week’s episode<\/a> dicussed the Beatles’ Christmas work, from the annual fan club discs (which still have not been officially released by Apple) and “Christmas Time Is Here Again” to the Beatles’ solo holiday efforts — John Lennon’s “Happy Xmas (War is Over),” Paul McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmastime,” Ringo Starr’s album I Wanna Be Santa Claus<\/i>, and George Harrison’s New Years song “Ding Dong.”<\/p>\n

In discussing the works, the panel gave Ringo’s I Wanna Be Santa Claus<\/i> its proper due. It’s a Ringo Starr album that happens to have a Christmas theme (much like Carbon Leaf’s Christmas Child<\/i>, come to think of it), and it’s among his most enjoyable albums of the last twenty years. They were also quite positive about the other songs, and I learned that John’s “Happy Xmas” uses the tune of an English folk song about a racehorse, “Stewball.” The things I didn’t know!<\/p>\n

\"hark\"They also talked a little bit about some Beatle-esque Christmas albums, in particular The Fab Four’s Hark!<\/i> and Rubber Band’s Beatmas<\/i>, both of which I discussed here<\/a> a number of years ago. (At that time, Hark!<\/i> was a two-disc release.) Both bands took the hooks of Beatles songs, and used them to interpret a classic Christmas song in a Beatle-y style. One song of note is The Fab Four’s “Dear Santa,” which reinterpets a song Ringo Starr wrote and recorded for I Wanna Be Santa Claus<\/i> in the style of Paul McCartney’s “Oh Darling” from Abbey Road<\/i>. Also, The Fab Four’s “Little Drummer Boy” was used in an episode of House<\/i><\/a>; this song was in the style of Abbey Road<\/i>‘s “Sun King.” (For a complete list of what draws from what, I broke down The Fab Four<\/a> and Rubber Band<\/a> albums in posts over the years.<\/p>\n

There is another that I found on iTunes a few years ago — St. Nick’s Lonely Christmas Band<\/i>. It leaves me feeling “meh<\/a>.”<\/p>\n

In my opinion, The Fab Four’s Hark!<\/i> is definitely worth getting. I love the version of “The First Noël” on the latest edition; it riffs on “Let It Be” and uses both<\/i> George Harrison guitar solos. Other standouts include “What Child Is This?” (in the style of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”) and “Jingle Bells” (in the style of “Tomorrow Never Knows”). If you can only buy one, that’s the one to buy.<\/p>\n

I bring all of this up because this week’s Things We Said Today<\/i> alerted me to a new-ish entry in the genre of Beatle-esque Christmas music — Abbey Road Christmas<\/i>.<\/p>\n

They cautioned that it wasn’t great. I started a few Google searches anyway. I could find YouTube videos quite easily, such as this Beatle-esque take on John’s “Happy Xmas (War Is Over),” as if sung by Ringo with harmony vocals by Paul:<\/p>\n