THE BEATLES COMPLETE CHRISTMAS COLLECTION 1963-1969
Company: TMOQ
Matrix Number: BCC-104 A / BCC 104 B
Release date: Spring, 1971
Country: USA
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SIDE A
1. THE BEATLES CHRISTMAS RECORD 5:00
2. ANOTHER BEATLES CHRISTMAS RECORD 3:54
3. THE BEATLES THIRD CHRISTMAS RECORD 6:18
4. PANTOMIME EVERYWHERE IT'S CHRISTMAS 6:34
SIDE B
5. CHRISTMAS TIME IS HERE AGAIN 6:07
6. CHRISTMAS 1968 7:48
7. HAPPY CHRISTMAS 1969 7:38
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Source:
1 to 7 - Christmas fan club only flexidiscs 1963-1969
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Sound Quality: EX mono (surface noise)
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COMMENTS
In late 1970 Apple sent an LP to the Fan-Club members (titled FROM THEN TO YOU in the UK and THE BEATLES CHRISTMAS ALBUM in the U.S.A.), which collected all of the previous fan club only Christmas flexidiscs from 1963 to 1969. This Apple album was soon counterfeited, but bootleggers made their own Christmas collection as well. Technically speaking, this record is a pirate, not a bootleg; nonetheless, we decided to list it here because it's widely known, looks like a normal bootleg, is part of the TMOQ series, and has also been released by all of the other major bootleg labels.
THE TMOQ (AND RELATED COMPANIES) RELEASES
TMOQ released its version in Spring, 1971. As usual, this was the source for numerous repressings. Here are the ones that we've seen:
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1. Spring, 1971 (photo below the title). This has a rubber-stamped cover with a round sticker, colored labels with big side indications and is on colored vinyl.
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2. Early 1972. Same as above, white label with black large side indications and rings.
​​3. Early 1973. Same as above, black label with silver pig, round or square sticker. Later copies had an insert cover added.
4. 1974. Black vinyl, label with big pig on one side and on the other side title, track listing and "Volume 3” indication; insert numbered TMQ 71015.
5. 1977-1978. Insert renumbered S-205, black vinyl, pink "Holy Grail Records"or Dragonfly labels.
6. 1978. Ruthless Rhymes label, new insert titled THE BEATLES CHRISTMAS ALBUM, black (possibly also colored) vinyl.
7. November, 1981 and subsequent years. Counterfeit copy of FROM THEN TO YOU. The stampers for this issue were cut on November 10, 1981. Yellow labels with title or "dog & gun" labels, or plain white labels for the later pressings.
8. March, 1985. 151 copies were pressed on March 22nd. These were probably the copies pressed in multicolor vinyl, with OZ / Reformation labels. Two inserts were produced, one with a Christmas tree and the indication of color vinyl, and another one with blue inserts for both the front and back covers. This version was titled THE BEATLES CHRISTMAS ALBUM.
9. 1986. BoxTop Records, colored (possibly also black) vinyl, blank or colored TMOQ labels, rubber stamped cover titled COMPLETE CHRISTMAS COLLECTION with a photograph pasted on the front. New mothers were cut from the masters on March 21st, 1986, a sound test was performed on March 24th and the stampers were cut on March 25th. 300 copies on colored vinyl, with colored TMOQ labels, titled THE BEATLES CHRISTMAS ALBUM were included in the 8-LP box FROM THE VAULTS.
INTEREST. Now that the Christmas records are officially released (and generally still available), the main interest of these releases is for collectors. The value depends on the issue (*** for the first issue and the rare version on multicolor vinyl, less for the others), the cover and the colored or black vinyl. The Box Top series is a nice 1986 collection of repressings of all the available stampers of the TMOQ group and related companies and as such it has good interest, particularly for the copies on colored vinyl with the TMOQ label. ***/**/*
THE JAPANESE RELEASES
In 1975 JL Records counterfeited the first TMOQ issue, with a printed cover reproducing the original rubber stamp and the pig sticker, counterfeit labels similar to those of the original release. The machine-printed matrix was JL 1002 1 / JL 1002 2.
INTEREST. As with the other JL releases, this is only interesting for completists. Not rare in Japan. **
Early eighties. The japanese "ZAP Records" (not related with the American company with the same acronym) reissued the Christmas collection on matrix ZAP-1065; the cover reproduced the slipsheet of the TMOQ reissue #4. This LP was pressed in 600 copies.
INTEREST. A useless release. *
OTHER RELEASES
1972 or 1973. Another master was cut, numbered BCC-1 / BCC-2, and it gave origin to a record released on a white sleeve with a red-stamped rubber print copying the TMOQ title, black vinyl, generic labels with 1/2 side indications, or Dittolino labels.
These masters were used for various releases throughout the seventies and early eighties.
1975. TAKRL (acronym for The Amazing Kornyfone Record Label) release, insert titled THE BEATLES CHRISTMAS ALBUM, yellow «Kornyfone» label.
1977. Insert reproducing the insert of the TMOQ version #5 (see above), Dragonfly label.
1983. The last known version from the BCC-1 / BCC-2 stampers had a new insert titled THE COMPLETE CHRISTMAS COLLECTION, black vinyl and colored TMOQ-Smokin' pig labels.
INTEREST. The first release of the BCC-1/BCC-2 master is very rare and thus it is relatively interesting (***); all the other releases have less value. **/*
1976. Another copy of the Christmas messages was produced by ZAP (Ze Anonym Plattenspieler, a spin-off of TAKRL), on matrix ZAPD 7857- A / ZAPD 7857- B, titled THE CHRISTMAS ALBUM - SECOND AMENDMENT; the disc had black Worlds labels.
INTEREST. One of the several useless pressings of the mid-seventies. *
THE WIZARDO RELEASE
September, 1976. Wizardo Records reissued the Christmas record in the KO series, with matrix numbers 400 - A / 400 - B and the same sleeve artwork as the CBM LP with #400 added on the top right. The copies seen are on the "Cat 'n' Dog" label.
INTEREST. Another useless release. *