Another Beatles Christmas Show • Night 2 • 6:15pm

BACKSTAGE with the BEATLES – “Well, which party shall we go to?”

The Beatles had just been given their Beatle pocket money and were busy scribbling telephone numbers and addresses of parties on the buff-coloured envelopes! The scene — backstage at Hammersmith Odeon.

“What’s that number again?” asked John Lennon, relaxing on the sofa next to his charming blonde wife, Cynthia. “What’s this party going to be like? Who’s going to be there that we haven’t met already?”

These were the sort of questions which were flying about in the minutes before the four skipped on to the stage with the rest of the stars to open their Christmas show.

They finally decided all of them except Ringo would go to the New Year’s rave being held at EMI recording man Norman Newell’s West End flat and someone was dispatched to phone to say that three Beatles would be attending.

“What do we have to wear? We don’t need a flower in our button-hole or anything like that, do we?” went on John.

“Three minutes to go!” came a shout from the corridor outside the dressing-room. Ringo put his ciggy down and started pulling on an enormous woollen sweater-like garment with head and arm holes for two and four giant initials on the front. John explained the outfit was a gift from a fan in Sweden. They all wore it on stage.

Minutes later the boys were back. They relaxed. Everyone was smoking. A huge supply of Cokes stood on a dressing table, but Ringo was sipping at a lemonade. Paul said he was hungry. No one else was. They said they’d eat when they got home after the show and the party. Someone went out for Paul’s sandwiches.

Ringo, engrossed in a copy of “TV Times” which carried a photo of The Beatles taken by candlelight (a picture which had them all creased up with laughter because in it they appear to be crying) left the TV set which had been on from the start, shuffled to a cupboard and dragged out a huge pair of Eskimo boots.

As he pulled them on he kept humming “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’,” Cilla’s new release, and the others joined in — pulling on Eskimo boots and singing. Paul pulled an Arctic anorak over his head and told me he’d done Liverpool in three hours in his Aston Martin. “Did 140 miles an hour at times up the M1!”

I asked Cynthia Lennon how they’d spent Christmas. “Oh, quietly. At home. It was just a nice family Christmas.” What had she given John? “Nothing spectacular,” she laughed. “More novelty things than anything.”

Jimmy Savile arrived, dressed in a grotesque Abominable Snowman outfit. “Are those your own teeth?” cracked George.

As the boys trooped on to the stage for the Eskimo sketch, George turned to me, “Before you say anything,” he said, “we think it’s dreadfully unfunny, but there you are!”

I watched the item from the wings. They might not have thought it was funny. But from where I was standing the boys’ clowning was hysterical.

From Disc Weekly – January 9, 1965