# If Beatles recorded in 1980. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 6, 2019, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-beatles-recorded-in-1980/843059 "2019-11-06T01:42:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2019, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-beatles-recorded-in-1980/843059/41 "2019-11-08T23:51:53Z")
> [@Dahu](#): > > Not sure if I’m being whooshed here or something, but this must be really little-known 😕😕 > **[The Beatles' Christmas records](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles%27_Christmas_records)** > > From December 1963 to December 1969, English rock group the Beatles sent out spoken and musical messages on flexi disc to members of their official fan clubs in the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US) each Christmas. An LP compilation of all seven, titled From Then to You in the UK and The Beatles Christmas Album in the US, was sent out in 1970. > Conceived as a means to appease fan-club members whose letters, due to their sheer volume, were not always being answered in a timely mann... > [@](#): > > In December 1982, two albums claiming to comprise a legitimate release of the Beatles’ Christmas messages appeared on the US market. One of them, which contained the 1963–1966 recordings, was called Christmas Reflections, on a label called Desert Vibrations Heritage Series (HSRD-SP1). The other, with the recordings from 1967 to 1969, was called Happy Michaelmas and was on a label called The Adirondack Group (AG-8146).[40] > > Less than a year later, on 29 September 1983, an entrepreneur announced that he was going to issue all seven messages on one record, which he planned to call John, Paul, George and Ringo.[38] The Beatles’ representatives quickly sued, claiming copyright and trademark violations, and won in court.[41] As a result, the 1983 album was never released, and the two 1982 LPs were withdrawn. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2019, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-beatles-recorded-in-1980/843059/42 "2019-11-09T16:57:20Z")
“OK, guys. Paul, you need to switch to 5-string and give us more of a funky beat. Ringo, let’s get some action going on those drums. You’re too laid-back. Also, we’re bringing in Greg Hawke so we have some nifty keyboard riffs to fill in those dead spots. And remember…they’ve got to be able to dance to it.” ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2019, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-beatles-recorded-in-1980/843059/43 "2019-11-09T22:50:53Z")
> [@installLSC](#): > > Well let’s see what the guys were putting out this time: > Paul, “Back to the Egg” and “McCartney II”. The first one a commercial and critical disappointment, the second did decently but isn’t exactly considered a classic. If by ‘doing decently’ you mean hitting #1 on the UK album chart, #3 on the U.S. chart. And two years later he released ‘Tug of War’, which went to #1 on charts around the world and platinum in the U.S., and followed it a year later with ‘Pipes of Peace’, which wasn’t my cup of tea but was a worldwide platinum smash. > [@](#): > > George, “Somewhere In England”. His record company was so disappointed they had him redo much of the album. It sold well when released, but dropped off so quickly it didn’t even go gold. Well, that’s a bit of cherry picking. Harrison released _George Harrison_ just a year earlier, which went gold has was critically well received. And in 1987 he released _Cloud Nine_, which contained some of his best work, went platinum, and was his best-selling album since _All Things Must Pass_. He was far from washed up. Those two albums, by the way, outsold John Lennon’s most popular two albums by more than 2 million records. > [@](#): > > Ringo’s wasn’t even putting out records then but working on acting. Ringo put out three albums between 1978 and 1981 - tied with Paul for most releases in that period. > [@](#): > > So John was the only guy with a thriving career, ironically enough. That isn’t even close to being true. _Double Fantasy_ was the only album John put out in five years. It benefited critically and in sales from his death, but the 1980 John was barely working, isolated, living in an apartment in New York with Yoko and not doing much. All the other Beatles were recording, touring, making movies, and even working with each other on projects. > [@](#): > > Doesn’t strike me as very promising for guys who hadn’t worked together in 10 years, and weren’t exactly on the greatest terms even back then. Actually, they did work together. Ringo played on every other Beatle’s albums at some point. Again, it was John Lennon who was the outlier, who never played with another Beatle after 1975. The rest of them continued playing together selectively right up until today. In fact all three played on _Somewhere in England_ and Ringo’s _Stop and Smell the Roses_ in the 1980-1981 timeframe we are talking about. John was the anti-social recluse who was barely making music. The rest of them were in the middle of thriving careers in 1980, and would have major successes for years to come. [Collaborations between ex-Beatles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collaborations_between_ex-Beatles) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-beatles-recorded-in-1980/843059.md?page=2)