Beginning in 1963, the Beatles recorded an annual Christmas record for their fans, but they never released an entire album of Christmas songs, nor did any other Liverpool or British Invasion group. With Merry Merseybeat Christmas, Frank Lee Sprague makes up for lost time with a cornucopia of self-penned, harmony-filled gems. From start to finish, the album brims with shimmering melodies and richly textured singing, a heartfelt tribute to both Christmas and the well-loved Merseybeat sound, a style Frank mastered on his popular, widely acclaimed albums, Merseybeat and Cavern. Creative inspiration comes in many forms, sometimes striking with the lightning speed of a southbound express train. That’s what happened to Frank Lee Sprague when song after song came to him until, incredibly, within only one day he had composed a stocking-full of Christmas songs. Merry Merseybeat Christmas begins with “She Gave Me Loneliness for Christmas,” a lament...