The Beatles – Anthology 1, 2 & 3 (1995-1996) FLAC
Quality: FLAC 16 bit / 44.1 kHz (Tracks)
Artist: The Beatles
Title: Anthology 1, 2 & 3
Released: 1995-1996
Style: Pop, Rock, Rock & Roll, Psychedelic Rock
RAR Size: 930 / 804 / 857 Mb
Tracklist:
Anthology 1 1995
CD 1
01. The Beatles – Free As A Bird (4:25)
02. John Lennon – We Were Four Guys… That’s All (interview) (0:12)
03. The Quarrymen – That’ll Be The Day (2:08)
04. The Quarrymen – In Spite Of All the Danger (2:45)
05. Paul McCartney – Sometimes I’d Borrow… Those Still Exist (interview) (0:18)
06. The Beatles – Hallelujah, I Love Her So (1:13)
07. The Beatles – You’ll Be Mine (1:39)
08. The Beatles – Cayenne (1:14)
09. Paul McCartney – First of All… It Didn’t Do A Thing Here (interview) (0:07)
10. Tony Sheridan and The Beatles – My Bonnie (2:41)
11. The Beatles – Ain’t She Sweet (2:13)
12. The Beatles – Cry for a Shadow (2:22)
13. John Lennon – Brian Was a Beautiful Guy… He Presented Us Well (interview) (0:10)
14. Brian Epstein – I Secured Them… A Beatle Drink Even Then (reading) (0:18)
15. The Beatles – Searchin’ (2:59)
16. The Beatles – Three Cool Cats (2:24)
17. The Beatles – The Sheik Of Araby (1:42)
18. The Beatles – Like Dreamers Do (2:35)
19. The Beatles – Hello Little Girl (1:39)
20. Brian Epstein – Well, The Recording Test… By My Artists (reading) (0:32)
21. The Beatles – Besame Mucho (2:36)
22. The Beatles – Love Me Do (2:31)
23. The Beatles – How Do You Do It (1:57)
24. The Beatles – Please Please Me (1:58)
25. The Beatles – One After 909 (sequence) (2:23)
26. The Beatles – One After 909 (complete) (2:54)
27. The Beatles – Lend Me Your Comb (1:49)
28. The Beatles – I’ll Get You (2:08)
29. John Lennon – We Were Performers… In Britain (interview) (0:12)
30. The Beatles – I Saw Her Standing There (2:49)
31. The Beatles – From Me To You (2:05)
32. The Beatles – Money (That’s What I Want) (2:52)
33. The Beatles – You Really Got A Hold On Me (2:58)
34. The Beatles – Roll Over Beethoven (2:22)
CD 2
01. The Beatles – She Loves You (2:50)
02. The Beatles – Till There Was You (2:54)
03. The Beatles – Twist And Shout (3:05)
04. The Beatles – This Boy (2:22)
05. The Beatles – I Want To Hold Your Hand (2:37)
06. Morecambe & Wise and The Beatles – Boys, What I Was Thinking (comedy) (2:06)
07. Morecambe & Wise and The Beatles – Moonlight Bay (0:50)
08. The Beatles – Can’t Buy Me Love (2:09)
09. The Beatles – All My Loving (2:19)
10. The Beatles – You Can’t Do That (2:40)
11. The Beatles – And I Love Her (1:51)
12. The Beatles – A Hard Day’s Night (2:41)
13. The Beatles – I Wanna Be Your Man (1:48)
14. The Beatles – Long Tall Sally (1:45)
15. The Beatles – Boys (1:49)
16. The Beatles – Shout (1:28)
17. The Beatles – I’ll Be Back (take 2) (1:13)
18. The Beatles – I’ll Be Back (take 3) (1:57)
19. The Beatles – You Know What To Do (1:58)
20. The Beatles – No Reply (demo) (1:46)
21. The Beatles – Mr. Moonlight (2:47)
22. The Beatles – Leave My Kitten Alone (2:52)
23. The Beatles – No Reply (2:27)
24. The Beatles – Eight Days A Week (sequence) (1:25)
25. The Beatles – Eight Days A Week (complete) (2:48)
26. The Beatles – Kansas City – Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey! (2:44)
Anthology 2 1996
CD 1
01. Real Love (3:53)
02. Yes It Is (1:50)
03. I’m Down (2:53)
04. You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away (2:45)
05. If You’ve Got Trouble (2:48)
06. That Means a Lot (2:26)
07. Yesterday (2:33)
08. It’s Only Love (1:57)
09. I Feel Fine (2:15)
10. Ticket to Ride (2:44)
11. Yesterday (2:42)
12. Help! (2:54)
13. Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby (2:45)
14. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) (1:59)
15. I’m Looking Through You (2:53)
16. 12-Bar Original (2:54)
17. Tomorrow Never Knows (3:14)
18. Got to Get You Into My Life (2:54)
19. And Your Bird Can Sing (2:13)
20. Taxman (2:32)
21. Eleanor Rigby (strings only) (2:06)
22. I’m Only Sleeping (rehearsal) (0:40)
23. I’m Only Sleeping (take 1) (2:59)
24. Rock and Roll Music (1:39)
25. She’s a Woman (2:54)
CD 2
01. Strawberry Fields Forever (demo sequence) (1:42)
02. Strawberry Fields Forever (take 1) (2:35)
03. Strawberry Fields Forever (take 7 & edit piece) (4:13)
04. Penny Lane (3:12)
05. A Day in the Life (5:04)
06. Good Morning Good Morning (2:40)
07. Only a Northern Song (0:00)
08. Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite! (takes 1 and 2) (0:00)
09. Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite! (take 7) (2:33)
10. Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds (3:05)
11. Within You Without You (instrumental) (5:27)
12. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (reprise) (1:26)
13. You Know My Name (Look Up the Number) (5:43)
14. I Am the Walrus (4:01)
15. The Fool on the Hill (demo) (2:47)
16. Your Mother Should Know (3:02)
17. The Fool on the Hill (take 4) (3:44)
18. Hello, Goodbye (3:18)
19. Lady Madonna (2:22)
20. Across the Universe (3:28)
Anthology 3 1996
CD 1
01. A Beginning (0:50)
02. Happiness Is A Warm Gun (Esher demo) (2:13)
03. Helter Skelter (Take 2 edited) (4:37)
04. Mean Mr. Mustard (Esher demo) (1:58)
05. Polythene Pam (Esher demo) (1:26)
06. Glass Onion (Esher demo) (1:50)
07. Junk (Esher demo) (2:23)
08. Piggies (Esher demo) (2:00)
09. Honey Pie (Esher demo) (1:19)
10. Don’t Pass Me By (Takes 3 & 5) (2:41)
11. Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da (Take 5) (2:55)
12. Good Night (Rehearsal & Take 34) (2:37)
13. Cry Baby Cry (Take 1) (2:45)
14. Blackbird (Take 4) (2:19)
15. Sexy Sadie (Take 6) (4:06)
16. While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Demo) (3:26)
17. Hey Jude (Take 2) (4:20)
18. Not Guilty (Take 102) (3:21)
19. Mother Nature’s Son (Take 2) (3:16)
20. Glass Onion (Take 33) (2:07)
21. Rocky Raccoon (Take 8) (4:11)
22. What’s The New Mary Jane (Take 4) (6:08)
23. Step Inside Love-Los Paranoias (Paul studio jam) (2:31)
24. I’m So Tired (Takes 3, 6 & 9) (2:12)
25. I Will (Take 1) (1:55)
26. Why Don’t We Do It In The Road (Take 4) (2:14)
27. Julia (Take 2) (1:57)
CD 2
01. I’ve Got A Feeling [G.B.No. 23.36] (2:49)
02. She Came In Through The Bathroom Window [G.B.No. 22.66] (3:37)
03. Dig A Pony [G.B.No. 22.51] (4:18)
04. Two Of Us [G.B.No. 24.32] (3:26)
05. For You Blue [G.B.No. 25.19] (2:19)
06. Teddy Boy [G.B.No. 24.22/28.25] (3:16)
07. Medley: Rip It Up – Shake, Rattle And Roll – Blue Suede Shoes [G.B.No’s 26.28, 26.29, 26.31] (3:09)
08. The Long And Winding Road [G.B.No. 31.20] (3:39)
09. Oh! Darling [G.B.No. 27.3] (4:07)
10. All Things Must Pass [Takes 1 and 2] (3:04)
11. Mailman, Bring Me No More Blues [G.B.No. 29.11] (1:55)
12. Get Back [G.B.No. 30.13] (3:07)
13. Old Brown Shoe [Takes 1 and 2] (3:02)
14. Octopus’s Garden [Take 2, plus humorous comment from take 8] (2:49)
15. Maxwell’s Silver Hammer [Take 5] (3:48)
16. Something [Take 1, demo] (3:17)
17. Come Together [Take 1] (3:38)
18. Come And Get It [Paul’s solo demo version] (2:27)
19. Ain’t She Sweet (Impromptu jam) (2:06)
20. Because [Vocal harmonies] (2:20)
21. Let It Be [G.B.No. 25.44] (4:04)
22. I Me Mine [Take 16] (1:47)
23. The End [Remix] (2:51)
Anthology 1 The first in a series of three double-CD sets of previously unreleased and rare Beatles material, released in conjunction with the mammoth Anthology video documentary. This covers the late ’50s to the end of 1964, mixing studio outtakes, live performances, primitive recordings from the Quarrymen/Silver Beatles days, excerpts from the famous 1962 Decca audition, the most notable 1961 Tony Sheridan-era recordings, and brief spoken bits from interviews. Although this material is undeniably of vast historical importance, it can’t be placed in the same company as the Beatles’ proper albums, in either cohesion or quality. While the studio outtakes (many never even heard on bootleg) are the most enticing items, these are almost exclusively alternate versions of songs they placed on their official releases (the most notable exceptions being the 1964 R&B cover “Leave My Kitten Alone,” the 1962 demo “How Do You Do It,” and the unimpressive 1964 Harrison original “You Know What to Do”). Sometimes the differences are quite interesting (a much more electric-oriented version of “And I Love Her,” for example), but the alternates also illustrate how the group were virtually unerring in selecting the best arrangement and take of their songs for the final versions. The pre-1962 items are sometimes taken from private rehearsal tapes of primitive fidelity and are really of archival value only. One could go on at great length about the many curiosities and finds unearthed by this compilation, but for most general consumers, two observations may suffice. It does not stand up to the Beatles’ fully conceived albums (even Live at the BBC), but the Beatles’ scraps and leavings are more interesting than over 95 percent of other performers’ best work. By that standard, this must be judged a worthwhile collection, especially (but not solely) for dedicated Beatles fans.
Anthology 2 As expected, the second installment of the Anthology series reflects the Beatles’ increasing use of the studio-as-laboratory during their “middle years.” Some live material from 1965 to 1966 appears on the first disc, and the second “reunion” single (“Real Love”) leads off the set. But the emphasis is upon alternate takes from early 1965 to early 1968, during which time the group rapidly evolved from post-Merseybeat through folk-rock to psychedelia. As with the first volume, this is nearly always interesting but perhaps thinner on revelations than some might expect. The Help!-era outtakes “If You’ve Got Troubles” and “That Means a Lot” are on the light side but very fun, especially the latter, which Paul and the group perform much better than P.J. Proby (who covered the song shortly afterward). Some of the alternate takes are extremely different and excellent performances on their own merits: the funkier version of “I’m Looking Through You” and the less mellow arrangement of “Norwegian Wood,” a wall-of-drugs reverb for “Tomorrow Never Knows,” a very Byrds-like approach to “And Your Bird Can Sing” (with giggle-laden vocals), and an acoustic demo of “Fool on the Hill.” The earlier, much more acoustic version of “Strawberry Fields Forever” is the most notable gem. On the other hand, much of the material differs from the official cuts in fairly minute gradations and will be of greater interest to scholars than general listeners (although discoveries like a different solo on “Penny Lane” are fascinating). The seven live tracks on disc one, from the waning days of Beatlemania, are better than many would have assumed, showing the group still capable of generating heat on-stage.
Anthology 3 The final installment of the Anthology series has two discs of previously unreleased material from the White Album era through the group’s demise in early 1970. In terms of sheer listenability, this may be the strongest volume of the three, if only because it focuses almost solely upon studio recordings rather than mixing live concerts/broadcasts and outtakes. Also, by this time the Beatles had perfected their approach to recording, meaning that even the early/alternate versions of many of their cuts were often of outstanding quality. There’s some prime stuff here: “unplugged” White Album demos from mid-1968, radically different versions of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” and “Helter Skelter,” a stringless “The Long and Winding Road,” three beautifully sung and played Harrison solo demos from early 1969, and several songs the Beatles never released, like “All Things Must Pass,” “Not Guilty,” “Teddy Boy,” “Come and Get It,” and “Junk.” Not everything here is so great that the casual consumer will be fascinated, of course. As on previous Anthology sets, some of these alternates are only very slightly different from the official versions; the oldies covers from the Let It Be era are off-the-cuff jams that aren’t up to the group’s usual level of brilliance. It’s still a fascinating collection, both for the insight it affords you into the group’s creative process at the end of their career, and for the considerable excellence of the music itself.