It’s been the talk of the Internet for the past two days, but now everybody’s speculations should be laid to rest: November 21st will see the release of THE BEATLES‘ “Anthology Collection” with the original three volumes of the 1995-1996 series refreshed and the fourth one added, with the previous books reprinted, and the chaptered video run on Disney+. And no, there’s no apocryphal “Carnival Of Light” in sight.
The eight-CD and twelve-LP box sets don’t seem to be made available in a split version, so those who want to get their hands only on the fourth installment without buying the other three will not have such an option. Still, some of the cuts on the new volume have not seen the light of day before – apart, that is, from “Now And Then” and the freshly remixed, with new technology, the impressive “Free As A Bird” and “Real Love” – not even on the expanded variants of the albums, from “Revolver” to “Let It Be”: all of these, of course, are alternative performances, rather than totally unheard pieces. Some of the early numbers, though, may still make it to the early albums sets, when those come along. No new Klaus Voormann artwork for the “4” either, since the collection’s timespan is the same. Is it worth it? Collectors say, yes.
Anthology 1
CD 1:
1. Free As A Bird (1995 mix)
2. John Lennon Speech 1
3. That’ll Be The Day
4. In Spite Of All The Danger
5. Paul McCartney Speech 1
6. Hallelujah, I Love Her So (home demo)
7. You’ll Be Mine (home demo)
8. Cayenne (home demo)
9. Paul McCartney Speech 2
10. My Bonnie
11. Ain’t She Sweet
12. Cry For A Shadow
13. John Lennon Speech 2
14. Brian Epstein Speech 1
15. Searchin’ (Decca audition)
16. Three Cool Cats (Decca audition)
17. The Sheik Of Araby (Decca audition)
18. Like Dreamers Do (Decca audition)
19. Hello Little Girl (Decca audition)
20. Brian Epstein Speech 2
21. Besame Mucho (June 1962 version)
22. Love Me Do (first version)
23. How Do You Do It
24. Please Please Me (first version)
25. One After 909 (takes 3, 4 and 5)
26. One After 909 (edit of takes 4 and 5)
27. Lend Me Your Comb (BBC recording)
28. I’ll Get You (Sunday Night at the London Palladium)
29. John Lennon Speech 3
30. I Saw Her Standing There (Live in Stockholm)
31. From Me To You (Live in Stockholm)
32. Money (That’s What I Want) (Live in Stockholm)
33. You Really Got A Hold On Me (Live in Stockholm)
34. Roll Over Beethoven (Live in Stockholm)
CD 2:
1. She Loves You (Royal Variety Performance)
2. Till There Was You (Royal Variety Performance)
3. Twist And Shout (Royal Variety Performance)
4. This Boy (The Morecambe And Wise Show)
5. I Want To Hold Your Hand (The Morecambe And Wise Show)
6. Speech From The Morecambe And Wise Show
7. Moonlight Bay (The Morecambe And Wise Show)
8. Can’t Buy Me Love (take 2 with solo from take 1)
9. All My Loving (The Ed Sullivan Show)
10. You Can’t Do That (take 6)
11. And I Love Her (take 2)
12. A Hard Day’s Night (take 1)
13. I Wanna Be Your Man (Around The Beatles)
14. Long Tall Sally (Around The Beatles)
15. Boys (Around The Beatles session)
16. Shout (Around The Beatles)
17. I’ll Be Back (take 2)
18. I’ll Be Back (take 3)
19. You Know What To Do (demo)
20. No Reply (demo)
21. Mr Moonlight (takes 1 and 4)
22. Leave My Kitten Alone (take 5)
23. No Reply (take 2)
24. Eight Days A Week (takes 1, 2 and 4)
25. Eight Days A Week (take 5)
26. Kansas City / Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey! (take 2)
Anthology 2
CD 1:
1. Real Love (1996 mix)
2. Yes It Is (takes 2 and 14)
3. I’m Down (take 1)
4. You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away (take 5)
5. If You’ve Got Trouble (take 1)
6. That Means A Lot (take 1)
7. Yesterday (take 1)
8. It’s Only Love (takes 3 and 2)
9. I Feel Fine (Blackpool Night Out)
10. Ticket To Ride (Blackpool Night Out)
11. Yesterday (Blackpool Night Out)
12. Help! (Blackpool Night Out)
13. Everybody’s Trying To Be My Baby (Live at Shea Stadium, New York)
14. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) (take 1)
15. I’m Looking Through You (take 1)
16. 12-Bar Original (take 2 edited)
17. Tomorrow Never Knows (take 1)
18. Got To Get You Into My Life (take 5)
19. And Your Bird Can Sing (take 2)
20. Taxman (take 11)
21. Eleanor Rigby (take 14, strings only)
22. I’m Only Sleeping (rehearsal)
23. I’m Only Sleeping (take 1)
24. Rock And Roll Music (Live in Tokyo)
25. She’s A Woman (Live in Tokyo)
CD 2:
1. Strawberry Fields Forever (home demo sequence)
2. Strawberry Fields Forever (take 1)
3. Strawberry Fields Forever (take 7 and edit piece)
4. Penny Lane (remix)
5. A Day In The Life (takes 1, 2, 6 and orchestra)
6. Good Morning Good Morning (take 8)
7. Only A Northern Song (takes 3 and 12)
8. Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite! (takes 1 and 2)
9. Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite! (take 7)
10. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds (takes 6, 7 and 8)
11. Within You Without You (instrumental)
12. Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) (take 5)
13. You Know My Name (Look Up The Number) (stereo remix)
14. I Am The Walrus (take 16)
15. The Fool On The Hill (demo)
16. Your Mother Should Know (take 27)
17. The Fool On The Hill (take 4)
18. Hello, Goodbye (take 16)
19. Lady Madonna (takes 3 and 4)
20. Across The Universe (take 2)
Anthology 3
CD 1:
1. A Beginning
2. Happiness Is A Warm Gun (Esher demo with false start)
3. Helter Skelter (take 2 edited)
4. Mean Mr Mustard (Esher demo)
5. Polythene Pam (Esher demo)
6. Glass Onion (Esher demo)
7. Junk (Esher demo)
8. Piggies (Esher demo)
9. Honey Pie (Esher demo edited)
10. Don’t Pass Me By (take 3 with take 5 vocal)
11. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (first version, take 5)
12. Good Night (rehearsal and take 34)
13. Cry Baby Cry (take 1)
14. Blackbird (take 4)
15. Sexy Sadie (take 6)
16. While My Guitar Gently Weeps (acoustic version, take 1)
17. Hey Jude (take 2)
18. Not Guilty (take 102 edited)
19. Mother Nature’s Son (take 2)
20. Glass Onion (original mono mix)
21. Rocky Raccoon (take 8)
22. What’s The New Mary Jane (take 4)
23. Step Inside Love / Los Paranoias (studio jam)
24. I’m So Tired (edit of takes 3, 6 and 9)
25. I Will (take 1)
26. Why Don’t We Do It In The Road (take 4)
27. Julia (take 2)
CD 2:
1. I’ve Got A Feeling (Apple Studio)
2. She Came In Through The Bathroom Window (Apple Studio)
3. Dig A Pony (Apple Studio)
4. Two Of Us (Apple Studio)
5. For You Blue (Apple Studio)
6. Teddy Boy (Apple Studio)
7. Medley. Rip It Up / Shake, Rattle And Roll / Blue Suede Shoes (Apple Studio jam)
8. The Long And Winding Road (Apple Studio)
9. Oh! Darling (Apple Studio)
10. All Things Must Pass (demo)
11. Mailman, Bring Me No More Blues (Apple Studio jam)
12. Get Back (Third rooftop performance)
13. Old Brown Shoe (demo)
14. Octopus’s Garden (take 2)
15. Maxwell’s Silver Hammer (take 5)
16. Something (demo)
17. Come Together (take 1)
18. Come and Get It (demo, 1996 remix)
19. Ain’t She Sweet (studio jam)
20. Because (vocals only)
21. Let It Be (Apple Studio)
22. I Me Mine (take 16)
23. The End (remix with the final chord of “A Day In The Life”)
Anthology 4
CD 1:
1. I Saw Her Standing There (take 2)
2. Money (That’s What I Want) (RM7 undubbed)
3. This Boy (takes 12 and 13)
4. Tell Me Why (takes 4 and 5)
5. If I Fell (take 11)
6. Matchbox (take 1)
7. Every Little Thing (takes 6 and 7)
8. I Need You (take 1)
9. I’ve Just Seen A Face (take 3)
10. In My Life (take 1)
11. Nowhere Man (first version, Take 2)
12. Got To Get You Into My Life (second version, unnumbered mix)
13. Love You To (take 7)
14. Strawberry Fields Forever (take 26)
15. She’s Leaving home (take 1, instrumental)
16. Baby, You’re A Rich Man (takes 11 and 12)
17. All You Need Is Love (rehearsal for BBC broadcast)
18. The Fool On The Hill (take 5, Instrumental)
19. I Am The Walrus (take 19, strings, brass, clarinet overdub)
CD 2:
1. Hey Bulldog (take 4, instrumental)
2. Good Night (take 10 with a guitar part from take 5)
3. While My Guitar Gently Weeps (third version, Take 27)
4. (You’re So Square) Baby I Don’t Care (studio jam)
5. Helter Skelter (second version, take 17)
6. I Will (take 29)
7. Can You Take Me Back? (take 1)
8. Julia (two rehearsals)
9. Get Back (take 8)
10. Octopus’s Garden (rehearsal)
11. Don’t Let Me Down (first rooftop performance)
12. You Never Give Me Your Money (take 36)
13. Here Comes The Sun (take 9)
14. Something (take 39, instrumental, strings only)
15. Free As A Bird (2025 mix)
16. Real Love (2025 mix)
17. Now And Then
