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The Beatles' Anthology

Release: November 21, 1995

Apple PCSP 727 (UK Vinyl) ● Apple CDPCSP 727 (UK CD)

Apple/Capitol CDP-8-34445-2 (US)

Produced by: George Martin (Jeff Lynne on “Free As A Bird”)

 

UK Release: March 18, 1996

Apple PCSP 728 (UK Vinyl) ● Apple CDPCSP 728 (UK CD)

US Release: March 19, 1996

Apple/Capitol CDP-8-34448-2 (US)

Produced by: George Martin (Jeff Lynne, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr  on "Real Love")

 

UK Release: October 28, 1996

Apple PCSP 729 (UK Vinyl) ● Apple CDPCSP 729 (UK CD)

US Release: October 29, 1996

Apple/Capitol CDP-8-34451-2 (US)

Produced by: George Martin

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Oh! the excitement the day this arrived at my local record store. I took off from work for lunch and drove like a bat out of hell to the closest music store to get my copy. I sat in my truck unwrapping it and smelling the new ink and reading over every little detailed word. I thought about maybe playing sick and taking a few hours off from work early, but I sweat it out til 5 pm.

 

I went home and it was such a rush. Just a pure joy listening to these tracks - one right after another and taking it all in. And "Free As A Bird" was just amazing to me. I had the CD single before the album came out, but that was a good thing because the CD single had a few tracks on it not on the Anthology  set. Same with "Real Love". Anthology brought the joy of the Beatles a new air of passion back into me, and most every Beatle fan I've met over the decades lives.

Disc One

 

  1. Free as a Bird

  2. We were four guys ... that's all

  3. That'll Be the Day *

  4. In Spite of All the Danger *

  5. Sometimes I'd borrow ... those still exist

  6. Hallelujah, I Love Her So *

  7. You'll Be Mine *

  8. Cayenne *

  9. First of all ... it didn't do a thing here

  10. My Bonnie

  11. Ain't She Sweet *

  12. Cry for a Shadow

  13. Brian was a beautiful guy ... he presented us well

  14. I secured them ... a Beatle drink even then

  15. Searchin' *

  16. Three Cool Cats *

  17. The Sheik of Araby *

  18. Like Dreamers Do *

  19. Hello Little Girl *

  20. Well, the recording test ... by my artists

  21. Bésame Mucho *

  22. Love Me Do *

  23. How Do You Do It *

  24. Please Please Me *

  25. One After 909 (Sequence) *

  26. One After 909 (Complete) *

  27. Lend Me Your Comb *

  28. I'll Get You *

  29. We were performers ... in Britain

  30. I Saw Her Standing There *

  31. From Me to You *

  32. Money (That's What I Want) *

  33. You Really Got a Hold on Me *

  34. Roll Over Beethoven *

​Disc Two

 

  1. She Loves You *

  2. Till There Was You *

  3. Twist and Shout *

  4. This Boy *

  5. I Want to Hold Your Hand *

  6. Boys, what I was thinking...

  7. Moonlight Bay *

  8. Can't Buy Me Love (Takes 1 & 2)

  9. All My Loving *

  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

  14. Long Tall Sally

  15. Boys

  16. Shout

  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 & 4)

  22. Leave My Kitten Alone (Take 5)

  23. No Reply (Take 2)

  24. Eight Days a Week (Sequence)

  25. Eight Days a Week (Complete)

  26. Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey!

(Take 2)

This one was the real treasure for me - even more than the first. This is my favorite era of the Beatles. It was the era I was introduced to when my father gave me a copy of 1967-1970 (The Blue Album), when I dropped the needle on the first track, of the first side of the first album and I was hooked for life - even now decades later.

 

That first song on the first side of the first record: "Strawberry Fields Forever". And as you can tell, it is excellently represented here.

Disc One

 

  1. Real Love

  2. Yes It Is (Takes 2 & 14)

  3. I'm Down (Take 1)

  4. You've Got to Hide Your Love Away (Takes 1, 2 & 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 2 & 3) *

  9. I Feel Fine *

  10. Ticket to Ride *

  11. Yesterday *

  12. Help! *

  13. Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby *

  14. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) (Take 1)

  15. I'm Looking Through You (Take 1)

  16. 12-Bar Original (Edited Take 2)

  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)

  22. I'm Only Sleeping (Rehearsal) *

  23. I'm Only Sleeping (Take 1) *

  24. Rock and Roll Music *

  25. She's a Woman *

Disc Two

 

  1. Strawberry Fields Forever (Demo sequence) *

  2. Strawberry Fields Forever (Take 1)

  3. Strawberry Fields Forever (Take 7 & Edit piece) *

  4. Penny Lane (Take 9 horn overdub)

  5. A Day in the Life (Takes 1, 2, 6 & orchestra)

  6. Good Morning Good Morning (Take 8)

  7. Only a Northern Song (Takes 3 & 12)

  8. Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite! (Takes 1 & 2)

  9. Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite! (Take 7 & effects tape)

  10. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds (Takes 6, 7 & 8)

  11. Within You Without You

  12. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) (Take 5) *

  13. You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)

  14. I Am the Walrus (Take 16)

  15. The Fool on the Hill *

  16. Your Mother Should Know (Take 27)

  17. The Fool on the Hill (Take 4)

  18. Hello, Goodbye (Take 16 and overdubs)

  19. Lady Madonna (Takes 3 & 4)

  20. Across the Universe (Take 2)

And this was just the end all and be all of my entire CD collection and Beatles passion. All three sets were massive for me and just the pride of my CD shelves in my music room. The first two sets had a new song, "Free As A Bird" and "Real Love", so I wondered why this one didn't. I learned later that it was supposed to be John's "Now And Then", despite rumors of the song being, "Grow Old With Me".

 

But in place of the Lennon track, George Martin put together a wonderfully mastered 'new' track, "A New Beginning", originally recorded for The While Album  in 1968.

Disc One

 

  1. A Beginning (George Martin)

  2. Happiness Is a Warm Gun (Kinfauns Home Demo) *

  3. Helter Skelter (Edited Take 2) *

  4. Mean Mr. Mustard (Kinfauns Home Demo)

  5. Polythene Pam (Kinfauns Home Demo)

  6. Glass Onion (Kinfauns Home Demo)

  7. Junk (Kinfauns Home Demo) *

  8. Piggies (Kinfauns Home Demo) *

  9. Honey Pie (Kinfauns Home Demo)

  10. Don't Pass Me By (Takes 3 & 5)

  11. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (Take 5)

  12. Good Night (Rehearsal & Take 34)

  13. Cry Baby Cry (Take 1)

  14. Blackbird (Take 4)

  15. Sexy Sadie (Take 6)

  16. While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Demo)

  17. Hey Jude (Take 2)

  18. Not Guilty (Take 102)

  19. Mother Nature's Son (Take 2)

  20. Glass Onion (Take 33) *

  21. Rocky Raccoon (Take 8)

  22. What's the New Mary Jane (Take 4)

  23. Step Inside Love/Los Paranoias

  24. I'm So Tired (Takes 3, 6 & 9)

  25. I Will (Take 1)

  26. Why Don't We Do It in the Road? (Take 4)

  27. Julia (Take 2)

Disc Two

 

  1. I've Got a Feeling (Savile Row)

  2. She Came in Through the Bathroom Window (Rehearsal) (Savile Row)

  3. Dig a Pony (Savile Row)

  4. Two of Us (Savile Row)

  5. For You Blue (Savile Row)

  6. Teddy Boy (Savile Row)

  7. Medley (Savile Row)

  8. The Long and Winding Road (Savile Row)

  9. Oh! Darling (Savile Row)

  10. All Things Must Pass (Demo)

  11. Mailman, Bring Me No More Blues (Savile Row)

  12. Get Back (Live at the The Rooftop Concert)

  13. Old Brown Shoe (Demo)

  14. Octopus's Garden (Takes 2 & 8)

  15. Maxwell's Silver Hammer (Take 5)

  16. Something (Demo) *

  17. Come Together (Take 1)

  18. Come and Get It (Demo)

  19. Ain't She Sweet (Jam)

  20. Because (A cappella version)

  21. Let It Be (Savile Row)

  22. I Me Mine (Take 16)

  23. The End (Remix)

ANTHOLOGY 1 from Wikipedia: The album was a large success throughout the world. It was the first Beatles album to enter the Billboard 200 album chart at No. 1. It sold 855,473 copies in its first week, the 27th largest one-week sales in the Soundscan history.

 

In its second week Anthology 1 sold 453,000 copies and maintained the top spot. This was repeated the following week, with 435,000 copies sold. In its fourth week the same quantity was sold, but the album fell to No. 2 behind Mariah Carey's Daydream. In the following week, the album fell to No.3 but with 601,000 sales. Anthology 1 was certified 3× Platinum by the RIAA after six weeks in the US market.

 

In all, the album spent 29 weeks inside the Billboard 200, reached cumulative sales of 3,639,000 scans as of April 2001. In the UK, reaction was similar, but the album only reached No. 2, behind Robson & Jerome's eponymous album. In Australia, the album spent two weeks at No.1 in December 1995.

 

 

ANTHOLOGY 2 from Wikipedia: Like its predecessor, Anthology 2 sold well. In the United States, it debuted at No. 1, selling 442,000 copies the first week. The next week, it fell to No. 2, selling 201,000 copies, being replaced by Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill.

 

The album spent two more weeks on the Top 10, at No. 4 and then No. 8, remaining for 22 consecutive weeks on the Billboard 200 and then re-entering the charts twice, marking a No. 96 reach during the Christmas season of 1996.

 

In all, the album spent 37 weeks on the charts (eight more than Anthology 1) and sold 1,707,000 copies. In the United Kingdom, the success was similar. The first Anthology album had debuted at No. 2 when it was released in November 1995; but its successor reached No. 1, where it remained for one week. The album spent a total of 13 weeks on the UK Album Chart.

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