Release date:
Mar 18, 1996
Publisher:
Apple

Related sessions

This album has been recorded during the following studio sessions


"Help!" Session #2

Feb 16, 1965


"Help!" Session #4

Feb 18, 1965


"Help!" Session #6

Feb 20, 1965


"Help!" Session #15

Jun 14, 1965


"Help!" Session #16

Jun 15, 1965








Recording "Taxman"

Apr 21, 1966



































Related articles


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Track list

Disc 1


1.

Real Love

Written by John Lennon

3:54 • Studio versionA

Paul McCartney :
Acoustic guitar, Backing vocals, Bass, Double bass, Percussion, Producer, Synthesiser
Ringo Starr :
Backing vocals, Drums, Percussion, Producer
John Lennon :
Drum machine, Piano, Producer, Vocals
Jeff Lynne :
Backing vocals, Guitar, Producer
George Harrison :
Acoustic guitar, Backing vocals, Electric guitar, Percussion, Producer
Geoff Emerick :
Recording engineer
Jon Jacobs :
Recording engineer

Recording :
Circa 1979
Studio :
New-York

Session Recording:
February 1995
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK


2.

Yes It Is

Written by Lennon - McCartney

1:50 • OuttakeC • Take 2. Because the take broke down it is completed here with a section (in newly remixed and edited form) from the master, Take 14, distinguished by George's tone-pedal guitar sounds and some fine three-part vocal harmony by John, Paul and George, emphasising how well the recording blossomed - and how quickly too: the Beatles recorded Yes It Is form start to finish inside five hours.

George Martin :
Producer
Norman Smith :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Feb 16, 1965
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road


3.

I'm Down

Written by Lennon - McCartney

2:54 • OuttakeC • Issued here for the first time is Take 1, played live in the studio and, as Paul had wished turning out "pretty darn good". Listen closely at the end for Paul's comment "Plastic soul man, plastic soul", a phrase which, when slightly altered, became the title of the Beatles' sixth album, issued in December 1965.

George Martin :
Producer
Norman Smith :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Jun 14, 1965
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road


4.

You've Got to Hide Your Love Away

Written by Lennon - McCartney

2:45 • OuttakeD • Take 5. This is prefaced by some studio banter: John's "1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, hold on, hold on" count-in that is all there was of Take 1, and some "shattering" talk that preceded Take 2

George Martin :
Producer
Norman Smith :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Feb 18, 1965
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road


5.

If You've Got Trouble

Written by Lennon - McCartney

2:48 • OuttakeA • Take 1

Paul McCartney :
Bass
Ringo Starr :
Drums, Vocals
John Lennon :
Rhythm guitar
George Harrison :
Lead guitar
George Martin :
Producer
Norman Smith :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Feb 18, 1965
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road


6.

That Means a Lot

Written by Lennon - McCartney

2:27 • OuttakeB • Take 1

Paul McCartney :
Bass, Piano, Vocals
Ringo Starr :
Drums
John Lennon :
Backing vocals, Maracas, Rhythm guitar
George Harrison :
Backing vocals, Lead guitar, Maracas

Session Recording:
Feb 20, 1965
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road


7.

Yesterday

Written by Lennon - McCartney

2:34 • OuttakeE • Issued here for the first time is the only alternate studio recording of the song, Take 1, performed solo by Paul, voice and acoustic guitar.

Paul McCartney :
Acoustic guitar, Vocals
George Martin :
Producer
Norman Smith :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Jun 14, 1965
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road


8.

It's Only Love

Written by Lennon - McCartney

1:59 • OuttakeD • Take 2, preceded by the false start that was Take 3

George Martin :
Producer
Norman Smith :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Jun 15, 1965
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road


9.

Blackpool Night Out show

Four songs taken from the six performed by the Beatles on the British television show Blackpool Night Out, broadcast live to the nation on summer Sunday evenings from the northern seaside resort. It was the group's second and last appearance on the programme. The sequence comprises I Feel Fine, the A-side of the single that had held the number one spot at Christmas 1964, Ticket To Ride, number one at Easter 1965, the first stage performance of Yesterday, already beginning to attract attention beyond its unheralded placement as the thirteenth track of the Beatles' latest album, and the first stage performance of Help! - the title of that new album, the Beatles' new film and new 45.







11.

Norwegian Wood (The Bird Has Flown)

Written by Lennon - McCartney

1:59 • OuttakeE • Take 1, an earlier model issued here for the first time, was recorded during the first day of sessions for the new album. Like the eventual master, it includes a sitar contribution by George Harrison (the first time this Indian instrument was heard in a "pop" song) and also a lead and occasionally double-tracked vocal by John, harmonies from Paul and John, acoustic guitar, finger cymbals, maracas and bass guitar. The recording was marked "best" on the tape box and studio log-sheet so, clearly, the Beatles thought that they had made a master, and indeed it remained the preferred take for nine days, until they cut a remake

George Martin :
Producer
Norman Smith :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Oct 12, 1965
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road


12.

I'm Looking Through You

Written by Lennon - McCartney

2:54 • OuttakeD • First master version. The Beatles spent nine hours on 24 October working on I'm Looking Through You, perfecting a rhythm track and then overdubbing lead and harmony vocals on to this new Paul McCartney composition. For two weeks the result was considered to be the master, until a remake was started on 6 November (and another one followed on the 10th) that added the two "Why, tell me why" choruses and caused the fine first version to remain unissued.

George Martin :
Producer
Norman Smith :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Oct 24, 1965
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road


13.

12-bar Original

Written by Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, George Harrison

2:54 • OuttakeB • Stereo • Part of take 2

Paul McCartney :
Bass
Ringo Starr :
Drums
John Lennon :
Lead guitar
George Harrison :
Lead guitar
George Martin :
Harmonium, Producer
Norman Smith :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Nov 04, 1965
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road


14.

Tomorrow Never Knows

Written by Lennon - McCartney

3:15 • OuttakeD • Mark I, take 1

Paul McCartney :
Bass
Ringo Starr :
Drums
John Lennon :
Organ, Vocals
George Harrison :
Guitar
George Martin :
Producer
Geoff Emerick :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Apr 06, 1966
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road


15.

Got to Get You Into My Life

Written by Lennon - McCartney

2:54 • OuttakeD • Take 5. The arrangement of Paul's Got To Get You Into My Life altered significantly from first studio outing to last, the released version (Take 9) being layered with vocals and brass in addition to the group's own rhythm tracks. When the song was first aired in the studio, on 7 April, the Beatles recorded Takes 1 to 5, marking the last of these "best" (temporarily, as it turned out) and overdubbing vocals for the first time. The result is a piece of work scarcely comparable to the released version, with its different musical structure and some alternative lyrics. By the end of this session two of the tracks on the four-track tape had been filled, and doubtless the vacant ones would also have been completed had the Beatles decided to press on. Instead, returning to Abbey Road the next day, they shelved Take 5 and moved on the song in a different direction.

Paul McCartney :
Acoustic guitar, Lead vocals
Ringo Starr :
Drums
John Lennon :
Backing vocals, Tambourine
George Harrison :
Backing vocals, Tambourine
George Martin :
Organ, Producer
Geoff Emerick :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Apr 07, 1966
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road


16.

And Your Bird Can Sing

Written by Lennon - McCartney

2:13 • OuttakeD • Take 2 - John's composition And Your Bird Can Sing appeared on Revolver in remake form, Take 10 from 26 April. Six days earlier, in two takes, the Beatles recorded a different arrangement of the number, the overdubbing of several vocal tracks on to Take 2 indicating that, for a few days at least, they considered that it had the makings of a master. This recording is released here for the first time, counted-in by John. And someone or something - the tape does not reveal what - was causing them to giggle...

Paul McCartney :
Backing vocals, Bass, Electric guitar (?)
Ringo Starr :
Drums, Tambourine
John Lennon :
Backing vocals, Electric guitar (?), Lead vocals
George Harrison :
Electric guitar
George Martin :
Producer
Geoff Emerick :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Apr 20, 1966
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road


17.

Taxman

Written by George Harrison

2:32 • OuttakeC • Take 11. Issued here for the first time is that Take 11, not dissimilar to the master but with some notable differences, principally in the clean, full ending (instead of the repeated guitar solo) and the "anybody got a bit of money?" backing vocals (instead of the "Mister Wilson, Mister Heath" reference).

Paul McCartney :
Backing vocals, Bass, Electric guitar
Ringo Starr :
Drums
John Lennon :
Backing vocals
George Harrison :
Electric guitar, Lead vocals
George Martin :
Producer
Geoff Emerick :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Apr 21, 1966
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road


18.

Eleanor Rigby

Written by Lennon - McCartney

2:06 • OuttakeD • Eleanor Rigby presented in a manner never before heard, featuring only the double string quartet - four violinists, two viola players and two cellists - in isolation, performing the score written and conducted for Paul's song by George Martin. This is Take 14 (later "reduced" into Take 15 and on to which lead and backing vocals were overdubbed to create the master) remixed anew in 1995 using the fine reverberative acoustics of Abbey Road's Studio One.

George Martin :
Producer
Geoff Emerick :
Recording engineer
Tony Gilbert :
Violin
Sidney Sax :
Violin
John Sharpe :
Violin
Jürgen Hess :
Violin
Stephen Shingles :
Viola
John Underwood :
Viola
Derek Simpson :
Cello
Norman Jones :
Cello

Session Recording:
Apr 28, 1966
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road


19.

I'm Only Sleeping

Written by Lennon - McCartney

0:41 • RehearsalD • A brief instrumental rehearsal - distinguished, unusually, by a vibraphone part being played along with the acoustic guitar and drums. This recording nearly didn't survive: the session tape was spooled back after the Beatles had finished rehearsing and five proper, numbered takes were recorded anew form the top, wiping over the earlier sounds. The last of these stopped just short of where the rehearsals had concluded, leaving the final minute intact.

George Martin :
Producer
Geoff Emerick :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Apr 29, 1966
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road


20.

I'm Only Sleeping

Written by Lennon - McCartney

2:59 • OuttakeE • Take 1. The other version presented here (in mono, because it was taped that way) is the first of these proper, numbered takes - recorded, curiously, two days after the Beatles had already cut takes 1 to 11, the last of which led to the Revolver master. None of these five further takes (acoustic guitar, simple percussion and joint John and Paul vocals) was used.

Paul McCartney :
Vocals
Ringo Starr :
Drums
John Lennon :
Acoustic guitar, Vocals
George Martin :
Producer
Geoff Emerick :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Apr 29, 1966
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road


21.


22.

She's a Woman

Written by Lennon - McCartney

2:55 • LiveL3

Concert From the concert in Tokyo, Japan on Jun 30, 1966

Disc 2


1.

Strawberry Fields Forever

1:42 • Demo • This is John Lennon, alone in his music room at home in Weybridge, recording demonstration versions of his latest composition. The date would be circa the Ides of November 1966: John wrote Strawberry Fields Forever (evoking memories of his childhood Liverpool) while on location in Almeria, Spain, during the shooting of the motion picture How I Won The War, and taped these demos after his return on the 7th but before the Beatles convened for recording at EMI on the 24th.

Recording :
November 1966
Studio :
'Kenwood', Weybridge, Surrey


2.

Strawberry Fields Forever

Written by Lennon - McCartney

2:35 • OuttakeD • Take 1. [...] the final master was not completed almost a month after this initial session. As it took shape on 24 November, with an alternative lyric order and arrangement, this recording was considerably different from that master.

Paul McCartney :
Mellotron
Ringo Starr :
Drums
John Lennon :
Acoustic guitar, Vocals
George Martin :
Producer
Geoff Emerick :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Nov 24, 1966
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road


3.

Strawberry Fields Forever

Written by Lennon - McCartney

4:14 • OuttakeE • Take 7 and edit piece. Just five days after that initial take of Strawberry Fields Forever the song's arrangement was undergoing dramatic change. The master was a composite of two separate recordings - the first minute came from Take 7 the remainder from Take 26. Presented here, issued for the first time, is the full Take 7, going beyond those first 60 seconds (indeed, including within that first minute a 23-second verse that was later excised). The sound is mono because the recording presented here is an original mono mix - labelled RM3 - made, like Take 7, on 29 November 1966. The conclusion of the original master (embracing Take 26) included sections flown in from a combination of edit piece taped on 9 December featuring backwards cymbals, a "wild drum track" played by Ringo and some extemporal vocalising by John. A much longer section of this edit piece is released here, again for the first time, crossfaded on to the end of RM3. At the conclusion one can hear John twice mutter "cranberry sauce", a phrase which, less clearly audible right at the end of the master mix, has long puzzled listeners.

Paul McCartney :
Bass, Electric guitar, Mellotron, Timpani
Ringo Starr :
Drums
John Lennon :
Finger cymbals, Gourd, Guitar, Lead vocals, Maracas, Mellotron, Tambourine
George Harrison :
Bongos, Maracas, Mellotron, Swarmandal
George Martin :
Mellotron, Producer
Geoff Emerick :
Recording engineer
Mal Evans :
Finger cymbals, Gourd, Maracas, Tambourine
Neil Aspinall :
Finger cymbals, Gourd, Maracas, Tambourine
Terry Doran :
Maracas

Session Recording:
Nov 29, 1966
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Recording:
Dec 09, 1966
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road


4.

Penny Lane

Written by Lennon - McCartney

3:01 • Studio versionD • Stereo • The version presented here is a unique combination of the many different takes and sounds that comprised that original master, broken down - in some cases instrument by instrument - and remixed anew from a 24-track tape. In this way one can hear a certain parts quite differently: Paul's vocal is only single-tracked, the bridge section highlights the overdubs of cor anglais and trumpets effected on 12 January, and the piccolo trumpet overdub featured near to the conclusion of the master is heard here in extended form. And then there is "a suitable ending"...

Paul McCartney :
Bass, Handclaps, Harmonium, Pianos, Vocals
Ringo Starr :
Drums, Tambourine, Tubular bells
John Lennon :
Backing vocals, Congas, Guitar, Handclaps, Piano
George Harrison :
Backing vocals, Electric guitar, Handclaps
George Martin :
Producer
Geoff Emerick :
Recording engineer
David Mason :
Piccolo trumpet
Ray Swinfield :
Flute
P Goody :
Flute
Manny Winters :
Flute
Dennis Walton :
Flute
Leon Calvert :
Trumpet
Freddy Clayton :
Trumpet
Bert Courtley :
Trumpets
Duncan Campbell :
Trumpets
Dick Morgan :
Cor anglais, Oboes
Mike Winfield :
Cor anglais, Oboes
Frank Clarke :
Double bass
Unknown musician(s) :
Flugelhorn, Two piccolos

Session Recording:
Dec 29, 1966
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Overdubs:
Dec 30, 1966 and Jan 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 12, 17, 1967
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road


5.

A Day In The Life

Written by Lennon - McCartney

5:05 • OuttakeC • Takes 1, 2 and take 6 overdub. Assembled expressly for the Anthology, this composite embraces the best of the unreleased outtakes of A Day In The Life, plotting the making of the song that brought such a monumental close to the album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The opening talk, the sounding of the alarm clock (used so effectively in the finished master) and the intro - John muttering "sugar plum fairy, sugar plum fairy"instead of the more conventional count-in - is from the start of Take 1, when the song was first taped on 19 January 1967. The main body of the music is Take 2, recorded during the same session. At this point the tape features John's acoustic guitar and haunting live lead vocal, sundry percussion instruments, piano (played by Paul) and an echo-drenched Mal Evans, one of the Beatles' two assistants, counting out the first of two long gaps that would later be so famously filled with the orchestral crescendos. After the counting, the track slips into mono to illustrate a guide vocal from Paul, taped on 20 January as an overdub on to Take 6 but then superseded by a better recording of the passage on 3 February. The original survives, however, thanks to a mono mix done in the interim, on 30 January. Take 2 then returns, leading into a new mix of the orchestral crescendos recorded on 10 January, but instead of the familiar final piano chord the track ends with Paul talking about the orchestral overdub, a short extract from one of four tapes of ambient studio sounds recorded at the same session.

Paul McCartney :
Bass, Piano, Vocals
Ringo Starr :
Congas, Drums
John Lennon :
Acoustic guitar, Vocals
George Harrison :
Maracas
George Martin :
Producer
Geoff Emerick :
Recording engineer
Mal Evans :
Alarm clock, Backing vocals (bar count)

Session Recording:
Jan 19, 1967
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Overdubs:
Jan 20, 1967
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Overdubs:
Feb 10, 1967
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio One, Abbey Road


6.

Good Morning Good Morning

Written by Lennon - McCartney

2:40 • OuttakeC • As issued on Sgt. Pepper, the master of Good Morning Good Morning was Take 11, laden with overdubs by way of a succession of "reductions" deriving in Take 8. For almost a month, though, from 16 February to 13 March, that original Take 8 remained untouched, and, because it was complete and included an overdubbed John Lennon lead vocal, it is reasonable to assure that, for much of that time, it was considered to be the master. This is that Take 8, the basic track from 8 February with John's vocal added on the 16th.

Paul McCartney :
Bass, Drums
Ringo Starr :
Drums
John Lennon :
Electric guitar, Lead vocals
George Martin :
Producer
Geoff Emerick :
Recording engineer
Unknown musician(s) :
Tambourine

Session Recording:
Feb 08, 1967
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Overdubs:
Feb 16, 1967
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road


7.

Only A Northern Song

Written by George Harrison

2:44 • OuttakeB • The mix presented here, in stereo and slightly speeded up, is Take 3 - the basic track from 13 February, with bass and guitar added on 20 April - with unused vocal tracks (yielding a number of lyric variations from the master) overdubbed on to a separate "reduction", Take 12, flown in.

George Martin :
Producer
Geoff Emerick :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Feb 13, 1967
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Overdubs:
Feb 14, 1967
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Overdubs:
Apr 20, 1967
Studio :
EMI Studios, Abbey Road


8.

Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite!

Written by Lennon - McCartney

1:05 • OuttakeC • Takes 1 and 2. The recordings presented here come from that initial Abbey Road session, 17 February 1967, when the Beatles cut seven takes, beginning with the above dialogue that introduced Take 1, and the performance that followed and immediately broke down. Then there is Take 2, which also broke down, and the ensuing conversation wherein Paul offered John some direction.

Paul McCartney :
Bass
Ringo Starr :
Drums
John Lennon :
Lead vocals
George Harrison :
Tambourine
George Martin :
Harmonium, Producer
Geoff Emerick :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Feb 17, 1967
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road


9.

Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite!

Written by Lennon - McCartney

2:34 • OuttakeD • The next cut, Take 7, formed the basic for the eventual master (which was Take 9), opening with George Martin encouraging the Beatles to perform, and then pumping away at the harmonium which he played on the track. Near to the end, this recording is crossfaded with an organ and calliope effects tape, prepared on 20 February, that formed part of the final master but is clearer in this new mix.

Paul McCartney :
Backing vocals, Bass
Ringo Starr :
Drums
John Lennon :
Lead vocals
George Harrison :
Backing vocals, Tambourine
George Martin :
Harmonium, Producer
Geoff Emerick :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Feb 17, 1967
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Recording:
Feb 20, 1967
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road


10.

Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds

Written by Lennon - McCartney

3:06 • OuttakeC • Takes 6, 7 and 8. This is a unique combination of some different takes and sounds that comprised the original master of Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, broke down to their constituent parts and newly remixed. The basic track is Take 6, taped on 1 March, in which John sang a guide vocal, not yet attempting the finished model. The sound of a tamboura has been added from Take 7, also 1 March, and the chorus vocals have been flown in from Take 8, a "reduction" of Take 7 that received vocal overdubs the next day.

Paul McCartney :
Backing vocals, Lowrey organ
Ringo Starr :
Drums
John Lennon :
Maracas, Vocals
George Harrison :
Acoustic guitar, Tamboura
George Martin :
Producer
Geoff Emerick :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Mar 01, 1967
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Overdubs:
Mar 02, 1967
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road


11.

Within You Without You

5:28 • OuttakeC • Instrumental. This is the master of the George Harrison composition that opened side two of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, presented here in a fashion not previously available: remixed, without George's vocal, from the different original four-track tapes that formed that master. What remains, audible to the fore, is a combination of tamboura, tabla, dilruba and swaramandal tracks recorded in March, with violins, cellos and George's sitar track overdubbed on 3 April.

George Martin :
Producer
Geoff Emerick :
Recording engineer

12.

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)

Written by Lennon - McCartney

1:27 • OuttakeC • Take 5. The master was Take 9, with overdubs - the version here is a basic track, Take 5, with Paul's guide vocal.

Paul McCartney :
Organ, Vocals
Ringo Starr :
Drums
John Lennon :
Rhythm guitar
George Harrison :
Lead guitar
George Martin :
Producer
Geoff Emerick :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Apr 01, 1967
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio One, Abbey Road


13.

You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)

Written by Lennon - McCartney

5:43 • OuttakeB • Extended version. Here it is issued in stereo and , at almost six minutes, in extended form for the first time, including never-heard-before sections cut out by John and newly restored. Now as then the emphasis is on fun, and there is plenty to enjoy, including the sound of Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones playing saxophone.

George Martin :
Producer
Geoff Emerick :
Recording engineer
Chris Thomas :
Producer
Jeff Jarratt :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
May 17, 1967
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Recording:
Jun 07, 1967
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Recording:
Jun 08, 1967
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Recording:
Apr 30, 1969
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road


14.

I Am The Walrus

Written by Lennon - McCartney

4:02 • OuttakeC • Take 16. Lacking at this juncture the many overdubs and effects that would turn it into perhaps the most compelling master ever issued by the Beatles this is Take 16 of I Am The Walrus, the basic track on to which all the extras were added.

Paul McCartney :
Tambourine
Ringo Starr :
Drums
John Lennon :
Electric piano, Vocals
George Harrison :
Electric guitar
George Martin :
Producer
Geoff Emerick :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Sep 05, 1967
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio One, Abbey Road

Session Vocal overdubs:
Sep 06, 1967
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road


15.

The Fool On The Hill

Written by Lennon - McCartney

2:48 • DemoC • Three weeks before he recorded it for disc release on Magical Mystery Tour, Paul taped a piano/vocal demo of his latest song. Taking as long to achieve as it sounds - less than three minutes - he sat at the studio piano, playing and singing live. The result is far from the sound of the final master (indeed Paul hadn't yet fleshed out a full lyric) but it has a charm of its own and a nicely sent-up ending.

Paul McCartney :
Piano, Vocals
George Martin :
Producer
Geoff Emerick :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Sep 06, 1967
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road


16.

Your Mother Should Know

Written by Lennon - McCartney

3:02 • OuttakeC • Take 27. "Do you want us to do it again, George?" mocked Paul to the Beatles' producer at the star of this recording. Your Mother Should Know had already been on the blocks for a month, initial sessions taking place at a different venue - Chappell Studios, just off New Bond Street in Central London - on 22 and 23 August (the last time that the Beatles saw their manager Brian Epstein, who died on the 27th). Now Paul was embarking on a new arrangement, with snare drum, harmonium, jangle piano and vocal. The Beatles recorded eleven such takes of Your Mother Should Know during this 16th September session, the one featured here, Take 27, being marked "best", albeit only temporarily.

Paul McCartney :
Harmonium, Lead vocals
Ringo Starr :
Drums
John Lennon :
Harpsichord
George Harrison :
Bongos
George Martin :
Producer
Ken Scott :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Sep 16, 1967
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road


17.

The Fool On The Hill

Written by Lennon - McCartney

3:45 • OuttakeD • Take 4. The master of Paul's The Fool On The Hill was a remake, started on 26 September. Three takes of an alternative arrangement were recorded the previous day, the last being "bounced down" to Take 4 and on to which recorder, drums and Paul's lead vocal were added. As with the demo, it is clear that Paul had yet to finalise the lyric at this point.

Paul McCartney :
Piano, Recorder, Vocals
Ringo Starr :
Drums
John Lennon :
Acoustic guitar
George Harrison :
Maracas
George Martin :
Producer
Ken Scott :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Sep 25, 1967
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road


18.

Hello Goodbye

Written by Lennon - McCartney

3:18 • OuttakeC • An early incarnation of Paul's Hello, Goodbye, the master of which was issued as a single by the Beatles in November 1967 and was the Christmas number one - in Britain holding off composition from the Magical Mystery Tour double-EP set. This is Take 16 (a "reduction" of the best basic track, Take 14, from 2 October) with vocals and more guitars added on 19 October. From here the recording would be "bounced" three more times and given a number of further overdubs, so, although, there are similarities, there are also many differences between this take and the master.

Paul McCartney :
Backing vocals, Lead vocals, Piano
Ringo Starr :
Congas, Drums
John Lennon :
Backing vocals, Lead guitar, Organ
George Harrison :
Backing vocals, Lead guitar, Tambourine
George Martin :
Producer
Ken Scott :
Recording engineer
Unknown musician(s) :
Bongos, Maracas

Session Recording:
Oct 02, 1967
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Overdubs:
Oct 19, 1967
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio One, Abbey Road


19.

Lady Madonna

Written by Lennon - McCartney

2:22 • OuttakeC • Takes 3 and 4. This is a unique remix of some of the different takes and sounds that comprised the master, encompassing Take 3 (the basic track of piano and drums with overdubs of guitar, bass, vocals and more drums) from 3 February and a "reduction" of this called Take 4, also with overdubs (particularly saxes), from 6 February.

George Martin :
Producer
Geoff Emerick :
Recording engineer
Ken Scott :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Feb 03, 1968
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road

Session Overdubs:
Feb 06, 1968
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio One, Abbey Road


20.

Across The Universe

Written by Lennon - McCartney

3:29 • OuttakeC • Take 2. Here, for the first time, is an unembellished and alternative recording Across The Universe, Take 2, recorded on Saturday 3 February 1968 in EMI Studio Three, temporarily marked "best" on the tape box and so afforded overdubs and technical wonders like the phasing on John's guitar and the percussion.

Ringo Starr :
Tom tom drum and swarmandal
John Lennon :
Lead vocal and acoustic guitar
George Harrison :
Sitar and tambura
George Martin :
Producer
Ken Scott :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Feb 04, 1968
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road

About

From Wikipedia:

Anthology 2 is a compilation album by the Beatles, released on 18 March 1996 by Apple Records as part of The Beatles Anthology series. It features rarities, outtakes and live performances from the 1965 sessions for Help! to the sessions just prior to their trip to India in February 1968. It is the second in a trilogy of albums with Anthology 1 and Anthology 3, all of which tie in with the televised special The Beatles Anthology. The opening track is “Real Love“, the second of the two recordings that reunited the Beatles for the first time since the band’s break-up. Like its predecessor, the album topped the Billboard 200 album chart and has been certified 4× Platinum by the RIAA.

The Anthology albums were remastered and made available digitally on the iTunes Store on 14 June 2011, individually and as part of the Anthology Box Set.

Content

Real Love“, as with “Free as a Bird“, is based on a demo made by John Lennon and given to Paul McCartney by Lennon’s widow, Yoko Ono. The three surviving Beatles (McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr) added guitars, bass, drums, percussion and backing vocals, but unlike with the previous song, did not re-work the lyrics or music. “Real Love” remained solely credited to Lennon, becoming the only Beatles song to have Lennon by himself in the writing credit.

Disc one contains three unreleased compositions, one being an instrumental entitled “12-Bar Original“, recorded for Rubber Soul but subsequently unused. Two other songs recorded for Help!, “If You’ve Got Trouble” and “That Means a Lot“, were abandoned and never returned to again by the band. The former was originally slated to be the usual vocal spot for Ringo Starr on Help!, and the latter was eventually given to singer P.J. Proby. The version of “Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby” from the group’s famed August 1965 show at Shea Stadium but left out of the documentary about the show appears for the first time.

Disc two contains work-in-progress versions of tracks from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Magical Mystery Tour. The take of “Strawberry Fields Forever” that made up the first minute of the released record appears in its entirety on track three. Also included are three songs that were started during this period – “Only a Northern Song“, “You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)” and “Across the Universe” – but would not see release until years later, in 1969 and 1970.

One track that remains officially unreleased from this time, “Carnival of Light“, was vetoed off this set by Harrison.

Reception

Like its predecessor, Anthology 2 sold well. In the United States, it debuted at number one, selling 442,000 copies its first week. The next week, it fell to number two, selling 201,000 copies, being replaced by Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill. The album spent two more weeks on the top 10, at number four then number eight, remaining on the Billboard 200 for 22 consecutive weeks and then re-entering the charts twice, marking a number 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 number two when it was released in November 1995, but its successor reached number one, where it remained for one week. The album spent a total of 13 weeks on the UK Album Chart. […]

From the liner notes:

THESE WERE THE YEARS OF DASH AND DARING. Sweeping out of the final (and wonderfully old-fashioned) 1964 family Christmas Shows into the wider world of 1965, the Beatles would soon find themselves figureheads of a movement far beyond ‘pop’ where a counter-culturel alternative society was made flesh.

National boundaries were presumed to be doomed. Millions of minds were to become expanded and many trousers would soon be Spandex.

The Beatles were now a Transalantic Phenomenon, a band whose American contemporaries presumed they could do no wrong, would never fail to please with their music, would always go on touring, bringing an annual Christmas-in-August to the great Melting Pot.

But in the years covered by this album – 1965, ’66, ’67 – though the music would continue to pour out of them, breaking in great waves over uncharted territory, challenging Reason and warming the heart, the Beatles would tire of those great sweating stadiums where they now played to screaming crowds who could no longer hear them.

In the “studio years” (1966 onwards), supported by the steady hand of the great of George Martin, they would produce songs which would be forever fresh and which still set the standards against which newcomers have to test themselves.

Greatly turned on by the Spirit of the Age and by the “tea-parties” of those times, the Beatles provided a sound-track for the plotting of the Baby Boomers – millions of them – whose enlightenment (however compromised it may have been by the material world in the harsh times since) still provides a hedge against humankind’s grosser instincts.

It was the great glory of the Beatles that they could absorb and transmute so much, first in those tiny houses in Liverpool, listening to eclectic 1940’s wireless, then to r’n’r and r&b and to Dylan and the poets and soon to music and messages from India.

Unafraid of growth, dogged individuals with a powerful devotion to the group ethic, the Beatles accepted each other’s offerings and really ‘cooked’ to make each record a feast that left us breathless with admiration. They never stood still.

This is a marvellous album, full of geneses and revelations, by brilliant young men.

– Derek Taylor

Last updated on September 3, 2020

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