Release date : Nov 21, 2025
The Beatles Anthology Collection (2025)
By The Beatles • Official album • Part of the collection “The Beatles • Post break-up albums”
Last updated on September 7, 2025
Release date : Nov 21, 2025
By The Beatles • Official album • Part of the collection “The Beatles • Post break-up albums”
Last updated on September 7, 2025
Previous album Nov 07, 2025 • "WINGS (Limited Green LP)" by Paul McCartney released globally
Concert Nov 21, 2025 • Canada • Hamilton
Interview Nov 21, 2025 • Giles Martin interview for New Musical Express (NME)
Album Nov 21, 2025 • "The Beatles Anthology Collection (2025)" by The Beatles released globally
Album Nov 21, 2025 • "Anthology 4" by The Beatles released globally
Concert Nov 24, 2025 • USA • Chicago
This album was recorded during the following studio sessions:
Written by Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, George Harrison
4:25 • Studio version • A
Paul McCartney : Acoustic guitar, Bass, Keyboards, Piano, Producer, Vocals Ringo Starr : Drums, Producer, Vocals John Lennon : Piano, Producer, Vocals Jeff Lynne : Guitar, Harmony vocals, Producer George Harrison : Acoustic guitar, Electric slide guitar, Producer, Ukulele, Vocals
Recording : Circa 1977 • Studio : New York
SessionRecording : February / March 1994 • Studio : Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK
"We Were Four Guys... That's All"
0:13 • Interview • John Lennon speaking to Jann Wenner of Rolling Stone, 8 December 1970, New York City.
Written by Buddy Holly, Jerry Allison
2:08 • Studio version • A
Paul McCartney : Backing vocals, Guitar John Lennon : Guitar, Vocals George Harrison : Guitar John 'Duff' Lowe : Piano Colin Hanton : Drums
SessionRecording : Jul 12, 1958 • Studio : Phillips Sound Recording Service
Written by Paul McCartney, George Harrison
2:45 • Studio version • A
Paul McCartney : Backing vocals, Guitar John Lennon : Guitar, Vocals George Harrison : Backing vocals, Guitar Percy F Phillips : Recording engineer John 'Duff' Lowe : Piano Colin Hanton : Drums
SessionRecording : Jul 12, 1958 • Studio : Phillips Sound Recording Service
"Sometimes I'd Borrow... Those Still Exist"
0:18 • Interview • Paul McCartney speaking to Mark Lewishon, 3 November 1994, London.
Written by Ray Charles
1:13 • Demo • B1
Paul McCartney : Guitar, Vocals John Lennon : Guitar George Harrison : Guitar Stuart Sutcliffe : Bass
SessionRecording : Circa July 1960 • Studio : 20 Forthlin Road, Liverpool (Paul's House)
1:39 • Demo • A1
Paul McCartney : Guitar, Vocals John Lennon : Guitar, Vocals George Harrison : Guitar Stuart Sutcliffe : Bass
SessionRecording : Circa July 1960 • Studio : Paul McCartney's Childhood Home - 20 Forthlin
Written by Paul McCartney
1:14 • Demo • B
Paul McCartney : Guitar John Lennon : Guitar George Harrison : Guitar Stuart Sutcliffe : Bass
SessionRecording : circa April 1960 • Studio : Paul's House Forthlin Road Liverpool
"First of All... It Didn't Do a Thing Here"
0:07 • Interview • Paul McCartney speaking to Malcolm Threadgill during a hospital radio interview with the Beatles mainly conducted by Monty Lister. Recorded 27 October 1962 backstage at Hulme Hall, Port Sunlight, Cheshire.
Written by Traditional
2:42 • Studio version • A5
Paul McCartney : Backing vocals, Bass John Lennon : Backing vocals, Rhythm guitar George Harrison : Backing vocals, Lead guitar Pete Best : Drums Bert Kaempfert : Producer Karl Hinze : Recording engineer Tony Sheridan : Lead guitar, Vocals
SessionRecording : Jun 22, 1961 • Studio : Friedrich-Ebert-Halle
Written by Milton Ager, Jack Yellen
2:13 • Outtake • A
Paul McCartney : Bass John Lennon : Rhythm guitar, Vocals George Harrison : Lead guitar Pete Best : Drums Bert Kaempfert : Producer Karl Hinze : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Jun 24, 1961 • Studio : Studio Rahlstedt, Wandsbek, Hamburg
Written by John Lennon, George Harrison
2:22 • Outtake • A
Paul McCartney : Bass John Lennon : Rhythm guitar George Harrison : Lead guitar Pete Best : Drums Bert Kaempfert : Producer Karl Hinze : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : June 22nd-23rd 1961 • Studio : Friedrich-Ebert-Halle
"Brian Was a Beautiful Guy... He Presented Us Well"
0:10 • Interview • John Lennon speaking to David Wigg of the [London] Daily Express and BBC Radio 1 programme Scene And Heard (broadcast November 1971). Interview recorded October 1971 in New York City.
"I Secured Them... A Beatle Drink Even Then"
0:19 • Interview • Brian Epstein reading an extract from his autobiography A Cellarful Of Noise. He intended to record enough material for an album but the sessions were not completed and the tapes have remained unheard until now.
Written by Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller
3:00 • Studio rehearsal • A
Paul McCartney : Bass, Vocals John Lennon : Backing vocals, Rhythm guitar George Harrison : Backing vocals, Lead guitar Pete Best : Drums Mike Smith : Producer
SessionRecording : Jan 01, 1962 • Studio : Decca Studios
Written by Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller
2:25 • Studio rehearsal • A
Paul McCartney : Backing vocals, Bass John Lennon : Backing vocals, Rhythm guitar George Harrison : Lead guitar, Vocals Pete Best : Drums Mike Smith : Producer
SessionRecording : Jan 01, 1962 • Studio : Decca Studios
Written by Ted Snyder, Harry B. Smith, Francis Wheeler
1:43 • Studio rehearsal • A
Paul McCartney : Backing vocals, Bass John Lennon : Backing vocals, Rhythm guitar George Harrison : Lead guitar, Vocals Pete Best : Drums Mike Smith : Producer
SessionRecording : Jan 01, 1962 • Studio : Decca Studios
2:36 • Studio rehearsal • B
Paul McCartney : Bass, Vocals John Lennon : Rhythm guitar George Harrison : Lead guitar Pete Best : Drums Mike Smith : Producer
SessionRecording : Jan 01, 1962 • Studio : Decca Studios
1:40 • Studio rehearsal • B
Paul McCartney : Bass, Harmony vocals John Lennon : Rhythm guitar, Vocals George Harrison : Lead guitar Pete Best : Drums Mike Smith : Producer
SessionRecording : Jan 01, 1962 • Studio : Decca Studios
"Well, The Recording Test... By My Artists"
0:32 • Interview
Written by Consuelo Velázquez
2:37 • Studio rehearsal • A
Paul McCartney : Bass, Vocals John Lennon : Rhythm guitar George Harrison : Lead guitar George Martin : Producer Norman Smith : Recording engineer Pete Best : Drums Ron Richards : Producer
SessionRecording : Jun 06, 1962 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
2:32 • Studio rehearsal • C
Paul McCartney : Bass, Vocals John Lennon : Acoustic rhythm guitar, Harmonica, Vocals George Harrison : Acoustic rhythm guitar George Martin : Producer Norman Smith : Recording engineer Pete Best : Drums Ron Richards : Producer
SessionRecording : Jun 06, 1962 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Written by Mitch Murray
1:57 • Outtake • A
Paul McCartney : Bass, Vocals Ringo Starr : Drums John Lennon : Rhythm guitar, Vocals George Harrison : Backing vocals, Lead guitar George Martin : Producer Norman Smith : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Sep 04, 1962 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
1:59 • Outtake • C • Earliest available take.
Paul McCartney : Bass, Harmony vocals Ringo Starr : Drums John Lennon : Harmonica, Lead vocals, Rhythm guitar George Harrison : Harmony vocals, Lead guitar George Martin : Producer Norman Smith : Recording engineer Andy White : Drums
SessionRecording : Sep 11, 1962 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
2:23 • Outtake • B • Sequence, takes 3, 4 and the beginning of take 5
Paul McCartney : Bass, Lead vocals Ringo Starr : Drums John Lennon : Acoustic guitar, Lead vocals George Harrison : Electric guitar George Martin : Producer Norman Smith : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Mar 05, 1963 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
2:56 • Outtake • C • Complete, takes 4 and 5
Paul McCartney : Bass, Lead vocals Ringo Starr : Drums John Lennon : Acoustic guitar, Lead vocals George Harrison : Electric guitar George Martin : Producer Norman Smith : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Mar 05, 1963 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Written by Kay Twomey, Fred Wise, Ben Weisman
1:50 • Radio show • L1
Paul McCartney : Bass, Vocals Ringo Starr : Drums John Lennon : Rhythm guitar, Vocals George Harrison : Lead guitar Terry Henebery : Producer
Concert From "Pop Go The Beatles" in London, UK on Jul 16, 1963
2:08 • Live • L1
Concert From "Sunday Night At The London Palladium" in London, UK on Oct 13, 1963
We Were Performers... In Britain (interview)
0:12 • Interview
2:49 • Live • L3
Klas Burling : Producer Hans Westman : Recording engineer
Concert From "Pop '63" in Stockholm, Sweden on Oct 24, 1963
2:06 • Live • L1
Klas Burling : Producer Hans Westman : Recording engineer
Concert From "Pop '63" in Stockholm, Sweden on Oct 24, 1963
Written by Janie Bradford, Berry Gordy
2:52 • Live • L1
Klas Burling : Producer Hans Westman : Recording engineer
Concert From "Pop '63" in Stockholm, Sweden on Oct 24, 1963
Written by Smokey Robinson
2:58 • Live • L2
Klas Burling : Producer Hans Westman : Recording engineer
Concert From "Pop '63" in Stockholm, Sweden on Oct 24, 1963
Written by Chuck Berry
2:22 • Live • L3
Klas Burling : Producer Hans Westman : Recording engineer
Concert From "Pop '63" in Stockholm, Sweden on Oct 24, 1963
2:50 • Live • L2
Concert From "Royal Command Performance" in London, UK on Nov 04, 1963
Written by Meredith Willson
2:54 • Live • L2
Concert From "Royal Command Performance" in London, UK on Nov 04, 1963
Written by Phil Medley, Bert Russell
3:05 • Live • L2
Concert From "Royal Command Performance" in London, UK on Nov 04, 1963
2:22 • Live • L1
Concert From "The Morecambe And Wise Show" in Borehamwood, UK on Apr 18, 1964
2:37 • Live • L1
Concert From "The Morecambe And Wise Show" in Borehamwood, UK on Apr 18, 1964
Boys, What Was I Thinking...
2:06 • Outtake
Concert From "The Morecambe And Wise Show" in Borehamwood, UK on Apr 18, 1964
Written by Edward Madden, Percy Wenrich
0:50 • Live • L1
Paul McCartney : Vocals Ringo Starr : Drums John Lennon : Vocals George Harrison : Vocals Terry Henebery : Producer Eric Morecambe : Vocals Ernie Wise : Vocals Kenny Powell : Piano
Concert From "The Morecambe And Wise Show" in Borehamwood, UK on Apr 18, 1964
2:10 • Outtake • C • Takes 1 and 2. [...] the previously unreleased Paris recording of Can't Buy Me Love presented here, all vocals and instruments live, is Take 2 (with the main guitar solo "flown in" from Take 1). Paul's vocal style was more bluesy in these first two rough takes - though it should be recognised that he was not attempting a definitive vocal track - while John and George's backing vocal idea was later dispensed with too.
George Martin : Producer Norman Smith : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Jan 29, 1964 • Studio : EMI Pathé Marconi Studios, Boulogne-sur-Seine, France
2:19 • Outtake • L4
Concert From "The Ed Sullivan Show" in New York City, USA on Feb 09, 1964
2:42 • Outtake • D • Take 6. The recording featured the combined sound of John Lennon's lead and George Harrison's 12-string guitars - George acquired the instrument in America, and its sound was prevalent throughout there sessions. The master version was Take 9 but the one presented here is Take 6: an attempt at perfecting the basic track while John delivered a guide vocal. It was usual for the Beatles to record with a live (if only guide) vocal until around the time of Revolver in 1966.
George Martin : Producer Norman Smith : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Feb 25, 1964 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
1:52 • Outtake • E • Take 2. And I Love Her is admired and enjoyed as one of Paul McCartney's earliest and warmest ballads, the master recording being the second take of a second remake, from 27 February 1964. Two days earlier, when the Beatles first taped the song, the approach was different. Presented here is the unreleased Take 2 - the first complete run-through - which is not so gentle, featuring the full-group sound of guitars, drums and, unusually, a picked electric guitar.
George Martin : Producer Norman Smith : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Feb 25, 1964 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
2:44 • Outtake • E • Take 1. [...] Presented here, however, is the previously unreleased first recorded run-though, Take 1, with numerous vocal and instrumental variations from the master. The crashing guitar chord that distinguished that master version is already in place, but the bridge, later plugged by a piano played by George Martin, was filled here by a guitar solo. The Beatles recognised that Take 1 was never going to be the best take, hence the laughter as the recording began to dissolve, but it captures the essence of the productive yet fun sessions that were typical of this period.
George Martin : Producer Norman Smith : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Apr 16, 1964 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
1:48 • Outtake • L2
Terry Johnson : Recording engineer Jack Good : Producer
SessionRecording : Apr 19, 1964 • Studio : IBC Studios, London, UK
Written by Richard Penniman / Little Richard, Enotris Johnson, Robert Blackwell
1:45 • Outtake • L4
Terry Johnson : Recording engineer Jack Good : Producer
SessionRecording : Apr 19, 1964 • Studio : IBC Studios, London, UK
Written by Luther Dixon, Wes Farrell
1:50 • Outtake • L2
Terry Johnson : Recording engineer Jack Good : Producer
SessionRecording : Apr 19, 1964 • Studio : IBC Studios, London, UK
Written by O'Kelly Isley, Jr., Rudolph Isley, Ronald Isley
1:31 • Live • L1
Paul McCartney : Bass, Vocals Ringo Starr : Drums, Vocals John Lennon : Rhythm guitar, Vocals George Harrison : Lead guitar, Vocals Terry Johnson : Recording engineer Jack Good : Producer
SessionRecording : Apr 19, 1964 • Studio : IBC Studios, London, UK
1:13 • Outtake • D • Take 2. I'll Be Back was recorded from start to finish in a single session. Take 16 was released but the unissued takes Two and Three are presented here. The former illuminates how John conceived his song as a waltz (the Beatles' fondness for waltz arrangement dated back to Cavern Club performances of James Ray's If You Gotta Make A Fool Of Somebody). Take 2 broke down, however, because, to use John's own words, it was "too hard to sing", and it is segued here into Take 3 [...]
George Martin : Producer Norman Smith : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Jun 01, 1964 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
1:58 • Outtake • E • Take 3. [...] Take 3 in which the arrangement has been altered from 3/4 to the 4/4 tempo approaching the master version - proof of the speed with which the Beatles could switch their ideas.
George Martin : Producer Norman Smith : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Jun 01, 1964 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Written by George Harrison
1:59 • Demo • A
Paul McCartney : Bass John Lennon : Tambourine George Harrison : Rhythm guitar, Vocals George Martin : Producer Norman Smith : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Jun 03, 1964 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
1:46 • Demo • C • [...] this 3 June demo recording of the song certainly has not been heard before. It was announced at the time that John was giving No Reply to Tommy Quickly, another of Brian Epstein's artists, and - as John sings it in a staccato, jaunty style more typical of Quickly's than his own - it's feasible that this demo was recorded with that donation in mind. (All the same, if he recorded it all, quickly never issued his version.) Intriguingly, a drummer is evident, even though no recognised player - neither Ringo nor Jimmy Nicol - was present.
George Martin : Producer Norman Smith : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Jun 03, 1964 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Written by Roy Lee Johnson
2:48 • Outtake • C • Takes 1 and 4. The version on Beatles For Sale was a remake, taped at EMI on 18 October, but four unreleased takes were recorded on 14 August, and a combination of One and Four is presented here. The first broke down after John's laudable attempt at the shouted introduction. "Nearly!" commented Paul, a wry smile in his voice, as he encouraged his band mate to have another crack at it. Take 4, only the second complete run-through, lacked the organ track that distinguished the October remake, but George's guitar solo in the bridge proves that experimentation with new and different sounds was now a definite quest.
George Martin : Producer Norman Smith : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Aug 14, 1964 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Written by Little Willie John, James McDougal, Titus Turner
2:57 • Outtake • A • Take 5. It was at ten o'clock, when Abbey Road regulations stated that sessions were supposed to end, that the Beatles began Leave My Kitten Alone. This had been a 1959 R&B hit for Little Willie John, covered in 1960 by Johnny Preston, both versions entering the Billboard US Hot 100 in January 1961. The Beatles taped five takes of Leave My Kitten Alone before deciding that the last was the best and so adding overdubs ... but that's where they left it. The recording was never mixed down for release on Beatles For Sale and was destined to remain unissued for more than 30 years - until now.
Paul McCartney : Bass, Piano Ringo Starr : Drums, Tambourine John Lennon : Vocals George Harrison : Lead guitar George Martin : Producer Norman Smith : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Aug 14, 1964 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
2:29 • Outtake • D • Take 2. Almost four months after the song had been recorded in demo form, the Beatles returned to No Reply and taped a definitive version, Take 8, for Beatles For Sale. Presented here, as balance engineer Norman Smith announced, is Take 2, unreleased, which underlines the more dramatic, bluesy style that John perhaps meant for his song. Laughter ensured that this particular take could not have been used, but it was clearly an important stepping-stone to the master version, John concluding "Well, we just found out what to do, anyway - it's good!"
George Martin : Producer Norman Smith : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Sep 30, 1964 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
1:25 • Outtake • C • Take 1, 2 and 4. Proven by the original session tape, the Beatles used Abbey Road as a creative workshop during the recording of Eight Days A Week. A sequence of unreleased, incomplete outtakes - takes 1, 2 and 4 - have been assembled for this compilation, illustrating the different approaches the Beatles considered for the song's intro.
George Martin : Producer Norman Smith : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Oct 06, 1964 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
2:48 • Outtake • D • Take 5, complete, features a vocal harmony ending, whereas the master version (Take 13) started and finished with guitar.
George Martin : Producer Norman Smith : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Oct 06, 1964 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Medley
Written by Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller
2:44 • Outtake • D • Take 2. Medley with "Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey". With Paul singing lead vocal, the Beatles captured the song in two takes - the master, on Beatles For Sale, was Take 1; Take 2 is issued here for the first time.
George Martin : Producer Norman Smith : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Oct 18, 1964 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Written by Richard Penniman / Little Richard
2:44 • Outtake • C • Take 2. Medley with "Kansas City". With Paul singing lead vocal, the Beatles captured the song in two takes - the master, on Beatles For Sale, was Take 1; Take 2 is issued here for the first time.
George Martin : Producer Norman Smith : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Oct 18, 1964 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Written by John Lennon
3:54 • Studio version • A
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
SessionRecording : February 1995 • Studio : Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK
1:50 • Outtake • C • 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
SessionRecording : Feb 16, 1965 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
2:54 • Outtake • C • 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
SessionRecording : Jun 14, 1965 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
You've Got to Hide Your Love Away
2:45 • Outtake • D • 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
SessionRecording : Feb 18, 1965 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
2:48 • Outtake • A • Take 1
Paul McCartney : Bass Ringo Starr : Drums, Vocals John Lennon : Rhythm guitar George Harrison : Lead guitar George Martin : Producer Norman Smith : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Feb 18, 1965 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
2:27 • Outtake • B • Take 1
Paul McCartney : Bass, Piano, Vocals Ringo Starr : Drums John Lennon : Backing vocals, Maracas, Rhythm guitar George Harrison : Backing vocals, Lead guitar, Maracas
SessionRecording : Feb 20, 1965 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
2:34 • Outtake • E • 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
SessionRecording : Jun 14, 1965 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
1:59 • Outtake • D • Take 2, preceded by the false start that was Take 3
George Martin : Producer Norman Smith : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Jun 15, 1965 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
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.
2:16 • Live • L2
Concert From "Blackpool Night Out" in Blackpool, UK on Aug 01, 1965
2:45 • Live • L3
Concert From "Blackpool Night Out" in Blackpool, UK on Aug 01, 1965
2:43 • Live • L3
Concert From "Blackpool Night Out" in Blackpool, UK on Aug 01, 1965
2:55 • Live • L3
Concert From "Blackpool Night Out" in Blackpool, UK on Aug 01, 1965
Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby
Written by Carl Perkins
2:45 • Live • L2
Concert From the concert in New York City, USA on Aug 15, 1965
Norwegian Wood (The Bird Has Flown)
1:59 • Outtake • E • 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
Paul McCartney : Backing vocals, Bass Ringo Starr : Drums, Maracas John Lennon : Acoustic guitar, Backing vocals, Lead vocals George Harrison : Sitar George Martin : Producer Norman Smith : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Oct 12, 1965 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
2:54 • Outtake • D • 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.
Paul McCartney : Acoustic guitar, Bass, Lead vocals Ringo Starr : Drums, Maracas John Lennon : Handclaps, Organ George Harrison : Electric guitar, Handclaps George Martin : Producer Norman Smith : Recording engineer Unknown : Bongos, Wood blocks
SessionRecording : Oct 24, 1965 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Written by Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, George Harrison
2:54 • Outtake • B • Stereo • Part of take 2
Paul McCartney : Bass Ringo Starr : Drums John Lennon : Electric guitar, Lead guitar George Harrison : Electric guitar, Lead guitar George Martin : Harmonium, Producer Norman Smith : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Nov 04, 1965 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
3:15 • Outtake • D • Mark I, take 1
Paul McCartney : Bass Ringo Starr : Drums John Lennon : Organ, Vocals George Harrison : Guitar George Martin : Producer Geoff Emerick : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Apr 06, 1966 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road
2:54 • Outtake • D • 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
SessionRecording : Apr 07, 1966 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road
2:13 • Outtake • D • 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
SessionRecording : Apr 20, 1966 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Written by George Harrison
2:32 • Outtake • C • 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
SessionRecording : Apr 21, 1966 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
2:06 • Outtake • D • 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
SessionRecording : Apr 28, 1966 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
0:41 • Rehearsal • D • 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
SessionRecording : Apr 29, 1966 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road
2:59 • Outtake • E • 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
SessionRecording : Apr 29, 1966 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road
Written by Chuck Berry
1:39 • Live • L2
Concert From the concert in Tokyo, Japan on Jun 30, 1966
2:55 • Live • L3
Concert From the concert in Tokyo, Japan on Jun 30, 1966
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
2:35 • Outtake • D • 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
SessionRecording : Nov 24, 1966 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
4:14 • Outtake • E • 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
SessionRecording : Nov 29, 1966 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
SessionRecording : Dec 09, 1966 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
3:01 • Studio version • D • 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 : Flugelhorn, Two piccolos
SessionRecording : Dec 29, 1966 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
SessionOverdubs : Dec 30, 1966 and Jan 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 12, 17, 1967 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
5:05 • Outtake • C • 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)
SessionRecording : Jan 19, 1967 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
SessionOverdubs : Jan 20, 1967 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
SessionOverdubs : Feb 10, 1967 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio One, Abbey Road
2:40 • Outtake • C • 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 : Tambourine
SessionRecording : Feb 08, 1967 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
SessionOverdubs : Feb 16, 1967 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road
Written by George Harrison
2:44 • Outtake • B • 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
SessionRecording : Feb 13, 1967 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
SessionOverdubs : Feb 14, 1967 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
SessionOverdubs : Apr 20, 1967 • Studio : EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite!
1:05 • Outtake • C • 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
SessionRecording : Feb 17, 1967 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite!
2:34 • Outtake • D • 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
SessionRecording : Feb 17, 1967 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
SessionRecording : Feb 20, 1967 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road
3:06 • Outtake • C • 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
SessionRecording : Mar 01, 1967 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
SessionOverdubs : Mar 02, 1967 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Within You Without You
5:28 • Outtake • C • 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
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)
1:27 • Outtake • C • 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
SessionRecording : Apr 01, 1967 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio One, Abbey Road
You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)
5:43 • Outtake • B • 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.
Paul McCartney : Bass, Handclaps, Piano, Vocals Ringo Starr : Bongos, Drums, Handclaps, Vocals John Lennon : Guitar, Handclaps, Harmonica, Maracas, Vocals George Harrison : Backing vocals, Guitar, Handclaps, Vibes George Martin : Producer Geoff Emerick : Recording engineer Mal Evans : Spade in gravel Chris Thomas : Producer Brian Jones : Alto saxophone Jeff Jarratt : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : May 17, 1967 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
SessionRecording : Jun 07, 1967 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
SessionRecording : Jun 08, 1967 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
SessionRecording : Apr 30, 1969 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road
4:02 • Outtake • C • 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
SessionRecording : Sep 05, 1967 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio One, Abbey Road
SessionVocal overdubs : Sep 06, 1967 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
2:48 • Demo • C • 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
SessionRecording : Sep 06, 1967 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
3:02 • Outtake • C • 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
SessionRecording : Sep 16, 1967 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road
3:45 • Outtake • D • 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
SessionRecording : Sep 25, 1967 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
3:18 • Outtake • C • 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 : Bongos, Maracas
SessionRecording : Oct 02, 1967 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
SessionOverdubs : Oct 19, 1967 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio One, Abbey Road
2:22 • Outtake • C • 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
SessionRecording : Feb 03, 1968 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road
SessionOverdubs : Feb 06, 1968 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio One, Abbey Road
3:29 • Outtake • C • 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
SessionRecording : Feb 03, 1968 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road
SessionOverdubs : Feb 04, 1968 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road
Written by George Martin
0:50 • Outtake • A • Stereo • Designed as an introduction to Ringo's composition Don't Pass Me By, this George Martin orchestral arrangement - soaring flutes, harps, violins, violas, cellos, clarinets, bass and other instruments - has remained unissued until now. This piece was recorded during the session that fashioned the orchestral overdub for Good Night, the closing track on The Beatles (better known as the White Album), and utilised the same musicians.
George Martin : Producer Ken Scott : Recording engineer Unknown : Clarinet, Double bass, French horn, Harp, Three cellos, Three flutes, Three violas, Twelve violins, Vibraphone
SessionRecording : Jul 22, 1968 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio One, Abbey Road
2:15 • Demo • C • Mono • Esher demo
John Lennon : Acoustic guitar, Vocals
SessionRecording : Late May 1968 • Studio : George Harrison's Home, Kinfauns, Esher, Surrey, UK
4:38 • Outtake • C • Mono • Part of take 2. [...] Take 2, which runs in excess of 12 minutes, has been respectfully pruned to under five here, preserving the essential elements of what was, fundamentally, an impromptu jam. Following balance engineer Ken Scott's "Take 2" announcement the band immediately begins the slow, insistent groove on top of which Paul adds his compelling vocal; the mix is mono to compensate for the track configuration on the original tape: all the instruments appeared on one track, the vocal was isolated on a second and the two remaining tracks were vacant.
George Martin : Producer Ken Scott : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Jul 18, 1968 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
1:58 • Demo • B • Mono • Esher Demo
Performed by : John Lennon
SessionRecording : Late May 1968 • Studio : George Harrison's Home, Kinfauns, Esher, Surrey, UK
1:26 • Demo • B • Mono • Escher demo
Performed by : John Lennon
SessionRecording : Late May 1968 • Studio : George Harrison's Home, Kinfauns, Esher, Surrey, UK
1:51 • Demo • D • Mono • Esher demo
John Lennon : Acoustic guitar, Vocals Unknown : Tambourine
SessionRecording : Late May 1968 • Studio : George Harrison's Home, Kinfauns, Esher, Surrey, UK
Written by Paul McCartney
2:25 • Demo • B • Mono • Junk was composed when the Beatles were in India in Spring 1968, but the group never taped a formal studio version and the song remained unissued until April 1970, when it appeared on Paul's first post-Beatles album McCartney, re-recorded in much the same acoustic style as at Esher.
Performed by : Paul McCartney
SessionRecording : Late May 1968 • Studio : George Harrison's Home, Kinfauns, Esher, Surrey, UK
Written by George Harrison
2:01 • Demo • C • Mono • Esher demo
George Harrison : Acoustic guitar, Vocals, Whistling
SessionRecording : Late May 1968 • Studio : George Harrison's Home, Kinfauns, Esher, Surrey, UK
1:19 • Demo • C • Stereo • Esher Demo
Paul McCartney : Acoustic guitar, Lead vocals Ringo Starr : Percussion (?), Tambourine (?) John Lennon : Percussion (?), Tambourine (?) George Harrison : Percussion (?), Tambourine (?)
SessionRecording : Late May 1968 • Studio : George Harrison's Home, Kinfauns, Esher, Surrey, UK
Written by Ringo Starr
2:42 • Outtake • C • Stereo • Takes 3 and 5. This recording of Don't Pass Me By - Ringo's first song composition - is a variation of the White Album basic master, before the distinctive country fiddle part was added. It combines the instrumentation from Take 3 with a vocal that Ringo overdubbed the following day on to Take 5 (which was in itself a reduction mix or "bounce" of the third take).
Paul McCartney : Drums Ringo Starr : Lead vocal, Piano
SessionRecording : Jun 05, 1968 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road
SessionRecording : Jun 06, 1968 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
2:56 • Outtake • C • Stereo • Alternate version. The fruit of three days' work in number two studio at Abbey Road, this outtake of Paul's Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da included overdubs of three saxophones and conga drums. Passed over in favour of a re-make that began the following week, however, it proved the first instance that the Beatles had brought in session musicians to augment a recording that would remain unissued.
Paul McCartney : Acoustic guitar, Bass part on distorted acoustic guitar, Vocals Ringo Starr : Drums John Lennon : Acoustic guitar, Backing vocals George Harrison : Acoustic guitar, Backing vocals George Martin : Producer Geoff Emerick : Engineer, Recording engineer Rex Morris : Saxophone Richard Lush : Second engineer James Gray : Saxophone Jimmy Scott : Conga drum Cyril Reuben : Saxophone
SessionRecording : Jul 03, 1968 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
SessionOverdubs : Jul 04, 1968 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
SessionOverdubs : Jul 05, 1968 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
2:38 • Outtake • C • Stereo • Rehearsal and take 34. [...] On the evidence of this eavesdrop into song's first session, the transferral of composition to tape was very much a united effort, with all four Beatles and producer George Martin pitching in ideas and opinions. The performance was not numbered "take" but, rather, a rehearsal that happened to be recorded. [...]
George Martin : Producer Geoff Emerick : Recording engineer Ken Scott : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Jun 28, 1968 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
SessionRecording : Jul 22, 1968 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio One, Abbey Road
2:47 • Outtake • C • Stereo • Take 1. The basic master of John Lennon's Cry Baby Cry was captured at the end of a mid-evening recording session in Abbey Road on 16 July 1968. Five hours earlier this Anthology selection - Take 1 - was laid down, performed live at the studio, without overdubs. Although never used, it proved that the players were immediately on the right track.
Paul McCartney : Bass Ringo Starr : Drums John Lennon : Acoustic guitar, Lead vocal
SessionRecording : Jul 16, 1968 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
2:19 • Outtake • C • Stereo • Take 23 (mislabelled as Take 4). Recorded by Paul alone - as indeed was the White Album master version - this is Take 4 of Blackbird, an unadorned acoustic guitar and vocal performance that captured well the essence of his new song, and may even have been usable at the time were it not for unwanted background noises [...]
Paul McCartney : Acoustic guitar, Foot taps, Lead vocals George Martin : Producer Geoff Emerick : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Jun 11, 1968
4:06 • Outtake • C • Stereo • Take 6. Recorded a month earlier and at a slower tempo than the master (which was numbered 117, although nowhere near as many takes had been recorded), this is Take 6 of Sexy Sadie, featuring the basic line-up of electric guitar, drums, organ, and a vocal from the composer John Lennon. The recording is faded out at the end because, at this point, the coda had not been finalised.
Paul McCartney : Organ Ringo Starr : Drums John Lennon : Acoustic guitar, Lead vocal George Harrison : Electric guitar George Martin : Producer Ken Scott : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Jul 19, 1968 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Written by George Harrison
3:27 • Demo • C • Stereo • Having withheld his own new composition since the White Album sessions started eight weeks earlier, George Harrison waited no longer and recorded this eloquent demo of While My Guitar Gently Weeps, the first of five songs he contributed to the growing collection. The song would undergo two re-makes between this date and 6 September, when the master was completed, and become significantly heavier in the process - the final version featuring a lead guitar track played by guest Eric Clapton. The first studio recording could scarcely be more different, George singing live to his own acoustic guitar accompaniment (augmented by an organ part played by Paul), and incorporating an additional verse omitted from later version.
Paul McCartney : Harmonium George Harrison : Acoustic guitar, Vocals George Martin : Producer Ken Scott : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Jul 25, 1968 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
4:21 • Outtake • C • Stereo • Live-in-the-studio outtake. While the master version - issued at the end of August 1968 - was long and lavish, this studio run-through of Hey Jude, taped four days earlier, is comparatively abbreviated and purposely stripped-down: live piano and vocal from Paul, live drums, acoustic and electric guitars. The take begins in a jestful manner: John speaks of "the heart of the Black country", the name of the old smoke-stack industrial region in the middle of England, and Paul responds with a mention of Boston Place, a small London street where the Beatles' company Apple had just installed an electronics laboratory. (Also, the Beatles had been filmed running along Boston Place for the title sequence of A Hard Day's Night.)
Paul McCartney : Piano, Vocal Ringo Starr : Drums John Lennon : Acoustic guitar George Harrison : Electric guitar Ken Scott : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Jul 29, 1968 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Written by George Harrison
3:22 • Outtake • A • Stereo • Take 102. The Beatles spent three nights recording the basic track of George Harrison's Not Guilty, until they pronounced the 99th the "best" take and freed space in a tape-to-tape reduction mixdown for George to overdub his vocal. Curiously, though, once he had done so, and the recording was completed, it was decided to leave it off the White Album, the song remaining unheard until 1979, when George recorded an acoustic remake for his album George Harrison. But this Beatles version (Take 102), heavier in approach, has not been issued until now.
Paul McCartney : Bass Ringo Starr : Drums George Harrison : Guitar, Vocals George Martin : Producer Chris Thomas : Harpsichord Ken Scott : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Aug 08, 1968 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
SessionOverdubs : Aug 09, 1968 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
SessionOverdubs : Aug 12, 1968 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
3:17 • Outtake • C • Stereo • Take 2. Its lyrics inspired by the text of a lecture heard in Spring in India, the basic track of Mother's Nature Son was recorded one summer's evening in London a few months later. The White Album master was Take 26, a reduction of the "best" take (24) with overdubbed drums, timpani, brass and a second acoustic guitar passage, the brass players being the only musicians apart from Paul McCartney to play on the recording of his new song. En route to the master the composer taped a succession of strictly solo pieces, seeking out the right sound and feel - this Anthology selection is Take 2, the opening strand of conversation emphasising well the willingness, common to all Beatles, to seize upon a new sound or effect, whether discovered accidentally or otherwise.
Paul McCartney : Acoustic guitar, Vocals George Martin : Producer Ken Scott : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Aug 09, 1968 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
2:08 • Outtake • C • Mono • This mono mix of Glass Onion, made on 26 September 1968, encompasses sound effects compiled by John Lennon for his song: a telephone, an organ note, the smashing of glass and the then BBC-tv soccer commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme acclaiming "It's a goal!" over the sound of a roaring crowd. George Martin, on holiday at the time, heard the mix on his return and suggested a different approach: he scored the song for a string arrangement, recorded on 10 October, that rendered this mix and the FX ideas redundant and the tape to the vault shelf labelled "do not use".
Paul McCartney : Bass, Piano, Recorder Ringo Starr : Drums, Tambourine John Lennon : Acoustic guitar, Vocals George Harrison : Lead guitar George Martin : Producer Chris Thomas : Producer, Recorder Ken Scott : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Sep 11, 1968 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
SessionOverdubs : Sep 12, 13, 16 - 1968 • Studio : EMI Studios, Abbey Road
SessionMixing : Sep 26, 1968 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
4:13 • Outtake • C • Stereo • Take 8
George Martin : Producer Ken Scott : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Aug 15, 1968 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
6:12 • Outtake • A • Stereo • Take 4. What's The New Mary Jane was in the running for a place on the White Album but fell at the final hurdle - remaining unissued until now. The piece was John's, and, of the four Beatles, only he and George are present. Contrary to its seemingly free-form nature, What's The New Mary Jane had a pre-planned structure, the other takes recorded at this EMI session - and also a demo recorded at Esher three months previously - proving so. The Anthology version is Take 4, the one marked "best" on the tape box at the end of the evening's work in number two studio at Abbey Road, featuring double-tracked piano and vocals (John), double-tracked guitar (George), and multitudinous sound effects contributed by Yoko Ono and the Beatles' assistant Mal Evans.
John Lennon : Piano, Vocals George Harrison : Acoustic guitar George Martin : Producer Mal Evans : Accordion, Football rattle, Hand bell, Ripping paper percussion, Swanee whistle, Tambourine, Vibraphone Yoko Ono : Accordion, Football rattle, Hand bell, Ripping paper percussion, Swanee whistle, Tambourine, Vibraphone, Vocals Ken Scott : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Aug 14, 1968 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Medley
2:31 • Outtake • B • Stereo • Medley with "Los Paranoias". During a light-hearted recording session for I Will, Paul frequently slipped into "jamming" mode, sometimes at the behest of John and Ringo who were sitting close at hand providing the percussion that augmented his acoustic guitar track. On of the off-the-cuff pieces was Step Inside Love - written by Paul in 1967 expressly for Cilla Black to sing as the theme tune for her first TV series, Cilla, that began on the BBC on 30 January 1968. The Beatles never recorded a formal studio recording of the song, and this version, performed by the composer many months after Cilla's recording, was simply an ad-lib re-acquaintance with the piece.
Paul McCartney : Acoustic guitar, Vocals Ringo Starr : Claves John Lennon : Percussion Chris Thomas : Producer Ken Scott : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Sep 16, 1968 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Written by Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, George Harrison
2:31 • Outtake • A • Stereo • Medley with "Step Inside Love". [...] Then, prompted by one of John's comments, and preserving the frivolity of the moment, Paul led the other Beatles into a jam, Los Paranoias.
George Martin : Producer Ken Scott : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Sep 16, 1968 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
2:14 • Outtake • C • Stereo • Takes 3, 6 and 9. [...] Now using eight-track recording machines on a regular basis for the first time, I'm So Tired was taped live, the master (Take 14) including minimal overdubbing. John would often perform a vocal with every take, and all the outtakes of I'm So Tired have one - presented here is an amalgam of takes 3, 6 and 9 that embrace all the best moments.
Paul McCartney : Acoustic guitars, Lead vocal Ringo Starr : Drums John Lennon : Maracas, Skulls Chris Thomas : Producer Ken Scott : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Oct 08, 1968 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
1:55 • Outtake • C • Stereo • Take 1. From the same session as the Step Inside Love and Los Paranoias jams, this is Take 1 of I Will, in which Paul sang and played acoustic guitar while John and Ringo added a percussive accompaniment. Paul would have realised quite early on - if not beforehand, indeed - that this performance would not be the master (which turned out to be Take 67) but as a first run-through it captures all the essential ingredients.
Paul McCartney : Acoustic guitar, Vocal Ken Townsend : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Sep 16, 1968 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Why Don't We Do It In The Road?
2:15 • Outtake • C • Mono • Take 4. The White Album version does not suggest so, but Why Don't We Do It In The Road started out as an acoustic number, and, moreover, had Paul alternating between gentle (if pleading) and strident vocal styles. The master (Take 5) was adorned with a number of overdubs that turned the song into much heavier piece, with every instrument bar Ringo's drums played by Paul himself. This is Take 4, performed solo.
John Lennon : Acoustic guitar, Vocals George Martin : Producer Ken Scott : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Oct 09, 1968 • Studio : EMI Studios, Abbey Road
1:57 • Outtake • C • Stereo • Take 2. [John] performed it solo but was bolstered in his endeavours by Paul, up in the studio two control room, communicating with him by way of the talkback key. Take 2, featured here, is mostly instrumental, John attempting to capture the definitive acoustic guitar track. It broke down, but the next try, Take 3, would prove to be the master, and it was on to this that he overdubbed the vocal track.
Paul McCartney : Bass, Vocals Ringo Starr : Drums John Lennon : Rhythm guitar, Vocals George Harrison : Lead guitar, Vocals Glyn Johns : Recording engineer Billy Preston : Electric piano
SessionRecording : Oct 13, 1968 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
2:49 • Outtake • B • Stereo • Preston's electric piano work is evident on this recording of the new Lennon-McCartney collaboration I've Got A Feeling, which was a good, tight performance until it broke down near the end - for which John instantly accepted responsibility.
Performed by : Paul McCartney Glyn Johns : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Jan 22, 1969 • Studio : Apple Studios, 3 Savile Row, London
She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
3:37 • Outtake • B • Stereo • Recording from the first day of the Savile Row sessions. The performance of She Came In Through The Bathroom Window is a rehearsal, Paul running the Beatles through one of his latest compositions. The song did not surface again in these Get Back sessions but, uptempo, would become a part of the Abbey Road medley, for which it was recorded in July 1969.
Paul McCartney : Bass, Harmony vocals Ringo Starr : Drums John Lennon : Lead vocal, Rhythm guitar George Harrison : Lead guitar Glyn Johns : Recording engineer Billy Preston : Electric piano
SessionRecording : Jan 21, 1969 • Studio : Apple Studios, 3 Savile Row, London
4:18 • Outtake • B • Stereo • Also taped this day in Savile Row were several run-throughs of a new John Lennon song, Dig A Pony, one of which is presented here. The "all I want is" backing vocals at the start and end were always an integral part of the song but were mixed out during production of the album Let It Be. The performance is clearly an improvement over previous ones, according to the conversation at the end of the song, with John citing the name "Ricky and the Red Streaks", suggested by Paul around this time as a possible on-the-road pseudonym for the Beatles.
Paul McCartney : Acoustic guitar, Vocals Ringo Starr : Drums John Lennon : Acoustic guitar, Vocals George Harrison : Lead guitar Glyn Johns : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Jan 22, 1969 • Studio : Apple Studios, 3 Savile Row, London
3:27 • Outtake • B • Stereo • Written by Paul and sung as a duet with John, Two Of Us captures the essence of the Get Back sessions: performed live - and carrying on despite intermittent feedback - the Beatles were both routining and recording at the same time, honing each song with constant re-playing. Here, the proximity of the two men at the microphone prompted Paul's "Take it, Phil" encouragement to John, a reference to the Everly Brothers who performed in a similar manner.
Paul McCartney : Piano Ringo Starr : Drums John Lennon : Electric lap steel slide guitar George Harrison : Acoustic guitar Glyn Johns : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Jan 24, 1969 • Studio : Apple Studios, 3 Savile Row, London
Written by George Harrison
2:23 • Outtake • B • Stereo • Take 1. A good band performance - acoustic guitar (George), slide guitar (John), piano (Paul) and drums (Ringo) - of George Harrison's happy twelve-bar blues. All the recordings of this song were done on the same day, but the version on the album Let It Be featured a lead vocal re-recorded by George on 8 January 1970.
Paul McCartney : Acoustic guitar, Lead vocal Ringo Starr : Drums John Lennon : Acoustic guitar, Lead vocal George Harrison : Electric guitar Glyn Johns : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Jan 25, 1969 • Studio : Apple Studios, 3 Savile Row, London
Written by Paul McCartney
3:18 • Outtake • B • Stereo • A combination of two performances of Teddy Boy [...] Neither was an attempt at laying down a definitive "take", hence the talking in the background, John's barn-dance calls and the feedback, but Paul was clearly using the opportunity to offer up his new song for consideration by the others.
Paul McCartney : Lead vocal, Piano Ringo Starr : Drums John Lennon : Electric guitar, Lead vocal George Martin : Producer Glyn Johns : Recording engineer Billy Preston : Organ
SessionRecording : Jan 24, 1969 • Studio : Apple Studios, 3 Savile Row, London
SessionRecording : Jan 28, 1969 • Studio : Apple Studios, 3 Savile Row, London
Medley
Written by Robert Blackwell, John Marascalco
3:11 • Outtake • A • Stereo
Paul McCartney : Piano, Vocals Ringo Starr : Drums John Lennon : Bass George Harrison : Guitar George Martin : Producer Glyn Johns : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Jan 26, 1969 • Studio : Apple Studios, 3 Savile Row, London
Written by Charles E. Calhoun
3:11 • Outtake • A • Stereo
Paul McCartney : Bass, Vocals Ringo Starr : Drums John Lennon : Electric guitar George Harrison : Electric guitar George Martin : Producer Glyn Johns : Recording engineer Billy Preston : Keyboard
SessionRecording : Jan 26, 1969 • Studio : Apple Studios, 3 Savile Row, London
Written by Carl Perkins
3:11 • Outtake • A • Stereo
George Harrison : Guitars, Vocals Brian Gibson : Engineer
SessionRecording : Jan 26, 1969 • Studio : Apple Studios, 3 Savile Row, London
3:41 • Outtake • D • Stereo • A comparison of this recording of The Long And The Winding Road and the one on the 1970 album Let It Be will reveal that they are the same; the Anthology presentation is "as nature intended" however, featuring only the Beatles' and Billy Preston's instrumentation, whereas the Let It Be version was dressed up with orchestral and choral tracks produced by Phil Spector during a special overdub session, in composer Paul McCartney's absence, on 1 April 1970.
Paul McCartney : Bass, Vocals Ringo Starr : Drums John Lennon : Guitar, Vocals George Harrison : Guitar George Martin : Producer Glyn Johns : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Jan 26, 1969 • Studio : Apple Studios, 3 Savile Row, London
4:08 • Outtake • B • Stereo • Faded up a few seconds into the performance because the tape-machine operator missed the start, this is the Beatles routining another new Paul McCartney song that came to rest not with the Get Back/Let It Be project but on the later Abbey Road album. (That version was recorded May to August 1969.) Paul plays bass guitar here so the piece lacks the later version's piano foundation, although Billy Preston does contribute a keyboard part, and it soon develops into a jam, culminating in a newsflash that a clearly delighted John Lennon was quick to share with his fellow bandsmen.
SessionRecording : Jan 27, 1969 • Studio : Apple Studios, 3 Savile Row, London
All Things Must Pass
3:05 • Demo • Stereo • During the Beatles' January 1969 Get Back sessions George Harrison frequently suggested this new composition as a contender, but it wasn't until he took time out to record a solo demo of the song a month later that it was first put on to multi-track tape. [...] This charming demo - guitar and vocal, with a second guitar passage overdubbed - is one of three that the artist recorded on the occasion of his 26th birthday. The other two (Old Brown Shoe and Something) appear later in this collection.
George Harrison : Guitars, Piano, Vocal Brian Gibson : Engineer
SessionRecording : Feb 25, 1969 • Studio : EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Mailman, Bring Me No More Blues
Written by Ruth Roberts, Bill Katz, Stanley Clayton
1:56 • Outtake • A • Stereo • The Beatles entered into a Buddy Holly groove during their eighth Apple Studios session, especially coming together with this cover of Mailman, Bring Me No More Blues, with John Lennon clearly attempting to emulate Holly's distinct vocal style. [...]
Paul McCartney : Bass Ringo Starr : Drums, Lead vocals John Lennon : Rhythm guitar George Harrison : Electric guitar Jeff Jarratt : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Jan 29, 1969 • Studio : Apple Studios, 3 Savile Row, London
3:09 • Outtake • L2 • Stereo • [...] Owing to the distracting presence of the police, which prompted some ad-libbing by Paul at the end, there was little chance of this number (the third rooftop performance of Get Back) being too accomplished; indeed, it was further hampered by the early silencing of John and George's amplifiers - a matter quickly rectified by the guitarists - so for a while only Paul's bass, Ringo's drums and Billy Preston's keyboard are audible. All the same, this is an historic moment: the Beatles are singing the last song in their last live performance.
Paul McCartney : Piano, Vocals Ringo Starr : Drums George Harrison : Bass George Martin : Producer Phil McDonald : Recording engineer
Concert From "The rooftop concert" in London, UK on Jan 30, 1969
Written by George Harrison
3:03 • Outtake • B • Stereo • Of the three demos created by George Harrison on 25 February 1969 this is the most elaborate: after a live vocal along with a piano track he then overdubbed electric guitar and, rolling the tape from the top for a third time, further guitar passages for the bridge and coda.
George Harrison : Guitar, Vocal Brian Gibson : Engineer
SessionRecording : Feb 25, 1969 • Studio : EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Written by Ringo Starr
2:49 • Outtake • B • Stereo • Takes 2 and 8. In August 1968, two months after recording his first solo song composition Don't Pass Me By, Ringo took a break from the White Album sessions and, while on holiday, was inspired to begin writing a second number, Octopus's Garden. The piece developed over the next few months and, in April 1969, the Beatles recorded the basic track for Abbey Road. Knowing that he would re-record his vocal as an overdub, Ringo sang a guide while playing the drums, with Paul contributing bass and John and George guitars. The master, Take 32, was brimful of added sound effects and backing vocals, but this Anthology selection is Take 2, concluding with a humorously ironic statement from the end of Take 8.
Paul McCartney : Bass Ringo Starr : Drums John Lennon : Handclaps, Lead vocal, Tambourine George Harrison : Guitar George Martin : Producer Geoff Emerick : Recording engineer Phil McDonald : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Apr 26, 1969 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
3:50 • Outtake • B • Stereo • Take 5 - Presented here is the previously unreleased Take 5, lacking the many overdubbed elements - the anvil for one - that would feature in the master.
Paul McCartney : Bass, Drums, Maracas, Piano, Vocals George Martin : Producer Phil McDonald : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Jul 09, 1969 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Written by George Harrison
3:19 • Demo • B • Mono • The demo is simplicity itself: a live-in-one-take electric guitar/vocal performance that, in addition to definitive lyric, also embraced a counter-melody verse later dropped.
Paul McCartney : Bass Ringo Starr : Drums John Lennon : Rhythm guitar, Vocals George Harrison : Lead guitar George Martin : Producer Geoff Emerick : Recording engineer Phil McDonald : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Feb 25, 1969 • Studio : EMI Studios, Abbey Road
3:40 • Outtake • C • Stereo • Take 1 - Not playing an instrument, John clapped his hands while singing, adding tambourine late in the piece, with the other Beatles contributing what for the first take is a notably cohesive bass, guitar and drums backing to fill out this four-track recording. The absence of the echo that, at John's request, would smother the master version lends a stark clarity to the lyrics, which altered slightly when the definitive vocal was overdubbed.
Paul McCartney : Vocals John Lennon : Vocals George Harrison : Vocals George Martin : Producer Geoff Emerick : Recording engineer Phil McDonald : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Jul 21, 1969 • Studio : EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Written by Paul McCartney
2:30 • Demo • B • Stereo • Ahead of the Beatles' latest session for Abbey Road, Paul McCartney arrived at EMI early this July afternoon and assembled a solo demo of a new composition, Come And Get It, that he was offering exclusively to be Apple label group the Iveys. First he sang and played the piano, then he double-tracked his vocal and shook maracas, then added drums and, finally, overlaid bass guitar. The process took less than an hour, and nine days later Paul produced the Iveys' version, almost identical to his, which - released after they changed their name to Badfinger - became a Top Five single and the main theme for the Peter Sellers/Ringo Starr movie The Magic Christian.
Performed by : Paul McCartney George Martin : Producer Glyn Johns : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Jul 24, 1969 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Written by Milton Ager, Jack Yellen
2:09 • Outtake • B • Stereo • Later in the day, during the recording of the Abbey Road song Sun King, the Beatles ambled into a lighthearted jam that encompassed three Gene Vincent songs - Be-Pop-A-Lula, Who Slapped John? and, most enticingly, Ain't She Sweet, the standard from 1927 that Vincent had covered in 1956 and the Beatles themselves recorded in 1961 (issued on Anthology 1). Then they had performed an arrangement that vocalist John Lennon described as "a march", but in this 1969 jam they duplicated the softened style of Vincent's recording.
Paul McCartney : Acoustic guitar, Bass, Electric piano, Hammond organ, Harmony vocals Ringo Starr : Drums George Harrison : Acoustic guitar, Eletric guitar, Harmony vocals, Vocals George Martin : Producer Phil McDonald : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Jul 24, 1969 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
2:24 • Outtake • B • Stereo • Remixed vocals only. Using the fine acoustics of Abbey Road's Studio One, this remix exposes the exquisite vocal harmonies recorded by John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison for John's song Because. Clearly, the Beatles enjoyed an innate ability to harmonise, and in their earlier recording days had written two songs, This Boy and Yes It Is, with three-part vocals to the fore. Instrumentation on the Abbey Road mix of Because was sparse - spinet electric harpsichord, bass, electric guitar and overdubbed Moog synthesizer - but here it has been stripped away to reveal the nine voices (the vocals were recorded once and then overdubbed twice more by the three Beatles) in isolation.
Paul McCartney : Backing vocals, Bass, Lead guitar, Piano, Vocals Ringo Starr : Drums, Tambourine John Lennon : Lead guitar, Rhythm guitar George Harrison : Lead guitar, Rhythm guitar George Martin : Producer Geoff Emerick : Recording engineer Phil McDonald : Recording engineer Unknown : Four cellos, Four horns, Four violas, One bass trombone, One double-bass, One trombone, Three trumpets, Twelve violins
SessionRecording : Aug 01, 1969 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
SessionRecording : Aug 04, 1969 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
4:05 • Outtake • D • Stereo • Six days ahead of recording the master of Let It Be, Paul McCartney sat at the piano in Apple's basement studio and promised his three fellow Beatles a version of his new song that would "knock you out", even though he was still to write two of the verses (the ones beginning "And when the night is cloudy" and "I wake up to the song of music"). For effect, two pieces of John Lennon dialogue from that later 31 January session top and tail the piece, the closing discourse ("OK, let's track it. [Sharp intake of breath.] You bounder, you cheat!") emphasising once again the strictly live aspect of these Savile Row sessions: the Beatles were determined not to overdub (or "track") anything... but the temptation was there.
Paul McCartney : Acoustic guitar, Vocals Ringo Starr : Shaker John Lennon : Percussion Chris Thomas : Producer Ken Scott : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Jan 25, 1969 • Studio : Apple Studios, 3 Savile Row, London
Written by George Harrison
1:48 • Outtake • B • Stereo • Pre-take 15 and take 16. A quick run-through of George Harrison's I Me Mine (shot in early January 1969 during the Twickenham rehearsal period of the Get Back project) was set for inclusion in the Let It Be film, indicating that it also should feature on the accompanying album. But as the song had never been committed to tape with any serious endeavour the Beatles convened again in number two studio at EMI - some five months after completing final album Abbey Road - and recorded their last new piece together. (The word "new" is an important qualifier, for work polishing up previously recorded material for Let It Be continued through to April.) But not all of the Beatles participated: John Lennon was on holiday, his absence prompting a telling remark - like a mock press statement - from George during the session, which precedes this Anthology recording.
Paul McCartney : Lead vocal, Piano Ringo Starr : Drums John Lennon : Electric guitar, Lead vocal George Martin : Producer Glyn Johns : Recording engineer Billy Preston : Organ
SessionRecording : Jan 03, 1970 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
2:22 • Studio version • B • Stereo • No other group has delivered such an apt farewell as the Beatles: except for the brief Her Majesty, thrown into the Abbey Road master tape almost as an afterthought, the last song on the Beatles recorded it, only one of the seven basic track takes of this piece has vocals - the master, Take 7. The version presented here is a new remix, however, embracing numerous elements omitted during the mix sessions for Abbey Road. In particular, there is considerable more guitar, and a further appreciation of the "sparring" section can be gained - from 19 until 55 seconds in, Paul, George and John, in that order, take turns to play two-bars (about four seconds) of the guitar solo. The 30-piece orchestral overdub, taped at tremendous cost considering it lasts less than 20 seconds, also appears more prominently in this new mix.
Paul McCartney : Lead vocal, Piano Ringo Starr : Drums John Lennon : Electric guitar, Lead vocal George Martin : Producer Glyn Johns : Recording engineer Billy Preston : Organ
SessionRecording : Jul 23, 1969 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road
SessionOverdubs : 5, 7, 8, 15, 18 Aug 1969 • Studio : EMI Studios, Abbey Road
3:07 • Outtake • D • Take2
SessionRecording : Feb 11, 1963 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Written by Janie Bradford, Berry Gordy
2:48 • Outtake • C • RM7 undubbed
SessionRecording : Jul 18, 1963 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
3:18 • Studio version • C • Takes 12 and 13
George Martin : Producer Geoff Emerick : Remix engineer Norman Smith : Recording engineer
SessionRecording : Oct 17, 1963 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
2:36 • Studio version • G • Mono • Second version – unnumbered mix
Paul McCartney : Bass, Lead vocals Ringo Starr : Drums John Lennon : Organ, Rhythm guitar George Harrison : Electric guitar Giles Martin : Mixing engineer Alex Wharton : Mastering
SessionRecording : Apr 08, 1966 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
SessionOverdubs : Apr 11, 1966 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
SessionMixing : Apr 11, 1966 ? • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Written by George Harrison
2:55 • Studio version • G • Take 7
Paul McCartney : Backing vocals, Tamboura George Harrison : Acoustic guitar, Fuzz guitar, Lead vocals, Sitar Giles Martin : Mixing engineer Anil Bhagwat : Tabla Alex Wharton : Mastering
SessionRecording : Apr 11, 1966 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
SessionTape reduction : Apr 13, 1966 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Three, Abbey Road
Studio version • Take 19 – strings, brass, clarinet overdub
(you're So Square) Baby I Don't Care
Studio version • Studio jam
Can You Take Me Back?
Studio version • Take 1
Written by Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, George Harrison
Studio version • 2025 mix
Written by John Lennon
4:08 • Studio version • A
Paul McCartney : Backing vocals, Bass, Electric harpsichord, Guitars, Piano, Producer, Shaker, String arrangement, Vocals Ringo Starr : Backing vocals, Drums, Shaker, Tambourine John Lennon : Backing vocals, Vocals Jeff Lynne : Additional production George Harrison : Backing vocals, Guitars Geoff Emerick : Recording engineer Giles Martin : Producer, String arrangement Jon Jacobs : Recording engineer Keith Smith : Recording engineer Bruce Sugar : Recording engineer Ben Foster : String arrangement Miles Showell : Mastering Greg McAllister : Recording engineer Steve Orchard : Recording engineer Mark 'Spike' Stent : Mixing engineer Steve Genewick : Recording engineer Songa Lee : Violin Serena McKinney : Violin Charlie Bisharat : Violin Giovanna Clayton : Cello Mia Barcia-Colombo : Cello Niall Ferguson : Cello Mike Valerio : Double bass Caroline Buckman : Viola Drew Forde : Viola Linnea Powell : Viola Adrianne Pope : Violin Andrew Bulbrook : Violin Neel Hammond : Violin
Recording : Circa 1977 • Studio : John Lennon's home, The Dakota, New York, USA
SessionRecording : Mar 20-21, 1995 • Studio : Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK
SessionRecording : 2022 ? • Studio : Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK & Ringo Starr's home studio, Los Angeles, USA
SessionString overdubs : May 01, 2022 • Studio : Capitol Records Building • Los Angeles • USA
From Anthology Music 2025 | The Beatles:
The musical side of Anthology – originally represented by three albums of new, unheard and rare material – also has an important new element. Volume 4 includes new mixes of The Beatles’ Anthology-associated hit singles. The GRAMMY-winning Free As A Bird and Real Love have been given new life by their original producer, Jeff Lynne, using de-mixed John Lennon vocals. Both singles’ new mixes are placed alongside the band’s most recent UK No. 1 hit single, 2023’s GRAMMY-winning Now And Then, the last Beatles song. All three singles were created from rudimentary home demos John recorded in the 1970s, later completed with vocal and instrumental parts recorded by Paul, George and Ringo.
Across all the Anthology albums, there are 191 tracks which will be released on November 21 by Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/UMG for digital purchase and streaming, and in deluxe 12LP 180-gram vinyl and 8CD box sets. Both box sets include the original sleeve notes for Volumes 1, 2 and 3; the new Volume 4 includes track notes written by Kevin Howlett and an introduction compiled from 1996 interviews recorded with The Beatles’ close friend and adviser Derek Taylor. The Beatles Store’s exclusive editions for both box sets add four 12-inch band photo art cards in a numbered envelope.
Anthology 4:
1) I Saw Her Standing There (Tk 2)
2) Money (RM7 undubbed)
3) This Boy (Tk 12 & 13)
4) Tell Me Why (Tk 4 & 5)
5) If I Fell (Tk 11)
6) Matchbox (Tk 1)
7) Every Little Thing (TK 6 & 7)
8) I Need You (Tk 1)
9) I’ve Just Seen a Face (Tk 3)
10) In My Life (Tk 1)
11) Nowhere Man (First Version – Tk 2)
12) Got to Get You Into My Life (Second Version)
13) Love You To (Tk 7)
14) Strawberry Fields Forever (Tk 26)
15) She’s Leaving Home (Tk1 Instrumental)
16) Baby, You’re A Rich Man (Tk 11/12)
17) All You Need Is Love (BBC rehearsal)
18) Fool On the Hill (Tk 5 Instrumental)
19) I Am the Walrus Tk19 – Strings etc overdub)
20) Hey Bulldog (Tk 4 instrumental)
21) Goodnight Tk20+guitar from tk5)
22) While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Tk27)
23) )You’re So Square) Baby I Don’t Care (Jam)
24) Helter Skelter (Tk 17)
25) I Will (Tk 29)
26) Can You Take Me Back (Tk1)
27) Julia (Rehearsals)
28) Get Back (Tk8)
29) Octopus’ Garden (Rehearsal)
30) Don’t Let Me Down (Rooftop)
31) You Never Give Me Your Money (Tk36)
32) Here Comes the Sun (Tk9)
33) Something (Tk39 strings)
34) Free As A Bird
35) Real Love
36) Now and Then
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LucyHacky • Sep 27, 2025 • 4 months ago
Huge disappointment. The Anthology sessions are arguably another era of Beatles - with Carnival of Light included in that, with All For Love and the cassette demos. Missed opportunity.
The PaulMcCartney Project • Oct 01, 2025 • 4 months ago
I feel the same, LucyHacky
