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The next archival project from The Beatles is a celebration of their most major archival project, with a newly reissued and (slightly) expanded edition of their Anthology series coming to audio and video formats this fall.
Anthology Collection will include remastered editions of the original three collections of rarities and outtakes compiled by George Martin and released through 1995 and 1996, available across six CDs or nine LPs. Martin’s son Giles, who remastered those albums, also curates a new collection, Anthology 4, across a further two CDs or three LPs. Anthology 4 is drawn mostly from archival sets released in the wake of the band’s 2009 remastering of the catalogue, with 13 unreleased tracks taken from eras that have not been covered by such releases. The album is rounded out by new mixes from producer Jeff Lynne of Anthology’s then-new tracks “Free As a Bird” and “Real Love,” along with “Now and Then,” a song from the same sessions that was released in 2023. Mark Lewisohn’s comprehensive notes for the original three volumes will be complemented by new liner notes by Kevin Howlett. The revisited box set will be released November 21; today (September 16) it was announced that Anthology 4 will also be available individually as its own 2CD or 3LP set.
As it was three decades ago, the Anthology celebration will comprise other media. The blockbuster 1995 docuseries will stream on Disney+ starting with its original three parts on November 26. The series will include its original eight parts plus a new ninth, offering additional unseen footage from the surviving group members’ reunion in the studio for the project. (No physical reissue has been announced for the program.) Finally, the 2000 book offering interview excerpts from all four Beatles and thousands of rare photos and artifacts, will be put back into print as a new softcover version on October 21.
The Beatles’Â Anthology was the apex of pop music archival pursuits when it was broadcast and released in the fall of 1995. Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr all sat for new interviews discussing the spectacular run of The Fab Four, along with trusted colleagues like George Martin, press agent Derek Taylor and Apple Corps manager Neil Aspinall. (John Lennon, who’d been murdered nearly 15 years earlier, was represented by archival interviews.) The series was broadcast on ITV in their native England and ABC in America, becoming a ratings juggernaut and a bestseller when expanded cuts of each episode were released on VHS and later DVD in the early ’00s.
In addition to the comprehensive overview of their career as they saw it, McCartney, Harrison and Starr also convened with Jeff Lynne of Electric Light Orchestra (and a selection of piano-led demo cassettes of Lennon’s supplied by his widow Yoko Ono) to create several “new” Beatles recordings. “Free As a Bird” and “Real Love” were issued as singles from 1995’s Anthology 1 and 1996’s Anthology 2 and became Top 10 hits on both sides of the Atlantic (“Real Love” peaked at No. 11 in the States). Two additional tracks, “Grow Old with Me” and “Now and Then,” were abandoned, but the latter was resurrected (utilizing technological advancements that better separated Lennon’s piano and vocal, along with a vaulted overdub by the since-deceased Harrison and new overdubs by McCartney and Starr) for a remix of the group’s 1962-1966 and 1967-1970 compilations in 2023. Footage from these sessions is the driver for a newly created ninth episode of Anthology; Peter Jackson’s Wingnut Films and Park Road Post teams have restored all the footage for the upcoming streaming version, along with new Giles Martin mixes of “the majority of the featured music” in the special.
No new mixes appear on Anthology Collection besides the updated “Free As a Bird” and “Real Love.” (The former is available to hear digitally now.) The use of Anthology 4 as a majority compilation for previously released material (including the digital-only The Beatles Bootleg Recordings 1963, released in 2013, and two takes of “This Boy” released on the original CD single for “Free As a Bird” with additional material that remain exclusive to that disc) certainly elicits a feeling or two in the heart of a certain type of buyer/collector. If nothing else, this whole exercise will be an opportunity for new fans to rediscover Anthology along with recapturing that magic for seasoned Beatle believers.
The new Anthology collection is available at the links below, including the Anthology 4 individual links just before its track list. Copies sold in the official Beatles web store include a set of art cards. (As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.)
Anthology Collection (Apple/Universal Music Group International, 2025)
8CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Official Store
12LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Official Store
CD 1-2/LP 1-3:Â Anthology 1Â (released as Apple/Capitol 72438 34445 2 6, 1995)
Free As a Bird
John Lennon Speech 1 (Interview)
That’ll Be the Day (Mono) – The Quarrymen
In Spite of All the Danger (Mono) – The Quarrymen
Paul McCartney Speech 1 (Interview)
Hallelujah, I Love Her So (Home Demo)
You’ll Be Mine (Home Demo)
Cayenne (Home Demo)
Paul McCartney Speech 2 (Interview)
My Bonnie – Tony Sheridan & The Beat Brothers
Ain’t She Sweet
Cry for a Shadow (Instrumental)
John Lennon Speech 2 (Interview)
Brian Epstein Speech 1 (Reading)
Searchin’ (Decca Audition)
Three Cool Cats (Decca Audition)
The Sheik of Araby (Decca Audition)
Like Dreamers Do (Decca Audition)
Hello Little Girl (Decca Audition)
Brian Epstein Speech 2 (Reading)
Besame Mucho (June 1962 Version)
Love Me Do (First Version)
How Do You Do It (Mono)
Please Please Me (First Version)
One After 909 (Takes 3, 4 and 5)
One After 909 (Edit of Takes 4 and 5)
Lend Me Your Comb (BBC Live Recording for Pop Go The Beatles – 7/2/1963)
I’ll Get You (Live on Sunday Night At The London Palladium – 10/13/1963)
John Lennon Speech 3 (Interview)
I Saw Her Standing There (Live at The Karlaplansstudion, Stockholm, Sweden – 10/24/1963)
From Me to You (Live at The Karlaplansstudion, Stockholm, Sweden – 10/24/1963)
Money (That’s What I Want) (Live at The Karlaplansstudion, Stockholm, Sweden – 10/24/1963)
You Really Got a Hold on Me (Live at The Karlaplansstudion, Stockholm, Sweden – 10/24/1963)
Roll Over Beethoven (Live at The Karlaplansstudion, Stockholm, Sweden – 10/24/1963)
She Loves You (Live at The Prince of Wales Theatre, London, England – 11/4/1963)
Till There Was You (Live at The Prince of Wales Theatre, London, England – 11/4/1963)
Twist and Shout (Live at The Prince of Wales Theatre, London, England – 11/4/1963)
This Boy (Live on Two of a Kind – 12/2/1963)
I Want to Hold You Hand (Live on Two of a Kind – 12/2/1963)
Speech (Interview) – Morecambe & Wise with The Beatles
Moonlight Bay (Live on Two of a Kind – 12/2/1963)
Can’t Buy Me Love (Takes 1 and 2)
All My Loving (Live on The Ed Sullivan Show – 2/9/1964)
You Can’t Do That (Take 6)
And I Love Her (Take 2)
A Hard Day’s Night (Take 1)
I Wanna Be Your Man (Live for Around The Beatles – 4/19/1964)
Long Tall Sally (Live for Around The Beatles – 4/19/1964)
Boys (Live for Around The Beatles – 4/19/1964)
Shout (Live for Around The Beatles – 4/19/1964)
I’ll Be Back (Demo/Take 2)
I’ll Be Back (Take 3)
You Know What to Do (Demo)
No Reply (Demo)
Mr. Moonlight (Takes 1 and 4)
Leave My Kitten Alone (Take 5)
No Reply (Take 2)
Eight Days a Week (Takes 1, 2 and 4 – False Starts)
Eight Days a Week (Take 5)
Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey! (Take 2)
CD 3-4/LP 4-6: Anthology 2 (released as Apple/Capitol 72438 34448 1 6, 1996)
Real Love
Yes It Is (Takes 2 and 14)
I’m Down (Take 1)
You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away (Takes 1, 2 and 5)
If You’ve Got Trouble (Take 1)
That Means a Lot (Take 1)
Yesterday (Take 1)
It’s Only Love (Takes 3 and 2)
I Feel Fine (Live on Blackpool Night Out – 8/1/1965)
Ticket to Ride (Live on Blackpool Night Out – 8/1/1965)
Yesterday (Live on Blackpool Night Out – 8/1/1965)
Help! (Live on Blackpool Night Out – 8/1/1965)
Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby (Live At Shea Stadium, Flushing, NY – 8/15/1965)
Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) (Take 1)
I’m Looking Through You (Take 1)
12-Bar Original (Take 2 Edited)
Tomorrow Never Knows (Take 1)
Got to Get You Into My Life (Take 5)
And Your Bird Can Sing (Takes 1 and 2)
Taxman (Take 11)
Eleanor Rigby (Take 14 – Strings Only)
I’m Only Sleeping (Rehearsal)
I’m Only Sleeping (Take 1)
Rock and Roll Music (Live At Nippon Budokan, Tokyo, Japan – 6/30/1966)
She’s a Woman (Live At Nippon Budokan, Tokyo, Japan – 6/30/1966)
Strawberry Fields Forever (Home Demo Sequence)
Strawberry Fields Forever (Take 1)
Strawberry Fields Forever (Take 7 and Edit Piece)
Penny Lane (Remix)
A Day in the Life (Takes 1, 2, 6 and Orchestra)
Good Morning Good Morning (Take 8)
Only a Northern Song (Takes 3 and 12)
Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite! (Takes 1 and 2)
Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite! (Take 7)
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds (Takes 6, 7 and 8)
Within You, Without You (Instrumental)
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) (Take 5)
You Know My Name (Look Up the Number) (Stereo Remix)
I Am the Walrus (Take 16)
The Fool on the Hill (Demo)
Your Mother Should Know (Take 27)
The Fool on the Hill (Take 4)
Hello, Goodbye (Take 16)
Lady Madonna (Takes 3 and 4)
Across the Universe (Take 2)
CD 5-6/LP 7-9: Anthology 3 (released as Apple/Capitol 72438 34451 2 7, 1996)
A Beginning (Instrumental)
Happiness is a Warm Gun (Esher Demo with False Start)
Helter Skelter (Take 2 Edited)
Mean Mr. Mustard (Esher Demo)
Polythene Pam (Esher Demo)
Glass Onion (Esher Demo)
Junk (Esher Demo)
Piggies (Esher Demo)
Honey Pie (Esher Demo – Edited)
Don’t Pass Me By (Take 3 with Take 5 Vocal)
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (First Version – Take 5)
Good Night (Rehearsal and Take 34)
Cry Baby Cry (Take 1)
Blackbird (Take 4)
Sexy Sadie (Take 6)
While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Acoustic Version – Take 1)
Hey Jude (Take 2)
Not Guilty (Take 102 Edited)
Mother Nature’s Son (Take 2)
Glass Onion (Mono Mix)
Rocky Raccoon (Take 8)
What’s the New Mary Jane (Take 4)
Step Inside Love/Los Paranoias (Studio Jam)
I’m So Tired (Edit of Takes 3, 6 and 9)
I Will (Take 1)
Why Don’t We Do It in the Road? (Take 4)
Julia (Take 2)
I’ve Got a Feeling (Apple Studio)
She Came in Through the Bathroom Window (Apple Studio)
Dig a Pony (Apple Studio)
Two of Us (Apple Studio)
For You Blue (Apple Studio)
Teddy Boy (Apple Studio)
Rip It Up/Shake, Rattle and Roll/Blue Suede Shoes (Medley – Apple Studio Jam)
The Long and Winding Road (Apple Studio)
Oh! Darling (Apple Studio)
All Things Must Pass (Demo)
Mailman, Bring Me No More Blues (Apple Studio Jam)
Get Back (Third Rooftop Performance – Live at The Apple Records Building, London, England – 1/30/1969)
Old Brown Shoe (Demo)
Octopus’s Garden (Take 2)
Maxwell’s Silver Hammer (Take 5)
Something (Demo)
Come Together (Take 1)
Come and Get It (Demo)
Ain’t She Sweet (Studio Jam)
Because (Vocals Mix)
Let It Be (Apple Studio)
I Me Mine (Take 16)
The End (Remix)
CD 7-8/LP 10-12:Â Anthology 4Â (* previously unreleased)
2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
3LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
I Saw Her Standing There (Take 2)
Money (That’s What I Want) (RM7 Undubbed)
This Boy (Takes 12 and 13)
Tell Me Why (Takes 4 and 5) *
If I Fell (Take 11) *
Matchbox (Take 1) *
Every Little Thing (Takes 6 and 7) *
I Need You (Take 1) *
I’ve Just Seen a Face (Take 3) *
In My Life (Take 1) *
Nowhere Man (First Version – Take 2) *
Got to Get You Into My Life (Second Version – Un-Numbered Mix)
Love You To (Take 7)
Strawberry Fields Forever (Take 26)
She’s Leaving Home (Take 1 Instrumental)
Baby, You’re a Rich Man (Takes 11 and 12) *
All You Need is Love (Rehearsal for BBC Broadcast) *
The Fool on the Hill (Take 5 Instrumental) *
I Am the Walrus (Take 19 – Strings, Brass, Clarinet Overdub) *
Hey Bulldog (Take 4 Instrumental) *
Good Night (Take 10 with guitar part from Take 5)
While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Third Version – Take 27)
(You’re So Square) Baby I Don’t Care (Studio Jam)
Helter Skelter (Second Version – Take 17)
I Will (Take 29)
Can You Take Me Back? (Take 1)
Julia (Two Rehearsals)
Get Back (Take 8)
Octopus’s Garden (Rehearsal)
Don’t Let Me Down (First Rooftop Performance – Live at The Apple Records Building, London, England – 1/30/1969)
You Never Give Me Your Money (Take 36)
Here Comes the Sun (Take 9)
Something (Take 39 Instrumental – Strings Only)
Free As a Bird (2025 Mix)
Real Love (2025 Mix)
Now and Then
Disc 1, Track 10 released as Polydor German single 24 673, 1961
Original/studio versions of Disc 1, Tracks 22, 24 and 30 released on Please Please Me – Parlophone PMC 1202 (U.K.), 1963
Studio version of Disc 1, Track 28 released on “She Loves You” U.K. single – Parlophone R 5055, 1963
Studio version of Disc 1, Track 31 released on Parlophone U.K. single R 5015, 1963
Studio versions of Disc 1, Tracks 32-34 released on With The Beatles – Parlophone PMC 1206 (U.K.), 1963
Original version of Disc 2, Track 8, 10-12 and 17-18 and Disc 7, Tracks 4-5 released on A Hard Day’s Night – Parlophone PMC 1230 (U.K.), 1964
Original/studio versions of Disc 2, Tracks 20-21 and 23-26; Disc 3, Tracks 13 and 24 and Disc 7, Track 7 released on Beatles for Sale – Parlophone 1240 (U.K.), 1964
Original/studio versions of Disc 3, Track 2 and 10 released on Parlophone U.K. single R 5265, 1965
Original version of Disc 3, Track 3 released on “Help!” U.K. single – Parlophone R 5305, 1965
Original/studio versions of Disc 3, Tracks 4, 7-8 and 10-12 and Disc 7, Tracks 8-9 released on Help! – Parlophone PMC 1255 (U.K.), 1965
Studio versions of Disc 3, Tracks 9 and 25 released on Parlophone U.K. single R 5200, 1964
Original versions of Disc 3, Tracks 14-15 and Disc 7, Tracks 10-11 released on Rubber Soul – Parlophone PMC 1267 (U.K.), 1965
Original versions of Disc 3, Tracks 17-23 released on Revolver – Parlophone PMC 7009 (U.K.), 1966
Original versions of Disc 4, Tracks 2-4 released on Parlophone U.K. single R 5570, 1967
Original versions of Disc 4, Tracks 5-6 and 8-12 released on Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band – Parlophone PMC 7027 (U.K.), 1967
Original versions of Disc 4, Track 7 and Disc 8, Track 1 released on Yellow Submarine – Apple PCS 7070 (U.K.), 1969
Original version of Disc 4, Track 13 released on “Let It Be” U.K. single – Apple R 5833, 1970
Original versions of Disc 4, Tracks 14-18 and Disc 7, Track 18-19 released on Magical Mystery Tour – Capitol MAL 2835 (U.S.), 1967
Original version of Disc 4, Track 19 released on Parlophone U.K. single R 5675, 1968
Original version of Disc 4, Track 20 and Disc 6, Tracks 1, 3-5, 8, 12 and 21-22 released on Let It Be – Apple PCS 7096 (U.K.), 1970
Original versions of Disc 5, Tracks 2-3, 6, 8-16, 19-21 and 24-27 released on The Beatles – Apple PCS 7067/8 (U.K.), 1968
Original versions of Disc 5, Tracks 4-5 and Disc 6, Tracks 2, 9, 14-17, 20 and 23 released on Abbey Road – Apple PCS 7088 (U.K.), 1969
Disc 7, Tracks 1-2 released on The Beatles Bootleg Recordings 1963 – Universal Music Group (no cat. #), 2013
Disc 7, Track 3 released on “Free As a Bird” CD single – Apple CDR 6422 (U.K.), 1995. Original version released on “I Want to Hold Your Hand” U.K. single – Parlophone R 5084, 1963
Original version of Disc 7, Track 6 released on Long Tall Sally EP – Parlophone GEP 8913 (U.K.), 1964
Disc 7, Tracks 12-13 released on Revolver (50th Anniversary Edition) – Apple/Universal Music Group International 0602445599417, 2022
Disc 7, Tracks 14-15 released on Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (50th Anniversary Edition) – Apple/Universal Music Group International 0602557455328, 2017
Original versions of Disc 7, Tracks 16-17 released as Parlophone U.K. single R 5620, 1967
Disc 8, Tracks 2-8 released on The Beatles (50th Anniversary Edition) – Apple/Universal Music Group International 0602567571957, 2018
Disc 8, Tracks 9-11 released on Let It Be (Special Edition) – Apple/Universal Music Group International 0602507138691, 2021
Disc 8, Tracks 12-14 released on Abbey Road (50th Anniversary Edition)Â – Apple/Universal Music Group International 0602577921124, 2019
Original mix of Disc 8, Track 15 released on Anthology 1 – Apple/Capitol 72438 34445 2 6, 1995
Original mix of Disc 8, Track 16 released on Anthology 2 – Apple/Capitol 72438 34448 1 6, 1996
Disc 8, Track 17 released on 1967-1970 (Remix) – Apple 0602455920959, 2023
Mike Duquette
Mike Duquette (Founder) was fascinated with catalog music ever since he was a teenager. A 2009 graduate of Seton Hall University with a B.A. in journalism, Mike paired his profession with his passion through The Second Disc, one of the first sites to focus on all reissue labels great and small. His passion for reissues turned into a career, holding positions at Legacy Recordings and Rhino Records and contributing to Allmusic, Discogs, City Pages, Ultimate Classic Rock and Mondo Records, for whom he penned liner notes for his favorite piece of music: John Williams’ Oscar-winning score to ‘E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial.’
Born and raised in New Jersey, Mike lives in Astoria, Queens with his wife, a cat named Ravioli, twin daughters and a large yet tasteful collection of music.