Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Real Love
2. Yes It Is [Version]
3. I'm Down
4. You've Got to Hide Your Love Away [Version]
5. If You've Got Trouble
6. That Means a Lot
7. Yesterday [Take]
8. It's Only Love [Take]
9. I Feel Fine
10. Ticket to Ride
11. Yesterday [Take]
12. Help! [Version]
13. Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby
14. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)
15. I'm Looking Through You
16. 12-Bar Original
17. Tomorrow Never Knows
18. Got to Get You into My Life
19. And Your Bird Can Sing [Version]
20. Taxman
21. Eleanor Rigby [Strings Only]
22. I'm Only Sleeping [Rehearsal]
23. I'm Only Sleeping [Take 1]
24. Rock & Roll Music
25. She's a Woman

Disc 2:

1. Strawberry Fields Forever [Demo Sequence]
2. Strawberry Fields Forever [Take 1]
3. Strawberry Fields Forever [Take 7 and Edit Piece]
4. Penny Lane [Take]
5. Day in the Life [Version]
6. Good Morning, Good Morning [Version]
7. Only a Northern Song
8. Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite! [Takes 1 and 2]
9. Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite [Take 7]
10. Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds [Take]
11. Within You, Without You [Instrumental]
12. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) [Take]
13. You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)
14. I Am the Walrus [Version]
15. Fool on the Hill [Demo Version]
16. Your Mother Should Know
17. Fool on the Hill [Take 4]
18. Hello Goodbye [Version]
19. Lady Madonna [Take]
20. Across the Universe [Alternate Take]

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1253 in Music
• Brand: Beatles
• Released on: 1996-03-19
• Number of discs: 2
• Dimensions: .46 pounds

Album Description
3 LP set. The most anticipated of the Anthology series, this disc covers what was arguably the Fab Four's most intensely creative period ('65-'67) when they single-handedly changed the course of popular music. Anthology 2 doesn't disappoint. Outtakes and demos show the building of songs like "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite," while the pure pop song writing of Rubber Soul and Help! is also documented, along with the sonic experimentation that characterized Revolver. Even if the legendary proto-metal jam of "What's the New Mary Jane" didn't see the light of day here, there is plenty for any Beatles fan. EMI. 2005.

Amazon.com
The most anticipated of the Anthology series, this disc covers what was arguably the Fab Four's most intensely creative period ('65-'67) when they single-handedly changed the course of popular music. Anthology 2 doesn't disappoint. Outtakes and demos show the building of songs like "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite," while the pure pop song writing of Rubber Soul and Help! is also documented, along with the sonic experimentation that characterized Revolver. Even if the legendary proto-metal jam of "What's the New Mary Jane" didn't see the light of day here, there is plenty for any Beatles fan. --Chris Nickson

Customer Reviews

Real Love
This Anthology represents the Beatles beginning their experimental phase!

Like Anthology 1, this CD begins with a John Lennon solo song performed by John with additional music provided by Paul, George, and Ringo. Probably because this is a more complete song, the concept works a little better than on "Free as a Bird".

Beyond that, you get a grabbag of demos, alternative takes, and live tracks from 1965 to early 1968. "Yes It Is" begins the set. Interesting is some of the studio banter like in "I'm Down" (with Paul saying in a pseudo-American accent: "Let's hope this one turns out pretty darn good... Plastic soul, man!") and "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" (glass shatters and John mumbles: "Paul's broken a glass broke a glass Paul broke."). There are also never before released songs like "If You've Got Trouble", "That Means a Lot", and "12 Bar Original" (a fun jam in the mold of "Green Onions").

Live performances include television performances of "Yesterday" (with George introducing Paul) and "Help!", "Everybody's Got to Be My Baby" (from the legendary Shea Stadium concert) and "Rock & Roll Music" and "She's a Woman" (from their final 1966 tour). You can hear the Beatles slowly go through the motions in the end on stage as their studio recordings became more complex...

There are only a few outtakes from Rubber Soul, including the heavily sitar drenched "Norwegian Wood" and "...Looking Through You" in its early stage (with a hand clapping intro). The Revolver selections are more generous, with "Tomorrow Never Knows" (which even without all the tape effects sounds bizarre!), "Taxman" with the line "Anybody gotta bitta money" in place of "Uh uh Mr. Wilson... uh uh Mr. Heath", and a mellower slowed down take of "Got to Get You Into...". There are instrumental takes of "Eleanor Rigby" and "...Only Sleeping" (with a vibraphone). It's fun to hear Paul and John giggling while attempting to sing harmonies on "And Your Bird Can Sing"!

CD2 begins with an early demo of "Strawberry Fields", followed by an unused take, then the take which would begin the master we all know (played in its entirety) with Ringo's drum part at the end. "Penny Lane" features an oboe instead of a piccolo trumpet after the 2nd verse and features the closing horn riff which was previously only available on radio promo copies! "A Day In the Life" features John mumbling "sugar plumb fairy" and begins as a simple folk song up to its buildup (you can hear Mal Evans counting down the seconds until the alarm clock), then Paul goofs on the vocals and cusses, and it all concludes with the orchestral buildup. "Good Morning" sounds more rocking than the original. The instrumental take of "Within You Without You" sounds more ethereal than with George's vocals. You also get the complete stereo version of "You Know My Name...". The Magical Mystery Tour outtakes are interesting with Ringo playing a march beat on "Your Mother Should Know". "I Am the Walrus" and "Hello Goodbye" sound different without orchestration. The set concludes with "Lady Madonna" and one of the best takes of "Across the Universe".

Also recommended is the hard-to-find "Real Love" CD single with outtakes of "Yellow Submarine" (featuring a spoken intro by Ringo), "Here, There and Everywhere" and "Baby's In Black" (from a 1965 Hollywood Bowl performance).

Excellent addition to any Beatles collection.
This is where the meat of the Anthology series is. The two discs (especially the second one) cover the Beatles' most adventurous and creative time with studio experimentation, and because of that this a great companion piece to the respective studio albums (namely Revolver and Sgt. Pepper, and the Magical Mystery Tour era singles).

But like I said on the Anthology 1 review, the Anthologies can only really be appreciated with a pre-existing knowledge of the band's studio songs (and the band members' personalities to a lesser extent). It's like watching home videos of someone else's childhood--you just can't fully appreciate it without some proper frame of reference.

So this should still go only to those fans that consider themselves fans of the band. It is the best of the 3, so if you're undecided about whether or not to get the set, this would be the ideal starting point. The music here is good (even early versions and alternate takes of these songs sound great), and there is less live and interview "filler" that brought the first Anthology down. And it's fun hearing different versions of songs we're already used to. Plus, Real Love sounds great!

At Their Peak
As many other reviewers have stated, these CDs contain many demos and alternate versions of Beatles' songs. Among all of this material there is also some previously unreleased material which is very good. But this isn't just a matter of raiding the vaults to give Fab Four Junkies a fix; this material is a series of revelations about the band's most fertile period.

The live versions of 1965 material start the first disc off and then it moves to the more inventive songs from "Rubber Soul" and "Revolver." There are several very interesting alternate takes here, but the real excitement is on the second disc. Here one sees the evolution in sound during the making of "Sgt. Pepper," and it becomes very clear that the Beatles could have gone many different directions with their new songs. The "Magical Mystery Tour" material is first rate; unfortunately, many people have forgotten this over the past 30 years.

The absolute highlight of the collection for me is the sparse version of 'Across the Universe' that closes the second disc. It is light years better than the half-baked version that turned up on "Let it Be" three years later. "Anthology 2" shows the Beatles at the height of their powers, and in this it pleases Fab Four Fanatics or general music fans alike.