The Beatles Album: “The Beatles Anthology: 2”

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!

THE BEATLES ANTHOLOGY 2 is by far the best of the three Anthology albums, but Anthology 1 comes in a close 2nd place. It is packed end-to-end with quality, the booklet is full of cool photographs, and there are a few live performances.

Disc 1

Tracks 9-12 (I Feel Fine to Help!) are one live performance, track 13 (Everybody's Trying to...) is another performance and 24 and 25 (Rock and Roll Music; She's a Woman) is also a live show. I especially love "Real Love." When I first heard it, I thought it was stupid, but after a few times, I enjoyed it. The only let down was that there were only TWO songs from "Rubber Soul," The Beatles' turning point album! Those two are "Norwegian Wood" and "I'm Looking Through You. But they covered "Revolver" pretty well, with "Taxman," also a really cool version of "Eleanor Rigby" with no words, like a karaoke version, two "I'm Only Sleeping" tracks, "And Your Bird Can Sing" is really funny with all the laughing, "Got to Get You Into My Life" and "Tomorrow Never Knows."

Most of Disc 2 is Sgt Pepper songs. There are three "Strawberry Fields Forever" tracks and track 3, the take 7 & edit piece version, has an amazing drum solo from Ringo! I especially enjoyed the jam session for "A Day in the Life." The two "Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" tracks are pretty cool, "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" is noticably faster than the album take.

"Within You Without You" is an instrumental and is slower, and therefore longer, than the 5:05 album version. This one is about 5:20.

"You Know My Name" is presented for the first time in its full six minutes here, which is cool, but after a while it gets annoying. (The Past Masters Volume Two version is only about 4:20).

"I am the Walrus" is alright too, but with no special effects or background vocals; just John's vocal and guitar and Ringo's drums.

That's all the highlights of the album. But, don't think the other tracks are dull and boring, they're GREAT, but these I've just mentioned are the ESPECIALLY GREAT ones.

All in all, Anthology 2 is by far the BEST of the three Anthology albums. If you're a big Beatles fan, don't hesitate to buy it!

Much more so than the other two Anthology sets released by the Beatles, this set comes across as very deliberate and well-designed. This is less a result of planning than the nature of the Beatles career. CD one tracks their mastery of the pop art-form, while Disc 2 features their experimentation with the art-form and taking it further than anyone before them, and perhaps anyone since. All the while, both discs echo each other, showing the consistency and creativity of the band itself.

The first "Anthology" tracks show their pop-mastery all too well. While their early work was not significantly different than what other rock bands were producing, but this time, they had moved beyond their simple R&B roots and found ways to infuse their work with a creative excellence which really perfected the pop genre. Moreover, they are very dynamic songs. The move from the pristine beauty of "Yes It Is" to the powerful drive of "I'm Down" and then back to delightful beauty of "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away". What we hear in this set are the songs are presented in a more bare state than they would be released, but the genius comes through effortlessly. This would be a focus of the set. "Yesterday" without the strings is still absolutely perfect. Likewise, Lennon's "It's Only Love" thrives without the strong guitar. It is a wonderful way to experience these songs, with such a focus on the great vocals. While all of this was going on, the more formulaic nature of the Beatles live shows offer a very different way of seeing the band. Disc One again features a lot of the live tracks from these years, showing just how much the band had mastered live performance, often in spite of their audience. The difference becomes all the more stark once we start to see the tracks from "Rubber Soul" and "Revolver". The band was pushing pop music beyond what it was, but without abandoning the genre itself. Some of the alternate takes are interesting, but not terribly powerful, but there are exceptions. Notably, "Tomorrow Never Knows", "And Your Bird Can Sing" and the rehearsal of "I'm Only Sleeping" offer a great look at some of the group's new works in a very different stage than we would come to know. Compelling and fascinating, these tracks offer a glimpse at where the Beatles would go artistically following "Revolver" and on the second disc of this set. Also, the strings only version of "Eleanor Rigby" ought be mentioned, for it is a great reminder of how strong a producer and composer George Martin was. While much of these discs show the unembellished masterpieces of the Beatles music, here we can really appreciated the embellished masterpiece of Beatles recordings. These two purposes would be increasingly important after the Beatles abandon touring and concentrate on their studio work.

This duel focus is how Disc Two introduces itself, with three very different versions of the classic "Strawberry Fields Forever". First is a demo version recording by John Lennon in his home. The song is beautiful and the beauty isn't the least bit difficult to see in the barren demo recording. From there we find a very different studio recording than would be eventually released. Simple, but experimental, we can really get a picture of the song's nature as childhood remembrances. Still, it was not what the composer wanted, so we also get treated to another later take on the song, which would be part of the final recording. Familiar, yet new, we now experience the mastery of their recording in full. Also, we hear an extended "wild drum track" from Ringo which does a lot to elevate him as a musician. After a remixed version of Penny Lane, we move onto the recordings for "Sgt. Pepper's...", the band's most highly regarded achievement artistically. The version of "A Day in the Life" found here is composed with the purpose of highlighting the creative work that went into putting this marvelous recording together. Although artificial in nature, it is a fascinating way of presenting a historical look on the song while remaining an excellent track in its own right. Later in the disc, the Reprise version of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" is introduced in a much more powerful rendition than would find its way onto the album. Also, the full version of the very experimental "You Know My Name..." is a real treat. The rest of Disc Two is very strong and great to listen to. "I am the Walrus" without George Martin's arrangement, a great demo of "Fool on the Hill", and the fantastic early version of "Across the Universe". Disc Two has a host of great tracks that excel both as historical studies of the Beatles music and great versions of the songs in their own right. It appeals to two different audiences, and makes this set a great pick-up for all Beatles fans.

As a last note, I do want to talk about the "new" track, "Real Love". This is really a masterpiece by all involved. It is a beautiful song from John Lennon which is beautifully developed by the remaining members of the Beatles. It is far superior to "Free as a Bird" and really makes this play the infamous "What if..." game. The band works together so well and so effortlessly, they cannot be considered anything less than the most artistically accomplished band in the history of Rock n' Roll.

I am thoroughly enjoying this CD. Listening to the succession of takes as the music evolves is absolutely fascinating. The guys' voices also seem to come through better here than in the final takes where they so often seemed to be buried under heavy orchestration. They especially sound good when they are merely doing a "guide vocal" knowing it won't be on the final cut. In that vein, the reprise of Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is a standout. Paul McCartney really cuts loose on that version.

John Lennon's sense of humor really seems to come through, too. Too often, my thoughts of him are of the later years of his life when he appeared so somber and depressed. It's wonderful to have my memory of him refreshed in this positive way.

All in all, I think my favorite tune is "You Know My Name". I'd heard that was also Paul McCartney's all time favorite Beatles' tune. Now I know why. While it appears to be just plain old ordinary good fun, the variety of musical styles and voices which were incorporated into this one number is positively genius.

If you're a serious Beatles' collector this CD is a must. If you're only a casual listener, but are interested in how a recording session might sound, you'd want to pick this one up, too. Listening to this CD feels like being in the recording studio with the band.

I can't get enough of it.

Stan

If you love them, and I do, this music represents the most creative period of the artists (George Martin included) who almost single handedly built the structures around which Pop/Rock music is still defined. As I believe Noel Gallagher (of Oasis fame) said when asked about comparisons between his band and the Beatles; 'The Beatles built the Mansion we all live in. Oasis are just redecorating one room'. Others may justly claim the architectural plaudits, black Blues & R&B artists, white C&W & Rock'n'Roll musicians and also, via George Martin, the melodic influence of the classical music world. None of these architects could possibly have imagined what the these men would do with their blueprints though.

The first 'Anthology' album is a historical document detailing the transition of a group of young men from being a ragged Rock'n'Roll band, fans and copiers of the Music & the Legendary Artists who emerged from the US in the late 50's, through their tentative early songwriting, growing in confidence and incorporating an ever wider range of influences, until they stood on the threshhold of greatness. This album (specifically disk 2) is a document of that greatness.

The 'Strawberry Fields' sequence stands apart as an extraordinary and beautiful piece in its own right. The story goes that George Martin blended a number of out-takes for the final version, but these are all (even the demo) exquisite and unique. They incorporate some beautifully subtle & melodic instrumental segues never before obtainable. If the 'Anthology' project was intended to give fans a glimpse of various Beatles gems before final polishing, then these versions of 'Strawberry Fields' glitter as beautifully as the 1967 released version. They are just cut differently. The rest of the album does include items that only a die hard fan would find of interest, but there is enough here (far more than enough !) to make this an album of interest for the quality of its music as well as being a historical document for those with an abiding interest in the creative evolution of the Beatles.