New Wax Wednesday

Mike Mettler: As I noted at the outset of my review of four choice Ringo Starr LP reissues last week here (on November 12, 2025), the month of November traditionally means there will be major Beatles-related releases in the hopper. This year is no different, as, in addition to a trio of solo-Beatles collections, there is also a Holy Grail 180g 12LP Beatles box set being released by Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/UMG this Friday, November 21, 2025 — and it is known as Anthology Collection. In addition to compiling the first three Anthology releases from 1995-96 that were intended to accompanied the same-named multi-part documentary that originally aired on ABC (a.k.a. “A-Beatles-C”) in late 1995, an all-new Anthology 4 3LP portion of the box includes rarities galore, along with a pair of 2025-demixed tracks. (Much more on all of that all-important box-set DNA minutiae shortly, of course — though you can also check out my Anthology Collection preview that posted here on August 21, 2025.)

Mettler: The fine folks at UMG/UMe were kind enough to ensure that copies of the Anthology Collection box set were respectively sent to both myself and our chief vinyl reviewer Mark Smotroff early last week, giving us both plenty of time to listen, listen, listen — and then listen some more — before doing our collective review proper. The Fabs powers-that-be also granted us the a-ok to post our in-depth review a few days ahead of the release date, right here in our New Wax Wednesday column, so we respectfully rattle our analog jewelry in their general direction in return, along with giving them our most humble, early Happy Crimble thanks.

Ultimately, this is all for your benefit. Anytime Beatles collections of this nature are released, we want to take as much time with them upfront as we can to ensure we’re giving you the best information we can about how they’re presented, how they’re packaged, and how they sound, as these boxes typically cost a good bit more than other super-deluxe collections do — and thus, we want to “go long” so you can see if the pricetag ultimately warrants the aural and collectible freight that’s being delivered.

I should add that a companion, 368-page Anthology 25th anniversary paperback reissue is available now from Chronicle Books for an SRP of $50, so if you’re into delving into the history of the Fabs even more (and almost entirely in their own words, at that), you can order this oversize edition right here. (Yes, although the Anthology Collection box set is indeed feting its 30th anniversary, the Anthology book is “just” 25.)

I now turn it over to Mark to get the review ball rolling, as it were, and I will chime in all along the way with my own commentary as warranted. Over to you, my Beatles brother — but first, here’s the official YouTube teaser clip!

Mark Smotroff: Thanks, Mike. The Beatles were always musical leaders and pioneers back in the group’s 1960s heyday. Decades after they reset the bar for musical composition and recording innovation reaching remarkable highs to which most musicians still aspire, the group’s legacy continues to push the envelope of creativity and technological advancement. Accordingly, something that began as, like Mike briefly noted, an eight-part, mid-1990s TV documentary soundtrack arguably became a benchmark for many rarities and outtakes collections that have since followed. Now celebrating its 30th anniversary, the Anthology series has been sonically improved and expanded on vinyl to 12LPs in total, with its fourth 3LP volume consisting of new and previously unreleased rarities.

Before we dive into the meat of this review, some additional perspective is in order, especially for those reading this who are not in the know — for it is not just the audio that has been remastered here in the creation of the newly dubbed Anthology Collection. The Beatles Anthology video documentary series has also been fully restored and remastered by Apple, working with acclaimed Lord of the Rings Trilogy and Get Back director Peter Jackson’s Wingnut Films & Park Road Post in conjunction with producer/engineer Giles Martin, the creator of new audio mixes for most of the music featured in these Beatles-related films. Adding to the excitement is the news that they have created an additional ninth episode that reportedly features previously unseen behind-the-scenes footage of the surviving Beatles working together in 1994 and 1995. The entire, now nine-part Anthology doc series will begin streaming exclusively on Disney+ starting a week from today, on November 26, 2025.

Smotroff: And now, back to the music! When I first received my advance copy of Anthology Collection last week, it gave me a moment of pause, as I grappled with where to begin this journey. This beautiful box set is imposing, to say the least— but in a good way! Ultimately, my curiosity got the best of me, so I began listening at the very end of the collection.

Mettler: Sorry to interrupt, Mark, but I have to interject to freely admit that I also did the exact same thing! I cued up the very last side of Anthology Collection (Anth 4, LP3, Side 6) first before listening to anything else in the box set — and I had some very specific reasons for doing just that, pretty much the same as you. Carry on!

Smotroff: Why am I not surprised to hear that? Well, before we get into discussing what we both heard on that final Anthology 4 LP side, let’s first unpack as much of the underlying DNA that went into the creation of this fine collection as we can. From the official press materials, we find out that, “The musical side of the Anthology Collection, originally curated by George Martin, [and] now remastered by Giles Martin, in the form of three double albums of rare material, [is] a shadow story to the one told in the documentaries. They are an enthralling insight into the early development of songs that became the recorded masterpieces that resonate just as loudly today as they did when they were first recorded. [. . .] Across all the Anthology albums, there are 191 tracks [. . . and the] box set includes the original sleeve notes for Anthology 1, 2, and 3; the new Anthology 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.”

Official online sources and The Beatles team writ large confirmed more crucial details about that much anticipated fourth volume. Anthology 4 features 13 unreleased tracks and 17 songs selected from separately released super deluxe versions of five classic Fabs albums (all of which we reviewed here on AP when they came out). In addition to fascinating outtakes from 1963-69, Anthology 4 includes new 2025 mixes by Jeff Lynne of “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love.” Furthermore, Anthology 4 presents 26 tracks previously unavailable on vinyl.

Each of the four 180g 3LP sets in the entire Collection is housed in a triple-gatefold sleeve featuring original art, with the sleeve notes for Anthology 1-3 done by Mark Lewisohn, along with restored photos included for each of them. As noted earlier, Anthology 4 boasts new sleeve notes by Kevin Howlett, plus more special photos. The outer slipcase for the whole shebang features the original Klaus Voorman triptych art, now presented as one contiguous image.

The LPs themselves were pressed in Germany at Optimal from new vinyl lacquers cut by Alex Wharton at Abbey Road Studios, details that were all confirmed directly with AP by our contacts at Apple/UMG/UMe.

This is a good time to point out that the overall production values on the new Anthology Collection, while mirroring the original LPs in terms of their layout, feel more robust than 1995 UK editions we both have. It is overall a bit sturdier than those are/were, that’s for sure.

Mettler: Very much agreed, Mark. I aways felt my original vinyl editions of all three original 1995-96 Anthology releases should have been made of sturdier form and cover/cardstock, rather than being presented in the trifold/gatefold style they appeared in — especially seeing how that presentation can often compromise the condition of the spines, or lead to corner tears when you’re trying to gently remove the middle-section LP. For example, there’s crease all the way down the middle of the spine of my original copy of Anthology 2 that I don’t love. I’m more than happy with the super-sturdy outer box that houses the innards of Anthology Collection, and I also understand (well, to some degree) why they included the bellyband with the Fabs on the front (as seen above) and the tracklistings on the back of it, rather than printing them on the outer box itself. That said, couldn’t they have just printed those bellyband tracklistings on the top half of the outer box’s back cover rather than the hype-sticker-like text that’s there now? These are nitpicky sentiments, I know, and they’re certainly not dealbreakers in any way.

Smotroff: Oh, believe me, I get it! Anyway, the print quality is excellent on my copy of Anthology Collection. Each disc comes housed in a plastic-lined audiophile-grade inner sleeve, and every disc features the iconic green Apple label, with the white sliced half on the flip side. These new 180g dark black vinyl pressings have been absolutely dead quiet and well-centered, so there are thankfully no problems on that front.

Mettler: I can report the same with my box set, as all 12 of the LPs in my Collection were also well-centered and dark-black, with only an occasional tick detected at the end of three sides. I should add that no tracks are listed on any of those side’s labels, however — just the phrase “see sleeve for details” underneath each side’s numeric ID, which appears in reverse type in a white box on the odd-numbered sides (the green apple) and in black box on the even-numbered sides (the sliced apple).

It’s also probably worth noting that, given the nature of some of the demos and outtakes that are interspersed amidst the more finished studio tracks and live cuts, what may appear to be SQ anomalies are related to what was put down on the original tape sources and are not related to the quality of the vinyl pressing itself. I should also reiterate that the related recording minutiae for each track can be found in the song-by-song liners on the inner gates of each volume — though you may need a magnifying glass to read them, depending on the current state of your personal eyesight.

Mettler: And with that, let’s now tell everyone how they can get their copies ahead of time. The full Anthology Collection 12LP box set is available at Music Direct for a (get ready for it) SRP of $374.99, and you can preorder it right here. (For the digitally inclined and/or completists amongst us, the full 8CD edition is also available at MD for $120.99, while the Anthology 4-only 2CD edition goes for $29.99.) For those who wish to start with just the new Volume 4 3LP set all on its own, that one’s available individually for $75.99 at MD, and you can preorder that edition here, if you wish — but we think you should go all-in for the full box set, don’t we?

Smotroff: We sure do! As you will continue to learn, you should indeed consider getting the entire Anthology Collection, given that more than “just” remastering went into the making of this new edition.

Let me explain. When you start digging into the new versions of the first three volumes of the Anthology Collection, you may notice a number of changes — and even certain marked improvements, which may be enough to entice some of you who were thinking of only getting the Volume 4 3LP set to rethink that idea and perhaps instead splurge on the whole new box set instead.

Smotroff: I discovered those changes quite organically myself as they were not really a focus of the background materials, per se. I gave a fresh listen to my original 1995 UK pressing of Anthology 1 on vinyl, and when I switched over to the new 2025 edition of it, I sensed something was different. Notably, those super-early 1958 home recordings of the nascent, pre-Ringo Beatles precursor, The Quarry Men (John, Paul, George, and two other local lads) were sounding remarkably clear. I reached out to our contacts at Apple/UMe, inquiring as to whether I was imagining things — and was pleased to find out that my gut instincts were right on target, as reps for the project confirmed additional audio work was indeed done on several early recordings.

For example, “That’ll Be the Day” (Anth 1, LP1, Side 1, Track 3) and “In Spite of All the Danger” (Anth 1, LP1, Side 1, Track 4) both benefit from “new restoration and more accurate varispeed,” and they also employ “stereo processing’” for “much improved sound quality.” So what does “stereo processing” really mean here? The reps explained that Giles Martin’s approach as applied on certain tracks here as follows: “Stereo processing of mono tracks is a subtle spread of the mono signal — not to be confused with ‘electronic reprocessed stereo’ used in the 1960s & 1970s.” In layperson language, I think this probably means they used a sort of dual-channel mono to deliver a broader, more balanced feel to some of the music, making these tracks sound a bit more consistent with the other tracks when played end to end.

And thus, regarding the three “new” reunion tracks that can be found collectively on Anth 4, LP3, Side 6, we know that the aforementioned Jeff Lynne (ELO, Traveling Wilburys) remixed both “Free as a Bird,” and “Real Love” specifically for this collection — but the reason for that was because John Lennon’s vocals, which were pulled from his original cassette demo — the basis for those recordings in the first place — had been completely restored! Using Peter Jackson’s proprietary demixing technology, Lennon’s voice was isolated from the piano portion of the relatively lo-fi home recording as well as, seemingly, room ambiance. The vocal track has been dramatically enhanced for the first time — in turn revealing a startling, remarkably clear lead vocal of Lennon singing these songs. With this new isolated, restored vocal, Lynne was able to incorporate and properly remix those two final Beatles reunion tracks.

In short, the level of clarity we first heard on “Now and Then ” — the “final” Beatles track that initially surfaced in 2023 and also serves as the final track on Anthology Collection — is now also heard on both “Free as a Bird,” and “Real Love” as well. The results are genuinely impressive — and, depending on your perspective, quite breathtaking. Check out the new “Bird” via its official YouTube clip below.

Mettler: I wholly agreed with that assessment, Mark! As for me, I A/B’ed both “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love” with their respective predecessors on my copies of their respective original Anthology LP releases. While both of those 1995 mixes are also available in their original mixes and positions on the new Collection as well, I wanted to go back to the 30-year-old sources instead, as it were. As LP1, Side 1, Track 1 on my November 1995 Anthology 1 3LP set (Apple 7243 8 34445 1 9) — which, mind you, was only on standard-weight vinyl, and not 180g — Lennon’s vocal was about as good as they could get it those 30 years ago, but it’s still, well, to use a technical term, cringey. Here on the 1995 version, Lennon sounded like he was underwater, and it was especially painful hearing the “e” vowel sound as he was extending the first word, “free.” The Fabs harmonies on the ensuing phrase “as a bird” masked it a bit, and probably with intention.

The demixed version on Anthology Collection is infinitely more pleasing. The stereo soundfield is much wider overall, and other elements of the track — the right-channel guitar comps right after “home and dry,” Ringo’s phasey fade-back-in drums after the initial false ending, and Harrison’s wink-nudge banjo-ukulele strums before Lennon’s quip before the final fade — are more distinct. Plus, I like how McCartney’s native Scouse accent comes ever-so-slightly through in the way he extends the syllable in “touch” (“toouch”) but not in the following rhyme with “much.”

Mettler: Likewise, March 1996’s Anthology 2 (Apple C1 7243 8 34448 1 6) had issues of its own — like 1, it was also on standard-weight vinyl, but it sadly came with all three of its discs egregiously housed in paper inner sleeves. Thankfully, 1 came with plastic-lined inners, so (of course) I replaced the paper ones in 2 almost immediately, just as I had to do with the three paper inners found in October 1996’s Anthology 3 [Apple C1 7243 8 34451 1 0]). Anyway, on the original 2, “Real Love” had the troublesome underwater lead-vocal thing again in effect (plus, there were some tempo issues), though it finally struck me upon doing this A/B session that John’s approach to the “Real Love” verses was somewhat akin to how he’d take a similar tack with the somewhat longer lines on the verses to “Watching the Wheels” on his November 1980 “comeback” Geffen LP half-shared with his life-partner Yoko Ono, Double Fantasy.

On the new demixed version on Anthology Collection, “Real Love” is more, well, real. The original’s vocal tempo issue is fully resolved, for one, and the piano is freer, so to speak. Ringo’s deft touch on the drums supports the song’s intent (similar to his fills between the verse lines on Sgt. Pepper’s “A Day in the Life”), Harrison’s guitar lines soar anew, and McCartney’s double bass is a bit back in the mix rather than appearing too dominant. I also zeroed in on Lennon’s peculiar, almost onomatopoeic enunciation of the word “doing” (you’ll know what I mean when you hear it).

Mettler: We’ve previously shared our thoughts about “Now and Then,” the last track on Anth 4 (LP3, Side 6, Track 3), on AP both here (on October 26, 2023) and here (on December 1, 2023) — and now that this “final” Beatles track has thus been conjoined on the same side with the demixed “Bird” and “Love” tracks, its Fabs-postscript intent fits even more smoothly. Uber-purists can argue the semantics about how the surviving Fabs chose to walk on/record on sacred ground, but I’m more than cool with how these three tracks have ultimately fared after having been upgraded with the modern technology available to the production team writ large. What say you, Mark?

Smotroff: For those of you who can comprehend the technological hurdles The Beatles have cleared here, it’s nothing short of magic. And for those of you, like both Mike and I, who have been lifelong Beatle fans, hearing the new demixed versions of “Bird” and “Love” are even more heart-wrenching (in a good way) than when we first heard them in 1995 and 1996. I have played this particular 4 LP side over and over several times in a row, and it feels like a lost side of an actual Beatle album. Together as one continuous listening experience, this final three-track sequence acts as a wonderful, albeit bittersweet, coda to an incredible group. I cried. Seriously.

The changes made to “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love” — in effect, bringing those recordings up to that same level of fidelity as “Now and Then” — are nothing short of jaw-dropping. This is musical alchemy of the highest order, as we’re now able to hear Lennon’s lead vocal in equal balance with the other Beatles. On “Real Love,” in fact, you can now hear him clearly enunciating the opening line, “All my little plans and schemes.” It was so jarring, in fact, that I had to go back to the original Anthology 2 mix — and then I realized I had never completely understood what he was actually singing there because the original vocal was so blurry!

Mettler: I’m right there with you on that much clearer, formerly “blurry” opening line! But, as you also rightly noted earlier, this new collection is not all about Anthology 4, of course. Besides digging the upgraded sound for those raw-ish 1958 cuts from their teenage Liverpool days, “That’ll Be the Day” and “In Spite of All the Danger” — an assessment I also wholeheartedly agree with, as they easily win out over their original 1995-released versions — what other “improvements” have stood out to your ear after listening to the other three 3LP volumes in Anthology Collection?

Smotroff: I’m glad you asked. Other significant changes/updates to the Anthology set include improvements to the Royal Variety Performance tracks, including a brand new Giles Martin mix of “Twist and Shout” (Anth 1, LP2, Side 4, Track 3) made for the documentary series. “All My Loving,” from The Ed Sullivan Show (Anth 1, LP3, Side 5, Track 1), and “Help,” from Blackpool Night Out (Anth 2, LP1, Side 2, Track 4), have been similarly updated. Giles Martin’s aforementioned “stereo processing” was applied to numerous tracks with varying degrees of impact, including what he did on the demos for “Strawberry Fields Forever” (Anth 2, LP2, Side 4, Track 1) and “The Fool on the Hill” (Anth 3, LP3, Side 6, Track 2), as well as live recordings from Shea Stadium in New York (“Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby” [Anth 2, LP1, Side 2, Track 5]) and in Tokyo (“Rock and Roll Music” and “She’s A Woman” [Anth 2, LP2, Side 3, Tracks 8 and 9]).

In numerous instances, more recent remastering efforts culled from several Beatles super deluxe edition (a.k.a. SDE) box sets from recent years have been swapped out and updated, in some cases including fresh editing to match the Anthology versions. These include numerous tracks from November 2018’s The White Album SDE, October 2021’s Let It Be SDE, and October 2022’s Revolver SDE. Also, “Get Back,” taken from the third rooftop performance (Anth 3, LP3, Side 5, Track 5), now features the 2022 digital audio mix from the previously streaming-only release Get Back: The Rooftop Performance.

Mettler: You know, I actually bought an import cassette version of Get Back: The Rooftop Performance that may or may actually be a graymarket copy, just to satisfy my completist tendencies — and I know you’re not surprised to hear that either! Dare I ask you to zero in on your other favorite tracks on Anthology Collection?

Smotroff: Pinpointing “favorite” tracks on Anthology Collection is super-hard, as there are simply so many amazing moments — but I’ll try! Perhaps not surprisingly, I’m especially drawn to Anthology 2, which mostly tracks The Beatles’ explosive mid-’60s psychedelic period. I have enjoyed many a great thrill of re-surprise while listening to those tracks again, as it has admittedly been some time since I completed a deep-dive immersion across the 2 universe. But it was indeed therein on 2 where I rediscovered one of my all-time favorite Beatle tracks — a song that wasn’t released until 1970 as a B-side (and in mono!) but one that began its life in 1967 during the Sgt. Pepper sessions: a stereo remix of “You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)” (Anth 2, LP3, Side 5, Track 6).

Mettler: That’s one of my favorites too! And yes, just in case you’re wondering, I bought a bootleg that included “Name” on it just to have that track in hand on vinyl back in the day, long before it later showed up on March 1988’s Past Masters: Volume Two CD, which I got before I eventually tracked down a copy of the single you mention that had it on its B-side. I’ll let you tell everyone more of the story behind all that “Name / Number” biz.

Smotroff: Thanks! Let me take a moment to explain why I love this track so much. My history with this tune goes way back to when I was a little kid, as I had discovered this incredibly strange and funny song as a nine-year-old playing the B-side to my “Let It Be” single. I played it a lot — endlessly, in fact. Seriously, this became a minor obsession over time, as I kept coming back to it. This eventually prompted one of my older brothers to steer me toward not only exploring his growing jazz collection but also the music of Frank Zappa — all of this a result of listening to that one madcap Beatles B-side!

And thus, I can’t underscore my personal wonderment upon hearing the original, unedited take of Paul and John — along with Brian Jones of The Rolling Stones, who appears here on saxophone — letting loose, and working through the wild whimsies of “You Know My Name (Look Up the Number).” It was particularly life-affirming for me reading again in the Anthology Collection liner notes that Sir Paul counts this very song as among his favorites, because it was in fact so unusual!

Smotroff: On a more serious note, the early February 1968 take of Lennon’s “Across the Universe” (Anth 2, Side 6, Track 7) is presented at the correct speed, and without the “Apple Scruffs” choir (i.e., the young female fans hanging outside Abbey Road studios who were asked to sing on the first released and sped-up version). For me, this take is just about perfect, arguably best encapsulating that mystical, spiritual moment The Beatles were exploring surrounding their trip to India and involvement with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. The lovely sitar and tamboura backing on this version of “Universe” delivers a sort of chiming psychedelic sunshine sparkle throughout the track, giving the song an appropriately ethereal sensibility unlike any other take of it. In retrospect, this song would have made a nice single release paired with George Harrison’s “The Inner Light” (the B-side to the March 1968 “Lady Madonna” single), which was recorded around this same timeframe.

Mettler: I’d second that idea. Actually, I always felt “The Inner Light,” much like certain other Harrison-penned B-sides like “Old Brown Shoe” and other tracks of his ultimately recast and retracked for his November 1970 3LP solo opus All Things Must Pass, should have made the cut onto proper Beatles albums to begin with — but I digress. Speaking of the Quiet Beatle, you can hear the cool demo for “Old Brown Shoe” on Anth 3, LP3, Side 5, Track 6.

Smotroff: I am also especially fond of the early take of McCartney’s “Teddy Boy” (Anth 3, LP2, Side 4, Track 6). This is a unique hybrid of two takes delivering a near-definitive version of one of the legendary tracks that had been leaked out on early 1970s bootlegs (many which were likely sourced from a tape reportedly played on radio stations in Boston and Buffalo). That tape was likely engineer Glyn Johns’ early vision for the ill-fated Get Back LP, an album that was shelved for what became May 1970’s Phil Spector-produced Let It Be. (Fortunately, on the above-mentioned 2021 Let It Be SDE box set, that very same Glyn Johns mix was formally issued, along with my original, beloved bootlegged version of “Teddy Boy.”)

How striking was this for young me, as a fan of McCartney’s eponymously titled first solo album from April 1970, that ultimately included his Version of this song? I remember first hearing this Beatles Version of “Teddy Boy” on a junior high school friend’s 8-track tape, which he recorded off the air from a college radio station that was playing Beatles bootlegs one night. It was the first time I had heard any Beatles outtakes — and my mind was sufficiently blown enough to start seeking out these underground records myself.

At any rate, I hope that extensive perspective helps those just getting deeper into The Beatles’ music to understand how a deep-rooted set like Anthology Collection connects so many dots for Beatle fans on many different levels!

Mettler: Oh, I think it does, indeed — and it’s also one of the beautiful things about compilations like Anthology Collection that spark so many vinyl-listening-related memories, almost all of them good ones. Well, we could go on for days and days about this collection (which we already seemed to have done anyway), but we should probably get to the ratings now to wrap things up. You first.

Smotroff: I can only give Anthology Collection a glowing, this-knob-goes-to-11 rating for the incredible Music within. Sonicswise, and even with the frequently astonishing sound improvements accomplished that are peppered throughout this set — especially the remarkable reunion tracks on the final side of 4— the sound rating will inevitably balance out to a very respectable solid 9, given that some tracks are genuinely of lower fidelity, while others are in fine full high fidelity.

My only nit to pick is that I wish the box set designers had revised the physical cover functionality for the vinyl pressings just a little bit, making the third pocket in each album open at the end as opposed to from the inside. This has always been a minor hassle to manage when taking the records out of the sleeve. Ultimately, that is a minor detail we’ll just have to continue to live with. Overall, The Beatles’ restored and expanded Anthology Collection sounds absolutely wonderful on 180g vinyl. If you love this Beatles music like we do, you should not hesitate to get this set ASAP. What do you think, Mike?

Mettler: I’m inclined to go with a 10 for the Music and a 9 for the Sound. Those numbers are composites of some songs hitting the full 11 mark outright for the Music content while others come closer to 9 and 10, respectively. As for the Sound composite rating, some of them are an outright 10 or 10.5, and others veer closer to 8 and 8.5 — so, our cumulative Anthology Collection ratings essentially average out to a 10.5 for the Music, and a 9 for the Sound.

Either way, the bottom line to me is very simple: The Beatles’ 180g 12LP Anthology Collection is an unquestionable A-level addition to any Beatles fan’s collection, and it should be obtained immediately — if not sooner.

Mark Smotroff is an avid vinyl collector who has also worked in marketing communications for decades. He has reviewed music for eCoustics, among others, and you can see more of his impressive C.V. at LinkedIn.

THE BEATLES
ANTHOLOGY COLLECTION
180g 12LP (Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/UMG)
MUSIC: 10.5
SOUND: 9

Original album curation/production by George Martin with The Beatles
Original album mastering by George Martin with Paul Hicks, Peter Mew, Chris Blair, and Chris Brown
Production on reunion tracks by Jeff Lynne
Original remix engineering by Geoff Emerick
2025 reissue restorations, remastering, and remixes by Giles Martin, with The Beatles
Anthology 4 produced by Giles Martin
Vinyl lacquers cut by Alex Wharton at Abbey Road Studios
Vinyl pressed at Optimal, in Germany

Anthology 1

LP1 – Side 1
1. Free As A Bird (1995 Mix)
2. John Lennon Speech 1
3. That’ll Be The Day
4. In Spite Of All The Danger
5. Paul McCartney Speech 1
6. Hallelujah, I Love Her So (Home Demo)
7. You’ll Be Mine (Home Demo)
8. Cayenne (Home Demo)
9. Paul McCartney Speech 2
10. My Bonnie
11. Ain’t She Sweet
12. Cry For A Shadow

LP1 – Side 2
1. John Lennon Speech 2
2. Brian Epstein Speech 1
3. Searchin’ (Decca Audition)
4. Three Cool Cats (Decca Audition)
5. The Sheik Of Araby (Decca Audition)
6. Like Dreamers Do (Decca Audition)
7. Hello Little Girl (Decca Audition)
8. Brian Epstein Speech 2
9. Besame Mucho (June 1962 Version)
10. Love Me Do (First Version)
11. How Do You Do It
12. Please Please Me (First Version)

LP2 – Side 3
1. One After 909 (Takes 3, 4, and 5)
2. One After 909 (Edit Of Takes 4 and 5)
3. Lend Me Your Comb (BBC recording)
4. I’ll Get You (Sunday Night At The London Palladium)
5. John Lennon Speech 3
6. I Saw Her Standing There (Live In Stockholm)
7. From Me To You (Live In Stockholm)
8. Money (That’s What I Want) (Live In Stockholm)
9. You Really Got A Hold On Me (Live In Stockholm)
10. Roll Over Beethoven (Live In Stockholm)

LP2 – Side 4
1. She Loves You (Royal Variety Performance)
2. Till There Was You (Royal Variety Performance)
3. Twist And Shout (Royal Variety Performance)
4. This Boy (The Morecambe And Wise Show)
5. I Want To Hold Your Hand (The Morecambe And Wise Show)
6. Speech From The Morecambe And Wise Show
7. Moonlight Bay (The Morecambe And Wise Show)
8. Can’t Buy Me Love (Take 2 With Solo From Take 1)

LP3 – Side 5
1. All My Loving (The Ed Sullivan Show)
2. You Can’t Do That (Take 6)
3. And I Love Her (Take 2)
4. A Hard Day’s Night (Take 1)
5. I Wanna Be Your Man (Around The Beatles)
6. Long Tall Sally (Around The Beatles)
7. Boys (Around The Beatles Session)
8. Shout (Around The Beatles)
9. I’ll Be Back (Take 2)
10. I’ll Be Back (Take 3)

LP3 – Side 6
1. You Know What To Do (Demo)
2. No Reply (Demo)
3. Mr. Moonlight (Takes 1 And 4)
4. Leave My Kitten Alone (Take 5)
5. No Reply (Take 2)
6. Eight Days A Week (Takes 1, 2, And 4)
7. Eight Days A Week (Take 5)
8. Kansas City / Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey! (Take 2)

Anthology 2

LP1 – Side 1
1. Real Love (1996 Mix)
2. Yes It Is (Takes 2 And 14)
3. I’m Down (Take 1)
4. You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away (Take 5)
5. If You’ve Got Trouble (Take 1)
6. That Means A Lot (Take 1)
7. Yesterday (Take 1)
8. It’s Only Love (Takes 3 And 2)

LP1 – Side 2
1. I Feel Fine (Blackpool Night Out)
2. Ticket To Ride (Blackpool Night Out)
3. Yesterday (Blackpool Night Out)
4. Help! (Blackpool Night Out)
5. Everybody’s Trying To Be My Baby (Live At Shea Stadium, New York)
6. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) (Take 1)
7. I’m Looking Through You (Take 1)
8. 12-Bar Original (Take 2 Edited)

LP2 – Side 3
1. Tomorrow Never Knows (Take 1)
2. Got To Get You Into My Life (Take 5)
3. And Your Bird Can Sing (Take 2)
4. Taxman (Take 11)
5. Eleanor Rigby (Take 14 – Strings Only)
6. I’m Only Sleeping (Rehearsal)
7. I’m Only Sleeping (Take 1)
8. Rock And Roll Music (Live In Tokyo)
9. She’s A Woman (Live In Tokyo)

LP2 – Side 4
1. Strawberry Fields Forever (Home Demo Sequence)
2. Strawberry Fields Forever (Take 1)
3. Strawberry Fields Forever (Take 7 And Edit Piece)
4. Penny Lane (Remix)
5. A Day In The Life (Takes 1, 2, 6 And Orchestra)
6. Good Morning Good Morning (Take 8)
7. Only A Northern Song (Takes 3 And 12)

LP3 – Side 5
1. Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite! (Takes 1 And 2)
2. Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite! (Take 7)
3. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds (Takes 6, 7 And 8)
4. Within You Without You (Instrumental)
5. Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) (Take 5)
6. You Know My Name (Look Up The Number) (Stereo Remix)

LP3 – Side 6
1. I Am The Walrus (Take 16)
2. The Fool On The Hill (Demo)
3. Your Mother Should Know (Take 27)
4. The Fool On The Hill (Take 4)
5. Hello, Goodbye (Take 16)
6. Lady Madonna (Takes 3 And 4)
7. Across The Universe (Take 2)

Anthology 3

LP1 – Side 1
1. A Beginning
2. Happiness Is A Warm Gun (Esher Demo With False Start)
3. Helter Skelter (Take 2 Edited)
4. Mean Mr. Mustard (Esher Demo)
5. Polythene Pam (Esher Demo)
6. Glass Onion (Esher Demo)
7. Junk (Esher Demo)
8. Piggies (Esher Demo)
9. Honey Pie (Esher Demo Edited)
10. Don’t Pass Me By (Take 3 With Take 5 Vocal)
11. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (First Version – Take 5)
12. Good Night (Rehearsal And Take 34)

LP1 – Side 2
1. Cry Baby Cry (Take 1)
2. Blackbird (Take 4)
3. Sexy Sadie (Take 6)
4. While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Acoustic Version – Take 1)
5. Hey Jude (Take 2)
6. Not Guilty (Take 102 Edited)
7. Mother Nature’s Son (Take 2)

LP2 – Side 3
1. Glass Onion (Original Mono Mix)
2. Rocky Raccoon (Take 8)
3. What’s The New Mary Jane (Take 4)
4. Step Inside Love / Los Paranoias (Studio Jam)
5. I’m So Tired (Edit Of Takes 3, 6, 9)
6. I Will (Take 1)
7. Why Don’t We Do It In The Road (Take 4)
8. Julia (Take 2)

LP2 – Side 4
1. I’ve Got A Feeling (Apple Studio)
2. She Came In Through The Bathroom Window (Apple Studio)
3. Dig A Pony (Apple Studio)
4. Two Of Us (Apple Studio)
5. For You Blue (Apple Studio)
6. Teddy Boy (Apple Studio)
7. Medley: Rip It Up / Shake, Rattle And Roll / Blue Suede Shoes (Apple Studio Jam)

LP3 – Side 5
1. The Long And Winding Road (Apple Studio)
2. Oh! Darling (Apple Studio)
3. All Things Must Pass (Demo)
4. Mailman, Bring Me No More Blues (Apple Studio Jam)
5. Get Back (Third Rooftop Performance)
6. Old Brown Shoe (Demo)
7. Octopus’s Garden (Take 2)
8. Maxwell’s Silver Hammer (Take 5)

LP3 – Side 6
1. Something (Demo)
2. Come Together (Take 1)
3. Come and Get It (Demo – 1996 Remix)
4. Ain’t She Sweet (Studio Jam)
5. Because (Vocals Only)
6. Let It Be (Apple Studio)
7. I Me Mine (Take 16)
8. The End (Remix With The Final Chord Of A Day In The Life)

Anthology 4

LP1 – Side 1
1. I Saw Her Standing There (Take 2)
2. Money (That’s What I Want) (RM7 Undubbed)
3. This Boy (Takes 12 And 13)
4. Tell Me Why (Takes 4 And 5)
5. If I Fell (Take 11)
6. Matchbox (Take 1)
7. Every Little Thing (Takes 6 And 7)
8. I Need You (Take 1)

LP1 – Side 2
1. I’ve Just Seen A Face (Take 3)
2. In My Life (Take 1)
3. Nowhere Man (First Version – Take 2)
4. Got To Get You Into My Life (Second Version – Unnumbered Mix)
5. Love You To (Take 7)
6. Strawberry Fields Forever (Take 26)
7. She’s Leaving Home (Take 1 – Instrumental)

LP2 – Side 3
1. Baby, You’re A Rich Man (Takes 11 And 12)
2. All You Need Is Love (Rehearsal For BBC Broadcast)
3. The Fool On The Hill (Take 5 – Instrumental)
4. I Am The Walrus (Take 19 – Strings, Brass, Clarinet Overdub)

LP2 – Side 4
1. Hey Bulldog (Take 4 – Instrumental)
2. Good Night (Take 10 With A Guitar Part From Take 5)
3. While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Third Version – Take 27)
4. (You’re So Square) Baby I Don’t Care (Studio Jam)
5. Helter Skelter (Second Version – Take 17)
6. I Will (Take 29)
7. Can You Take Me Back? (Take 1)
8. Julia (Two Rehearsals)

LP3 – Side 5
1. Get Back (Take 8)
2. Octopus’s Garden (Rehearsal)
3. Don’t Let Me Down (First Rooftop Performance)
4. You Never Give Me Your Money (Take 36)
5. Here Comes The Sun (Take 9)
6. Something (Take 39 – Instrumental – Strings Only)

LP3 – Side 6
1. Free As A Bird (2025 Mix)
2. Real Love (2025 Mix)
3. Now And Then