The most listenable of the 3 Anthology discs

Anthology 3 wraps up the series of outtakes and unreleased material from the Apple vaults and it's probably the most easily listenable of the 3, as it's more focused on alternate takes and less on incomplete runthroughs and session pieces. Some of the most revelatory material comes from early work on the "The Beatles (AKA 'The White Album') that are in some cases just acoustic demos. A couple pieces that appear here in Beatles versions were later released in drastically reworked form on solo albums.



A minor complaint crops up: As with the other Anthology CDs, the compiler has engaged in making phony "alternate takes" at times by mixing sections from one take into another and re-mixing it all into a casserole of what he/she/they imagine MIGHT have occurred. While it's occasionally interesting, it's the wrong tack to take on what was more or less marketed as a glimpse into the Beatles recording processes.



HIGHLIGHTS:

Paul's "Junk" is a beautiful acoustic lament. While it's nice on "McCartney", it's even better in the completely stripped down form that appears here. Even though it's a phony composite "alternate", the version of Ringo's "Don't Pass Me By" presented here is great. What sounds like doubletracked drums and percussion make for a very busy, somewhat dischordant sound that make it more experimental and interesting without making it "weird". It also removes the fiddle that tended to make the track a bit hokey on the official version. "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" is stellar with overdubbed conga drums and a better sax part, though the ending was weaker. Had they tacked the official ending onto this arrangement, they'd have had a better song than what was released. A slower "Sexy Sadie" is more impassioned (though the backing vocals are missed). An acoustic take of "While my Guitar Gently Weeps" is another highlight (yes, the Clapton solo is stellar on the White Album version, but it's great to hear this stripped back,too.) A similarly spare version of "Mother Nature's Son" is better without the drums, timpani and brass overdubs. It's only missing the Beatles vocal harmonies to make it a sweeter take than the official one."For You Blue" has some fine slide guitar from John (I'd always assumed it was George..especially since it's a "Harrisong"!) A pair of wonderful demos from George appear here for "Something" and "All Things Must Pass" (which wouldn't be released from the Beatles and instead became title track for George's 1st solo album.) Those familiar with Badfinger smash "Come and Get it" can hear that it was virtually identical to Paul's demo. The Beatles were capable of wonderful vocal harmony when they set their minds to it and hearing the 'vocals only' mix of "Because" here makes that clear. "I Me Mine" may have been the only Phil Spector misstep in his remake of "Get Back" into "Let it Be" (Spector lengthened the song by editing it together twice and overdubbed strings). Hearing the original reveals that while it's quite short, it's actually better without the embellishments.



LOWS:

"A Beginning" was a 'Yellow Submarine'-esque orchestral piece George Martin wrote to start off "Don't Pass Me By"..just what the song DIDN'T need. A plodding tempo haunts the "Helter Skelter" that's on here, while "Rocky Raccoon" is so slathered with affectation (the "hick" accent Paul uses, "Western" harmonica) that it goes from being a sort of backhanded Americana tribute into outright parody. It's fitting that Paul took it a bit more seriously on the official record (yes, I realize that after "Schminking" he's not trying..but before that he IS and the sarcastic tone was horrible). "What's the New Mary Jane?" is another audio collage a la "Revolution 9" albeit a bit more melodic. It's still only listenable as a curiousity. "Julia" is mostly instrumental, and since the song is so basic musically, hardly essential here. An outtake of the band doing Buddy Holly's "Mailman, Bring Me No More Blues" reveals they've crossed over from 'loose' to 'sloppy'. "Old Brown Shoe" is one of the worst Beatles songs to ever actually make it onto a single (B side for "Ballad of John and Yoko") and certainly didn't need to be heard in a demo version. A point of contention between Paul and Phil Spector has always been the strings and choir overdubs Phil added to "Long and Winding Road" and "Let it Be". Hearing them here in basic form, it becomes apparent how much those elements elevate the songs from good to great. Sorry, Sir Paul..Phil was right.



BOTTOM LINE:

This is the best buy of the 3 Anthologies in terms of offering you new views on classic pieces that SOUND good (rather than just "Oh, they almost did that? Well, good thing they didn't...."). The White Album demos in particular, and the origins of what would become solo material, are revelatory. You can probably find things to appreciate here if you're only a "medium" Beatles fan. (For the hardcore, the basic versions will probably seem like sacrilege.) This is the one I'll probably PLAY the most of the 3 Anthology CDs.

Garbage

What can you say about a band that is supposedly brilliant and legendary that writes a song 'Happiness Is a Warm Gun'.



Take away the hype and aura of the Beatles and what are you left with? No talent.

The Last Anthology

Remember the new album "Let it Be Naked"? Well, disc 1 of this set is sort of the same, only it's the "White Album Naked." We get to hear acoustic versions of all the great songs, including "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," "Glass Onion," "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da," and "Helter Skelter." I particularly enjoyed the outtake for "Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da." "Helter Skelter is also quite interesting. Then on disc 2 we get outtakes from the "Let it Be" and "Abbey Road" sessions. Among my favorites from that set are the acoustic "Something," "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" and the oldies medley of "Rip it Up," "Blue Suede Shoes" and "Shake Rattle and Roll." I have been a Beatles collector for many years, so I found this set to be spectacular.