Beatles Anthology Vol.2, The - Beatles (The) > Reviews > Further along the long and winding road

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Groundbreaking
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Good
Value for Money

Advantages:	A new facet of rock's greatest
Disadvantages:	Not for the casual fan

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Anthology 1 documented the backroom saga of the Beatles' career to the end of 1964. Part 2, to quote their publicist Derek Taylor, documented 'the years of dash and daring', which began with "Ticket To Ride" in 1965 and culminated in the psychedelic madness that was 1967. The vast majority of these songs are alternate takes, demos and rehearsal recordings of songs which they released at the time, like a hilarious version of "And Your Bird Can Sing" which ends in hysterical laughter (what else was in the studio at the time, one may ask), and instrumental takes of "Eleanor Rigby" and "Within You Without You". The few new songs to be found include "That Means A Lot", which they wrote and recorded at the "Help!" sessions and rejected and gave to P.J. Proby, who covered it and enjoyed a Top 30 hit as a result, and another reject from the same sessions, "If You've Got Trouble", which - true to its title - they were dissatisfied with. 'Oh rock on, anybody!' cried the despairing vocalist, Ringo Starr, halfway through the recording.
Like its predecessor, track 1 is a brand new track based on a John Lennon demo from the late 70s, "Real Love", to which the other three added vocals and instruments in a good 15 years or so later. Though it never rose higher than No. 4 as a single, in my view it is a far better song than the still likeable but rather odd "Free As A Bird".
On balance I'd say that, because of the smaller proportion of 'exclusive' numbers, this is perhaps marginally less essential than Anthology 1, but if you're a devoted fan who bought the first, you probably won't be satisfied without its predecessor. And there was another to come...