The Beatles Anthology 3 | The True Home of Now & Then

Released in October 1996, Anthology 3 contains rare and unreleased tracks recorded by The Beatles during the period 1968 to 1970. Unlike the previous 2 albums, this release did not have a newly recorded lead-off single as Now and Then had been abandoned after just a couple of sessions. However, the material on this album made it a firm favourite among fans. In this video we not only look at the background to its release but also uncover a fascinating rare Abbey Road document which bears a draft tracklisting containing many variations to what was officially released. Also, we ask the question, is this album still worth owning today?

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[brenthooton]

Anthology came out around 27 years after the last of these tracks were recorded
And now it's 27 years later.
Suddenly I feel old...

[Paul_Wetor]

The Anthology CDs are a great addition to the bootleg CDs I already have. I'm fascinated by how arrangements can make or break a song. "One After 909" is a perfect example: lifeless in the 1963 version but a standout in the 1970 version. The demos and alternate versions are mere curiosities to me (but being a completist, absolutely vital to have). I prefer the final product. The real gems are "Leave My Kitten Alone" and "Real Love, " the latter being much better than the draggy "Free As A Bird".

At the very least, the Anthology CDs show how much work it took to produce the great-sounding Beatles songs we know and love. The effort they put into the recording process still pays off, decades later. The Beatles were so lucky to have found George Martin (and vice-versa). I feel that he kept them in line but also encouraged experimentation. He was 16 years older than Paul McCartney, and only a year younger than my mother, putting him completely out of the rock 'n' roll generation. Yet he helped capture and create the heartbeat of 1960s music. He's absolutely the Fifth Beatle to me.

[DavidLPeel]

I agree Andrew. I believe that The Anthology documentary series should be remixed and remastered into blu ray and 4k. It's long overdue.

[MrTheBaron]

Before 2017, Anthology 3 (and half of 2 so far), were the treasure trove for unreleased outtakes. We didn't realize that they would become a sneak preview of the deluxe box sets to come.

[kevinr.]

The anthology project is extra important to me, as that was my first exposure to the Beatles as an impressionable 11 year old . It was a huge deal when the CDs and documentary was released. Suddenly they were on my radar for the first time and I remember walking into Best Buy and seeing a huge display for the CDs My dad bought a copy of #2 and that was actually the first time hearing any Beatles (not a very typical place to start). I was instantly captivated by songs like I am the Walrus and Good Morning Good Morning. Next I grabbed the Blue Album (while visiting the Rock and Roll hall of fame) and that absolutely blew me away. Every freaking song hit so hard and it was a revelation. I think its the perfect place to start. But I always went back to the anthologies and as a musician they were an enlightening glimpse to the.songwriting process. Some of the anthology versions I still like better to this day. The Good Morning absolutely slams, its so raw and John sounds great. There's also a superior version of Cry Baby Cry with some amazing drums and bass in the second verse. Funky. Also You Know My Name Look up the Number is such a fun listen and was all but forgotten at that time.

[traphoot]

Your continual and barely concealed contempt for Robson & Jerome never fails to make me smile.

[CJMarketman]

As a second-generation Beatles fan, the release of the Anthology series back in the 90s when I was a teenager was a first for me, when not just one, but two new Beatles songs were released in Free As A Bird and Real Love. Prior to that, I already had in my collection, several Beatles vinyl records, the cassette box set, the Red and Blue albums also in cassette, but when the Live at the BBC album came out, the inner-Beatlemaniac in me had to get it too and I did!

[theneonchimpchannel]

I'm not sure about the rest of the world, but initially, Anthology was shown as a 3 part special in Australia. Then the 8 episode version was released on home media as an extended version. There was a later, rerun version which was 5 episodes too.

[MarleyTravels]

I'm really hoping for a version of both "Real Love" and "Free as a Bird" with the new demix technology used to improve on John's contributions to those tracks.

Of the three post 1990 Beatles songs, "Real Love" is far and away my favorite. It's surprising to me that "Free as a Bird" did better, I was around at the time and bought all three Anthology volumes, but I didn't follow the charts that closely I guess.

[glennprangnell]

At my age (60) the Anthology releases seem like an event that happened only a few months ago! It's strange to think it's actually 28 years ago and, that same time span before that, The Beatles released Sgt Pepper! Thanks Andrew for another interesting and informative video.

[Caifo]

I can remember the goosebumps I got listening to those four releases (BBC and the Anthology series). I had been a Beatlemaniac for eight years by then, and I had never listened to any bootlegs. It was a huge impact to me.

[timryberg]

After having an only causal interest in The Beatles as a kid, Anthology 1 (and the then newly released on CD Red and Blue albums) served as my reintroduction to The Beatles and the beginning of my real interest in their music.

[Mullally]

Bought the 3 anthology cds in the 90s dug them out recently and they sound fab now as when i first bought them as there was only talking and outtakes on them, but after watching the get back film made me appreciate them even more

[ianz]

I only bought the CDs when they came out because, like many people at that time, I was buying mainly CDs at that point and very little vinyl. I did recently get all three Anthology DeAgostini vinyls for just £50 which I think is pretty good value for 9 discs. I'm glad I still kept all my vinyl that I had bought prior to my CD period as a lot of my friends got rid of all theirs and have had to start again from scratch.

Would love to see a revamped box set of the Anthology, there must be opportunity to improve especially some of the earlier recordings with the MAL software.

[MitchM-rs]

The Anthology albums may be redundant because of the archive box sets we’ve been getting over the past several years. However, if we get expanded editions of the three anthology albums, I’ll definitely buy them. Why? Because it’s The Beatles.

[MonsieurC]

As a fan, the release of the Anthology CDs was a blessing, but I wonder how it managed to sell so well to a wider audience. I'm not sure all buyers knew they were buying mostly unfinished recordings and alternative takes. Were they disappointed ?
Number 3 was my favorite. Number 2 had a lot of bass parts missing unfortunately, because Paul used to overdub them later during the Pepper era. I wish the mastering was as good on subsequent Beatles releases.

[BruceColon-BSides]

This was always my favorite of the three Anthology releases.

[normansaunders]

Nice one as always, Andrew.I think a revamped and expanded Anthology Highlights album would warrant a release with a few additions such as seriously mixed versions of Lady Madonna, Leave My Kitten Alone, And Your Bird Can Sing and Penny Lane. Some of the earlier tracks could be cleaned up with stereo versions of the Polydor tracks and an extra CD of Live material sourced from US stereo FM broadcasts mixed as a single concert would demonstrate that they were a brilliant live act.

[jvblhc]

I have all three of the Anthology albums. I also have my own homemade version of The Beatles complete set of songs and extras, from Love Me Do to Now and Then, which I bought for a dollar and a half on Amazon. I'm happy with what I have!