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В рассылке Beatles List for Russia была процитирована заметка из форума Deja.com, суть которой сводится к тому, что 5 октября вместе с изданием книги "The Beatles Anthology" будет издан двойной CD "Anthology 4". Не спешите падать с кресел, так как это пока единственное сообщение на данную тему. Заметка написана Кеном Райтом (Kent Wright), который утверждает, что получил копию текста из буклета предстоящего релиза прямо из офиса Apple. Вот что согласно Кену Райту можно будет найти на этом двойнике:
DISC 1
1. Love Me Do
(John Lennon, Paul McCartney)
Recorded EMI Studios, London, 11 June 1962
Producer George Martin
Engineer Norman Smith
Upon the release of Anthology 1, Beatles historians were thrilled to
hear a hitherto-unknown version of "Love Me Do," featuring, for the
first time, displaced drummer Pete Best. Now, a second take of the song
featuring Best, recorded five days after the first Best version, has
been unearthed, although, unfortunately, it is incomplete. The repeated hollow, crunching sound audible just before the take comes
to an abrupt halt is the thumping of John Lennon's guitar on Best's
skull. As each blow descends, the attentive listener can hear John
muttering, "That's the last fucking time you'll fucking drag down the
fucking tempo you fucking wanker!"
2. Dominique
(Decker)
Recorded EMI Studios, London, 12 September 1963
Producer George Martin
Engineer Casey Jones
An uncharacteristically mellow cover version for the R&B-crazed Beatles.
The studio chatter heard prior to Take 1 reveals that Ringo conceived
the idea of covering the rather saccharine international No. 1 hit by
Souer Sourire ("Sister Smile"), the Singing Nun. Paul immediately
seconds the notion by suggesting it would be a "bit of a giggle," while
John can be heard mumbling, "You're bleedin' daft, the lot of yer." Only
George is silent.
"Dominique" proved to be a difficult challenge for the Beatles. The
version presented here is a composite of Takes 1, 3, 7, and 12, the
last-named being the lengthiest surviving attempt at the song. The takes
have been artfully spliced together and looped to create the illusion of
a complete run-through. Unusually, the lineup for this number comprises
George on lead guitar and harmony vocals; Paul on lead vocal (note the
polished French accent that would later serve him so well in singing
"Michelle"), rhythm, and bass; Ringo behind the drums; and John behind
the studio console sneaking a smoke.
3. I Feel Fine
(John Lennon, Paul McCartney)
Recorded EMI Studios, London, 10 October 1964
Producer George Martin
Tea Boy Elton John
A newly discovered version of the late-1964 hit in which the Beatles, in
an experimental frame of mind, dispense with the song's innovative
guitar-feedback intro in favor of a hurdy-gurdy, played by a street
vendor discovered outside EMI Studios by George Harrison whilst on a tea
break. Careful listening in the left channel will reveal traces of the
frantic gibberings of the hurdy-gurdy man's panicked pet monkey, Davy,
brought into the studio at George's insistence because, as George
expressed it in his memoirs, I Me Mine Not Yours I Said It's Mine All
Mine, "I felt the vibe of the music wasn't quite the same without the
chimp. In the cosmic sense, who's to say which of us is the hurdy-gurdy
man and which is the monkey? Only Krishna knows." Donovan, a close
friend of George's, later wrote a song about an entirely different
hurdy-gurdy man.
The resultant take, Take 23, was reportedly the favorite of Beatles
manager Brian Epstein, but he was overruled by a resolute John, who told
him, "Don't be a daft bugger, Brian."
4. Glaswegian Wood
(John Lennon, Paul McCartney)
Recorded EMI Studios, London, 12 February 1965
Producer George Martin
Tape Operator Noel Gallagher
An early version (Take 6) of "Norwegian Wood" that many Beatles experts
prefer to the released version (Take 12), although some contemporary
listeners may be put off by John's insistence on singing the entire song
in a Scottish brogue that even Scots generally find completely
impenetrable. The main source of interest in this take is the unusual
instrumentation, principally a frankly lamentable bagpipe solo by George
with Ringo on sporran.
5. Octopussy's Garden
(Richard Starkey)
Recorded EMI Studios, London, 14 February 1965
Producer George Martin
Scribe Marc Bolan
Perhaps the gem of this collection, if a single selection can be so
isolated. An early songwriting effort by Ringo, it was perhaps based on
the popular Ian Fleming novel (and subsequent James Bond film).
Regrettably, only Take 3, an informal instrumental run-through, has
survived, but a fragment of Ringo's lyric was preserved on two sheets of
rolling papers recently discovered in a tea cupboard at EMI Studios:
"Eight kittens in her rosebushes
Eight moggies in her leeks
Eight felines in her daffodils
Eight cats a week
We all live in an octopussy garden
An octopussy garden live we
And all we gotta do is act naturally"
The other Beatles and George Martin decided against the song's inclusion
on the Help! album, because of what Martin later described in his
memoirs, The Real Fifth Beatle, as "abundant lyrical and musical
qualms." Four years later, in the increasingly apathetic atmosphere of
the group's last year together, Ringo would resurrect portions of the
song's basic concept for his showcase on Abbey Road (see track 8).
6. Tomorrow Never Knows
(John Lennon, Paul McCartney)
Recorded John Lennon's conservatory, London,
1 April 1966
Producer The Beatles
Procurer Mal Evolent
Perhaps more than any other Beatles composition except "Strawberry
Fields Forever," "Tomorrow Never Knows" underwent a tortuous evolution
to become the psychedelic masterwork we know from Revolver. Anthology 2
gave us a fascinating glimpse into Lennon's early designs for the
innovative, mantra-like song.
Here we present a composite of even earlier experiments from rehearsal
tapes.
This version combines the rhythm track from Demo 2 (played, unusually
for John, on the zither) with Demo 4's fascinating vibes-like
colorations (actually played by George striking six water glasses filled
to different levels), and Demo 5's inventive sousaphone improvisations
(played, of course, by the protean McCartney). John articulates his
lead vocal through a kazoo, lending it a detached yet amiable, almost
jolly, quality. According to Beatles recordings chronicler Stew
Diominutia, the rhythmic saw-like drone that permeates the track is
Ringo snoring.
7. Within You Without You
(George Harrison)
Recorded EMI Studios, London, 1 April 1967
Producer None
Vocal Assistance John Lennon
Legend has it that an American audience once awarded Indian sitar master
Ravi Shankar a standing ovation after several minutes of music. He
thanked them graciously but pointed out that he'd just been tuning up.
In a similar spirit, this track is a fascinating 21-minute composite
edited down from two frustrating days spent by George Harrison
attempting to tune his sitar so he could dub his parts on the
already-recorded tamboura, tabla, dilruba, and swaramandal tracks for
the Shankar-inspired "Within You Without You."
Harrison was obsessed with achieving a proper Indian sound on the
difficult instrument, a concern not particularly eased by frequent
jibes and catcalls from an understandably impatient John Lennon, who
was chafing to finish the time-consuming Sgt. Pepper album. Distracting
as it must have been to George,
John's heckling provides the listener, nearly 30 years later, a
refreshing perspective on the discordant twangings of the sitar. Listen
closely and you can hear John bellowing such choice remarks as "Shurrup,
you tosser," Don't mind me, I'm only sleeping," and "Instant karma's
gonna get you."
8. Octopus's Garden
(Richard Starkey)
Recorded EMI Studios, London, 2 February 1969
Producer George Martin
Guest Engineer Brian Jones
Rounding out the first CD neatly, this never-before-heard outtake of
Ringo's Abbey Road spotlight number is certain to be a contentious topic
of discussion among Beatles fans. Ringo's vocal here (Take 3) is far
more self-assured and powerful than the released version (Take 24), and
it surely would have been selected as the album performance were it not
for an inexplicable blunder by guest engineer Brian Jones, visiting from
a Rolling Stones singles session across the way in a mental state
described tactfully as "catatonic" by Stones historian/bassist Bill
Wyman in his memoirs, Give A Stone A Loan. Jones somehow caused the
following conversational exchange between John, Paul, and George, seated
behind the studio console, to be dubbed onto the instrumental track:
John: "Can't sing to save his bleedin' life, the sad git."
Paul: "Well, it was your bloody idea to let him sing a song every
album."
John: "You're mad, you are. It was your idea. Wasn't it then, Yoko?"
Yoko: "Right you are, John."
Paul: "My idea? We were standin' right here in the studio when you said,
'Wouldn't it be a lark for Ringo
to have a go?' 14 April 1964. Remember when I told you about that,
Linda?"
Linda: (Hums chorus of "Hey Jude," astonishingly off-key)
John: "Well, it must've been George's idea then."
George: "I? Me? Mine? Not bloody likely, you poofter."
Paul: "Well, we'll be havin' no more of it. Next thing you know her over
there (presumably points at Yoko)
will be wantin' to sing."
DISC 2
Rock 'N' Roll Medley (Discussion)
(John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison,
Richard Starkey, George Martin, Yoko Ono, Linda Eastman,
Allen Klein)
Recorded EMI Studios, London, 2 February 1970
Producer George Martin
Financial Consultant Allen Klein
As a special bonus for Beatles fans, Disc 2 consists of a verbatim
transcript of the last-ever Beatles recording session. The Let It Be
album, mixed and "sweetened" by Phil Spector from the legendary Get Back
sessions held a year earlier, was soon to be released, but the band
members (excepting Ringo, already in the midst of sessions for his
Sentimental Journey album of standards) were unsatisfied with the
results and convened in the hopes of injecting one last raw dose of rock
'n' roll into the LP. Armed with their instruments, the four sat in a
circle in the studio, joined at various times by Yoko, Linda, producer
George Martin, and Allen Klein, business manager for all the Beatles
save Paul.
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