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4.19am
Reviewers
17 December 2012
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note: meanmistermustard added posts 17 -> 27, which were originally in a thread called ‘I Come To This Forum In Desperation’, to here on the 31st August 2014.
I was thinking about this while posting about bootlegs, and I don’t know if there’s another thread out there asking the same, but what are the must-have bootleg tracks? Nothing that’s commercially available, just those tracks that have stayed unreleased or whose complete versions remain unreleased (good example on that is the full-length 12-Bar Original, edited for Anthology).
My instant picks would be (in no particular order), and adding this isn’t meant to be a game, just fan recommending to fan things to search out:
Revolution [take 20] – a total eyeopener. You start with what became Revolution 1 and end up in Revolution 9 . Were this to have been on the White Album in place of 1 & 9, it would be up there with Tomorrow Never Knows and A Day In The Life as signs of their genius.
She’s A Woman [take 5, is it? Take 7] – listening to it now, just a full-on charge for 5+ minutes. Just a shame about guitar tuning towards the end. “We’ve got a song and an instrumental there…”
Bad to Me [1963 demo] – often credited as Lennon, but I think there’s 2 guitars, which would make it Lennon-McCartney, or Lennon-Harrison. Whatever, a beautiful version of a song that would’ve graced any early Beatles album.
Save the Last Dance for Me/Don’t Let Me Down – the best from Glynis’ Get Back album (1969 version). Lovely ramshackle incomplete cover that showed what was happening during the sessions, followed by what’s easily the BEST version of Don’t Let Me Down , interrupted by a wonderful McCartney F***-up. “This time it’s serious… Give me a nice bit ‘chhh..’ give me the courage to come screaming in…”
I could go on, but what do you think I’m missing…
"I only said we were bigger than Rod... and now there's all this!" Ron Nasty
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The Beatles Bible 2020 non-Canon Poll Part One: 1958-1963 and Part Two: 1964-August 1966
11.21am
26 March 2012
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Good call on Bad to Me. I would also nominate I’m In Love, John’s piano demo from 1963. Wonderful song that again would have been a standout on any early album.
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12.58pm
Reviewers
Moderators
1 May 2011
Offline Of what we have available on bootleg
What Youre Doing Take 11. Has John on lead with Paul for most of it (the vocals sound great), no drum intro and is less tight than the released take but a fabulous one all the same. Should have been on Anthology 1 .
Strawberry Fields Forever Take 26. It was slowed down on the single and has a different vocal. Would have loved to have had Takes 1, 7 and 26 all together as it would have given a complete picture of how the song progressed and sounded before the editing process.
Child Of Nature and Sour Milk Sea from the Esher demo’s. Child Of Nature being the start of what ended up as Jealous Guy and Sour Milk Sea is such a great track. Heck you could add another 4 or 5 of those demo’s and it wouldnt have been a drag (eg Revolution , Back In The USSR , Yer Blues , Dear Prudence ).
Two of Us Fast Version from Twickenham 10th January (DDSI 10:46). Apple didnt go near those sessions but shows how the track started off as a great rocker and John and Paul are really having fun.
Not been bootlegged but where was Here Comes The Sun on Anthology 3 . It was listed in an early track listing in the Beatles Book magazine but never featured. We now know there was unused guitar solo and its such a such a classic so why not.
Agree about Bad To Me, Im in Love and Revolution (Take 20).
"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
9.09pm
26 March 2012
Offline Agreed totally on What You’re Doing ; the final product sounds ultimately more original and somehow unlike anything they’d done up to that point but I wish they’d kept the shared John/Paul vocal. About the fast version of Two Of Us , I think it works better. I enjoy the Fifties rockabilly-style version in the Let It Be film more than the final product, even with Paul impersonating Elvis in the bridge.
I’m also a big fan of the Anthology version of Got To Get You Into My Life , obviously it would need a bit more building up from the sparse drums and organ but I think the addition of backing vocals and the “I need your love” climax bit at the end is more Revolver than the Motown-style horns.
SHUT UP - Paulie's talkin'
6.16am
27 December 2012
Offline Nice choices! Especially Bad to Me, I’ve heard it numerous times before, the problem is, I can’t find a good FLAC file to download. Sour Milk Sea is also in my playlist, the intro sounds a bit like the acoustic version of One after the 909.
4.35pm
2 April 2014
Offline I’m partial to John’s mocking version of Maxwell’s Silver Hammer.
8.22pm
Reviewers
1 November 2013
Offline Since this is so old, I’ll contribute that Bad To Me and I’m In Love have now both been released.
I really love the While My Guitar Gently Weeps version from The Esher Demos (not sure if it’s the Anthology one)
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10.11pm
11 November 2010
Offline IveJustSeenAFaceo said
I really love the While My Guitar Gently Weeps version from The Esher Demos (not sure if it’s the Anthology one)
Even though I’m not familiar with that particular bootleg, if it truly is the Esher version of the song on the album, then it’s not the Anthology one. The Anthology one was done in the studio and is technically Take 1.
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10.45pm
Reviewers
17 December 2012
Offline The Esher demo is very nice, slightly different in tempo, and not on Anthology. As I believe mmm has said elsewhere, the Esher (or 1968, as not all are Kinfauns, though Guitar is) demos are definitely worth release and would be a worthy addition to the catalogue.
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The Beatles Bible 2020 non-Canon Poll Part One: 1958-1963 and Part Two: 1964-August 1966
8.53pm
2 April 2014
Offline Ron Nasty said
The Esher demo is very nice, slightly different in tempo, and not on Anthology. As I believe mmm has said elsewhere, the Esher (or 1968, as not all are Kinfauns, though Guitar is) demos are definitely worth release and would be a worthy addition to the catalogue.
Holy crap, that’s amazing. I love hearing alternate lyrics written by the Beatles themselves to their songs; it’s always something new and exciting. Alternate lyrics are some of my favourite things.
9.03pm
Reviewers
1 November 2013
Offline I love the “I look from the wings/at the play you are staging” line from the Anthology version. It gets me every time. Wish he’d left it in.
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2.33pm
2 April 2014
Offline IveJustSeenAFaceo said
I love the “I look from the wings/at the play you are staging” line from the Anthology version. It gets me every time. Wish he’d left it in.
Yeah, it’s some of the most beautiful lyrics I’ve ever heard. If I ever play Beatles songs, I always make sure to include alternate verses, if they exist.
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Starr Shine?, IveJustSeenAFaceo12.23am
22 December 2013
Offline ‘This Bird Has Flown’ (Take 2), a very interesting Take for it showcases a different intro and a most curious drum track from Ringo, I don’t know what he’s hitting the snare drum with but it sure doesn’t sound like a drumstick! Somewhat reminiscent (or, a “precursor” more precisely) of Phil Spector’s unique snare sound achieved for John’s ‘Instant Karma ‘ single that appeared nearly a half a decade later:
I especially like the harmonies during the last line of the song, this has to be a frontrunner for ‘Best remaining unreleased Beatles performances’, in my opinion…:-)
1.08pm
31 March 2008
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Wow, that’s great. I don’t think I’d heard it before. The backing sounded very heavy, like it was recorded in a higher key then slowed down.
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2.55am
14 December 2009
Offline I liked that “Gently Weeps” arrangement – almost makes we wish they (he?) recorded it that way for the album. With Mellotron strings in place of that (Farfisa?) organ, though.
(Incidentally, guys, when you quote a post with a Youtube embed, can you delete the url so the video doesn’t have to show up twice? Thanks! 
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4.53pm
28 May 2014
Offline They were such perfectionists that you take several takes in order to get the proper one. I like some of these outtakes, but they didn’t. And the EMI/Apple archives are thick with outtakes!
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5.51pm
22 August 2014
Offline First post here, so excuse me if I’ve accidentally posted in the wrong sub forum or discussion of this topic is not allowed, but I’m quite a Beatles “scholar” and I love collecting outtakes and the like by artists as it gives me historical insight into the times, the group, the material, etc.
There are SO many Beatles recordings available to collectors, but I’ve been simply trying to find a list of what is available out there, by year, so I can begin to hunt down some things in a semi-organised manner. Trying to collect Beatles recordings is like diving into the abyss….
Somebody must share my plight – I’ve scoured the web and books and everything and can’t just find a list of what is leaked, so to speak
The closest ive come is a website stating everything in alphabetical order, but I have no idea if it is complete, recent, or accurate. Anyone able to help me out here?
9.15pm
Reviewers
4 February 2014
Offline @warewolf95 This website seems to have everything to stream or download. Don’t know how safe the downloads are, but you can at least stream or use it as a list for reference.
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Reviewers
Moderators
1 May 2011
Offline I have no idea where you could find an up-to-date list of whats available (if one even exists and i doubt it does) as new bits and pieces occasionally come out, the most recent being 2/3 of a 1964 Sweden concert, and some things are not freely circulating but are out there. Sorry.
Recommendation-wise i’d suggest you start by tracking down:
- all of the Purple Chick releases (excluding the BBC set)
- Helter Skelters ‘Back To Basic‘ Series
- Hobnails
- ‘Unsurpassed Broadcasts‘ for the BBC material (tho its not complete and best as it doesnt include the upgrades that Apple put out last year on the two ‘On Air’ volumes and ‘The Beatles Bootleg Recordings 1963’ collection)
- Red Hot‘ and ‘Three-Thirty Blues‘ for the 1962 Star Club Recordings
- ‘Never Mind The Tremeloes’ for the Decca session
- ‘Bare It All‘ for the John Barrett material.
Note that all of that is subjective.
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