Anthology 1
Anthology 1 is the opening volume of The Beatles Anthology series, a set of four albums released alongside the televised special of the same name. It gathers rarities, outtakes and live performances from 1958 to 1964, taking in the earliest days of the band, including songs with original bass player Stuart Sutcliffe and drummer Pete Best. It also carries "Free as a Bird", the first new Beatles song in 25 years, which came out as a single two weeks later.
For anyone who wants to hear the group before the studio masterpieces of the mid-60s, this is the place to start: a rough-edged, revealing look at how they developed. It was released on 20 November 1995 by Apple Records, topped the Billboard 200 and was certified 8× Platinum by the RIAA. In the UK it reached number 2.
Anthology 1: tracklist, credits and charts
60 tracks · 2:02:55Tracklist
- Disc 1
- 1Free as a BirdHarrison, Lennon, McCartney, Starr4:25
- 2We Were Four Guys… That’s All (interview)0:12
- 3That’ll Be the DayAllison, Holly, Petty2:08
- 4In Spite of All the DangerGeorge Harrison and Paul McCartney2:45
- 5Sometimes I’d Borrow… Those Still Exist (interview)0:18
- 6Hallelujah, I Love Her SoRay Charles1:13
- 7You’ll Be MineJohn Lennon and Paul McCartney1:39
- 8CayennePaul McCartney1:14
- 9First of All… It Didn’t Do a Thing Here (interview)0:07
- 10My Bonnie[traditional]2:42
- 11Ain’t She SweetMilton Ager and Jack Yellen2:13
- 12Cry for a ShadowGeorge Harrison and John Lennon2:22
- 13Brian Was a Beautiful Guy… He Presented Us Well (interview)0:10
- 14I Secured Them… A Beatle Drink Even Then (reading)0:18
- 15Searchin’Mike Stoller and Jerry Leiber3:00
- 16Three Cool CatsMike Stoller and Jerry Leiber2:25
- 17The Sheik of ArabySnyder, Smith, Wheeler1:43
- 18Like Dreamers DoJohn Lennon and Paul McCartney2:36
- 19Hello Little GirlJohn Lennon and Paul McCartney1:40
- 20Well, the Recording Test… By My Artists (reading)0:32
- 21Besame MuchoConsuelo Velázquez2:37
- 22Love Me DoJohn Lennon and Paul McCartney2:32
- 23How Do You Do ItMitch Murray1:57
- 24Please Please MeJohn Lennon and Paul McCartney1:59
- 25One After 909 (sequence)John Lennon and Paul McCartney2:23
- 26One After 909 (complete)John Lennon and Paul McCartney2:56
- 27Lend Me Your CombTwomey, Weisman, Wise1:50
- 28I’ll Get YouJohn Lennon and Paul McCartney2:08
- 29We Were Performers… In Britain (interview)0:12
- 30I Saw Her Standing ThereJohn Lennon and Paul McCartney2:49
- 31From Me to YouJohn Lennon and Paul McCartney2:05
- 32Money (That’s What I Want)Janie Bradford and Berry Gordy2:52
- 33You Really Got a Hold on MeSmokey Robinson2:58
- 34Roll Over BeethovenChuck Berry2:22
- Disc 2
- 1She Loves YouJohn Lennon and Paul McCartney2:50
- 2Till There Was YouMeredith Willson2:54
- 3Twist and ShoutBert Russell Berns and Phil Medley3:05
- 4This BoyJohn Lennon and Paul McCartney2:22
- 5I Want to Hold Your HandJohn Lennon and Paul McCartney2:37
- 6Boys, What I Was Thinking (comedy)2:06
- 7Moonlight BayPercy Wenrich and Edward Madden0:50
- 8Can’t Buy Me LoveJohn Lennon and Paul McCartney2:10
- 9All My LovingJohn Lennon and Paul McCartney2:19
- 10You Can’t Do ThatJohn Lennon and Paul McCartney2:42
- 11And I Love HerJohn Lennon and Paul McCartney1:52
- 12A Hard Day’s NightJohn Lennon and Paul McCartney2:44
- 13I Wanna Be Your ManJohn Lennon and Paul McCartney1:48
- 14Long Tall SallyBlackwell, Johnson, Richard1:45
- 15BoysLuther Dixon and Wes Farrell1:50
- 16ShoutIsley, Isley, Isley1:31
- 17I’ll Be Back (take 2)John Lennon and Paul McCartney1:13
- 18I’ll Be Back (take 3)John Lennon and Paul McCartney1:58
- 19You Know What to DoGeorge Harrison1:59
- 20No Reply (demo)John Lennon and Paul McCartney1:46
- 21Mr. MoonlightRoy Lee Johnson2:47
- 22Leave My Kitten AloneJohn, McDougal, Turner2:57
- 23No ReplyJohn Lennon and Paul McCartney2:29
- 24Eight Days a Week (sequence)John Lennon and Paul McCartney1:25
- 25Eight Days a Week (complete)John Lennon and Paul McCartney2:48
- 26Kansas City / Hey‐Hey‐Hey‐Hey!Stoller, Richard, Leiber2:44
- Produced by
- George Martin, George Harrison, John Lennon, Jeff Lynne, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Bert Kaempfert, Mike Smith, Ron Richards, Terry Henebery, Klas Burling, Jack Good
- Recorded at
- The Dakota, Hog Hill Mill, Phillips Sound Recording Service, Paul McCartney’s Home, Hulme Hall, Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Studio Rahlstedt, Abbey Road Studios, Decca Studios, Abbey Road Studios: Studio 2, Maida Vale Studios: Studio 5, London Palladium, Maximteatern, Prince of Wales Theatre, ATV Studios, Studios Pathé-Marconi EMI, Ed Sullivan Theater, IBC Studios
- Recorded
- 12 July 1958 – 18 October 1964; and February–March 1994
- Mixed at
- Studio Rahlstedt, Abbey Road Studios: Studio 2, Abbey Road Studios
- Engineered by
- Geoff Emerick, Percy Phillips, Karl Hinze, Norman Smith, Hans Westman, Alan Florence
- Artwork
- Richard Ward, Klaus Voormann
- Labels
- Apple Records, Apple (CDP 7243 8 34445 2), Capitol
- Length
- 2:02:55
Line-up
- John Lennon · piano, lead vocals, spoken vocals, guitar, electric guitar, background vocals, harmonica, acoustic guitar, vocals, tambourine
- George Harrison · ukulele, acoustic guitar, slide guitar, background vocals, lead vocals, guitar, electric guitar, vocals, 12 string guitar
- Jeff Lynne · guitar, background vocals · guest
- Paul McCartney · piano, keyboard, bass, acoustic guitar, acoustic bass guitar, background vocals, lead vocals, guitar, spoken vocals, electric guitar, electric bass guitar, other vocals, bass guitar, vocals
- Ringo Starr · drums (drum set), background vocals, vocals, lead vocals, tambourine
- Colin Hanton · drums (drum set) · guest
- John "Duff" Lowe · piano · guest
- Stuart Sutcliffe · electric bass guitar · guest
- Pete Best · drums (drum set) · guest
- Tony Sheridan · guitar, lead vocals · guest
- Bernard “Pretty” Purdie · drums (drum set) · guest
- Brian Epstein · spoken vocals · guest
- Andy White · drums (drum set) · guest
- Morecambe & Wise · vocals · guest
- George Martin · piano · guest
Singles
- “Free as a Bird” · 4 December 1995
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 · 1995–96 | 1 |
| UK Albums Chart · 1995–96 | 2 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1995–96 | 1 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1995–96 | 1 |
| Dutch Albums · 1995–96 | 1 |
| French Albums (SNEP) · 1995–96 | 1 |
| German Albums · 1995–96 | 1 |
| New Zealand Albums · 1995–96 | 1 |
| Belgian Albums (Flanders) · 1995–96 | 2 |
| Belgian Albums (Wallonia) · 1995–96 | 2 |
All 17 charts
| Finnish Albums · 1995–96 | 2 |
| Italian Albums (FIMI) · 1995–96 | 2 |
| Swedish Albums · 1995–96 | 2 |
| Swiss Albums · 1995–96 | 2 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) · 1995–96 | 3 |
| Norwegian Albums · 1995–96 | 5 |
| Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ) · 1995–96 | 20 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Australia · 1995 | 2× Platinum |
| Austria | Gold |
| Belgium · 1995 | Platinum |
| Canada | 9× Platinum |
| Germany | Gold |
| Japan · 1995 | 2× Platinum |
| Netherlands · 1997 | Gold |
| Norway | Gold |
| Poland · 2000 | Gold |
| Spain · 1995 | Platinum |
| Sweden · 1995 | Gold |
| Switzerland | Platinum |
| United Kingdom | 2× Platinum |
| United States | 8× Platinum |
| Europe · 1998 | 2× Platinum |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
Released the same week
Also released on 20 November
Every year →More from The Beatles
Full discography →The best of 1995
All of 1995 →More on Apple Records
The label →Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz + wikidata
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 20 November 1995 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 20 November 1995 | |
| Wikidata | 20 November 1995 | |
| US release | 21 November 1995 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 20 November 1995 | earliest UK or European date |
10 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | AU | Apple Records | 724383444526 | other |
| 1995 | US | Apple Records | 724383444540 | other |
| 1995 | CA | Apple Records | 724383444526 | other |
| 20 November 1995 | XE | Apple Records | 724383444519 | original |
| 21 November 1995 | US | Apple Records | 724383444526 | other |
| 21 November 1995 | XE | Apple Records | 724383444526 | other |
| 21 November 1995 | GB | — | 724383444526 | other |
| 4 April 2016 | XW | EMI Catalogue | 00602547851185 | remaster |
| 22 May 2019 | XW | UMC | 00602567715894 | other |
| 21 August 2025 | XW | Universal Music Recordings | 00602478805905 | remaster |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · native: native 3000x3000
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 3000×3000 | native: native 3000x3000 |
| itunes | 3000×3000 | native |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |