Tag Archives: box set

Rubber Soul 2026 SDE – More Info and Images

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Yesterday’s boo boo by Amazon France gave us much of the detail of what the new 2026 re-issue of Rubber Soul contained – but not everything.

Now that it is officially announced more is known – especially about the rarities and outtakes, which comprise 24 early session recordings, including 20 previously unreleased takes and three previously unreleased home demos – among them early versions of Day Tripper and We Can Work It Out, plus (and this is really special) Little Girl, a previously unheard John Lennon song outline never before released or even rumoured. It was discovered by the Lennon Estate when they did a thorough trawl through their archives and passed on for consideration as part of this box set by Sean Ono Lennon. It is only available in the 5LP box or the 4CD box.

Some great alternative photos are now on the web as part of the promotion too, including a shot of the US version of Rubber Soul showing it is indeed the stereo edition. We just don’t know for sure which mix is being used, although the official press release says “the original Capitol US Album version“, so that implies it’s from 1965:

There’s also a nice close-up of the 45rpm single:

There are also alternate packshots of the 88-page hard-cover book, and glimpses of the album sleeves that show the US version will have the traditional Capitol Records look:

And while super-deluxe Beatle releases in the past have just about always had a picture disc (think Sgt Pepper, Abbey Road, Revolver and Let It Be), we didn’t know yesterday that this time it will come in the form of a Zoetrope disc:

And that there’ll also be “exclusive” orange coloured vinyl from key retailers, like Target in the US:

And HMV in the UK, JB HiFi in Australia and fnac in France:

Wouldn’t be surprised if this extends to other places, like jpc in Germany for example. Its also just popped up on Platekompaniet in Norway. And these days who knows if there’ll be even more coloured vinyl variants, though in the past Apple haven’t really gone in for such multiple variations.

Lastly, on the official Beatle site is the first example of the music rarities and outtakes, ‘Michelle (Take 1)’. It’s an early studio recording demonstrating the song’s development, and showcases the band’s performance before the final master was completed. From the website: “Recorded during a nine-hour session on 3 November 1965, Take 1 was the only complete performance to survive on the original four-track tape. Presented here without the later overdubs heard on the finished master, it reveals the song in its earliest recorded form. The tape also preserves tantalising fragments of earlier takes that had been recorded over, offering a rare glimpse into the band’s creative process”:

The Beatles – ‘Michelle (Take 1)’

Here Comes the Long-awaited ‘Rubber Soul’ SDE

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The countdown is on for the official announcement of The Beatles Rubber Soul in full super deluxe edition mode.

As the official Beatles website says, “Good things come to those who Wait”, with an official countdown to a full announcement tomorrow, July 30.

Only thing is, they forgot to tell the French Amazon site not to publish the details ahead of time……

Looks like we’re getting your choice of a 5LP plus 1×7″ single box set and book, or a 4CD box set and book.

LP 1 in the 5LP set is a new stereo remix of the original album. LPs 2 and 3 are 26 tracks of sessions and out takes (including 3 versions of ‘Norwegian Wood’; 3 versions of ‘Day Tripper’; 2 versions of ‘We Can Work It Out’; and 3 versions of ‘I’m Looking Through You’). LP 4 is a the original mono mix of the album, and LP 5 is the US version of the LP which has a completely different running order. It is 12 songs instead of the 14 on the UK version, plus it loses ‘If I Needed Someone’, ‘What Goes On’, ‘Nowhere Man’ and ‘Drive My Car’ and adds ‘I’ve Just Seen a Face’ and ‘It’s Only Love’. That really changes the whole feel of the album, so much so it has sometimes been called the first folk-rock record. Brian Wilson once said “[The American version of] Rubber Soul was like a folk album by the Beatles that somehow went together like no album ever made before, and I was very impressed.“

The 7″ single in the vinyl box is two additional songs from the time, ‘Day Tripper’ b/w ‘We Can Work It Out’.

CD 1 in the 4CD set is the new stereo remix of the original album. CD 2 is the 26 tracks of sessions and out takes, plus the two songs from the single, ‘Day Tripper’ and ‘We Can Work It Out’. CD 3 is the mono mix of the original, and CD 4 is the US version of the album.

There will also be 2LP and 2CD editions. These comprise a disc of the new stereo remix, plus a second disc that is a unique, 16-track truncated version of the sessions and out takes from the box set.

And perhaps the biggest surprise is a stand-alone Blu-ray comprised of a hi-res stereo re-mix of the original album (plus ‘Day Tripper’/’We Can Work It Out’), a Dolby Atmos mix of those tracks, and 4 videos.

Fans will either be celebrating or lamenting the Blu-ray because once upon a time these were included as a matter of course in Beatle SDE box sets. They disappeared completely after the Let It Be re-mix CD set in 2021. Now Blu-ray is back for those who want such things, but you’ll have to buy it separately….

Much more detail to come tomorrow.

If You Want To Keep Up, Here’s Everything You’ll Need to Order

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It’s been a busy time over the last few weeks and months for Beatle collectors.

There’s been so much product announced it’s hard to keep on top of it.

So, we decided to made a visual representation for you, the avid completist, so that you can keep track.

If you want everything, THIS is what you’ll need to order:

Screenshot

(Click on the image to see a larger version)

Have we forgotten anything?

FYI, the Ringo Starr Choose Love LP announced for Record Store Day Black Friday 2025 seems to have quietly slipped off the list again, so we have not included it here.

Beatles and Solo News Update

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Woke up this morning to a couple of intriguing emails.

First was big news from Apple. Seems they’ve listened to fan reaction and have decided to offer Anthology 4 as a separate purchase:

By popular demand, Anthology 4 is now available as a standalone triple LP and double CD — 36 tracks including 13 previously-unreleased demos, rare sessions from 1963–69, the band’s 2023 final single ‘Now and Then’, and new mixes by Jeff Lynne of ‘Free As a Bird’ and ‘Real Love’.

This means collectors won’t have to buy the box set just to get the much sought after 4th installment in the Anthology series. Good news!

Then came a mysterious email from the official John Lennon Store saying that the ‘Happy Xmas (War Is Over)’ 7″ single on green vinyl was now available for pre-order:

A “What?”, closely followed by a “Why?” was heard. Hmmm. “Must investigate this some more. There has to be a reason this has randomly appeared out of nowhere.”

Then, scrolling further down the morning’s emails came this, with the headline: Introducing The Classic Holiday’s Singles Box Set!

Clicking through takes you to Universal’s udiscovermusic.com site and the announcement of a box set of 14 coloured vinyl Christmas singles from across the ages:

Of course it includes the John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band green vinyl single, but also in there is the Paul McCartney holiday fave, ‘Wonderful Christmastime’ – on canary yellow vinyl:

The box set is kinda expensive but fortunately for those of you who collect coloured vinyl, as was just announced for Anthology 4, these too are available for purchase separately. Yay!

You can find ‘Happy Xmas (War Is Over)’ here or here, and ‘Wonderful Christmastime’ here or here. Release date is October 31.

And, while we’re on the subject of coloured vinyl, last week Apple announced there’s to be a green vinyl release of Abbey Road:

This comes on heavyweight 180g green vinyl and is pressed using the version remixed from the original 8-track tapes by Giles Martin in 2019. In the UK this is exclusive to HMV stores, Target in the US, JB HiFi in Australia, Bravado in Germany, FNAC in France, Tower Records in Japan, The Circle in Denmark, etc. In other words, there will be one retailer per territory. It is released on October 10.

Beatles Anthology Disney Connection and Cover Art

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It looks like The Beatles Anthology TV series is destined for a Disney+ streaming release as expected:

When it first aired in 1995 Anthology was a six-part series, so it looks to have been expanded somewhat given the advertising banner says it is now a nine-parter. And that it is due to go to air on November 26 with a three-part premier.

It also looks like those images we got for the accompanying audio box sets are coming true. But what will the final artwork look like? There are currently two different gifs doing the rounds showing variations to the outer box images for the CD set:

More announcements are imminent. Stay tuned!

Beatles ‘Anthology 4’ On The Way?

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Let the speculation begin.

The rumoured Beatles Anthology extension is starting to be publicised on official Beatle socials pages:

And on the official website:

And these images here:

But what will the box contain? This image (reportedly from Amazon) shows an 8 CD set called Anthology Collection:

Is it real, or an elaborate fan mock-up?

If you like to watch your speculation instead of reading about it, check out Mazzy’s video just uploaded:

Stay tuned for more…….

John Lennon’s ‘Power To The People’ Announced

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As he promised months ago, Sean Lennon and the Lennon Estate have this week formally announced the release (on 10 October, 2025) of a mega box set focusing on John Lennon playing (mostly) live in New York in the years 1971 and 1972.

It’s called Power To The People (The Ultimate Collection) and the release is timed to celebrate what would have been John Lennon’s 85th birthday.

The big box set comprises 9 CDs and no less than 3 Blu-Ray audio discs, all packaged in the 10-inch sized slipcase size that’s been the hallmark of all the Lennon super-deluxe re-issues so far. This one will come with a cool lenticular cover of John & Yoko’s faces, presenting a “dynamic 3D effect”.

The box set will come with a 204-page hardback book designed and edited by long-time Lennon Estate historian and archivist, Simon Hilton (he’s done all the box sets so far and is great). It will feature an oral history about all the included music through the words of John & Yoko and those involved, sourced from both archival and new interviews.

The book will be illustrated with previously unseen photos, lyrics, drawings, tape boxes and memorabilia. Additionally, the set includes a newspaper print poster, sticker sheets and a VIP envelope containing replica concert tickets plus backstage and after-show passes that have all been uniquely reproduced with textured, archival materials.

The centerpiece of Power To The People is the ‘One To One Concerts’, which were Lennon’s only full-length concerts after The Beatles, and his final shows with Yoko Ono. They raised more than US$1.5 million (2025 equivalent of $11.5 million) to support children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Both the afternoon and evening performances are being released together for the first time, though they’re not complete (see below).

Alongside those two concerts, Power To The People (Super Deluxe Edition) offers an aural time capsule of John & Yoko’s first NYC era, when they traded Tittenhurst Park, their estate in Ascot, England, for a small apartment located at 105 Bank St. in Greenwich Village in Manhattan, and includes the music they were inspired to make during a time of great civil unrest and the deeply unpopular Vietnam War. As a result the set will contain 92 bonus tracks.

Paramount to their recorded musical endeavors at this time was their 1972 political blockbuster album, Sometime In New York City, recorded by John & Yoko with legendary drummer Jim Keltner and New York band, Elephant’s Memory.

For this special collection, songs from the album have been completely remixed from scratch, stripped of the overly heavy production sound that constrained such inspired and inspiring songs as ‘Attica State’, ‘Angela’, ‘New York City’, and ‘Born In A Prison’.

Noticeably missing though is the controversial song (back then and perhaps now even moreso), ‘Woman Is The N***** Of The World’. Some fans are upset about that but the song is still easily available on streaming services and on CD if you want it. Live versions from the ‘One To One’ concerts can also be had on the Lennon Anthology collection from 1998 (evening performance), and on John Lennon – Live in New York City released in 1986 (afternoon performance). For those hoping the song might be a secret hidden track in this new box, a note has been added to the official website pre-order page: NB – This is the full track listing. There are no hidden tracks on the CDs or Blu-Rays.

For this box set the tracks from Sometime In New York City have been re-ordered, rejuvenated and completely re-imagined as a new set of Ultimate Mixes, and is now simply entitled New York City. It includes extended versions of ‘John Sinclair’ and ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’, so while we lose one song we gain longer versions of others.

In addition to the Deluxe 9 CD/3 Blu-Ray box there will be a four LP version with the afternoon and evening ‘One To One’ concerts:

There’ll also be a 2LP edition on black vinyl featuring a “hybrid” best-of from both live shows:

This “hybrid” best-of will also be available as a Limited Edition 2LP in transparent green vinyl:

Both the afternoon and evening ‘One To One’ shows will be available as a 2CD Deluxe Edition housed in a triple gatefold digisleeve:

And there will be a 1CD Edition containing the “hybrid” best-of which, like the 2LP edition combines the two shows to create a one show best-of in a digisleeve:

It’s Back! The Beatles In Mono LPs to be Reissued

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Yes it’s back, but unless you were very quick you might have missed out because The Beatles In Mono 14 LP box set (out of print since 2014) is already showing as SOLD OUT on both the UK and US official stores. However, there is some confusion as to whether this is just the exclusive pre-order allocation made to subscribers to the The Beatles mailing list. There may be more copies available from Friday, 30 May.

Regarded as something a grail item for collectors now, the original box set is super expensive on the second-hand market. This new release will replicate that original exactly with 180-gram LPs in a boxed edition, along with a very nice hardbound book. 

To quote the website: “In an audiophile-minded undertaking, The Beatles’ acclaimed mono albums were mastered in 2014 for vinyl from quarter-inch master tapes at Abbey Road Studios by engineer Sean Magee and mastering supervisor Steve Berkowitz.

While The Beatles In Mono CD boxed set released in 2009 was created from digital remasters, for this vinyl project, Magee and Berkowitz cut the records without using any digital technology. Instead, they employed the same procedures used in the 1960s, guided by the original albums and by detailed transfer notes made by the original cutting engineers.

Working in the same room at Abbey Road where most of The Beatles’ albums were initially cut, the pair [used] a rigorously tested Studer A80 machine to play back the precious tapes, the new vinyl was cut on a 1980s-era VMS80 lathe. Manufactured for the world at Optimal Media in Germany, The Beatles’ albums are presented in their original glory, both sonically and in their packaging. The boxed collection’s exclusive 12-inch by 12-inch hardbound book features new essays and a detailed history of the mastering process by award-winning radio producer and author Kevin Howlett. The book is illustrated with many rare studio photos of The Beatles, fascinating archive documents, and articles and advertisements sourced from 1960s publications.”

Check out this (very long) YouTube for more details about the release, and info on if there’ll be more copies for sale soon:

Beatles – The UK vs. The US Albums Chart

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Been looking for information on just how the six newly-reissued Beatles 1964 U.S. Albums in Mono LPs were originally compiled back in the day by Capitol Records?

For those who like a visual to help take in complex information, this chart is a fantastic resource showing exactly which songs from the original UK albums were used to create the records that Capitol produced for US audiences. It’s like a Beatles Parlophone/Capitol family tree!

(click on image to see a larger version, or download below)

The chart was created by a fan named Jared Pike who runs a site called Beatles Medleys + Mashups

Thanks to Jared, you can download the complete chart for yourself:

The Beatles UK vs. US Albums (PDF)

The Beatles UK vs. US Albums (JPG, 7200×14400)

The Beatles UK vs. US Albums (JPG, 2000×4000)

George Harrison’s Living In The Material World Gets SDE Treatment

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As has been much expected on the rumour mill, the George Harrison Estate has announced a 2024 re-mix of George Harrison’s 1973 title, Living In The Material World.

It will come in a myriad of forms on November 15 – with one to suit the price bracket of just about every fan.

There’s a 2LP, 2CD, 1 Blu-ray, plus 7″ vinyl single super deluxe box set edition. Similar content is replicated across the vinyl, CD’s and Blu-ray. This set is limited to 5,000 units globally and contains 12 previously unreleased Harrison tracks – early renditions of every song on the main album, plus one previously unreleased song, ‘Sunshine Life For Me (Sail Away Raymond) which is only available in this box. This will really upset fans who can’t spring for the box, or who simply just don’t collect vinyl. ‘Sunshine Life For Me (Sail Away Raymond)’ is on CD2, the Blu-ray, and the 7” single (with an instrumental version of the song on the flip side). It features Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, and Rick Danko from The Band alongside Ringo Starr. There’s a 60-page hardcover book in the set and a 12-page Recording Notes booklet:

There’s a 2LP version on 180g black vinyl. This includes the new mix of the album alongside 12 session outtakes housed in a gatefold sleeve with a 12-page booklet and an exclusive double-sided poster:

There are 2CD and 1CD editions. The 2CD includes the new 2024 mix of the album on one disc, along with the 12 session outtakes (but NOT including the previously unreleased ‘Sunshine Life For Me (Sail Away Raymond)’), housed in a clam shell style box with two printed wallets, a 20-page booklet, and an exclusive double-sided poster:

The standard CD edition comes in a 4-page gatefold sleeve with printed inner wallet, and a 12-page booklet. There’ll of course be a 1LP edition on black vinyl. It comes in a gatefold sleeve and includes a 4-page booklet:

Three limited edition coloured 1LP versions will be out there too. An exclusive purple vinyl from the official George Harrison store:

Orange vinyl exclusive from Barnes & Noble in the US:

And milky clear vinyl from Amazon:

So, the song ‘Sunshine Life For Me (Sail Away Raymond)’ only being exclusive to the big box will be a thorn in the side for a lot of collectors….

Also of note is that three other tracks – which were previously released on a 2006 re-mastered LP and a CD/DVD edition of Living In The Material World – are not on the new 2024 reissue. These are ‘Deep Blue’, ‘Miss O’Dell (alternative version)’, and ‘Sue Me, Sue You Blues (acoustic demo version)’ – plus some video content too that is not on the Blu-ray and could have been. And there’s another previously-released related track from George’s Early Takes Vol. 1: ‘The Light That Has Lighted The World (Demo)’.