I was tempted to buy the boxset, I was in a shop together with FPSHOT and they brought the set in, I almost bought it but in the end I let it pass. Now I got it through a trade (thanks Friar Park), and I must say I am glad I didn't buy the set.
I give 3 different reviews for each set. With a lot of trouble I got through the first box set.
Disc 1 starts off with some BBC recordings, which at the time were new or at least with improved sound quality, but in 2003 Transcription records released a set of 10 cd's with new and improved BBC recordings. I have the first volume of it, I was foolishly waiting for the Yellow Dog set, but now I am thinking of buying the rest of this set, but I digress.
New on the first disc is also the "I Saw Her Standing There" overdub session, on which we can hear take 2 each with new overdubs added on it.
Yellow Dog already released a lot of takes of "Thank You Girl" and "From Me To You" on their Ultimate Colection set, here you have them again. There are some diferences like a mmming intro to "From Me To You" which isn't on the Ultimate Colection set I believe, and some other edit pieces, but most fans wouldn't notice the diferences.
The set comes with an number of unigue live recordings.But given that the sound quality isn't that great most of the times, it's more for historic value then for listening pleasure.
It has Live at the Palladium 13 October 1963
The complete Royal Command Performance, the complete Morecambe and Wise show.
The best part of the Morecambe and Wise show is on Anthology 1, "This Boy" comes with a terible sound, and "Dirty Deckhair" which also wasn't on the Anthology, needs vision as it is just some music and you don't hear the Beatles.
The live concert 'It's The Beatles' Liverpool Empire, 7 December 1963, which was transmitted by the BBC,is a true gain to anyone's Beatles colection.A "new" concert recording with good sound.But to my ears still not good enough to make it a nice listen, still worth having.It's the highlight on disc 3, which also has some BBC recordings and more interviews, which are amusing at best (not to mention Marvin Gay) but sometimes I just wish there would be more music.
Not a set I will listen to often, some live recordings worth having, but not something you will play often. What about some other songs, well a stereo mix of "This Boy" is what you can find, and some BBC recordings, that may be or may not be unigue I am not sure.
I"ll give my end conclusion after having reviewed the other two volumes.
Review of box set 2
Review of box set 3
[size="1"][ Feb 08, 2004, 07:41 AM: Message Edited By: Legs ][/size]