Rarities (Beatles compilations)

1978

Rarities is a British compilation album featuring a selection of songs by The Beatles. The album was originally released as part of The Beatles Collection, a box set featuring all other Beatles records, but was later released individually. The album has not been released on CD, but all of the tracks are available on the double CD compilation Past Masters.

Rarities was conceived to include lesser known songs that were not included on any other original Beatles album — these included B-sides of singles, two German language recordings, the tracks from an EP with exclusive material, a song recorded for the American market and a version of "Across the Universe" that had previously appeared on a World Wildlife Fund charity record.

The choice of selections seems to assume that the customer already has all the regular issue British albums (i.e., the albums included in the 1978 boxed set) plus The Beatles/1962-1966 (the "Red Album"), The Beatles/1967-1970 (the "Blue Album"), and Magical Mystery Tour but not A Collection of Beatles Oldies or Hey Jude. Such a collector would own copies of every song in the entire Beatles catalogue except for all the songs provided on Rarities. (Such a collector, however, would still be missing the original single version of "Love Me Do." This track, which went out-of-print in the fall of 1963, was not available anywhere until included on the 1980 American album version of the same name. It was finally made available again in Britain in 1982 on a "Love Me Do" 12-single that also featured the common version of "Love Me Do" as well as "P.S. I Love You.")

The album was released 2 November 1978 in Britain, as part of the British edition of The Beatles Collection boxed set. It was also issued on 12 October 1979 in the United Kingdom as a stand-alone album.

Track listing

All songs written by Lennon–McCartney except where indicated. All songs are in mono unless indicated as stereo.

1. "Across the Universe" ("Wildlife" version from a British various artists charity album titled No One's Gonna Change Our World) stereo
2. "Yes It Is" (B-side)
3. "This Boy" (B-side)
4. "The Inner Light" (Harrison) (B-side)
5. "I'll Get You" (B-side)
6. "Thank You Girl" (B-side)
7. "Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand" (German version of "I Want to Hold Your Hand") stereo
8. "You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)" (B-side)
9. "Sie Liebt Dich" (German version of "She Loves You") stereo

The US pressing of Rarities included in the limited edition numbered boxed set of The Beatles Collection contained She Loves You rather than Sie Liebt Dich.

10. "Rain" (B-side)
11. "She's a Woman" (B-side)
12. "Matchbox" (Perkins) (From "Long Tall Sally" EP)
13. "I Call Your Name" (From "Long Tall Sally" EP)
14. "Bad Boy" (Williams) (recorded for the American LP Beatles VI, first UK release on A Collection of Beatles Oldies) stereo
15. "Slow Down" (Williams) (From "Long Tall Sally" EP)
16. "I'm Down" (B-side)
17. "Long Tall Sally" (Johnson/Penniman/Blackwell) (From "Long Tall Sally" EP)

1980

Rarities is a compilation album released by Capitol Records featuring a selection of songs by The Beatles. The album was inspired by an earlier compilation of the same name which was released as part of The Beatles Collection box set. Most of the tracks on The Beatles Collection album called Rarities were already available on American Beatles LPs. As a result, Capitol assembled an album of Beatles tracks which were considered rare in America. They include tracks not previously issued on a Capitol or Apple LP and alternative versions of several well-known songs which were also not readily available in the U.S. The gatefold of the album cover features the original controversial "butcher" cover photo of the Yesterday...and Today album.

Though the Capitol Rarities album was geared toward the American market, it was also issued in several other countries, including Australia, Canada, France, Japan and New Zealand. The Rarities album has not been released on compact disc, though all but three of the tracks are now available on other Beatles CDs, especially the Beatles' 2009 mono and stereo box sets.

When the album was released Paul McCartney said it was "quite good".

Track listing

All songs written by Lennon–McCartney except where noted.

1. "Love Me Do"
2. Mono, original UK single on Parlophone 45-R4949 with Ringo Starr on drums; now available on Past Masters
3. "Misery"
4. Stereo, previously issued on Vee-Jay LP Introducing... The Beatles; available on Please Please Me
5. "There's a Place"
6. Stereo, previously issued on Vee Jay LP Introducing... The Beatles; available on Please Please Me
7. "Sie Liebt Dich"
8. Stereo, previously released only as a mono single in the US on Swan Records; now available on Past Masters
9. "And I Love Her"
10. Stereo, alternate version with six-bar ending; originally issued in Germany; not available on CD. available on The Beatles Box
11. "Help!"
12. Mono, with different vocals than the stereo LP; available on The Beatles in Mono
13. "I'm Only Sleeping"
14. Stereo, final UK Revolver mix (early mono and alternate stereo mixes were released in the US)
15. "I Am the Walrus"
16. Stereo, new mix compiled from US single and UK album mixes: six-bar intro and extra beats before the "Yellow matter custard" verse; not available on CD

1. "Penny Lane"
2. Stereo, new version compiled from the German true stereo version with the US promotional mono version's extra piccolo trumpet solo added onto the ending; not available on CD. available on The Beatles Box
3. "Helter Skelter"
4. Mono, ends at first fadeout without Ringo Starr's "blisters" outburst (first pressings erroneously attribute the statement to John Lennon in the album's liner notes) [1]; available on The Beatles in Mono
5. "Don't Pass Me By" (Starkey)
6. Mono, sped-up version with different violin in places; available on The Beatles in Mono
7. "The Inner Light" (Harrison)
8. Mono, previously released as the B-side of "Lady Madonna"; now available on Mono Masters
9. "Across the Universe"
10. Stereo, original version from No One's Gonna Change Our World, a British compilation album made for the World Wildlife Fund; now available on Past Masters
11. "You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)"
12. Mono, previously released as the B-side of "Let It Be"; now available on Past Masters
13. "Sgt. Pepper Inner Groove"
14. Stereo, a piece that ended the original British release of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band but was not included on the American version of the album. It consists of a few seconds of 15 kilohertz tone (similar to a dog whistle) followed by two seconds of laughter and noise on the runout groove. The tone is not included on this album but the laughter and noise are featured just before the actual runout groove. It has since been restored, including the high-pitch tone, for all worldwide CD and cassette versions of Sgt. Pepper as well as the 2012 vinyl remaster of the LP.