My feelings for this final epic selection of rare Beatles material are bound to be influenced by the fact that, aside from Abbey Road, I just didn’t care all that much for the Fab Four’s latter-day output. Something about it just never quite set well with me. Was it the meditational influence of the time they spent with Maharishi? No, I don’t think so…there were more overt Indian influences earlier on with George’s sitar dabblings. Was it the increasing rift between the Beatles? Nope…unlike a lot of scholars who spend a lot of time trying to psychoanalyze the Beatles, I really can’t tell by listening. Somehow it was a simultaneous lack of musical daring, and a propensity to occasionally go too far out (this I largely attribute to John). But there are still plenty of items to like on this double disc, including a number of Abbey Road demos, rehearsals and outtakes, so I had to spring for it. One notable song is George Harrison’s demo of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”, which is almost unrecognizable without the trademark Clapton slide guitar. It seems like a lot of my favorite late-era Beatles tunes, and my favorites on the third Anthology, are Harrison numbers, including “Not Guilty” and “Something” (both again in early stages of development). But there are other buried treasures here as well, including Paul McCartney’s never-before-released demo of “Come And Get It” (which made stars of the band Badfinger), and my favorite of the 
entire third Anthology, an a capella rendition of “Because” in nine-part harmony. Wow. Even with my skepticism and reservations about the Beatles’ last few albums, hearing this version of Because instantly reminds me of why the the Beatles were great, especially once they sequestered themselves in studio and concentrated on musical ideas.
Disc one
- A Beginning (0:50)
- Happiness Is A Warm Gun (2:15)
- Helter Skelter (4:37)
- Mean Mr. Mustard (1:58)
- Polythene Pam (1:27)
- Glass Onion (1:51)
- Junk (2:24)
- Piggies (2:01)
- Honey Pie (1:19)
- Don’t Pass Me By (2:43)
- Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (2:56)
- Good Night (2:38)
- Cry Baby Cry (2:46)
- Blackbird (2:19)
- Sexy Sadie (4:06)
- While My Guitar Gently Weeps (3:27)
- Hey Jude (4:21)
- Not Guilty (3:22)
- Mother Nature’s Son (3:17)
- Glass Onion (2:09)
- Rocky Raccoon (4:12)
- What’s The New Mary Jane (6:12)
- Step Inside Love/Los Paranoias (2:31)
- I’m So Tired (2:30)
- I Will (2:11)
- Why Don’t We Do It In The Road (2:13)
- Julia (1:55)
Disc two
- I’ve Got A Feeling (2:49)
- She Came In Through The Bathroom Window (3:37)
- Dig A Pony (4:18)
- Two Of Us (3:27)
- For You Blue (2:23)
- Teddy Boy (3:18)
- Medley: Rip It Up / Shake, Rattle & Roll / Blue Suede Shoes (3:11)
- The Long And Winding Road (3:41)
- Oh! Darling (4:08)
- All Things Must Pass (3:05)
- Mailman, Bring Me No More Blues (1:56)
- Get Back (3:08)
- Old Brown Shoe (3:03)
- Octopus’s Garden (2:49)
- Maxwell’s Silver Hammer (3:50)
- Something (3:19)
- Come Together (3:40)
- Come And Get It – Paul’s Demo (2:30)
- Ain’t She Sweet (2:09)
- Because (2:23)
- Let It Be (4:06)
- I Me Mine (1:47)
- The End (2:51)
Released by: Capitol
Release date: 1996
Disc one total running time: 74:04
Disc two total running time: 71:30
