2025 in 2025: Day 7

Anthems - Kerry Ellis
More Brian May! Kerry Ellis belts out epic showtunes and some Queen/Brian May songs, while Brian May rocks the planet. It is all as massive as one would expect. Particularly the title track (from Chess) and Defying Gravity from Wicked. It is a million times better than any other version of that song. I said what I said. Come at me, Ariana Grande and Wicked fans. Shiizzz, I ain't afraid of you mofos.
Highlights: Anthem, Defying Gravity, 
7.5/10

Anthology 1 - The Beatles
Well... there's a lot going on here. Free as a Bird has definitely grown on me over the years. From there it is lots of home demos and live stuff. The early stuff is something I probably appreciate more now as fan of older rock'n roll; hearing The Beatles as teenagers giving us some Buddy Holly and Eddie Cochrane is pretty cool. And having the Decca audition tape here is certainly historically important. And sounds great. Controversial take: I understand why they passed. Listening to the original version of Love Me Do just confirms Ringo really was the better choice from the go. The live tracks from 1963 in Sweden are pretty awesome. Actually, their performances on most of these live tracks are awesome - even if some of the recordings are showing their age (the tracks from Two of Kind in particular feature a fair bit of clipping/distortion). Not sure how many times John and Paul can sing the wrong lines in No Reply, but clearly they were trying their best! Leave My Kitten Alone deserved a proper release.
Highlights: Free as a Bird, Leave My Kitten Alone, I Saw Her Standing There (Live in Sweden 24 Oct (1963)
6/10

Anthology 2 - The Beatles
This release features the best of the John Lennon demos-turned full song in Real Love. It also covers 1965-1968, which is possibly my favourite period of The Beatles. They were firing on all cylinders at the time, writing and releasing albums like Help! and Rubber Soul. If You've Got Trouble is another song that deserved a proper release - this is a great song! The live songs here are nicely recorded and the band still sound fantastic, but def sound tired, like a band that are performing non-stop. Especially on Help! I could have done with less versions of Yesterday, but hey, what's McCartney going to do? Not put lots of himself on here? And Your Bird Can Sing is completely derailed by some stoned fools laughing hysterically while trying to record their vocals. Live songs from Tokyo in 1966 show they are just done with performing live. The Strawberry Fields Forever demos are interesting in how different the feel is compared to the final release. A Day in the Life is so brilliant and then it cuts to the orchestra randomly, but still omits the ending? Good Morning, Good Morning minus all the nonsense is such a good song. Fool on the Hill is not, no matter how many versions McCartney tries to make me to listen to. This version of Across the Universe is a million times better than that 'wildlife' version that seemed to only exist to make Lennon mad. In fact, this may well be the best version. 
Highlights: Real Love, You Know My Name (Look Up the Number) [Extended Stereo Remix], Across the Universe [Take 2]
6/10

Anthology 3 - The Beatles
I'm glad Now & Then didn't make the cut for this, because it really wasn't that great. And I find it so funny how all the articles and interviews from the time make it clear Harrison thought it was rubbish. Yet, somehow, I'm supposed to pretend he would have approved of it being released 25 years later with his involvement almost completely removed. Lennon's acoustic tracks on here are a genuine highlight and part of me wishes he had sorted himself out and finished them instead of just letting them get thrown together for the Abbey Road medley, but then we wouldn't have gotten the epic medley of greatness, so either way is a lose. This version of Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da is actually less annoying, somewhat. The Savile Row sessions for Let It Be/Get Back/Whatever we are calling it these days are seriously good. Why is Get Back the only song from the rooftop concert? The kinda sad part is the Abbey Road period feels completely disjointed and like they are barely together. Which was the case, but the album itself at least managed to pretend otherwise. Still didn't need this odd remix of The End with all the extra out of place McCartney lead guitar playing.
Highlights: While My Guitar Gently Weeps [Demo], All Things Must Pass [Demo], any version of Glass Onion
5/10

That was basically a whole day of The Beatles. Luckily, it was a mostly varied chronological trek through their catalog - just in mostly inferior fashion. So I'm not sick of The Beatles right now. More sick of Anthologies?

"Albums" listened to so far: 59