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Rarities
Rarities

First released: 1980, March 24

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Tracks
  1. Love Me Do (2:22)
    Recorded: September 11, 1962 at Abbey Road, London, England
    John Lennon - lead vocal, rhythm guitar, harmonica
    Paul McCartney - lead vocal, bass guitar
    George Harrison - acoustic guitar, harmony vocal
    Ringo Starr - drums
  2. Misery (1:50)
    Recorded: February 11, 1963 at Abbey Road, London, England
    John Lennon - lead vocal, rhythm guitar
    Paul McCartney - lead vocal, bass guitar
    George Harrison - lead guitar
    Ringo Starr - drums
    George Martin - piano
  3. There's a Place (1:53)
    Recorded: February 11, 1963 at Abbey Road, London, England
    John Lennon - lead vocal, rhythm guitar, harmonica
    Paul McCartney - bass guitar, harmony vocal
    George Harrison - lead guitar
    Ringo Starr - drums
  4. Sie Liebt Dich (2:16)
    John Lennon - lead vocal, rhythm guitar
    Paul McCartney - lead vocal, bass guitar
    George Harrison - lead guitar
    Ringo Starr - drums
  5. And I Love Her (2:31)
    Recorded: February 25-27, 1964 at Abbey Road, London, England
    John Lennon - acoustic guitar
    Paul McCartney - double-tracked lead vocal, acoustic guitar
    George Harrison - acoustic guitar solo, claves
    Ringo Starr - bongos
  6. Help! (2:30)
    Recorded: April 13, 1965 at Abbey Road, London, England
    John Lennon - lead vocal, acoustic guitar
    Paul McCartney - bass guitar, background vocal
    George Harrison - lead guitar, background vocal
    Ringo Starr - drums, tambourine
  7. I'm Only Sleeping (3:01)
    Recorded: April 27, 1966 at Abbey Road, London, England with lead vocal overdubbed April 29, 1966, backward guitar May 5, 1966 and background vocals May 6, 1966
    John Lennon - lead vocal, acoustic guitar
    Paul McCartney - bass guitar, background vocal
    George Harrison - lead guitar, background vocal
    Ringo Starr - drums
  8. I Am the Walrus (4:37)
    Recorded: September 5, 1967 at Abbey Road, London, England with overdubs added September 6, 1967 and September 27, 1967
    John Lennon - lead vocal, mellotron (at the beginning)
    Paul McCartney - bass guitar, background vocal
    George Harrison - tambourine, background vocal
    Ringo Starr - drums
    Session musicians - eight violins, four cellos, three horns
    Choir - six boys singing "Oompah, oompah, stick it up your jumper", six girls singing "Everybody's got one"
  9. Penny Lane (3:04)
    Recorded: December 29, 1966 at Abbey Road, London, England with overdubs added December 30, 1966 and January, 1967
    John Lennon - piano, harmony vocal
    Paul McCartney - lead vocal, bass guitar, Arco string bass, flute
    George Harrison - conga drum, firebell
    Ringo Starr - drums
    George Martin - piano
    David Mason - piccolo trumpet
    Philip Jones - trumpet
  10. Helter Skelter (4:30)
    Recorded: September 9, 1968 at Abbey Road, London, England with an overdub added September 10, 1968
    John Lennon - bass guitar, lead guitar, saxophone, background vocal
    Paul McCartney - lead vocal, bass guitar, lead guitar
    George Harrison - rhythm guitar, background vocal
    Ringo Starr - drums
    Mal Evans - trumpet
  11. Don't Pass Me by (3:42)
    Recorded: June 5, 1968 at Abbey Road, London, England with overdubs added June 6, 1968 and July 12, 1968 and an edit piece (tinkling piano intro) recorded July 22, 1968
    John Lennon - acoustic guitar, tambourine
    Paul McCartney - bass guitar
    George Harrison - violin(?)
    Jack Fallon - violin
    Ringo Starr - lead vocal, drums, piano
  12. The Inner Light (2:32)
    Recorded: February 6, 1968 at Abbey Road, London, England with overdubs and backing vocals added February 8, 1968
    John Lennon - background vocal
    Paul McCartney - background vocal
    George Harrison - lead vocal
    Indian session musicians - all instruments
  13. Across the Universe (3:44)
    John Lennon - lead vocal, acoustic guitar, lead guitar, organ
    Paul McCartney - piano
    George Harrison - sitar
    Ringo Starr - maracas
    George Martin - organ (with Lennon)
    Lizzie Bravo and Gayleen Pease - falsetto background vocals (on "Nothing's going to change my world")
  14. You Know My Name (Look up the Number) (4:17)
    John Lennon - lead vocal, maracas, sound effects
    Paul McCartney - lead vocal, piano, double bass, sound effects
    George Harrison - xylophone, background vocal
    Ringo Starr - lead vocal, drums, bongos
    Brain Jones - saxophone
    Mal Evans - background vocal
  15. Sgt. Pepper Inner Groove (0:02)
    Recorded: February 22, 1967 at Abbey Road, London, England.
Credits
Producer: George Martin
Compiled and Annotated by: Randall Davis
Researched by: Ron Furmanek and Walter Podrazik
Cover by: E. Marquez, Roy Kohara and Rick Wolin-Semple
Songs Misery, There's a Place, Sie Liebt Dich here is in stereo version for the first time.
Releases
1980, March 24 Capitol SHAL-12060 (US)
Reviews & comments
Stuart Brian (2009, December 23)
The blue cover shown is for the British version of Rarities, which had 17 songs. The US version of Rarities (Capitol SHAL-12060) had a grey cover with a photo of the four Beatles in the center, and had 15 songs.
Race Tregg (2003, March 6)
What makes "Rarities" unique is the time it was released. Up to that point (with the exception of hard to find "bootlegs")there was nothing other than the great work the Beatles had left behind at the close of the sixties. "Rarities", in retrospect, seemed to be the foundation for what would be become the "Anthology" series many years later. The songs on this collection are slight variations of the originals, B-sides that never made it on to any American Albums ["The Inner Light", "You Know My Name (look up the number)]and/or the British versions (which were new at the time to American ears).

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