The Beatles have debuted another rare archival track from their upcoming Anthology 4 compilation, due out on November 21. It’s a previously unreleased take of the band’s classic 1965 acoustic song “I’ve Just Seen a Face.”
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According to the BeatlesBible.com website, The Beatles recorded “I’ve Just Seen a Face” on June 14, 1965, at EMI Recording Studios (later Abbey Road). The unreleased version is the third of six takes of the tune that were recorded that day. The track features Paul McCartney on vocals and acoustic guitar; John Lennon and George Harrison on acoustic guitars; and Ringo Starr on brushed snare drum.
At the beginning of the recording, you can here some banter between McCartney, Lennon, and Harrison. John quips, “Lonnie’s gonna regret not singing on this one,” apparently referencing U.K. skiffle legend Lonnie Donegan. At the end of the track, Lennon is heard commenting, “I broke a string.”
The Beatles posted a brief video feature on their social media pages to accompany the announcement of the release of “I’ve Just Seen a Face (Take 3).” The clip includes audio of an archival interview with McCartney discussing the song.
“‘I’ve Just Seen a Face’ … it keeps dragging you forward,” he says. “It’s a quite nice little song. I liked it. It’s sort of slightly country and western from my point-of-view. It was faster, though. It was a strange, uptempo thing. I was quite pleased with it. Like a crossword puzzle, [it was] one of the things I liked writing to.
More About “I’ve Just Seen a Face”
Although “I’ve Just Seen a Face” is credited to Lennon-McCartney, the song was solely written by Paul. According to BeatlesBible.com, McCartney composed the tune in a music room at the home of his then-girlfriend Jane Asher’s parents in London.
Before he finished writing the lyrics, Paul briefly called the song “Auntie Jin’s Theme,” because his aunt liked the music.
In the U.K., “I’ve Just Seen a Face” was released on the soundtrack to the Beatles film Help!, although it wasn’t featured in the movie. In the U.S., it appeared as the lead track of the Rubber Soul album.
About Anthology 4 and The Anthology Collection Box Set
“I’ve Just Seen a Face (Take 3)” is one of 13 previously unreleased tracks that will appear on Anthology 4. The compilation will be included in the recently announced Anthology Collection box set, and also will be available as a standalone release.
Anthology 4, which can be pre-ordered now, can be purchased as a two-CD set and a three-LP package. The collection, which was curated by producer Giles Martin, features 36 tracks. Most of the recordings span from 1963 through 1969, and include studio outtakes, alternate takes, and a live performance.
The album also features the Fab Four’s 2023 single “Now and Then,” and new mixes of “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love.” The latter two songs originally appeared, respectively, on the Anthology 1 and Anthology 2 compilations. All three tracks were built around demos Lennon recorded in the late 1970s to which the three surviving Beatles members later added parts to complete.
More About The Anthology Collection and Other Beatles News
As previously reported, The Anthology Collection will be available as a 12-LP vinyl package, an eight-CD set, and digitally. Along with the new Anthology 4, the box set includes remastered versions of the Anthology 1, Anthology 2, and Anthology 3 compilations, which were originally released in November 1995, March 1996, and October 1996, respectively.
The compilations feature rare tracks, outtakes, and live performances from different periods of the band’s history.
The Anthology Collection, which can be pre-ordered now, features a total of 191 tracks.
The first three Anthology compilations were released as companion pieces to The Beatles Anthology docuseries, which premiered on ABC in November 1995.
As previously reported, a restored and expanded version of The Beatles Anthology will premiere as a nine-episode series on Disney+ starting November 26. The presentation’s ninth episode is brand-new. It includes previously unseen behind-the-scenes footage of McCartney, George Harrison, and Starr reuniting in 1994 and 1995 to collaborate on the Anthology project and reflect on their shared experiences as members of The Beatles.
In addition, The Beatles Anthology book, which originally was published in October 2000 as a companion to the docuseries and compilations, was reissued on October 14 to mark its 25th anniversary. The 368-page coffee-table book is illustrated with more than 1,300 photos and images of documents, artwork, and other archival memorabilia. The publication also features the four Beatles sharing recollections about of the band’s historic journey.
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