The final installment of the Anthology series has two discs of previously unreleased material from the White Album era through the group's demise in early 1970. In terms of sheer listenability, this may be the strongest volume of the three, if only because it focuses almost solely upon studio recordings rather than mixing live concerts/broadcasts and outtakes. Also, by this time the Beatles had perfected their approach to recording, meaning that even the early/alternate versions of many of their cuts were often of outstanding quality. There's some prime stuff here: "unplugged" White Album demos from mid-1968, radically different versions of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and "Helter Skelter," a stringless "The Long and Winding Road," three beautifully sung and played Harrison solo demos from early 1969, and several songs the Beatles never released, like "All Things Must Pass," "Not Guilty," "Teddy Boy," "Come and Get It," and "Junk." Not everything here is so great that the casual consumer will be fascinated, of course. As on previous Anthology sets, some of these alternates are only very slightly different from the official versions; the oldies covers from the Let It Be era are off-the-cuff jams that aren't up to the group's usual level of brilliance. It's still a fascinating collection, both for the insight it affords you into the group's creative process at the end of their career, and for the considerable excellence of the music itself. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide
Anthology 3 is a compilation album by The Beatles released in October 1996 by Apple Records as part of The Beatles Anthology series. The album includes rarities and alternative tracks from the final two years of the band's career, ranging from the initial sessions for The Beatles (also known as The White Album) to the last sessions for Let It Be and Abbey Road in later 1969 and early 1970.
Following "Free as a Bird" in Anthology 1 and "Real Love" in Anthology 2, a third John Lennon solo demo entitled "Now and Then" was to be reworked by the three surviving members of The Beatles for Anthology 3. However, it was decided against due to complications and sound quality issues involving Lennon's recording. In its place is "A Beginning," an orchestral instrumental track initially intended for The White Album.
Similar to the previous Anthology albums, the cover image painted by Klaus Voorman features a collage of The Beatles-related imagery designed to appear as a wall of peeling posters and album covers. An updated picture of Voorman can be seen in George Harrison's hair in a segment of the Revolver album cover.
This was the group's third double album in a row to go to #1 on the American charts, equaling a record set by Donna Summer back in the 1970s.
