Free As a Bird / Saw Her Standing / This Boy [Single, Import]

The Beatles | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 19, 1999)
• Original Release Date: January 1, 1995
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Single, Import
• Label: EMI Import
• ASIN: B000034CGB
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #47,098 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Free As A Bird

2. I Saw Her Standing There

3. This Boy

4. Christmas Time (Is Here Again)

Editorial Reviews

Deleted in the U.S.! The only other single besides 'Real Love' taken from the Fab Four 's 1995 collection 'Anthology' (Volume 1). It's backed with three non-album tracks, 'I Saw Her Standing There' (Studio Take Nine), 'This Boy' (Alternate Take) and 'Christmas Time Is Here Again'. This was the first 'reunion' track to feature the three remaining members voices electronically overdubbed to John Lennon's original vocals. EMI. 1995.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Whatever happened to the life that we once knew?", June 10, 2003

By 

W. Langan "take403" (the end of the world to your town!) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Free As a Bird / Saw Her Standing / This Boy (Audio CD)

As others has pointed out, the 3 volumed Beatles Anthology sets didn't include all they could have (particularly the 1st 2 volumes). Since there are 3 tracks not on any of the Anthology CD's, this is worth collecting (it's too bad this and the Real Love CD were discontinued in the USA).

The "new" Beatles song actually evolved from a 1977 John Lennon demo and the other 3 added their musical contributions onto it. There is a demo of "I Saw Her Standing There" (the entire 9th take). There are 2 takes of "This Boy," which feature John and Paul giggling during vocal snafu's! Finally, there is the complete musical version of the Beatles' "Christmas Time (Is Here Again)," taken from their 1967 Christmas record (with individual Christmas greetings from Paul, John, George and Ringo from the previous year). George Martin plays "Auld Lang Syne" on the organ as John recites a Christmas poem.

Included on the cover is John Lennon's unique artwork.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Don't feel ripped off, October 10, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Free As a Bird / Saw Her Standing / This Boy (Audio CD)

If you already have "Anthology 1," then you're really only getting three tracks. I was hoping that this disc would have the original demo that Lennon recorded alone, but instead, it has the Beatles version, the exact same as on the "Anthology 1" album. But the other three tracks are pretty good. There's a take of "I Saw Her Standing There," that sounds a little shaky. It's the entire take that provided the "One-two-three-four" count-in that's on "Please, Please Me." The Beatles' first album had a different take, but they used the count-in from the take presented on this disc.
There are two takes of "This Boy," which are good. I love the between-take chatter that the Anthology albums are also full of.
The best track is track four, "Christmas Time is Here Again." However, the song is mainly the four Beatles repeating the title phrase over and over, with a few little phrases by Paul, John and Ringo wedged in. There are also little greetings by each of The Beatles, no more than five seconds each, saying "Merry Christmas, we hope you have a great New Year..." etc. At the end is a strange monologue by John Lennon with wintry wind whistling back and forth from one speaker to the other.
Although you may feel a little cheated that there are only three new tracks, consider this: these tracks aren't available anywhere else...ANYWHERE. Now, that's quite worth the money, if you ask me!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars FREE AS A BIRD, April 9, 2000

By 

Paul Quintana (TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Free As a Bird / Saw Her Standing / This Boy (Audio CD)

Well, I personaly think that if anybody has the right to go back and get old Lennon demo tapes and use them to make good songs it would definatly be Paul, George and Ringo. I mean just listen to "Free As A Bird" and "Real Love" they're great. I'm just sad that they didn't remake "Grow Old With Me" for 'Anthology 3' like they were suppose to.