The Beatles - Unsurpassed Masters, Volume 2 (1964–1965) (1989)

Pristine, studio-quality outtakes and alternate versions, from the master tapes.
All tracks stereo except 1, 7 and 12 mono.
First pressings were mistakenly mastered with only one channel of the stereo image on both sides.

Unfortunately, almost every track on every Yellow Dog CD is mastered at the wrong speed, somewhere slow of A=440.

Review by Stansted Montfichet
Though Yellow Dog's Unsurpassed Masters, Vol. 2 was rendered largely redundant by EMI's legitimate issue Anthology, it still contains a few cuts die-hard Beatles completists may require. John Lennon's rhythm guitar -- so often indistinguishable in the typical George Martin mix -- can be fully admired and appreciated in the wordless versions of "Help!" and "Day Tripper" included here. Likewise, McCartney's "We Can Work It Out," emerges as a charming instrumental with its subtle chord structure bared. The extended jam of "She's a Woman" is less attractive owing to Paul's maniacal screaming (ad nauseam) in the fade, but it is interesting to hear McCartney's soulful vocal without overdubs. "12-Bar Original" was pruned for Anthology 2; the unedited version here seems interminable. Completist? OK, get this. Casual fan? Forget it.