As expected, the second installment of the series reflects ' increasing use of the studio-as-laboratory during their "middle years." Some live material from 1965 to 1966 appears on the first disc, and the second "reunion" single ( ) leads off the set. But the emphasis is upon alternate takes from early 1965 to early 1968, during which time the group rapidly evolved from post- through to . As with the first volume, this is nearly always interesting but perhaps thinner on revelations than some might expect. The -era outtakes and are on the light side but very fun, especially the latter, which and the group perform much better than (who covered the song shortly afterward). Some of the alternate takes are extremely different and excellent performances on their own merits: the funkier version of and the less mellow arrangement of a wall-of-drugs reverb for a very -like approach to (with giggle-laden vocals), and an acoustic demo of The earlier, much more acoustic version of is the most notable gem. On the other hand, much of the material differs from the official cuts in fairly minute gradations and will be of greater interest to scholars than general listeners (although discoveries like a different solo on are fascinating). The seven live tracks on disc one, from the waning days of Beatlemania, are better than many would have assumed, showing the group still capable of generating heat on-stage. ~ Richie Unterberger