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The Beatles are probably the only rock'n'roll band in the world that could release six discs of their trash, and still have it be more wonderful than the majority of other rock music on the market.

"Anthology 2," the Beatles' second two-disc installment of their demos, live tracks, alternate takes and new material covers the band's most prolific years. The collection contains music from February 1965 to February 1968, encompassing the albums "Help!" "Rubber Soul," "Revolver," "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and "Magical Mystery Tour."

While the concept of "Anthology 2" is the same as "Anthology 1," which was released November 1995, the second release is far superior in sound quality and musical quality to its predecessor.

Along with the old material comes another new Beatles single, "Real Love," which is more interesting and closer to classic Beatles style than "Free As A Bird" from "Anthology 1." Recorded by John Lennon in 1979, the track originally only included piano and vocals. Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr hired producer George Lynne to add their vocals and instruments to the track, and in early 1995 they recorded the new version. While the song is pretty good, it is still nowhere near the caliber of the band's original classic material.

Aside from "Real Love," "Anthology 2" contains three previously unreleased, yet worthwhile tracks -- "If You've Got Trouble," "That Means A Lot" and "12-Bar Original."

With three alternate takes of "Strawberry Fields Forever" and a slew of other top Beatles hits, "Anthology 2" makes a great addition to the collections of anyone from Beatles fanatics to people simply interested in learning more about the phenomenon surrounding the greatest rock'n'roll band of all-time.

Many of the tracks on the discs are fairly similar to their loved versions, but others are stripped down to their bare bones to reveal more raw and equally enchanting versions. "Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds" without most of the psychedelic background tracks is amazingly natural-sounding and enjoyable, as is "I Am The Walrus."

Others like the great wacky ska tune "You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)," a B-side to "Let It Be," appears with material cut out when it was originally released.

A fun outtake of "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" with the sound of glass breaking and Lennon's banter of "Paul's broken a glass, broken a glass, Paul's broken a glass" is a great addition to the track.

"Anthology 2" is a great teaching tool to learn more about the Beatles' illustrious history, and also for people to hear the amazing progressions the band made in the studio with the help of producer George Martin.

With its total 45 tracks, "Anthology 2" is a beautiful collection. All the tracks sound marvelous and add new life to the classic material, making the songs, new and old, more exciting than ever before.

-- Brian A. Gnatt