ALBUMS OF THE DAY
Rarities is the name of two separate and unrelated compilation albums by the English rock band the Beatles. The first was released in the United Kingdom in December 1978, while the second album was issued in the United States in March 1980.
Rarities is a British compilation album featuring a selection of songs by the Beatles. The album was originally released as part of The Beatles Collection, a box set featuring all other Beatles records, but was later issued individually. The album has not been released on CD, but all of the tracks are available on the double CD compilation Past Masters.
Rarities is a compilation album released by Capitol Records in North America, featuring a selection of songs by the Beatles. The album was inspired by an earlier compilation of the same name which was released as part of The Beatles Collection box set. Most of the tracks on the Beatles Collection disc titled Rarities were already available on American Beatles LPs. As a result, Capitol assembled an album of Beatles tracks that were considered rare in America. They include tracks not previously issued on a Capitol or Apple LP and alternative versions of several well-known songs which were also not readily available in America. A highlight of the album was the gatefold sleeve featuring the controversial "butcher" photo from the 1966 Yesterday and Today album.