ABSTRACT
Th e release of preliminary versions of well-known rock songs-the Beatles’ Anthology volumes and Th e Pet Sounds Sessions come immediately to mindpresents listeners with the rare opportunity to eavesdrop on the development of their favorite songs. For those who study the processes of composition and production in rock more closely, these newly available recordings also pose some new and interesting questions. How do earlier versions of songs diff er from fi nal releases? What musical factors played into decisions to change an arrangement, a timbre, or a tempo? What other contingencies were involved? When is a song truly fi nished? Evaluating the choices made, the ideas accepted, rejected, or transformed, holds the promise of illuminating what ultimately took shape and why.
