George Harrison tries ‘to do a Smokey’ on ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’

October 3, 2025 2

The Beatles ‘Anthology Collection’ cover/(Capitol Records)

The Beatles have shared yet another tune from their upcoming Anthology reissue.

The legendary band has released an alternate take on the classic “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” the George Harrison-penned track that originally appeared on 1968’s The Beatles aka the White Album.

The clip, titled “While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Take 27),” opens with Harrison giving someone his meal order. He says, “I’ll just have cheese and lettuce and Marmite sandwich and coffee.” It ends with the band cutting the song short after Harrison tries to hit a high note, with Harrison joking, “It’s OK, I sang, tried to do a Smokey and I just aren’t Smokey.”

A post on Instagram explains that this version has Harrison “attempting to channel his musical hero Smokey Robinson.”

This is the second bonus track The Beatles have shared from the upcoming Anthology rerelease. They previously released “Helter Skelter (Second Version – Take 17).”

The Beatles will release the Anthology Collection box set on Nov. 21, featuring the original three Anthology albums, plus a new fourth installment, Anthology 4, that includes 13 previously unreleased tracks. The set will be released digitally and as a 12-LP or eight-CD collection.

Anthology 4 will also be released on its own, as a three-LP or two-CD set, featuring 36 tracks, including the previously unreleased recordings.

All formats are available for preorder now.

In addition to the Anthology music collection, a restored and remastered version of the eight-part Anthology documentary, which aired on ABC in 1995, will debut Nov. 26 on Disney+ with a new ninth episode. A 25th anniversary edition of The Beatles Anthology book will be released Oct. 1.