New Garth Brooks Anthology Reveals Early Songs, Alternate Versions, And Secrets Of How They Were Recorded


Country music legend Garth Brooks will reveal many of his early, never-before-heard songs, as well as alternate versions of some of his popular early tracks — including behind-the-scenes secrets of how they were written and recorded — in a massive new book and CD set titled The Anthology, the 55-year-old superstar announced on Wednesday.

But here’s the twist: the Anthology will not comprise just one book and CD package — but five. On November 14, Brooks’ fans can purchase The Anthology Part 1: The First Five Years in which Brooks writes about only, as the title states, the first five years of his storied career — a career which now spans 32 years and counting, beginning with his earliest days playing solo guitar in Wild Willie’s Saloon in Stillwater, Oklahoma, way back in 1985.

The First Five Years collection will include not only a 250-page hardcover autobiography — the first book Brooks has authored — which will be lavishly illustrated with 150 photographs from the earliest stage of Brooks’ career, but a five-CD set comprising an incredible 52 songs from that period in the ongoing Garth Brooks story.

In that five-CD set, 19 of the songs — more than 35 percent — are slated to be previously unreleased versions of early Brooks tunes, including studio outtakes and demo versions of songs such as “The Thunder Rolls,” “Friends in Low Places,” and the classic “The Dance.”

Garth Brooks reveals the secrets behind his early songs in a new ‘Anthology’ book-and-CD set to be released November 14. [Image By by Rick Diamond/Getty Images]

In fact, Wednesday’s announcement revealed, the book included in the new Anthology set will detail secrets of how “Friends in Low Places” and “The Dance” were very nearly left on the cutting room floor, never to be recorded at all. Other behind-the-scenes reveals include the tense story of how Brooks’ No. 1 hit “The Thunder Rolls” was set to be recorded by another country music performer, and Brooks was forced to compete in order to beat his own song to the market.

The most devoted Garth Brooks fans will want to click over to the star’s official Facebook page at this link on Monday, October 2 at 7 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time to view the new installment of Brooks’ Facebook Live series, Inside Studio G, which will feature Brooks discussing his upcoming Anthology release and sharing some of the exclusive stories of his early career that will be featured in the book.

[Featured Image By Theo Wargo/Getty Images]

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