Released simultaneously with
Anthology,
Wonsaponatime condenses a four-disc box set into a digestible single disc that feels more revelatory than its parent. That's because the compilers did an excellent job of selecting the highlights from the long-winded box, spotlighting the best alternate takes and unreleased songs.
Wonsaponatime has a similar feel to
Anthology, since it is culled from the same rough takes and studio rambling, but it's simply more accessible, letting less dedicated fans appreciate everything from the
Cheap Trick-backed "I'm Losing You" and "God Save Oz," to alternates of "Working Class Hero," "God," "I Found Out," and "How Do You Sleep?" Again, these outtakes are not revelatory in the manner of
Dylan's
Bootleg Series, or even
the Beatles' own
Anthology, but they humanize
Lennon, who has often been viewed as something of a saint in the years since his assassination. For that alone,
Wonsaponatime is as welcome an addition to his catalog as the exhaustive
Anthology.
–
Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi