Rarities was released on 2 November 1978 in the United Kingdom, as part of The Beatles Collection boxed set.

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.

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.

Although the Capitol Rarities album was geared towards the American market, it was also issued in several other countries, including Australia, Canada, France, Japan and New Zealand.