The Beatles heritage industry is gearing up once more with the announcement today (August 21) that the whole Anthology series of compilations, plus the documentary and book are to be reissued, repackaged and revamped this autumn.
So here are the deets: The original three Anthology albums, which were released – as I’m sure you’ll recall if you’re over 35 – in a veritable blaze of publicity thirty years ago, are coming out on November 21, all remastered by Giles Martin and with the addition of live and bonus tracks.
Plus there's a new fourth Anthology album, which comprises tracks that didn’t make the cut in 1995, plus new 2025 mixes of Free As A Bird and Real Love. The former, the much-hyped ‘new’ Beatles single was, for many, a letdown in 1995, largely because John Lennon’s voice sounded very much as it was: a faint whisper from an eighteen-year-old cassette tape. Now, using the same technology that catalysed the release of Now And Then it’s clear and clean. Result.
On the downside – there’s still no sign of Carnival Of Light. This is the 14-minute avant-garde track that was recorded in early 1967. Largely the work of Paul McCartney, its inclusion on Anthology 2 was vetoed by George Harrison. And it seems it hasn’t got past Harrison’s widow (or perhaps Ringo and Yoko Ono) this time either.
Meanwhile, The Beatles Anthology documentary, originally an eight-part series shown on Sunday evenings in late 1995, has been restored by the Apple Corps production team, together with Peter Jackson.
There is also the addition of an Episode Nine, which shows behind-the-scenes footage of Paul, George and Ringo’s reunion in 1994/95 as well as new interviews in which they reflect on their lives as Beatles.
The catch? Whereas the original Anthology was on free-to-air ITV, you’ll need a Disney+ subscription for this new version. It will be streaming on the platform from November 26.
Finally, the Beatles Anthology book is being reissued in a 25th Anniversary edition. It’s an accompaniment to the documentary series and features interviews with the four Beatles, plus colleagues such as Neil Aspinall, George Martin, Derek Taylor and others. Featuring over 1300 photos, artwork and memorabilia from the band’s archive, it’s out on October 14. A Christmas gift, perhaps, for the Beatles nut in your life?
Apparently, when the original Anthology albums were being put together in the mid-1990s, George remarked to Paul that they should call the next compilation ‘Scraping The Bottom Of The Barrel’. Somewhere in the cosmos, the Quiet One is surely smiling wryly to himself.
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