The Beatles Set To Release ‘Anthology’ On Screen, Record, And Print
The groundbreaking ‘Anthology’ series will return in a variety of formats this fall.
The Beatles Anthology is set to return in its various forms as a comprehensive global release—on screen, on record, and in print.
The Beatles’ landmark Anthology documentary series has been restored and remastered and is now a nine-part series, of which the last episode is brand new. The series will stream exclusively on Disney+ beginning on November 26.
First released three decades ago, The Beatles’ eight-part Anthology series reinvented the music documentary. Instead of a standard treatment centered on an outside narrator and talking heads, “The Anthology” featured John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr candidly telling their own story, with all its complexities and contradictions. It introduced The Beatles to new generations of viewers and listeners and marked the start of a creative and commercial afterlife that continues to this day.
The band’s Anthology music collections, originally curated by George Martin, have now been remastered by Giles Martin in the form of three double albums of rare material, a shadow story to the one told in the documentaries. They are an enthralling insight into the early development of songs that became the recorded masterpieces that resonate just as loudly today as they did when they were first recorded.
The music collection also comes with an important new element. Anthology 4, newly curated by Giles, includes 13 previously unreleased demos and session recordings and other rare recordings. It also includes new mixes of The Beatles’ Anthology-associated hit singles: the Grammy-winning “Free As A Bird” and “Real Love,” given new life by their original producer, Jeff Lynne, using de-mixed John Lennon vocals. The original “Free As A Bird” music video has also been beautifully restored, and is available to watch now.
Finally, the 25th Anniversary Edition of The Beatles Anthology book will be released on October 14th by Apple Corps Ltd. and Chronicle Books. Throughout its pages, John, Paul, George and Ringo share their honest, intimate, and revelatory recollections of the band’s journey. Their memories are accompanied by impressions from their closest colleagues, including Neil Aspinall, George Martin, Derek Taylor, and others. The bestselling 368-page book is illustrated with more than 1,300 photos, documents, artwork, and other memorabilia from the band’s archives.
