In 1995, Beatles obsessives around the world went wild with the release of “The Beatles: Anthology.” An eight-episode audio-visual series, shown on American television and sold on DVD, which provides a chronological chronicle of the group’s entire career. It sold terribly, over 2 million boxes in just the first year of its release.
To increase the impact on his followers, all the material was edited by Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. In other words: after so many people had taken a chance on the mission, it was time for the Beatles to tell their own story.
Now, an updated version of the series is available on the Disney+ streaming platform. “The Beatles: Anthology” uses all the technological advances developed over the past 30 years to enhance the sound and picture, reaching amazing quality.
The big news is bonus episode number nine, the result of a brilliant idea by McCartney and Starr. It could even be classified as a separate documentary, showcasing interviews and recordings recorded between 1991 and 1994, when the remnants of the Beatles worked on the first “Anthology.” Therefore, the difference is precisely the “making” of the project.
There couldn’t be a better Christmas gift for a Beatlemaniac than to see McCartney, Starr and Harrison recording in the studio, using audio recordings of John Lennon sent to them by Yoko Ono. From these sessions came the as-yet-unreleased songs “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love”, as well as recordings that resulted in “Now and Then” only being released in 2023.
Watching this trio, all in their 50s, reminisce about the magic of The Beatles is truly a treat for their followers. But the most interesting thing about this new version of the documentary is the relaxed and emotional conversations between the three musicians.
It’s priceless for fans to watch the three of them at George’s dining room table, drinking tea and reminiscing about stories about the band. They’ve uncovered some very entertaining material, which includes the birth of the Beatles’ long hair, something completely coincidental, and even the adoption of the famous stockings, which the quartet discovered in a dance wear shop.
The documentary explains that there was an initial idea to produce a Beatles retrospective in 1971, with material from different parts of the world collected by Neil Aspinall, at the initiative of their record company, Apple. But at that time the four did not want to meet again, and resentments ran high.
“We simply wanted it to stop, and we went our separate ways,” Harrison says. “After 25 years, we can find ourselves aligned to produce the series. It is unfortunate that John will not have the opportunity to benefit from that.”
The conversations overflow with affection for Lennon, who was murdered in 1980. The camaraderie between the four is treasured in memories. “We really looked out for each other,” Starr says. “I was an only child, and suddenly I had three brothers,” the drummer explains.
The three agree that the band had several internal problems until its dissolution in 1970, but claim that their bond strengthened when the focus returned to the music. “I think after 20 years, everyone started to think of themselves as ‘ex-Beatles.’ But now, when we pick up instruments to record material for ‘Antologia,’ we feel like the Beatles again,” says McCartney.
In conversations they reveal that it was difficult working in the studio without Lennon. “We came up with a fun idea for ourselves that John was going to leave some stuff on tape and go on vacation,” McCartney recalls. In a scene during the recording of “Free as a Bird” there is an empty chair in the studio. “This is where John loved to be,” Harrison says.
The documentary shows several unreleased scenes of the three in relaxed jam sessions, with excerpts of songs performed in a two-guitars-and-drums lineup, with McCartney tasked with providing the vocals.
It’s exciting for fans to hear their idols talk about possibly returning to shows. “We will never perform as The Beatles again, that would be impossible,” McCartney says, adding that “there will be a hole in the theater.” “Maybe we can come back like Paul, George and Ringo,” says Starr. In 2001, Harrison died of cancer, and the idea was never realized.
In addition to the series, the recording of the songs featured in the documentary is back on the market in new, remastered versions. On the Christmas list, fans have the option to choose between a box containing 12 LPs and one containing eight CDs. Both are in obligatory deluxe editions, with gifts and a book, also duly updated with respect to material published 30 years ago. Following the series, the book shows the Beatles from their teens in Liverpool until the band split in the early 1970s.