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\nthe Beatles\u2019 eight-part Anthology<\/em> series was first released in the
\n1990s, it was a mind-blowing experience for young Beatles fans like me. For
\nyears, my dad had regaled us kids with his tale of sneaking into a Beatles
\nconcert in Memphis in 1966. And every year on my birthday, my mom recounted the
\nstory of my early-morning birth, and how my dad sang \u201cHere Comes The Sun\u201d in
\nthe delivery room as the sun came up. She gave me her original Abbey Road<\/em>
\nLP when I turned 11. Suffice it to say, I was obsessed with the Beatles from a
\nyoung age. But I hadn\u2019t been around when the Beatles were together \u2014 John was
\nkilled before I was even born. So all of the band\u2019s performances and music
\nreleases were relegated to the past, and I was never a part of it. When the Anthology<\/em>
\nseries was announced, I couldn\u2019t believe that I would be hearing new Beatles
\nsongs on the day they were released. The documentary series, which aired on
\nABC, was in some ways just as groundbreaking as the Beatles\u2019 music had been.
\nWhile most music
\ndocumentaries of the day featured an outside narrator and talking heads
\noffering retrospective soundbites, the Anthology<\/em> series featured the
\nBeatles themselves at various points in their lives and careers, telling their
\nown story with a candor and sincerity that rose above the temptation to smooth
\nover the complexities and contradictions in their personal and professional
\nrelationships. It invited new generations of viewers and listeners into the
\nBeatles fandom, much as Peter Jackson\u2019s Get Back<\/em> docuseries did when it
\nwas released in 2021. (See our article Peter Jackson\u2019s Beatles Documentary Used Artificial
\nIntelligence To Perform Restoration Magic<\/span>.<\/strong><\/a>) I think it\u2019s fair to say that the
\nvery existence of the Peter Jackson series is a direct result of what the
\nBeatles describe as a \u201ccreative and commercial afterlife\u201d that began with the
\noriginal Anthology<\/em> series and albums in the 1990s. Now in 2025, the Anthology<\/em>
\nreturns in what Disney+ calls \u201cits ultimate form,\u201d
\nfor a comprehensive global release \u201con screen, on record, and in print.\u201d A
\nnewly-restored and remastered version of the 8-part documentary series will be
\nstreaming exclusively on Disney+ beginning November 26th, along with a
\nbrand-new 9th episode. There will also be new music releases and an anniversary
\nedition of the Beatles Anthology\u00a0<\/em>hardbound
\nbook.<\/p>\n
\noriginal eight episodes, which many fans won\u2019t have seen since they aired
\ntoward the end of 1995, followed the lives of the Fab Four, starting from their
\nearly days in Liverpool and the Hamburg night clubs where they developed their
\nlive act and performance chops. Viewers can re-live (or learn about for the
\nfirst time) the fever of Beatlemania
\nand the group\u2019s historic arrival in the USA in 1964. From the famous
\nperformances on The Ed Sullivan Show<\/em> to the band\u2019s position at the
\nforefront of 1960s counterculture and spiritual exploration in India, the Anthology
\n<\/em>uses the Beatles\u2019 music as the thread to tie the sometimes wandering
\nnarratives together. We\u2019re told that the completely new ninth episode includes
\nnever-before-seen, behind-the-scenes footage of Paul, George, and Ringo as they
\ncame together in 1994 and 1995 to work on the original Anthology<\/em>. At the
\ntime, the three remaining Beatles reflected on their shared experiences in this
\nunseen footage. Restoration of the original episodes and this new footage was
\noverseen by Apple Corps\u2019 production team, working with Peter Jackson\u2019s Wingnut
\nFilms & Park Road Post teams. They collaborated with Giles Martin, who has
\ncreated new audio mixes for most of the music featured in the docuseries.<\/p>\n![\"Beatles](\"https:\/\/www.audioholics.com\/news\/new-beatles-anthology\/Beatleswall.jpg\/image_large\")
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\nnew mixes (alongside some remastered original mixes) have resulted in a new
\nversion of The<\/em> Beatles Anthology<\/em> music collections, now expanded to four volumes, and
\npresented on your choice of vinyl, CD, or digital files. Slated for release on
\nNovember 21st, The Anthology Collection <\/em>includes everything from the
\n1990s version originally curated by Sir George Martin, now remixed and\/or remastered by his
\nson, Giles Martin. There
\nare three double albums of rare material that brings to musical life the story told
\nin the documentary. The music offers \u201can enthralling insight into the early
\ndevelopment of songs that became\u2026 recorded masterpieces that resonate just as
\nloudly today as they did when they were first recorded,\u201d according to the press
\nrelease announcing the albums. And of course, the new version includes an
\nimportant new element: Anthology 4<\/em>. This entirely new part of the
\nmusical story was curated by Giles Martin, and includes 13 previously-unreleased
\ndemos and session recordings, alongside other rare Beatles recordings. It also
\nincludes new mixes of The Beatles\u2019 hit singles: the GRAMMY-winning \u201cFree As A
\nBird\u201d and \u201cReal Love,\u201d which were first released to coincide with the original
\n1990s Anthology<\/em>. Their original producer, Jeff Lynne, came back to give
\nthe recordings new life by using \u201cde-mixed\u201d John Lennon
\nvocals. (This process of de-mixing uses
\nartificial intelligence, which allowed Lynne to separate Lennon\u2019s original
\nvocal track from other sounds present on the recording, allowing for higher
\naudio quality on the final mix. AI was not<\/em> used to re-create or
\notherwise simulate Lennon\u2019s voice.) The new mixes of \u201cFree As
\nA Bird\u201d and \u201cReal
\nLove\u201d are placed alongside the band\u2019s most recent UK No. 1 hit single, the
\nGRAMMY-winning song \u201cNow And Then,\u201d which was released in 2023. (See our
\narticle Now
\nAnd Then: The Last Beatles Song<\/span>.<\/strong><\/a>) All three of these songs were
\ncreated using home demos that John recorded in the 1970s. Later, Paul, George,
\nand Ringo added vocal and instrumental parts to complete the songs. In the case
\nof \u201cNow
\nAnd Then,\u201d John\u2019s rudimentary
\ndemo had been declared unusable when the remaining Beatles gathered in the
\n1990s to work on the original Anthology<\/em>. At the time, the AI-driven
\nde-mixing process had not yet been invented, and the recording was just too
\nnoisy. It was Paul McCartney who decided to try again more recently, inspired
\nby the technology used to restore the Get Back<\/em> docuseries. Peter Jackson
\nand his team came through, resulting in the final \u201cnew\u201d Beatles song. The
\noriginal \u201cFree As A Bird\u201d music video has also been beautifully restored.<\/p>\n![\"Anthology](\"https:\/\/www.audioholics.com\/news\/new-beatles-anthology\/Anthologyvinyl.jpg\/image_large\")
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\ntotal, the new Anthology<\/em> albums
\ninclude a staggering 191 tracks. These will be released on November 21st by
\nApple Corps Ltd.\/Capitol\/UMG in deluxe
\nbox sets of 12 180-gram vinyl LPs, or 8 CDs. The music will also be available
\nfor digital purchase and streaming. The box sets include the original sleeve
\nnotes for the first three parts of the Anthology<\/em> from the 1990s. The new
\nAnthology 4<\/em> includes 26 tracks that have never previously been released,
\nwith track notes written by Kevin Howlett and an introduction compiled from
\n1996 interviews recorded with Derek Taylor, a close friend and adviser of the Beatles.<\/p>\n
\nthe the 25th Anniversary Edition of The Beatles Anthology<\/em> book was released on October 14th by Apple Corps Ltd. and Chronicle Books. The book
\nincludes the Beatles\u2019 stories in their own words, plus memories and impressions
\nfrom their closest colleagues, including Neil Aspinall, George Martin, Derek
\nTaylor, and others. The 368-page book includes more than 1,300 photos,
\ndocuments, artworks, and other bits of memorabilia that are priceless to the band\u2019s
\npassionate fans. I have no doubt that there will be some cynics out there who
\nsay that this new Anthology<\/em> is just a cash grab. \u201cYou\u2019d think that
\npeople would\u2019ve had enough of the Beatles,\u201d they might say. But I look around
\nme and I see it isn\u2019t so.
\nFor real fans, and perhaps for a generation of new ones, the new Beatles<\/em>
\nAnthology<\/em> is another exciting chapter in the band\u2019s enduring legacy.<\/p>\n
\ninformation: The Beatles Anthology<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n
\nstreaming: https:\/\/thebeatles.lnk.to\/AnthologyWe<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n