The Beatles Anthology (documentary)
The Beatles Anthology is a documentary series on the career of The Beatles. It was broadcast on UK television in six abridged parts between 19 and 23 November 1995, while in the U.S. it was seen as three feature-length episodes. An eight-volume VHS set and an eight-disc Laserdisc set were released on 5 September 1996. The series was re-released on DVD in 2003, with an 81-minute special-features disc.
Production history
The Long and Winding Road
An official documentary on The Beatles career had been in the pipeline as far back as 1970. Long-time friend and Apple Corps manager Neil Aspinall had compiled footage from various sources around the world of concert, interview and television appearances. From this archival footage, Aspinall assembled a 90-minute feature film which was tentatively titled The Long and Winding Road and was completed in 1971. At this point, none of the former members had any involvement with the project and plans for its release lay dormant until 1980, when John Lennon stated as part of a legal deposition against the producers of the musical 'Beatlemania' that: "I and the other three former Beatles have plans to stage a reunion concert," an event to be filmed as a finale of The Long and Winding Road (which was now to be a television special).George Harrison watched the film on 10 April 1970, the day the Beatles' break-up was announced. According to Yoko Ono, the concert would have been held in England: "Just days before his brutal death, John was making plans to go to England for a triumphant Beatles reunion. His greatest dream was to recreate the musical magic of the early years with Paul, George and Ringo ... (he) felt that they had traveled different paths for long enough. He felt they had grown up and were mature enough to try writing and recording new songs." The alleged plan for a reunion was abandoned after Lennon was murdered on 8 December.
Anthology 3
Anthology 3 is a compilation album by the Beatles released in October 1996 by Apple Records as part of The Beatles Anthology series. The album includes rarities and alternative tracks from the final two years of the band's career, ranging from the initial sessions for The Beatles (also known as The White Album) to the last sessions for Let It Be and Abbey Road in 1969 and early 1970.
Following "Free as a Bird" in Anthology 1 and "Real Love" in Anthology 2, a third John Lennon solo demo entitled "Now and Then" was to be reworked by the three surviving members of The Beatles for Anthology 3. However, it was shelved due to complications and sound quality issues involving Lennon's recording. In its place is "A Beginning", an orchestral instrumental track initially intended for The White Album. "A Beginning" was composed by producer George Martin and intended to be the intro track to the Ringo Starr penned "Don't Pass Me By".
Similar to the previous Anthology albums, the cover image painted by Klaus Voorman features a collage of Beatles-related imagery designed to appear as a wall of peeling posters and album covers.
Anthology 2
Anthology 2 is a compilation album by the Beatles, released by Apple Records in March 1996. It is the second of the three-volume Anthology collection, all of which tie-in with the televised special The Beatles Anthology. The opening track is "Real Love", the second of the two recordings that reunited the Beatles by means of magnetic tape. Like its predecessor, the album topped the Billboard 200 album chart, and has been certified 4× Platinum by the RIAA.
Content
Anthology 2 features outtakes, rarities, and alternative performances from the 1965 sessions for Help! to sessions just prior to their trip to India in February 1968. It starts off with the second new Beatles track, "Real Love", as with "Free as a Bird" again based on a demo made by John Lennon and given to Paul McCartney by Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono. The three surviving Beatles added guitars, bass, drums, percussion, and backing vocals, but unlike with the previous song, did not re-work either lyric or music. "Real Love" remained solely credited to Lennon, becoming the only Beatle song to have Lennon by himself in the writing credit.
Anthology 1
Anthology 1 is a compilation album by the Beatles, released by Apple Records in November 1995. It was released as the first part of the Anthology trilogy of albums with Anthology 2 and Anthology 3, all of which tie-in with the televised special The Beatles Anthology. It contains "Free as a Bird", billed as the first new Beatles song in 25 years. The album topped the Billboard 200 album chart and was certified 8x Platinum by the RIAA.
Content
Anthology 1 includes rarities, outtakes, and live performances from the period 1958–1964, including their days as "The Quarrymen", through the Decca audition to sessions for the album Beatles for Sale. It is of historical interest as the only official release of performances with Stuart Sutcliffe and Pete Best in the band. Sutcliffe, the band's original bass player during 1960, and sporadically during the group's second Hamburg season, appears on the disc one tracks, "Hallelujah, I Love Her So", "You'll Be Mine" and "Cayenne". Best, who was the band's drummer from just prior to the group's first departure for Hamburg in August 1960 until 15 August 1962, is on disc one, tracks 10–12, 15–19 and 21–22.
