The Beatles Anthology Collector's Set Reviews

• If You Liked The TV Special, You'll Love This!

  
  By A295P2KZIWUAWI on 2000-01-13
  This video series is highly recommended for any serious Beatle fan! While I agree that you can't say it all in just 8 hours, all 4 beatles share stuff you won't find in any book on the Beatles.

  Tape 1 begins with a video collage of their history, features their youthful beginnings, days in Hamburg, how Ringo joined the band, and their rise to the top in England.

  Tape 2 shows their growth as a band, talks on their BBC sessions, performing for the Queen, stories about touring, and some hilarious TV segments!

  Tape 3 begins with their introduction into America, talks about their performance on the Ed Sullivan Show, Ringo's tonsilitis, and their 1st movie A Hard Day's Night.

  Tape 4 talks about the pressures of touring, drugs, Dylan, the making of Help!, the inspiration for Yesterday, and winning the MBE award.

  Tape 5 talks about their Shea Stadium performance, meeting Elvis, Rubber Soul and Revolver.

  Tape 6 talks on the events that led to the Beatles' final tour in 1966 (the Philippines and John's remarks about Jesus), Strawberry Fields Forever, Penny Lane,Sgt. Pepper, and their holiday in Greece.

  Tape 7 starts with the One World performance of "All You Need Is Love", and talks about the Maharishi, the death of Brian Epstein, Magical Mystery Tour, the opening of Apple, Yellow Submarine, and John's new companion, Yoko Ono.

  Tape 8 begins with the White Album, discusses the closing and dissolution of Apple, Hey Jude, Let It Be, Paul's marriage to Linda, John's marriage to Yoko, George and John's drug busts, Abbey Road, and the Free As a Bird video (what? Real Love isn't included! ).

  A splendid time is guaranteed for all!
  
  

• The Beatles Forever.

  
  By ALZ5Y1CE0DWQ1 on 2003-03-19
  As the bombs fell over England in 1940, John Winston Lennon was born and as war raged, Sir James Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Richard Starkey a.k.a. Ringo Starr began their young lives in a dirty port city called Liverpool. They were mostly poor boys who today are legends.

  The most interesting thing from the TV special in 1995, the 3 albums that followed and the 8 VHS tapes that expanded the story was the fact that it was "The Beatles" in their own words and recollections.

  There's so much packed inside this story and safe to say, so much more we don't know, that it is engrossing each time you watch it. The interweaving of outtakes, never before heard songs and footage is beautiful. George Martin's emotional talk and tears as he remembers John Lennon is heartwrenching. You see here the strength of the four lads from Liverpool, the closeness of their friendship and those involved with them.

  The DVD version is jammed with more than the 8 VHS tapes and elevates the "Anthology" to a rounder story. At the time of its initial release, there were 3 surviving Beatles, sadly now there are 2. One sit through of this is not enough for you are sure to miss elements. As timeless as The Beatles themselves, so is their story and this anthology.

  Robert Eldridge (...)
  
  

• "Magic it is and magic it always was."

  
  By A295P2KZIWUAWI on 2003-04-14
  Back in January 2000, I reviewed this box set here (see "If You Liked the TV Special, You'll Love This!"). 3 years later, many Beatles fans' prayers (including my own) have been answered with the release of this video library in DVD form. Rather than resay what I said back then, I just thought I'd write with a different perspective. The opening statement is from the liner notes of Derek Taylor, who served as the Beatles' press agent.

  To answer a recent review, here's what's on it: performances of the Beatles live in concert and television performances (not complete concerts), some original videos, narrated by Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, the late George Harrison (who was still around during the making of this documentary) and the late John Lennon (his comments are culled by old interviews), excerpts from early recordings, studio outtakes, press conferences and all 5 of their movies and finally, over 30 complete Beatles tracks (By the way, "Real Love" is included in this edition).

  The sound quality is superior here than the original VHS (and you have the option of LPCM Stereo, Dolby Digital surround sound and DTS 5.1 surround sound). You also have the option of subtitles in English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese (Brazilian and European). Just don't expect your Linguistics teachers to be impressed with how many French or Spanish words you learned while watching this!

  It is a bit of a shame that individual tracks weren't assembled for complete songs. Oh well, a minour disappointment! Keep in mind that the 8 video VHS box set was actually pricier than the 5 DVD box set back when it was released in 1996 (I remember paying over [money] for mine!).

  Then of course, there's the Special Features DVD. In addition to the "Real Love" video (which wasn't included on the original VHS edition), there's a segment in which Paul, George and Ringo all gather together in 1994 to discuss the old days and jam out on old songs. The 3 are also featured here in 1995 discussing with George Martin, their producer, the choosing of different outtakes on the 3 Anthology CD's and studio techniques they used during the original recording sessions. Paul, George and Ringo also discuss with Jeff Lynne how a Beatles mini-"reunion" took place with 2 John Lennon demos ("Free As a Bird" and "Real Love"). Also, there's a section on how many hours of interviews and classic footage came together for this documentary and a feature on how the "Free as a Bird" video was made.

  Give yourself at least 2 weeks to enjoy as Derek Taylor once put it these "10 hours of unchallengable evidence" of the Beatles' legacy, which continues even to this day.
  
  

• Maybe 9 out of 10 stars is more accurate

  
  By on 1999-12-02
  The Beatles Anthology is a great video set documenting the lifeand times of the greatest band of this century. There are 8 tapes,starting with the births of the fab four and ending with the 1970 breakup (and the "Free As A Bird" video as a poignant epilogue). There are rare film clips included. If you are new to the Beatles, then this set will provide a wonderful introduction to John, Paul, George and Ringo. If you are an avid fan, then you know already that the set includes various anecdotes that shed new light on the Beatles.

  Here are some highlights: - the lovely montage at the beginning, with the apt "In My Life" as the song. - the story about the burnt condom (Tape 1) - an early film of the Beatles singing the song "Some Other Guy" at the Cavern (Tape 1) - a funny juxtaposition of three versions of the song "How Do You Do It" (Tape 1) - juxtaposition of the Rolling Stones cover and the Beatles rendition of "I Wanna Be Your Man" (Tape 2) - Paul's story on "Yesterday" (Tape 4) - George's story about how he and John got introduced to LSD (Tape 5) - the "amazing" Japanese efficiency on the Beatles Japan tour (Tape 5) - the film of "A Day In The Life" (Tape 6) - George's way of saying that the Magical Mystery Tour album was "Paul's idea." - Ringo's comments on Heinz beans (Tape 7) - Ringo's comments on the naked album cover (Tape 7) - the "Hey Jude" performance on the David Frost Show (Tape 8) - the hilarious yet brief appearance of Magic Alex (Tape 8) - John singing "Don't Let Me Down" on the rooftop concert (Tape 8)

  OK: some drawbacks to the anthology set that one should be made aware of: - it doesn't discuss at all the notorious "butcher" album cover - no mention of the impact of the song "Helter Skelter" on Charles Manson - George Martin, whose comments on the Beatles albums are always appreciated, is not shown commenting on "Magical Mystery Tour." My guess is that he had little if any good things to say about it, and the filmmakers chose to omit his comments. Still, if anyone has anything productive to say about the album, it would be him. - no mention of the failed Beatles film projects (i.e. the Lord of the Rings, or the Three Musketeers). - from about Tape 5, Brian Epstein pretty much disappears from the narrative. It would have been nice to have some time discussing his reaction to the Beatles new wave of creativity starting at around 1965. - no mention of Stuart Sutcliffe after the Beatles leave Hamburg for the first time. - the "Free As a Bird" video, while including shots of Brian Epstein and the Beatles, fails to include shots of Billy Preston and George Martin. If they are in the video and I'm just not seeing them, please someone let me know! - no mention of the White album sessions involving Eric Clapton on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." - Tape 8 ends rather poorly in my opinion.

  The interviews are very vague when talking about Allen Klein or Paul's departure from the Beatles. - no use of the songs "Here There And Everywhere" or "I Me Mine" during any part of the anthology. 'Tis a shame; they're great songs.

  All that aside, the Beatles anthology with its highlights and drawbacks is on the whole a worthwhile investment, if not for the sheer craftsmanship of the filmmaking then for the quality of the Beatles themselves. It is an incomplete anthology for the reasons already mentioned, but that does not diminish the joy of watching this great documentary whose treasures are valuable for any appreciator of good filmmaking, good music, and the Beatles.
  
  

• Absolutely incredible

  
  By AU6F6DIN1EXBM on 2002-01-06
  If I needed some band to love, The Beatles are the ones that I've been thinking of. This is 10 hours of the best band ever. They played the best music, had the most exciting concerts, were the most creative, and the best part is -- all the footage you could ever want is right here. Here's a quick run-down of the tapes:

  #1: The births of The Beatles, footage of Hamburg and the Cavern.

  #2: The first album, "Please Please Me," on the Polladium and the Royal Variety Show.

  #3: The first trip to America, the first world tour, the substitute drummer Jimmy Nickel, and "A Hard Day's Night" film.

  #4: Footage of the concert at the Hollywood Bowl, "Help!" film and recieving the MBE.

  #5: The historic Shea Stadium concert 8/15/65, the making of "Rubber Soul" and "Revolver," clips from the Budokan concerts and the difficulty of playing the newer songs live.

  #6: The last concert at Candlestick Park 8/29/66, the making of "Sgt. Pepper" and Paul talking to the press about taking LSD.

  #7: The two films "Magical Mystery Tour" and "Yellow Submarine," the death of Bryan Epstein and the world-wide TV performasnce of "All You Need is Love."

  #8: Footage of the group playing "Let it Be," "Hey Jude," "Revolution," and "The Long and Winding Road," and the Apple rooftop gig.

  And that is "The Long and Winding Road."
  
  

• A Must Have For Any Beatles Fan
  By A1ZP3F3PSDURB4 on 2003-03-03
  I own the VHS set of this that came out about 7 years ago. That was well over 8 hours of Beatles Anthology material on those tapes. Now, the DVD set will be available with an additional hour and a half of unreleased bonus materials, 5.1 DTS sound, better picture, etc...

  For those who own the VHS, the DVD is worth picking up because of the special features listed above. Plus, they have everything in 5 discs as opposed to the bulky 8 tape VHS set. For those who only watched the 3 part TV Anthology series, remember that this set has an additional 3-4 hours of material not seen on television.

  If anything get this set so you can hear the songs all over again in amazing 5.1 DTS surround sound. If you don't have a home theater system, it's time to get one for this great DVD set. Don't wait to read other reviews to pick up this DVD set. This is a no-brainer. Get it on April 1.
  
  

• As enjoyable as the Beatles Bootleg Videos -- Only Better
  By on 2003-04-09
  I was beginning to wonder if this documentary would ever be released on DVD. Most recent reviews of this documentary by those who had seen it were beginning to wonder if the Beatles were planning to have The Beatles Anthology music albums released onto 8-Track. Since the death of the Laserdisc player, the only way one could purchase this wonderful documentary was only on VHS tape for many, many years.

  For those who are asking, "I saw the three part documentary on ABC in 1995. I wonder what the expanded version is like?" Answer: If you loved watching The Beatles Anthology on television, and taped it, and watched it many times over, you'll love this documentary which is longer than 11 hours, including the fifth disc with previously unreleased material. Most of what was cut from the ABC broadcast were musical collages similar to the "In My Life" footage that appeared at the beginning of both the Television and Commercial Free versions. Also cut were old TV appearances in part or in whole by the Beatles. And also cut were interview sequences with the Beatles where they went into greater detail about their history. And finally, also missing from the ABC broadcast were what the Beatles referred to as "Taped TV Promotional Films" of their music -- We Can Work It Out, Day Tripper, Paperback Writer, Rain. Watching all of the various perfomances reminded me of the first time I saw these about 15 years ago on a two hour VHS tape of various performances by the Beatles. The video was of very poor quality, looking like a copy of a copy of a copy. This DVD is like looking at those same performances, only in pristine, mint condition.

  If you have to choose between the unwieldly hardcover coffee table book and this new DVD video, pick the one that comes alive with music and words by the greatest rock group of the 20th century.

  As for the additional fifth disc, this was a lot of fun to watch too. The disc contains the "Real Love" video, which was not part of the earlier commercial versions available. Mostly, this disc is the behind the scenes for the behind the scenes documentary made in 1995. At the end of one of the segments, the surviving three Beatles announce that this is their "Candlestick Park". Like always, the Beatles knew how to go out with a bang and not a whimper.
  
  

• Good Package, Good Price
  By AH0K6KAO3N1RH on 2003-04-02
  I was glad to see Apple finally release the 1995 Beatles Anthology set on DVD recently. The whole collection is packaged neatly into a tidy five CD box set.

  The picture could have been remastered a bit better however, the quality is grainy and not as sharp as I'd hoped. The sound quality is done fairly well, but I found it most irritating that whenever the program cuts to song, the volume literally doubles! Either you hear the spoken dialog in whispers, and hear the music at a comfortable level, or else you hear the spoken dialog, while having your eardrums blasted with intercuts of song! We love their music, don't get me wrong, but turn the freaking volume down guys!

  I also feel that the Anthology in general spends FAR too much time focussing on the Beatles' earliest days. Most Beatles fans would have rather had more attention spent on the Beatles' latter years and material, when their artistic merit was at its peak. The scratchy, raw, early tracks should have been treated as "bonus material", not the main course in my opinion. As it is, two of the five disks in the set, [the first two], I'll most likely not watch very much.

  What would have been nice is an extra CD of every Beatles "video" (they called them "promo-clips" in those days), in their entirety, uninterrupted. This would have included such "videos" as "Lady Madonna", "Strawberry Fields", "Penny Lane", Paperback Writer", "Rain", "Hey Bulldog", "Revolution", and more...I think, as Beatles fans, we're all pretty sick of watching these legendary Beatles "videos" as badly digitized, low-res, downloaded MPGs - right fellow fans?

  I can onlly give this set three stars. It could have been better. I expected more. It's still a must-have for all Beatles fans, but I wanted the ultimate and sadly, this isn't it.
  
  

• 5 stars? No. I'd prefer giving this one 5 billion stars!
  By on 2001-10-25
  You want to hear The Beatles in concert, in the studio jamming, early footage fromn the Cavern and Hamburg, the "Free As A Bird" film? Then this is what you should buy.

  Although John Lennon is absent from the picture, and Brian Epstein is rarely seen, this is still an amazing compilation. Here are a few parts that I enjoyed:

  "Some Other Guy" from the Cavern, "Johnny Gentle," the Royal Variety Show (although it would be nice to have some footage of the London Polladium as well), Ed Sullaven Show, scenes from "A Hard Days Night," "All My Loving" from the Hollywood Bowl, scenes from "Help!", the deate between whether or not The Beatles deserve the MBE, Shea Stadium, the waving to the audience during "Paperback Writer," Jimi Hendrix doing "Sgt. Pepper," "All You Need Is Love," video clips of the band playing "Revolution," "Hey Jude," "The Long And Winding Road" and "Let It Be," and last, the rooftop performance of "Get Back."

  Although this set may cost more than ..., it is well worth the money. Why? Because The Beatles not only made girls scream, but they were a remarkable band. It would be awesome to see the three of them get back together.
  
  

• Awesome!
  By AQ8SUM80CMTCL on 2003-11-10
  This is a must have for any Beatles fans out there. It's about the Beatles, by the Beatles. Can't get any more exact information than that... I've watched it so many times I don't think I can even count that high! It's really awesome. It has interviews, music videos, movie clips... You name it, it's in there.
  The last few chapters were very sad; I was in tears!
  
  
• TOTALLY AWESOME!!!
  By on 2005-11-06
  Not many people my age like the Beatles, but I happen to love them. I have the VHS Anthology, but I have watched one of the videos every night for a few months now! These videos rock (literally) and the viewer really gets to see the personality of each Beatle in the interviews; George always says the truth (he rocks!!!), John is serious about mostly everything (after they broke up, anyway!), Paul sees the funny side of things, and Ringo does too. Most of my family enjoys their music, and I got it from my mom! They're pretty much the only music we listen to.
  Anyway, in my opinion, the most interesting videos in the set are numbers 2, 5, 7 and 8 (even though #8 is so sad!). If you watch the difference of the members (especially John) between video 2 and video 7/8, it is absolutely crazy how different they seem! My mom and I think that if John hadn't found Yoko, he would never had left the Beatles, but that's just what we think!
  Video 1 is mostly about the very beginning of the band, when John was pretty much the leader and George got barely any credit. Poor George! (He is my absolute favorite out of the four of them.) It's also about George, Paul, John, and Ringo's family and childhood.
  Video 2 is about their early songs; Please Please Me, Love Me Do, Do You Want To Know A Secret, Twist And Shout, etc. It is very funny because there are tracks of mess-ups in the songs (mostly made by John.)! It cracks me up!
  Video 3 is about the other early-ish songs; All My Loving, that kind of thing. It includes the premiere of A Hard Day's Night (the film).
  Video 4 is when the songs are nearly all the ones they write, not some other songwriters! Finally, George gets more songs and credit! Also includes Yesterday and Help!
  Video 5 is very interesting, and my favorite; it includes videos of Day Tripper, We Can Work It Out, and at the end it has the videos for Rain and Paperback Writer. They really begin to change in this video!
  Video 6 is another interesting one, in which they play Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane, with odd, wierd videos to suit them. In this they almost buy a Greek island. Who knew?!
  Video 7 is one of my favorites. It talks about the movie Magical Mystery Tour (Note: Crazy movie!), and has a video from of I Am The Walrus. It also talks about when they went to India for meditation. (I like this video because in that time, George had a lot of songs!) Some of the songs include Across The Universe (Love it), Dear Prudence, etc. Kinda sad, though, because they are about to break up in about a year. :(
  Video 8 (so sad!!) is.....very sad. But in a good way, somehow! It begins with the White Album songs (sad even then!), and then talks about their many arguments, and fighting and whatnot. Then it gets really sad; they begin to break up as John meets Yoko/ brings her to every recording session, and even George and Paul argue! How rare is that?! It seems like George and Paul and Ringo (maybe) wouldn't had minded if the band stayed together, but John left and there were lots of recording sessions without him.
  The saddest part has to be the Free As A Bird video (made recently), or just how they present the songs from Let It Be and The White Album. Noooo! I really extremely wish they never had broken up. Even so, they will ALWAYS be better than any band in the past, present, and future. I guarantee you!!! This video/dvd set is the same; it will ALWAYS be better than any other one in the past, present, or future!!!
  Believe me; if you like the Beatles, BUY IT!!! I have watched it (literally) one hundred times and still are not bored with it! Thank you, and have a very Beatle-filled night.
  
  
• The Eye of the Storm
  By A3FDBBQ0NK2SSO on 2006-06-23
  Each episode opens in black and white, with the young Beatles performing one of their early hits. The camera moves back and we see the boys dwarfed by a gigantic image of THE BEATLES logo and the roars of cheering fans drown out the music.
  
  If there's a theme to this series, it's that the Beatles really were more than the sum of their parts. Paul, George, Ringo, even John (on film) each at some point refers to The Beatles as something separate from themselves, as if they too were looking at the group from the outside.
  
  What struck me most about the series, when I saw it on TV when it first aired, and just recently on this excellent DVD set, was the creativity of The Beatles. When the band started, in the pre-Ringo days and shortly after he joined the group, they did other people's songs, giving them their own spin. After they started recording, they also did a few of their own numbers, and soon they were doing almost exclusively numbers they'd composed themselves.
  
  It was also fascinating to see how George and Ringo reacted to the prolific creativity of John and Paul. George and Ringo were master musicians, but had shown little inclination to write music. George began tentatively and eventually wrote songs (Something, Taxman, While My Guitar Gently Weeps) that rivalled the Lennon/McCartney hits. Ringo didn't write much at all until after The Beatles, and his only songs that are memorable are the ones he co-wrote with George (Photograph, It Don't Come Easy).
  
  When the band finally split up, the individual members kept on making music, but little of their work compared to the work they'd done together. Why? Was it the combination of their talents? Was it their youth and energy? Was it producer George Martin?
  
  With roughly ten hours of episodes and extras on five DVDs, you'll have plenty of material to ponder and come to your own conclusion.
  
  
• Maybe 9 out of 10 stars... PART II
  By on 1999-12-11
  (NOTE: these are just a few more comments I want to add to my review posted Dec. 2, 1999. You'll have to forgive me for writing way too much on this video set.) I highly recommend this video set to anyone who is an admirer of either the Beatles, good filmmaking, or both. Buy it for the Beatles because it has some of the most revealing interviews with the surviving three. Buy it for the filmmaking because the clever editing tricks and juxtapositions make this film a worthy subject of study in any film class (after all, any film that exhibits enough sensitivity and skill to give life to the recorded words of the late and great John Lennon should be studied in detail for future filmmakers in the field).

  Here are some more HIGHLIGHTS that a possible buyer should be made aware of: Paul's comments about meeting potential girlfriends in Hamburg (Tape 1); Paul's comments about German "EXIs" (Tape 1); George's story about how he "fought" for Ringo (Tape 1); George's exhibited happiness when he recalls his early stage name (Tape 1); the friendly competition with Roy Orbison (Tape 2); George's description of the French boys (Tape 2); the story about the raincoats in Sydney (Tape 3); the odd and disturbing bit about John's tendency on stage to mock retarded children (Tape 4); the even more disturbing bit about security on stage, about which John's comments are perhaps the most chilling, portentous words in the entire anthology (Tape 4); George Martin's comments about George Harrison's song writing at this point (Tape 4); the bit about Ringo's song writing attempts (Tape 5); the wonderful "Taxman" montage (Tape 5); the story about the "Rubber Soul" cover (Tape 5); the bit about John "cracking up" at Shea (Tape 5); Ringo's concise opinion on the Phillipines (Tape 6); George's recollections about Mal Evans leaving the British Airways airplane (Tape 6); the weird footage of the KKK interview (Tape 6); George's comment on the second Shea Stadium concert (Tape 6); the stroke of genuis at the use of "For No One" in the anthology. Brilliant filmmaking! (Tape 6); George's honest opinion about Sgt. Pepper (Tape 6); the appearance of Jimi and that wonderful bit of trivia about him and Sgt. Pepper... just look at the joy in Paul's eyes when he recounts the story... that alone should be reason for you to buy this set now (Tape 6); George Martin's story on "A Day In The Life" (Tape 6); again, kudos to the filmmakers on this one... the "Baby You're a Rich Man" montage, and its shot of John with little Julian... almost made me want to cry (Tape 6); the speculations on the origins of "All You Need Is Love" (Tape 7); the tribute to Brian Epstein (Tape 7); the montage of the Beatles in India, using "Across The Universe" Anthology version (Tape 7); Paul trying to defend "Magical Mystery Tour" (Tape 7); Ringo and the button in "Yellow Submarine" (Tape 7); the introduction of Yoko Ono (Tape 7); the use of the acoustic version of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" on the closing credits... brilliant (Tape 7); the story about Ringo's "holiday" (Tape 8); the absolutely FANTASTIC White Album session montage... especially the bit during "I'm So Tired"... there's a slo-mo shot with John and Paul that, when you see it, will take your breath away (Tape 8); the ever-smiling Billy Preston (Tape 8); the shoes that George wears while playing "For Your Blue" (Tape 8); the bit about Sgt. Pilcher (Tape 8); the last words on the Beatles, as mentioned by the Fab Four themselves (Tape 8).

  ...whew...

  Now, here it comes, more DRAWBACKS, though fewer in number than before: the filmmakers choose not to include the complete first Ed Sullivan show appearance (Tape 3); not even a mention about Jane Asher, a brief mention of Maureen, no real mention at all of Cynthia... perhaps I'm asking for too many personal details, but if the anthology includes bits about Patti, Yoko, and Linda, then what about the other women before them who provided the Beatles with a lot of their inspiration?; no inclusion of the famous last words on the rooftop (Tape 8); no story about the genesis of "In My Life"; no mention at all of "Revolution #9" (Tape 8); no mention of the last recording session of "I Me Mine" (Tape 8).

  I think that's all...

  What is the net result of all this? The video is a wonderful and insightful study of the Beatles. Heck, I got a kick out of it. And it is a great introduction for those who have yet to appreciate the genius of the Fab Four. Just buy it already!

  to Pepperland: I'll keep a lookout for George Martin in "Free As A Bird." Any chances of seeing the Anthology on DVD any time soon?
  
  

• PAUL REALLY IS A MUSICAL GENIUS
  By A2IWFWYMOMAOEP on 2005-05-05
  I just watched the Anthology again, and I realize even more the vast extent of Paul's talent. I know, I know John Lennon was great, they all were. John was always my favorite, and still is for some emotional reason which I still don't understand! BUT there is no doubt that Paul McCartney just freaking oozes musical talent, he was the most musically talented Beatle. The guy could sing great, write great music, great lyrics, plays bass better than anyone, plays great piano, also could play lead guitar (listen to him play "Blackbird" in the Anthology), excellent drums ("Ballad of John and Yoko"), and who knows what-all else. All you people who think it's cool to put Paul down, you just don't know what you're talking about. Plus, he's a great performer who loves to perform and loves his audience, a great family man, a loyal husband, always a positive outlook, PLUS not to mention he was about the best-looking guy in the world! I love and admire Paul more and more as time goes on.
  
  
• The Beatles present their own version of the story of the Beatles
  By A2NJO6YE954DBH on 2006-01-25
  When "The Beatles Anthology" CDs started coming out it seemed like it was basically an attempt to clear out the vaults of anything that might be of passing interest to Beatles fans. The "new" Beatles songs, "Free as a Bird" and "Real Love," were okay but nothing special (what could be under the circumstances?) and while hearing the very first Beatles recording ("That'll Be the Day") is charming, the demo version of "No Reply," the false starts of "Eight Days a Week," and the strings only version of "Eleanor Rigby" are of relative value. George Harrison's early acoustic version of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" is a gem, but my favorite bit was actually the bit with Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise where they do shtick with the boys (Eric keeps talking about "Bongo" playing the drums) and sing "Moonlight Bay." But overall we are talking about a whole lot of alternative takes that you can take or leave.
  
  But when you sit down to watch the eight parts of "The Beatles Anthology" DVD everything changes because, to coin a phrase, seeing is believing. Back in November of 1995 the there were three two-hour television specials, which coincided with the releases of the first CD. But by the time they put out this DVD set "The Beatles Anthology" had been expanded to eight episodes running just a bit short of ten hours, which is a significant increase in length. You also get a bonus disc containing extra material to get you over the 10-hour mark. The story begins with the birth of the boys in Liverpool and ends with "The End," the final track from the final album. What we have is a combination of film and audio footage from the past mixed with interviews with the (then) three surviving Beatles (John Lennon's comments come from his press interviews) and three key members of the group's inner circle: producer George Martin, roadie and Apple executive Neil Aspinall, and press representative Derek Taylor. Restricting the talking heads to this small group creates a more intimate retrospective because we see the Beatles story from the inside with all of the perspectives from the other side being contemporaneous comments.
  
  So, if you are looking for rare footage of the Beatles performing, there is plenty of that here, but it is also interesting to hear what the Beatles themselves have to say in retrospect (which even John gets to do, albeit not from the perspective of today). However, if you are looking for the definitive answers on such questions as whether or not John wrote "All You Need Is Love" for the live broadcast, forget about it, because this documentary is perfectly content to let people disagree. Paul McCartney is the one who seems to be most aware that he is speaking for posterity, but that is hardly surprising. This documentary really is for the long time Beatles fan, because these eight episodes do not really serve as an introduction to the history of the group. If you do not already know who was married to whom, what Beatles songs were topping the charts, or some of the other basics, "The Beatles Anthology" will not enlighten you.
  
  Still, it is a fascinating look at the most important music group in history. John can dismiss them as just being a band that broke up, but few people ever bought into that particular bit of revisionism, much as we appreciated Lennon's efforts to avoid self-aggrandizement. Ironically what I ended up appreciating the most was how the music from the CDs came alive in the context of the documentary. Hearing different versions of familiar Beatles songs works here because being slightly different they become new again. Besides, this time you are not hearing track after track of alternative versions and false starts, but hearing them mixed in with archive footage and contemporary interviews. "The Beatles Anthology" is not the definitive look at the Beatles, but it does become their version of their own story for what that is worth (which is a lot, but to be taken with those proverbial grains of salt). You would have to be a hard-core Beatles fan to own the DVDS, but as a rule of thumb I would say that if you have all of the Beatles CDs (with or without all of the"Anthology" CDs), then you should check this out at least once.
  
  
• The Beatles Anthology is a must for all Beatles' fans.
  By AOIGXF1ZTYDH8 on 2003-02-19
  I've been a Beatles' fan since I was 3 years of age and All I would see on Television is other people telling the story of The Beatles without proof to some rumors about what really happened to Paul during the "Paul is Dead" days, What was really said by John Lennon during an Interview with a Reporter which brought out The controversial speech about "Why The Beatles' where bigger than GOD.(An interview that was taken out of context)The reason why they had to stop touring,Or the real story about who really Broke up the group in the 1970's and ofcourse The History of their Drug Abuse.Well, I was happy when I purchased The VHS version.Like The Rolling Stones' Version of 25X5.The Continuing Adventures of the Rolling Stones.The Beatles also along with snipets of John Lennon answering questions that went along with The other three's memory of their history gave me a better insight of the group through their own words.I appeciated that they did it that way to silence the critics and to set the record straight about the rumors surronding the group.I also enjoyed The first video in many years of "Free as a bird" with John Lennon's original demo combinded with the mellow sounds of Paul and George Singing Background Like the old days in the 60's.I have to tell you .It made me cry to wonder what could have been if Lennon was alive and would the frenzy still continue after all these years.I would have wanted the other video "Real Love" with Post psychedelic overtones coveying to the later 1960's and early 70's.But the whole VHS series was just wonderful over all.Either if you get the VHS Version or the newly released DVD version with more extras( maybe with the two videos "Free as a bird","Real Love" and The Concert of the 3 surviving Beatles playing a mini concert that I have heard about.)I believe that you will not only enjoy The Beatles' Anthology.You are going to treasure it as I did.So get before it runs out.You'll be glad you did.
  
  
• The BEST DVD set I own!
  By A3PPQET9QKKZ8H on 2003-05-13
  The Beatles Anthology DVD set chronicles The Beatles from the very beginning. Episode 1 is almost entirely devoted to the births of John, Paul, George, and Ringo, early influences and early performances before they became international stars. The set offers rare concert footage and television appearances as well as promotional clips for songs such as "Rain," "Strawberry Fields Forever," and "Penny Lane." The Beatles along with producer George Martin recall how they wrote and recorded the songs that are loved by people all over the world. Now with a special features disc for the DVD set, the entire Anthology lasts just over 11 hours. If you didn't buy it the first time on VHS, the price has been cut in half and you get 80 minutes that weren't on the original set, including the "Real Love" video. And if you think those tapes recorded off of the original TV broadcast is good enough, you haven't seen anything yet! Buy this set, newly remixed for Dolby 5.1 and DTS! This is a must have for any Beatle fan!
  
  
• Could Have Been Even Better
  By A38LRJRBLC8SYK on 2004-05-26
  although its very well made and i did enjoy it, i feel like so much was skipped over..lots of details about the Beatles and their lives..many things were left out..

  -talking about early member Stu Sutcliffes death

  -more insight into Brian Epstiens vision when he became manager

  -dealing with the Beatles in their times and thier relationships with contemporaries (the Rolling Stones, the Beach Boys etc.)
  Mick Jagger appears many times throughout the documentary but no mention ever about the 2 bands rivalries which is a compelling part of the story

  -little talk of the musical progression from the early years through the more complex ablums and how the band got there

  -absolutley no mention of their relationships with their wives girlfreinds etc. til disc 8 when they couldnt avoid the "Yoko situation"

  -very little talk of thier song writing progress, weve all heard the songs a million times and loved them..but over 8 dvds some stories about the inspiration for songs or how they came about would have been great..(there are a few, Dear Prudence, Hey Jude..but far too few)

  -the recording process, no talk of the mess the let it be sessions were and how Phil Spector came in and cleaned things up so to speak

  -failure to discuss the fact that Let It Be was released after Abbey Road

  -the breakup, the solos albums, etc..all very much glossed over

  overall if your a fan id recommend the Anthology, the perforance and news reel footage is great, but it seems like the "story" of the Beatles and their lives is a bit watered down and could have been delved into even more

  for my money still the best documentary ive seen on the beatles is The Complete Beatles..about 6 hours shorter but for some reason i didnt get much more out of the 81/2 hr Anthology than i did from the Complete Beatles documentary

  it just seemed because the beatles were the producers some things were skipped over, some things were left out.
  
  

• Beatlemania Lives On
  By A1GN8UJIZLCA59 on 2003-04-03
  The Beatles Anthology originally aired on ABC in November, 1995. The documentary was shown over the course of three days with the big hook being seeing the videos for the two "new" Beatles songs "Free As A Bird" & "Real Love". The series also set the stage for the release of three double-disk Anthology albums that would follow in subsequent months. The documentary itself is a true gift for any Beatlemaniac. It is loaded to the gills with performance footage, behind the scenes looks at their recording process, home movies and old interviews. The best part though is all the living Beatles, at the time, participated in the production and gave current interviews and John Lennon was also liberally featured through archival interviews. Seeing Paul McCartney, George Harrison & Ringo Starr discuss their experiences in the band is a real treat and it's what separates this documentary from the countless others about the group out there. Also, their producer and guide, George Martin provides candid insights that only someone who was so closely linked to the band could provide. The new DVD collection does a tremendous job in providing a sharp picture and the 5.1 surround sound is amazing. The additional footage on the final disk is superb, especially the three Beatles sitting together and reminiscing about old times and their return to Abbey Road Studios where, along with Mr. Martin, they provide some incite on the recording processes used on some their biggest hits.
  
  
• Beatles Anthology DVD - Another Reason DVD was Invented
  By A2IWYIVM5A1W5O on 2003-04-13
  Just like the Godfather DVD Collection, why DVD was invented. This DVD edition of the BBC's Beatles Anthology is worth every penny, including the extras. I've watched all the discs and am extremely impressed with how Apple Corps has issued this on DVD, especially at a great price ... Apple went as far as remixing the audio to DTS asides from the Dolby Digital 5.1 surround, which is quite impressive. Video quality rocks compares to VHS (always of course! i'd give it a 4 out of 5 for vid quality). The Bonus Disc is the cream of the crop in this collection. It has extra jams of the surviving Beatles doing their Hamburg days songs (covers mostly). Then there is an awesome short of them with producer George Martin analyzing two Beatles songs and how they mixed it, etc. Probably the most interesting is a short documentary on how they recorded "Free As a Bird" and "Real Love", along with "Making of" the two videos ... Well worth the buy, especially for the Bonus Disc. Did I mention there's 5 more hours than the ABC release in 1995? WELL WORTH THE BUY!
  
  
• old fan, new respect
  By A4UUD0LKLMACK on 2006-01-05
  Born in '65, i was too young to really SEE the Beatles happen, but always exposed to their music. After seeing this incredible documentary i have new appreciation for both their music as a group and later as individual artists, and for each of the Beatles as the people they were, became, and are today. This collection is a real treasure. I watched all 6 dvds with 3 children aged 14-19 and their father who WAS there to see it all happen and is a musician himself. Everyone fully engaged; this story is exceedingly amazing, humane, and both historical and timeless. Depth of character (both strengths and flaws), creative vision and courage, and distinctive personalities of every Beatle is revealed and emphasized, particularly when you get to see how their interviewed recounting is humorously contradictory. Beautiful footage of John and George, god bless them both. Thank you boys for giving us so much joy and feeding our souls with your creative gifts. The grace and humor with which you handled the landslide of fame and fortune is a tribute in itself.
  
  
• The Beatles Anthology
  By AS2T70AI65C14 on 2006-08-29
  The motherlode.
  This has been put together brilliantly and the music,of course,is transcendent.
  The ( contemporary ) interviews with Paul,George and Ringo are frank and fascinating and are cleverly interwoven with old John interviews.
  You know these faces and these voices so well,and yet the level of intimacy and open-ness is such that you really feel like you are being taken into their confidence."It was like this...... "
  To describe this anthology as " definitive " misses the scale of the undertaking.In 200 years,people who love this music will refer to this anthology.What a thought.
  
  
  
• Big mistake on my part
  By A3SQ47XY8ADNJ0 on 2007-01-09
  I thought there would at least be a decent amount of music on here and from what we watched there isn't. If I weren't so **** lazy I would have sent it back for a refund. If you want to know all about their lives etc. and don't care that much about the music it could be a good purchase. Note to self look up the EXACT meaning of Anthology and other BIG words before making a purchase. :-)
  
  
• Well done and quality stuff!
  By A3NG9UVEJ3U24H on 1999-12-13
  Hmm, I love anything on the 'boys', (except that cheesy garbage that gets put out as 'clips'). I bought it because stuff like this never lasts in the stores, and I have watched it about 5 times. I do recall almost nothing about Stu Sutcliffe, but I get the impression that whomever produced these videos assumed that those watching would know the basics anyway. Cool videos even I have never seen before, and what of Paul's chipped front tooth in the 'rain' video? anyone notice? I used to hang with many Beatle tribute bands, (good, bad and best) and I must say, this video collection made me feel welcome, instead of feeling 'priveleged' to hear an interview from George, etc. I felt it could finally be out in the open. Worth the price...bring it back so all Beatle fans can buy it! watch the whole thing in one sitting-it's long, but great!
  
  
• Criminal that it is not on DVD
  By A32B8GKU2XD8WS on 2002-08-30
  This set is amazing. There are enough reviews here that accurately essay the content on the 8 cassettes; any hardcore Beatle fan already has this anyway, or has at least seen it or has it on her wish list. The more important issue is, why in holy hell is this set not available on DVD?! Unbelievable.

  PUT THIS ON DVD!
  
  

• Beatles Anthology is the BEST DVD of all time!
  By AU2VNN9S2I53T on 2003-02-13
  Yes, it is true. The Beatles Anthology is THE VERY BEST DVD release of all time. There is no question about this one; it truly deserves to belong in every DVD and Beatles home library. The picture is the best I have ever seen (only slightly better than the laserdisc version, and far superior to the VHS issue); sound quality is, undoubtedly, the finest there has ever been. The packaging perfectly compliments the discs which are contained inside. With this variation of the Anthology series, now available, people who have seen it can now see it in a whole new light. And for those folks that have not witnessed it as of yet, then they are in for a real treat. Of course; this review comes from a screening of the DVD that I only borrowed. I, myself, do NOT currently own my own copy of this program in this format, just yet. I only have it on both VHS and laserdisc. By owning it on DVD will help to make this collection complete!
  
  
• oustanding effort
  By A21HLTXIVTEDP4 on 2004-03-22
  Reading the editorial review, you may be misled into believing that this is a dry and academic,only for diehards DVD.Wrong, this is an exceptionally well made and researched documentary. And, if anything the first disc, with their pre-fame story, is perhaps the most fascinating disc of the lot. Considering that The "Fabs" were the most important and influentual pop/rock group of the 20th. century, I consider this essential viewing, and hugely enjoyable, don't miss out!
  
  
• Quite entertaining, but could have been significantly better
  By A3PGGPL7FM9F81 on 2004-07-30
  I liked this series, especially the various live footage, but I also have a few complaints.
  
  "The Beatles Anthology" is a VERY nice, almost fawning, portrayal of the Beatles, and their bitter and sometimes even hate-filled breakup is made to look like a friendly mutual decision where everybody loooooooves each other and just want to move on with their lives, yadayadayada.
  
  The fact that comments from the three surviving Beatles (anno 1996-97) and their various associates are never commented upon or analyzed in any way makes "The Beatles Anthology" a bit of a bland experience at times...some sort of unbiased commentary (other than various newscasters in old 60s TV clips) would have been nice.
  As it is, "Anthology" just rolls along, a bit monotously, offering a pleasant, often entertaining look at the career of the Beatles, but never analyzing or explaining or commenting or just seeing things in a larger context, and that's really a shame.
  
  
• Meandering self-indulgence captivates
  By A243HY69GIAHFI on 2000-04-22
  The Beatles: Anthology_ suffers from an at times unsatisfying duality. At once anthology and documentary, there are moments when the producers' need to include obscure video footage of the Beatles performing slows the narrative considerably.

  In particular, the producers' enthusiasm for showing lengthy excerpts of a concert--just to get across the point that the boys weren't playing well--is frustrating. Also, there are times where the narrative given by interviews is actually incredibly sparse to make room for performances that really don't merit the time. In short, _Anthology_ is like the subject it takes on: brilliant but at times unabashedly self-indulgent. The result is a vision for the project sufficiently vague to prevent the editor from making clearer choices.

  Still, the work is completely absorbing. It's impossible to see it playing in a room and not want to sit down and watch it. The story the interviewees weave leaves you energized and melancholy simultaneously. It's thrilling to see how great they were together and yet you can see the tensions emerge and ultimately consume them.

  It's like looking back on your first love and thinking about all the possibilities that might have been.
  
  

• Were the Beatles truly "the greatest?"
  By A35UNON2GI8C0R on 2003-04-06
  Almost eight years have passed since "The Beatles Anthology" first premiered, heavily edited, on commercial television.
  
  Having viewed the expanded footage, first in the VHS version released in the mid-1990s -- and now the DVD package I finished viewing during the past three days (in what were ten of the most enthralling and fastest-moving hours I've spent in front of the tube) -- it can now be stated, without reservation, that "The Beatles Anthology" is a marvel, even for contemporaries who may be wondering "what the fuss was all about" in this tale of four Liverpool lads who, despite their origins many years before 1964, ruled the USA radio airwaves for only seven years (1964 through 1970).
  
  "Anthology" renders it impossible for viewers to dismiss the group's accomplishments, their output of consistent musical masterpieces during the 1960s. I won't get into the guts of this, all covered fabulously by previous Amazon reviewers.
  
  But I do want to add this about the 2003 version of "Anthology." The special new features on disk #5 alone are worth getting this package all over again. With George Harrison now gone, the poignant "re-union and recollections" of the surviving members in 1994 for this documentary are on fuller display in previously unseen footage, and hence feel more meaningful to the viewer. They hang out on the grass, they jabber about stuff at the table, they swear and laugh. They play goofy music together in a room; they join their long-time producer George Martin, listening to studio outtakes on old reel-to-reel tapes. They're clearly enjoying themselves. We don't see as much "new" as we'd like, but we see enough to provide a sense of "closure," knowing that before the Beatles went their separate ways again after 1994, each surviving member had acknowledged their collective accomplishments with arguably greater love and respect than they did previously, especially in public.
  
  While "on-the-fence" fans, journalists or historians -- might've wished for greater coverage about the more controversial aspects of the Beatles' reign, the fact is -- nothing major that is negative has been left out of "Anthology" that's glaring (or galling). Moreover, despite possessing final approval for this project, without the Beatles' participation, we might not have this, the final record of the their accomplishments, expressed from the perspective of middle-aged guys looking back, armed with wisdom.
  
  The unprecedented access the surviving Beatles gave for this production enables us to hear their own words about what happened to them, rightly or wrongly -- their triumphs and tragedies, their successes and failures -- warts and all. Equally amazing is hearing John Lennon's voice throughout the documentary, so intelligent, witty and cynical all at once, providing great insight as to their motivations for success, how surprised they were when it came and how much it ruined them. Yet, as Harrison admits, success allowed the Beatles to re-invent themselves, to experiment, pushing them into new territories that enhanced and engraved the towering legacy they left behind.
  
  So much has been written and recorded about the Beatles that it's gratifying to know, especially with respect to new information dealing with the bittersweet and heartbreaking efforts associated with the creation of the Fab Four's 1995 release, "Free as a Bird" (covered in greater detail in the 2003 version), that the "Anthology's" producers never had a problem with "lacking " material. If anything, given the ingenious cutting and editing, 10 hours on five disks still leaves you wanting more.
  
  Production values are top-flight. No expense was spared, no corners cut. "Anthology" looks and feels like a zillion dollars. The re-mastered DTS audio tracks are magnificent, and the ability to access subtitles enables viewers to pick up even "PG-13" mutterings with greater clarity, stuff cut out of the commercial television version. Yeah, the Beatles, especially George and Ringo, let loose with swear words here and there, though not gratuitously, displaying unguarded emotions about what they loved and hated about being members of the world's most successful pop band.
  
  So after watching "Anthology" is it still fair, in 2003, to say the Beatles were indeed "the greatest?" Were they the greatest even if you mildly admired them, and weren't a rabid fan?
  
  In my view, the answer is yes. "Anthology's" pictures, interviews and songs support the theory that starbursts of genius are mostly seen in people who are young. By the time the Beatles broke up in 1970, each member had just hit or was approaching 30. They went out bitterly, but they also went out on top.
  
  By 1980, the year of John Lennon's murder, they seemed no longer embarrassed by their association with a worldwide pop culture phenomenon. And it's quite exhilarating to hear the surviving members, especially Lennon (seen in archival, post-break-up footage), acknowledge somewhat modestly, despite myriad superstar musicians who have since followed, that in fact, as a team, they "did OK." As one of 'em says, "Yeah, I thought we did alright. We were a pretty good band."
  
  Flash forward to 2003. Hearing their words, combined with stellar concert footage, interviews, rehearsal sessions filled with gaffes, news coverage of their exploits, the creation of their theatrical films, their growing maturity with lyrics and melodies -- solidifies what "objective" historians must now agree -- that the Beatles' place in history as one of the greatest artistic/creative collaborations of the ages is forever preserved.
  
  More than 40 years after the group's struggling days in Liverpool and Hamburg, it's indeed safer to declare, once again, that the Beatles and their spectacular accomplishments -- will be endlessly studied -- even centuries from now. And this has gotta be beyond comforting for fans.
  
  

• A Hard Day's Night
• Help!
• Anthology 2
• Anthology 3
• The Beatles Anthology