The Beatles Anthology: The Latest Addition Feels Like a Pointless Cash-In
In 1995, the arrival of The Beatles Anthology was a significant event. It aired on prime time television across both sides of the Atlantic and sparked a frenzy among fans. The accompanying albums were hugely successful, with millions being sold worldwide. This initial series set the stage for the later-day Beatles industry, which has churned out an endless supply of documentaries, reissues, remixes, compilations, and expanded editions.
The idea behind these productions is twofold: that the Beatles' archive is a treasure trove of material waiting to be uncovered, and that the band's story can be retold innumerable ways without ever growing old. Initially, this idea seemed to hold merit, but it appears that the Apple Corps record label may have finally tapped out its creative well.
The latest addition to the Anthology series is a disappointing effort. The accompanying album boasts 36 tracks, of which 23 are re-releases from previous albums. This means that fans are being asked to part with nearly £70 for 50 minutes of "new" music that feels largely inconsequential for anyone but die-hard Beatles enthusiasts.
One notable omission is the enigmatic Carnival of Light, a Stockhausen-influenced experiment recorded during the Sgt Pepper sessions. The fabled 27-minute version of Helter Skelter also remains absent from this release. Instead, listeners are treated to a wobbly first take of their cover of Carl Perkins' Matchbox.
The new episode of the Anthology series is equally underwhelming. The show's focus on the making of the original documentary and Free as a Bird and Real Love feels like an exercise in padding out previous bonus material to meet some arbitrary runtime requirement. This results in an "all-new" episode that fails to deliver any genuine insights or fresh perspectives.
The footage from 30 years ago – which was originally produced during the series' initial run – appears dated, with the clothes and hairstyles of 1990s rock stars looking more retro than vintage. Even the bonus interviews between the surviving Beatles have lost their luster, as they struggle to find new angles on a subject that has been exhaustively covered for over six decades.
Perhaps most telling is George Harrison's visible exasperation during the sessions for Free as a Bird and Real Love. His famous refusal to work on Now and Then, deeming it "fucking rubbish," ultimately led McCartney and Starr to finish the track 22 years later in 2023.
The inclusion of some sweet moments – like Ringo's heartfelt address to his bandmates – cannot compensate for the overall lack of substance in this release. The whole exercise feels like a pointless cash-in, designed to satiate an insatiable appetite for Beatles content from an increasingly bare cupboard.
In 1995, the arrival of The Beatles Anthology was a significant event. It aired on prime time television across both sides of the Atlantic and sparked a frenzy among fans. The accompanying albums were hugely successful, with millions being sold worldwide. This initial series set the stage for the later-day Beatles industry, which has churned out an endless supply of documentaries, reissues, remixes, compilations, and expanded editions.
The idea behind these productions is twofold: that the Beatles' archive is a treasure trove of material waiting to be uncovered, and that the band's story can be retold innumerable ways without ever growing old. Initially, this idea seemed to hold merit, but it appears that the Apple Corps record label may have finally tapped out its creative well.
The latest addition to the Anthology series is a disappointing effort. The accompanying album boasts 36 tracks, of which 23 are re-releases from previous albums. This means that fans are being asked to part with nearly £70 for 50 minutes of "new" music that feels largely inconsequential for anyone but die-hard Beatles enthusiasts.
One notable omission is the enigmatic Carnival of Light, a Stockhausen-influenced experiment recorded during the Sgt Pepper sessions. The fabled 27-minute version of Helter Skelter also remains absent from this release. Instead, listeners are treated to a wobbly first take of their cover of Carl Perkins' Matchbox.
The new episode of the Anthology series is equally underwhelming. The show's focus on the making of the original documentary and Free as a Bird and Real Love feels like an exercise in padding out previous bonus material to meet some arbitrary runtime requirement. This results in an "all-new" episode that fails to deliver any genuine insights or fresh perspectives.
The footage from 30 years ago – which was originally produced during the series' initial run – appears dated, with the clothes and hairstyles of 1990s rock stars looking more retro than vintage. Even the bonus interviews between the surviving Beatles have lost their luster, as they struggle to find new angles on a subject that has been exhaustively covered for over six decades.
Perhaps most telling is George Harrison's visible exasperation during the sessions for Free as a Bird and Real Love. His famous refusal to work on Now and Then, deeming it "fucking rubbish," ultimately led McCartney and Starr to finish the track 22 years later in 2023.
The inclusion of some sweet moments – like Ringo's heartfelt address to his bandmates – cannot compensate for the overall lack of substance in this release. The whole exercise feels like a pointless cash-in, designed to satiate an insatiable appetite for Beatles content from an increasingly bare cupboard.
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. Even the bonus content that was supposed to be fresh and new feels like it's been stretched out too thin.
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. It's just another rehashing of old material with some dated footage and interviews that don't add anything new to the conversation 
. I mean, come on, where's the Carnival of Light or the full 27-minute version of Helter Skelter? 
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. It's just padding, plain and simple 
. I'm all for exploring new angles and insights, but this feels like a desperate attempt to milk the Beatles' legacy dry 
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. But nope, it's just more of the same old Beatles content that's been done before 
. I'm starting to feel like I'll never run out of reissues and documentaries 
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I mean, what's next? A Lord of the Rings marathon with 30 minutes of deleted scenes? 
The Anthology series is officially going stale, and it feels like Apple Corps is just trying to milk this franchise for all it's worth 
. Can't they just leave well enough alone? It's like trying to make a perfect soufflé with one hand tied behind your back... or in this case, 50 minutes of new music 
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. Like what happened to the original documentary team? Why are we getting bonus material that's already been done before? The whole thing just feels padded out to meet some runtime requirement.
. It's like they're trying too hard to recapture the magic of '95 without actually bringing anything new to the table.
. But alas, even his candid thoughts can't save this underwhelming experience 
. Maybe I'm just a die-hard Beatles fan like the OP, but for me, this one's a definite skip 
And what's with all the padding in the documentary episode? It feels like they're trying to fill up some empty space instead of giving us something fresh. The footage from 30 years ago is straight outta time capsule mode