By now we all know (I hope) that a remastered set of The Beatles Anthology has been completed and will be released in late November. We also know that this will include a fourth two-CD set of both new material and previously released material. We also know that Disney+ will premiere the remastered Anthology films with a ninth episode of unreleased material (consisting of Paul, George and Ringo working on John’s demos) in late November, after Thanksgiving.1Wish they’d release it on Thanksgiving again. I enjoy eating turkey and dressing and spending time with the Beatles. Although, sadly, only the first three episodes will be available to stream at first. No word as to when additional episodes will be added, at least not that I’ve heard.
However–and this is the reason I’m posting this thread–here’s something you might not know yet. Streaming services, Apple Music and Spotify at least, have quietly added the new remastered Anthology 1 and Anthology 2 to their feeds, next to the older albums. You know you’ve got one when it says “Remastered” next to the song title. But they haven’t just been remastered; at least some of them have been remixed, with MAL (Machine-Assisted Learning) used on the vocals. The results are pretty spectacular. For instance, the very first Beatles recording (as The Quarrymen), That’ll Be The Day and In Spite of All The Danger, are almost noise-free, and John’s vocals are much clearer. The live version of I’ll Get You from the London Palladium is noticeably clearer. The demo tape with Stuart Sutcliffe with Hallelujah, I Love Her So and You’ll Be Mine–ditto. It’s amazing.
Do these sound like studio recordings now? Don’t be silly. But they’re much less difficult to enjoy, now.
We’ve also heard the 2025 remix by Jeff Lynne of Free As A Bird, also using MAL to bring out John’s voice. (If you haven’t, the YouTube video is below.) It’s quite audibly different. Apart from being able to hear John better, the backing vocals have been reduced to be just that instead of co-lead vocals. The hum is gone, and George’s guitar work stands out more (not just the solo, all of it). George’s line uses an alternate vocal of his, with a lyric change, which I’ll leave you to discover. Finally, John’s backwards vocal at the end has been put forward, and it goes on to the end of the ukulele piece, which I think is by George but please correct me if I’m wrong.
So this is just to let Beatles fans know that they probably at least want to listen to the updated Anthology, if not purchase it outright. What do you all think? Tell us, then.
