Where to begin with the tangled web which is The Beatles Anthology as released on Disney+ this year, and augmented by a new Anthology 4 album to join the original three, which have now been remixed and remastered? On paper, it should have been a slam dunk. In reality…it’s complicated.
When I first heard that Anthology had been restored and would be rereleased with bonus material for both the film and album, I was thrilled. Then Apple released the track listing for Anthology 4, and my joy dissipated. Thirty-six tracks, and I already owned twenty-three of them! Granted, I would also get new mixes of Free As A Bird and Real Love, which was exciting; but in terms of being a hardcore fan, it left me rather cold. Still, I now have Apple Music, so I wouldn’t actually have to buy the entire Anthology set, which was the only way to get the new tracks.
That last sentence upset a LOT of hardcore fans—enough so that Apple actually listened to them, for a change, and made Anthology 4 a separate release. That encouraged me. Teaser releases of a few advance songs were even better. The 2025 mix of FAAB was magnificent. John’s vocal had been brought out to be much clearer, and it actually caused me to raise its status past Real Love as the best “new” song. Good deal.
Then came the A4 album. To my surprise, it worked well! Mostly. More on that in a bit; I’ll do a track by track review. First, however, for the film.
I watched the first three episodes of Anthology on Disney+ the day before Thanksgiving. Loved it at first. Beautiful picture! Great sound! And, wow, some new material! Then, upon consideration, my excitement faded. Things were missing. Part of the Washington Colosseum concert was no longer there. The condom story from Hamburg. Mitch Murray’s demo. All AWOL. Plus more.
Disney and Apple had cut each episode, averaging 75 minutes per DVD in 2003, down to under an hour. I can’t give you a blow-by-blow; it would take forever. I will direct you to Beatles Anthology Differences.
They’re doing the Lord’s work with this.
So. Upshot: Some new stuff, some old stuff gone. Plus the bonus 9th episode, some of which I had on the DVD, some of which was new.
Does it matter? Yes, and no. That’s the complicated part. Back in 1995, when Anthology was first released, most of the bonus material put on the DVD set had either never been seen before or hadn’t been seen in years. Their videos, home movies, Shea Stadium footage, other rare live footage…all of it was brand-new. We fans ate it up.
Nowadays, we have YouTube. And that renders a lot of what was on the DVDs unnecessary. In fact, the Beatles’ 1+ video compilation gave us full videos of everything which had been excerpted in Anthology. So the Beatles’ story is now being told more directly for new fans. We hardcore long-term fans, however, will have to try to find the stuff cut (and there’s a lot of live videos that were cut) on YouTube or other sources, with even lousier picture/sound quality than was present on the DVD set. Which, you know, sucks.
Anyway, in summary, don’t miss the Anthology on Disney+ if you’re new to the Beatles story. The rest of us will hope that when (if???) a BluRay edition is released, that it’ll put back in all the otherwise unavailable cut material.1 Of course, the best course would be an expanded re-edit of the Disney series putting the rare stuff back in but keeping out the videos (Ed Sullivan, promos) which are easily available from other sources. Good luck with that.
Ah well, I’ve complained enough. Let me go on to Anthology 4. It works, because even though so much is not new, the selections all flow well together in a sort of mini-Anthology sequence. Selections below with an asterisk are previously unreleased.
I Saw Her Standing There (take 2): Originally from The Beatles Bootleg Recordings, still available on iTunes. Nice alternate of the released version, with chatter at the beginning. George’s solo isn’t quite there yet, but it’s good.
Money [RM 7] (undubbed): Same source as above. I believe this is the final take without George Martin’s piano work2. Searing vocal from John.
This Boy (takes 12 and 13): From the Free As A Bird 1995 CD single. Amusing goof-ups on the first go-round. Rough, but fun.
Tell Me Why (takes 4 and 5)*: You can hear a bit of George’s vocal harmony at the beginning, when they’re working it out. Take 4 is a breakdown, but the next is complete. John flubs his vocal, which is standard for early takes with him. Very nice.
If I Fell (take 11)*: I love this song, and I love this take even though it’s rough. They’re still ironing out the arrangement, but the harmonies are there and gorgeous.
Matchbox (take 1)*: Nice run-through of the Carl Perkins classic. Perkins may have been in the studio when this was recorded; he certainly showed up at some point that evening.
Every Little Thing (takes 6 and 7)*: This doesn’t sound as dour as the released take. On the other hand, the harmonies aren’t locked in yet. They are better on take 7.
I Need You (take 1)*: A bit faster than the final version, but without the pedal effects. I’ll take this moment to say that none of these takes is much different from the released ones, unlike the first three Anthology albums. But they’re nice to hear.
I’ve Just Seen A Face (take 3)*: One of my favorites. A beautiful alternate with great guitar work and vocals.
In My Life (take 1)*: In place right from the beginning. Lovely vocal from John. No piano solo yet.
Nowhere Man (first version—take 2)*: Mostly instrumental, although you can hear them sing the first couple of lines a capella. George’s guitar licks are a lot clearer in this mix. Sounds very Byrds-y.
Got To Get You Into My Life (Second Version—unnumbered mix): From the Revolver SDE. If you don’t like the horns on the final take, you may love this. Even if you do love the horns, this is awesome garage rock.
Love You To (take 7): Same source as above; still known as Granny Smith. Has a harmony from Paul not on the final take.
Strawberry Fields Forever (take 26): From the Sgt. Pepper SDE. This was slowed down to match the speed and tempo of take 7 and then the two together became the single. It’s wild. And it’s “CRANBERRY SAUCE”!!
She’s Leaving Home (take 1–instrumental): Same source as above. Once again, I must complain that this is NOT THE BEATLES. But it shows that there was a cello bridge between each chorus and verse which was wisely edited out.
Baby, You’re A Rich Man (takes 11-12)*: Another favorite. The piano at the beginning sounds a lot smoother, as if you’re stoned when you hear it. No clavinet licks yet.
All You Need Is Love (Rehearsal for BBC Broadcast)*: This gives me a nice sense of how uptight they all were for the broadcast to be heard round the world. John sings a different song than She Loves You at the end, but I’m uncertain just what.
The Fool On The Hill (take 5–Instrumental)*: Mostly piano and guitar, with some flute. Goes on considerably longer than the final version. Beautiful, but did we really need ANOTHER take of this song? Well.
I Am The Walrus (take 19–Strings, Brass, Clarinet Overdubs)*: This is cool. ‘Nuff said. I don’t even care that it’s not the Beatles.
Hey Bulldog (take 4–Instrumental)*: Sounds fine. No bass yet since Paul was on piano. The plethora of instrumentals on this collection, however, indicates to me that the barrel’s bottom is definitely visible.
Good Night (take 10 with a guitar part from take 5): From the White Album SDE. So lovely. John, Paul and George back Ringo with a beautiful guitar riff.
While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Third Version-Take 27): Same source as above. A good alternate version of George’s classic, if not the revelation of the original demo.3
(You’re So Square) Baby I Don’t Care (Studio Jam): Same as above. Only 43 seconds, but a hot run-through of the Elvis hit.
Helter Skelter (Second Version-Take 17): Same as above. “Keep that one, mark it Fab.” It is. Could’ve been the album version easily.
I Will (Take 29): Same as above. One verse only, but it leads into the next number, and has a nice joke from Paul at its end.
Can You Take Me Back? (Take 1): Same as above. This is so cool to me: Paul, as is his wont, just jams a song out of thin air.
Julia (Two Rehearsals): Same as above. John had trouble playing the intricate guitar part (I can relate), so he strums it at first. The second try is picked. Gorgeous either way.
Get Back (Take 8): From the Let It Be SDE. An excellent alternate version. I don’t know why Paul felt it needed more. Then again, Preston doesn’t do as much in this take.
Octopus’s Garden (Rehearsal): Same source as above. Here we hear how Ringo’s song was really co-written by George. God bless him.
Don’t Let Me Down (First Rooftop Performance): Same as above. John forgets the words, because of course. Spirited rendition, though.
You Never Give Me Your Money (Take 36): From the Abbey Road SDE. OK, all right, I’m in love with you. Wonderful vocal from Paul.
Here Comes The Sun (Take 9): Same source as above. How I love this song.
Something (Take 39-Strings Only Instrumental): Same as above. All together now: “NOT THE BEATLES.” But quite lovely, nevertheless.
Free As A Bird (2025 Mix)*: See my comments in the main article. They used an alternate vocal from George, but it’s marvelous. The original is still on Anthology 1.
Real Love (2025 Mix)*: As good as FAAB is, this is just as bad. What was Lynne thinking? This sounds like amateur night. They used two different vocals of John’s, with lyric changes. They buried most of George’s guitar licks. AND they cut it short.4 Biggest disappointment on the record. But at least the original is still on Anthology 2.
Now And Then: Hasn’t changed. A lovely tune and a suitable ending.
To summarize: Like most looks back into the past, the results are bittersweet. I’d give both the TV series and the new album 3 1/2 out of 5 stars. Quite worthy, but with a couple of serious flaws in each.