Earlier this week, Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Ringo Starr, alongside the estates of John Lennon and George Harrison, teased that a huge announcement was coming.
Posting “1, 2, 3, 4” on social media, fans correctly guessed that, not only was Anthology 4 coming, but also a remastered re-release of the original three.
Back in the mid-1990s, The Beatles released an eight-part Anthology series featuring John, Paul, George and Ringo telling their own story outside of the traditional narrator and talking heads structure.
The series was accompanied by three volumes featuring the Fab Four’s albums, complete with all sorts of extras, and an official Anthology book.
Now all three are set for release this autumn with extended content marking the ultimate form of The Beatles Anthology across screen, record and print.
First up is the 25th anniversary edition of The Beatles Anthology Book, which will be published on October 14 and features over 1300 photos, documents and more from the band’s archives. It can be pre-ordered here. Then there’s The Beatles Anthology documentary series, which will be streaming exclusively on Disney+ from November 26 alongside a brand new ninth episode. The latter will include previously unseen behind-the-scenes footage of Paul, George and Ringo during the mid-1990s, when they came together to work on The Anthology. And ther,e there’s the music box sets featuring a fourth volume and 13 previously unreleased recordings.
The Beatles Anthology Music Collections has been restored and expanded to four volumes made up of 12LP Vinyl, 8CD and Digital collections. Remastered by Giles Martin in the form of three double albums, “they are an enthralling insight into the early development of songs that became the recorded masterpieces that resonate just as loudly today as they did when they were first recorded.” As for Anthology 4, this special addition features “13 previously unreleased demos and session recordings and other rare recordings. It also includes new mixes of The Beatles’ Anthology-associated hit singles: the GRAMMY-winning Free As A Bird and Real Love, given new life by their original producer, Jeff Lynne, using de-mixed John Lennon vocals.”
This can be pre-ordered for release on November 21 here.