Beatles Anthology 30th Anniversary

[NeonKnite]

I can't believe it's been 30 years.... but they're releasing it with additional new content and improved sound. Huge Beatles fan, so looking forward to this.

They remixed "Free As A Bird" using the same technology they used for "Now and Then" and John's voice is much improved:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VatsaeJLesI

[LAglamrocker]

I’m so grateful The Beatles stopped making music decades ago. I can’t imagine in life having to listen to new Beatles and tours last few decades.
All the ass kissing for this band .. hilarious over the decades. You can tell someone is not serious music fan if they like The Beatles

[Jason Jennifer Leigh]

Wow! That is so much better.

I’ll be buying it.

[Jason Jennifer Leigh]

Streaming on Disney November 26th.

The Anthology music collection will also be restored and expanded to four volumes spread across 12 vinyl LPs and eight CDs. The collection originally curated by “fifth Beatle” longtime producer/arranger George Martin — and remastered by his son, producer Giles Martin — will add Anthology 4, which includes 13 previously unreleased demos and session recordings and other rarities overseen by Giles. In addition, it will add new mixes of the Anthology-related “new” singles “Free As a Bird” and “Real Love,” refreshed by original producer ELO’s Jeff Lynne using “de-mixed” Lennon vocals.

Both new mixes will appear alongside the band’s 2023 Grammy-winning U.K. No. 1 single “Now and Then,” which has been described as the last-ever Beatles song. The full Anthology project, due out Nov. 21, will feature 191 songs available for digital purchase and streaming, as well as in physical formats. Both physical box sets will include the original sleeve notes for Anthology 1, 2 and 3, with Anthology 4 featuring track notes by BBC producer and author Kevin Howlett and an introduction compiled from 1996 interviews recorded with Beatles close friend and advisor Derek Taylor.

https://youtu.be/lWIEFnbjuvE?si=ClILkRQJbXOp6X7G

[Rocker4Real]

Is it in 4k with Atmos Surround?

[JourneyRules]

I have always liked Free as a Bird, but man this new version sounds so much better.

[Fat_Elvis]

What a bore that song is.

[Jason Jennifer Leigh]

A 1977 demo from an old noisy cassette brought to life as if recorded yesterday … good or bad nothing boring about that.

[eddie lee roth]

They have a small selection of songs ready to listen to on Spotify right now.

I checked out a demo of Got To Get You Into My Life yesterday as I’ve always loved that song.

It was alright but I’ll be streaming this only.

[skinni]

Wow, great news.

Neon, thanks a lot for the info!!

[kwf]

Those "new" songs were dreadful

[Wiseacre]

I can't believe it's been 30 years.... but they're releasing it with additional new content and improved sound. Huge Beatles fan, so looking forward to this.

They remixed "Free As A Bird" using the same technology they used for "Now and Then" and John's voice is much improved:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VatsaeJLesI

OK, we may have our differences, but the BEATLES are my all time favorite and George Martin is my production/arranger hero.

As a demo & rare recordings geek, I loved the Anthology stuff when it came out, but was kinda surprised the average fan was all that interested in that sort of thing. I’ll have to check out the new stuff.

[HottKarl777]

What a bore that song is.

It is boring but I still kind of dig it. It kind of has Tom Petty solo material vibes. It was just so cool to hear another John song even if it was mediocre.

[Darrien]

I can't believe it's been 30 years.... but they're releasing it with additional new content and improved sound. Huge Beatles fan, so looking forward to this.

They remixed "Free As A Bird" using the same technology they used for "Now and Then" and John's voice is much improved:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VatsaeJLesI

Maybe I'm just used to the original version but I don't like this mix at all. John's voice is super clear finally but it's very dry compared to how produced the rest of the song is.

[NeonKnite]

OK, we may have our differences, but the BEATLES are my all time favorite and George Martin is my production/arranger hero.

I became a fan when I was 17 and came across a cassette tape of The White Album that my cousin had left behind. Not long after, I bought Abbey Road on CD (good choice!) and was hooked forever.

There's no possible way to overstate their talent and influence. It's still astounding how much great material they released in such a short time and the evolution that occurred during that period.

For any Beatles fans that haven't heard The Beatles Channel on SiriusXM, you should do yourself a favor and check it out. It's my favorite Sirius channel. The way they keep the music alive and vibrant is phenomenal, and it's like a Beatles history lesson every day.

[CrankerBait]

I think like this new version. John's voice is definitely a lot clearer. Don't know why they changed one of the words sung by George. The Paul and George harmonies sound a little different on the first listen, but I should probably give it another listen with better speakers or headphones.

This isn't unique to the Beatles, and I enjoy listening to different remixes and/or remasters to individual songs like "Magical Mystery Tour" and "Hey Bulldog" because some feature more prominent guitars or drums, but is there a standard as to what is the definitive version when new ones pop up every few years? You have to assume that George Martin, studio engineers, and the Beatles themselves settled on their preferred mixes when they recorded the material.

Another very recent example is the Steven WIlson remixed Made in Japan by Deep Purple. The new version sounds great to my ears, but should it be considered the final one? (And, if so, only until the next one comes along?)

I think of when Michelangelo's paintings on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel were cleaned/restored in the 80s. It looks great minus almost 500 years of candle smoke, but there was always some concern that some of what was "cleaned" was shadowy or darker parts Michelangelo actually intended as part of his original...

[NeonKnite]

I think like this new version. John's voice is definitely a lot clearer. Don't know why they changed one of the words sung by George. The Paul and George harmonies sound a little different on the first listen, but I should probably give it another listen with better speakers or headphones.

This isn't unique to the Beatles, and I enjoy listening to different remixes and/or remasters to individual songs like "Magical Mystery Tour" and "Hey Bulldog" because some feature more prominent guitars or drums, but is there a standard as to what is the definitive version when new ones pop up every few years? You have to assume that George Martin, studio engineers, and the Beatles themselves settled on their preferred mixes when they recorded the material.

Another very recent example is the Steven WIlson remixed Made in Japan by Deep Purple. The new version sounds great to my ears, but should it be considered the final one? (And, if so, only until the next one comes along?)

I think of when Michelangelo's paintings on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel were cleaned/restored in the 80s. It looks great minus almost 500 years of candle smoke, but there was always some concern that some of what was "cleaned" was shadowy or darker parts Michelangelo actually intended as part of his original...

I'm not a purist the way that some people are in regard to The Beatles remixes. I like hearing this stuff in better quality. As long as it remains faithful to the original songs, I'm good with it. I do think the original mixes should always remain available, however. So much of The Beatles stuff wasn't mixed properly in stereo (or at least to the standard that stereo ultimately evolved to), that I like hearing the stuff mixed in normal stereo instead of having everything panned way to the left an right.

The Doors have mined their catalog so much, that they took a lot of liberties with some of their remixes, adding different vocal takes, guitar takes, etc. I don't mind that stuff, but they aren't the definitive versions to me because of that. The Beatles stuff hasn't gone anywhere near that far.

As far as "Free As A Bird", they struggled so much in 1994/95 to get John's material sounding as good as possible, I would have been disappointed if they hadn't gone back and used the new technology to make it sound as good as possible.

[DonJuanDeMarco]

Sounds like a Petty song now. Not a good one though.

Never liked either song.

Now and Then was good but listening to the demo version, I can picture John getting out of bed just to quickly record this song idea he had then going right back to bed.

Like the Beatles, his best solo songs are brilliant.

[Tymaster]

The 30 year thing is kicking my ass. I was a freshman in college.

[Dyslexicheart]

I'll be replacing my original copy for sure. This should be required viewing for kids in school. It's not just about the music, but the changing cultural landscape of the late 50's to the early 70's. They literally changed the world, but you knew that already.

[CrankerBait]

I think like this new version. John's voice is definitely a lot clearer. Don't know why they changed one of the words sung by George. The Paul and George harmonies sound a little different on the first listen, but I should probably give it another listen with better speakers or headphones.

This isn't unique to the Beatles, and I enjoy listening to different remixes and/or remasters to individual songs like "Magical Mystery Tour" and "Hey Bulldog" because some feature more prominent guitars or drums, but is there a standard as to what is the definitive version when new ones pop up every few years? You have to assume that George Martin, studio engineers, and the Beatles themselves settled on their preferred mixes when they recorded the material.

Another very recent example is the Steven WIlson remixed Made in Japan by Deep Purple. The new version sounds great to my ears, but should it be considered the final one? (And, if so, only until the next one comes along?)

I think of when Michelangelo's paintings on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel were cleaned/restored in the 80s. It looks great minus almost 500 years of candle smoke, but there was always some concern that some of what was "cleaned" was shadowy or darker parts Michelangelo actually intended as part of his original...

I'm not a purist the way that some people are in regard to The Beatles remixes. I like hearing this stuff in better quality. As long as it remains faithful to the original songs, I'm good with it. I do think the original mixes should always remain available, however. So much of The Beatles stuff wasn't mixed properly in stereo (or at least to the standard that stereo ultimately evolved to), that I like hearing the stuff mixed in normal stereo instead of having everything panned way to the left an right.

The Doors have mined their catalog so much, that they took a lot of liberties with some of their remixes, adding different vocal takes, guitar takes, etc. I don't mind that stuff, but they aren't the definitive versions to me because of that. The Beatles stuff hasn't gone anywhere near that far.

As far as "Free As A Bird", they struggled so much in 1994/95 to get John's material sounding as good as possible, I would have been disappointed if they hadn't gone back and used the new technology to make it sound as good as possible.

I think you're right about this. Better quality listening is what should count, first and foremost. The first thing I thought of after hearing "Now and Then" for the first time last year was how great it would be to go back to "Free As A Bird" and "Real Love" and remix them using technology that didn't exist in the 90s. After a couple of more listenings, I'm really enjoying "Free As A Bird."

I'm OK with artists like the Doors taking major liberties with their mixes, as long as they're transparent about what they're doing and that the originals are still available and advertised as such.

[Wiseacre]

OK, we may have our differences, but the BEATLES are my all time favorite and George Martin is my production/arranger hero.

I became a fan when I was 17 and came across a cassette tape of The White Album that my cousin had left behind. Not long after, I bought Abbey Road on CD (good choice!) and was hooked forever.

There's no possible way to overstate their talent and influence. It's still astounding how much great material they released in such a short time and the evolution that occurred during that period.

For any Beatles fans that haven't heard The Beatles Channel on SiriusXM, you should do yourself a favor and check it out. It's my favorite Sirius channel. The way they keep the music alive and vibrant is phenomenal, and it's like a Beatles history lesson every day.

Believe it or not I actually began loving the Beatles after watching the much-hated Sgt Pepper movie on cable repeatedly in the very early ‘80s. I was about 11 or 12. My dad was an Elvis/Country guy and I didn’t know much about the Beatles at that point. I still love some of those Bee Gees P Frampton versions, actually though I get the hate. A friend and I used to trade off John/Paul vocals along to the Red and Blue albums (lyrics included) and I only grew to appreciate their amazing greatness more and more throughout my life.

I might be the only person on earth that the film made into a a Beatles fan, haha.

I want to also add that the Beatles Recording Sessions book is one of my favorite books of all time. Day by day, session by session descriptions of every single time they were in the studio and which takes were used, etc along with great stories about all of the material and recordings. A must-read for any fan interested in the actual music/writing/recording/production.

[NeonKnite]

Believe it or not I actually began loving the Beatles after watching the much-hated Sgt Pepper movie on cable repeatedly in the very early ‘80s. I was about 11 or 12. My dad was an Elvis/Country guy and I didn’t know much about the Beatles at that point. I still love some of those Bee Gees P Frampton versions, actually though I get the hate. A friend and I used to trade off John/Paul vocals along to the Red and Blue albums (lyrics included) and I only grew to appreciate their amazing greatness more and more throughout my life.

I might be the only person on earth that the film made into a a Beatles fan, haha.

It's funny because I saw that movie in the theater believe it or not when I was 7, and then had the double album as a kid and played it for years. Until I became a Beatles fan later on, I always viewed it as something else entirely, though. I really like a lot of the soundtrack, the version of "I Want You" that includes Donald Pleasance is classic. I have a copy of the Blu-ray.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10k3Gi_P4eo

[Rocker4Real]

I read that they didn't work on "Now And Then" in the 90s because George thought it was rubbish. I agree that song isn't on the level of "Free as a Bird". They released so much material on the original Anthology. How much can they have left that is good?

[Wiseacre]

Believe it or not I actually began loving the Beatles after watching the much-hated Sgt Pepper movie on cable repeatedly in the very early ‘80s. I was about 11 or 12. My dad was an Elvis/Country guy and I didn’t know much about the Beatles at that point. I still love some of those Bee Gees P Frampton versions, actually though I get the hate. A friend and I used to trade off John/Paul vocals along to the Red and Blue albums (lyrics included) and I only grew to appreciate their amazing greatness more and more throughout my life.

I might be the only person on earth that the film made into a a Beatles fan, haha.

It's funny because I saw that movie in the theater believe it or not when I was 7, and then had the double album as a kid and played it for years. Until I became a Beatles fan later on, I always viewed it as something else entirely, though. I really like a lot of the soundtrack, the version of "I Want You" that includes Donald Pleasance is classic. I have a copy of the Blu-ray.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10k3Gi_P4eo

I still have the double LP, and later bought the CD and the DVD. I just made wifey sit through the movie a couple months ago by telling her the Aerosmith cover was great. Legend has it KISS were originally tapped for the role, but we’re afraid playing bad guys might hurt lunch box sales. If they had been in the movie it would have even been more epic.

I really like several of the songs from the film. Not the goofy stuff, but some of the versions are great.