Beatles: Anthology (DVD)

Connect to Facebook/Twitter, recommend via email and much more.

---

Overview:
If there is such a thing as "Beatles overkill," then this is it. However, if you are as I am and have always been enchanted by the Fab Four, then you'll be especially delighted. The Beatles Anthology DVD is as close to eleven-and-a-half hours of Beatlemania (as they called it back in the day) as anyone has ever attempted. According to recent news, this DVD set has been the fastest-selling music DVD in history. I guess you might say Beatlemania isn't quite dead.

Originally, the Anthology video was released on VHS in 1996. The main difference here, obviously, is better picture and sound quality. The original VHS Anthology was transferred to four DVDs, and it comes with a fifth disc packed with an hour and twenty-one minutes of extra features. The first four discs are broken into two episodes on each disc consisting of various music videos of hit songs and years of edited documentary footage. All of the discs include pop-in interviews with Paul, Ringo, and George from 1994 to 1996, and some old video interviews with John. The packaging box looks nice enough, but there's nothing on it that tells you any information about what is on the discs. My packaging had a sticker on it that referred to something about "never seen before footage." I wasn't quite sure whether this meant there was new footage on the first four discs or on the Extra Features disc. To be honest, after viewing eleven-and-a-half hours of material, you won't care!

One thing I can say is that if you want to teach your kids about a rather large part of rock-'n'-roll history, devote a Sunday to making them watch this. You'll especially enjoy the family values right about the time the boys discover marijuana, and as many of you know, the story gets even more interesting from there.

Disc 1:
On this disc we embark on the early years as far back as their childhood in Liverpool. We hear recordings as far back as 1958, which sound about as good as any cheap tape recorder could produce. Soon Ringo takes the place of Pete Best, and George Martin records the Beatles' first record ("Please Please Me"). By 1963 their popularity is growing at enormous levels into what would soon be known as "Beatlemania." After touring much of London and Germany, they record their second album ("With the Beatles"). Then on one fine day in 1964 their hit single, "I Want to Hold Your Hand," reaches No. 1 in the U.S. Episodes 1 & 2 show the Beatles at a time when everything was still captured in black and white.

Much of the footage is a little less than desirable, not to mention that the sound quality would have to go down as an engineer's nightmare. For the most part, the first disc is more nostalgic than anything else, so you tend to brush off the bad video and sound that pops up from time to time. However, I will mention that there is some footage that is in outstanding condition, as though it was recorded yesterday. As an added bonus, we also get to see vintage footage of performers that influenced the Beatles, such as Elvis and Little Richard. Much of the music of their early years sounds simple, poppy, and easy to dance to in today's terms. Back in the early 60's, though, their music was considered untamed and wild. Watch closely and you will see, and hear, that magic that would soon dominate record sales for decades.

Disc 2:
Episodes 3 & 4 bring the Beatles to America where they appear on the Ed Sullivan show, play a concert in Washington, D.C., and make a second appearance with Ed Sullivan. Next, they make their first movie, "A Hard Day's Night," and then journey onto a world tour. By the summer of 1964 they play their first major U.S. tour, meet Bob Dylan, meet marijuana, and soon record their fourth album ("Beatles for Sale"). Just when we think things are going to slow down, they film their second movie, "Help!," along with a soundtrack album. In the end, four very stoned and inebriated gentlemen receive the MBE from the Queen of England.

Keep in mind we're watching a piece of history from the 60's, so talking about drugs is about as shameless as talking about a good cup of coffee. These episodes are rather interesting, and it shows us some of the band's most vintage footage. The Ed Sullivan show and the Washington, D.C., clips alone are worth the price of admission on this disc. Much of the footage on this disc is similar to the first disc. There's plenty of footage that is grainy and in less than poor condition. However, there's an adequate amount of film that has been kept in outstanding condition, too. Some of the most familiar footage of the band can be found in these two episodes, and no matter how many times I've seen it, I still find it rather enjoyable to watch. It was incredible what these guys were going through at the time: The screaming girls, the mobs of people, the sheer intensity of the moment, and yet, at the same time, the world changing around them.

Disc 3:
Episodes 5 & 6 start us off with the famous Shea Stadium concert, and then they meet Elvis. They even find out later that Elvis tried to have them banned from the U.S. Elvis figured they were a bad influence on the kids in America...yeah, right...and this coming from a guy who died on the toilet while overdosing on too many drugs. Go figure. Later on, the Four take a new musical direction with "Rubber Soul" and "Revolver." I should mention VH1 voted "Revolver" the #1 album of the top 100 albums of all time. Also from that same list, "Rubber Soul," "Sgt. Pepper," and "Abbey Road" managed to make it into the top 10. There is plenty of vintage video of some of their hit singles from the time, such as "Day Tripper" and "Rain." Halfway into their career, the Fab Four take off on a world tour in 1966, run into a few problems in the Philippines, and then end their tour on August 19 in San Francisco. Touring had gotten the best of them and they never toured again. Instead, they focused their musical direction on the studio and produced some of their best work: "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," "Penny Lane," and "A Day in the Life," just to name a few. Of course, the mentioning of drugs influencing their work comes up from time to time. To me it's like watching a Cheech and Chong movie.

The Shea Stadium show is very memorable footage. Not to mention it was the first time a stadium of 50,000 people had been filled just to see one band. Much of the footage on this disc is about an even split between black-and-white to color. Like the other discs, much of the film is an even split of either poor or decent condition. One of the highlights I enjoyed on this disc was listening to George Martin play the original studio recording of the first take of "A Day in the Life." This was certainly a period of the Beatles I have always been fond of. Their music was getting more experimental, and it still managed to mesmerize their audience. Another highlight of this disc is the creation of videos for their singles. George Harrison even makes mention at one point that the Beatles, in a way, created MTV. Back in their recording days they used to release single 45 records. The songs on those 45's were exclusive singles and could not be found on any of their albums. Many of the singles, such as "Paperback Writer" and "We Can Work it Out," all had videos released at the same time. For the Beatles, they saw it as a way to compromise from the pressures of having to tour.