The Beatles Anthology: The Latest Inconsequential Release in a Sea of Already-Relased Material
The Beatles' devoted fan base has seen it all before - and not always in the best light. The latest release from the iconic band's archives, a 36-track album titled "Anthology", arrives with an underwhelming sense of urgency. For those who've been following this particular train of thought, it's hard to shake off the feeling that we're being asked to cough up nearly £70 for 50 minutes of material that feels more like rehashing old leftovers.
One of the most glaring issues is how many of these tracks have already seen the light of day. We're talking about a fourth album in this series, but only 23 of its 36 tracks are new content. This means that those with a decent grasp on The Beatles' discography will likely be underwhelmed by what's being presented as "new". For the casual fan looking to dip into this world for the first time, it might feel like too much information.
In short, fans of The Beatles have been here before. From Get Back to the Scorsese-produced '64, we've seen how the material has been stretched and re-edited in an attempt to breathe new life into a subject that's perhaps already exhausted its creative potential. The 2003 DVD edition bonus material is repackaged as a "new episode", but it all feels rather familiar - like someone took what was previously available, slapped on some fresh interviews, and called it a day.
For those genuinely interested in the making of Free as a Bird and Real Love, this latest release does provide a few moments of sweetness. George Harrison's exasperation is palpable, and there are lovely moments where you get to see the surviving Beatles together - even if they do seem more like old friends than family. Paul McCartney's anecdotes about coaxing Abbey Road's engineers into working late hours are endearing, but it all comes across as rather superficial.
Ultimately, none of this feels essential or particularly insightful. The production values are high, and there's no shortage of visuals - but ultimately, we've seen most of these stories before. Maybe the problem isn't that there's too much content out there, but rather that Apple Corps is trying to milk their archive for one last big payday without really giving fans anything new or exciting in return.
Fans of The Beatles are undoubtedly a dedicated bunch, but even they might find themselves scratching their heads at the latest "Anthology" release.
The Beatles' devoted fan base has seen it all before - and not always in the best light. The latest release from the iconic band's archives, a 36-track album titled "Anthology", arrives with an underwhelming sense of urgency. For those who've been following this particular train of thought, it's hard to shake off the feeling that we're being asked to cough up nearly £70 for 50 minutes of material that feels more like rehashing old leftovers.
One of the most glaring issues is how many of these tracks have already seen the light of day. We're talking about a fourth album in this series, but only 23 of its 36 tracks are new content. This means that those with a decent grasp on The Beatles' discography will likely be underwhelmed by what's being presented as "new". For the casual fan looking to dip into this world for the first time, it might feel like too much information.
In short, fans of The Beatles have been here before. From Get Back to the Scorsese-produced '64, we've seen how the material has been stretched and re-edited in an attempt to breathe new life into a subject that's perhaps already exhausted its creative potential. The 2003 DVD edition bonus material is repackaged as a "new episode", but it all feels rather familiar - like someone took what was previously available, slapped on some fresh interviews, and called it a day.
For those genuinely interested in the making of Free as a Bird and Real Love, this latest release does provide a few moments of sweetness. George Harrison's exasperation is palpable, and there are lovely moments where you get to see the surviving Beatles together - even if they do seem more like old friends than family. Paul McCartney's anecdotes about coaxing Abbey Road's engineers into working late hours are endearing, but it all comes across as rather superficial.
Ultimately, none of this feels essential or particularly insightful. The production values are high, and there's no shortage of visuals - but ultimately, we've seen most of these stories before. Maybe the problem isn't that there's too much content out there, but rather that Apple Corps is trying to milk their archive for one last big payday without really giving fans anything new or exciting in return.
Fans of The Beatles are undoubtedly a dedicated bunch, but even they might find themselves scratching their heads at the latest "Anthology" release.
50 mins of new content that's basically just rehashed old stuff is kinda underwhelming 
especially when 23 tracks r already out there already...like wut r we payin for here? £70 is a lil steep if ur not gettin somethin major 
but i guess it's cool to see some unseen footage of george & the lads together 
paul's anecdotes about abbey road sound pretty neat tho 
! I mean I get what you're saying though - £70 for 36 tracks that are basically just rehashes of old stuff feels kinda steep 
. But at the same time, as a casual fan who's only recently gotten into The Beatles, I actually found some of these tracks to be pretty cool 
. I dunno maybe I'm just excited for more Beatles content or something, but this release isn't all bad in my book 
.
... I mean, I get it, we've seen some of these tracks before and to be honest, it's like rehashing old leftovers 
... just slap on some fresh interviews and call it a day 
.
... but like, they're still not essential or particularly insightful, you know? 
Apple Corps just wants to milk their archive for one last big payday without giving us anything new or exciting back 
.
. I mean, who doesn't want to indulge in more of those nostalgic vibes, right? 
. I'm all about giving the fans what they want, but can't we get something more substantial this time around? 
, and Paul's stories about Abbey Road's engineers are pretty cool 
. But it all feels a bit... surface-level, you know? Like they're just scratching the surface (no pun intended) of what could've been a more in-depth exploration of their creative process 
.
. Maybe it's time for The Beatles to let some other artists take center stage? 
Just my two cents, but if you're gonna give us the whole shebang, make sure it's worth the investment 
.
. 70 quid for 50 minutes of leftovers? No thanks 
. We've seen most of this stuff before, and honestly, I'd rather buy a second-hand copy from the '03 DVD set for half the price 
At this point, I'm starting to think it's all just a big marketing ploy to get people to spend their money on whatever Beatles-related crap comes out next. 
Anyway, back to The Beatles... 70 quid for 50 minutes of material feels like a total rip-off if you ask me 
. But hey, if it's going to make people happy and give fans some new insight into their favorite band's history, who am I to judge? Maybe they should just release the good stuff and stop trying to milk the archive dry... oh wait, that's what they're doing 
.
. don't get me wrong, i love george harrison and paul mccartney's stories are always entertaining 