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The Beatles Anthology | 
 enlarge | Directors: Bob Smeaton, Geoff Wonfor, Kevin Godley
Actors: John Lennon, Paul Mccartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Neil Aspinall
Studio: Capitol
Category: DVD
List Price: $79.98
Buy New: $51.00
You Save: $28.98 (36%)
Rating:  309 reviews
Sales Rank: 1313
Format: Box Set, Black & White, Color, Dolby, Dts Surround Sound, Dvd-video, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number Of Discs: 5
Running Time: 600 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5.5 x 3.1
MPN: D92975-93D
UPC: 724349297593
EAN: 0724349297593
ASIN: B00008GKEG
Theatrical Release Date: November 19, 1995
Release Date: April 1, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Initially broadcast as a TV miniseries to go with the series of three Anthology double-CD albums, this set of eight documentary tapes has the heft and scope of one of Ken Burns's expansive projects. Still, unless you are either a historian or a truly committed fan, you'll find yourself with way more material--particularly about the Beatles' early lives as lads in Liverpool--than you'll want to watch. The documentary material is copious, including early performance films and tapes, at the point before they found their true voices. The actual Beatlemania years--beginning in 1963 and concluding in 1970--feature extensive performance films, as well as home movies and archival material. The best parts, of course, are the interviews with the Beatles themselves, who produced the entire thing. Along with reworking two previously unreleased John Lennon tracks as "new Beatles songs," the Anthology includes some unseen Lennon interview tapes so that his acerbic voice can be heard as well. This stands as a comprehensive document of that heady period, the second coming of rock & roll, as the Beatles took what Elvis had started and expanded upon it exponentially. The tapes give a solid sense of the historical context and the way these four musicians changed the world around them in the 1960s. --Marshall Fine
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| Customer Reviews: Read 304 more reviews...
END ALL ARGUMENT AS TO WHO WAS THE BEST BAND EVER! December 2, 2008
Don Coyer (Savannah, Ga, USA)
More than 30 years after their demise as a band, the Beatles keep setting records. (though it was 25 years when the Anthology was released)
When the Anthology was first aired, right after, in one day 450,000 albums of Anthology 1 were sold, the most albums EVER sold in one day. (and it wasn't cheap, either) There was the audio version of the Anthology first, and each one cost...was it $30? Something like that, but they had a LOT of songs on each disc. Then the video Anthology finally came out on VHS. Then the Anthology coffee table book. Finally, the DVD version you will buy. Amazing, when you think of it. As you get into this you will see that the Beatles did this with as much class and integrity as they did everything else they ever did. A good example is the Free As A Bird video. One of the coolest videos ever, it has lots of hidden references to their songs and story. (There is also a lot of humor from the Beatles as it all unfolds)
The song "Free As A Bird" won a Grammy in 1997, and the video also won a Grammy. The Beatles thus break further ground being a band with a long deceased member who still charts in the top 10... 25 years after disbanding, and winning top awards.
"Real Love," the single, reached #4 and #11 in the UK and US singles charts respectively and earned a gold record faster than a number of the group's other singles.
These examples illustrate in just a small way the colossal impact this 4 piece group had on music and modern culture. As Mick Jagger admitted, "People today can't realize just how huge and untouchable the Beatles were in the 60s."(sic) He called them a "four headed giant."
A great visual of how overwhelming their fame became is at the beginning of each episode when you see them playing real clear and well, and then they are drowned out by human screams that sound like a thousand jet engines, and then the camera fades back and the gigantic Beatles "drop-t" logo dwarfs them until they are no longer even visible within the monster they created. This is a large part of the point of their story. They considered themselves just a great little rock band that was admittedly greater than the sum of it's parts. This is that story, told by themselves.
My Dad told me that The Beatles took so much money out of the USA, that it scared the United States Government. They were very wealthy within a year or two of conquering America, and that's without the money they SHOULD have gotten from their publishing, and England had something like a 98% tax!!! That they were so rich they could lock down the world's greatest recording studio at will for indeterminate time, when studio time was HUGELY EXPENSIVE, shows what they were worth.
Other bands all over the world stood in despair every time the Beatles released a new record because each one was a dramatic and devastating departure from what they (or anyone) had done before. No one could even think of keeping up, though they tried, and that includes the Rolling Stones, who, while great, were in a very deep shadow. This became especially true by the time of Rubber Soul and onward.
The thing that the videos show and it shows in an even more astonishing way if you dig into the literature, is how hard and non-stop these young guys worked. They did all the right things, led every step of the way, and seemingly effortlessly changed everything. If you consider that they released 2 albums and 3 singles per year, on top of endless television appearances, tours and recording sessions, they rarely had a day off for years. On the outside, we don't realize that often times they would finish work on a classic album, and if not the next day, within days they were working on the NEXT classic album. And during all this incredible activity, they found time to write tons of timeless classics and create innovative recording techniques that forever changed the way records were recorded, down to this day, and with the help of their ingenius Abbey Road staff, came up with new sounds and gadgets such as flanging, artificial double tracking, using Leslie speakers for vocals, locking up several 4 track recorders in sync, etc. The list goes on. And the modern music lover should be made to understand that back in those days, you couldn't just turn on a keyboard and get endless weird sounds like you can now, if they wanted something different (and they did, for every song) they had to somehow create something new from what they had.
There is a lot more that the Anthology covers, but other reviews have gone into that in depth. My aim is to show why there even IS an anthology of 10 DVDs on a rock group. Does anyone else have a legacy or a story to match this? Nope.
Buy the Anthology, also buy the book, it's got a whole different bunch of stuff and photos that the Anthology doesn't have time to cover, it's a great set overall. Also, a major point is that you get to hear alternate versions of almost every song that is included, songs that are drilled into the brains of everyone all over the world, and it's interesting to hear the evolution of these masterpieces.
After you watch this, I'll bet you go and start a band...... D. Coyer
The Beatles Anthology November 30, 2008
Arevik Grigoryan (Armenia)
Almost everything you want to know about The Beatles!!!! I am happy I have this anthology !!!
as promised November 19, 2008
N. Halberstadt (Jerusalem, Israel)
set came in the original box in mint condition and the best thing of course is the content... hours of Beatles thoughts, images and music.
Only complaint - not long enough! October 24, 2008
J. KILE
Seriously, I could have watched 20 hours of this fascinating documentary. Sad that John's comments could come only from video tapes and recordings. Time appears to have healed all wounds between the others and been replaced by nostalgia and the good fellowship of old mates. The music videos were 15 years ahead of their time and great fun to relive.
Beatles Anthology September 3, 2008
Victoria E. Spangler
Thanks so much--this was perfect. Just what I wanted and expected and at a very fair and reasonable price. Timely delivery as well. Great transaction.
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