Pros: Everything a Beatlemaniac could ever ask for.
Cons: A lot more than a non-Beatlemaniac would ever care about.
The Bottom Line: If you're a Beatles fan, this something you just have to own. If you don't, I don't think you should count as a fan. So go buy it. Now.
I haven't made it as glaringly obvious as I could, but I am a Beatlemaniac. I'm listening to them now, actually. But, anyway, I am obsessed.
The Fab Four have been all over the media recently, celebrating their 40th anniversary on the Ed Sullivan show way back in 1964, where they shook their heads and the world with their in your face rock and roll style. Okay, so it's not as in your face as rock nowadays, but then, those rebellious hair cuts shaking with every enthusiastic "Wooo!" in She Loves You was one big deal.
All the coverage got me in a Beatley mood again, so I pulled out all of my CDs and started spinning them again. Working in a music store, the Beatles Anthology on DVD was talking to me. (I swear... it was.) It was saying "Buy me! Buy me, Jessi! Your birthday is in a few weeks! C'mon... just buy me." Alas, I could take it no more, and I shelled out $40 on the 5-disc set. (Employee discount rocks.)
I watched this 11 hour set - special features and all - in two days. It is that addictive.
Alright, alright, I'll shut up about myself and fill you in on what this is all about. The Beatles Anthology was put together in 1994 by Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison, the (then) survived Beatles. (We miss you, George.) For those of you who really do live on Mars, John Lennon unfortunately couldn't be present due to... unfortunate circumstances. (I don't like talking about it, okay?!) The idea was to tell the story people were still asking about by 3/4 of the guys who lived it, and put it all together in one huge television series, coffee table book, and three volume CD release. I can't comment on the other two, but the television series (now on DVD) is probably the greatest thing any Beatlemaniac will ever see.
The set starts off in the 40s when the boys were born and they talk us through their upbringing and all about how they became the Quarrymen and later the Beatles. The parts up until they actually become stars are very interesting, and I heard a lot of information I didn't know about. (Good example: Paul getting arrested for lighting a condom on fire.) During this time we get a lot of montages where we just get to hear some of their early demos, which was really nice to hear. But once we get into the stardom is when it gets really interesting. We get all kinds of information, unreleased songs, and performances to salivate over. Throughout the program, the three remaining Beatles give us brand new interviews and their take on everything from the music to the films to Yoko to... everything they ever did. John is pretty well represented also with some clips of interviews he did very well placed alongside the others.
The most interesting footage to watch is easily the footage of the guys just goofing around. There is one scene where they are all dancing around on a boat that is very heart warming, and any time they do a press conference, their quick wit brings a smile. ("Are you going to get haircuts?" "I had one yesterday.") My absolute favorite part of the entire video is at the end of a Hello, Goodbye "video" where all the boys John in doing a spastic version of the twist, which I still play over and over again.
But that is not to take light off of the music. The Beatles made many "music videos" long before MTV was an existance so they could send them around the world after they stopped touring. They are kind of cheap, but they are pretty cool to watch. There are also some movie montages of songs from their films that made it onto the program, which are equally as interesting. And of course, the Beatles were terrific performers, so their live shows are always interesting to watch again. A highlight is their Shea Stadium concert, where, as Paul so aptly put it, "John went mad." Here we get to see John yell gibberish at the audience and play the keyboard with his elbows.
I think my favorite thing about this program is it never tries to be a tearjerker. The only part where I got emotional is at the very, very beginning, when they show a montage of the boys to the song In My Life, and that's just because I'm a cry baby. They hardly bring up John's murder, and try their best to keep the focus on the time period in question. Most suprisingly is towards the demise of the band, they are very honest and don't play it up as if it was the end of the world. They don't say anything hostile about the others and really give you an honest and optimistic look at the greatest band ever.
This set is not perfect, however. I, for one, thought it was the most entertaining thing ever, but I can't imagine watching something this comprehensive on any other band. Therefore, if you're not a Beatles fan, this will not entertain you at all. You pretty much have to be a hardcore fan to find it interesting. There are times when it gets a bit slow as well. Sometimes the interviewed people ramble about nothing and you just get confused. (Paul, mostly.) The reworked songs are a nice touch, but nothing to write home about. I thought Paul's condom burning story was much more interesting. There are times of humor and times of sorrow, but generally, you just have to be a sponge and soak up the information.
If you're a Beatles fan, however, this is a must have. Basically everything you'll ever need or want to know about the world's favorite band is right here on DVD. Could it get much better?
A deluxe multi-volume chronicle of the complete history of the Beatles THE BEATLES ANTHOLOGY is the definitive documentary featuring 10 hours of foota...More at Family Video
The Beatles Anthology project (ultimately comprising audio, video, and book aspects) initially reached the public during the week of Thanksgiving 1995...More at Barnes and Noble
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