Beatles Anthology – All The Details

beatlesblogger.com

Beatles Anthology – All The Details

by BeatlesBlogger

Posted on August 22, 2025

It’s now been announced. Here is the official press release with all the details on the Anthology Collection audio releases, the Beatles Anthology documentary series on Disney+, and The Beatles Anthology book:

THE BEATLES ANTHOLOGY

Award-winning Documentary Series, Music Releases and Iconic Book

All Together Now for Release this Autumn. The Beatles Story… by The Beatles. On screen, on record, and in print.

London – August 21, 2025 – First released three decades ago, The Beatles’ eight-part Anthology series reinvented the music documentary. Instead of a standard treatment centred on an outside narrator and talking heads, The Anthology featured John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr candidly telling their own story, with all its complexities and contradictions. It introduced The Beatles to new generations of viewers and listeners and marked the start of a creative and commercial afterlife that continues to this day.

Now, The Beatles Anthology returns in its ultimate form for a comprehensive global release campaign—on screen, on record, and in print.

THE BEATLES ANTHOLOGY DOCUMENTARY SERIES

Now a Nine-Part Series Featuring a Brand-new Episode Nine

Streaming Exclusively on Disney+ Beginning November 26

The Beatles’ landmark Anthology documentary series has been restored and remastered.

The series’ original eight episodes trace the legendary journey that began in Liverpool and Hamburg and soon captivated the world. They bring to life the timeless stories — of Beatlemania, the band’s groundbreaking arrival in the USA, their role at the forefront of the 1960s counterculture, their spiritual exploration in India, and their eventual breakup. And through it all, the constant thread: the music, always the music.

There is now a completely new Episode Nine, including unseen behind-the-scenes footage of Paul, George and Ringo coming together between 1994 and 1995 to work on The Anthology and reflecting on their shared life as The Beatles.

The restoration has been overseen by Apple Corps’ production team, working with Peter Jackson’s Wingnut Films & Park Road Post teams along with Giles Martin, who has created new audio mixes for the majority of the featured music.

 THE BEATLES ANTHOLOGY MUSIC COLLECTIONS

Restored & Expanded to Four Volumes: 12LP Vinyl, 8CD & Digital Collections

Out November 21

The musical side of The Anthology Collection, originally curated by George Martin, now remastered by Giles Martin, in the form of three double albums of rare material, a shadow story to the one told in the documentaries. They are an enthralling insight into the early development of songs that became the recorded masterpieces that resonate just as loudly today as they did when they were first recorded. 

It also has an important new element. Anthology 4, newly curated by Giles, includes 13 previously unreleased demos and session recordings and other rare recordings. It also includes new mixes of The Beatles’ Anthology-associated hit singles: the GRAMMY-winning “Free As A Bird” and “Real Love,” given new life by their original producer, Jeff Lynne, using de-mixed John Lennon vocals.

The original “Free As A Bird” music video has also been beautifully restored:

Both new mixes are placed alongside the band’s most recent UK No. 1 hit single, 2023’s GRAMMY-winning “Now And Then,” the last Beatles song. All three singles were created from rudimentary home demos John recorded in the 1970s, later completed with vocal and instrumental parts recorded by Paul, George and Ringo.

Across all the Anthology albums, there are 191 tracks which will be released on November 21 by Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/UMG for digital purchase and streaming, and in deluxe 12LP 180-gram vinyl and 8CD box sets. Both box sets include the original sleeve notes for Anthology 1, 2 and 3; the new Anthology 4 includes track notes written by Kevin Howlett and an introduction compiled from 1996 interviews recorded with The Beatles’ close friend and adviser Derek Taylor. The Beatles Store’s exclusive editions for both box sets add four 12-inch band photo art cards in a numbered envelope. 

THE BEATLES ANTHOLOGY BOOK

The 25th Anniversary Edition

Out October 14

Finally, the 25th Anniversary Edition of The Beatles Anthology book will be released on October 14th by Apple Corps Ltd. and Chronicle Books. Throughout its pages, John, Paul, George and Ringo share their honest, intimate and revelatory recollections of the band’s journey. Their memories are accompanied by impressions from their closest colleagues, including Neil Aspinall, George Martin, Derek Taylor and others. The bestselling 368-page book is beautifully illustrated with more than 1,300 photos, documents, artwork, and other memorabilia from the band’s archives.  

Everything The Beatles did involved change. Listening to their songs and watching their story unfold brings us closer to the shifts in culture, ideas and music that they helped shape—and which continue to resonate today. The Anthology was always about their past, but this new edition confirms its enduring place in the present and future. (ends)

The packaging of the 12LP and 8CD has come in for criticism as being a “low rent” looking for a proper Beatle release. It turns out that they are indeed using Klaus Voormann’s amazing original montage for the box on all editions. The image with the black and white photo of the band is a “belly band” or “O” card which slides over the outer case and wraps around the whole box. Here are some high res images:

The four art photos shown in the pack-shot above come in a numbered envelope and are exclusive to the Beatles Store (or if you order through Universal Music). The photo pack:

The 12LP exclusive is limited to 8,500 in the UK and 8,500 in the U.S.

Other editions come without that photo pack:

And here it is with the “belly band” in place:

Here’s the 8CD set with art photos only available from the official stores. This is limited to 8000 copies in the UK and 8,000 in the U.S. (The UK Beatles store is already indicating this as SOLD OUT):

And the standard issue, minus the photo pack. (Click here  for the full track listing):

This is an un-cropped version of the image that’s used on the “belly band” or “O” card. It was taken by photographer Bruce McBroom/© Apple Corps Ltd.:

Again, if you like to watch your updates instead of read about them, check out Andrew Dixon’s informative and very reasonable video just uploaded: