Anthology 1, 2, 3 - The Beatles (1995)


Anthology was the first archival release The Beatles released after their various lawsuits and legal disputes were settled in the late 80s. The entire Anthology is a collection of outtakes, alternative takes and live cuts from the band. It coincided with a three part mini-series on some American TV network, an a six-VHS expanded version of the miniseries. It is probably the most hyped album series ever released. 

A lot of people were disappointed by Anthology, criticising the spoken word interludes at the beginning and a couple of false starts on some numbers. Other purists criticize a couple of editing, mixing  and mastering choices made by George Martin and his people: namely the use of no-noise, the application of digital reverb and the occasional a-historical edit. I don't care so much about most of those choices, Imean they don't bother me and in some cases I like what he did. 

It also came with a couple of new Jeff Lynne singles, which did not smash the charts as expected, fully produced from unfinished demos by the late John Lennon. I like those all right.



My criticism of Anthology is relatively simple: the fact that they didn't include the entire Decca Audition from Jan. 1 1963 is disappinting. They own the rights to those tapes, and thus nowadays there is no official version of them. I get that they are not The Beatles' finest moment, but I really would like to get it. On Anthology 2, I abhor the edited "You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)" as well as the edit of the long version of "Helter Skelter", even though that sucks, it deserved to be heard in full-- just....why chop these up (I understand that these choices were George Harrison's doing, perhaps he wanted to screw it up?) Otherwise, some of the alternate takes just end up sounding like inferior versions of what we got. But some are really cool

Otherwise, Anthology  is fodder for playlists for me and little else. I have no respect for the series as an album,or set of albums but I have had a lot of fun with it. Ideally about half of it would be come. As a series of six CDs I'd probably cut it down to maybe three essential cuts, but whatever.


3.5/5 for the lot

Spotify Links:

https://open.spotify.com/album/1pBBIxK5yURfbv8Xd5lta1?si=fAkRqPxyTcGJUJxN7x85nQ

https://open.spotify.com/album/3Lf8VA23cMAl5imbABTZoo?si=jwXKVaKFSASRNhf7PVr9gA

https://open.spotify.com/album/4l0xO28Y37MBBXQEcBIbXQ?si=4f50f8faa575490b

I just have the OG CDs. I have to credit the Anthology series: after digesting all three plus the 6 VHS set thoroughly back in the day, I was so heartily sick of the Beatles that my Beatlemania was finally cured.

Personally, I don't mind th

Another Side of Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan

Anthology: Diana Ross & The Supremes

Anthology: Smokey Robinson & The Beatles

Anthology 1: The Beatles

Anthology 2: The Beatles

Anthology 3 The Beatles

Anthology: North South, East West - Tim Finn

Apple Venus: Volume One -- XTC

Apollo 18 - They Might Be Giants

The ArchAndroid: Janelle Monae

Are the Village Green Preservation Society -- The Kinks

Are Well-Respected Men - The Kinks

Armed Forces -Elvis Costello & The Attractions

Around the World in a Day - Prince

Arthur (or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) - The Kinks

At My Piano - Brian Wilson

Autoamerican - Blondie

Automatic for the People - R.E.M.

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