Beatles

Could there have been a more perfectly named rock documentary than 1995’s The Beatles Anthology, the eight-episode linear-TV doc series that traced the full arc of The Fabs’ magical musical journey that began in Liverpool and Hamburg and soon enough captivated the world? Rather than follow the standard talking heads approach, The Beatles Anthology let John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr do the talking as they candidly (and sometimes, contradictorily) told their own story — all of them discussing, from their own respective unique yet intertwined POVs, the rise of Beatlemania, their groundbreaking arrival in the States, their role at the forefront of the 1960s counterculture, their spiritual exploration in India, and their eventual breakup. And throughout it all, the constant thread was the core element — Beatles music, always the music.

And now, The Beatles Anthology returns anew in its ultimate form for a comprehensive global release campaign — onscreen, in print, and on record. To that latter end, a comprehensive 180g 12LP Anthology box set will be released by Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/UMG on November 21, 2025, and it includes an all-new fourth set naturally dubbed Anthology 4 (more on that in a bit).

All told, there will be 191 tracks spread across 24 sides — and though we don’t have the exact tracklisting and side breakdowns in hand as of yet (nor the related vinyl pressing stats), we can reasonably assume the first 9LPs will likely parallel the original trio of individual 3LP Anthology series releases. The 12LP box set includes the original sleeve notes that were done for November 1995’s Anthology 1, March 1996’s Anthology 2, and October 1996’s Anthology 3, while the all-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 SRP for The Beatles Anthology 12LP box set is (yep!) $374.99, and it can be preordered via Music Direct here, and/or via the MD link graphic at the end of this post. (Meanwhile, The Beatles Store’s exclusive edition adds four 12in band photo art cards in a numbered envelope, and that version of the box set goes for $399.98. You can preorder that edition here, if so inclined.)

The musical side of The Anthology Collection, originally curated by Sir George Martin, has now been remastered by Giles Martin, and the new box set also features an important new element — the aforementioned Anthology 4 3LP set, which has also been newly curated by Giles Martin and includes 13 previously unreleased demos, session recordings, and other rare recordings (none of which have been specified as of this posting). It also includes new mixes of The Beatles’ Anthology-associated hit singles — the Grammy-winning “Free as a Bird” (initially from Anthology 1) and “Real Love” (initially on Anthology 2), both given new life by their original producer, Jeff Lynne, by using de-mixed John Lennon vocals. The original “Free as a Bird” music video has also been beautifully restored, and you can check it out via its official YouTube clip below.

Both of those new mixes have been placed alongside The Beatles’ most recent UK No. 1 hit single, 2023’s Grammy-winning “Now And Then,” which has officially been designated as “the last” Beatles song (and which I wrote about here on October 26, 2023, and then updated a week later on November 2, 2023). All three of those singles were created from rudimentary home demos John recorded in the 1970s, which were later completed with vocal and instrumental parts recorded by Paul, George, and Ringo.

More Anthology stats now, as culled from the official Beatles PR source (with additional notes from yours truly). First released three decades ago and aired over three nights in 2-hour increments on ABC on November 19, 22, and 23, 1995, The Beatles’ eight-part Anthology series is said to have “reinvented the music documentary,” and it’s now becoming a nine-part series featuring a brand-new episode. (Hands up for those of you who remember the brief network tie-in rebranding at the time as “A-Beatles-C.”) To better match the viewing habits of the present day, the upgraded, restored, and remastered Anthology will be streaming exclusively on Disney+ beginning on November 26, 2025. A completely new Episode Nine includes unseen behind-the-scenes footage of Paul, George, and Ringo coming together between 1994 and 1995 to work on Anthology, in addition to reflections on their shared life as The Beatles.

The restoration was overseen by Apple Corps’ production team, working with Peter Jackson’s Wingnut Films & Park Road Post teams along with the aforementioned Giles Martin, who created new audio mixes for the majority of the doc’s featured music. (Me, I’d love to get the whole updated Anthology thing on Blu-ray at some point, to add to my original LaserDisc and DVD editions.)

A month-plus prior to that streaming/airing, on October 14, 2025, the 25th Anniversary Edition of The Beatles Anthology book will be released by Apple Corps Ltd. and Chronicle Books. In it, John, Paul, George, and Ringo share their, quote, “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 best-selling 368-page book is quite nicely illustrated with more than 1,300 photos, documents, artwork, and other memorabilia from the band’s archives. Sporting an SRP of $50, The Beatles Anthology 25th Anniversary Edition book is available for pre-order here. (Happy to get this one too, as I have both the original silver-hued hardback and black-toned softback editions perched near each other on my Beatles-centric bookshelf section.)

Needless to say, we here at A-Beatles-P will, of course, be reviewing the 12LP box set once we’re able to get it in hand (and in ears) — and we’ll likely also revisit the book as well for its own proper, separate review. Yeah, yeah, yeah. . .