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The Beatles Anthology

The Beatles Anthology

List Price: $79.98
Your Price: $46.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Disc 5 contains the saddest part of all
Review: This is a follow up review, as I just finished my review of Ringorama, and it reminded me of the saddest part of the anthology collection, in which there are many obviously sad parts....

When you watch disc 5, when the boys are together, and you can see Sir Paul still can't prevent himself from dominating everyone, (not because he's bad, but because he never realized it was happening) there is a short comment by Ring when he says he likes hanging out with them.....

Ringo was always the base upon which the Beatles rotated, although I'm sure they never realized it, especially with all their talent, it would be hard to see how this simple, beautiful man could be the center of the Beatle Universe, but it was always the simple and willing Ringo that allowed the others to shine so brightly...

Well, watch that short comment someday with this in mind:

Here was the one person in the whole universe who was allowed into the greatest ride in musical history, who was enjoying it as much as the audience...Ringo was a fan of the Beatles as much as we were, and much more than John, Paul and George, who WERE the Beatles...who provided the songs and the personalities and lived in that horrible spotlight, and eventually suffered from it....

Steady old Ringo, he was like us, watching what was happening to his friends, powerless to help them, but sheilded from the creative demands and ego that accompanies it....no less than any of the others, and just as important because he was the base from which the others sprang...in some ways an impossible job of ducking the fights and the siding with one or the other, but loving this gift given him by the Good Lord.....to be a Beatle....

So watch Ring tell them, for all of us, that he liked hanging out with them, and then dry your eyes, and know that at least one Beatle knows your saddness, and carries it much deeper, and much harder than any of us......

God Bless you Ring, you were one of us, too

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: real nice Beatles bonuses!
Review: If you enjoy collecting Beatles' rarities to obtain stereo mixes of their 1962-1965 output, then this Anthology on DVD will provide you with full versions of stereo studio tracks that have until recently been issued only in mono. In contrast to faulty sounding bootlegs, the stereo mixes here are superb, especially for A Hard Day's Night and Beatles For Sale. The stereo separation allows you to hear George Harrison's melodic guitar riffs separtated out from the mix, and you can distinctly hear the first use of intentional feedback in the recording process.. Beautiful sounding!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: AMEN!
Review: If you have never taken a minute out of your life to thank God for the gift of hearing, I hope you will after listening to this set!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Looking for a great Beatles documentary?
Review: This box set is note perfect. Looks great, sounds great, and is great.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great, but you've heard it all before
Review: I borrowed this DVD from my brother to see if I felt I would watch it more then once before buying it. If you're a knowledgeable Beatles fan you know most of the story's they tell already. They've said most of this in interviews over the years or others have written about it. The only difference is you're hearing the same old stories directly out of the Beatles' mouths. There's not much that they reveal that wasn't already known.
Having said that I always find the Beatles' story inspiring. Four lower middle class lads with basically high school educations band together and take over the world. It's a timeless story which always reinforces the theory that if you follow your dreams, work hard enough and maybe with a little luck you can accomplish anything. The rags to riches storyline happens over and over again in rock and roll history, but for some reason the Beatles' story always stands alone. They weren't the first to live the story, but they are the yardstick which all others are measured against. Maybe it was the innocence of the times, maybe it was the positive message of their music or maybe it was just four lads having a laugh and letting the whole world join in on the fun. Is there a song on the radio today as much fun as 'She Loves You'? Everytime I hear it, 40 years on(!!!!), I still get caught up in the exuberance of the boys' performances. They sound like they're having a ball and it comes across, still. Timeless.
So the question is...do you buy it? I'd suggest renting it or borrowing it unless you've 'just gotta have it'. The quality of the DVD is excellent. There is a minor EQing problem where whenver they go to any performance footage the sound gets really loud, but the sound quality overall is great. The bonus DVD is basically Paul, George and Ringo sitting around chatting in the mid-nineties, them goofing around jamming on acoustic guitars on oldies and them with George Martin in Abbey Road commenting on old songs. While it's nice to see them together and getting along I don't think it's worth buying the whole package just for this. Overall this is worth watching once, not really worth watching endlessly.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The BEST DVD set I own!
Review: The Beatles Anthology DVD set chronicles The Beatles from the very beginning. Episode 1 is almost entirely devoted to the births of John, Paul, George, and Ringo, early influences and early performances before they became international stars. The set offers rare concert footage and television appearances as well as promotional clips for songs such as "Rain," "Strawberry Fields Forever," and "Penny Lane." The Beatles along with producer George Martin recall how they wrote and recorded the songs that are loved by people all over the world. Now with a special features disc for the DVD set, the entire Anthology lasts just over 11 hours. If you didn't buy it the first time on VHS, the price has been cut in half and you get 80 minutes that weren't on the original set, including the "Real Love" video. And if you think those tapes recorded off of the original TV broadcast is good enough, you haven't seen anything yet! Buy this set, newly remixed for Dolby 5.1 and DTS! This is a must have for any Beatle fan!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: this is the one
Review: The live 1965 concert footage is worth the price of admission alone.

I was 14 in '65 and nothing beats being a teenage girl and experiencing Beatlemania at the same time. Oh, yeah. Intense, you had to be there. I would have killed for a ticket to one of their concerts. Now I'm glad I didn't, wouldn't have heard a thing. (Although at the time I don't think I would have cared). You can hear it now on DVD. Visuals are excellent as well. Good job, well done.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Lo mejor de The Beatles
Review: Esta es la mejor biografía que he visto de The Beatles, las imágenes y la calidad del Sonido son Excelentes al igual que el documental en si. Al mismo tiempo es algo que nunca me pude imaginar como seguidor de The Beatles de que ellos mismos fueran a narraran su historia. Considero que es la mejor agrupacion de Rock en Ingles, contiene mucha información. La recomiendo para todos los nostalgicos y los nuevos seguidores como yo.

Jorge Mendez

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: AN EXCEPTIONALLY GREAT HISTORY OF THE BEST BAND IN THE WORLD
Review: ...IF YOU ARE A BEATLES FAN, OR LOOKING TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THEM- GET IT!

WELL WORTH THE CASH!$$

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Mellow and reticent--but honest
Review: Compiled after John Lennon's death (but before Harrison's), it is amazing how this 12-hour documentary seems to capture his personality, presence, and participation. The thoughtful (and at times playful) editing of mucho miles of archival film and recent interview footage makes it possible to feel like each Beatle received equal attention. Perhaps because John was often the group's spokesperson during their heyday, he is amply represented by talkshow clips (including an interview with a very young David Frost).

Because the film covers only the decade in which the Beatles were the Beatles (post-Beatles careers are not discussed or analyzed), but does so from a 30+ year vantage point, the film serves as a very interesting study on memory. The surviving Beatles remember events (recording sessions, concerts, conversations, etc.) quite differently, and there is no impartial third-party commentator to enlighten the audience. It is very much like being at a family reunion--it's the quality and depth of the relationships that count, not the accuracy of the events recalled. In some cases, however, original footage contradicts a Beatle's memory. It is these lapses of memory, the humble and honest self-assessments, the willingness to forgive, the cherishing of what exisited and was special, and a mature perspective on fame and success that make this film a joy to watch. It's gratifying that Paul, George, and Ringo did not become like the "late Elvis" (a fear they admit to in the film). Yes, they became a little mellow with age. But they didn't cease to be interesting, thoughtful, or creative.

This film is accurately called an "anthology." The archival footage is generous. In most cases two or more full songs from a single concert are captured. And there are generous clips from all of their movies. Also of interest are the mini-films the Beatles made when they later tired of touring. They sent these films to television shows in their stead, allowing them to stay home with their growing families and avoid the screaming fans. In essence, they invented the music-video, a mainstay of the pop music industry today.

Towards the end of Part 8, the final segment, Paul observes that "looking back, almost every song was about love. That's a very positive thing. You can't argue with that, right?" The Beatles were revolutionary in so many ways, but they were never nihilists.


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