By The Associated Press undefined
Beatles fans will be feeling some “real love” for this: New content from the iconic band is coming this fall on screen, in music and in print.
“The Beatles Anthology” will be returning “in its ultimate form,” according to a release issued Thursday.
The famed 1995 “Anthology” music documentary, recounting the band’s journey beginning with its Liverpool roots through to its explosive stardom, has been restored and remastered, and will feature a new, ninth episode. It will stream on Disney+ beginning November 26.
The ninth episode features behind-the-scenes footage of Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr coming together in 1994-1995 to work on the series and “reflecting on their shared life as the Beatles.” Giles Martin, son of the late Beatles producer George Martin who died in 2016, has created new audio mixes for the majority of the featured music.
New “Anthology” music will be released on Nov. 21. A fourth album, to be released alongside remastered versions of the first three, includes 13 previously unreleased demos, session recordings and other rare recordings.
“Anthology 4” also includes, according to the release, new mixes of the Beatles’ “Anthology”-related hit singles: “Free As A Bird” and “Real Love.” The original “Free As A Bird” music video has also been restored.
The two new mixes come alongside 2023’s “Now And Then,” the last Beatles song. (All three singles were created from home demos that John Lennon, who was killed in 1980 outside the Dakota apartment building, recorded not long before, with vocal and instrumental parts later recorded by Paul, George and Ringo.)
A 25th anniversary edition of the Beatles Anthology Book will arrive October 14. In the book, all four Beatles recall the band’s journey. They’re joined by colleagues including Neil Aspinall, George Martin, Derek Taylor and others.
“‘The Anthology’ was always about their past, but this new edition confirms its enduring place in the present and future,'” the release noted.
The “Anthology” updates come as Beatles fans ready for not one, not two, but four feature films about the band. All directed by Sam Mendes, the films each focus on one Beatle. The lead actors will be Paul Mescal as McCartney, Joseph Quinn as Harrison, Barry Keoghan as Starr and Harris Dickinson as Lennon.