Thirty years ago, The Beatles Anthology provided a whole new insight into the work of the Fab Four. Now the band's archive has been reopened. Sound engineer Giles Martin explains what was important in this process. London (dpa) – The documentary series "The Beatles Anthology" is returning to Disney+ with a new ninth episode to mark the anniversary, alongside freshly curated archive music releases. "The Beatles exist without us," George Harrison said 30 years ago in the documentary series "The Beatles Anthology", in which the musicians told the band’s story from their own perspective. Longstanding fans were delighted by the mid-1990s series, which allowed a new generation to discover the Beatles. Alongside the series came three double CDs of previously unreleased rarities, demos and live recordings, plus the first Beatles single in 25 years, "Free as a Bird". Those music compilations are now being reissued in multiple formats.Renowned producer and sound engineer Giles Martin, son of the Beatles’ late producer George Martin, has curated a new fourth compilation. It includes 13 previously unreleased demos and session takes, and also features "Now and Then", released two years ago as the Beatles’ final song. "Anthology 4 is an interesting mix of some material that we've heard before in other box sets and other material that's just worth listening to," said Martin in an interview with dpa in London at the famous Abbey Road Studios. "The reason behind it is that we felt like the Beatles' anthologies weren't complete alongside everything else." Up close with John, Paul, George and Ringo Thousands of hours of recordings sit in the Beatles’ archives. Martin did not make the track selection alone. There is a team of two Beatles nerds who know everything about the Beatles, he said. "They suggest things that they've argued in the past should be released, and I'll go through and listen to everything. And then my judgement is purely based on whether I think it's fun to listen to and whether I want to listen to it more than once and whether it provides a really good sketch into the world of the Beatles." That was also the idea 30 years ago behind "The Beatles Anthology": to give fans a look behind the scenes and a sense of being present as music history was made. The recordings capture not only the songs but also studio chatter and banter from Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. Band and families directly involved The new Anthology was created in close consultation with the surviving Beatles, Paul and Ringo, as well as with George Harrison’s widow Olivia and son Dhani, and John Lennon’s widow Yoko Ono and son Sean Lennon. "There's no marketing teams or anything like that," Martin stressed. He has remixed the first three Anthology compilations, originally released in 1995 and 1996. "It was the CD world of things being quite bright and digital," he explained. "the transfer from tape to digital wasn't necessarily the best it could be and all that stuff. So I went and reback and redid all of that." Martin emphasised that "The Beatles Anthology" was not produced for specific technology, such as modern headphones, since he was keen not to mix for a particular technology that might not last as long as the music itself. Some fans voice criticism in advance As with such releases, the run-up brought not only enthusiasm but also criticism from some fans who wanted even more tracks and obscure rarities from the archive. Martin said it's great to work for such passionate fans, but notes that he doesn't make records to collect, but ones to listen to and enjoy. The sound expert is already working on the next Beatles project. Director Sam Mendes is making four films about the Fab Four, one about each member, and Martin is involved. He is convinced the Beatles phenomenon will endure. "I think people discover the Beatles in different ways, and generations will continue to discover the Beatles in different ways in the same way they discover a piece of music by Mozart – it could be from an advert, from TikTok or from a concert. It's the same with the Beatles." "The Beatles Anthology Collection" is available now on CD or vinyl, individually or as a box set, and digitally. The documentary series "The Beatles Anthology" will be available on Disney+ from November 26 with three episodes, with a further three episodes released on November 27 and November 28. The following information is not intended for publication dpa xx pde a3 thn cco
(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)
