The Beatles Announce Updated ‘Anthology’ Series, Share Remastered “Free As A Bird” and New Music Video

Credit: Photo by Bruce McBroom/© Apple Corps Ltd.

Three decades after the release of The Beatles’ eight-part Anthology series inflated the capacity of what a music documentary could be, the group is back with an expanded look at their history, which informs their ever-present popularity. The Beatles Anthology incorporates a multi-media approach to celebrating the music and the Beatles brand, spanning film, audio, and print. As the first sonic preview, a remastered single and restored video for “Free As A Bird” is out now.

Paired with the collection’s first listen is the forthcoming arrival of the print component of the package, the 25th anniversary edition of The Beatles Anthology Book, due on October 14 via Apple Corps Ltd. and Chronicle Books. The page-turning assemblage presents John, George, Ringo, and Paul’s memories, tales from the road, paired with memories from personal friends and colleagues like Neil Aspinall, George Martin, Derek Taylor, and more. Spanning 368 pages, it showcases a diverse array of documents, art, memorabilia, and over 1,300 photographs. 

Following the October arrival of pages, on November 21, a restored and expanded four-volume, 12 LP, eight CD set dubbed The Beatles Anthology Music Collections will land. Also available as a digital collection, curated by George Martin and remastered by Giles Martin, the albums populate selected rarities that shadow the band’s story and sonically piece together a range of material, including today’s single release, “Free As A Bird.” 

In addition to the materials above, The Beatles Anthology Documentary Series has been restored and remastered, taking viewers from Liverpool to Hamburg and their historic US debut, before Eastern philosophy and Transcendental Meditation brought forth a new era. Each career move was associated with music, the cornerstone of their shared experiences before the 1970 breakup.

 A new episode has been added to the series, which includes mid-’90s behind-the-scenes clips of Paul, George, and Ringo working on the Anthology’s first edition, and reflecting on their shared experiences. Restoration was done by  Apple Corps’ production team, in collaboration with Peter Jackson’s Wingnut Films & Park Road Post, and Martin, who generated new audio mixes for the majority of the featured music.

Pre-save The Beatles Anthology digital audio collection and pre-order the 12LP vinyl and 8CD box sets here.

The Beatles Anthology book is available for pre-order here.