Anthology mythkeeping

So, The Beatles Anthology, chapters 1-9 and the book, are in keeping with what we new about the Beatles twenty-five, thirty odd year ago. The book is just like it was, not a word altered. The TV series, shortened from the VHS/Laserdisc/DVD version, but around the same length as the televised version we saw in 1995.

A bit of editing has happened, image and sound quality improved upon, some bits included which weren’t there originally, and some old bits removed. The story told is the same as then, albeit with the 2025 politically correct decision of not keeping bits which may be offensive to viewer groups. Hence, George’s description of the Paris audience in 1964 as “gay looking guys” is no longer there, for instance.

But the main story is as was, which meant that the 6th of June session at EMI studios was still thought of as an audition, even after Mark Lewisohn had gathered information which proved that a record contract with EMI was already in place.

Brian was right.

The footage for the story about the “Abbey Road” album was mostly pictures from the recordings of the “White album”! Despite the fact that a lot of pictures from the recording sessions for “Abbey Road” exist.

What is also not mentioned is that at the meeting between The Beatles after the release of “Abbey Road”, John suggested that they would release a new single for Christmas, and that from now on George should have as many songs on the albums as Lennon and McCartney.

Then came the concert with John & Yoko and a hastily assembled Plastic Ono Band for the rock’n’roll revival festival in Toronto, and after that John quit the Beatles, he wanted “a divorce, like I had with Cynthia”.

We were not allowed to be part of the recordings in January 1970 when Paul, George and Ringo came together for the re-recording of “I Me Mine” and the arrangements and new guitar solo for “Let It Be”, while John was still holidaying in Denmark.
After releasing “All Things Must Pass”, George also said in an interview that after that album he expected them to start working on a new Beatles album.

These are things would have been good to include in such a documentary series.