Spoiler alert: The Beatles Anthology 2025 Episode 9- what’s new?

By Mike Carrera

© Disney+ / Apple Corps Ltd.

Episode 9 of the upcoming Anthology video on Disney+, running 52 minutes, is edited in the same style as the original eight, interspersing separate interviews with George, Paul, Ringo, George Martin, and Neil Aspinall. Most of these interviews were filmed in 1995 (and are available on DVD #5 “Special Features” of the Anthology box set released in 2003 and in several EPKs -Electronic Press kits- sent to the press between 1995 and 1996).

All illustrations in this blog posts are screenshots from the Special Edition DVD from 2003, but the same scenes occur in the new episode 9. © Apple Corps Ltd.

However, Episode 9 includes revealing previously unreleased fragments of those interviews that were shelved for 30 years, for example, when they talk about “Now and Then”), alongside photographs and archival footage of the group, much of it repeated from the first eight episodes, which is unappealing; however there are some previously unseen snippets of footage from the 1969 ‘Get Back’ sessions, a short 8mm color film for a 1964 TV show, and home movies of John from the late seventies. Also included are new segments, in addition to those on the Anthology’s ‘Special Features’ DVD, featuring interviews with all three Beatles together, filmed in June 1994 at Friar Park and at Abbey Road Studios in May 1995.

There are no complete songs, no new improvisations or unreleased songs from ‘The Threetles’ at Friar Park in 1994 that were not already known, except for additional seconds of a couple of them; however, there are dozens of short unseen scenes with original audio from the sessions of the three reunion songs: “Free As a Bird”, “Real Love” and “Now and Then” which we will try to describe as accurate as possible after only seeing it once, before its premiere on November 28 (the first three episodes premiere on the 26th, the next three on the 27th and the last ones on the 28th).

In general terms, Episode 9 of the ‘Anthology’ might seem like a fragmented combination of DVD 5 ‘Special Features,’ using the chapters “Recollections June 1994,” “Compiling the Anthology Albums,” “Back at Abbey Road May 1995,” and “Recording Free as a Bird and Real Love”; some EPKs or press materials from ‘Anthology 2’, ‘3’, and the ‘Anthology Video’; and adding some extra footage from those same interviews with Paul, George, and Ringo. If what you want is to see “The Threetles” jamming together and them sitting back reminiscing without the screen being constantly interrupted by photographs or archive footage, then you should go for DVD 5 ‘Special Features,’ since Episode 9 is the visual narrative of the journey that made the reunion of the three and the ‘Anthology’, possible.

© Apple Corps Ltd.

Highlights of Episode 9:

© Apple Corps Ltd.

It begins with a short audio collage of studio chats from some sessions, George Martin instructs: “John, could you put your cans on?”, and some previously unheard seconds of the “I Will” session, “A Hard Day’s Night”, among others can be heard.

A previously unseen scene of Ringo and Paul at Abbey Road in May 1995 opens this final episode: Paul jamming on the drums and Ringo sitting up front, looking at the camera, “Are you rolling?” – he asks-, Paul continues playing, and Ringo jokes, “Didn’t I tell you?”

The Threetles at Abbey Road in May 1995 are asked if the ‘Anthology’ series would have been possible in the 1970s, and each offers their opinion on the documentary, which was originally titled “The Long and Winding Road.” This entire sequence is new. Neil explains that he was in charge of the original project, searching the world for as much footage as possible.

Home video of Ringo filming George and Paul, Linda, his wife Barbara, and Olivia is shown more extensively than in Harrison’s film/documentary “Living in the Material World.”

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In a separate interview, George laments John’s absence and comments that he would have enjoyed the “chance of being together again,” also confirming that he, Paul, and Ringo resolved their differences.

Previously known footage of Paul rehearsing “Helter Skelter” and “Blackbird” with his acoustic guitar on July 11, 1968, at Abbey Road.

The Threetles reunited with George Martin in the Abbey Road control room listening to “Tomorrow Never Knows” Takes 1 and 3, previously available on the “Special Features” DVD, but with several extra seconds here, particularly when they are exploring the sounds in Take 3. There is also a previously unseen sequence when they are listening the “Golden Slumbers” tape, highlighting an isolation of George and Paul’s vocals, with Harrison commenting, “I don’t remember that harmony”.

Partially new audio of “What You’re Doing,” a previously available alternate take that is interrupted by Paul asking George Martin if his bass sounds like “crap”.

© Apple Corps Ltd.

George offers his version of the origin of the idea to complete some unreleased song left by John, relating it to Elvis Presley, whom he at one point considered “including” as a (fictional) “new” member of the Traveling Wilburys after Roy Orbison’s death.

Paul commented during his 1995 solo interview: “What would be good is if we had a third song… and we actually have… it’s called ‘Now and Then,’ but it’s going to need a lot of changes. People are going to have to be very patient with us, and Yoko will have to let us chop it a little bit, but it needs a lot of work, so we’re a little terrified”. Jeff Lynne explained that it was complicated due to time constraints to complete it, so they decided to work on the one they had furthest along in the recordings (“Real Love”).

As if McCartney were predicting the future, he remarked in the same interview that “for any other (group), this will be the end, but with The Beatles, you’ve gotta watch out; they could do it, there’s always a surprise along the line” (That surprise had to wait until 2023).

Near the end, during the interview with the three of them at Abbey Road Studios, Paul commented that they were no longer interested in reuniting as a group because there would be a “hole” on the stage that couldn’t be filled; George interrupted and joked, “Paul and I will do a stadium tour next year,” and Paul returned the joke, saying that what they’d probably do was “wrestle in mud”.

Ringo said they could continue as “Paul, George, and Ringo” but not as “The Beatles”. George closed the series of interviews by saying that “The Beatles would live on forever in the records, books, videos, and in people’s minds… Tomorrow Never Knows”.

© Apple Corps Ltd.

Excerpts from the 1994 jam sessions included in the following order throughout Episode 9:

1. “Thinking Of Linking”
2. “Raunchy” #1 (partially obscured by narration). Warm-up rehearsal/false start. NEW. Seen and heard for the first time.
3. “Raunchy” #2
4. “Baby What You Want Me to Do”
5. “Blue Moon of Kentucky” with previously unseen additional seconds at the end.
6. “Ain’t She Sweet”

Unreleased excerpts with original audio from the “Free as a Bird” sessions:

• Paul at piano and George on guitar practicing.
• Harrison at the microphone singing a fragment of the song.
• Paul and George recording the acoustic guitars.
• Paul improvising the ending with George on their acoustic guitars.
• Paul singing “Free as a little… mighty bird” and whistling like a bird.
• George and Paul recording their vocal harmonies and Ringo some drum fills. Paul exclaims “Like a little birdie” and Harrison comments “Did you record that one?”.

© Apple Corps Ltd.

Unreleased excerpts with original audio from the “Real Love” sessions:

• Ringo practicing on his drum kit; Paul, George, and Jeff Lynne rehearsing on acoustic guitars.
• Paul singing part of the song during a rehearsal.
• George suggesting acoustic guitar parts and vocal harmonies to Paul.
• Jeff Lynne plays a short excerpt of a vocal track, possibly Paul and George, not audible in the final mix.
• Harrison and McCartney recording the “Looove” harmony.
• Ringo, Paul, and George recording the backing track.
• Paul recording his backing vocals, telling Jeff Lynne that he’s not singing in John’s tone, that he should probably do it in Lennon’s style.
• Harrison recording a guitar solo completely different from the final version (one of the highlights of the whole Episode 9).
• Ringo recording drum fills and Paul on timpani.
• Paul at the piano asks if it’s the “real speed” and George improvises on his banjo parodying “Real Love” singing the lines “It’s the Real Speed, the reaaal Speed” (this segment appears after the “Now and Then” sessions)

© Apple Corps Ltd.

Unreleased excerpts with original audio from the “Now and Then” sessions:

• Paul and George rehearsing with acoustic guitars while listening to the demo.
• Paul rehearsing at the piano.
• George suggests finishing “the other one” (Real Love) and leaving this one for next time (which, for him, never came).

Enjoy the restored ‘Anthology 2025’ in audio and video starting November 26 on Disney+. The eight original episodes have been re-edited to 60 minutes, but bits of new visual and audio elements have been included here and there that weren’t in the original versions, such as the sequence where they talk about “How Do You Do It,” which now includes additional material, to give just one example.

All the episodes are dedicated to John and George.