CLUB SANDWICH 79

THE ANTHOLOGY
...and in the end

1995 was the year of The Beatles Anthology. As is 1996. So if you don't like the Fab Four then it's time to leave the planet again...

            By any stretch of the imagination, the last 12 months have been stupendous for the Beatles, and all those cliches about them "adding a new chapter to the story" could not be more accurate. The Beatles Anthology has been so much more than a celebratory summary of the group's glorious years together - it has been the media and public talking point of the past year and has racked up mightily impressive sales and viewing figures. For a band that split 25 years ago to outsell albums issued by those currently in vogue is nothing less than remarkable, and the Anthology has a picked up a whole new generation of admirers along the way.
            All of this is set to continue, and conclude, in spectacular fashion this autumn when the Anthology is wound up with the release of audio Volume 3 (the final collection of fascinating outtakes and unreleased recordings from the archives) and the entire visual side of the project on video.
            The videos are certainly something to behold. Although mighty tasty, the TV series, aired a year ago, was only the hors d'oeuvre. The video series is the full gourmet feast. What the TV stations screened, in effect, was a greatly slimmed down version of the full Anthology shebang, something like five hours in length. There are eight video tapes, though, each lasting in the region of 75 minutes, so it doesn't take a genius to figure out that this full version, available only on video, offers twice as much material, meaning many additional gems from the archive and plenty more interview material to deliver a wider, deeper perspective of the rise and fall of the group.
            Tempting though it is, though, we won't spoil for you here the surprise you're in for as the tapes spool across the head of your VCR. Suffice to say that all Beatles fans are in for a rare treat indeed.
            On the audio side, the delights of Volume 2 (has any album ever received such universally glowing reviews?) are matched by some wonderful music in Volume 3. There's no "new" track this time, no 'Free As A Bird' or 'Real Love', but wall-to-wall outtakes recorded by the Beatles between May 1968 and January 1970, representing their final, original output. The riches are scattered throughout, but for many listeners the highlights will be the opening tracks, selected from a never-before-released private rehearsal tape that the group recorded just before heading into Abbey Road to make the White Album.
            There's also the first ever issue of the most revered unreleased Beatles studio recordings of them all: a long version of 'Helter Skelter'. Two months before cutting the version that ended up on the White Album the Beatles recorded three greatly extended performances of Paul's new number, none of which was issued at the time. Anthology 3 will include one of these, respectfully trimmed in length but still preserving the zest and metallic drive.
            One only has to consider the quality of the Beatles' disc releases in the 1968-70 period to appreciate that the outtakes embrace some top notch songs: 'Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da', 'Blackbird', 'Sexy Sadie', 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps', 'Hey Jude', 'Mother Nature's Son', 'Rocky Raccoon', 'I Will', 'Why Don't We Do It In The Road', 'Julia', 'She Came In Through The Bathroom Window', 'Two Of Us', 'The Long And Winding Road', 'Get Back', 'Old Brown Shoe', 'Octopus's Garden', 'Something', 'Come Together', 'Because', 'Let It Be', 'The End' and more. There are also some surprises: the Beatles jam 1950s rockers and re-do 'Ain't She Sweet', we can hear Beatles-era recordings of songs Paul issued as a solo artist ('Junk', from 1968 and 'Teddy Boy', from 1969) and Paul's own versions of songs he gave away for others to score hits with ('Step Inside Love' and 'Come And Get It').
            Yes ma'am, if you dig the Beatles, if you dig Paul McCartney, then it has surely been one heck of a 12 months to saviour, whichever way you look at it. The Queen obviously thinks so too: she has bestowed a knighthood on our dear, dear friend George Martin. Arise, Sir George - the title suits you admirably!

Dates for the diary

            At our presstime. The Beatles Anthology 3 was tentatively set for release around the world on 28 October. The box-set of eight Anthology videos were scheduled for 5 September in the USA, where there is also a laserdisk edition. In the UK the video box was set for release on 7 October, and the tapes will also be issued individually from that date through to 4 November.