Beatles Anthology VHS

Best Biography Ever Period! Rented this back in the 2000's at the local Library, and have been hooked since...saw this on sale on Amazon so had to buy it. Do yourself a favor, if you love music in general this is a must watch and listen, you can thank me later, enjoy! This box set not only goes into the history of The Beatles, it makes you "feel" like a Beatle! What more do you want!? This is the closest you will get to experiencing The Beatles in concert, live, and in person with all the cool interviews! Treat yourself, for the price of admission to a Beatles Concert or solo show, and old cost of a Beatles Concert, this has it all!!!!! I loved it when they played the very last show of the band in full and nobody knew it would be the last....the end

This is one of the best documentaries I've ever seen and head and shoulders above the Ron Howard film, which retreads a lot what's here. The group comes off as 4 very smart, engaging and self aware men caught up in a wave that mushroomed beyond anyone's imagination. I've watched it several times and loved it each time.

EVERYONE who knows me has told me about this one, but i never wanted to break down and spend the money to purchase it. Finally did and knew in the first 30 minutes it was worth every cent! The comprehensive storyline and the interviews pull you right in immediately. But it's the FULL LIVE PERFORMANCES that blow you away!!! Watching this, I suddenly realized that I've never seen ANY full performances of the four lads just jamming. From start to finish of each performance you are just taken away to that time and place. This is the documentary you've always wanted to see about the Beatles but didn't know actually already existed. An absolute Masterpiece!!!!!

Sad! Received dvds which are not playable in USA regions. England stated original wrapping MUST be unopened. How am i supposed to do that while attempting to pkay dvds?!? Disappointing. Costs near $30.00 to return...damn!

Great production! Comprehensive story of the Beatles from their roots to their eventual parting. Highly enjoyable with some excellent in concert footage. I agree with George Harrison's comment that the world decided to go mad and the Beatles were the excuse for it, and the focus of the mania. Having lived through this as a pre-teen, it is still amazing to see the worldwide fanaticism that followed them through those early years.

Very good boxset that arrived in good condition, this is a true Beatle fans dream set and the best documentary about them yet and in all honesty probably ever. Told in their own words, it starts from the beginning...the very beginning and goes all the way to the end with excellent menus and navigation around the menus. BUT there are some drawbacks in which they could have done better here, considering they dedicated and entire DISC! To just extras they could have included their catalogue of music videos considering the Beatles as a band didn't have very many. But this is probably the closest you can get to a live performance. In conclusion this is well worth it in my opinion just they did so amazing on making an impeccable package and documentary it's dissapointing that they missed the dot on the included extras l but if you ask me still well worth a pick up and for a beatles fan it's an IMMEDIATE purchase

This is the definitive Beatles documentary. It puts all other documentaries to shame. It contains a huge number of comments, performance footage and a vast amount of songs. It's a treasure trove for die-hard Beatles fans. In 8 parts, it tells the complete history of the group, even containing facts that other documentaries have left out. If you are a Beatles fan, you will want to own it. You won't be disappointed. There is a little game you can play while watching the 'Free as a Bird' video. See how many times the Beatles appear and how many song references you can find. I counted 18 times for the Beatles and at least 42 song references.

There's nothing to not like about this if you like The Beatles. Very thorough and informative. The main thing that is sad about it is when you realize that you're looking at and listening to a lot of ghosts who have passed over the years since this was compiled and released.

This DVD can be seen as indispensable for those of us who were lucky enough to see and hear The Beatles in the 1960's, or a brilliant social and musical document for the curious who were not. Within a period of only seven years of recorded output, they managed to redefine pop/rock through 12 studio albums, 13 E.P.'s and 22 singles, breaking barriers and influencing immeasurably those that followed them.Produced 25 years after their messy break-up, this DVD benefits from good production decisions. Firstly, it's the band themselves who tell the story, both as it happened through historical clips and interviewed on hindsight. John Lennon's views are not forgotten, as comments from earlier interviews with him are included alongside those of his fellow-Beatles (George Harrison was still alive during the making of this DVD). Secondly, the numerous musical clips included are mostly taken from live performances, and not from mimed output which was favoured at the time. There is some occasional repetition of early hits as the rest of the world caught up with Britain's Beatlemania about a year later, but the content always remains relevant and fascinating.Through a series of eight televised programmes of roughly 75 minutes each (now condensed into 4 DVD's), the Anthology takes us a to the band members childhood and band formation, through Beatlemania and global domination, before the end came with the break-up in disillusionment and acrimony. The outstanding quality of music to be found in their back catalogue is showcased brilliantly here, with most of the songs presented in full without editing. A fifth DVD has been added which features reminiscences from Paul, George and Ringo; the story behind the production of the DVD; and the making of the video for 'Free As A Bird', a new song created to coincide with the release of the Anthology series.Among the highlights are lengthy sequences from their famous appearance at the Royal Variety Show in October 1963, and their ground-breaking appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show and at Shea Stadium in New York in 1964 and 1965 respectively. There's also dialogue from leading figures within their inner circle, like producer George Martin, manager Brian Epstein and press officer Derek Taylor, who all witnessed first-hand the pressures on the band and the madness of the touring years, both national and international. The Beatles latter years clearly show a weariness from all concerned, though the music continued to be of an exceptionally high standard. The break-up is handled honestly and openly.This DVD is a delight from start to finish. Even without the brilliance of the musical interludes, the Beatles story remains fascinating as a chronicle of the times. Though most of the songs are now 50+ years old, many have become standards and are a benchmark for all current musicians. Should you buy this ? Yeah, Yeah yeah !

I remembered this series being excellent when shown in the UK on TV in the mid 90s, but I don't think it has been repeated since, certainly not for many years.Also having spent a year or so trying to find it online (YouTube, Google play, other known video sites) I was very surprised to find it impossible to catch in full, let alone any episodes, so ordered this second hand copy of the dvd set.Of course its a bit concerning buying a second hand dvd box set (likely scratches, etc), but glad to say this has been perfect, with no such issues.Anyhow, fantastic series, I am quite a casual Beatles fan. I can take or leave some of their music, but do love about 1/3 of their stuff. I think it's such a fascinating story though and this is the best telling of their epic story.So for any Beatles Fans it's an absolute MUST.And for any Music / Cultural history fans... It's pretty much a Must too :)

This is an amazingly good series. Whether you are a full-on Beatlemaniac or just interested to see what all the fuss was about, the many hours of viewing that this series represents are great. Where Anthology really excels is in the fact that 3 of the Beatles fully contributed to its making and the input of George, Ringo and Paul - along with Neil Aspinal, Derek Taylor and George Martin - gives the story real authenticity and depth.

If you are a Beatles fan this is a must have collection, definitive and concise, covering their history from the 1950's Quarrymen days right through to 1970. Rare footage, newsreel and a wonderful soundtrack make this a joy for Beatles fans, pure nostalgia and interesting and absorbing insights into the fab 4 and their musical roots and inspirations. They were originally inspired by the music of the Delta and Chicago blues men, Big Bill Broonzy, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and co. and of course by rock n rollers like Elvis, Little Richard, Eddie Cochrane, etc. It is fascinating to see how they progressed through the years from a skiffle/ rock n roll band to the psychedelic, groundbreaking and influential band who gave us Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt Pepper, The White Album and Abbey Road, all the way experimenting, pushing through boundaries and influencing countless musicians and fans along the way. Fascinating, nostalgic and informative, with lots of insights from the Beatles themselves, this is a classic collection, and now at an amazing price too, thanks Amazon!

It's an important part of popular music history. How 4 people came together, each with different talents and changed the course of popular music. Some other acts/musicians get to the top, but not the very top. Most are forgotten but the Beatles story will be remembered by their music, some of it timeless.