Bonus Video: Which is better, The Beatles Anthology 1, 2, or 3?
Added 2023-03-31 09:34:12 +0000 UTCWelcome to March's Bonus video!
This month I discuss the music of The Beatles Anthology and which is my favourite of the three volumes.
Thanks for a fun topic!
E.
Comments
I need to give Anthology 1 some more listens! I believe I got all of these on CD back in 2005 or so and Anthology 2 was always my most played due to that being my favorite era (like you.). Anthology 1 had less original music on it so I honestly never gave it enough chance. I’m really hoping that the Anthology video does get a deluxe treatment in 2025 or so with expanded footage and bonus features.
Kent Cichowicz
2024-12-17 04:41:33 +0000 UTCWhen i was about 10 years old I stole my dad's cd of Anthology 3 and kept it in my bedside cd player/clock. Without fail, everytime I listened to it and fell asleep to it What a Shame Mary Jane would scare the pants off of me and occasionally give me nightmares. My favorite Anthology tracks are Three Cool Cats, Sheik of Araby, Like Dreamers Do, Besame Mucho, and Rocky Raccoon's alternate take.
Stella Lampe
2024-02-12 07:12:21 +0000 UTCi actually love 'the sheik of araby' so much. does it hold up in 2023? absolutely not. BUT musically and with george's voice and silly ramblings from john and paul, i love it a lot. i also love 'that means a lot' so much i wish they released it fully! i think it is beautiful and kind of musical theater-ish. which is something i will always love.
Izzy Tepe
2023-07-19 20:18:49 +0000 UTCI like the way you perfectly described the early Beatles years!
Scorpio 2
2023-07-02 22:26:36 +0000 UTCAnthology 2 was always my favorite, as it’s my favorite time musically. Not that I don’t love 1 & 3. My favorite album is Abbey Road. But there was always something about the feeling of the outtakes on that one. I agree that they should have continued with the interview clips. They gave 1 a feeling like you were listening to a story. I do think I need to go back & listen to them all again after all the anniversary editions & Get Back. Anthology 3 was always kinda sad, especially with the way they all remembered those years in the documentary. But after hearing the new outtakes & seeing Get Back, I think it’ll color A3 differently.
Erin Wiggins
2023-04-22 14:25:51 +0000 UTCHot Take: Anthology One is the superior volume. I adore The Beatles. I've been a massive fan since birth. However, I think the emergent/Hamburg stage of The Beatles is the most compelling iteration of The Beatles. The pre-punk racousness, the energy, the melody, the un-self-consciousness of it all is so exciting. There's nothing precious about it. It's all kinetic and visceral. So, Anthology One has my vote. This is not to say that I don't appreciate the song craft and talent that comes later. I'm the gal with tattoos of lyrics from All Things Must Pass, Abbey Road, and Magical Mystery Tour. I am not discounting that work at all. If I need to feel alive, I'm going for moptop Beatles.
Amy Lineaweaver
2023-04-01 15:18:47 +0000 UTCThe Anthology series was my first Beatles albums when I was a kid. My parents got them for me when they came out and I clearly remember watching the documentary when it aired on ABC here in the US. I couldn't stop playing them. I was hooked. Sidebar: Imagine my reaction when I heard the actual albums for the first time a few years later. Endless "oh my god" moments. I may have listened to "Here Comes The Sun" over and over again, alone, on a tape player just to soak in the Moog. Bar none — You Know My Name (Look Up The Number) was extremely funny as a kid, and still really amusing to this day. Grungy Helter Skelter rules, too. But Vol. 1 is still the best. It's the origins story. It's the luck of having rare recordings even existing before this group became what they became. #1, all the way.
Chris Katella
2023-04-01 02:20:56 +0000 UTCThe LOVE album was one of my first ever Beatle records! I adore it with all my heart. It’s what really launched my Beatle fandom into the stratosphere. I featured it in a video on here called ‘How I listen to the Beatles.’
Elliot Roberts
2023-03-31 22:51:59 +0000 UTCBrilliant. Huge soft spot for the Anthology volumes, especially 1. My DVD Box set of the series gets dusted off at least once a year too. What are your thoughts on the 'LOVE' album? Your mention of the acapella 'Because' made me think of it. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts!
Eli Gallagher
2023-03-31 22:50:04 +0000 UTCI also enjoy Anthology 1 and seeing how they grew as a band. My favorite one off of that is Searchin' from the Decca auditions and hearing Paul's early vocal ability is neat. I grew up with 1 and 2, so I believe Anthology 2 has a special place in my memory as being my favorite. I think you can see the most progression from that collection, and I share your excitement for the possibility of more Rubber Soul session recordings! Nice video!
Madison Garrett
2023-03-31 18:16:31 +0000 UTCThat is correct. He was even adamant that they perform it exactly the way he recorded it.
Bennett Billard
2023-03-31 18:08:43 +0000 UTCI do agree there’s a little something for everyone in the Anthology albums. I do like the giggling “And Your Bird Can Sing” the best. One slight gripe: I thought Paul gave the song “Come and Get It” to Badfinger, not that Badfinger copied it. Could be wrong, though.
Kathryn Coffey
2023-03-31 17:23:44 +0000 UTCJustice for Carnival of Light.
Bennett Billard
2023-03-31 15:23:10 +0000 UTCThat version of I’m Looking Through You is so good! And yes, good pick up on the Turtles sound, so true.
Elliot Roberts
2023-03-31 13:30:29 +0000 UTC2 is probably my favorite but like you with 1 it was the one I had the earliest. Just being able to listen to the embryonic stages of so many classics before they polish them into masterpieces. My favorite track is that early version of I’m Looking Through You where they start with that almost bossa nova intro and have those organ stabs that make it sound like a Turtles or Young Rascals song. And that first take of I’m Down is classic Paul “rocker mode”. Him literally “rurfing” like a dog cracks me up.
Adam B
2023-03-31 12:43:47 +0000 UTC
