The Beatles’ ‘Anthology’ project will return in 2025 with a new album release, documentary, book and video releases.
Speculation began on August 20 after Paul McCartney shared a cryptic Instagram post featuring the numbers one, two, three and four alongside images from the original ‘Anthology’ albums. The teaser quickly fuelled rumours of a fourth instalment.
The original ‘Anthology’ launched in 1995 with ‘Anthology 1’ and an eight-part documentary series. It included archive material as well as the first new Beatles songs since John Lennon’s death. With McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr completing ‘Free As A Bird’ and ‘Real Love’ from Lennon’s demos under the direction of Jeff Lynne. This was then followed up with new albums ‘Anthology 2’ and ‘Anthology 3’ in 1996.
Nearly 30 years on, the project is being expanded. The documentary has been restored and remastered, with a new Episode Nine featuring unseen footage of McCartney, Harrison and Starr working together on the original ‘Anthology’ in the mid-1990s. The updated series will stream on Disney+ from November 26.
The music component will also be reissued. ‘The Anthology Music Collection’ – originally curated by George Martin – is being re-released as three double albums remastered by Giles Martin. A new ‘Anthology 4’ has also been confirmed, containing 13 previously unreleased demos and session recordings, along with new mixes of ‘Free As A Bird’ and ‘Real Love’. The collection will be available from November 21 in digital formats, a 12LP vinyl set and an 8CD box set and can be pre-ordered here.
The original ‘Free As A Bird’ music video has been restored for the release. A companion book will accompany the project, featuring recollections from all four Beatles and contributions from close collaborators including Neil Aspinall, George Martin and Derek Taylor. It will include 1,300 photographs, documents, artwork and memorabilia from the band’s archives.
The revival also draws attention to unfinished material linked to ‘Anthology’. John Lennon’s 1978 demo ‘Now And Then’ was initially considered for inclusion in the 1990s but left incomplete. In 2023, McCartney and Starr confirmed they had finished the track using AI-assisted audio restoration, giving it an official release.
The 2025 return of ‘The Beatles Anthology’ brings new recordings, restored footage and expanded archives, cementing its place as one of the year’s most significant music events.
In case you missed it, MXDWN’s recent coverage of other Beatles news- Yoko Ono and John Lennon’s new box set ‘Power To The People’ can be read here.
