…or thereabouts. I have fond memories of the months of hype leading up to Free As A Bird and the Anthology series. In retrospect, the Fab’s timing was perfect: An upswing in all things Beatles from the Britpop Stars du jour; the nascent Internet had yet to consume the music business (so they could keep FAAB private and sell shed loads of double CDs) and George was still with us. The Anthology was a great showcase for previously unseen clips that are now only a YouTube search today, but more amazingly, there was Paul, Ringo & George… In a room… Together… with Macca still getting on thequietone’s nerves. I have fond memories of the whole enterprise & remain pro-Threetles.
It Was Twenty Years Ago Today…
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You “beat” me to it. Was going to post something similar.
Great watching, and to think that it filled up the Sunday night primetime in a way that you would never get nowadays.
Still listen to Anthology 2. Love the quieter versions of Strawberry Fields. And The Void.
There’s a clip of the Threetles as part of the recently released 1+ DVD/CD set – recording Real Love, I think. I hadn’t seen it before and must confess that I found it quite moving. It already seems like another world.
Yeah, I’m also a big fan of the whole Anthology project, authorised history though it is. I have the CDs, DVD set and the book, though not the t-shirt, alas. I prefer Real Love to FAAB-it’s a joyful thing, regardless of its awkward creation. There has been a distinct pro-George narrative established regarding the Threetle-reunion dynamic, as though it’s only natural that his irritated perspective should be applauded, where for me, if anything Paul should have felt more aggrieved in the sense that George attached so many conditions to his participation – the biggest being Jeff Lynne hired rather than the actual Beatles’ actual producer
Jools Holland did the interviews for all the Anthology TV series/DVDs, didn’t he?
I reckon he did a pretty good job, especially considering that the interviews he does on ‘Later’ are invariably poor.
Will never forget the build up to first hearing Free as a Bird, then I heard it
I suppose Paul, George and Ringo had a reasonable one, but the quality of Johns vocal was appalling. Pretty desperate tune too. Real Love was better.
Loved the TV show, then bought all the VHS cassettes and then later DVDs. Think I watched those once.
Watched the TV show, got swept up in the hype of the new tracks. Songs were OK, it was a definite event to have 2 new Beatles songs – just felt let down by the production.
(George Harrison, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, Travelling Wilburys – all produced using the “JL Button”)
I bought the CDs and have rarely listened to them, and the DVD Box Set which I have never watched.
It was more about owning it, than actually watching it again.
The video posted at the top of the thread appears to be running backwards.
There is a great single CD in their (better than the 2011 Highlights). I love the What’s The New Mary Jane and would have been thrilled with a double CD including Carnival Of Light and the loooong version of Helter Skelter.
I never liked Across The Universe until I heard Anthology. Suddenly, it made sense. Lennon’s vocal sounds so vulnerable and alone, he has no option but to surrender.
*there*
Which gives me an opportunity to add…
The main thing I learnt from Anthology was that they nearly always made the right decision when it came to actually releasing a record. I think only Leave That Kitten Alone and Across The Universe can feel aggrieved, while Come And Get It, properly worked up, would have sat beautifully on Abbey Road.
I too loved FAAB. George’s guitar upfront, the minor chord in exactly the right place, and Paul’s middle eight are highlights for me.
And yes I also remember recording it on to VHS while watching on TV.
And like Mr D above I have the DVD set which I have watched once, actually twice I think.
Jeff Lynne – he did a good job but it sounds more ELO than Fabs. But weren’t George Martin’s ears buggered by this time?
He didn’t do a bad job with his son, Giles, for Love and that was ten years later.
Well QED then. I’ve got my facts mixed up. I think maybe George said Giles should do Love because his ears were fucked.
In which case, what did George M think about George H hiring Jeff?
Did he like his tie?
In other news, Tory Story was really released 20 years ago today. ( And Rose West was sent down, but let’s not dwell on that).
FWIW, for those who haven’t heard it, the 1+ release has all new stereo mixes and Real Love sounds quite different. Although I think the fan-made pitch-corrected version is very satisfying:
It occured to me the other that was 20 years since Anthology 1 – bloody hell, in 1995 it seemed ages since they’d split up. The whole enterprise was fine, but they shouldn’t have called it Anthology. The cds were Official bootlegs – I knew a few people who bought the first one thinking it was the real story, not outtakes and off cuts, and rightly thought it was …..well….rubbish! I guess we will get the remastered version of these soon, as well as the Blu Ray box set…?
Then there’s the new video for Free As A Bird
I feel a bit queasy watching this…
Made by a bloke with Beatles Rock Band
Oh i remember this…myself and my pal Barry shared a room in college and Ian Dempsey said he’d be playing the song out of the 8 o’clock news on, was it, a Wednesday morning. Alarms set, tea made and we sat in the kitchen and listened. I remember feeling faintly let down and yes, even on that shitty mono FM radio, the production sounded a bit Wilburyish for my liking.
I didn’t say this. I wanted to love it. It was the bloody Beatles and they were back and ya-boo-sucks to Michael Jackson. I’m pretty sure I headed into HMV in Limerick that morning and bought the CD and stayed in for the night listening to it.
I’m still glad they did it. I think as Beatles fans, we needed this, the idea or notion that the Threetles still ‘liked’ each other enough (even if there was the carrot of a truckload of cash) to sit in a studio and laugh and lark with each other. As time goes by, I can’t help but think it was more Macca in Get Back mode than all of them in Hard Day’s Night mode, but you can’t have everything.
And yes, Real Love is a million times better.
Jowls had to do the interviews more than once as they weren’t covering the periods in anything like the depth needed
The Directors bootleg cut has these initial interviews
Jools, Jowls, wevs
Only found out recently that Jeff had the ruddy nerve to add his vocals to Real Love. The bastard
Also in the news……Martin Bashir’s interview with Diana in which she talked about three people in the marriage. I think it went out the night before.
No offence to all involved, but I thought the bigger story at the time was ‘Anthology 1’, and I still do.