Where the first of the three Anthology releases were sincere deep dives into The Beatles’ archive, the fourth, anniversary instalment is nothing more than a cash grab. There is little left for Fab Four fans to sink their teeth into when it comes to unreleased material. Giles Martin, the de facto overseer of all things Beatle, has said as much in a recent interview. Anthology 4 is a remarkable achievement with that in mind, especially given how many holes it has to fill with already released materials. What’s left, then, is the last gasp of unreleased songs, or at least, the ones the estate or remaining band members will ever sign off. It’s not like listeners are going to receive Carnival of Light anytime soon. Where there was a clear timeline, a chronological brilliance to the original three, this is just a slapped-together list of songs that were left over. Some appear on the earlier instalments. Others are just nowhere close to necessary and will serve only the dedicated fan.
You could argue only dedicated fans will listen to Anthology 4, but it’s hard not to feel like there’s a disservice to them. The quality of the material is not the problem, the use is. Pretty indifferent changes are what brings the likes of Money (That’s What I Want) to the surface. You’ll prefer this version if you haven’t heard the original in years. Like the Bob Dylan bootleg albums, these versions on Anthology 4 should serve to inform the listener. That comes not just through changed instrumentals but in background chatter, vocal differences, and, crucially, new material. A bulk of repetition here lets down what is, effectively, a bonus tracks piece to cash-in on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the anthology project. Worth celebrating, absolutely, but the state of re-releases now means pulling a full release out of half the songs needed to warrant such a compilation.
Having The Beatles yell at each other between quick takes is nice and all, but it’s the documentation which Get Back provided an abundance of that Anthology 4 relies on. The previous three releases had a balance of behind-the-scenes moments and strong, alternate versions of hit tracks. Sure enough, Anthology 4 relies on the former because The Beatles vault had already been emptied of the latter. Where the previous three albums had a fair offering of contextual clues and crucial alternate takes, Anthology 4 feels more like a forced project which had to tie the rather crummy anniversary celebrations together. A higher pitch for Strawberry Fields Forever is an interesting listen, but that’s about it for Anthology 4 and its remastering of Free Bird and Real Love.
A clunky but relatively harmless instrumental chunk can be found after that strong Strawberry Fields Forever. Those who liked the one side of Yellow Submarine will be delighted, the rest would be better serviced by the shipping forecast. It’s a little tiresome because it reveals nothing we don’t already know about the song with its lyrics and vocal subtleties. There is instrumental greatness in The Beatles, naturally, and listening to those isolated pieces is magnificent. But none of the leftovers feature that magic. Anthology 4 doesn’t seem like a love letter to the Fab Four, not like the previous instalments. This feels like a not-so-subtle prod in the ribs to those with money they have not yet deposited in the Apple Corp piggy bank. Cough up, but save some pennies for those Wings remasters. Apple Corp giveth, Apple Corp taketh away. At least there are some interesting recordings on here, though wading through the weeds is a tougher job now we’re coming to the end of what is feasibly releasable.
