The Beatles Tease Anthology 4

The Beatles have dropped what can only be described as a clear placeholder across their website and socials, an animation tracing the outline of the Anthology albums, counting “1-2-3-4.” Fans are already convinced this is the long-awaited signal for Anthology 4.

The tease comes just months after pre-orders opened for the 25th anniversary edition of The Beatles Anthology book on Amazon, due in October 2025. That suggested the multi-format Anthology project was to be the Beatles’ next reissue focus, and this latest clue all but confirms it.

The original Anthology project was a landmark Beatles retrospective across film, music and print.

• The TV series: First aired on ITV in the UK across six nights between November and December 1995, and in the US on ABC as three specials the same month. It traced the entire Beatles story from Liverpool beginnings through the 1970 split, told in their own words. Expanded VHS and LaserDisc versions followed in 1996, with a DVD box arriving in 2003. Since then, fans have been vocal about wanting a Blu-ray restoration, with rumours suggesting Apple Corps has at least explored a 4K upgrade from the original film negatives. The tease of Anthology 4 has reignited speculation that a high-definition version of the documentary may finally surface.

• The albums: Anthology 1 (1995), Anthology 2 (1996) and Anthology 3 (1996) offered fans unprecedented access to the vaults – demos, alternate takes, live cuts, rarities – and introduced two “new” Beatles singles, “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love,” built around unfinished John Lennon tapes and produced by Jeff Lynne.

• The book: Finally, The Beatles Anthology appeared in October 2000 – a lavish 368-page oral history featuring all four Beatles, Neil Aspinall, George Martin and Derek Taylor. It was a global bestseller and returns in a 25th anniversary edition in October 2025.
Commercially, all three double albums hit No.1 in the US and charted Top 5 worldwide, each achieving multi-platinum sales.

Anthology 1 (Released 20 November 1995)

Spanning the Quarrymen through to 1964’s Beatles for Sale, Anthology 1 debuted the brand new “Free as a Bird.”

(42 tracks including “That’ll Be the Day,” “In Spite of All the Danger,” “Love Me Do,” “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “She Loves You” and the previously unreleased song, the new recording of “Free As A Bird”).

Anthology 2 (Released 18 March 1996)

Volume 2 picked up with 1965’s Help! era through to early 1968. It opened with “Real Love.”

(45 tracks including “Yes It Is,” “Yesterday,” “Tomorrow Never Knows (Take 1),” “Strawberry Fields Forever (Takes 1 & 7),” “A Day in the Life,” and “Across the Universe”).

Anthology 3 (Released 28 October 1996)
Anthology 3 charted the Beatles’ late years, 1968–70, from The White Album to Abbey Road and Let It Be.

(50 tracks including “While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Acoustic Demo),” “Hey Jude (Take 2),” “Not Guilty,” “All Things Must Pass,” “Come and Get It,” “Because,” “Let It Be,” and “The End”).

For many Beatles fans, the expected 2023 follow-up to 2022’s Revolver deluxe box should have been Rubber Soul. The pattern of immersive reissues began with Sgt Pepper (2017), followed by White Album (2018), Abbey Road (2019), Let It Be (2021) and then Revolver. Logically, Rubber Soul seemed next in line.

Instead, Apple Corps shifted gears, issuing expanded editions of 1962-1966 (The Red Album) and 1967-1970 (The Blue Album) in late 2023. The sets did include the long-rumoured “Now and Then,” marketed as the final Beatles song, alongside upgraded mixes from across the catalogue. But among fans, the decision was divisive – some welcomed the sweeping refresh of the classic compilations, while others felt short-changed that Rubber Soul had been bumped from the release slate.

The new tease has sparked feverish speculation. Could Anthology 4 finally deliver “Now and Then” in a definitive archival home, alongside remastered versions of “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love”, the two tracks from ‘Anthology 1 and 2 that were not included on the 1962-1966 (The Red Album) and 1967-1970 (The Blue Album) reissues? Might Apple Corps tie in a Blu-ray or 4K restoration of the Anthology documentary as part of the campaign?

Many fans expect Anthology 4 to bridge the gap between the “new” Lennon demos and deeper unreleased sessions still in the vaults. Others argue it may simply be a repackaging of the original three albums, with modern remixes and added material.

Whatever the final format, the animation makes it clear that Anthology is once again front and centre in The Beatles’ legacy campaign.

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Tagged as: 60s, Anthology, pop, rock, The Beatles, UK