THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, September 10, 1996 TAG: 9609100045
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY CRAIG SHAPIRO, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 59 lines
EVERY BEATLES fan remembers where they were Feb. 9, 1964 - in front of the television watching ``The Ed Sullivan Show.''
But the beauty of ``The Beatles Anthology,'' the eight-volume, 10-hour video set released last week, is in what transpired two nights later. The lads gave their first U.S. concert, at the Coliseum in Washington, D.C.
Volume 3, in itself devoted to February-July 1964, spends a good 20 minutes at that show. Viewers hear ``She Loves You,'' ``I Saw Her Standing There'' and ``Please Please Me'' in their entirety, and see the crew wrestling with Ringo's drum platform, which had to be rotated by hand between songs because the band was performing in the round.
Likewise, the differences between the ``Anthology'' that first aired last November, and recently repeated, on ABC-TV, and Turner Home Entertainment's $159.98 collection are apparent and subtle.
Watching the whittled-down televised (6 hours, 4 1/2 minus the commercials) and expansive video versions is akin to relying on Cliff's Notes for a report on, say, ``Moby Dick'' and later reading the novel.
The short form may introduce characters and touch on highlights, but it's strictly two-dimensional. Free of burdensome commercials, the videos not only get to the meat of the story but they also do wonders for its continuity and make clear the careful, clever editing that went into the production.
That's not to say the video ``Anothology'' is complete. For instance, nothing is said about John's marriage to Cynthia Lennon. But there is much to read into his awkward response when he's asked at a press conference if she enjoyed the Beatles' first visit to the States.
Nor is Lennon's Dec. 8, 1980, murder in New York City mentioned. On the other hand, the look in the eyes of George Martin, interviewed in the studio as he replays John's vocal intro to ``A Day in the Life,'' speaks volumes.
``He had a voice that still sends shivers down my spine,'' says the gentlemanly producer.
Those who invest the money and time in the videos - and all 600 minutes are worth every penny - will notice one similarity with the three-part TV special. The producers had an incredible amount of footage of the band's formative years and early conquests.
And there's much to discover. When they first toured the U.K., in a freezing van driven by a mate, the Beatles kept warm by sharing a bottle of whiskey and sleeping literally atop one another. When one got cold, he shifted position to the bottom of the heap. Truly, these were the good old days.
Though the breakup is confined to the last two volumes, George's prophetic ``While My Guitar Gently Weeps,'' played on acoustic guitar to close-ups of the band at the end of Volume 7, makes commentary unnecessary.
The surviving Beatles do get their say: Paul more measured in putting on a good face, Ringo refreshingly frank. Again, George comes off as irreverent and incisive. They talk candidly about their use of marijuana and LSD, sometimes in language a bit coarse, though more genuine, for TV.
And only one of the two ``new'' Beatles songs is used. ``Free as a Bird'' is a fitting conclusion to this still captivating story. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
KRT
``The Beatles Anthology,'' more than twice as long as the TV
version, sells for $159.98. by CNB