The Compleat Beatles

If you haven’t got enough dough to afford the gigantic Anthology box set ,this is the DVD to buy .This documentary is so absorbing it can even grab people who are not particularly interested in the group.It covers the whole story till the split and includes much footage of the time ,live performances or studio work .Particularly of great appeal are George Martin’s numerous interventions which shed light on the recordings more than Lewisohn’s or McDonald’s books will ever do ,in spite of their brilliancy.”The compleat Beatles ” really lives up to its name .It was the first documentary about my favorite group I had seen and I still rank it among the best in a topflight competition.

Until the Beatles Anthology was released, this was probably the best Beatles documentary that was out on the market. The materials were good with interview with their first booking agent, their interviews on TV (which is more lengthy and complete than shown on Anthology) and their music which is in stereo like the original Captitol recordings. It goes more into details about their Hamburg days, and how they started out as professional musicians which doesn’t disagree with what was said in the Anthology, but is put in a different light because third party sources who knew the Beatles back then are commenting on it. This is a valuable piece of Beatles history, and should not be abandoned just because newer Anthology is available on DVD.

Anyone who has an even passing interest of one of the greatest rock bands ever MUST get a hold of a copy of this video.

Everything you could ever want to know about John, Paul, George and Ringo is included, with even a little information about their formative years. All the music is chronicled and plenty of behind-the-scenes glimpses of the Beatles’ collective genius give the most discriminating fan plenty to nod their moptops about.

Even if you think you have all stuff on the Beatles, this should “Compleat” your collection.

10 stars. And you know that can’t be bad.