The Beatles Anthology
Anthology 4
Anthology Collection
Apple Records
Available where records are sold, or from The Beatles Store (exlusive versions) or Amazon (heavily discounted)

The second entry today in The 2025 PopCult Gift Guide is a must-have for die-hard Beatles fans, and if you were paying close attention, you probably noticed that this was originally scheduled for last Friday, following up four days of solo Beatles gift ideas, but I had to hold it until now because when I scheduled the Gift Guide,  I didn’t realize that it wasn’t released until today.

Back in August Beatle fans were surprised when it was announced that there would be a new release, Anthology 4, this Christmas. This is a follow-up to the three previous volumes, released on CD in 1995 and 1996, and is tied to the re-airing of the Beatles Anthology documentary series, with a new ninth episode, which will begin airing on Disney+ Thanksgiving Weekend.

Anthology 4 features 13 previously unreleased tracks and 17 songs selected from Super Deluxe versions of five classic albums. In addition to fascinating outtakes dating from 1963 to 1969, the album includes new 2025 mixes by Jeff Lynne of ‘Free As A Bird’ and ‘Real Love’. Anthology 4 presents 26 tracks that have never previously been released on vinyl.

This can be bought as a stand-alone release on vinyl or CD, but is also part of a huge, super-deluxe 12-LP set.

The Anthology Collection 12LP set includes the three groundbreaking Anthology albums from the mid-1990s, remastered in 2025 by Giles Martin, plus the new compilation, Anthology 4. Containing atotal of 191 tracks, the collection’s studio outtakes, live performances, broadcasts and demos reveal the musical development of The Beatles from 1958 to the final single ‘Now And Then’ released in 2023.

Pressed on 180g black vinyl, each 3LP album will be housed within a triple gatefold sleeve, featuring the original art, sleevenotes by Mark Lewisohn, and restored photos for Anthology 1-3; Anthology 4 has brand new sleevenotes written by Kevin Howlett alongside photos. The outer slipcase features the original Klaus Voorman triptych art, and a 3/4 O-Card image of the band with detailed track listing.

The Beatles Store exclusive format will contain 4 x 12” band photo art cards in a custom black, numbered envelope (8500 total). I’m not sure that the art cards are worth the extra expense. This set is also available as an 8 CD set for a fraction of the cost of the vinyl version.

It all depends on the preferred format for your giftee.

Whether you just go with the single release of Anthology 4, or the mega-boxset of all four volumes of Anthology, you can’t go wrong giving Beatles music to a Beatles fan.