The Beatles Anthology

When the Beatles Anthology first aired worldwide in 1995, the miniseries -- paired with the simultaneous release of three double-CD sets that included the first new Beatles songs since the band's 1970 breakup -- played out as a global media event. Although the songs, Free as a Bird and Real Love, didn't quite hold up to Yesterday and Hey Jude, the sheer bulk of brilliant material and fascinating tidbits collected in the two projects left most fans delighted.

This five-DVD set collects all 8 hours of the original miniseries and adds 81 minutes of bonus features sure to thrill fans old and new -- including footage of Paul, George, and Ringo jamming during breaks in the filming of Anthology and reminiscing about their salad days.

For the uninitiated, Beatles Anthology is the most comprehensive video document available on the lives of the Fab Four, spanning virtually every stage of their musical evolution. From the band's days in Liverpool to the height of Beatlemania and into the era of late-'60s psychedelia, few stones are left unturned.