Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.5

The Beatles: 1+ Deluxe Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 7, 2015

February 3, 1959 has entered the annals of history as the so-called “day the music died”, but for whatever reason August 1, 1981 hasn’t attained the same iconic status, despite being what some might call the “day the music video was born, at least kind of” (maybe that clunky description could be one reason why the date has continued to live in relative obscurity). MTV of course launched on that summer day some 35 (!) years ago, supposedly debuting the newfangled idea of the music video with the wry opening number “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles. While the term “music video” may have indeed been (at least relatively) newfangled, the actual idea of music stars performing their hits on television was certainly as old, or nearly as old, as the medium itself. While most early television opted for live performances (or quasi-live, lip synched, performances done to pre-recorded playback), by the time the 1960s came along there was an increasing awareness that filmed or taped versions of music stars’ offerings could be used in various marketing gambits, especially for audiences who were in locations where the artists were not planning on touring anytime soon. There were a number of prescient artists and bands during this era who started experimenting with short form music videos, including The Doors, whose efforts in this emerging medium have been compiled on The Doors: R-Evolution. But probably no group was more prescient than The Beatles, though perhaps strangely many fans have not been privy to the “mini movies” (as the band called them) that the Fab Four produced during their heyday, along with their perhaps more common "live" appearances (whether live or lip synched) on various variety shows of the era. Some Beatles video footage has been released before, notably in The Beatles Anthology, but this new set compiles everything from “Love Me Do” to “Real Love”, providing a wealth of fascinating material (some never seen before, at least by the general population) that proves The Beatles could be as artful in the video department as they were in the audio department.

It’s probably a bit of an exaggeration to think of many of the offerings in this two disc set as being “music videos” in the traditional sense, as quite a few of these are in fact those “live” performances from the early days that have been culled from various variety shows (including the iconic Ed Sullivan Show). But as The Beatles moved into the mid-span of their career, especially after they stopped touring, the boys started to experiment with something closer to what would help launch MTV years later. While a couple of these “mini movies” are from actual movies like Yellow Submarine and Let It Be, other outings offer little vignettes that may not be strong in the “plot” department, but which show The Fab Four off as ebullient and camera savvy performers. It's especially fun to compare multiple takes (or versions) of the same tune, as in the several stabs at "Rain" or "Day Tripper" which are included here. It may have been the "same old song" for The Fab Four, but these multiple takes prove that the guys were always looking for something new to do.

The contents of the two Blu-ray discs are listed below, along with the resolution of each track (resolutions seem to be independent of the original source formats, e.g., some supposed 16mm or 35mm sources are presented interlaced while some that look to have been sourced from broadcast video are progressive).

1

Love Me Do (1080i)
From Me to You (1080i)
She Loves You (1080i)
I Want to Hold Your Hand (1080i)
Can’t Buy Me Love (1080i)
A Hard Day’s Night (1080i)
I Feel Fine (1080p)
Eight Days a Week (1080p)
Ticket to Ride (1080p)
Help! (1080p)
Yesterday (1080i)
Day Tripper (1080i)
We Can Work It Out (1080p)
Paperback Writer (1080i)
Yellow Submarine (1080p)
Eleanor Rigby (1080p)
Penny Lane (1080p)
All You Need Is Love (1080i)
Hello, Goodbye (1080i)
Lady Madonna (1080p)
Hey Jude (1080i)
Get Back (1080p)
The Ballad of John and Yoko (1080i)
Something (1080p)
Come Together (1080i)
Let It Be (1080p)
The Long and Winding Road (1080p)

+

Twist and Shout (1080i)
Baby It’s You (1080i)
Words of Love (1080i)
Please, Please Me (1080i)
I Feel Fine (1080p)
Day Tripper (1080i)
Day Tripper (3rd version) (1080p)
We Can Work It Out (1080p)
Paperback Writer (1080i)
Rain (1080i)
Rain (alternate) (1080i)
Strawberry Fields Forever (1080p)
Within You Without You/Tomorrow Never Knows (1080i)
A Day in the Life (1080p)
Hello, Goodbye (1080i)
Hello, Goodbye (alternate) (1080i)
Hey Bulldog (1080i)
Hey Jude (1080i)
Revolution (1080i)
Get Back (1080i)
Don’t Let Me Down (1080i)
Free as a Bird (1080i)
Real Love (1080i)

For those watching their wallets, this release comes in two other versions:

The Beatles: 1

The Beatles: 1

The Beatles: 1+ Deluxe Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Beatles 1+ Deluxe is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Apple and Capitol Music with AVC encoded transfers in both 1080i and 1080p (see above for a list of the various resolution presentations), and in a variety of aspect ratios, most of which hover around the 1.33:1 size (some are a bit narrower, a few get to wider aspect ratios like 1.66:1). As should probably be expected from a compilation like this one, video quality is quite variable, with some of the broadcast videos having baked in issues like ghosting, tracers and combing artifacts. The more professionally produced items, especially those on 35mm and 16mm, look significantly better, with very good (if perhaps not exceptional) levels of detail, and some great color (especially during the psychedelic Sgt. Pepper era). The 16mm films show requisite (heavy) grain, and the finer grain field of the 35mm elements is also generally organic looking. Whatever restorative efforts which were undertaken have resulted in elements which are largely problem free, at least in terms of damage that can be ameliorated with digital tools.

The Beatles: 1+ Deluxe Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Beatles 1+ Deluxe features LPCM 2.0 and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mixes. According to several sources Giles Martin (son of Beatles producer George) and Sam Okell returned to the original master tapes to produce new mixes for this project, in much the same manner as in the Vegas Cirque du Soleil Love. The changes here may rankle some purists, but when taken on pure fidelity terms, there's very little to complain about here. Some of the actual live performances suffer a bit from clarity issues, but generally speaking, this is a precise sounding release that offers excellent clarity and at times some relatively extreme stereo imaging in the 2.0 versions. The surround iterations are interesting, with an attempt to thrust the listener "inside" the music, though several of the tunes seemed to be awfully "wet" (i.e., lots of reverb) sounding. Due to that fact, some of the surround mixes sound slightly diffused at time, and those wanting a more focused "archival" sound will probably want to opt for the stereo versions.

The Beatles: 1+ Deluxe Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This deluxe edition offers a bonus Blu-ray disc (the so-called "+" disc), as well as the CD release of 1, all housed in a hardcover book that includes a lot of information on each single/video. The on disc supplements are:

1

• Commentaries by Paul:

  Penny Lane

  Hello, Goodbye

  Hey Jude

• Introductions by Ringo:

  Penny Lane (1080i; 2:02)

  Hello, Goodbye (1080i; 1:53)

  Hey Jude (1080i; 1:39)

  Get Back (1080i; 2:43)

+

• Commentary by Paul Strawberry Fields Forever


• Introduction by Ringo Strawberry Fields Forever (1080i; 1:50)

Additionally, both Blu-ray discs offer a Jukebox feature which allows the viewer/listener to add tracks (which can be the same track repeated) into something like a video playlist.

The Beatles: 1+ Deluxe Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It's hard to believe just how thoroughly The Beatles changed—well, just about everything, and all in only eight years (give or take) on the world stage. This fascinating compilation shows the boys growing from eager if inexperienced early "live" television performers, to much more seasoned and experimental "mini movie" makers. Fab Four aficionados will certainly want to add this collection to their collections, even if some may choose to opt for the less spendy versions (linked above), though this Deluxe Edition's second Blu-ray disc actually contains some of the rarer material. Highly recommended.