Countdown to the 'Beatles 1' DVD/CD - What's in store, part 1 of 7

Copyright Apple Corps Ltd.

With the release date of the "Beatles 1" and "1+" DVDs coming next Friday, we thought we'd give you a few advance tastes of what's to come. 

Part 1 - The commentaries: 

In today's opener, we'll mention the commentaries. Each Beatle has done something for four videos. Ringo Starr has filmed introductions for "Penny Lane," "Hello, Goodbye," "Hey Jude" and "Get Back." Paul McCartney has done audio commentaries for "Penny Lane," "Hello, Goodbye," "Hey Jude" and "Strawberry Fields Forever." 

Paul's commentaries are interesting and informative. He is not seen, but his audio is over the video shown on the screen, just like commentaries on feature film DVDs. On "Hey Jude," for example, he talks about how director Michael Lindsay-Hogg set up the video, how the crowd was recruited and how it was shot. He's in a relaxed mood, often joking like he usually does. 

Unlike Paul's commentaries in which you don't see him, Ringo's introductions show him sitting at a monitor watching the videos. On "Penny Lane," both he and Paul recall how the horse Ringo was riding during the shoot was not on his best behavior. 

You can individually select the videos that Ringo and Paul talk from from the main menu. 

If you haven't already, you can order the various configurations for various parts of the world on this page.    

Part 2 will appear Saturday. See you then.