If technology helps history: This is how the last unreleased Beatles song “Now And Then” is reborn – it will be presented to the world on November 2nd – and was created when John Lennon recorded a demo in the late 70s with his voice and stage House, the Dakota Building in New York. Coincidentally, his wife Yoko Ono gifted the recording to Paul, George and Ringo in 1994, along with John’s other demos, Free As A Bird and Real Love, which were released as singles in 1995 and 1996 as part of The Beatles Anthology Project. In the meantime, Paul, George and Ringo have also recorded new parts and completed a first mix of Now And Then with producer Jeff Lynne, which, however, never saw the light of day.
In 2021, the documentary series “The Beatles: Get Back” was released, directed by director Peter Jackson, who used WingNut Films’ MAL audio technology to “unmix” the film’s mono soundtrack, which made it possible to preserve the instruments and to isolate the singing of all the individual voices in the Beatles’ conversations. This milestone has opened the doors to the new 2022 Revolver mix, taken directly from the original 4-track master tapes and now bringing the Now And Then demo back to light.
Peter Jackson and his engineers, led by Emile de la Rey, applied the same technology to John’s original home recording and in 2022 Paul and Ringo began completing the song. In addition to John Lennon’s voice, Now And Then features George’s 1995 recorded electric and acoustic guitar, a new drum part from Ringo, and Paul’s bass, guitar and piano, matching John’s original playing. Paul added a George-inspired slide guitar solo; he and Ringo also contributed backing vocals on the chorus. Paul and Giles also added the finishing touches: backing vocals from the original recordings of Here, There And Everywhere, Eleanor Rigby and Because. The finished track was produced by Paul and Giles and mixed by Spike Stent. “And there it is, John’s voice, clear and distinct. She’s very emotional,” says Paul. “And we all play, it’s an authentic Beatles recording. I think – he adds – it’s an exciting thing to still be working on Beatles music in 2023 and to be about to release a new song that the public hasn’t heard yet.” Ringo notes: “It was the closest thing we had to having him back in the room with us, it was really exciting for everyone. It was like John was there, you know. It’s amazing.” “In 1995, after spending several days in the studio working on the track,” explains Olivia Harrison, “George felt that the technical difficulties with the demo were insurmountable and came to the conclusion “It wasn’t possible to finish the track to a high enough standard.” For Sean Ono Lennon: “It was incredibly touching to hear them work together after all these years since my father’s death. It’s the last song my dad, Paul, George and Ringo were allowed to do together. It’s like a time capsule and it’s like that if everything were so predetermined.
Now And Then will be released on November 2nd. The double A-side of the single connects the last Beatles song with the first: the band’s 1962 British debut single, Love Me Do, completes the circle perfectly. This is followed by reissues of the two compilation albums that have always been considered the definitive introduction to her work since their debut in 1973, the collections 1962-1966 (The Red Album) and 1967-1970 (The Blue Album). .
Available in an expanded version in the 2023 New Releases (beginning November 10), the collections span The Beatles’ entire career with the 75 best tracks, from the first single “Love Me Do” to the latest “Now And Then.” 21 tracks have been added (12 in red and 9 in blue), further highlighting the best of The Beatles’ repertoire. Both collections contain new texts by journalist and author John Harris.
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