"Now & Then" New Beatles Track

[Johnbee]

Hey!  I just checked out the newly released Beatle song "Now and Then" on Spotify.  The story goes that John Lennon recorded it in around 1970 at his piano at home on a cassette recorder.  He had the piano and vocal on the tape but did nothing with it.  Some years back Yoko Ono gave Paul the tape and he, George and Ringo embellished it over the years.  First impression is that it's a great song.  It kind of gives you an idea of how the Beatles would sound today with the current technology. I can't link it here, but check it out on Spotify.

[cuthbert]

Well said, John.

I've been looking forward to hearing it since I first heard about it a few weeks ago. After hearing it, the purity in Lennon's vocal was heartbreakingly nostalgic for me (and I'm sure many others). I'm quite impressed with the AI tools developed by Peter Jackson's team that were used to help make this all possible.

This seems like a good place to add some videos:

The official Beatles video made for the song, directed by Peter Jackson:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Opxhh9Oh3rg


The "making-of" video:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APJAQoSCwuA


The original cassette demo recording made by John Lennon in 1978 (so beautiful in itself, but also a reminder of limitations of the original single-take, live mono recording that was spruced up using AI tools in 2023):


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IZvZx0agrU

[Oldrottenhead]

It gave me goosebumps though our very own henwrench hates it lol he agrees with george Harrison but I have taken him to task on that on Facebook 😂

[Bluesberry]

I think it sounds great......beautiful job...well done and it doesn't sound cheesy at all........I don't care what people say....I personally love it....goosebumps indeed

[DarrenG / The Devil's Toupee]

I heard it on the radio and just bought the single. I think it sounds great, it isn't one of their classics but it has that "Beatles" sound and feel. it grows on you. It's good to have a new Beatles song in 2023.

[Jean Pierre]

I saw the video clip on YT 19 589 175 views in 3 days Incroyable

I like the video, don't you?...and it's practical, you can tune your guitar with the first 5 seconds...the note you hear must be an F because there's a capo on the first fret, check it out!

[bruno]

I like Beato's take on it - its a little strange hearing the Beatles with modern production. How they separated JL vocals is really cool.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PAkVIFUZPQ

Its great to hear as an experiment in technology, but I'm not sure that the song really grabs me very much at all.

B

[Johnbee]

I bought the MP3 today w/"Love Me Do" remix.  I'm falling in love with the new song more every time I hear it.  It will never be a classic but it's such a beautiful song.

  John B

[Jean Pierre]

Thanks Cuthbert for the video links, I really like the explanatory "making of" version which is very interesting.

unfortunately the video of John Lennon alone in front of a small tape recorder doesn't seem to be available anymore for rights reasons.

I found by chance the Score of the song NOW and THEN (a score is a score of all vocal and instrumental parts ... I do not know if I can publish the link on SC?, or send it by personal message if some are interested)

I'm in the process of deciphering the Now and then part to make a cover.
The version of Now and then published on Youtube had more than 19 million views after 3 days, my cover version will certainly not have more than fifty! that's why the Beatles are the Beatles and JP is JP

[Geir]

Its great to hear as an experiment in technology, but I'm not sure that the song really grabs me very much at all.

B

I agree. On the first listen I was really disappointed. After several more it's kinda growing on me, but more as a Lennon solo song. 

It's a nice song, don't get me wrong, but it lacks (in lack of a better word) a "lift". It never seems to take off.

Well maybe it'll grow on me.