After six decades since the launch of Beatlemania and the passing of two members, artificial intelligence has enabled the release of the final "new" Beatles single. On Thursday, November 2nd, the widely anticipated "Now and Then" will be released, along with "Love Me Do," the first Beatles song originally released in England in 1962.
"Now and Then" takes its cues from the same home tape that Yoko Ono sent to Paul, George, and Ringo after John Lennon's death, according to Rolling Stone. In the 1990s, the remaining Beatles drew inspiration from unpublished tracks by the Lennon, who died in 1980, to produce hit songs such as "Free As a Bird" and "Real Love." Lennon's materials also notably motivated the making of "Now And Then."
Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison commenced the project. However, issues surrounding its technical elements became a roadblock.
The Beatles, one of the most famous groups in the history of pop music; from left to right, George Harrison (1943 - 2001), Ringo Starr, John Lennon (1940 - 1980), and in front, Paul McCartney, at the EMI studios in Abbey Road, as they prepare for 'Our World', a world-wide live television show broadcasting to 24 countries with a potential audience of 400 million.
Beatlemania Meets AI Magic
With the help of artificial intelligence (AI), filmmaker Peter Jackson and his team successfully overcame these tech challenges. They achieved their success by "separating" John Lennon's original voice from an old piano track from the late 1970s. This breakthrough improved voices, enabling McCartney and Starr to finish the track last year.
Moreover, "Now And Then" contains Harrison's almost 30-year-old guitar recordings, Starr's new drum part, McCartney's bass, piano, and a slide guitar solo in honor of Harrison, who died in 2001. Starr and McCartney provided support vocals as well. Giles Martin, the late George Martin's son and producer of the Beatles, worked with McCartney to provide a gorgeous string arrangement.
They added backup voices from the original "Fab Four" recordings of "Here, There, and Everywhere," "Eleanor Rigby," and "Because" to the song to further enhance "Now And Then."
According to a report from the AP News, Paul McCartney remarked during the announcement of the single's release, "There it was, John's voice, crystal clear. It's quite emotional. And we all play on it, it's a genuine Beatles recording. In 2023 to still be working on Beatles music, and about to release a new song the public haven't heard, I think it's quite an exciting thing."
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Compared to the polished demo-feeling 1990s Anthology hits "Free As a Bird" and "Real Love," "Now and Then" has a deeper emotional impact. These early songs served as footnotes in the Jeff Lynne-produced Anthology documentary, which also included contributions from Paul, George, and Ringo. There was a melancholy nostalgia to the recordings because of John's thin, murky voice.
The "de-mixing" method, which was also used in last year's Revolver box and the "Get Back" project, was used by Peter Jackson's sound crew. Just as Paul and John's lunch chat in "Get Back" was revealed by a microphone hidden in a flowerpot, so too was the isolation of the voice made possible using WingNut Films MAL audio technology, under the direction of Emile de la Rey.
A Touching Tribute and a Vision Realized
According to Olivia Harrison, George Harrison's wife, in the 1990s, technological difficulties prevented the band from releasing a song that lived up to the band's expectations. She believes that Harrison "would have wholeheartedly" joined Paul and Ringo in finishing the last Beatles new song today with the current technological advancements.
A day before the launch of the last new Beatles song, a 12-minute documentary capturing the creation process of "Now and Then" will be made accessible to everyone, as per a report from ABC News.
"Now And Then" will be included in the Beatles collection, which includes extended editions of the Beatles' legendary compilation records "1962-1966" and "1967-1970" that will be available in the latter part of the month.
Over the years, the remaining Beatles have skillfully released new music, such as album remixes including studio outtakes and Peter Jackson's critically acclaimed "Get Back" movie, which is often released around the holidays to appeal to nostalgic fans. "Now And Then" serves as Beatlemania's culmination.
In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Ringo Starr appropriately said, "This is the last track, ever, that you'll get the four Beatles on the track." Ringo, John, Paul, and George."
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