YOUR REVIEWS are in for The Beatle’s single Now And Then, the new and final song ever from The Fab Four, which was released yesterday on BBC Radio 2 and YouTube.
The ‘haunting’ new track from the band that split in 1969, fuses together unheard recordings from living members Paul and Ringo, with the crystal clear vocals of John Lennon, against the backdrop of George Harrison’s electric guitar, seemingly from beyond the grave.
These were painstakingly pieced together with the help of AI and cutting edge audio technology pioneered by The Beatles Get Back documentary director, Sir Peter Jackson.
The release of the song was accompanied by a short 12 minute film, narrated by a clearly moved Sir Paul McCartney, who explains how Now and Then finally came together, after sitting on the proverbial shelf for decades.
Watching the film that dropped on YouTube this week, you can hear the emotion in the voice of Sir Paul, as he recounts the bittersweet experience of working again with his beloved ex-bandmates.
This is especially clear in his comments in the film about his old songwriting partner, who he met during his school days. John Lennon, he claims would have been all for finishing his original song. He went on to add that he would have shared his fascination with the new tech innovations that have enabled the project to happen, had he lived.
While the relationship between the two superstars was hugely successful from a musical point of view, on a personal level it was often deeply fraught, especially towards the end of Lennon’s life. Following on from a listen to the new song, a reader in the comments noted how moving it was to hear the two together again on a new track:
‘It sounds like John is addressing Paul in the song. That’s the way I feel it anyway. The vocals are reminiscent of Because. A very emotional listen.’
WATCH THE SHORT FILM ABOUT THE MAKING OF NOW AND THEN
There is no doubt that for firm fans of the fab four, whether they grew up listening or inherited their love of the band from parents and grandparents – the nostalgia effect of this surprise new music from the band, who have had a lasting impact on them has been deeply emotional.
This is made all the more heart-rending because of course, half of the iconic sixties band are no longer with us. While John Lennon was shot and killed outside of his New York apartment building in 1980, George sadly Harrison passed away from lung Cancer back in 2001.
Readers took to the comments section to share this sentiment:
‘This song made me very emotional. As a Beatles fan for many years and having all their records it was a time in my life when I queued outside a record shop to get the next LP, when I belonged to their fan club and their music was so special that it became a major part of my life and that of my friends. I looked back at the group at the beginning, these four cheeky boys from Liverpool with this fantastic sound and the soulful voice of Lennon was at the heart of it. They became world wide known and they changed but this reminded me of those early days and what a great time for music it was.’
Another added: ‘Wow amazing, such a sound from the past even though it’s new, I feel shivery and thrilled at the same time.’
LISTEN TO THE BEATLES NEW SONG
Others wanted to share with the younger generation how significant The Beatles truly were during their heyday. One commenter said:
‘The enormity of what changed back then is lost now, they not only changed music but also culture and attitudes. British pop took over the world, America was a follower not the leader for decades after, generations came together and enjoyed together. Gave so many others an outlet for their talents in music, fashion and art, truly excited the nation and beyond.’
Another described The Beatles as ‘the best and will always be the best.’
As for the song itself – while many reacted positively, like super fan Liam Gallagher, whose son Lennon is named after the late singer, who described it as ‘biblical,’ not all of our Mail Community were quite as complimentary and awestruck as the ex-Oasis front man.
The most common words used by the Mail community to deliver their verdict on the song included ‘overrated,’ ‘morose’ and ‘boring.’ Others went on to compare them to todays stars:
‘Sorry but the Beatles sound so outdated compared to today’s stars Stormzy, Dave and Dua Lipa.’
Lots of Mail commenters accepted that The Beatles were a great band, yet still felt that ‘this doesn’t do them justice and sentimentality won’t make it anything special.’
Some readers expressed their disappointment to what they saw as a mostly negative reaction to the song, saying: ‘so many negative comments. Better than 99 percent of things released this year.’
Demo: The band are releasing the track, Now And Then, which late singer John began recording in the late 1970s before it was unearthed by his wife in the Nineties (pictured) and handed to Paul on a tape marked ‘For Paul’
The technology element and skill of the engineers involved impressed many of you – reflected in this comment:
‘To make a scratchy cassette recording from 1978 into something listenable is fairly remarkable.’
In one prominent remark, a Beatles fan expressed his relief that the new song has not tarnished the legacy of the Fab Four in anyway, saying:
‘I was dreading this as a Beatles fan, but credit where it’s due. Paul and Ringo clearly saw something in this, and I’m glad to world got to hear it too. An awesome little treat!’
Others reignited the decade old alleged feud between The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, who have also released new music recently:
‘I prefer The Rolling Stones new album to be honest…’
Some just fundamentally disagreed that they were the best band of their time:
‘There are so many other much better bands of the era! They are boring and mediocre.’
However, the overarching sentiment that, even if this won’t go down in history as the greatest Beatles song of all time was summarised in, the following comment, which was voted most popular comment with readers:
‘Boring? Can people not just be positive and think what the Beatles done for British music??? I’m delighted that the Beatles have released a song during my kids lifetime. The Beatles and the rolling stones releasing music in 2023 incredible!’
Which side of the debate do YOU sit on? Listen to the song below and have your say in the comments.
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