“Now And Then” by The Beatles – Reviews and recommendations

Here’s a sentence I didn’t think I’d get to write: Today The Beatles released a new song. Fuck me on time! “Now and Then” is something as rare as a song from 1977, 1995 and 2023. First it was written and demo-recorded by John Lennon in his apartment in The Dakota, New York, then it was handed to Paul McCartney by his widow Yoko Ono in 1994. The following year, McCartney and guitarist George Harrison went into the studio with plans to add experimental comps to a cracked and almost unusable recording of John Lennon’s voice and piano. The recording was so difficult to work with that “Now and Then”, a heroic effort notwithstanding, was shelved. “BEATLEMANIA”: When The Beatles arrived in the US for their first promo tour in 1964, there was enormous attention from both press and fans. Photo: Geoff Baker / AP First TV appearance in the US on the Ed Sullivan Show. American police (and a man in a suit) do their part to hold back the wild fans during the US tour. You might think this was another concert photo, but this is actually from the Los Angeles airport. Some are crying, others are rejoicing, while she at the very front maybe regrets a little that she showed up? Differences in people! A pipe-smoking man covers the ears of 18,000 screaming fans, well, screaming, at The Beatles concert at the Hollywood Bowl in California in August 1964. Many fans are still active in 2023. These turned out for Ringo Starr’s annual “Peace & Love » celebration on his own birthday in Beverly Hills this summer. In 1995, Paul and George thought it was over for good. No new, final period for The Beatles in sight, then. George Harrison also passed away in 2001. Rescuer Peter Jackson In the work on Peter Jackson’s excellent documentary “Get Back” in 2021, technology had come a long way from 1995. Completely new methods in track and sound restoration were in place, and McCartney saw an opportunity to get “Now and Then” back on its feet. After nine hours of work, McCartney and the production team had their dream come true: John Lennon’s voice was back. Not only was it back, it was crystal clear. In addition, George Harrison had already laid down his fully usable guitar tracks on the attempt from 1995, and Ringo Starr is still a sparkling, and not least lively, drummer. The previously worthless recording was worth its weight in gold for motivation, and here we are in 2023 and can welcome the very last The Beatles song. Far from the glory days The inevitable hype notwithstanding, “Now and Then” is no firework or masterpiece of a song, as The Beatles have produced so many. Here, it feels like most of the appeal lies in the novelty value of a new Beatles song. Well, it is an excellent representation of John Lennon’s very expressive and melancholic relationship to love towards the end of his life, and the melody is unmistakably “Beatlesque”. Nevertheless, I find it too melancholic without the interesting, textual addition that the duo Lennon/McCartney almost always presented the listener (and the reader) with. THE SURVIVING: Ringo Starr in September 2023. An apparently fit and vital 83-year-old who has the peace sign as his signature pose. Paul McCartney on stage during the Glastonbury festival in the summer of 2022, where he rocked with other music legends such as Bruce Springsteen and Dave Grohl. The two surviving Beatles members Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney. The last time the band released new music was in 1996, when George Harrison was still alive. Harrison died in 2001. The arrangement is far from its heyday, and with the exception of the strings, the instrumentation is also rather unremarkable. The reason why “Now and Then” was just a dusty demo tape thus becomes quite clear. Having said that, The Beatles are far too good at making reindeer spiky pieces. The song is surprisingly well produced, considering the circumstances, and Lennon’s iconic vocals are still a world-class communication tool. The harmonies with McCartney evoke tears – but this is also part of the problem with “Now and Then”. Most of the value is not in the music, but in the nostalgia. Yes, it is incredible to hear The Beatles together again, but one could wish for far more artistically. Change log, 2.11.23 at 17:20: Removed the sentence “George Harrison even called the recording ‘fucking rubbish'”. This story is told in the news story about the story behind the song. news reviews Song title: “Now And Then” Genre: Rock Artist: The Beatles Duration: 4:08 Record company: Apple Date: 2 November 2023 Composer/lyricist: Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr



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