A long-shelved track from The Beatles called ‘Now And Then’ will finally be released next week, billed as the “final” song from the group. The track was originally written by John Lennon in the late ’70s, with Yoko Ono then passing along the track to Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr in 1994.
The three band members tinkered with the track and recorded new parts with producer Jeff Lynne. But the band hit a snag: technological limitations forced them to abandon the song because the original vocals and piano from Lennon couldn’t be separated to work alongside the new parts. Twenty-five years later, they found a solution.
The band, now just Ringo and Paul, utilised the same AI-assisted software that director Peter Jackson had deployed on The Beatles: Get Back documentary in 2021, which allowed editors to de-mix the original mono soundtrack of the film. The same technology – known as MAL audio technology – allowed the band to release a new mix of Revolver in 2022.
Armed with the MAL audio tech, Ringo, Paul, and a sound team were able to isolate Lennon’s vocals.
“There it was, John’s voice, crystal clear,” Paul recalled of the moment the team heard it for the first time. “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 an exciting thing.”
“It was the closest we’ll ever come to having him back in the room so it was very emotional for all of us. It was like John was there, you know. It’s far out,” added Ringo.
“It was incredibly touching to hear them working together after all the years that Dad had been gone,” Sean Ono Lennon said. “It’s the last song my dad, Paul, George and Ringo got to make together. It’s like a time capsule and all feels very meant to be.”
‘Now And Then’ will be released on Thursday, 2nd November. A short film chronicling the journey of the song will be released on Wednesday, 1st November.
Further Reading
Paul McCartney Adds Second Sydney Show to 2023 Australian Tour
New Paul McCartney Documentary to Focus on the Ex-Beatle’s 1970s Output
Listen to John Lennon Sing on Early Beatles ‘Yellow Submarine’ Demo
