The song was classified by one member of the group as “crappy” due to the sound quality. However, technology has now allowed the file to have better quality.
More than 50 years after the separation Beatlesthe band announced the release of their “last song”.
Call of Occasionally (“Now and Then”, in the literal translation), is based on a recording begun in the 1970s by John Lennon and completed last year by Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.
Paul mentioned the song in a recent BBC interview, saying that artificial intelligence technology was used to “capture” Lennon’s voice from an old cassette.
The song should be released late next Thursday morning, November 2nd.
It will also be part of the remastered versions of the albums Red AND Blue of the Beatlesout November 10th.
Originally released in 1973, the career-spanning compilations were featured by the magazine Rolling Stone as “arguably the most influential greatest hits albums in history”.
Equipped with everything, from Love me, do it Until The long and winding roadthe two volumes are essentially divided between the band’s early days (the Red Album) and their more experimental and expansive later period (the Blue Album).
In a press release, the Beatles Survivors said completing the song was a surreal experience.
“There was John’s voice, crystal clear,” Paul said. “It’s very exciting. And we all play it, it’s a real Beatles recording. In 2023, still working on Beatles music and being in the process of releasing new music that the public hasn’t heard yet, I think it’s an exciting thing.”
“It was the closest thing to having him back in the room, so it was very emotional for all of us,” Starr added. “It was like John was there, you know. He’s very emotional.”
“Lousy” recording.
Occasionally it was originally written by John Lennon after the Beatles broke up in 1970, and circulated for years as a “bootleg” song.
An apologetic love song, it is addressed to an old friend (or lover), to whom Lennon declares: “Sometimes I miss you / Sometimes I want you to come back to me.”
After Lennon was shot dead outside his New York apartment building in December 1980, his widow, Yoko Ono, gave the song to Paul.
It was on a cassette called “For Paul”, which also contained the first versions of Free as a bird AND True love – that the Beatles The remaining songs were improved and released as singles in 1995 and 1996, as part of their Anthology project.
The band also tried recording Occasionallybut the idea was soon abandoned, with guitarist George Harrison stating that the quality of Lennon’s recording was “lousy”.
Paul has wanted to complete the song ever since, and advances in audio technology have finally made this possible.
The story began with the release of the documentary Take up again of the Beatles in 2021. Director Peter Jackson and his team developed new software that allowed them to “demix” mono recordings from the 1970s to isolate individual instruments and vocals.
This same technology was used last year to create a new mix for the album Revolvers of the band. Producer Giles Martin told the BBC that the software used elements of artificial intelligence and machine learning to separate overlapping sounds.
“You have to learn what John Lennon’s guitar sounds like, for example, and the more information you can provide, the better it will be,” he said.
This process has now been applied to the original tape. Occasionallyremoving tape hiss and network noise while preserving Lennon’s performance.
Paul and Ringo began completing the song last year, adding new vocals, drums, bass, guitar and piano; as well as electric and acoustic guitar parts recorded by Harrison in 1995, before his death.
Giles Martin, son of the legendary music producer BeatlesGeorge Martin also added backing vocals from the original recordings of Here, There and everywhere, Eleanor Rigby AND Whycreating an extra level of nostalgia.
The launch of Occasionally will be preceded by a documentary about the making of the song, which will premiere next Wednesday (1/11).
Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
