The Beatles’ official YouTube channel has released a 12-minute mini-documentary on a behind-the-scenes look at the band’s latest unreleased song, “Now and Then,” which will be officially released on Thursday (2/11). The material, also published on the Disney+ platform, reveals the process that led to the completion of the song, a journey that goes from a failed attempt in 1995 to recovery in 2022, with the help of modern technologies.
The documentary, titled “Now And Then – The Last Beatles Song”, moves between past and present, showing excerpts from the 1995 recording session, when Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison attempted, unsuccessfully, to work on an old demo one provided by Yoko Ono, where John Lennon performs on the piano. Moving forward to the present, the material features McCartney and Starr recording new bass and drum parts over the past year, as well as an orchestral session held at Capitol Studios overseen by McCartney and co-producer Giles Martin, son of George Martin, producer of the original Beatles recordings.
One of the most impactful moments was the presentation of Peter Jackson’s audio separation technology, developed specifically for the documentary miniseries “The Beatles: Get Back”, which allowed Lennon’s voice to be isolated and cleaned from the original recording made on a cassette at the end of the 70s. McCartney talks about the emotion of finally hearing Lennon’s crystalline voice, describing the moment as “surreal” when he realized Lennon’s almost tangible presence.
It is worth mentioning that the 1995 initiative coincided with the release of the songs “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love” for the “Anthology” projects. McCartney fondly remembers meeting George and Ringo, but also mentions the technical difficulties due to the technological limitations of the time. In 2022, thanks to the technological advances made possible by the director of “The Lord of the Rings”, they finally managed to revive the song, preserving George Harrison’s rhythm guitar from the 1995 session and adding a slide guitar solo as an homage to the song . Beatle died in 2001.
The orchestral session, kept secret even from the musicians involved, added a new dimension to the song, evoking Beatles classics with string arrangements.
The track “Now and Then,” which drops Thursday, will also receive a Peter Jackson-directed video on Friday (3/11).
Source: Terra
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
