Now and Then

Since first hearing about the abandoned 1995 sessions for “Now And Then”, I’d been saying and hoping they’d finish the song as it would be the perfect way to round it all off. I knew there were some rhythm guitar parts recorded by the best Beatle, George Harrison, so, he was already there. I said let McCartney play lead guitar, which he had done multiple times during the Beatles years, and let it all end on a high note.Thankfully, they did just that.I’d known “Now And Then” since it first surfaced in its embryonic demo form in the 1980s. I’d always loved the chord changes and thought it definitely had potential (so many clueless hacks with tin ears thought differently).The song had an extra section which was not used for the final recording. Best thing is, I don’t miss it at all. Not that it was bad. Far from it. It just wasn’t needed.Also, people are still misunderstanding what Peter Jackson did with AI here……No. It’s NOT a fake John Lennon singing, so, please stop spreading that silly misinformation.What PJ did was to cleanly extract Lennon’s voice from the original low-fi, mono, demo recording. His vocal was embedded with the piano and a 60-cycle hum emanating from a television set. Completely different from creating a voice out of thin air. Please try understanding that. Naturally, some adjusting had to be done to JL’s vocal (mostly timing) as demos are usually recorded off the cuff for reference only.Knowing the state of the original shaky demo and then hearing JL’s voice after the extraction, I had chills from head to toe. What an amazing job Peter Jackson performed. Phenomenal.Now for the one complaint…….Aside from the predictably ear-fatiguing brickwalled mastering on CD, my only true gripe for the near perfect song are those horrendously autotuned backing vocals from McCartney and Starr. They stand out like a sore thumb on the choruses and ruin what should be the perfect song. They both sound like a drowning Swamp Thing with a bad cold. How they felt this was ok is unfathomable. Yeah…..I know……..they’re both in their 80s…..bla bla bla. That is zero justification for laziness on their part and they should’ve….and could’ve….put a better effort into those parts. Alas, they took the irritating short cut by using that severely lame crutch-effect. I also think Jeff Lynne would’ve been a better producer than “He’s George Martin’s son, so, he’s got to be good”, Giles Martin. The guy even admits to not being a Beatles scholar. Yeah……great. He’s perfect for the job! 🙄🙄🙄🙄Anyway, the last Beatles song has finally been bestowed upon us and it’s a good one. Of course it is……..it’s from the greatest band of all time, bar none.

The song makes me think of what The Beatles would sound in 2023. At $16.98 for a 7" single, the price could have been a little cheaper.

I got this yesterday. It was sold out across the internet. I found a seller on Amazon and picked it up.I think it’s catchy. I like it. But it’s not 100% Beatles because a human didn’t sing it all the way through.AI is said to have finished Lennon’s voicing. I don’t know where AI is going. But, if it goes the route of the computer, it will be used by somebody for evil. I hope that’s not true, but anything that man invents as progressive, gets used in an aggressive manner.With all that’s happening in the world these days, maybe John Lennon was correct.Listen to “Imagine.” I remember the day he passed, the day George Harrison passed. This band, as basic as it was, set the tone for music for 10-15 years, even longer for some. Others think they were the best. Music is subjective, so they may have been! It’s too bad they couldn’t have stayed together, and all lived a little longer. It would have been something to see Harrison playing guitar on a higher level, and Paul & John singing with today’s technology, with their writing skills. Thank you.

Never expected to have a chance to buy a Beatles single. But with the purchase of a turntable this year, and the surprise release of this last song, the opportunity was there.Pretty expensive, but I'm glad to have it. The song is poignant and catchy, just as you'd expect from John. A wonderful final word from the fabs.

If I could give it 6 stars I would. Love the last Beatles hit, number 1 in England! It is a classic John song and really grows on you the more you hear it ala Imagine.

Has pic sleeve and internal notes.

El paquete del disco llegó abierto, no venía con el nailon protector, por lo que el disco fue violentado. Ademas adentro del sobre le faltaba el encarte y el sobre estaba todo dañado, manoseado y arrugado. La entrega fue muy mala

Great Beatles song, but LP was defective. So many skips that listening to it was annoying. Very dissatisfied receiving a defective product.

El producto llega a buen tiempo y bien protegido; el sonido es muy bueno del disco

Now and then 7" 45rpm celebrates the Beatles debut (Love Me Do) and most recent final (Now and Then) single releases. My copy was black vinyl but also comes in clear and blue for much higher current market prices, as well as a 12" version (other colors too). The record is pressed in Germany by Optimal and was flat & clean in a poly lined paper sleeve. My copy weighed 43g. A cardboard insert with some basic info is included (no booklets). The LP is noted as being a 1/2 speed master by Abbey Road in the dead-wax area. Noteworthy is the original style Parlophone label is used for Love Me Do while the appropriate Apple Records label is on the newly released Now and Then side. The price is probably a bit high, but it does make a nice keepsake or gift for the ardent Beatles fan. Enjoy!

Beschenkter freute sich

Très belle chanson les 4 musiciens sont dessus incroyable. Utiliser l'IA pour nettoyer une voix sans la changer je suis pour... Merci aux Beatles et à Macca !!!

Fare canzoni con l'intelligenza artificiale è pur sempre un rischio, ma questa è veramente una canzone dei Beatles al 100%. Bellissima, peraltro. Bellissima anche l'artwork di Ed Ruscha. Da collezionare.