The Beatles' Historic Farewell "Now And Then" to be Released on November 2

November 2, 2023 is set for the Beatles' "Now And Then" release, a song that could mark the band's final musical contribution. Featuring vocals by John Lennon and contributions from Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, the song is part of a single that also includes "Love Me Do," the band's first-ever single from 1962. Both tracks will be mixed in stereo and Dolby Atmos, and the release will feature original cover art by renowned artist Ed Ruscha.

The song's origins trace back to the late 1970s when John Lennon recorded a demo at his home in New York's Dakota Building. Yoko Ono Lennon gave this demo, along with others, to the remaining Beatles in 1994. While two other songs from this collection, "Free As a Bird" and "Real Love," were released in the 1990s, "Now And Then" remained unfinished due to technological limitations at the time.

Fast-forward to the present, and advancements in audio technology have made it possible to complete the song. Peter Jackson, known for his work on "The Beatles: Get Back" docu-series, used artificial intelligence to separate Lennon's vocals from the piano track. This technology, known as machine audio learning (MAL), was developed by Jackson's production company, WingNut Films. It has previously been used to separate instruments and vocals in a 2022 mix of the Beatles' 1966 album, Revolver.

Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr added new parts to the song in 2022, including a slide guitar solo inspired by George Harrison. The song also features a string arrangement written by Giles Martin, Paul McCartney, and Ben Foster, and was mixed by Spike Stent. McCartney and Starr also provided backup vocals, and the song incorporates additional backing vocals from existing Beatles songs, including "Here, There And Everywhere," "Eleanor Rigby," and "Because."

The emotional impact of the song has been acknowledged by the surviving members and their families. McCartney described the experience of hearing Lennon's voice in the recording as emotionally significant, while Starr stated that the process felt like having Lennon present. Olivia Harrison, George Harrison's widow, expressed that her late husband would have participated in completing the song, given the current technological capabilities.

A 12-minute documentary film titled "Now And Then – The Last Beatles Song," written and directed by Oliver Murray, will premiere on November 1 on The Beatles' YouTube channel. The film will include exclusive footage and commentary from Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, George Harrison, Sean Ono Lennon, and Peter Jackson. Furthermore, the release of "Now And Then" will coincide with expanded editions of The Beatles' 1962-1966 ('The Red Album') and 1967-1970 ('The Blue Album') collections, set to be released on November 10. These collections will feature all songs mixed in stereo and Dolby Atmos and will include new essays written by journalist and author John Harris.

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