Prior to the release of their highly anticipated new single Now And Then later today (Thursday), The Beatles have released a 12-minute film. The film recounts the journey of “Now And Then,” from a rough demo provided by Yoko Ono during the 1995 sessions that resulted in the following year’s “Real Love” and “Free As A Bird” singles. It has now achieved the status of “The Last Beatles song.”
Oliver Murray, who also directed the 2022 film My Life As A Rolling Stone, helmed the short film. It included contributions from Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, George Harrison, Sean Ono Lennon, and film director Peter Jackson.
“Every time I wanted a little bit more of John’s voice, this piano came through and clouded the picture,” McCartney says. We kind of ran out of time and steam at one point, so I guess we decided to go on to something else. Now, After that, he just sat around in a closet.
“And then, in 2001, George passed away, which somewhat drained us. With the technology that Peter Jackson and his team had developed for the Get Back film. It took us nearly 25 years to wait for the ideal time to tackle Now and Then once more.”
Giles Martin used Jackson’s technology to fully remix songs that were originally recorded on four tracks. In the 2022 reissue of Revolver, the drums, bass, and guitar all shared the same track. To enable a new and improved stereo mix of the album, Jackson’s team disassembled Ringo’s kit. They succeeded in separating every instrument.
When it came to Now and Then, McCartney sent Jackson Lennon’s original 1977 recording, from which Jackson was able to get a perfectly clear vocal performance.
John was there, you know? McCartney recalls. It’s a long way off. They could now enhance John’s voice in the mix without enhancing the piano, which had been a persistent issue. We could now combine it and create an official record of it.”
On November 2 at 2 PM GMT / 10 AM EDT / 7 AM PDT, they will release Now And Then. A day later, on November 2, they will release Peter Jackson’s video.
A beautiful new renewal of the Beatles’ classic “Red” and “Blue” compilation albums (also known as 1962–1966 and 1967–1970) will be released before the release of Now And Then. On November 10, both reissues will be available.
You can pre-save “Now And Then” on streaming services. Light blue and clear vinyl 7″ singles, as well as black vinyl 12″, will be available as physical versions. The Beatles’ stores will carry exclusive versions of the song.
