(Molly Bruns, Headline USA) The Beatles will release their final single on Thursday, Nov. 2, a reworking of their 1978 song “Now and Then,” with a little help from artificial-intelligence-based music software, according to MSN.
The song came from a group of unreleased demos written by John Lennon, who was assassinated in 1980, permanently quelling hopes of a live reunion for the Fab Four after their acrimonious breakup.
Two of the tracks were reworked and released to the public in the mid-1990s by the surviving band members—Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison—although Harrison died of cancer in 2001, further limiting the possibility of any additional creative output despite the emergence of new technology.
Although the band was unable to use the “Now and Then” demo during the previous session for their Beatles Anthology reunion because Lennon’s piano didn’t fit with their ensemble arrangement, Harrison did lay down a guitar track for it.
It was Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson who approached McCartney about using emerging audio technology to isolate the vocal track while working on a documentary series about the making of the band’s 1970 album Let It Be and the iconic rooftop concert that would be one of their last.
McCartney went on to use the technology to isolate Lennon’s vocals from that concert in order to perform a virtual duet with his slain creative partner during recent concerts.
#PaulMcCartney performs a #duet of #IveGotAFeeling w/ #JohnLennon using #AI technology from #PeterJackson to isolate the vocals. The #Beatles used the same process to finish their last song, #NowAndThen, started in the 1990s when #GeorgeHarrison was alive.https://t.co/6bF0sOWV0g
— Ben Sellers (@realbensellers) October 27, 2023
The forthcoming single contains Harrison’s previously recorded guitar track alongside, new drums by Starr and bass by McCartney.
Giles Martin, son of longtime Beatles producer George Martin (who died in 2016), assisted with the production of the song, as well.
Backing vocals from other songs such as “Hey, There and Everywhere,” “Eleanor Rigby” and “Because,” are also featured.
“There it was, John’s voice, crystal clear. It’s quite emotional. And we all play on it, it’s a genuine Beatles recording,” said McCartney, announcing the new single. “In 2023 to still be working on Beatles music, and about to release a new song the public haven’t heard, I think it’s quite an exciting thing.”
The day before the release of the song, a 12 minute short film will be released explaining the origins of the idea for the final track and how the song was compiled.
“This is the last track, ever, that you’ll get the four Beatles on the track. John, Paul, George, and Ringo,” Starr said in a recent interview with the Associated Press.
However, the remaining members of the band—McCartney, 81, and Starr, 83—continue to released new projects, including remixes and expanded versions of their old albums, studio outtakes and other nostalgic historical bits for fans.
