Image: Apple/Capitol
After yesterday’s tease with the animated image of a cassette tape, and projected images of it on buildings around Liverpool, The Beatles have finally spilled the tea on their “final song”, which will drop a week from today.
Now And Then was assembled by Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr; it’s the last ever Fab Four track to feature all four members, and that trick was pulled off with the assistance of artificial intelligence. John Lennon wrote and recorded a demo of Now And Then, containing just piano and vocals, in the late 70s. After his death, Yoko Ono passed the tape to the other three lads in 1994, along with demos for Free As A Bird and Real Love – both of which were subsequently finished and included in the Anthology collection.
The surviving Beatles worked with producer Jeff Lynne on some new elements for Now And Then, and did a rough mix, but ran into technological roadblocks trying to isolate Lennon’s piano and voice enough to get an acceptable mix – and so the tune was put on the back burner, which was not even lit. Enter Get Back docuseries director Peter Jackson, who had used WingNut Films‘ MAL technology to perform un-mixing magic on mono soundtracks. The band used that on the 2022 remix of the Revolver album, and then someone had the bright idea to try it on Now And Then – and it worked a treat.
Says McCartney: “There it was, John’s voice, crystal clear. It’s quite emotional. And we all play on it, it’s a genuine Beatles recording. 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 an exciting thing.”
Ringo: “It was the closest we’ll ever come to having him back in the room so it was very emotional for all of us. It was like John was there, you know. It’s far out.”
Now And Then will drop worldwide at 7am our time Thursday November 02, as a double A side with the flipperoo being Love Me Do. In other words, the Beatles’ very first single together with their very last. A music video will drop the following day – and ahead of all that, Oliver Murray‘s twelve minute documentary Now And Then – The Last Beatles Song will debut Wednesday November 01 at 12:30pm our time.
After the smoke clears from the new/final release, Friday November 10, we’ll get expanded editions of 1962-1966 and 1967-1970 – The Red Abum and The Blue Album, respectively. The new versions will include 75 tracks, all the way from Love Me Do to Now And Then, and 21 added tunes culled from Dolby and stereo mixes of reissued albums along with new mixes from Giles Martin and Sam Okell at Abbey Road Studios. The latter were also created with the help of the aforementioned WingNut Films AI. Or sorcery, if you like.
Red Album and Blue Album Tracklists
1962-1966 (2023 Edition)
(2CD: stereo / Download + streaming: stereo & Dolby Atmos)
* = newly added track
CD1
1: ‘Love Me Do’ (2023 Mix)
2: ‘Please Please Me’ (2023 Mix)
3: ‘I Saw Her Standing There’ (2023 Mix) *
4: ‘Twist And Shout’ (2023 Mix) *
5: ‘From Me To You’ (2023 Mix)
6: ‘She Loves You’ (2023 Mix)
7: ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’ (2023 Mix)
8: ‘This Boy’ (2023 Mix) *
9: ‘All My Loving’ (2023 Mix)
10: ‘Roll Over Beethoven’ (2023 Mix) *
11: ‘You Really Got A Hold On Me’ (2023 Mix) *
12: ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ (2023 Mix)
13: ‘You Can’t Do That’ (2023 Mix) *
14: ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ (2023 Mix)
15: ‘And I Love Her’ (2023 Mix)
16: ‘Eight Days A Week’ (2023 Mix)
17: ‘I Feel Fine’ (2023 Mix)
18: ‘Ticket To Ride’ (2023 Mix)
19: ‘Yesterday’ (2023 Mix)
CD2
1: ‘Help!’ (2023 Mix)
2: ‘You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away’ (2023 Mix)
3: ‘We Can Work It Out’ (2023 Mix)
4: ‘Day Tripper’ (2023 Mix)
5: ‘Drive My Car’ (2023 Mix)
6 ‘Norwegian Wood’ (This Bird Has Flown) (2023 Mix)
7: ‘Nowhere Man’ (2023 Mix)
8: ‘Michelle’ (2023 Mix)
9: ‘In My Life’ (2023 Mix)
10: ‘If I Needed Someone’ (2023 Mix) *
11: ‘Girl’ (2023 Mix)
12: ‘Paperback Writer’ (2022 Mix)
13: ‘Eleanor Rigby’ (2022 Mix)
14: ‘Yellow Submarine’ (2022 Mix)
15: ‘Taxman’ (2022 Mix) *
16: ‘Got To Get You Into My Life’ (2022 Mix) *
17: ‘I’m Only Sleeping’ (2022 Mix) *
18: ‘Here, There And Everywhere’ (2022 Mix) *
19: ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’ (2022 Mix) *
1967-1970 (2023 Edition)
(2CD: stereo / Download + Streaming: stereo & Dolby Atmos)
* = newly added track
CD1
1: ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ (2015 Stereo Mix / 2023 Dolby Atmos Mix)
2: ‘Penny Lane’ (2017 Mix)
3: ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ (2017 Mix)
4: ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’ (2017 Mix)
5: ‘Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds’ (2017 Mix)
6: ‘Within You Without You’ (2017 Mix) *
7: ‘A Day In The Life’ (2017 Mix)
8: ‘All You Need Is Love’ (2015 Stereo Mix / 2023 Dolby Atmos Mix)
9: ‘I Am The Walrus’ (2023 Mix)
10: ‘Hello, Goodbye’ (2015 Stereo Mix / 2023 Dolby Atmos Mix)
11: ‘The Fool On The Hill’ (2023 Mix)
12: ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ (2023 Mix)
13: ‘Lady Madonna’ (2015 Stereo Mix / 2023 Dolby Atmos Mix)
14: ‘Hey Jude’ (2015 Stereo Mix / 2023 Dolby Atmos Mix)
15: ‘Revolution’ (2023 Mix)
CD2
1: ‘Back In The U.S.S.R.’ (2018 Mix)
2: ‘Dear Prudence’ (2018 Mix) *
3: ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’ (2018 Mix)
4: ‘Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da’ (2018 Mix)
5: ‘Glass Onion’ (2018 Mix) *
6: ‘Blackbird’ (2018 Mix) *
7: ‘Hey Bulldog’ (2023 Mix) *
8: ‘Get Back’ (2015 Stereo Mix / 2023 Dolby Atmos Mix)
9: ‘Don’t Let Me Down’ (2021 Mix)
10: ‘The Ballad Of John And Yoko’ (2015 Stereo Mix / 2023 Dolby Atmos Mix)
11: ‘Old Brown Shoe’ (2023 Mix)
12: ‘Here Comes The Sun’ (2019 Mix)
13: ‘Come Together’ (2019 Mix)
14: ‘Something’ (2019 Mix)
15: ‘Octopus’s Garden’ (2019 Mix)
16: ‘Oh! Darling’ (2019 Mix) *
17: ‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’ (2019 Mix) *
18: ‘Let It Be’ (2021 Mix)
19: ‘Across The Universe’ (2021 Mix)
20: ‘I Me Mine’ (2021 Mix) *
21: ‘The Long And Winding Road’ (2021 Mix)
22: ‘Now And Then’ *
1962-1966 & 1967-1970 (2023 Editions) 4CD SLIPCASED SET
(‘Red’: CDs 1 & 2 / ‘Blue’: CDs 3 & 4)
(stereo / all 75 tracks as listed above)
1962-1966 + 1967-1970 (2023 EDITIONS) 6LP VINYL SLIPCASED SET
(1962-1966: LPs 1-3 / 1967-1970: LPs 4-6)
(stereo / 1962-1966 3LP Vinyl & 1967-1970 3LP Vinyl = same track sequencing for each as listed below)
LP1 (‘Red’)
Side A:
1: ‘Love Me Do’ (2023 Mix)
2: ‘Please Please Me’ (2023 Mix)
3: ‘From Me To You’ (2023 Mix)
4: ‘She Loves You’ (2023 Mix)
5: ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’ (2023 Mix)
6: ‘All My Loving’ (2023 Mix)
7: ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ (2023 Mix)
Side B:
1: ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ (2023 Mix)
2: ‘And I Love Her’ (2023 Mix)
3: ‘Eight Days A Week’ (2023 Mix)
4: ‘I Feel Fine’ (2023 Mix)
5: ‘Ticket To Ride’ (2023 Mix)
6: ‘Yesterday’ (2023 Mix)
LP2 (‘Red’)
Side A:
1: ‘Help!’ (2023 Mix)
2: ‘You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away’ (2023 Mix)
3: ‘We Can Work It Out’ (2023 Mix)
4: ‘Day Tripper’ (2023 Mix)
5: ‘Drive My Car’ (2023 Mix)
6: ‘Norwegian Wood’ (This Bird Has Flown) (2023 Mix)
Side B:
1: ‘Nowhere Man’ (2023 Mix)
2: ‘Michelle’ (2023 Mix)
3: ‘In My Life’ (2023 Mix)
4: ‘Girl’ (2023 Mix)
5: ‘Paperback Writer’ (2022 Mix)
6: ‘Eleanor Rigby’ (2022 Mix)
7: ‘Yellow Submarine’ (2022 Mix)
LP3 (Bonus ‘Red’ LP)
Side A:
1: ‘I Saw Her Standing There’ (2023 Mix)
2: ‘Twist And Shout’ (2023 Mix)
3: ‘This Boy’ (2023 Mix)
4: ‘Roll Over Beethoven’ (2023 Mix)
5: ‘You Really Got A Hold On Me’ (2023 Mix)
6: ‘You Can’t Do That’ (2023 Mix)
Side B:
1: ‘If I Needed Someone’ (2023 Mix)
2: ‘Got To Get You Into My Life’ (2022 Mix)
3: ‘I’m Only Sleeping’ (2022 Mix)
4: ‘Taxman’ (2022 Mix)
5: ‘Here, There And Everywhere’ (2022 Mix)
6: ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’ (2022 Mix)
LP4 (‘Blue’)
Side A:
1: ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ (2015 mix)
2: ‘Penny Lane’ (2017 mix)
3: ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ (2017 Mix)
4: ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’ (2017 Mix)
5: ‘Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds’ (2017 Mix)
6: ‘A Day In The Life’ (2017 Mix)
7: ‘All You Need Is Love’ (2015 Mix)
Side B:
1: ‘I Am The Walrus’ (2023 Mix)
2: ‘Hello, Goodbye’ (2015 Mix)
3: ‘The Fool On The Hill’ (2023 Mix)
4: ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ (2023 Mix)
5: ‘Lady Madonna’ (2015 Mix)
6: ‘Hey Jude’ (2015 Mix)
7: ‘Revolution’ (2023 Mix)
LP5 (‘Blue’)
Side A:
1: ‘Back In The U.S.S.R.’ (2018 Mix)
2: ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’ (2018 Mix)
3: ‘Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da’ (2018 Mix)
4: ‘Get Back’ (2015 Mix)
5: ‘Don’t Let Me Down’ (2021 Mix)
6: ‘The Ballad Of John And Yoko’ (2015 Mix)
7: ‘Old Brown Shoe’ (2023 Mix)
Side B:
1: ‘Here Comes The Sun’ (2019 Mix)
2: ‘Come Together’ (2019 Mix)
3: ‘Something’ (2019 Mix)
4: ‘Octopus’s Garden’ (2019 Mix)
5: ‘Let It Be’ (2021 Mix)
6: ‘Across The Universe’ (2021 Mix)
7: ‘The Long And Winding Road’ (2021 Mix)
LP6 (Bonus ‘Blue’ LP)
Side A:
1: ‘Now And Then’
2: ‘Blackbird’ (2018 Mix)
3: ‘Dear Prudence’ (2018 Mix)
4: ‘Glass Onion’ (2018 Mix)
5: ‘Within You Without You’ (2017 Mix)
Side B:
1: ‘Hey Bulldog’ (2023 Mix)
2: ‘Oh! Darling’ (2019 Mix)
3: ‘I Me Mine’ (2021 Mix)
4: ‘I Want You’ (She’s So Heavy) (2019 Mix)
Love, Dr. Scott James
