FEATURE:
Beatles for Sale
IN THIS PHOTO: The Beatles in 1963/PHOTO CREDIT: Daily Herald Archive
New Possibilities Regarding the Fab Four’s Work
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I do like to do…
IN THIS PHOTO: Paul McCartney, John Lennon and Ringo Starr mobbed by press in Central Park NYC in 1964/PHOTO CREDIT: Paul McCartney (from his book, Eye of the Storm)
a bit of Beatles roundup now and then. When it comes to the band, there is always stuff going on! I do like the fact that we are still getting ‘new’ Beatles material after all of these years. A story I am sure you have all heard regards the final Beatles song we will hear fresh, Now and Then. This is something that was suggested a little while ago. Ringo Starr has confirmed he and Paul McCartney have added their parts to the John Lennon song – one that takes Lennon’s voice from a demo that he recorded. NME give us the developments about a track that has divided the Beatles fan community:
“Ringo Starr has shared his thoughts on the upcoming “Last” Beatles song, which has been created by Paul McCartney using help from artificial intelligence.
The track was first teased by McCartney last month during an interview with Radio 4’s Today Programme when he revealed that he’d used AI to help him finish a “final” Beatles song.
According to the legendary songwriter and bassist, the new technology allowed him to “extricate” John Lennon’s vocals from an old demo track, and complete the song over four decades since the Beatles musician’s death.
Now, following a mixed reaction from fans at the idea of the song, which is suspected to be the unreleased 1978 track ‘Now And Then’, the band’s former drummer Starr has shared his thoughts on the project, saying that the final result sounds “beautiful”.
Speaking in an interview with Variety, the musician clarified that the song is made using authentic recordings from the time and that fans needn’t worry about the whole thing being reliant on artificial intelligence.
PHOTO CREDIT: Apple Corps Ltd
“It’s not down to AI,” he said. “It’s not like we’re pretending anything. That is actually John’s voice, Paul’s voice and bass playing, George [Harrison] on rhythm guitar and me on drums.
“The two things that are new are Paul’s bass and me on drums… I really worked at it just months ago here. And it works,” he added. “It’s a beautiful song. You know, for all the madness going on around it, it’s still a beautiful track. And our last track.”
According to the interview, the “new” song is one that McCartney, Starr and Harrison first attempted to make in the ’90s using scraps of songs that they found written by Lennon.
As for why they chose to revisit the project in 2023, Starr joked: “I don’t know. Paul must’ve had a slow day.”
“He says, ‘You know that track we did? Do you want to work on that?’” he added, saying how he went to re-record the drums and backing vocals for the song. “It is moving, because the four of us are there, and there won’t be ever again.”
Shortly after announcing the song during his Radio 4 appearance, McCartney also went on to reassure fans that the project isn’t made entirely using AI. “Been great to see such an exciting response to our forthcoming Beatles project. No one is more excited than us to be sharing something with you later in the year,” he wrote”.
Even though there have been some saying how this new song is going to be unnatural and might detract from what it could have been, we are lucky to have any ‘new’ Beatles material – and this comes over fifty years since they split up! Producer Giles Martin will help bring this track to life. He is the man in charge of remastering and remixing The Beatles’ work. Bringing us these reissues and expanded editions. He has worked with A.I. before - and it is someone that is introducing The Beatles’ music to new listeners. If the old guard are a little wary about too much messing around with the old and loved stuff, it does not take away what is originally there. This new Beatles song we are going to get is a gift to fans that is not going to lead to a slew of older songs or demos coming to light where Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney add new parts. They have said this is the final Beatles song. Going forward, I do wonder what else we might get. A new podcast, McCartney: A Life in Lyrics, sees Macca team up with poet Paul Muldoon and revisits the people, experiences, and art that inspired his songwriting. Each episode focuses on one song, spanning early The Beatles tracks through to his diverse solo work. The series starts on 20th September, though you can hear the prologue episode here. With McCartney’s photo exhibition running at the National Portrait Gallery until 1st October, there is all this Fab Four activity going on!
You always kind of wonder what more can come. Those projects and possibilities as yet unexplored. I know we have had a fiftieth anniversary release of The Beatles (a.k.a. The White Album). As that album is fifty-five in November, I wonder whether there will be new lyrics videos, a book written about it, or any sort of celebration. It is such a fascinating and crucial time during the band’s career. One where their relationships were changing. The dynamic was certainly shifting. Out of the sprawling album came some of their best and most unusual material. I would like to see or hear more written and said about The Beatles. On 23rd August 1963, The Beatles released She Loves You. The song that, according to many, is one of the most important Pop songs ever written, it is an explosion and revolution. We know a lot about the track, but a documentary or podcast around the song and its impact would be great. Paul McCartney himself must have fond and vivid memories writing the track with John Lennon sixty years ago.
Apart from that, a cinematic event would be interesting. When The Beatles: Get Back came out, it did hit cinemas. Whether it is a remastered gig that could come to the big screen and bring fans together, or there is a new documentary waiting, I feel one of the greatest things would be something Beatles-related coming to the cinema. I wonder whether, apart from the Peter Jackson documentary-film, there has been a recent documentary or film about The Beatles. New interviews with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. Concert footage and stuff people might not have seen. Something a bit similar to the David Bowie film, Moonage Daydream, where it is quite stylised and cosmic. As news of a final and new Beatles track has come about, it gets one dreaming about what else could come and where the band’s next project comes from. The Beatles are always going to be explored. So long as the barrel is not scraped and there is not overkill, a steady stream of interesting stuff definitely is welcomed by the fans! We will hear Now and Then. The question after that is…
WHAT comes next?