"This was a slightly different version of events to the one given by McCartney a decade ago. Then, he claimed the late George Harrison – always the most unbiddable ex-Beatle – had singlehandedly drawn the sessions to a close by describing Now and Then as "f*cking rubbish". ("But it's John!" McCartney had apparently protested, to no avail: "This is f*cking rubbish," Harrison countered.) Indeed, Harrison seemed unsure about the whole idea of reworking Lennon's material. "I hope someone does this to all my crap demos after I'm dead – turn them into hit songs," he subsequently remarked, which perhaps wasn't the promotional boost for the new songs Apple was after."
tinyurl.com/2ffasart
George was right.
David Bower
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This piece really struck a chord with me. I was a roadie in the mid 60s and went to work at Columbia as an engineer in 1971 so I've got a few albums under my belt. There's a reason they're outtakes. They weren't good enough to make the cut and no amount of lipstick will make it so. I don't remember a time when it wasn't clear what to leave off if you had to. I mean, every one would look at each other and say, Nope.
And the remixing thing makes my skin crawl. I do not understand how the work of the artist and producer can be so thoroughly disrespected.
Phil Brown
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Thank you for putting into words what many of us who lived through The Beatles' era in real time, feel about "Now and Then." This "new" song, along with "Free as a Bird" and "Real Love," were not good enough for John to even consider recording for his own albums and now they are official "Beatles" songs? Seriously? I would have had a passing interest in hearing the original demos once, maybe twice but all three should just be credited as John Lennon demos..nothing more, nothing less. I don't care who played on them. Releasing them as Beatles songs was just a bad idea. Period.
The only song that even comes close to being worthy of being considered a "Beatles song" after they broke up, was "I'm The Greatest," which was written by a Beatle and featured John, George, Ringo, Billy Preston and Klaus Voormann as the band. That was special…unlike the three demos that Yoko gave to Paul.
I also strongly agree with you about the recent stereo remixes. I tried listening to The White Album and Sgt. Pepper and could not get past three songs. The Beatles and George Martin made creative decisions on the spot based strictly on the limitations of the technology available to them at the time. Remixing those recordings just because you have new technology, is desecrating historic art and I hope that in time, will be proven to be a huge misstep.
I am a life long Beatles fanatic and historian so I was quite pleased to read your comments.
Rich Ulloa
Yesterday & Today Records / Y&T Music
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Bravo!!! Thanks for saying what everyone should be saying! This is an abomination and with the "dramatic" build up...even moreso...
Also thanks for the comment on the heinous Taylor Swift re-recordings...what a pile of revenge based garbage that no one needed but her legions of brain dead followers just continue to eat up whatever she vomits out like baby birds being fed by their mama in the nest...You signed a contract...honor that contract and if you're so great and talented...move on and give your oppressors the big FU by beating your own past output with classic new material. I can't believe this is what music/the music industry has come to.
Leigh Lust
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Like any gift… Unwrap it, be grateful and say thank you…
dave traina
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Can't disagree w most of what you said, but kind of liked it with the creepy but effective Peter Jackson music video that came out this am:
Keith Shapiro
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Totally agree.
John Parikhal
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Wow. Why you spent your energy vilifying Now & Then is beyond comprehension. Hate serves no one.
Sean McGowan
Portland OR
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Did we hear the same song? Watch the same video?
With all due respect, we can't say what John would have thought of this record at the age of 83 because we will never know how he would have grown/changed over the last four decades. Hell, we might have seen all four of them together again. We'll never know.
I've listened to this song all day. It's IS the Beatles. I adore Jeff Lynne, but I don't think of him when I hear this song. The video is a masterpiece of, well, now and then.
If you aren't reaching for a Kleenex, you're missing the point. I'm only a few years younger than you are. Soon we won't have Ringo or Paul. I will take "Now and Then" as the gift that it is.
Best,
Kim McAllister
P.S. Paul is amazing for 82 and as for not aging - where is Ringo keeping his Dorian Gray portrait?
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Welp, there's the stretched Am9 move at the end of the verse. Instead of landing on the tonic, John lifts the melody to B, the 9 of the chord. If you're someone who responds to a harmonic twist -and- have a sense of context for what was in vogue when he was playing with this, it's gorgeous, simple, in character and a pure hook.
Listened to it twice and had the song stuck in my head all day.
Chris Desmond
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You know I love you, but maybe lighten up a little?
I just happened to be in front of the Amsterdam Hilton yesterday when I heard it for the first time and definitely got a little misty. The somber opening verses were enough…
Of course, it's not A Day in the Life, but nice nonetheless to hear the final offering from the most culturally impactful band of all time.
Out of respect for all that was, and all the work that went into this single - maybe just say thank you. It's just too easy to throw shade in these weird times.
They've given us too much to bash them for trying to hoist the flag one last time.
Shane Alexander
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I respectfully disagree. Yes, the mix could be lightened up, but the song itself is perfect for this time. It is the coda for an era, and our lifetimes. It's like a Chopin funeral piece. We were lucky to live through the 60s & 70s. It's all sh*t now, and this song is the perfect expression of/for the here and now. It couldn't have been more timely. It carves the end in cold stone.
Kieron McKindle
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Wow. What the f*ck do you know about what John would have thought? He clearly loved beautifully produced music throughout his solo career, from Mind Games to Watching The Wheels.
Errant piano? It's re-recorded by Paul you moron.
You think this is about "selling something?" What the hell do the Beatles have to sell?
Oh, and now you're a record producer? "The strings "distract not add."
I loved this song. Brought me to tears in the car on the 101. And have loved the Beatles since I bought "I Feel Fine" when I was 7.
Paul and Ringo just gave a beautiful gift to all Beatles fans.
Thank you gents. Label it fab.
John Watkin
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I agree with you on this one. Macca's revisionist history is just out of control and tarnishing the legacy of the group at this point. There is no way John Lennon would have let this come out. It's obvious he was working on the melody and the words would come later. He never would let lyrics this banal be the finished song. McCartney on the other hand, well banal lyrics are his thing. Listening to him speak in this video he sounds like has had a stroke. Has he? Does not sound well to me. Anyways, I wish John and George were here to stop him from doing and saying the things he does. And ''now there's all this…."
JC
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It's funny, I don't want to, but I totally agree with you.
John-Angus MacDonald
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I'm inclined to agree on the egotist aspect regarding this project--it's McCartney getting what he wanted, like he always seems to--and I'm even willing to agree that this hodgepodge is a Frankensteinian monster that John probably would not have enjoyed. Nevertheless, I found myself enjoying the track as a coda.
You mention Plastic Ono, which I find to be Lennon's best songwriting through his career; however, unlike you, I read at least the Lennon-penned lyrics as featuring a similar cry to the heart; they have a wistful tone to the entirety of it lacking in "Free as a Bird" and barely there in "Real Love" (the latter of which is the superior of the Anthology tracks). I imagine you would prefer the demo tape, which is featured in the first half of the linked video. Take a listen and maybe you'll find the same nostalgia and reverence I do. I ended up preferring it to the recent redux and I think if you like Plastic Ono, listening to it will make you understand why McCartney became so hung-up on the track.
PS--I think you underestimate the appeal of the Jeff Lynne sound. George Harrison didn't have him produce Cloud Nine for nothing; he fit their sound, although I admit to finding him a little more string-happy than George Martin, and I do think there's a similarity to the sound only he could provide.
Best,
Kevin Brennan
some dumb Millennial who's listened to the dumb track too many times in 24 hours.
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I appreciate where you are coming from. I don't like what Paul, Gilles and Ringo did with this snippet of a Lennon song. It is pretty average, when, of course, the Beatles were anything but average. But Beatle fans are obsessive beyond the pale and I think the decision was made to release it for them Yes, it is a money grab. Yes, it's subpar. But these Beatle fans would want to at least see what it was. Anybody expecting 'Now and Then' to be great would be sadly mistaken. Hell, I never even liked Real Love much.
But we've gotten to the point in music where it is similar to Egyptologists digging out scrolls. Everything about Beatles is even bigger than them. And I can't blame them.
My Regards.
D. Bodnar
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Couldn't disagree more. Firstly, the Anthology collections were great and full of rarities and alternate takes that were fantastic. Second, "Free As A Bird" and "Real Love" were beautifully done and both very poignant songs. You speak with such disregard that it's hard to imagine you're even much of a fan.
Jonathan Espeche
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Not as bad as you make it out to be, Bob. But Ringo never used a wood block or rim shot in place of a snare. The strings and guitar were restrained enough.
My biggest complaint is the artificial sheen the covers the whole song.
Cheers, Thomas Queinn
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I am certainly not the first to wonder and ask, but I have to: why did Yoko okay this?!?...or is it a 'democracy rules' arrangement in the modern-day Apple organization?!?
Doug Collette
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Hi Bob…yet this version by an artist I do not know makes me feel great about the song.
timmysean.bandcamp.com/album/now-and-then-beatles-cover
Rich Pagano
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Bob, this ain't perfect, but it's TEN THOUSAND TIMES BETTER than what you so perfectly put down in your essay!! :)
"The Beatles - Now And Then (Cover) - Played Like The Early Beatles": tinyurl.com/yzk86add
Arlen Schumer
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Ok fine, Bob, be that way.
Ultimately the song is a fascinating cultural artifact - a record with two dead guys (one barely on it) and the two surviving Beatles. It's NOT a Beatles song - but it's an emotional and moving curio, and repeated listens yield a lot of pleasure and fascinating thoughts about the band, the four men, and their relationships.
Not everything is a cynical money grab.
I'm glad they did it - completed the troika - the assignment when Yoko handed off the tapes all those years ago.
No one really thinks these three belong with the other, 'real' Beatle songs.
Nick Davis
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You would think that, seeing the wrath that Paul felt when Phil Spector overproduced Let It Be (compare, for example, The Long and Winding Road on Abbey Road with that same song de-Spectored on Let It Be….Naked) that he'd be more sensitive to taking something simple and overembellishing it. But that's exactly what he and Ringo and Giles Martin have done here, they've taken something simple and perhaps even beautiful at its core, and Spectorized it. The vocals that are being touted as being clear are still buried in the mix, as are the added guitar solos.
The great lesson of outtakes collections is that, in general, the artists knew quality when they heard it and issued what they felt was the best take. With the exception of Springsteen's Tracks and the Tom Petty box, most outtake collections are good for maybe a listen, and then put onto the shelf.
The real revelation here is the flip side of Love Me Do, which has astounding clarity and excellent instrument separation. I'm not a purist, I want to hear the music in the best form possibility with existing technologies. Love Me Do does that, making me wait for the demixed Red and Blue albums.
Paul Kaytes
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Bob the first thing you don't get is this is a love song. Lennon feeling unprotected was reaching out to Yoko. "And if I make it through it's all because of you" Oh, now and then I want you to be there for me". Maybe it hit me more deeply because I have had cancer for 6 years
John Emms
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Just out of interest…. Isn't it ironic that their Biggest tune on Spotify is 'Here Comes The Sun'…. George would have a rye smile ….
Stephen Budd
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Thank you.
"Talk about losing the plot... Didn't anybody involved blow the whistle, say this was a bad idea? That there was no reason to tarnish the image of the band that got it right from beginning to end?"
Yes, George Harrison did. He refused to work on it. Said it was "f*cking rubbish". But George is dead and apparently his vote doesn't count anymore. So much for Beatle democracy. Bah. Humbug. A pox on it.
Adam Blake
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Why is the cover art so bland and unimaginative?
Pierre Lamoureux
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Somebody got up on the wrong side of the bed today. I know the world is f*cked but lighten up.
John Milo
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I think you are too fast to critically represent John Lennon's opinion. Considering he was murdered almost 45 years ago, I think he would be f*cking blown away re: the surrealism of this time and place. The dancing Magical Mystery Tour and Sergeant Pepper bodies floating in and out of the video, seeing his friends thirty and forty years older, and the digital technology behind separating his voice from piano and his old bandmates overdubbing to a rinky dink cassette. Even Gilles arranging the orchestra might have been fascinating to an 83 yr old Dr. Winston O'Boogie, (though his father's talent is not something genetically transferable, imho). Anyway, it is no threat to their legacy and I probably will relisten more than t I currently do with Revolution #9.
bob wiseman
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Re "And then the strings come in":
That's when I went out. Perfectly awful
George Middendorf
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Mr. Happy strikes again.
Billy Chapin
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Bob, thanks for telling it like it is! The thing that bugs me about this travesty is the sound of John's vocal, it doesn't sound like him! It sounds like a sh*tty impersonator! Steve Guttenberg
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jesus christ bob
it's a mediocre song but so what? it's the beatles… and the video is cool
and once again they have the high hand over the stones and the hackneyed hackney diamonds
and dylan? he's still on the road headin' for another joint… tangled up in blue
if i told you in 1973 that these guys would still be "making music" 50 years later you would never have believed it
the world is f*cked up enough
why not enjoy this?
lit523
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Heard now and then for the first time this evening on Little stevens UG.
My go to station. So, SVZ was DJ-ing and by way of introduction, described it in his words as the Beatles latest, not necessarily the last single. Fair enough and,, whatever.
What struck me is not so much whether I liked it or not -that's irrelevant
The fact is it's not a Beatles song, it's a John Lennon song with his fellow musicians from the Beatles contributing to it. It just doesn't sound like a Beatles song in anyway shape or form. It very much sounds like (and you nailed it ) a Jeff Lynne song trying to sound like a Beatles song..
Just one (former) Liverpool lads opinion.
Andrew Parr, London, Ontario Canada
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How fortunate and blessed the world is to have someone as wise and eloquent as you to speak on behalf of John Lennon and George Harrison. I'm sure they're doing cartwheels in their graves safe in the knowledge that you have their backs. Unlike those money grubbing, whore, former partners of theirs who clearly have no idea what they're doing. And good for you for getting in your obligatory Taylor Swift dig in the midst of this horsesh*t rant. Well done.
Matt Levy
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You seem like something is bothering you today and you're taking on The Beatles.
Geremiah Giampa
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To me, Now and Then sounds like a James Bond theme song.
Matthew Grandi
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The average Beatle fan doesn't care about the business side nor do they care, they just enjoy the songs and their relevance to their past. It makes them feel good.
This isn't the best Beatles song, but it will resonate and be enjoyed by the fans. The industry can naval gaze all day long…the fan will enjoy the moment.
Regards,
Alan Robertson
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left me with an overwhelming sense of dread. I wish I had not listened/watched
Frank Stewart
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?Boy oh boy, are you right about this one Bob. This is worse than Free as a Bird, which was chock full of tricks too.
It's just a shame. Ya know at first I was thinking wow, a new Beatles record. I allowed myself to remember that feeling from when I was a kid. We devoured everything they did and said. Couldn't wait. Remember that excitement? It was such an all good thing.
But the fun was over the minute I heard this. What a mess. The real kick in the ass is they show you in the video how they cleaned up John's voice. It sounded beautiful. It had a tentative demo quality to it, but it sounded like John, and reminded us of when John's amazing voice could be tender. They should've just taken that and put it way up front, and kept it simple and strong like some of their best work. But instead, they buried it with all kinds of crap from all directions, including McCartney's 2023 voice, at times louder than John's!
So, all that work to dig John's vocal out, only to bury it again? Paul blew it.
I worship The Beatles. This is not the coda they deserved.
Love, Love, Love,
Paul Gigante
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I don't know Bob, maybe all the sh*te things going on in the world have got you a little cynical right now, and yes there is a lot of bad bad stuff happening right now...but as a kid who watched the Fab Four on Ed Sullivan that night and followed them into the fray (i.e. became a performing musician) I found this foray nostalgic and frankly, happy. Will I ever listen to the track again, no. Was it fun watching the 12 minute mini-movie about how they made it, hell yes! Was it fun watching the video of the song, yes. I don't think Paul and Ringo are trying to get rich off of this, they are already rich. I don't think they were trying to make a chart topping single. I think they were loving the feeling of recapturing the moment, and paying homage to their two brothers. I'm glad they did.
Robert Pina
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It's a Beatles funeral song whilst two are with us in this world of BS.
I gotta think you have reduced the essence here to be more "get off my lawn" — you should be more "what me worry"
Thanks for having the guts to share such a miserable take! Love ya, mate
All best,
Josh Hall
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Can't agree, Bob. The song is melancholy, wistful, full of love and laced with a feeling of loneliness--which could describe any number of songs by John or Paul. Or George for that matter. The mix is thick, yes, but not the way Lynne's clankarank production of "Free As A Bird" was.
And the whole idea of the song--from the title to the little Ringo cameo at the end, bookending the song with Paul at the other end--is that time passes but just maybe love can conquer all. That's John's message to Yoko, and his message to himself. It's also Paul's message to his mates, and to us, the Beatles audience. We've grown old with them. That doesn't diminish their heroism, that they've aged. It enlarges and strengthens that heroism.
Most of all, the song and arrangement are beautiful in conception and nearly always in execution as well. It's a meta-song, a song about the Beatles, about how it might be true, however difficult, that in the end the love you take is equal to the love you make. All four Beatles believe that. And to quote another of theiridols, maybe if we think and wish and hope and pray it might come true.
This final Beatles song makes my heart stronger for the heavy tasks ahead.
And then the Peter Jackson video celebrates that strength while simultaneously reminding us that the Beatles were cheeky lads who loved to take the piss....
Works for me.
Gardner Campbell
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I for sure approve of this song and project. No, it is not the best work ever, it's the virtual Beatles afterall, but it was a gift for Paul and Ringo to do and a gift to the many fans who will care and enjoy it. My guess a treat for John/George families also. It's really nothing more and nothing less... just a nice little song. All the rest of it is just blather. They're the Beatles, we're not, they dug it as artists, friends, family... that's enough for me.
My 2 cents
Tim Honan
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A hype balloon filled with the last gasp of the 20th century.
Gerry Bayne
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Thanks for speaking the truth about "Now and Then". This isn't a Beatles song at all. John wrote it in 1977. The Beatles had long ceased to exist. If it was a Beatles song it would be great. This is a money grab to sell repackaged Red and Blue albums that will be remixed using digital technology. Pretty soon the world will never be able to hear the songs as intended. We will hear what Giles Martin wants us to hear. No thanks.
Dennis Paulik
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What really matters is how you feel when the song hits you the first time you hear it. And this one really touched a lot of emotions.
Meghan Gohil
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I listened to Now & Then 15 times last night trying to find the song in the foggy mix. I went to bed and woke up this morning and I listened again. No goosebumps. Nothing
I had an inbox full of emails asking me what I thought about the song.
This was probably because I wrote a Beatles column for Goldmine magazine for 5 years called "Now We're Sixty Four". I stopped writing the column after the Let it Be Peter Jackson doc.
I had had enough. 5 years of remixed albums, several press listening sessions with the Atmos mixes and 2 Giles Martin exclusive interviews.
At the last Giles interview, he explained they could now lift any voice or instrument on any track and manipulate it anyway they wanted.
I decided my time as a Beatles writer/observer/fan had finally run its course.
Like you Bob, I was a Beatles fan in real time, not some 'Johnny come lately'.
I have dozens of original UK, Japanese, German, Swedish, South American & US mono and stereo Beatles albums, 45's, ep's and reel to reel tapes.
All bought in real time from '64--'70.
I know the music as well as any musician could know an artist
I have 2 real butcher covers.
My reaction to this 'final Beatles song' along with the video and the remixed Blue and Red albums is this:
To paraphrase Neil Aspinall: Apple Corp. is not in the music business, it is in the Beatle business.
And so it is. Another expertly packaged product launch with all the hype they can muster.
The video is cute and full of the only product they have left: Nostalgia
I played the song again today. 10 times. It's a demo. period. It still goes nowhere
Cute title: Now and Then
"Yesterday and Today", "Here, There & Everywhere" and "The Long & Winding Road" had already been taken.
The Beatle business will continue. I'm sure the remix of Rubber Soul is coming.
As far as i'm concerned however, i'm content to just
"Let It Be!'
Jay Jay French
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Wow! This is almost a clickbait article. Ok, well I'll bite.
The new single is like a Rorschach test. People see in it what they want to see.
Couldn't disagree more with your assessment. There's so much more to the song than just what you're hearing.
It's an emotional trip.
John is my favorite all time singer, and the Beatles are not only my all time favorite band, but my all time favorite anything besides my family.
Did I listen to ANTHOLOGY more than once? Why yes I did! I immediately copied them onto cassette so I could listen to them repeatedly in the car. (Including the non-LP CD bonus tracks.) I've also watched the GET BACK documentary 5 1/2 times.
As for what Lennon would have thought: he changed his mind all the time. What he thought in 1970 was different from what he thought in 1965 or 1975. And from any Monday to the following Tuesday. It's easy to imagine both John and George softening up in their old age, if they were still around.
What you think about the quality of the song is almost irrelevant. It's just an opinion. But the emotional heaviness is off the charts.
As for the song being "dreary," well … it's all they had to work with because… well… John and George are no longer here. And that's reality.
You can feel Paul putting as much emotion as he can muster into this recording. Is his slide playing the same as George's? No, but as a tribute, how can you not be moved?
Unlike the recent Stones/Jagger pandemic songs, NOW AND THEN will be remembered by those who care, and are still open to feeling things emotionally instead of intellectually.
Will it have no impact? On who? People who care certainly will.
You know it's true.
Peace and love,
Harold Lepidus
Boston Harold Podcast
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You are a beacon of sanity in the online Now And Then hoopla. The song is a dreary dirge, yet if you only read the online comments you'd think it was the greatest Beatles track ever released.
Insane.
Turk
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Totally agree and have been waiting for ANYONE to share this perspective publicly.
Even when talking with friends and family who have been lifelong Beatles fanatics, the conversation is never "what a great song!" But more like "that was so exciting to hear".
Regardless of the song itself, I'm glad they made it - I'm 28 and heard it for the first time on KCRW Thursday morning ~7:20 am. It felt like I was in a Time Machine. There was 3 minutes of peace where I got to imagine a monoculture of fans discovering the same song at the same time. It was an awesome feeling. Aside from live sports and concerts, when do people consume things at the same time?
Happy for the experience and will always love the Beatles, but would be surprised if I listen to this song by choice many times.
Tom Capone
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It made me happy
It made me sad
It made me think
It made me feel
More please
Steven Gietka
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Highly disappointed in "Now and Then" I barely made it through once and I won't be going back.
Rob Halprin
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I recoiled in horror when i heard there was another Beatles resurrection coming. But in reality it's been my earworm since BBC 6music played it twice on Thursday. I find Lennon's vocal touching and the lyrics genuine. Now as you say its not really a true Beatles tunes, melded in the fab four cauldron, but it reminds you just how much of a talent Lennon truly was. Plus my earworm hasn't remembered the string section. ;)
Keep on keeping on
Rich Dale
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Oh Bob, you hard hearted man! Chill out! My guess is you've only listened once because I too thought it dreary and sugary on first listen but I persisted and, hey, it's not 'Strawberry Fields' but did you expect that? As for John hating it, who knows? All I'll say is an awful lot of post Fabs' Lennon is gooey and sentimental and not that great, 'Double Fantasy' is a very poor record. Any road, I like 'now and then' very much albeit I doubt I'll ever play it after the next week or so. I don't play Bowie's 'Blackstar' either despite it being a good effort and his best since 'Scary Monsters', but that's another story.
Keith Stael
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Oh , Bob. F*ck what john would have done ( this time ) we need this.i need this. Peace & Love from Argentina, Andrew Loog Oldham
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Lifelong fan but must agree this should have not been done. I just listened to the John Lennon demo on you tube. www.youtube.com/watch?v=gO_5et2vQLI This shows the raw emotion and passion that John intended comes though so much better on the demo. It should remain as a John song and not be rehashed as The Beatles. Get rid of AI before we all become cloned and turn Donald Trump into a nice chap. LOL. !!
Colin Newman
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So I clicked the YT link first, watched thinking about your forewarning but that the bass and drums must have laid a good foundation so... clicked the Spotify link.
Sounded decent at first but maybe a minute in realized I felt like a late night snack, wandered over to the fridge, debated between black raspberries and fresh pineapple chunks, hmm...
Went with the raspberries, savored them then decided to have the pineapple too, then after a few bites realized: wait, this thing is STILL going, how fking boring.
But at least the fruit was good.
DG
P.S. Spotify autoplayed Love Me Do next, now THAT held my attention.
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Lt reader and big fan !
This is the first time in a VERY long time that I 100% Disagree with a review of yours.
I believe the Beatles knocked it out of the ballpark with the ballad of Now and then !
Listen to the lead guitar in the background and the absolute beautiful arrangement of the song.
Your points of crunchy Lennon and ELO are well taken but the Beatles were always a moving unit and Lennon would have been ok with this song (that's my believe ??)
Don't forget that Lynne and George were best buds for a very long time.
Best, Heiner Leiber
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I have been disappointed this song and the Anthology songs. It's particularly bad they cut out a whole section of John's song.
However I think the video is very moving especially with all the new footage. Abbey Road was the perfect ending to the group. This is a nice GOODBYE to the band and a nice goodbye from the band to itself and two of its own members
Happyron Hill
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This is a beautiful, sentimental, joyous finale and coda from the Beatles to close the loop on their era. Paul and Ringo made this a "love letter" to the four of them. They loved each other. I loved it. You're way overthinking it.
Ken Green
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Bob,
Let it be.
Roni and Jeff
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Most of what you said here today I said after listening to it yesterday 5 times ~ McCartney must have had an ego rush ~ Can you believe at the end of the video Paul take's a bow instead of giving it to John ~ WTF could he be thinking ~
Sadly the dead can't speak otherwise this recording would have never seen the light of day ~ Don't get me wrong it's great that they were able to lift the voice out of that years old cassette tape but instead of using it to it's advantage they screwed it up ~
Me I was thinking more of "Oh my love" off the Imagine Lp as the recording type that I was hoping to find ~ Instead I we got the full blown "Real Love" ~
Sadly ~ The Dream is over ~
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Ha ha Bob-
But what do you REALLY think?
Personally, I like it.
Regards,
Mark Feldman
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Seriously man…
Lighten up. So it's not White Album material, it's still better than anything on the radio.
Misty Ragland
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Wow! You can read John Lennon's mind. How special you are.
S. Butler
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I was instantly blown away with how bad it sounds—the arrangement, production, and performances. I wanted to turn it off, but I listened to the end, hoping for redemption. Which obviously never came. What a sad day for Beatles fandom and the legacy of their collective and individual genius. I'm reminded of all of the 'lost' Hendrix tracks that were completed without him. The real life soundtrack to The Stepford Wives!
Dan Workman
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Completely agree.
Lennon once said the problem with Neil Young was he never resolved anything in his songs, either lyrically or melodically. I dare say Johnnie would say the same of "Now and Then."
How did Yoko let this happen? She needs the money?
Emory Damron
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True. But did anyone need to hear you yell "get off my lawn!" in response?
The value of your take in the same neighborhood as the value of the song in the big picture.
Perhaps their attempt at an epitaph is not the worst thing in today's sh*t world. A reminder pointing toward their music and the possibility of that time.
Cheers anyway Bob, always entertaining.
Bob Kalill
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I agree that "Now and Then" is a bore.
Craig
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All I'm seeing on social media and Internet forums are rave reviews for this. I don't get it. I was starting to think it was me until I read this.
It's garbage!
Now, I did like "Free As A Bird" and "Real Love" when they came out. This is not even up to that snuff.
—Rob Maurer
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No, you will not feel the earth move under your feet, but maybe it's better to view the song as you would an antique or a curio; you find a potato peeler from 1893, clean it up, make it good as new, but you're never going to actually use it. That doesn't mean you can't appreciate it for other reasons. The song isn't meant to be a new awakening. Besides, better to hear the song, underwhelming though it may be, than to wonder needlessly about whether it might be some undiscovered gem.
Dave Recamp
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"I mean in a collection of dreck, like those "Anthology" albums of thirty years ago, sure, include it if you want to. But come on, did you listen to those CDs more than once, if once?"
You nailed it. "Now And Then" is simply unnecessary. I did not watch the Anthology broadcast on ABC but did own the VHS box set although I never opened it. Go figure
Bob Paris
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Hi Bob - being so angry with the gift of a new/old/whatever Beatles tune isn't worth your energy. I love it. I'm happy it exists. Some of us have never had the pleasure of anticipating a Beatles release until now.
Jeremy Elliott
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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DISAGREE. This song can live in the Smithsonian as far as I'm concerned No, NOT because it's a 'great song' or whatever——cause it's not! Not the point. Because when Ringo does that drum fill to bring on the singalong chorus, you get a moment of 'oh sh*t. THAT'S The Beatles! And you cant tell me different because it had that effect on me. Agree to Disagree, Bob. Again, a classic Beatles song? Naw……but I applaud the powerful effect it had on this human being. We all can use magical moments like that Ringo fill into the chorus. Sometimes it IS the little things…..
Gary Spivack
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My first reaction yesterday,
It sounds so incredibly sad. I fell in love with the Beatles at 9. I was heartbroken beyond description when John was murdered. This song makes me feel the loss all over again.
Roland West
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Listened once. No need for twice.
John Hughes
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You nailed it. 'Now & Then' is bland at best. I heard 20 secs and turned it off. I have never done that to any Beatles song ever. John would have despised it.
Don't worry I did go back and hear the whole thing. Verdict is the same. A sad money grab. I expected better.
Norman Karlik
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I agree with you 100%. The new Stones album also wasn't all that great. The lyrics are ridiculous and there are no riffs. Keith was all about the riffs!
Unbelievable hype. The most hyped album I can remember
Steve Aliment
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Some of the comments (not mine) I heard or read on the release day:
---momentous
---a thing of beauty
---emotional
---amazing
---masterpiece
---moving
---haunting
---breathtaking
And all the while, I kept thinking:
"Lefsetz is gonna hate it"
Marty Bender Sobolewski
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This is great writing!
George tried to stop it...
My hope is when people google it they get "Now and then" by Shoes
A song worth listening too :-)
Thanks again
Peter Stema
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I was with you until you said The Anthologies were dreck and I'll take "Free As A Bird" over "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" and day
Now Maxwell's vs Now & Then ?
That's akin to the choice one has to make in those SAW films.
And did you see the song's official video released this morning ?
m.youtube.com/watch?v=Opxhh9Oh3rg
You might as well have Lennon frolicking with the f*cking Care Bears
Mark Flores
Guitar / SAG ( still marching )
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In this case - you just don't get it.
At all.
I wish you'd just have typed "meh," and moved on. Or have left well enough alone, as you put it.
But you thought we needed to actually read this dismissive, half-informed opinion.
Meh.
Your loss, Bob.
You missed the beauty altogether.
It's there, though. It's a beautiful track.
Best,
Larry Kennedy
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I agree with you.
Paul lost it after the mid-seventies - he kept doing the same thing over and over but worse for the past almost 50 years.
John evolved - I am guessing he would still be producing interesting music today if his life had not been cut short.
Regards,
Dave Machanick
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You're a treasure, and the fact that you shine a light, as well as unabashed opinion pieces on entertainment and beyond is in this day and age is of great benefit to us all.
When you hit it, you it it, and when you miss, you go big! But not without taking that giant swing.
This Beatles "Now And Then" swing was indeed a powerful one- and I can't help but hear the whiff of the ball as it passes…
I can't tell you how many texts and emails I received from my fellow musicians about how thrilled and moved they were to hear a NEW Beatles track yesterday. Grown men and women moved to literal TEARS! From MUSIC! And not just musicians- music lovers, Beatles fans, casual and devoted alike- it was a moment to be sure, no matter how fleeting, as you suggest. (Doesn't everything come and go much more quickly in this internet age though? We're long past the days of a collective society all watching Ed Sullivan simultaneously and changing America overnight- we're even 40 years beyond when Michael Jackson did so moonwalking for Motown 25!).
But this song- the mere premise of hearing Paul's bass (a KILLER bass track as only Paul could conceive and perform) alongside a John vocal and sentiment, with Ringo's unmistakable drums/pocket/sound underneath? What human wants to lean into negativity upon such an event?
I was born in 1972, well after one could have experienced the Beatles descending on US shores. In fact, the music that impacted me was released 5-15 years after they last recorded. Any Beatles consciousness was in the rear view mirror. And obviously, with great reverence.
Is "Now And Then" perfect? Far be it from me to judge, but it's really lovely, isn't it? Nice for Gilles Martin to contribute in tribute to his father, on strings that certainly seem to enhance the song (sure we were extra excited in my household that my wife was one of the violinists on the track!). "Vanilla mush," Bob, really? Were you hearing Percy Faith because I don't hear it.
Hearing John raw and real touches a nerve that no other can. Cool that they could use "AI" for good, isolating that vocal.
I agree John's final Jack Douglas record was sublime. But we pretend that all of the prior Lennon 70's output (Rock And Roll, etc) was perfect? I've heard stories of session musicians here in LA walking out of those sessions because he and Spector were a complete embarrassing mess. It's not all fab.
So we get a sweet Lennon vocal on a cassette, and his old pals want to put new parts on it, making it a veritable Beatles track. WHAT AN AWFUL IDEA- geez.
Music has the amazing ability to touch people in a way nothing else can. So many people I know are impacted by this little song. Do we have to get snarky about it?
So the TikTok for this moment is "dreary"? Maybe this isn't a TikTok moment, Bob! Maybe it's something else beyond TikTok. Sure today's preferred platform is TikTok, but it's built on the backs of 20 second 2x sped up song snippets.
Sign me up for a new Beatles song lovingly offered by two guys that lived it and shared it with us. I, for one, am grateful.
-Jeff Babko
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I agree with everything you say here about "Now and Then." Lennon is singing in a higher register and at first I thought McCartney was taking the first verse. I soon caught on, but when McCartney does take the lead vocal, it was a moment before I could hear the switch. Since the piano on the demo wasn't usable, it's McCartney playing and it's in his style. Even the guitar solo in homage to George ends up sounding like McCartney--his attack and tone take over. "Now and Then" sounds very much like a McCartney solo project.
In addition, the recording sounds flat, and I'm listening to a hi-rez FLAC download. The strings and background vocals are hazy and I have to strain to hear most of George's guitar parts. AI might have done a good job of isolating Lennon's vocals on the original demo, but they still sound like a second generation tape. Compare "Love Me Do," the "B" side of the single. I'm not sure I like the new mix of the song, but it's a1962 recording and sounds more lively and vivid than "Now and Then."
I'm also completely with you on these remixes and expanded reissues. In a review of the Giles Martin remix of Revolver, I wrote that it sounded OK, but that it shouldn't supplant the original. In fact, I prefer the original, which was a technical accomplishment in its time. It and Pepper changed how rock musicians made records. A number of people took issue with what I wrote. "The new version is sonically better!" Is it, though? It's like George Lucas going in with today's CGI and revising a Star Wars scene. It alters my memories and could end up erasing what were very real innovations in the first place.
Most important, all this revisiting risks tarnishing the group's legacy. The alternate takes give us no clue into how the final magic was really achieved. And, as you note, we'll never listen to them, just as we never listen to the Anthologies (bought them both on CD and vinyl, so I did take the bait then). These reissues, along with the interminable Peter Jackson documentary, have given me Beatle fatigue.
I'm sure Apple and Universal Music are eager to squeeze the last dollar out of these recordings and Paul is happy to oblige because he cannot endure a moment where he is not in the public eye. They all need to just stop.
Joseph Taylor
Soundstage Xperience
www.soundstagexperience.com
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Long time reader, first time caller.
I've gotta disagree with you on "Now and Then" (though my perspective doesn't mean I found no truth at all in your own thoughts)
To be transparent, I'm a millennial. Mark David Chapman was behind bars for over a decade before I was sprouted. So no, I wasn't there for any Beatles releases, concerts, etc. I don't have the same lived experiences as many probably do that inform their (or your) perspective on John's thoughts or feelings.
But somehow the melancholic, dreary tone of Now and Then feels cosmic. Serendipitous. Like it was meant to be found, fixed up, put on the backburner, then rediscovered and released in the exact timing that it was. And fair warning - this is probably a self-indulgent, sentimental take on things:
Life is fleeting and downright ugly and dreary lately - look at the state of the world. Wars breaking out. Political unrest pitting brother against brother. Hopelessness. Fear. The breakdown of familial, platonic, and romantic relationships happening faster than ever. The dystopian feel of an imminent technological takeover Republicans have been whinging about for years now. "Now and Then" is that weird, beautiful, dreary, incomplete representation of everything that's taken place since it was found, right down to that technological takeover that allowed it to be 'completed.'
It's 'done' but it still feels raw; it really is a gut-wrenching memento mori, to watch the Fab Four in their older age juxtaposed with various iterations of their younger selves. To wonder what could have been if John lived, if George were still alive - for those who have seen Yesterday, it's that same feeling as the iconic, quietly-living John Lennon scene. And it feels like a (near-]warning from beyond the grave - we continue to drift further from each other, but somewhere in the back of our minds are all the words unsaid. It feels like John's ghost is telling us to say them now. Complete the uncompleted, say the unsaid, leave nothing undone.
The continuing love for the Beatles that continues to transcend generations is exactly because of the often-simplistic nature of the Lennon & McCartney lyrics that many find even deeper meaning in. I love hearing everyone's thoughts on this one final piece - in real-time, this time.
Thanks for letting me go on a nerdy soapbox,
Gabi Bisconti
Night Castle Management
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You tell no lies to me, Bob, but there's no tenderness beneath your honesty.
1. Yoko gave the tracks to Paul, George and Ringo for a reason. She apparently thought the song needed more. It wasn't finished. And who better to finish it that his old writing partner, Paul.
2. Paul added Paul. And his additions (both in writing and production) are classic Paul: clean and cool bass lines, smart background vocals, and bigger production values. Paul can go mean and lean too- listen to McCartney I. but to involve Geoge and Ringo it had to go bigger.
3. If "Now and Then" were sparsely recorded like much of Lennon's later work, this would be a Lennon record, which it is not.
4. It's not their best song. But it's a Beatles song. And let us not forsake the good and better in pursuit of the best. I'll take the worst song produced by the Beatles over much of the best work of many artists.
Love your writing. You make us think.
Paul Nunes
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i like the new short film about the song's journey. it felt valid and real. no complaints.
as for the single, first off, is that really the cover? man oh man, that's incredibly bad. hard to imagine that a visual artist like Lennon would approve of that. it's like the earliest computer graphic tests. that shouldn't be the cover for anyone or anything.
as for the song, i like the song itself but prefer the demo version to this re-work. though not perfect, the demo is pretty enchanting. it has charm and innocence. this new version seems to suck out all the intrigue and potential of the song. for example, why cut the original intro chords and just paste a two chord repeat at the top? it kills the vocal entrance when the original progression set up the vocal entrance much better. listening to the demo i can hear all kinds of fascinating possibilities throughout. maybe add a McCartney vocal melody to counter John on the verses or that sort of thing somewhere. they didn't really go anywhere with things like that. it's just flat start to finish.
besides the new arrangement being flat, the mix is basically a sonic wash that flattens the record even more. there's no real definition or dynamics. no impact. just sits there. maybe these things are the poorest reflection of the times but the Beatles were trendsetters more than trend followers so i hoped for more.
it's all ok though. it's still a somewhat pleasant flashback but it might have been more Beatle-like if someone capable and new stepped in to expand on their work instead of reflect on it. i'd trade a less melancholy approach for a more forward leaning dreamy approach like Lennon's work often was in real time. leave us wondering what could be next instead of what once was.
i still love the lads though. best. band. ever.
i'm hoping the new isolated vocal track or, better yet, isolated tracks of all their tracks get out. i'd love to hear what others might do with them. the potential is there with this song and these tracks for someone talented and bold to carry them forward. it might turn up something much more inspired and relevant like the rest of the Beatles catalogue. maybe release an album of other versions by fans so the public is part of the new record instead of just listeners. in my book, the Beatles aren't the isolated hot new boy band running from the public anymore. they are us. we are them. let us take a swing at this new song so we can show them Beatles what they meant and still mean to us.
all the best,
Scrote
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Wow. Just wow.
You obviously don't talk to your shrink enough.
"Now and Then" is FAB! Ringo and Paul (AND George AND John) put their talents and souls into it. The song, the recording and the video are all wonderful. How great to hear the four of them together again. It's MAGIC!
How dare YOU say John would hate it??
Life goes on without you.
Bill Mumy
Still in Laurel Canyon
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