Starting in 1978 as a John Lennon demo tape, the lastly realized ‘Now and Then’ has been described because the Beatles’ final track. However may there be extra to return, hidden within the vaults?
The newly launched, headline-grabbing “last” Beatles track, “Now and Then,” has raised as many questions because it has answered concerning the Fab 4 and what may need been. Stemming from a demo recorded by John Lennon in 1978, the track went by way of a number of steps all through the years earlier than the expertise enabled the isolation of Lennon’s vocals to create one thing release-worthy. However that begs the query if there may be different Beatles recording tidbits that director Peter Jackson’s sound expertise may flip into a real launch from the band.
Throughout his work on “The Beatles: Get Again,” his epic documentary function, Jackson honed the audio expertise that Paul McCartney would later contact him about for a particular undertaking. In July 2022, Jackson says McCartney contacted him concerning the demo recording of “Now and Then,” which Yoko Ono had gifted him in 1994.
The three remaining Beatles had tried to show it into a real Beatles recording in 1995 throughout their Anthology periods. Nevertheless, isolating Lennon’s vocals from the sounds of his New York condominium within the authentic 1978 recording was close to not possible given the expertise of the period. However because of the Anthology periods, the stage was set for the completion of “Now and Then” nearly 30 years later.
Due to every of the members’ involvement within the recording many years aside, the monitor is taken into account a real Beatles track — which makes followers surprise if meaning it’s actually the final Beatles track. May there be extra footage surfaced by Jackson within the Get Again vault that might result in a full Beatles monitor within the subsequent couple of years?
“It did cross my thoughts!” Jackson tells The Occasions. “We are able to take a efficiency from Get Again, separate John and George, after which have Paul and Ringo add a refrain or harmonies. You would possibly find yourself with a good track, however I haven’t had conversations with Paul about that. It’s fanboy stuff, however actually conceivable.”
Whether or not such a track could be as effectively obtained by followers as “Now and Then,” moderately than being shrugged off as a technology-fueled parlor trick stays to be seen. Provided that Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr are of their 80s, finally the 2 will cease performing. That makes the subsequent a number of years essential for the creation of any new content material from the band, irrespective of how a lot further footage would possibly nonetheless be within the vault.