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LAST UPDATE | 2 Nov 2023
A NEW BEATLES song, produced with a little help from artificial intelligence and including the vocals of John Lennon, has been released today more than four decades after it was originally recorded as a demo.
“Now And Then”, first written and sung by Lennon in 1978, was finished by his fellow band members Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr – and AI.
The track was unveiled at 2pm today by Apple Corps, Capitol and Universal Music Enterprises, with a music video still to come tomorrow.
McCartney, 81, had announced the song’s release in June, in what was dubbed “the last Beatles song” in a promotional trailer.
“It’s quite emotional and we all play on it, it’s a genuine Beatles recording,” he said in a video on YouTube ahead of the release.
If you don’t have Spotify, an audio version of the new track is now up on the band’s YouTube channel, too.
“Now And Then” was one of several tracks on a cassette that Lennon had recorded for McCartney at his home in New York’s Dakota Building in 1979 – a year before his death.
It was given to him by Lennon’s widow Yoko Ono in 1994.
Two other songs, “Free As A Bird” and “Real Love”, were cleaned up by the producer Jeff Lynne, and released in 1995 and 1996.
An attempt was made to do the same with “Now And Then” but the project was abandoned due to background noise on the demo.
AI has now made that possible, although the use of the technology in music is the subject of industry-wide debate, with some denouncing copyright abuses and others praising its prowess.
After the recording was processed using the new technology, “there it was, John’s voice, crystal clear”, McCartney said.
The two surviving Beatles finished “Now And Then” last year, including George Harrison’s electric and acoustic guitar recorded in 1995.
Recording at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles, they also added Starr’s drum part alongside bass, piano, a slide guitar solo by McCartney – inspired by Harrison – and more backing vocals.
Starr, 83, added the process “was the closest we’ll ever come to having him (Lennon) 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.”
Sean Ono Lennon, the son of Lennon and Ono, said it was “incredibly touching” to hear the former Beatles working together again “after all the years that dad had been gone”.
“It’s the last song my dad, Paul, George and Ringo got to make together. It’s like a time capsule and all feels very meant to be,” he added.
The Beatles – Lennon, McCartney, Starr and Harrison – split in 1970, with each going on to have solo careers, but they never reunited.
McCartney said he agonised initially about whether they should complete the song or leave it unfinished.
“Every time I thought like that I thought ‘Wait a minute, let’s say I had a chance to ask John’ … I’m telling you. I know the answer would have been ‘Yeah’.”
Lennon was shot dead in New York in 1980 aged 40, while Harrison died of lung cancer in 2001, aged 58.
“Now And Then” has been released as a double A-side, with the band’s 1962 debut single “Love Me Do”, and cover art by US artist Ed Ruscha.
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Well where can we see them?z.?
Another f*ckin Father Ted headline/ruling!
We’re actually becoming more backward and more conservative as a country I swear to God!
#embarrassing
The model licked her finger? Well colour me shocked……..
It’s generally the “bigger boned” lady that complains about these things! Green eyed monsters!!
That’s not fair or accurate. The aesthetically challenged usually complain also.
Jebus wait till they see the Hunky Dory add with the man in the bath,Who seems to ejaculate a blow up toy, parodying the 90s flake add funny as…..sorry,I mean perverts objectifying men like, disgusting!
That advert is lovely .. very tasteful, very elegant, beautiful music & beautiful women … The jewellery on the other hand is horrible wouldn’t spend my money on it … Each to their taste i guess … But get over the advert prudes nothing wrong with it in my view !!
Its fine apart from the gratuitous boob shot and the fact that ladies look slightly off their face on something. But yeah, awful jewellery.
If this is the offending advertisement, it looks pretty tasteful to me:
http://www.newbridgesilverware.com/eshe/
What sort of prudes are we at all?
Where can I see them?! Anyone?!
There’s a thing called Google…
I found em in 3.6 seconds and I’d be slow…..I guess we can’t post the link here so find it yesrelf and stop expecting to be hand-fed.
Here ya go https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_SGfpQ5TLM#t=89
I don’t get how the complaint says that its focused on sexualising the woman…you can clear see from the camera work and the direction that the focus was on the jewellery. No doubt that the ad features a very attractive model.
So pontius I take it you have searched for the video and found it within seconds or u just making assumptions?
Don’t Look at it if you don’t like it… simple. .. This isn’t Saudi Arabia
Religious police comes to mind.
Would they prefer the over fed tash wearing ladies showing off the new range of newbridge silver ‘Mum’ rings ?? #MoaningVagMonsters
I find the jewelry pretty awful personally. Draping it in a fine looking woman doesn’t make me think my woman will look like that whilst wearing it. I ain’t stupid – most men aren’t! I reckon this is aimed at women not men.
As for the ad itself – pretty harmless stuff.
I’ve signed up to “He for She” and I’m taking a stand now.
This jewellery ad objectifying women is offensive and I object.
I urge you too to man-up and demonstrate some sense moral outrage.
Evil prevails when good people remain silent.
Hear hear for Emma and her speech at the UN.
Sure. I appreciate your only objection is it’s boring. The advertiser is insulting men by suggesting we will be suckered in with such advertising… and by others making clever remarks they are inadvertently colluding with the advertisers method.
You mean “man-up”. Not sure if I’ve used that then in the right context.
I mean it as a “stand up for what you believe” and not make a sneer for the common cheer.
This advertisement is for jewellery. It’s not aimed at men. It’s aimed at women.
And I don’t believe in infantilising women and placing women’s rights above everyone else’s. maybe if it was an issue that affected women exclusively, I would, but it doesn’t.
HeforShe and campaigns like it are exactly why so many are falling out with modern feminism, why not OneforAll or something like that, why the focus on men “standing up”, and changing their behaviour to suit women, why not stress the importance of not abusing your partner to girls and what about the estimated 40-50% men who are also suffering from domestic violence. Do they have change as well, should they say sorry, and should we ignore them.
Anybody who is against or at least sceptical of modern feminism is so not out of hating women but out of hating sheer intellectual dishonesty and the blatant misconstruing of facts.
But anyway I better before I burst an ulcer.
Peace out people xx
Dead right Doey.
The most annoying folks I come across though are not the feminists. They’re the defenders of feminism who don’t know the first thing about it. They automatically identify when feminism because they see it as the liberal left-wing thing to do, but the have no idea what they are supporting. They’re easy to spot, all you have to do is start talking about things today’s mainstream feminists believe, like patriarchy and rape culture. The response you get is an accusation that you’re conflating extremists with all feminsts. It’s just a default response from those who aren’t big on thinking.
Anyone reading this who fits that description should spend a few minutes researching it. Here are 3 batshit crazy elements of modern mainstream feminism to get you started:
Patriarchy Theory
Rape Culture
Critical Theory
I think it’s quite obvious that the only thing advertisers are selling anymore is sex.
What a load of me arse. The jewellery is gaudy, and the video is so pretentious, I nearly vomited.
Can’t locate the video, but the photographs looks completely tarty. Clearly Newbridge are moving away from they’re more elegant and classy ads for sluty and distasteful. Well done
You’d think it was Saudi Arabia by the music in the ad!
The girl is better looking than the jewelery but her acting is terrible! She looks a bit sedated/ bored….and the lips…was she at the dentist before the shoot? I thought she was going to drool her drink….
have your say