THE BEATLES' COLLECTIONS FROM 1962-1966 ('THE RED ALBUM') AND 1967-1970 ('THE BLUE ALBUM') EXPANDED, MIXED IN STEREO & DOLBY ATMOS FOR 2023 EDITION RELEASES OUT NOVEMBER 10TH
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Swati Bhat
Mumbai, October 27th, 2023: The Beatles, both together and separately, have always had a flair for the unexpected. And now, in 2023, they have one of the most anticipated releases in their long and dramatic history. "Now And Then" was written and sung by John Lennon, developed and worked on by Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, and is now fully completed by Paul and Ringo almost four decades later.
Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/UMe will release "Now And Then" internationally on Thursday, November 2nd at 2 pm GMT / 10 am EDT / 7 am PDT. The last Beatles song is paired with the first: the band's 1962 debut UK single, "Love Me Do," a truly suitable full-circle companion to "Now And Then." Both songs are mixed in stereo and Dolby Atmos®, and the album's cover art is by renowned artist Ed Ruscha. The new music video for "Now And Then" will be released on Friday, November 3rd. More information, including global premiere plans, will be released.
Oliver Murray's 12-minute documentary short "Now And Then - The Last Beatles Song" will premiere on November 1st. The film's global internet debut will take place at 7:30 pm GMT / 3:30 pm EDT / 12:30 pm PDT on The Beatles' YouTube site. With unique footage and comments from Paul, Ringo, George, Sean Ono Lennon, and Peter Jackson, this moving short film explores the story behind the final Beatles song.
Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/UMe will offer 2023 Edition packages of The Beatles' 1962-1966 ('The Red Album') and 1967-1970 ('The Blue Album') sets on November 10th. These albums have exposed succeeding generations to The Beatles' music since their debut appearances 50 years ago. The tracklists for both collections have now been enhanced, with all songs mixed in real stereo and Dolby Atmos. 'Red' and 'Blue' are now available in slipcased 4CD and 180-gram 6LP vinyl editions. To complete the career-spanning sets, the UK single version of "Love Me Do" now leads off 1962-1966 (2023 Edition), and "Now And Then" is featured on 1967-1970 (2023 Edition).
Preorder/pre-save 1962-1966 and 1967-1970 (2023 Editions) here
The narrative of "Now And Then" began in the late 1970s, when John recorded a demo at his home in New York's Dakota Building with vocals and piano. His wife, Yoko Ono Lennon, presented the recording to Paul, George, and Ringo in 1994, along with John's recordings for "Free As A Bird" and "Real Love," both of which were completed as new Beatles songs and released as singles in 1995 and 1996 as part of The Beatles Anthology project. At the same time, Paul, George, and Ringo recorded new parts for "Now And Then" and finished a preliminary mix with producer Jeff Lynne. At the same time, Paul, George, and Ringo recorded new parts for "Now And Then" and finished a preliminary mix with producer Jeff Lynne. At the time, technological restrictions made it impossible to separate John's voice and piano in order to obtain the clean, unclouded mix required to finish the song. "Now And Then" was shelved in the expectation that it might be revisited someday.
Cut to 2021, with the premiere of Peter Jackson's "The Beatles: Get Back" docuseries, which awed viewers with its award-winning film and audio restoration. Jackson's crew had de-mixed the film's mono soundtrack using WingNut Films' MAL audio technology, successfully isolating instruments and vocals, as well as all the individual voices within The Beatles chats.
This accomplishment paved the door for 2022's new Revolver mix, which was obtained directly from the four-track master tapes. This prompted the question, "What can now be done with the "Now And Then" demo?" Peter Jackson and his sound team, coordinated by Emile de la Rey, used the same process to separate John's original home recording from the piano, retaining the clarity and integrity of his original vocal performance.
Paul and Ringo began working on the song's completion in 2022. Aside from John's vocal, "Now And Then" features George's electric and acoustic guitar recorded in 1995, Ringo's new drum part, and Paul's bass, guitar, and piano, which matches John's original playing. Paul added a slide guitar solo inspired by George; he and Ringo also provided chorus background vocals.
Paul directed a Capitol Studios recording session in Los Angeles for the song's mournful, characteristically Beatles string arrangement, which was written by Giles Martin, Paul, and Ben Foster. Backing voices from the original recordings of "Here, There, and Everywhere," "Eleanor Rigby," and "Because" were weaved into the new song utilizing techniques learned during the production of the LOVE performance and album. Spike Stent mixed the finished track, which was produced by Paul and Giles.
Paul says: “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 says: “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.”
Olivia Harrison says: “Back in 1995, after several days in the studio working on the track, George felt the technical issues with the demo were insurmountable and concluded that it was not possible to finish the track to a high enough standard. If he were here today, Dhani and I know he would have wholeheartedly joined Paul and Ringo in completing the recording of ‘Now And Then’.”
Sean Ono Lennon says: “It was incredibly touching to hear them working together 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.”
The excitement for "Now And Then" has been building since Paul initially revealed "a new Beatles song" in a media interview in June. Finally, on Thursday, November 2nd, "Now And Then" will be shared with the world in its entirety.
This final chapter in The Beatles' recorded history will be followed by reissues of the two compilation albums that have long been regarded as the definitive introduction to their work. Since their first release in 1973, the 1962-1966 ('The Red Album') and 1967-1970 ('The Blue Album') compilations have introduced innumerable listeners of all ages and from all over the world to lifelong Beatles love. The compilations, which have been expanded for their new 2023 Edition releases (due out on November 10th), contain The Beatles' entire recorded output, with 75 notable tracks ranging from their first single, "Love Me Do," to their final, "Now And Then." The 21 newly-added tracks (twelve on 'Red' and nine on 'Blue') highlight even more of The Beatles' finest tunes.
Several 1967-1970 tracks, as well as a few from 1962-1966, have received new stereo and Dolby Atmos mixes for The Beatles' Special Edition album releases in recent years, including Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (2017), The Beatles ('White Album') (2018), Abbey Road (2019), Let It Be (2021), and Revolver (2022), as well as new stereo mixes for The Beatles' 1 (2015). All tracks not previously released have been newly mixed in stereo and/or Dolby Atmos at Abbey Road Studios by Giles Martin and Sam Okell, with the assistance of WingNut Films' audio de-mixing technology. John Harris, a journalist and author, has authored fresh articles for both editions.
“Now And Then” Credits:
Produced by Paul McCartney, Giles Martin
Additional Production: Jeff Lynne
Vocals: John Lennon, Paul McCartney
Backing Vocals: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr
Guitars: George Harrison
Guitars, Bass, Piano, Electric Harpsichord, Shaker: Paul McCartney
Drums, Tambourine, Shaker: Ringo Starr
Additional Credits:
String Arrangement: Paul McCartney, Giles Martin, Ben Foster
Mixed by Spike Stent
Engineered by Geoff Emerick, Steve Orchard, Greg McAllister, Jon Jacobs, Steve Genewick, Bruce Sugar, Keith Smith
Source Separation / MAL Courtesy of WingNut Films Productions Ltd.
Head of Machine Learning: Emile de la Rey
Project Management: Adam Sharp