Beatles fans were surprised with a new song, "Now and Then," which is being billed as their "last." The song features the vocals of John Lennon, who recorded a demo of it in the late '70s, along with the contributions of Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison, who worked on it in the mid-'90s for their Anthology project. The song was completed with the help of director Peter Jackson and his team, who developed a software that could separate audio tracks and isolate Lennon's voice.
Peter Jackson says that there is a possibility that The Beatles could do more songs in the future, using the same technology. In an interview with The Sunday Times of London, he revealed that he had an idea of taking a performance from the Get Back (Let It Be) sessions, separating John and George, and then having Paul and Ringo add a chorus or harmonies. He said, "You might end up with a decent song but I haven’t had conversations with Paul about that. It’s fanboy stuff, but certainly conceivable."
Jackson, who directed the Get Back documentary that was released last year, also directed the video for "Now and Then," which shows footage of the Beatles in their heyday. He said that the song "sounds like John is writing a message as an apology for however he may have behaved. I found that incredibly moving, that the final Beatles song is the Beatles singing to each other."
He also praised the song's catchy tune and haunting quality, and said that the Beatles' music makes him happy. He added, "With the world in the state it is, we need the Beatles to appear again, as if a flying saucer has touched down and they’ve got off and are providing us with their one last song to cheer us up."
"Now and Then" was released last Thursday and will be included on this Friday's re-release of 1967-1970 (‘The Blue Album’). Also out on Friday is that album's companion piece -- 1962-1966 (‘The Red Album’).
[Source: Classic Hits Today]