Now and then

Good Thursday to you….

Have you ever really wanted something, eventually accepted that getting that thing was not possible, only to finally receive it when you least expected it?

That happened to me recently.  Well, not JUST to me!  Let me explain.

As I am sure I have mentioned in this space more than once, I am an enormous fan of the Beatles.  You know, John, Paul, George and Ringo!  Became a great admirer of their work well after they had gone their separate ways, followed their solo careers with interest and was astounded that so many songs I knew were actually Beatles songs.  With the help of a friend who loaned me his collection of British album releases of the group, I immersed myself in their music and became a true fanatic.  Listened to entire albums on tape on car rides, back in the days before streaming and playlists, and understood about how the group and their brilliant producer, George Martin, polished their songs (mostly written by Lennon and McCartney) and chose the order in which they would appear on these albums.

Time progressed and I became more fascinated by the Beatles’ evolution from two-and-a-half minute songs to longer ones with rich stories and concept albums and more diverse instrumentation and, well, the innovations we all came to know them for.

And then in the mid 90’s the “ Beatles Anthology” came along.  A multiple part documentary for television and three double albums of alternate song versions and outtakes.  Oh, my, now they’ve done it, and the hook was set even deeper.

The most intriguing aspect of this project was that the three surviving Beatles, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, reunited briefly and reworked a demo tape that John Lennon had recorded in the 70s not long before his assassination, and with the help of Electric Light Orchestra founder and mastermind Jeff Lynne produced two new songs, “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love.”  Just great.

The three went on their separate ways, resuming recordings of their own songs (all worked with Lynne at later points).  Then George passed away in 2001 of cancer, and then there were two.

More time passed and the Beatles eventually worked out the processes of selling their music online, streaming it and of having their own channel on satellite radio.  This introduced them to a whole new generation, many of whom had learned of the Beatles from their parents or grandparents.  I have fond memories of bouncing my middle granddaughter on my knee playing the Beatles for her.  She especially liked “I Am the Walrus”

There was still some incomplete items in their history, namely all of the documentary footage that was filmed for what later became the “Let it Be” movie.  Enter Peter Jackson, the creative force behind “The Lord of the Rings,” “The Hobbit” and the modern remake of “King Kong.”  Jackson and his organization did a lot of cleanup work on the original film stock and of the audio. The finished product was called “Get Back” and was shown on the Disney Plus streaming service.

Paul and Ringo apparently remembered one more song on John’s old demo tape that they never could restore to what they felt it could be, as it was recorded on a simple cassette recorder.  But Paul called Peter Jackson and asked if he and his team could clean up the audio and separate John’s voice from his piano.  And he did.

Over the past couple of years I heard smatterings about this song, entitled “Now and Then” but I was fearful that it just wouldn’t be so great.  Recently, though, Paul mentioned in a separate interview that the finished version of this song was coming soon and that he, Ringo and all involved were very proud of it and hoped Beatle fans enjoyed what he called the “final” Beatles song.

It was released last weekend, produced by Giles Martin, son of Beatle producer George and the person to whom the remaining Beatles have entrusted the remastering of many of their original albums.  Giles also remastered the very first Beatles single, “Love Me Do,” as part of the package.

It’s just great.  I choked up the first time I heard both songs.  What a time we live in where a musician can record a simple trial of a new song on a handheld recorder that gets transformed into this.

If you love the Beatles’ music, you probably already know this, but if you’re not into it as I am, you will still be impressed.