The Beatles
#FIRSTLOOK: “NOW AND THEN – THE LAST BEATLES SONG” COMING TO CBC
Following the announcement earlier today of The Beatles’ forthcoming single “Now and Then,” CBC today announced the exclusive Canadian broadcast rights to Now and Then – The Last Beatles Song, a short documentary film that explores the story behind the last Beatles song, with exclusive footage and commentary from Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, George Harrison, Sean Ono Lennon and Peter Jackson. Now and Then – The Last Beatles Song will broadcast exclusively in Canada on CBC TV at 3:30 p.m. ET, with an encore broadcast at 11:30 p.m. local time, and will be available to stream for free on Wednesday, November 1, 2023 on CBC Gem as of 3:30 p.m. ET. In addition to the premiere of the Now and Then – The Last Beatles Song documentary film, CBC’s broadcast special will feature additional exclusive content and conversation around the momentous Beatles release.
Now and Then – The Last Beatles Song documentary film is written and directed by Oliver Murray and tells the story behind the new single, which was written and sung by John Lennon, developed and worked on by Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, and now finally finished by McCartney and Starr more than four decades later. The short film will be available to stream on CBC Gem for 30 days following the November 1 premiere.
The story of “Now And Then” begins in the late 1970s, when John Lennon recorded a demo with vocals and piano at his home in New York’s Dakota Building. In 1994, his wife, Yoko Ono Lennon, gave the recording to McCartney, Harrison and Starr, along with Lennon’s demos for “Free As A Bird” and “Real Love”, which were both completed as new Beatles songs and respectively released as singles in 1995 and 1996, as part of The Beatles Anthology project. At the same time, McCartney, Harrison and Starr also recorded new parts and completed a rough mix for “Now And Then” with producer Jeff Lynne. At that point, technological limitations prevented Lennon’s vocals and piano from being separated to achieve the clear, unclouded mix needed to finish the song. “Now And Then” was shelved, with a hope that one day it would be revisited.
Cut to 2021, and the release of “The Beatles: Get Back” docuseries, directed by Peter Jackson, which astonished viewers with its award-winning film and audio restoration. Using WingNut Films’ MAL audio technology, Jackson’s team had de-mixed the film’s mono soundtrack, managing to isolate instruments and vocals, and all the individual voices within The Beatles conversations. This achievement opened the way to 2022’s new mix of Revolver, sourced directly from the four-track master tapes. This led to a question: what could be done with the “Now And Then” demo? Peter Jackson and his sound team, led by Emile de la Rey, applied the same technique to Lennon’s original home recording, preserving the clarity and integrity of his original vocal performance by separating it from the piano.
In 2022, McCartney and Starr set about completing the song. Besides Lennon’s vocal, “Now And Then” includes electric and acoustic guitar recorded in 1995 by Harrison, Starr’s new drum part, and bass, guitar and piano from McCartney, which matches Lennon’s original playing. McCartney added a slide guitar solo inspired by Harrison; he and Starr also contributed backing vocals to the chorus.
In Los Angeles, McCartney oversaw a Capitol Studios recording session for the song’s wistful, quintessentially Beatles string arrangement, written by Giles Martin, McCartney and Ben Foster. McCartney and Martin also added one last, subtle touch: backing vocals from the original recordings of “Here, There And Everywhere”, “Eleanor Rigby” and “Because”, woven into the new song using the techniques perfected during the making of the LOVE show and album. The finished track was produced by McCartney and Martin, and mixed by Spike Stent.
#FIRSTLOOK: “NEW TRAILER FOR “THE BEATLES: GET BACK”
We’re sure many of you are going to be thrilled about this! Peter Jackson‘s THE BEATLES: GET BACK arrives next month, only on Disney+ and here’s your first look at the Docu-Series!
Synopsis:
Directed by three-time Oscar®-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson (“The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, “They Shall Not Grow Old”), “The Beatles: Get Back” takes audiences back in time to the band’s January 1969 recording sessions, which became a pivotal moment in music history. The docuseries showcases The Beatles’ creative process as they attempt to write 14 new songs in preparation for their first live concert in over two years. Faced with a nearly impossible deadline, the strong bonds of friendship shared by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr are put to the test. The docuseries is compiled from nearly 60 hours of unseen footage shot over 21 days, directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg in 1969, and from more than 150 hours of unheard audio, most of which has been locked in a vault for over half a century. Jackson is the only person in 50 years to have been given access to this Beatles treasure trove, all of which has now been brilliantly restored. What emerges is an unbelievably intimate portrait of The Beatles, showing how, with their backs against the wall, they could still rely on their friendship, good humour, and creative genius. While plans derail and relationships are put to the test, some of the world’s most iconic songs are composed and performed. The docuseries features – for the first time in its entirety – The Beatles’ last live performance as a group, the unforgettable rooftop concert on London’s Savile Row, as well as other songs and classic compositions featured on the band’s final two albums, Abbey Road and Let It Be.
THE BEATLES: GET BACK rolls-out November 25, 26 and 27, 2021, exclusively on Disney+.
(Photo/video credit: Disney+)
#FIRSTLOOK: NEW TRAILER FOR “YESTERDAY”
Everybody loves The Beatles! Check-out this new Trailer for YESTERDAY featuring Music by the iconic band and a breakout performance by Himesh Patel. Ed Sheeran, Kate McKinnon and Lily James also star.
Synopsis:
Jack Malik (Himesh Patel, BBC’s Eastenders) is a struggling singer-songwriter in a tiny English seaside town whose dreams of fame are rapidly fading, despite the fierce devotion and support of his childhood best friend, Ellie (Lily James, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again). Then, after a freak bus accident during a mysterious global blackout, Jack wakes up to discover that The Beatles have never existed … and he finds himself with a very complicated problem, indeed.
Performing songs by the greatest band in history to a world that has never heard them, and with a little help from his steel-hearted American agent, Debra (Emmy winner Kate McKinnon), Jack’s fame explodes. But as his star rises, he risks losing Ellie — the one person who always believed in him. With the door between his old life and his new closing, Jack will need to get back to where he once belonged and prove that all you need is love.
See the Trailer:
#SPOTTED: RINGO STARR AT INDIGO IN TORONTO FOR “PHOTOGRAPH”
The Beatles legend Ringo Starr is in Toronto today to play Massey Hall but not first without a rare opportunity to connect with fans. His book is called Photograph, a collection of Starr‘s photographic work taken from his archives and replicated from family albums. In addition to having these photos on exhibit today at Indigo Bay Bloor, Starr engaged in a Q&A with franchise founder and cheif executive, Heather Reisman.
Despite being 15 minutes only, Starr reflected upon his career and where he is today. He reveals that he grew up impoverished in Liverpool and after a bout of tuberculosis, he became obsessed with drumming after a nurse gave him a tambourine to play with. Despite not being able to afford drums, he made it a mission to go through music shops locally, playing every chance he got. After much persistence and not saying “no” to any opportunity, he would go on to become the star he is today.
Starr‘s book aims to do some good. Proceeds from sales go to the Lotus Children Foundation.
On artists of today, he wouldn’t single-out or nominate any he is most crazy about despite Reisman‘s persistence. He did say he had a great time collaborating with Green Day. He does still listen to his old vinyl and loves blues and country, occasionally downloading off iTunes new things he hears.
“Vinyl is better for the soul and ears”, he says on his preference how to listen to music. “It’s definitely gotten more popular again as kids have nothing to rebel against.”
Learn more about Photograph by Ringo Starr here.
It was amazing being literally a foot from Starr!
(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)
For advertising opportunites please contact mrwill@mrwillwong.com