LISTEN TO BOOMTOWN RADIO! “ALL the Music That Matters for the Generation That Created Rock 'n' Roll”

Paul McCartney Announces “The Last Beatles Song”

Beatlemania will never die! Over 50 years after their break-up and even after the passing of two of their members, the Beatles will be releasing a new song this year.

Last week, Paul McCartney announced that they had been able to extract John Lennon’s voice from an old cassette demo recording of a song Lennon was working on in the 1970s. Using AI (Artificial Intelligence), they were able to remove the piano Lennon was playing on the demo and clean up the vocal.

While assembling of the multi-volume Beatles’ Anthology CD sets, Yoko Ono had given her permission for the remaining band members to utilize some of John’s unreleased demos to craft a couple of new Beatles songs for inclusion on Anthology. They chose “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love.” But there was a third tune, known as “Now and Then,” which the band rejected because 1.) George Harrison didn’t really care for it and 2.) the cassette recording couldn’t be cleaned up enough to yield a usable vocal. According to Ono, the song was written by John to Paul when the duo was considering reteaming to write some new tunes.

Fast forward to last year when film director, Peter Jackson was able to use AI to isolate Lennon’s vocals from “I’ve Got Feeling” as sung during their famous “Rooftop Concert.” That allowed Paul to duet live on stage with his old partner during Macca’s “Got Back” tour last year – a very moving highlight of the live show.

Listen to John's original demo.

Using the same technology, Paul has now been able to extract a usable vocal from “Now and Then.” One presumes Harrison had recorded some guitar for the track back during the Anthology sessions. As Paul & Ringo Starr are still with us, they, of course, can contribute to completing the song.

McCartney says the finished product – the “last Beatle song” will be released later this year.

To which we say, “Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!”

Pop Up Player

Latest Posts–Music

  • The Story Behind the Song - "Monster Mash"
      We’ve been hearing this song since it first entered the pop charts in the fall of 1962, but how much do you know about its creation? Bobby Pickett was an aspiring actor in L.A.…
  • Supergroups of the Sixties - The Rascals
    For two and half years, the Rascals were one of the biggest acts in rock. Then, towards the end of 1968, the hits just stopped coming. Why? Nobody knows. The nucleus of the band started…
  • Rock & Roll Muse: Donna Ludwig
    Anyone who’s seen the movie La Bamba (1987), knows the story behind Ritchie Valens rock classic, “Donna.” Valens wrote the song for his girlfriend, Donna Ludwig at a time when his career was starting to…
  • How the Who Finally Cracked the U.S. Market
    More than anything, the Who craved success in America. Despite overwhelming success in their native England, the band had trouble selling records in the States. They had reached the American Top 10 with their singles…
  • Superstars of the 60s: Dave Clark Five
    Almost forgotten now, the Dave Clark Five were at one time considered to be the band that would dethrone the Beatles as the Baby Boomers’ favorite. How could that be? Before we answer that question,…
  • Revenge of the One-Hit Wonders: "Angle of the Morning" by Merilee Rush
    The True Stories Behind Rock’s “1-and-Done” Classics “Angel of the Morning” (1968) As is often the case with 1-Hit Wonders, the composer and producers of “Angel of the Morning” actually had long, successful careers, even…