It's a bit strange to think that we are now in 2023, yet there is new music by both the Rolling Stones and the Beatles.
In the case of the Rolling Stones, of course, they have been a band through all of this time, through all of these decades, even after the departure and even deaths of some members of the band.
As for the Beatles, well....they broke up years before I was born. There were rumors that they might get together for years, and they even flirted with the idea once. But it never happened.
Then John Lennon was assassinated in 1980. Still, some people championed a reunion, with some people having the idea that Julian Lennon, John's son, taking lead vocals. This, despite the members themselves saying that there would be no reunion unless all four of them were in the band.
In 2001, George Harrison died. Half of the Fab Four were now gone.
It is amazing for me to think that, in fact, the Beatles are my favorite band. There were times when other bands kind of grabbed my attention for a while, even a long while. Yet, the more I thought about it, there was only one band that I literally never grew tired of or even cringed after hearing one of their songs come on the radio, before quickly turning the dial. Only one band that I can remember listening to from the time when I was just a little kid, and right through to the present.
Of course, that band is the Beatles.
Hell, I have been lucky. I have seen the surviving members of the Beatles multiple times each. Saw Paul McCartney perform a free show on the Plains of Abraham in Québec, one of the five times that I saw him perform a show. I have seen seven Ringo Starr shows, including his 70th birthday, with a special guest appearance by Paul McCartney for half a Beatles reunion back in 2010, along with other prominent musicians. I even saw Ringo Starr at a (sort of) book signing event. At some points, he was not fifteen feet away from me.
Yet, the funny thing is that most of their music came out long before I was ever born.
Most of it. But there were some previously unreleased tracks on the BBC recordings. And a couple of new tracks with the Anthology, back in the 1990's.
Now, one final new Beatles track.
Without getting into any kind of a debate about the merits - or possibly the lack thereof - regarding the involvement of AI, the fact of the matter is that this will be the last truly new Beatles track involving all four original members of the Beatles. There were technical difficulties with "Now and Then" which prevented it from being released with the other Anthology tracks. But now, here it is, released into the world.
I almost don't know what to feel. Grateful, happy, sad. After all, this is the last time that the band which, I believe, warrants the most serious consideration for "greatest rock band ever" will ever release a "new" song.
So here it is. This is the song. If you click on the link to the first article, they also play the song, but with the accompaniment of some historical, period video footage of the Beatles from back in their day.
One way or the other, this is history. The Beatles - yes, the Beatles - producing one last song for us now, well into the 21st century. And I am grateful.
Give it a listen, and enjoy!
Listen to the last new Beatles’ song with John, Paul, George, Ringo and AI tech by Maria Sherman, November 2, 2023:
Sixty years after the onset of Beatlemania and with two of the quartet now dead, artificial intelligence has enabled the release next week of what is promised to be the last “new” Beatles song, “Now and Then.”
https://apnews.com/article/beatles-last-song-now-then-release-fbce70071b4624f0d90bd18347f20fc6
The Beatles’ Final Song “Now and Then” Announced by Madison Bloom October 26, 2023
Written and sung by John Lennon, it was pieced together over the years by Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr… and AI
https://pitchfork.com/news/the-beatles-final-song-now-and-then-announced/?utm_medium=social&utm_social-type=owned&utm_brand=p4k&utm_source=facebook&mbid=social_facebook&fbclid=IwAR3VjE5jY5f3pNceHBhC48I7dkY1jwbJpcco_89I4--EMzZDQiLYGu-Mb74
The Beatles - Now And Then (Official Audio)
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