Last Song by the Beatles

[Basvarken]

And there the case must rest, I don't believe that this song will be talked about much in ten years from now nor that it will ever gain the airplay/number of clicks of even, say, Love Me Do. Nor will Free as a Bird for that matter.

The video on YouTube has 18 million views in two days.
Not a bad score ;-)

[Basvarken]

BTW, an excellent use of AI would be to remove all of Yoko's vocal tracks, solo or with John.

[uwe]

The video on YouTube has 18 million views in two days.
Not a bad score ;-)

In this day and age, click bait curiosity of the moment is hardly a recommendation of quality or longevity.


I appreciate the time, work and devotion that has gone into the track, also the technology prowess behind it (though that also has me worried), but the song itself is just not up to the usual Fab Four standard. The original sketchy idea with just John on vocals and piano was at least intimate. The saving grace is that if there are two people on earth who should be allowed to attempt this, then they are indeed Paul and Ringo. They probably meant well and Paul's obsessive work ethos didn't allow him to leave something unfinished in the vaults.

Is it credited to Lennon/McCartney or just Lennon? Just curious.

And if Ringo and Paul now went out on tour with George and John joining them as avatars, I wouldn't want to see that traveling freak show either. Conceptually, this new recording is not all that different.

[gearHed289]

I like it. Nice song, great to hear something "new" from John. Some classic McCartney bass playing too.

[uwe]

I think both the music and the video of Free As A Bird had a more in depth, dreamlike quality to it, whih I found more appropriate,



the vid to Now & Then OTOH is kind of spoofy and the music would have perhaps benefited had Paul had the guts to throw in one of his trademark middle eights (as he did in Free As A Bird).

Real Love, I simply liked the melody of - though it is again very Lennon'esque, could have been a track off Double Fantasy.



Hell, it's The Beatles (or what's left of them), I don't really want to knock it. If this is wildly successful and seen as a crowning achievement of their music, then it has my blessing.

[westen44]

I also wish the best to those involved with this song.  I like the Beatles and hope they'll continue to be remembered in a positive light.  For me, though, this song just wasn't near previous attempts to do this sort of thing.  I don't even know if John Lennon himself would have liked it.  He could be seriously critical of his own songs. 

[Dave W]

It's good news for Maxwell's Silver Hammer. Now it will no longer be called the worst Beatles song ever.

[westen44]

Maxwell's Silver Hammer is actually a better song.  Despite its faults, it has a precision to it that can't be denied.  But it appears that Paul McCartney did have some qualms about doing "Now and Then."  He did wonder if it was inferior.  Ultimately, he decided John would have wanted it.  The ball was left in Paul's court, although I think he made the wrong decision.  Still, he is more qualified than anyone on earth to make decisions about Beatles songs. 

https://www.loudersound.com/news/beatles-record-paul-mccartney-on-the-reaction-to-now-and-then

[uwe]

It's good news for Maxwell's Silver Hammer. Now it will no longer be called the worst Beatles song ever.

I loved Maxwell's Silver Hammer when I first heard it as a kid and I still love it today! There is a thing to say about joyful songs dealing with homicide. And I always dug Paul's English Music Hall influence on The Beatles. Your Mother Should Know is among my top ten Beatles songs.

[Dave W]

I'm sure some people like the song, but the other Beatles loathed it.

[Basvarken]

For me Yellow Submarine is candidate for the worst Beatles song.

[Chris P.]

Talking about AI. Maybe if Gibson starts using it, they can really come with the basses the players want.

[ilan]

BTW, an excellent use of AI would be to remove all of Yoko's vocal tracks, solo or with John.

And we have a winner

[uwe]

For me Yellow Submarine is candidate for the worst Beatles song.

But I like that too! Anything Ringo sings moves my heart.

I always had a soft spot for the lightweight songs of the Fab Four too, Honey Pie, Rocky Raccoon, Good Night, Obladi Oblada or Octopus' Garden, there is a childlike innocence to them.

[Pilgrim]

But I like that too! Anything Ringo sings moves my heart.

I always had a soft spot for the lightweight songs of the Fab Four too, Honey Pie, Rocky Raccoon, Good Night, Obladi Oblada or Octopus' Garden, there is a childlike innocence to them.

Agreed!  Their light-hearted stuff is a welcome highlight for me.

I think Why Don't We Do It In the Road, You Know My Name and Piggies also fall in that group.