The Beatles released their first new single in decades last week, a tune titled “Now and Then.” As part of the marketing of the future smash, the two remaining members of the band—Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr—have repeatedly stated that it is, indeed, their “last” song together as a band. While they’ve said that it’s all over now, one source close to the group has hinted that it’s possible for more work to come out at some point in the future.
Peter Jackson, the producer behind the Beatles docuseries Get Back and the director of the “Now and Then” music video, recently suggested in an interview that the group could release more music. In a chat with the Sunday Times, the Oscar and Emmy winner commented that he has video footage of the musicians in the studio that could be used for future releases.
“We can take a performance from Get Back, separate John and George, and then have Paul and Ringo add a chorus or harmonies,” Jackson stated to the newspaper. He’s referring to footage from the docuseries that started the process that led to “Now and Then.”
In order to make the Emmy-winning TV program, Jackson and his team utilized brand new artificial intelligence software that allowed them to separate different pieces in an audio recording, such as a voice from a piano. Once that tech was proved, McCartney and Starr took another look at a demo they had from John Lennon and guitar riffs from George Harrison for the same track that was never finished.
They used the AI to clean all that audio up and finished the song with new vocals and instrumentation. That process was long and complicated, but it helped them create “Now and Then,” and now they could possibly continue with that roadmap to release even more music.
Of course, this is all conjecture. There’s no telling if the two remaining Beatles will want to make more music, or how anything would come out. “You might end up with a decent song,” Jackson said, which isn’t necessarily a glowing review, based on what he’s heard and seen.
The director further dampened excitement in the same interview. “It’s fanboy stuff,” Jackson stated about the possibility of more Beatles tunes, though he went on to say that it is “certainly conceivable.” He also added that he hasn’t “had conversations with Paul about that.”
It’s likely that the two band members, alongside Jackson, will remain mum about the topic until they’ve come to a decision…and then, the world might only learn what they’re thinking if they move forward with new creations.
Read the full article here