From The Guardian\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s review:<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153This was a slightly different version of events to the one given by McCartney a decade ago. Then, he claimed the late George Harrison \u00e2\u20ac\u201c always the most unbiddable ex-Beatle \u00e2\u20ac\u201c had singlehandedly drawn the sessions to a close by describing Now and Then as \u00e2\u20ac\u0153f*cking rubbish\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. (\u00e2\u20ac\u0153But it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s John!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d McCartney had apparently protested, to no avail: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153This is f*cking rubbish,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Harrison countered.) Indeed, Harrison seemed unsure about the whole idea of reworking Lennon\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s material. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I hope someone does this to all my crap demos after I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m dead \u00e2\u20ac\u201c turn them into hit songs,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he subsequently remarked, which perhaps wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t the promotional boost for the new songs Apple was after.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
https:\/\/tinyurl.com\/2ffasart<\/p>\n
George was right.<\/p>\n
David Bower<\/p>\n
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This piece really struck a chord with me. I was a roadie in the mid 60s and went to work at Columbia as an engineer in 1971 so I’ve got a few albums under my belt. There’s a reason they’re outtakes. They weren’t good enough to make the cut and no amount of lipstick will make it so. I don’t remember a time when it wasn’t clear what to leave off if you had to. I mean, every one would\u00c2\u00a0look at each other and say, Nope.<\/p>\n
And the remixing thing makes my skin crawl. I do not understand how the work of the artist and producer can be so thoroughly\u00c2\u00a0disrespected.<\/p>\n
Phil Brown<\/p>\n
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Thank you for putting into words what many of us who lived through The Beatles\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 era in real time, feel about \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Now and Then.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d This \u00e2\u20ac\u0153new\u00e2\u20ac\u009d song, along with \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Free as a Bird\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Real Love,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d were not good enough for John to even consider recording for his own albums and now they are official \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Beatles\u00e2\u20ac\u009d songs? Seriously? I would have had a \u00c2\u00a0passing interest in hearing the original demos once, maybe twice but all three should just be credited as John Lennon demos..nothing more, nothing less. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t care who played on them. Releasing them as Beatles songs was just a bad idea. Period.<\/p>\n
The only song that even comes close to being worthy of being considered a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Beatles song\u00e2\u20ac\u009d after they broke up, was \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m The Greatest,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d which was written by a Beatle and featured John, George, Ringo, Billy Preston and Klaus Voormann as the band. That was special\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6unlike the three demos that Yoko gave to Paul.<\/p>\n
I also strongly agree with you about the recent stereo remixes. I tried listening to The White Album and Sgt. Pepper and could not get past three songs. The Beatles and George Martin made creative decisions on the spot based strictly on the limitations of the technology available to them at the time. Remixing those recordings just because you have new technology, is desecrating historic art and I hope that in time, will be proven to be a huge misstep.<\/p>\n
I am a life long Beatles fanatic and historian so I was quite pleased to read your comments.<\/p>\n
Rich Ulloa
\nYesterday & Today Records \/ Y&T Music<\/p>\n
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Bravo!!! Thanks for saying what everyone should be saying!\u00c2\u00a0 This is an abomination and with the “dramatic” build up…even moreso…<\/p>\n
Also thanks for the comment on the heinous Taylor Swift re-recordings…what a pile of revenge based garbage that no one needed but her legions of brain dead followers just continue to eat up whatever she vomits out like baby birds being fed by their mama in the nest…You signed a contract…honor that contract and if you’re so great and talented…move on and give your oppressors the big FU by beating your own past output with classic new material.\u00c2\u00a0 I can’t believe this is what music\/the music industry has come to.<\/p>\n
Leigh Lust<\/p>\n
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Like any gift\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 Unwrap it, be grateful and say thank you\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n
dave traina<\/p>\n
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Can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t disagree w most of what you said, but kind of liked it with the creepy but effective Peter Jackson music video that came out this am:<\/p>\n
Keith Shapiro<\/p>\n
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Totally agree.<\/p>\n
John Parikhal<\/p>\n
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Wow. Why you spent your energy vilifying Now & Then is beyond comprehension. Hate serves no one.<\/p>\n
Sean McGowan<\/p>\n
Portland OR<\/p>\n
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Did we hear the same song? Watch the same video?<\/p>\n
With all due respect, we can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t say what John would have thought of this record at the age of 83 because we will never know how he would have grown\/changed over the last four decades. Hell, we might have seen all four of them together again. We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll never know.<\/p>\n
I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve listened to this song all day. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s IS the Beatles. I adore Jeff Lynne, but I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think of him when I hear this song. The video is a masterpiece of, well, now and then.<\/p>\n
If you aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t reaching for a Kleenex, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re missing the point. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m only a few years younger than you are. Soon we won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have Ringo or Paul. I will take \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Now and Then\u00e2\u20ac\u009d as the gift that it is.<\/p>\n
Best,<\/p>\n
Kim McAllister<\/p>\n
P.S. Paul is amazing for 82 and as for not aging – where is Ringo keeping his Dorian Gray portrait?<\/p>\n
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Welp, there’s the stretched Am9 move at the end of the verse. Instead of landing on the tonic, John lifts the melody to B, the 9 of the chord. If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re someone who responds to a harmonic twist -and- have a sense of context for what was in vogue when he was playing with this, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s gorgeous, simple, in character and a pure hook.<\/p>\n
Listened to it twice and had the song stuck in my head all day.<\/p>\n
Chris Desmond<\/p>\n
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You know I love you, but maybe lighten up a little?<\/p>\n
I just happened to be in front of the Amsterdam Hilton yesterday when I heard it for the first time and definitely got a little misty. The somber opening verses were enough\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n
Of course, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not A Day in the Life, but nice nonetheless to hear the final offering from the most culturally impactful band of all time.<\/p>\n
Out of respect for all that was, and all the work that went into this single \u00c2\u00a0– maybe just say thank you. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just too easy to throw shade in these weird times.<\/p>\n
They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve given us too much to bash them for trying to hoist the flag one last time.<\/p>\n
Shane Alexander<\/p>\n
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I respectfully disagree. Yes, the mix could be lightened up, but the song itself is perfect for this time. It is the coda for an era, and our lifetimes. It’s like a Chopin funeral piece. We were lucky to live through the 60s & 70s. It’s all sh*t now, and this song is the perfect expression of\/for the here and now. It couldn’t have been more timely. It carves the end in cold stone.<\/p>\n
Kieron McKindle<\/p>\n
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Wow. What the f*ck do you know about what John would have thought? He clearly loved beautifully produced music throughout his solo career, from Mind Games to Watching The Wheels.
\nErrant piano? It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s re-recorded by Paul you moron.
\nYou think this is about \u00e2\u20ac\u0153selling something?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d What the hell do the Beatles have to sell?
\nOh, and now you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re a record producer? \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The strings \u00e2\u20ac\u0153distract not add.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nI loved this song. Brought me to tears in the car on the 101. And have loved the Beatles since I bought \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I Feel Fine\u00e2\u20ac\u009d when I was 7.
\nPaul and Ringo just gave a beautiful gift to all Beatles fans.
\nThank you gents. Label it fab.<\/p>\n
John Watkin<\/p>\n
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I agree with you on this one. Macca\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s revisionist history is just out of control and tarnishing the legacy of the group at this point. There is no way John Lennon would have let this come out. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s obvious he was working on the melody and the words would come later. He never would let lyrics this banal be the finished song. McCartney on the other hand, well banal lyrics are his thing. Listening to him speak in this video he sounds like has had a stroke. Has he? Does not sound well to me. Anyways, I wish John and George were here to stop him from doing and saying the things he does. And \u00e2\u20ac\u02dc\u00e2\u20ac\u2122now there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all this\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
JC<\/p>\n
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It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s funny, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to, but I totally agree with you.<\/p>\n
John-Angus MacDonald<\/p>\n
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I’m inclined to agree on the egotist aspect regarding this project–it’s McCartney getting what he wanted, like he always seems to–and I’m even willing to agree that this hodgepodge\u00c2\u00a0is a Frankensteinian monster that John probably would not have enjoyed. Nevertheless, I found myself enjoying the track as a coda.<\/p>\n
You mention Plastic Ono, which I find to be Lennon’s best songwriting through his career; however, unlike you, I read at least the Lennon-penned lyrics as featuring a similar cry to the heart; they have a wistful tone to the entirety of it lacking\u00c2\u00a0in “Free as a Bird” and barely there in “Real Love” (the latter of which is the superior of the Anthology tracks). I imagine you would prefer the\u00c2\u00a0demo tape, which is featured in the first half of the linked video. Take a listen and maybe you’ll find the same nostalgia and reverence I do. I ended up preferring it to the recent redux and I think if you like Plastic Ono, listening to it will make you understand why McCartney became so hung-up on the track.<\/p>\n
PS–I think you underestimate the appeal of the Jeff Lynne sound. George Harrison didn’t have him produce Cloud Nine for nothing; he fit their sound, although I admit to finding him a little more string-happy than George Martin, and I do think there’s a similarity to the sound only he could provide.<\/p>\n
Best,<\/p>\n
Kevin Brennan<\/p>\n
some dumb Millennial who’s listened to the dumb track too many times in 24 hours.<\/p>\n
_________________________________<\/p>\n
I appreciate where you are coming\u00c2\u00a0from. I don’t like what Paul, Gilles and Ringo did with this snippet of a Lennon song. It is pretty average, when, of course, the Beatles were anything but average. But Beatle fans are obsessive beyond the pale and I think the decision was made to release it for them Yes, it is a money grab. Yes, it’s subpar. But these Beatle fans would want to at least see what it was. Anybody expecting ‘Now and Then’ to be great would be sadly mistaken. Hell, I never even liked Real Love much.<\/p>\n
But we’ve gotten to the point in music where it is similar to Egyptologists digging out scrolls. Everything about Beatles is even bigger than them. And I can’t blame them.<\/p>\n
My Regards.<\/p>\n
D. Bodnar<\/p>\n
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Couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t disagree more. Firstly, the Anthology collections were great and full of rarities and alternate takes that were fantastic. Second, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Free As A Bird\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Real Love\u00e2\u20ac\u009d were beautifully done and both very poignant songs. You speak with such disregard that it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hard to imagine you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re even much of a fan.<\/p>\n
Jonathan Espeche<\/p>\n
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Not as bad as you make it out to be, Bob. But Ringo never used a wood block or rim shot in place of a snare. The strings and guitar were restrained enough.<\/p>\n
My biggest complaint is the artificial sheen the covers the whole song.<\/p>\n
Cheers, Thomas Queinn<\/p>\n
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I am certainly not the first to wonder and ask, but I have to: why did Yoko okay this?!?…or is it a ‘democracy rules’ arrangement in the modern-day Apple organization?!?<\/p>\n
Doug Collette<\/p>\n
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Hi Bob\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6yet this version by an artist I do not know makes me feel great about the song.<\/p>\n
https:\/\/timmysean.bandcamp.com\/album\/now-and-then-beatles-cover<\/p>\n
Rich Pagano<\/p>\n
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Bob, this ain\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t perfect, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s TEN THOUSAND TIMES BETTER than what you so perfectly put down in your essay!! \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n
“The Beatles – Now And Then (Cover) – Played Like The Early Beatles”: https:\/\/tinyurl.com\/yzk86add<\/p>\n
Arlen Schumer<\/p>\n
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Ok fine, Bob, be that way.<\/p>\n
Ultimately the song is a fascinating cultural artifact – a record with two dead guys (one barely on it) and the two surviving Beatles. \u00c2\u00a0It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s NOT a Beatles song – but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an emotional and moving curio, and repeated listens yield a lot of pleasure and fascinating thoughts about the band, the four men, and their relationships.<\/p>\n
Not everything is a cynical money grab.<\/p>\n
I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m glad they did it – completed the troika – the assignment when Yoko handed off the tapes all those years ago.<\/p>\n
No one really thinks these three belong with the other, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcreal\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Beatle songs.<\/p>\n
Nick Davis<\/p>\n
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You would think that, seeing the wrath that Paul felt when Phil Spector overproduced Let It Be (compare, for example, The Long and Winding Road on Abbey Road with that same song de-Spectored on Let It Be\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6.Naked) that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d be more sensitive to taking something simple and overembellishing it.\u00c2\u00a0 But that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s exactly what he and Ringo and Giles Martin have done here, they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve taken something simple and perhaps even beautiful at its core, and Spectorized it.\u00c2\u00a0 The vocals that are being touted as being clear are still buried in the mix, as are the added guitar solos.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The great lesson of outtakes collections is that, in general, the artists knew quality when they heard it and issued what they felt was the best take.\u00c2\u00a0 With the exception of Springsteen\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Tracks and the Tom Petty box, most outtake collections are good for maybe a listen, and then put onto the shelf.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The real revelation here is the flip side of Love Me Do, which has astounding clarity and excellent instrument separation.\u00c2\u00a0 I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not a purist, I want to hear the music in the best form possibility with existing technologies.\u00c2\u00a0 Love Me Do does that, making me wait for the demixed Red and Blue albums.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Paul Kaytes<\/p>\n
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Bob the first thing you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get is this is a love song. Lennon feeling unprotected was reaching out to Yoko. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153And if I make it through it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all because of you\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Oh, now and then \u00c2\u00a0I want you \u00c2\u00a0to be there for me\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. \u00c2\u00a0Maybe it hit me more deeply because I have had cancer for 6 years<\/p>\n
John Emms<\/p>\n
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Just out of interest\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6. Isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t it ironic that their Biggest tune on Spotify is \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcHere Comes The Sun\u00e2\u20ac\u2122\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6. George would have a rye smile \u00e2\u20ac\u00a6.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Stephen Budd<\/p>\n
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Thank you.<\/p>\n
“Talk about losing the plot… Didn’t anybody involved blow the whistle, say this was a bad idea? That there was no reason to tarnish the image of the band that got it right from beginning to end?”<\/p>\n
Yes, George Harrison did. He refused to work on it. Said it was “f*cking rubbish”. But George is dead and apparently his vote doesn’t count anymore. So much for Beatle democracy. Bah. Humbug. A pox on it.<\/p>\n
Adam Blake<\/p>\n
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Why is the cover art so bland and unimaginative?<\/p>\n
Pierre Lamoureux<\/p>\n
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Somebody got up on the wrong side of the bed today. I know the world is f*cked but lighten up.<\/p>\n
John Milo<\/p>\n
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I think you are too fast to critically represent John Lennon’s opinion. Considering he was murdered almost 45 years ago, I think he would be f*cking blown away re: the surrealism of this time and place. The dancing Magical Mystery Tour and Sergeant Pepper bodies floating in and out of the video, seeing his friends thirty and forty years\u00c2\u00a0older, and the digital technology behind separating his voice from piano and his old bandmates overdubbing to a rinky dink cassette. Even Gilles arranging the orchestra might have been fascinating to an 83 yr old Dr. Winston O’Boogie, (though his father’s talent is not something genetically transferable, imho). Anyway, it is no threat to their legacy and I probably will relisten more than t I currently do with Revolution\u00c2\u00a0#9.<\/p>\n
bob wiseman<\/p>\n
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Re “And then the strings come in”:<\/p>\n
That’s when I went out. Perfectly awful<\/p>\n
George Middendorf<\/p>\n
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Mr. Happy strikes again.<\/p>\n
Billy Chapin<\/p>\n
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Bob, thanks for telling it like it is! The thing that bugs me about this travesty is the sound of John’s vocal, it doesn’t sound like him! It sounds like a sh*tty impersonator! Steve Guttenberg<\/p>\n
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jesus christ bob<\/p>\n
it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a mediocre song but so what? it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the beatles\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 and the video is cool<\/p>\n
and once again they have the high hand over the stones and the hackneyed\u00c2\u00a0hackney diamonds<\/p>\n
and dylan? he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s still on the road headin\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 for another joint\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 tangled up in blue<\/p>\n
if i told you in 1973 that\u00c2\u00a0these guys would still be \u00e2\u20ac\u0153making music\u00e2\u20ac\u009d 50 years later you would never have believed it<\/p>\n
the world is\u00c2\u00a0f*cked up enough<\/p>\n
why not enjoy this?<\/p>\n
lit523<\/p>\n
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Heard now and then for the first time this evening on Little stevens UG.
\nMy go to station. So, SVZ was DJ-ing and by way of introduction, described it in his words as the Beatles latest, not necessarily the last single. Fair enough and,, whatever.
\nWhat struck me is not so much whether I liked it or not -that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s irrelevant
\nThe fact is it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not a Beatles song, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a John Lennon song with his fellow musicians from the Beatles contributing to it. It just doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t sound like a Beatles song in anyway shape or form. It very much sounds like (and you nailed it ) a Jeff Lynne song trying to sound like a Beatles song..
\nJust one (former) Liverpool lads opinion.
\nAndrew Parr, London, Ontario Canada<\/p>\n
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How fortunate and blessed the world is to have someone as wise and eloquent as you to speak on behalf of John Lennon and George Harrison. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m sure they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re doing cartwheels in their graves safe in the knowledge that you have their backs. Unlike those money grubbing, whore, former partners of theirs who clearly have no idea what they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re doing. And good for you for getting in your obligatory Taylor Swift dig in the midst of this horsesh*t rant. Well done.<\/p>\n
Matt Levy<\/p>\n
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You seem like something is bothering you today and you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re taking on The Beatles.<\/p>\n
Geremiah Giampa<\/p>\n
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To me, Now and Then sounds like a James Bond theme song.<\/p>\n
Matthew Grandi<\/p>\n
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The average Beatle fan doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t care about the business side nor do they care, they just enjoy the songs and their relevance to their past. It makes them feel good.<\/p>\n
This isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t the best Beatles song, but it will resonate and be enjoyed by the fans. The industry can naval gaze all day long\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6the fan will enjoy the moment.<\/p>\n
Regards,
\nAlan Robertson<\/p>\n
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left me with an overwhelming sense of dread. I wish I had not listened\/watched<\/p>\n
Frank Stewart<\/p>\n
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Boy oh boy, are you right about this one Bob. This is worse than Free as a Bird, which was chock full of tricks too.<\/p>\n
It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just a shame. Ya know at first I was thinking wow, a new Beatles record. I allowed myself to remember that feeling from when I was a kid. We devoured everything they did and said. Couldn’t wait. Remember that excitement? It was such an all good thing.<\/p>\n
But the fun was over the minute I heard this. What a mess. The real kick in the ass is they show you in the video how they cleaned up John\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s voice. It sounded beautiful. It had a tentative demo quality to it, but it sounded like John, and reminded us of when John\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s amazing voice could be tender. They should\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve just taken that and put it way up front, and kept it simple and strong like some of their best work. But instead, they buried it with all kinds of crap from all directions, including McCartney\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcs 2023 voice, at times louder than John\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s!<\/p>\n
So, all that work to dig John\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s vocal out, only to bury it again? Paul blew it.<\/p>\n
I worship The Beatles. This is not the coda they deserved.<\/p>\n
Love, Love, Love,<\/p>\n
Paul Gigante<\/p>\n
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I don’t know Bob, maybe all the sh*te things going on in the world have got you a little cynical right now, and yes there is a lot of bad bad stuff happening right now…but as a kid who watched the Fab Four on Ed Sullivan that night and followed them into the fray (i.e. became a performing musician) I found this foray nostalgic and frankly, happy. Will I ever listen to the track again, no.\u00c2\u00a0 Was it fun watching the 12 minute mini-movie about how they made it, hell yes! Was it fun watching the video of the song, yes. I don’t think Paul and Ringo are trying to get rich off of this, they are already rich.\u00c2\u00a0 I don’t think they were trying to make a chart topping single. I think they were loving the feeling of recapturing the moment, and paying homage to their two brothers. I’m glad they did.<\/p>\n
Robert Pina<\/p>\n
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It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a Beatles funeral song whilst two are with us in this world of BS.<\/p>\n
I gotta think you have reduced the essence here to be more \u00e2\u20ac\u0153get off my lawn\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u201d you should be more \u00e2\u20ac\u0153what me worry\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Thanks for having the guts to share such a miserable take! \u00c2\u00a0Love ya, mate<\/p>\n
All best,
\nJosh Hall<\/p>\n
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Can’t agree, Bob. The song is melancholy, wistful, full of love and laced with a feeling of loneliness–which could describe any number of songs by John or Paul. Or George for that matter. The mix is thick, yes, but not the way Lynne’s clankarank production of “Free As A Bird” was.<\/p>\n
And the whole idea of the song–from the title to the little Ringo cameo at the end, bookending the song with Paul at the other end–is that time passes but just maybe love can conquer all. That’s John’s message to Yoko, and his message to himself. It’s also Paul’s message to his mates, and to us, the Beatles audience. We’ve grown old with them. That doesn’t diminish their heroism, that they’ve aged. It enlarges and strengthens that heroism.<\/p>\n
Most of all, the song and arrangement are beautiful in conception and nearly always in execution as well. It’s a meta-song, a song about the Beatles, about how it might be true, however difficult, that in the end the love you take is equal to the love you make. All four Beatles believe that. And to quote another of\u00c2\u00a0theiridols, maybe if we think and wish and hope and pray it might come true.<\/p>\n
This final Beatles song makes my heart stronger for the heavy tasks ahead.<\/p>\n
And then the Peter Jackson video celebrates that strength while simultaneously reminding us that the Beatles were cheeky lads who loved to take the piss….<\/p>\n
Works for me.<\/p>\n
Gardner Campbell<\/p>\n
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I for sure approve of this song and project. No, it is not the best work ever, it’s the virtual Beatles afterall, but it was a gift for Paul and Ringo to do and a gift to the many fans who will care and enjoy it. My guess a treat for John\/George families also. It’s really nothing more and nothing less… just a nice little song. All the rest of it is just blather. They’re the Beatles, we’re not, they dug it as artists, friends, family… that’s enough for me.<\/p>\n
My 2 cents
\nTim Honan<\/p>\n
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A hype balloon filled with the last gasp of the 20th century.<\/p>\n
Gerry Bayne<\/p>\n
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Thanks for speaking the truth about \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Now and Then\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. This isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t a Beatles song at all. \u00c2\u00a0John wrote it in 1977. The Beatles had long ceased to exist. If it was a Beatles song it would be great. This is a money grab to sell repackaged Red and Blue albums that will be remixed using digital technology. Pretty soon the world will never be able to hear the songs as intended. We will hear what Giles Martin wants us to hear. No thanks.<\/p>\n
Dennis Paulik<\/p>\n
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What really matters is how you feel when the song hits you the first time you hear it. \u00c2\u00a0And this one really touched a lot of emotions.<\/p>\n
Meghan Gohil<\/p>\n
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I listened to Now & Then 15 times last night trying to find the song in the foggy mix. I went to bed and woke up this morning and\u00c2\u00a0I listened again. No goosebumps. Nothing<\/p>\n
I had an inbox full of emails asking me what I thought\u00c2\u00a0about the song.<\/p>\n
This was probably because\u00c2\u00a0I wrote a Beatles column for Goldmine magazine for 5 years called “Now We’re Sixty Four”. I stopped writing the column after the Let it Be Peter Jackson doc.<\/p>\n
I had had enough. 5 years of remixed albums, several press listening sessions\u00c2\u00a0with the Atmos mixes and 2 Giles Martin exclusive interviews.<\/p>\n
At the last Giles interview, he explained they could now lift any voice or instrument on any track and manipulate it anyway they wanted.<\/p>\n
I decided my time as a Beatles writer\/observer\/fan had finally run its course.<\/p>\n
Like you Bob, I was a Beatles\u00c2\u00a0fan in real time, not some ‘Johnny come lately’.<\/p>\n
I have dozens of original UK, Japanese, German, Swedish, South American & US mono and stereo Beatles albums, 45’s, ep’s and reel to reel tapes.<\/p>\n
All bought in real time\u00c2\u00a0 from ’64–’70.<\/p>\n
I know the music as well as any musician could know an artist<\/p>\n
I have 2 real butcher covers.<\/p>\n
My reaction to this\u00c2\u00a0‘final Beatles song’ along with the video and the remixed Blue and Red albums is this:<\/p>\n
To paraphrase Neil Aspinall:\u00c2\u00a0 Apple Corp. is not in the music business, it is in the Beatle business.<\/p>\n
And so it is. Another expertly\u00c2\u00a0packaged product launch with all the hype they can muster.<\/p>\n
The video is cute and full of the only product they have left: Nostalgia<\/p>\n
I played the song again today. 10 times. It’s a demo. period.\u00c2\u00a0 It still goes nowhere<\/p>\n
Cute title: Now and Then<\/p>\n
“Yesterday and Today”, “Here, There & Everywhere” and\u00c2\u00a0 “The Long & Winding Road” had already been taken.<\/p>\n
The Beatle business will continue. I’m sure\u00c2\u00a0the remix of Rubber Soul is coming.<\/p>\n
As far as i’m concerned however, i’m content to just<\/p>\n
“Let It Be!’<\/p>\n
Jay Jay French<\/p>\n
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Wow! This is almost a clickbait article. Ok, well I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll bite.<\/p>\n
The new single is like a Rorschach test. People see in it what they want to see.<\/p>\n
Couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t disagree more with your assessment. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so much more to the song than just what you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re hearing.<\/p>\n
It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an emotional trip.<\/p>\n
John is my favorite all time singer, and the Beatles are not only my all time favorite band, but my all time favorite anything besides my family.<\/p>\n
Did I listen to ANTHOLOGY more than once? Why yes I did! I immediately copied them onto cassette so I could listen to them repeatedly in the car. (Including the non-LP CD bonus tracks.) I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve also watched the GET BACK documentary 5 1\/2 times.<\/p>\n
As for what Lennon would have thought: he changed his mind all the time. What he thought in 1970 was different from what he thought in 1965 or 1975. And from any Monday to the following Tuesday. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s easy to imagine both John and George softening up in their old age, if they were still around.<\/p>\n
What you think about the quality of the song is almost irrelevant. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just an opinion. But the emotional heaviness is off the charts.<\/p>\n
As for the song being \u00e2\u20ac\u0153dreary,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d well \u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all they had to work with because\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 well\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 John and George are no longer here. And that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s reality.<\/p>\n
You can feel Paul putting as much emotion as he can muster into this recording. Is his slide playing the same as George\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s? No, but as a tribute, how can you not be moved?<\/p>\n
Unlike the recent Stones\/Jagger pandemic songs, NOW AND THEN will be remembered by those who care, and are still open to feeling things emotionally instead of intellectually.<\/p>\n
Will it have no impact? On who? People who care certainly will.<\/p>\n
You know it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s true.<\/p>\n
Peace and love,<\/p>\n
Harold Lepidus<\/p>\n
Boston Harold Podcast<\/p>\n
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You are a beacon of sanity in the online Now And Then hoopla. The song is a dreary dirge, yet if you only read the online comments you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d think it was the greatest Beatles track ever released.<\/p>\n
Insane.<\/p>\n
Turk<\/p>\n
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Totally agree and have been waiting for ANYONE to share this perspective publicly.<\/p>\n
Even when talking with friends and family who have been lifelong Beatles fanatics, the conversation is never \u00e2\u20ac\u0153what a great song!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d But more like \u00e2\u20ac\u0153that was so exciting to hear\u00e2\u20ac\u009d.<\/p>\n
Regardless of the song itself, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m glad they made it – I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m 28 and heard it for the first time on KCRW Thursday morning ~7:20 am. It felt like I was in a Time Machine. There was 3 minutes of peace where I got to imagine a monoculture of fans discovering the same song at the same time. It was an awesome feeling. Aside from live sports and concerts, when do people consume things at the same time?<\/p>\n
Happy for the experience and will always love the Beatles, but would be surprised if I listen to this song by choice many times.<\/p>\n
Tom Capone<\/p>\n
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It made me happy<\/p>\n
It made me sad<\/p>\n
It made me think<\/p>\n
It made me feel<\/p>\n
More please<\/p>\n
Steven Gietka<\/p>\n
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Highly disappointed in \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Now and Then\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I barely made it through once and I won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be going back.<\/p>\n
Rob Halprin<\/p>\n
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I recoiled in horror when\u00c2\u00a0i heard\u00c2\u00a0there was another Beatles resurrection coming. But in reality it’s been my earworm since BBC\u00c2\u00a06music\u00c2\u00a0played it twice on Thursday. I find Lennon’s vocal touching and the lyrics genuine. Now as you say\u00c2\u00a0its\u00c2\u00a0not really a true Beatles\u00c2\u00a0tunes, melded in the fab four cauldron, but it\u00c2\u00a0reminds you just how much of a talent Lennon truly was. Plus my earworm hasn’t remembered the string section.\u00c2\u00a0\ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n
Keep on keeping on<\/p>\n
Rich Dale<\/p>\n
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Oh Bob, you hard hearted man! Chill out! My guess is you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve only listened once because I too thought it dreary and sugary on first listen but I persisted and, hey, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcStrawberry Fields\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 but did you expect that? As for John hating it, who knows? All I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll say is an awful lot of post Fabs\u00e2\u20ac\u02dc Lennon is gooey and sentimental and not that great, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcDouble Fantasy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 is a very poor record. Any road, I like \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcnow and then\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 very much albeit I doubt I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll ever play it after the next week or so. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t play \u00c2\u00a0Bowie\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcBlackstar\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 either despite it being a good effort and his best since \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcScary Monsters\u00e2\u20ac\u2122, but that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s another story.<\/p>\n
Keith Stael<\/p>\n
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Oh , Bob. F*ck what john would have done ( this time ) we need this.i need this. Peace & Love from Argentina, Andrew Loog Oldham<\/p>\n
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Lifelong fan but must agree this should have not been done. I just listened to the John Lennon demo on you tube. \u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=gO_5et2vQLI\u00c2\u00a0 This shows the raw emotion and passion that John intended comes though so much better on the demo. It should remain as a John song and not be rehashed as The Beatles. Get rid of AI before we all become cloned and turn Donald Trump into a nice chap. LOL. !!<\/p>\n
Colin Newman<\/p>\n
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So I clicked the YT link first, watched thinking about your forewarning but that the bass and drums must have laid a good foundation so… clicked the Spotify link.<\/p>\n
Sounded decent at first but maybe a minute in realized I felt like a late night snack, wandered over to the fridge, debated between black raspberries and fresh pineapple chunks, hmm…<\/p>\n
Went with the raspberries, savored them then decided to have the pineapple too, then after a few bites realized: wait, this thing is STILL going, how fking boring.<\/p>\n
But at least the fruit was good.<\/p>\n
DG<\/p>\n
P.S. Spotify autoplayed Love Me Do next, now THAT held my attention.<\/p>\n
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Lt reader and big fan !<\/p>\n
This is the first time in a VERY long time that I 100% Disagree with a review of yours.<\/p>\n
I believe the Beatles knocked it out of the ballpark with the ballad of Now and then !<\/p>\n
Listen to the lead guitar in the background and the absolute beautiful arrangement of the song.<\/p>\n
Your points of crunchy Lennon and ELO are well taken but the Beatles were always a moving unit and\u00c2\u00a0Lennon would have been ok with this song (that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s my believe \u00f0\u0178\u02dc\u2026)<\/p>\n
Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t forget that Lynne and George were best buds for a very long time.<\/p>\n
Best, Heiner\u00c2\u00a0Leiber<\/p>\n
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I have been disappointed this song and the Anthology songs. \u00c2\u00a0It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s particularly bad they cut out a whole section of John\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s song.
\nHowever I think the video is very moving especially with all the new footage. \u00c2\u00a0Abbey Road was the perfect ending to the group. \u00c2\u00a0This is a nice GOODBYE to the band and a nice goodbye from the band to itself and two of its own members<\/p>\n
Happyron Hill<\/p>\n
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This is a beautiful, sentimental, joyous finale and coda from the Beatles to close the loop on their era. Paul and Ringo made this a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153love letter\u00e2\u20ac\u009d to the four of them. They loved each other. I loved it. You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re way overthinking it.<\/p>\n
Ken Green<\/p>\n
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Bob,<\/p>\n
Let it be.<\/p>\n
Roni and Jeff<\/p>\n
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Most of what you said here today I said after listening to it yesterday 5 times ~ McCartney must have had an ego rush ~ Can you believe at the end of the video Paul take’s a bow instead of giving it to John ~ WTF could he be thinking ~<\/p>\n
Sadly the dead can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t speak otherwise this recording would have never seen the light of day ~ Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get me wrong it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s great that they were able to lift the voice out of that years old cassette tape but instead of using it to it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s advantage they screwed it up ~<\/p>\n
Me I was thinking more of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Oh my love\u00e2\u20ac\u009d off the Imagine Lp as the recording type that I was hoping to find ~ Instead I we got the full blown “Real Love\u00e2\u20ac\u009d ~<\/p>\n
Sadly ~ The Dream is over ~<\/p>\n
_________________________________<\/p>\n
Ha ha Bob-<\/p>\n
But what do you REALLY think?<\/p>\n
Personally, I like it.<\/p>\n
Regards,
\nMark Feldman<\/p>\n
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Seriously man\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n
Lighten up. So it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not White Album material, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s still better than anything on the radio.<\/p>\n
Misty\u00c2\u00a0Ragland<\/p>\n
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Wow! You can read John Lennon’s mind. How special you are.<\/p>\n
S. Butler<\/p>\n
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I was instantly blown away with how bad it sounds\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthe arrangement, production, and performances. I wanted to turn it off, but I listened to the end, hoping for redemption. Which obviously never came. What a sad day for Beatles fandom and the legacy of their collective and individual genius. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m reminded of all of the \u00e2\u20ac\u02dclost\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Hendrix tracks that were completed without him. The real life soundtrack to The Stepford Wives!<\/p>\n
Dan Workman<\/p>\n
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Completely agree.<\/p>\n
Lennon once said the problem with Neil Young was he never resolved anything in his songs, either lyrically or melodically. I dare say Johnnie would say the same of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Now and Then.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
How did Yoko let this happen? She needs the money?<\/p>\n
Emory Damron<\/p>\n
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True. But did anyone need to hear you yell “get off my lawn!” in response?<\/p>\n
The value of your take in the same neighborhood as the value of the song in the big picture.<\/p>\n
Perhaps their attempt at an epitaph is not the worst thing in today’s sh*t world. A reminder pointing toward their music and the possibility of that time.<\/p>\n
Cheers anyway Bob, always entertaining.<\/p>\n
Bob Kalill<\/p>\n
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I agree that “Now and Then” is a bore.<\/p>\n
Craig<\/p>\n
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All I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m seeing on social media and Internet forums are rave reviews for this. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get it. I was starting to think it was me until I read this.<\/p>\n
It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s garbage!<\/p>\n
Now, I did like \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Free As A Bird\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Real Love\u00e2\u20ac\u009d when they came out. This is not even up to that snuff.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u201dRob Maurer<\/p>\n
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No, you will not feel the earth move under your feet, but maybe it’s better to view the song as you would an antique or a curio; you find a potato peeler from 1893, clean it up, make it good as new, but you’re \u00c2\u00a0never going to actually use it. That doesn’t mean you can’t appreciate it for other reasons. The song isn’t meant to be a new awakening. Besides, better to hear the song, underwhelming though it may be, than to wonder needlessly about whether it might be some undiscovered gem.<\/p>\n
Dave Recamp<\/p>\n
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“I mean in a collection of dreck, like those “Anthology” albums of thirty years ago, sure, include it if you want to. But come on, did you listen to those CDs more than once, if once?”<\/p>\n
You nailed it. “Now And Then” is simply unnecessary.\u00c2\u00a0 I did not watch the Anthology broadcast\u00c2\u00a0on ABC but did own the VHS box set although I never opened it.\u00c2\u00a0 Go figure<\/p>\n
Bob Paris<\/p>\n
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Hi Bob – being so angry with the gift of a new\/old\/whatever Beatles tune isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t worth your energy. I love it. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m happy it exists. Some of us have never had the pleasure of anticipating a Beatles release until now.<\/p>\n
Jeremy Elliott
\nToronto, Ontario, Canada<\/p>\n
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DISAGREE. \u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0This song can live in the Smithsonian as far as I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m concerned \u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0No, NOT because it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcgreat song\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 or whatever\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201dcause it’s not! \u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0Not the point. \u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0Because when Ringo does that drum fill to bring on the singalong chorus, you get a moment of \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcoh sh*t. \u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0THAT\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S The Beatles! \u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0And you cant tell me different because it had that effect on me. \u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0Agree to Disagree, Bob. \u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0Again, a classic Beatles song? Naw\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6but I applaud the powerful effect it had on this human being. \u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0We all can use magical moments like that Ringo fill into the chorus. \u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0Sometimes it IS the little things\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6..<\/p>\n
Gary Spivack<\/p>\n
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My first reaction yesterday,<\/p>\n
It sounds so incredibly sad. I fell in love with the Beatles at 9. I was heartbroken beyond description when John was murdered. This song makes me feel the loss all over again.<\/p>\n
Roland West<\/p>\n
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Listened once. No need for twice.<\/p>\n
John Hughes<\/p>\n
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You nailed it. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcNow & Then\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 is bland at best. I heard 20 secs and turned it off.\u00c2\u00a0I have never done that to any Beatles song ever. John would have despised it.
\nDon\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t worry I did go back and hear the whole thing. Verdict is the same. A sad money grab. I expected better.<\/p>\n
Norman Karlik<\/p>\n
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I agree with you 100%. The new Stones album also wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t all that great. The lyrics are ridiculous and there are no riffs. Keith was all about the riffs!<\/p>\n
Unbelievable hype. The most hyped album I can remember<\/p>\n
Steve Aliment<\/p>\n
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Some of the comments (not mine) I heard or read on the release day:<\/p>\n
—momentous<\/p>\n
—a thing of beauty<\/p>\n
—emotional<\/p>\n
—amazing<\/p>\n
—masterpiece<\/p>\n
—moving<\/p>\n
—haunting<\/p>\n
—breathtaking<\/p>\n
And all the\u00c2\u00a0while, I kept thinking:<\/p>\n
“Lefsetz is gonna hate it”<\/p>\n
Marty Bender Sobolewski<\/p>\n
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This is great writing!
\nGeorge tried to stop it…
\nMy hope is when people google it they get “Now and then” by Shoes
\nA song worth listening too \ud83d\ude42
\nThanks again
\nPeter Stema<\/p>\n
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I was with you until you said The Anthologies were dreck and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll take \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Free As A Bird\u00e2\u20ac\u009d over \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Maxwell\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Silver Hammer\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and day<\/p>\n
Now Maxwell\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s vs Now & Then ?<\/p>\n
That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s akin to the choice one has to make in those SAW films.<\/p>\n
And did you see the song\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s official video released this morning ?<\/p>\n