Now and then The last Beatles song

[Omegstrat6]

Not a Status Quo man then Boingy?

Balance in all things ☺️.

Lennon went one step further wanting Tomorrow Never Knows on their Revolver album based on just one chord😁

As you say, variety in all things and often the simplest ideas are the best ones. As the "Axis of Awesome" video shows, so many classic songs follow the traditional I, IV and V progression only in different keys or tempo. Doesn't make them any less enjoyable and familiarity is often an important element to our enjoyment of music particularly.

Music should fit the mood or occasion and personally I've found myself listening to and appreciating a far wider range of genres and styles than I ever would have done when I was younger. Even so, the Victor Mildrew in me is bound to surface at some point 😀

[Q165]

Can’t see what all the fuss is about

[kettering_baggie]

I have just listened to it; underwhelming. Beatles fans won’t like me for saying it but to me, it is a tedious dirge, Lennon’s nasal drone at its worst.

Something of a shame to put that out after all the great (early) stuff that they did.

[Omegstrat6]

Only recently heard it myself. Quite different than the original bootleg version but a poor song is a poor song however much you dress it up with different arrangements, orchestration or harmonies. There are a few fleeting moments which bring back nostalgic reminders of 69 era Beatles on John's vocal, the familiar Beatle harmonies, Ringo's drumming or Paul's bass but think George was pretty much right about it in 95/96. Speaking of whom, I understand he is credited with some rhythm guitar parts but assume the "slide" guitar style passage is the "homage" to him that McCartney talked about and not his own playing? Certainly didn't sound like him which is a pity because I quite like his rather distinctive slide playing and it could have elevated parts of the track.

Only heard it a couple of times and whilst they have done as good a job as they probably could have its really more of a nostalgia piece than anything else. Its the Beatles so its not awful but its obviously nowhere close to their best and, for me, not as good as either Free as a bird or Real love but then there is a reason why those two other songs were selected above Now and then to do back on 95/96 and it wasn't just because of the poor sound quality of the cassette recording.

[Omegstrat6]

Seen lots of good reviews for it but think they are mostly quite subjective. I don't doubt that those particular lyrics (even if not intended to be directed at his ex band members) pack more of an emotional punch when reunited with the other former Beatles than those of either Real Love or Free as a bird but, for me, they are still better songs. It's true that new technology has also allowed Lennon's vocal to rise significantly above the rather thin and ghostly ones that previous technologies had enabled in those 90s re-workings but, on the other hand, age has seen a deterioration in McCartney's vocals now.

Think those good reviews are more about nostalgia and mourning the passing of arguably pops greatest band (as well as the untimely deaths of both Lennon and Harrison) than it being a particularly great record. The fact that It's being released with the band's very first single as It's flip side seems to indicate as much. It's also markedly different to today's pop music so harks back to "better days" for those of a certain age 😁

Still, waffled on enough about it now but be interested to hear what other Beatle fans think of it

[soulman101]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Opxhh9Oh3rg
Official video