Congrats on the baby - hope all of you are doing well. I have the 7" marble and the 12" red - and I LOVE how the red Parlophone label looks against the red disc. Awesome!
The atmos version of Now and Then is excellent. As are the new red and blue mixes and the new Band On The Run. I definitely recommend checking them out.
Thank you for your honest assessment! I have the same opinion. What bothers me most is this massive orchestration and the fact that the sound of the orchestra is so extremely prominent. It's too bombastic for me. But - of course - everyone would handle it differently. I thought the video was good, but I would have been much more interested in more video material from the sessions back then - but maybe that doesn't exist or it's being saved for later. However, the video didn't really move me to tears. Like you, I have the 7'' (different colors) and the 12'' and also SHM-CD and normal CD. Most of my 7'' from Optimal are dish-warped (concave/convex) and I've exchanged quite a few - I'll probably have to put them in a Vinyl Flattener to get it done. It's driving me crazy. I find the whole thing quite remarkable! That such an important and significant release is delivered in quite low quality... Both vinyl, CD and SHM-CD are compressed and don't sound all that good - why do they do that? Let's hope that better quality is delivered in the future. All the best for you and your family - happy Easter!
Great assessment and review! I agree 110% on the production choices. Too modern sounding, too many strings, etc. It's not a bad tune, I dug it, but I'm not "head over heels" for it either. Like you said, I enjoyed the overall experience of a new Beatles single being released in our lifetime even more than the song itself. That was really cool and special, especially as a hardcore, lifelong Beatles fan. 👍 The video was pretty weird, but it did bring a tear to my eye towards the end. I don't know why some people hated it so much though, but I just say, enjoy it for what it is and don't over think it so much! Lol 🤷🏻 I also have the 12" red Target exclusive, the standard black 12", and the indie marbled 7". I really wanted the clear and really thought about getting all other colors as well, but that's kind of overkill and will probably just settle with what I have. I just wish I could've snagged the 10", which is uber rare, so I could have all the sizes. 😎
My experience of the song as a whole and the 7 inch single are exactly the same. Overall I like it, but the song is so compressed with zero dynamics. And the cd is brick walled to hell. I didn't get the 12 inch though. So I'll have to look for that at a decent price. Thanks Brian
I really like the song. (was a bit more mixed on it on first listen, and totally agree with your thoughts on the mixing/mastering) I still miss the dropped bridge, but otherwise, it's great to have a new Beatles song. I've listened to it I don't know how many times since it came out. Definitely fun to have in the collection & add to their canon. The music video, on the other hand, I didn't like at all. Such a shame. The only highlight is the mid-90s Anthology-era "threetles" footage. Wish we could get more of that! I picked up the CD single (which originally didn't come out with the others) which took forever to arrive. Thought about getting a vinyl too, but with so many variations (color & size) and some getting hard to find, I didn't know where to start. Thanks for the heads up! I'll avoid the clear (and maybe even all 7" ?) and look for the 12" instead. I wonder how different Now and Then would sound had Jeff Lynne finished it a la FaaB & Real Love? Kinda missed hearing his drum sound on the new single. But it's still great. I do have to say though (sacrilegious?) that I prefer the Virtual Beatles "cover" fan-version from 2008 over the official version. Definitely captures that Anthology-era sound and includes the middle 8. Very fun. I play both in heavy rotation! ;) (the Iamaphoney version is also good, although third place imho next to the other 2) And, of course, I love the original John demo too! :D
@@750drums I totally disagree. But regardless, I think the smashed compression on the new song is terrible. The piano sounds super weird, and it doubling under John's voice makes it sound more artificial to my ears. That or the MAL extraction just isn't quite there yet... So weird to have this track, also recorded around the same time (with Jeff Lynne) be so auditorily orphaned & different sounding from Faab & Real Love. Would've been nice to have those three (and maybe Grow Old...) as an EP?
I'll agree with you on the sound I don't like it either. Good tune, and I also agree with you missing the middle. If you're looking for vinyl, I'd recommend the black 12' if you can find it: it seems to be sonically the best of the lot. @@TheDylandProductions
I only bought the black 12” from the Beatles website. 1/2 speed mastered by Miles Showell. It sounds superior to the streaming version in my opinion (all I have to compare it to). Other than that the song itself is average at best, but the video did make me emotional
So Brian, putting aside the drums, the bass, the piano, the strings, Paul and Ringo's vocals, and the overall production......what did you think of the song?😂
Sadly, there is no good version of Now & Then. The normal Streaming version is too much, the Atmos mix is better but lacks prescence in the chorus and the 7 inch vinyl sounds too muffled. Still like the song tho.
The video for the song really enhaces the song even more maybe its YOUR ears or your equipment..love the song. I think though out of the 3 redone lennon songs imo Real Love is the best of the 3.. now ,why is it on the 1967 -70 blue album.? Shouldnt that be 67 - 2003 ? Is it going to be added to the opening of anthology 3 cd. Will free as a bird and real love get the same MAL technology too ? Why the terrible cover for the single ? Why wasnt there the demo followed by the new version make it an .ep.the video was amazing I think.your so critical of the video there's not much left to like. Shame
Of my many criticisms of why this single is not a Beatles single, it's the corporate Bombast of the arrangement that sounds nothing like The Beatles. The arrangement leads with the idea that this is a BEATLES PRODUCT, even before the idea that this is a song that is saying something. Back in 1995, 'Free As a Bird' had a meta-distance from the significance of the release - - it felt like the group was still running the Apple corporation, not the other way round as it is now. Paul says he was imitating GH's guitar in 'Now & Then' as homage - - but he's tone deaf to GH's guitar, alas. 'Free As a Bird' had GH's wry ironic hindsight about the group: it's embedded in his guitar lick. It was rapturous guitar too but there was a tongue-in-cheek & even here-we-go-again tone that was typically GH, a world away from PM's attitude. When any other guitarist bends a note, it's likely to be bluesy. With GH, it's likely to have a wry tone. George was Wry Cooder.
Your wrong on many accounts. Historically and factually. Tried to report this comment and nothing happened. You sound like a old man yelling at a cloud. Go BACK TO YOUR CHAIR!
Thank You for reading my comment I’m unimpressed with Now and Then mostly because it’s simply a John Lennon Demo. George didn’t like the song. I feel Apple/Calderstone ordering Paul and Ringo to make more product is elder abuse. The Beatles are simply those 225 songs and that is what inspires me musically. I’m thankful for all their work but Free as a Bird, Real Love and now, Now and Then aren’t Beatles songs and it you remix one all should be remixed similarly because they are just novel Post Script notes, to the core catalog!
"I'm not going to question their judgement because they are the professionals, they no what they're doing - (but I'm going to go ahead question their judgement anyways because I KNOW BETTER!!)". Okaaaaay then...........😂
