3 Nov 2023

New Beatles song based on a demo released

From Morning Report, 7:55 am on 3 November 2023

This audio is not downloadable due to copyright restrictions.

More than forty years since they broke up, the Beatles are back with a new song.

For those thinking their ears are deceiving them - yes, that is John Lennon's voice you can hear on a new song.

The piece - titled Now and Then - is based on a demo recorded by Lennon in the 1970s, which was completed by Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr last year.

It also includes acoustic guitar played by George Harrison before this death.The release has been made possible by software developed by Sir Peter Jackson and his team for the Beatles' Get Back documentary in 2021.

It allowed them to "de-mix" the low-quality demo recording and isolate Lennon's voice.

Variety Magazine's music editor Jem Aswad spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.