[Music] New Beatles single

[maltaseagull]

I just don't like scouse skiffle groups much.

Clearly. But the Beatles were so much more than that.

 

[Sarisbury Seagull]

I don't CARE if you don't like it or that your hot take is that "it would have sounded better when they were all alive" instead of compiled over 3 different decades via differing forms of recording methods, or 'less modern' if it was recorded in the past. The music video just adds to it. Cheesy? Hell yes. But lovely.

Unashamed to say it made me tear up!

 

[nickbrighton]

just watched the short film of how it was done, amazing. The way thay Lennons voice was seperated from the original recording is incredible, The song I didnt think much of first time I heard it, but it gets better as you re listen to it. Prime Beatles? no, but a lot better than the previous "new tracks" from 1995

 

[Fungus]

Unashamed to say it made me tear up!

Me too, just watched the “making of” and the single. Hearing the cleaned up vocals, pulled from the old cassette - wow! Maybe being of a ”certain age” helps with the context.

 

[Zeberdi]

I don't CARE if you don't like it or that your hot take is that "it would have sounded better when they were all alive" instead of compiled over 3 different decades via differing forms of recording methods, or 'less modern' if it was recorded in the past. The music video just adds to it. Cheesy? Hell yes. But lovely.

Love the video - really adds to the song.

Tbh - I’m not surprised there’s a mixture of reaction - the Beatles produced such an eclectic mix of music over the years, I would be surprised if everyone liked absolutely everything they did

Personally, I preferred their earlier 1960s stuff, especially the Hamburg period (rather than the psychedelic period or 1970s but that was down to taste. I wasn’t too keen on the work John was was doing with Yoko in NYC either - although Give Peace a Chance was anthemic of course and Imagine was just an ethereal masterpiece. (This track comes from that same period after they split up so quintessentially Lennon on the demo)

But - regardless of personal preference for particular genres in their music, I always thought the creative genius of the Beatles was how the four of them gelled together on stage live but more importantly how they used studio recording techniques to produce some of the best rock/pop legendary tracks in the history of modern music - it just worked and I would be surprised if this didn’t make it until Christmas and top the charts…

 

[BluesRockDJ]

Is shit ! Let me explain..............as a 75 year old I was there at the inception of both of these bands. Being a bluesy kind o guy, I gravitated towards the Stones. Fast forward many decades to this single. Both the Beatles and the Stones have lost two of their original mainstays for whatever reason, but the Stones have just released a brilliant new No 1 album, Hackney Diamonds (Paul McCartney is on one track) , whereas we have an AI dreary Lennon song that McCartney , not sure about Ringo, added bass/vocals too...............................I rest my case !

 

[Tony Le Mesmer]

Is shit ! Let me explain..............as a 75 year old I was there at the inception of both of these bands. Being a bluesy kind o guy, I gravitated towards the Stones. Fast forward many decades to this single. Both the Beatles and the Stones have lost two of their original mainstays for whatever reason, but the Stones have just released a brilliant new No 1 album, Hackney Diamonds (Paul McCartney is on one track) , whereas we have an AI dreary Lennon song that McCartney , not sure about Ringo, added bass/vocals too...............................I rest my case !

Jesus. Hardly a fair comparison.

An active band (who hadn't produced an album of new material in 20yrs) vs a band whose original leader was shot dead by the time he was 40.

Had The Stones lost a Jagger or Richards years ago, then yes a much fairer comparison.

The Beatles are completely hamstrung into using a finite number of unreleased John Lennon demo's ( those gifted by Yoko).

Is it amazing or era defining like a lot of their 60's output?

No, of course not - but it seems a lot of the naysayers were expecting it to be a 'ground breaking' release!!

From 2 Octogenarians and 2 deceased members for 20yrs +

Neither is Hackney Diamonds breaking any new ground, good though it is

 

[clapham_gull]

Having listened again, it's not as bad as the first listen, but it will never grow on me.

Not a huge Beatles fan, but I do love Abbey Road. Free as a bird sounds to be like a song from the era and I'd wish they would revisit that with the new technology and sort out the dodgy Lennon voice. It's also got that lovely Harrison guitar work. I'm not that into music these days but above technical ability I've always appreciated uniqueness and no one sounds like Harrison.

No problem with technology being used like that, that band were everything about embracing it.

 

[Jam The Man]

The song is nowhere near as bad as some think, and equally not as brilliant as others think.

Just try and enjoy it for what it is. The sentiment and the poignancy of it being the final statement.

After a few listens, I think it’s actually quite catchy. Love the video by the way.

And if you want a bit more of a twist, it’s got the feel of the kind of song David Lynch will be using in Twin Peaks season 4

There’s nothing wrong in not liking it. I’m the biggest Beatles fan I know, but I’m not keen on Let It Be, which is about as much of an insult as it gets to some other fans!

 

[Eeyore]

Blimey. So just looked it up and he died in 1980. Imagine is from 1971 and yet it could so easily have been written last week.
I'm getting old.

My Dad came in my room and said 'John Lennon has been shot dead' 'Who is John Lennon ?' I replied. Not sure if that was shamefully ignorant for an 11 year old or not.

 

[Jam The Man]

just watched the short film of how it was done, amazing. The way thay Lennons voice was seperated from the original recording is incredible, The song I didnt think much of first time I heard it, but it gets better as you re listen to it. Prime Beatles? no, but a lot better than the previous "new tracks" from 1995

Would be a good idea to ‘retreat’ Free as a Bird and Real Love from those sessions now, as those songs would benefit from Lennon’s voice being cleaned up with the new technology.

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

Is shit ! Let me explain..............as a 75 year old I was there at the inception of both of these bands. Being a bluesy kind o guy, I gravitated towards the Stones. Fast forward many decades to this single. Both the Beatles and the Stones have lost two of their original mainstays for whatever reason, but the Stones have just released a brilliant new No 1 album, Hackney Diamonds (Paul McCartney is on one track) , whereas we have an AI dreary Lennon song that McCartney , not sure about Ringo, added bass/vocals too...............................I rest my case !

What's your thoughts on apples vs oranges?

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I prefer their earlier material.

 

[Perfidious Albion]

Just heard it ,on the video, for the first time. I was never a massive Beatle fan but this sounds fairly typical of their work , it sounds very John Lennon . In the day I think it would have made an album track more than a single. But this is today and the recording and the video are great achievements. Yes , a worthwhile endeavour although it did not set my pulse racing.

 

[Tony Le Mesmer]

Would be a good idea to ‘retreat’ Free as a Bird and Real Love from those sessions now, as those songs would benefit from Lennon’s voice being cleaned up with the new technology.

Definitely. Lennon sounds distant in FAAB and to much like a chipmunk in Real Love with sped up vocals.

 

[Wozza]

the Stones have just released a brilliant new No 1 album, Hackney Diamonds (Paul McCartney is on one track) , whereas we have an AI dreary Lennon song that McCartney , not sure about Ringo, added bass/vocals too...............................I rest my case !

In fairness, being ALIVE definitlely gives the Stones an advantage here.

 

[tedebear]

I like it, better than the last two. I wouldn't write home about it, but then it is being seriously heavily critiqued and there is always a considerable amount of durge out there at all times that people don't apply the same standards to. Radio 6 seems to play a rather large amount of it lately....Its the Beatles, and if it uses AI, who am I to care. Theres a great deal of electronic music out there made electronically, where did people think that was going!

 

[Sorrel]

It's certainly a much better way of ending things than the 95 releases (though I did think "Real Love" was quite a good song). It's alright, not absolutely wonderful. You could argue that McCartney is being too respectful of John Lennon: augmenting his song but not really changing anything or adding new sections.

The video is lovely and I think the song is much more emotional with that.

(Though I do suspect they have used the same technology to improve the 95 releases as well, which I bet will arrive anew in a few years.)

 

[keaton]

Is shit ! Let me explain..............as a 75 year old I was there at the inception of both of these bands. Being a bluesy kind o guy, I gravitated towards the Stones. Fast forward many decades to this single. Both the Beatles and the Stones have lost two of their original mainstays for whatever reason, but the Stones have just released a brilliant new No 1 album, Hackney Diamonds (Paul McCartney is on one track) , whereas we have an AI dreary Lennon song that McCartney , not sure about Ringo, added bass/vocals too...............................I rest my case !

Alternatively the Rolling Stones have been releasing albums for 53 years since the Beatles split and yet the last very good album by either band in 50 years ago

 

[aolstudios]

Alternatively the Rolling Stones have been releasing albums for 53 years since the Beatles split and yet the last very good album by either band in 50 years ago

Well, exactly. They've been the bootleg Stones for 5 decades