MILWAUKEE, November 8, 2023 – Milwaukee PBS will broadcast a short film titled Now and Then – The Last Beatles Song on November 18, at 9:30 pm on Milwaukee PBS 10.1. The short film documents the 60-year journey of a track John Lennon recorded in the 1970s through its release as the final song from all four band members.
The historic track is the product of decades of conversations and collaborations between the members of the band. In 1994, Yoko Ono, Lennon’s wife, mentioned to George Harrison that she had a tape of her husband recording some original songs. In February 1995, Paul, George and Ringo worked on the Lennon demo as part of The Beatles Anthology and were able to put together Free As a Bird and Real Love, but Now and Then was a technical challenge, as John’s vocal was partially obscured by his piano accompaniment.
In 2022, a software system that Peter Jackson and his team developed for the documentary Get Back opened the way for uncoupling of John’s vocal from his piano part. The cleared vocal allowed McCartney and Starr to complete the track last year. The final recording includes John’s original vocal, McCartney’s bass and a slide guitar solo he added as a tribute to George Harrison, drums by Starr and a guitar part Harrison had recorded nearly three decades ago.
The short film marks the completion of the last recording that John, Paul, Georg and Ringo will get to make together and celebrates the legacy of the foremost and most influential band in popular music history.
Please note, the film will only be broadcast this one time. It will be available free to stream from November 12 – 18 with the PBS App and at pbs.org. It will be available to stream with Milwaukee PBS Passport from 11/19 – 12/11. Please visit milwaukeepbs.org for the most up-to-date programming schedule.
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