The Refurb Four

Beatles use new tech to finish song John Lennon wrote over 40 years ago

- MARK JEFFERIES

MORE than 60 years after they released their first record, the Beatles today release their last – John, Paul, George and Ringo reunited by high-tech recording techniques. 

Now and Then was written in the 1970s by John Lennon, who recorded a demo on a cassette.

After his assassination in 1980, the track was developed and worked on by Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr in the 1990s. Finally, it has now been finished by Paul and Ringo.

Sir Paul, 81, has described his delight at hearing the group’s sound revived.

He said: “We started mixing it... wow this is it, now it’s a Beatles record.”

He added: “All of those memories come flooding back. To still be working on Beatles music in 2023 – wow.

“We’re actually messing around with state-of-the-art technology, which is something the Beatles would’ve been very interested in.” Sir Paul tells the story of the song with Ringo, 83, and John’s son Sean, 48, in a 12-minute documentary Now And Then – The Last Beatles Song.

He begins the film, saying: “Making good music in a band is all about chemistry.