Spotify:
YouTube:
Do they assume we’re deaf? Why can’t they depart effectively sufficient alone?
And going straight to the center of the matter, John would have HATED this report. After the Beatles, John needed to strip issues down and make them extra impactful. His vocal was up entrance and the data tended to be easy, even when produced by Phil Spector. Hell, take heed to “On the spot Karma,” that crunchy drum sound, however principally John’s insightful and apparent but with all his persona vocal. Speak about a killer observe, you solely have to listen to it as soon as to get it, and I’ve by no means modified the channel once I’ve heard it on the radio.
Sure, the primary actual solo album, “Plastic Ono Band” was a cry from the center. The alternative of a Beatles report. Underproduced.
And positive, “Think about” had strings, you may even say it was sappy, but it surely was certainly not vanilla mush, like “Now and Then.”
John needed his data to be visceral. And even when he labored with Jack Douglas on his last undertaking… Hell, take heed to “Lovely Boy,” it’s heartwarming, whereas “Now and Then” is dreary. And there’s a cause it was only a demo, as a result of John didn’t need it out!
I imply in a set of dreck, like these “Anthology” albums of thirty years in the past, positive, embrace it if you wish to. However come on, did you take heed to these CDs greater than as soon as, if as soon as? You had been excited, but there was a cause these things was left on the reducing room ground. However there was a film, there was hoopla, why not money in with a report! In any case, it’s simply concerning the cash.
And as they become older, typically rock stars show their true values, and it’s not fairly. There’s an amazing story in at the moment’s “Los Angeles Occasions,” and if we nonetheless lived within the pre-internet period, it might be learn by all people within the trade, it might make an affect, now it’s simply crickets. Hell, seemingly all people I do know has canceled the “Los Angeles Occasions.” My shrink, who will get the “New York Occasions” and the “Wall Avenue Journal.” My bodily therapist’s husband switched to the “Every day Information,” that’s the San Fernando Valley “Every day Information,” as a result of the L.A. “Occasions” now not prints the field scores. That is the way you fail as a enterprise. Put the underside line first. Hold reducing and reducing till even your core abandons you.
Anyway, right here’s the LA Occasions article, “The unmasking of the narcissistic, conspiracy-spreading baby-boomer rock star”:
John Lennon is fortunate, his picture is frozen in time. There have been no late age compromises, fake pas, he was credible, true and trustworthy, hewing to his values till the very finish. The one penalty is that he’s gone.
And by releasing this travesty of a quantity… It does nothing for John’s picture, does nothing for the Beatles’ picture, however it’s the vacation season and we’ve bought to promote one thing…
Even worse, there shall be no affect. There was press, and boomers would possibly test it out, however radio gained’t go on it, that’s not what Prime Forty does anymore, they don’t play this sort of music, and Prime Forty is the one format that strikes the needle.
As for TikTok, “Now and Then” is so dreary nobody would set a video to it.
When John sings: “I do know it’s true,” that’s magical. However the adjustments are usually not. After which there’s an errant piano, a chunking rhythm part, something however outlined, something however clear. Feels like ELO and Jeff Lynne, a wash of sound, something however distinct, the other of not solely John’s solo output, however the Beatles’ too.
After which the strings are available in, A seesaw “Woman Madonna” impact sans the magic. They arrive out of nowhere. They distract, not add.
After which comes the second verse and the superfluous guitar figures within the background, that is when it actually turns into dreck. When you make it previous this I offer you credit score.
Now it’s a drag, the sort of track you cease singing, after which these sawing guitars over a lame vocal change that’s overwhelmed by the instrumentation, after which an ELO refrain. If John heard this he’d be just like the Nazi in “The Producers,” he’d be standing up screaming that the individuals concerned don’t know him or his music, this is without doubt one of the causes he left the rattling band to start with.
Speak about dropping the plot… Didn’t anyone concerned blow the whistle, say this was a foul thought? That there was no cause to tarnish the picture of the band that bought it proper from starting to finish?
“Free as a Chicken” was dangerous sufficient. I’m making an attempt to think about a worse Beatles track, however I can’t. Not less than the slight songs of yore contained magic. As for magic, there’s completely none in “Now and Then,” I imply why reduce it in any respect? When you don’t assume that is the worst Beatles reduce ever, you’ve bought no ears.
After which you’ve got the mind lifeless press saying how nice it’s. That is the issue with the hype industrial advanced, it’s bought no soul, no powers of discrimination, it’s afraid of the haters, so it simply hypes crap to excessive heaven that the general public immediately forgets anyway. Hell, you would possibly speak about “Now and Then” throughout Thanksgiving dinner, however you actually don’t need to play it, except there’s somebody who hasn’t heard it and doesn’t know what you might be speaking about.
By Christmas “Now and Then” shall be utterly forgotten. Drowned within the tsunami of crap coming throughout the transom each single day, hour and minute. “Now and Then” solely bought traction due to the nonetheless reigning energy of the Beatles. However this detracts from the picture.
As for the film:
It’s extraordinarily effectively completed. However George seems positively terrible. McCartney is the one one of many three who hasn’t aged. I imply can’t you permit our recollections intact? We didn’t need our heroes to get outdated, however now it’s slammed in our face. Do you assume George would have allowed this footage if he had been nonetheless alive? Completely not. Picture is all the things.
So the movie is alternately each fascinating and creepy. You’ll be able to test it out, but it surely gained’t depart you with a superb feeling.
And who cares that we now have expertise that may…
Why don’t we repair the Sistine Chapel? Return and resurrect all the things that was forged apart as imperfect, not fairly adequate up to now? You don’t mess with the classics, that’s heresy.
As for the godawful remixes of the Beatles albums, at all times with an excuse, that the unique stereo mixes had been rushed, which Geoff Emerick, the unique engineer, instructed me was patently unfaithful, they’ve now change into the usual on-line, indistinguishable from the originals except you’re really paying consideration. How can this be, how are you going to mess up the legacy of the largest group in historical past, which is able to final far past its demise? Taylor Swift recutting her originals is heinous, they don’t sound the identical, however nobody shall be listening to her crap 100 years from now. And her motivation was the identical because the Beatles’, cash. Oh, that’s proper, she was on a vengeance journey too. Not less than the Beatles haven’t devolved to that.
And also you take heed to McCartney’s voice-over within the film and and at first you assume hmm, he’s fairly with it, he sounds good, possibly Biden isn’t too outdated. After which because it goes on and also you proceed to pay attention you understand that Paul has misplaced a step, that he’s outdated, that he’s not the identical, you’ll be able to hear it proper in his voice.
And it is a Paul manufacturing, his fingers are stamped throughout it. Which is why John Lennon would hate this report. The good Beatles songs had been such due to the push and pull of the 2. However Lennon bought no say right here, they simply laid crap upon his vocal… It’s John who has one thing to lose. He can’t report a brand new quantity to cowl this abomination, this stinker that leaves a foul style in our mouths.
And also you ask why I care. Why all of us care. And that’s precisely the purpose. When you lived by means of Beatlemania, you already know it was completely different. Swiftmania isn’t in the identical league. The Beatles had been in all places and impacted us all. You’ll be able to undergo life by no means listening to a Swift reduce, however the Beatles? They had been omnipresent, they dominated radio when radio was king. They bought all the fellows to develop their hair, they bought us all to purchase electrical guitars. Come on, take a look at all of the musicians who say they began due to the Beatles.
The Beatles had been progenitors. All the things they did rang true.
However not “Now and Then.”
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Initially printed by Bob Lefsetz within the 11/03/2023 on the Leftsetz Letter