Too bad they didn't use age-regression AI on McCartney's dropped-pie face. I'm a Beatles fan but this reminded me of the "cardboard epitaph" shot at their "final" (as in release date) album, "Let It Be".
"If the new Beatles' soundtrack is to be their last then it will stand as a
cheapskate epitaph, a cardboard tombstone, a sad and tatty end to a
musical fusion which wiped clean and drew again the face of pop."
-- Alan Smith review in NME, 1970
Some of the footage in the video above came from high-quality filming of the band trying to get through the "Let It Be" sessions. Hence the mugging for the camera. There's an appropriate Monty Python air lingering over the whole thing.
"Now and Then" has been added to the 2023 incarnation of the 1973 compilation album "1967-1970" (the Blue Album). It's not up to such a standard, but it's placement makes the royalties start rolling. If my tabulation is correct, the 2023 edition of the "1962-1966" compilation (the Red Album) added these songs:
- Within You Without You
- Dear Prudence
- Glass Onion
- Blackbird
- Hey Bulldog
- Oh! Darling
- I Want You (She’s So Heavy)
- I Me Mine
They might as well have left off "Hey Bulldog", "Oh! Darling" and "I Want You (She’s So Heavy)", and and instead added "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" and the 16-minute medley on "Abbey Road's" B-side.
If my tabulation is correct, the 2023 edition of the "1962-1966" compilation (the Red Album) added these songs:
- I Saw Her Standing There
- Twist And Shout*
- This Boy
- Roll Over Beethoven*
- You Really Got A Hold On Me*
- You Can’t Do That
- If I Needed Someone
- Got To Get You Into My Life
- I’m Only Sleeping
- Here, There And Everywhere
- Tomorrow Never Knows
* Song not written by the Beatles, but notable for Lennon's vocal
performance. "Twist and Shout" was done in one-take because
Lennon had made himself too hoarse for a re-take. Later on, the
song was called ""the most famous single take in rock history"
and "arguably the most stunning rock and roll vocal and
instrumental performance of all time." The song opened the
1976 Beatles 2-LP compilation "Rock 'n' Roll Music".
The most notable exclusion from the 1973 compilation was "Got To Get You Into My Life". For the 2023 edition, I would have suggested "Things We Said Today" and "I'll Be Back" (both from the UK album"A Hard Day's Night"), "I'll Follow the Sun" and "Every Little Thing" (both from the UK album "Beatles for Sale"), "I've Just Seen a Face" (from the UK album "Help!"), "And Your Bird Can Sing" and "For No One" (both from the UK album "Revolver"). However, it's nice in a way that there are "gems" not on the compilations waiting to be unearthed.
The new 2023 Red and Blue compilations now contain one-third of the Beatles original releases.
