NOW AND FOREVER

I really don't want to hear anybody of my
generation complain how ugly contemporary
musicians are.

Hey kid, it's the holiday season! That means it's time for new records by the Beatles and the
Rolling Stones! 

Wait, what did you say? The Beatles broke up almost 54 years ago? Two of them are dead, as are two of the Stones (including its founder), and another left the band 30 years ago, while the third wasn't contractually considered a full-fledged member until fairly recently? 

No matter! Both bands zoomed to the Top 10 within hours of their latest releases -- and I use the word "zoom" in its original meaning, not what those lazy Gen Xers do instead of going into the office like we had to!

We baby boomers must be fed our musical medicine, but never more than the recommended dosage -- meaning, every time it's offered. And "our" bands know it! For instance, can't get enough of Aerosmith banging out "Dream On"? You can catch them right now on what they promise to be their farewell tour (haw haw!). And it's timed perfectly with the latest sex assault suit against frontman Steve Tyler, filed by another baby boomer.

Not that Tyler has suddenly acquired a taste for GMILFs. This incident allegedly happened in 1975, when the plaintiff was just 17 (you know what I mean...)

"Blame him."

Whoa, see what I did there? Everything begins and ends with the Beatles. Only it never ends. After Paul promised that "Now and Then" was the last single ever credited to the band, Peter Jackson (the director of Get Back and the single's video) flatly stated that more Beatles music "is conceivable". 

Yes! Right now, YouTube creators are already prepping their next upload, complete with thumbnail images of them with their hands on their face and their mouths agape in shock and awe, yelling gleefully, Oh my God, the Beatles are back!, or looking teary-eyed, whispering reverently, Oh my God, the Beatles are back.

And meanwhile, Gen X, Y, Z, and beyond are groaning, Oh my God, the Beatles are back. That's the magic of the Beatles: everybody has the same reaction! 

Cooler heads (and this must be the first time I fall into that category) know
"Now and Then" isn't a Beatles recording. It doesn't even sound like one. What "Now and Then" does sound like is an unfinished John Lennon demo spruced up with the latest technology, with new musical accompaniment. Had you not seen the video, you wouldn't even know Paul and Ringo sing on the chorus, their 80+ year-old voices being kept way down in the mix so as not to clash with 40 year-old John's. 

George laughs with joy that he won't be
around to face the critics in 30 years.

Paul, George, and Ringo originally worked on "Now and Then" in 1992 as a bonus track for the Anthology set. Recorded on a cheap cassette tape, it didn't sound up to snuff --George considered it "rubbish" -- and the cute one decided to wait until a few decades until technology caught up to his dreams.

But why? What was it about a so-so tune missing a middle-eight that nagged at him over the years? Some critics consider it a simple money grab. But there's another possibility that came to me last night, and, with Beatles-like magic, appeared in today's New York Times.

Rewind to 1981. Paul is recording Tug of War, his first album after John's death. He's invited rockabilly legend Carl Perkins to join him on a cut entitled, "Get It". Afterwards, Carl performs his latest composition for Paul and Linda. They listen with pleasure until the chorus: My old friend, won't you think of me now and then?

Perkins is startled by their visceral reaction to that line. Paul leaves the room crying, while Linda is dazed. What happened? Perkins asks. 

Linda replies, Those were the last words John said to Paul. 

Jump forward a decade. Paul hears a Lennon song, written at the end of his life, recorded on a muffled cassette tape called "Now and Then". Whatever you think of it, as far as Paul is concerned, it's his old friend saying goodbye for the last time. 

Paul just can't quit him. Do you blame him?

"Psst. Hey, mister. Wanna buy our album again?"

I'm going with Paul on this one. If he means that "Now and Then" is the last Beatles single with new contributions by the surviving members, I believe him. 

Now, the current re-release of the Beatles "Blue" and "Red" greatest hits double albums, just in time for Christmas? That's a cash grab, just like it was the first time. Who else has Apple Records got to promote?

By the way, I wrote this before a friend alerted me to the Times piece. I debated whether to publish it, but then thought if giving an audience the same thing over and over is good enough for the Beatles, it's good enough for me, now and then.

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