What is the rumoured archive project? | Page 4 | Fab Forum | The Beatles Bible

First let me apologize, the moderator has to keep editing my posts, because I don’t know how to use this forum properly yet. Apparently I type on the wrong spaces, I’ll get eventually, where I am supposed to type.

For my new friend Mean Mr Mustard , we just disagree. But you did ask, even if it was sarcastic, so I’ll give you a few of the reasons why Now And Then is important. First off to me anyway, both Free As A Bird and Real Love were better songs, and more complete. Harrison made a big deal about he wrote some new chords to FAAB, but often chords can be interchangable, many different chords can be used. Now And Then on the other hand, is weaker less complete song on Lennon’s demo. So by Necessity McCartney has to write some lyric and musical bits to finish those gaps in the song, so the end result is more of a Lennon/McCartney cowrite probably with more of a co lead vocal, FAAB and RL were more strictly Lennon oriented, although, McCartney and Harrison both took a turn singing lead on the bridge. Second doing the song defeats the murderer who took Lennons life allowing good to triumph over evil. Third it would make many people happy. millions of people like me who would like one more song. Third, We get a song with a real Lennon/Mccartney collaboration. Fourth they only released two new songs, and three is better, since they chose not to make an entire new album, three songs gives us a slightly larger window to see that one last Beatles moment. Fifth young fans not yet born in the sixties will have one chance to experience a new Beatles single. Sixth we know this will be the final new Beatles single ever and can savor and enjoy it accordingly. 7th its not some crappy song that couldn’t cut the mustard, its the last new Beatles single in history, by two of the greatest songwriters ever. 8th The Beatles thought something of it, because recent research indicates it was the original second choice, and contrary to some of Jeff Lynne’s statements they spent more time on it than Real Love . I could go on all day, but the best reason, is because when that sound comes out of the speakers, its going to be a fantastic sound! of the Beatles! who would have thought!Who would want to turn down that opportunity! Its all well and good to kick the idea without hearing the song, but when people hear the song, they will smile, cry, laugh, emote, feel, because it will sound great. If it ever happens and comes to be..

Hey I agree there is a fine line, the Beatles originally intended three or four new tracks, or more, there is one more left in the can they all participated on, so lets hear the darn thing, they are all on the recording, and people who have heard it, have been very moved apparently, moved in a good way. So I hear, I havent heard it, I cant even swear its true.

But I agree Mr Mustard, I don’t think they should fly in a Harrison guitar part from 1974 twenty years from now and Frankenstein a bunch of Beatles records through the rest of the 21st century. What I  think they should do, is release the White Demos, Few remaining unknown songs, the best and most interesting alternate takes, like the long Helter Skelter , and the music videos, and whatever good stuff is left. Maybe one day they could do something similar to what Townshend has done with Tommy and Quadrophenia, and do 5.1 or regular remixes of the later Beatles albums with bonus tracks, and nice packaging and booklets. And that should be the end of it. I don’t want to perpetuate selling the same Beatles songs with new packaging over and over again with overpriced collectors writing pens. I think it should just all come out and thats it. Just like they reprint classic books by Dickens or James Joyce, every once in a while they should do a new printing and thats it finished. But of course thats the one thing they have no interest in doing.

With all due respect to Mr Mustard or anyone sharing those views, It wouldn’t be another Beatles reunion.It is simply finally releasing a song from the 94-95 reunion we haven’t heard yet. Many Lennon tapes had been stolen by Lennon assistant Fred Seaman, they were recovered, but had not been by 1994-5. Therefore the original working tape the Beatles had of Now And Then had a terrible buzz. Cleaner tapes without the buzz surfaced several years later after the recovery of the Seaman tapes. Another objection Harrison had was because the Beatles faced an imminent deadline for the release of the Anthology project. Much of Harrison’s objections were the quality of the original tape with the buzz on it, and having enough time available to fix all the issues with Now And Then . That doesn’t mean it’s not any good, many songs and records have issues that need to be fixed. So again the Beatles fully intended to release at least three songs, they ran into problems. Those problems were solved. All four Beatles play on the track and were involved, but McCartney, Jeff Lynne and Ringo oversaw the latter portion of the recording when technology and circumstance allowed solutions to the original problems. 

So it’s not yet another Beatles reunion as Mr Mustard characterized it, it’s just (hopefully) being able to finally hear the completed third song. The last new Beatles song ever. There may be future mashups, or unknown songs recorded in the sixties, but this is the last new song. Unless the song known as All For Love surfaces. Jeff Lynne has stated there was no song titled “All For Love”, he didin’t say there was not a fourth Beatles reunion song, he just says that is not a correct title. Our witness to what we call All For Love, is one Peter Hodgson of Liverpool, a friend of McCartneys, in March of 95 he visited McCartney at his studio the Mill, and McCartney told Hodgson Ringo and George had been up the other day recording a new song called All For Love. There are photos of Hodgson during this time with McCartney at the studio. Supposedly according to the website, Beatles reunion recording sessions, All For Love (or whatever it’s called) was recorded for three days in March 1995. Unlike the other three songs, this was not a Lennon demo. It was a new song cowritten by McCartney/Harrison, on the third day some type of argument erupted between McCartney and Harrison regarding a lyric or Musical change or changes within the song. Harrison became upset and said the Beatles shouldn’t record any further songs. Now And Then had already been worked on numerous times and partially recorded. Jeff Lynne’s often quoted comment about How Now And Then was just recorded for one day, seems to be totally inaccurate, inaccurate even in 1995, it appears to have been the original choice for the second song, they turned to Real Love only after having technical issues with Now And Then . Even so, studio logs, and eye witness accounts indicate Now And Then was worked on much more than Real Love , not ever for just one day as Lynne _supposedly said. There are believed to be very strong nondisclosure agreements signed by people who work closely with the Beatles, Jeff Lynne, various engineers and others. The compilation producer of the Beatles BBC 2 ON AIR, said bluntly in Billboard magazine last month, there was a top secret Beatles archival project, but he was not allowed to talk about it.. Whether Now in then is included in what he was alluding to I don’t know.

We have so far to my knowledge, the Beatles BBC2, the Capitol albums reissue, the Let It Be Movie on DVD BluRay, the reissue of the Love album (God know why?) and a video version of the Beatles ONE album with 25-30 official videos, comprising roughly the songs from the one album all on video. (though sadly) that doesn’t include a lot of great Beatles videos like Strawberry Fields, Hey Bulldog , and mostly Lennon songs that were technically B sides as well as a couple nice Harrison songs like For You Blue … We also supposedly have the Beatles on the cover of Time magazine, a special segment in next months Grammy’s and an entire Anniversary special on CBS network, all this to celebrate the Beatles 50th in the USA. I am always happy to purchase something cool from the Beatles, haven’t seen anything cool since The remasters, and the Anthology, crap like LIB Naked, Love, have a few interesting tracks, but are mostly money bleeders. Hopefully Now And Then will finally see its day ad sound great! Its not a new Beatles reunion under false pretenses, it is just finally getting to hear the third reunion song, I’d be keen to hear the fourth song composed by McCartney/Harrison as well if possible. There is also a Harrison recording Olivia Harrison asked McCartney to finish a couple years ago. I wouldn’t consider that song a Beatles song, I’m sure that would be released as a solo Harrison with guest star Paul McCartney , and rightly so. Fingers crossed, I’m tired of all this merchandising crap from the record companies, just give me the Beatles videos, Let it Be on DVD, the few remaining unreleased songs, like Now And Then and Carnival Of Light , and the more interesting alternate takes like The long Helter Skelter , the totally different version of Fixing A Hole , the Beatles demos, like the White Album Demos, the Beatles Christmas Album, the Beatles Decca Audition, just nice sounding copies of all that stuff, all released over a year or two, and get it over with, then just manufacture a new printing or pressing once every five or ten years, and that it. These record company jerks wanna bleed people and release this stuff in perpetuity, offering one new song every ten years from the archives, honestly the old ripoff bootleggers offered more value than Universal Apple, at least the Bootleggers just put out what they had when they had it. The people in charge of the archives are so tight with it, I’ve begun to actually hate them as human beings. Just let me buy the stuff thats never been booted and thats it.

Let’s play detective, This has been bizarre, this whole last year, they have released a lot of stuff, BBC2. Bootleg 63, Capitol albums, and I forget, now we from Wogblog, and he’s been right so far, he says, The Promo music videos, Everybody is sayin Let it Be on DVD in the next 6-18 months… a reissue of LOVE.. We know they intend to package some kind of Live album or live video.. What’s left, I can’t figure anything but some kind of Anthology type thing. But they already did that. So would they make a big Anthology rerelease with 40-50 new tracks, some new mixes on Free As A Bird .. What the heck could it be…Smells like Anthology 4, but they would call it something else, and somehow justify it, whatever it is, instead of just expanding the Anthology…. Any rumors, thoughts, discoveries?