Keith Wilby Posted November 3, 2023 Share Posted November 3, 2023 What do we think of the new Beatles offering? I was disappointed with Free as a Bird and Real Love because of the quality of the recording of John's voice; it couldn't be helped and the songs themselves I thought were good, but the sound quality issue made them sound under par for me. This new one, however, with modern technology, has John sounding almost like he sang it at Abbey Road. Isolating his voice like that is an astonishing achievement and it makes the result sound like a proper record, for want of a better expression. It made me feel rather emotional given how he was taken. It would be great to hear the other two songs, plus Grow Old with Me, getting the same treatment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rain Posted November 3, 2023 Share Posted November 3, 2023 (edited) I'm guessing it will be extremely polarizing - me, I am at odd with myself every time I listen to it. My initial reaction was to be creeped out, then disgusted, then moved, and I've oscillated between conflicting feelings every few seconds every time I listen to it. I like the haunting quality of the original demo, and I never saw the necessity of turning any of Lennon's demos into finished songs. To me, the definitive version of Real Love is the old demo that I was so used to. But I can also appreciate a lot of what they did with those songs. That being said, I do feel that although the song did receive "the Beatles treatment", it's a little superficial. It has all the trappings of a Beatles song, but what a Beatles song was was constantly evolving throughout their career, so they never really relied on trappings. It's a little bit like paint by numbers, or ELO who knew precisely how to evoke The Beatles, what sounds to use and all. But then again - The Beatles aren't really around anymore, so it's not like they can continue to evolve and redefine themselves. And no matter what we think, it's out now. Edited November 3, 2023 by Rain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane_B. Posted November 3, 2023 Share Posted November 3, 2023 Give it a couple years. AI will be able to emulate any voice. Then we'll be hearing brand new songs sung by Elvis that he never heard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigb Posted November 3, 2023 Share Posted November 3, 2023 I'll get back to you. I'm busy listening to Jimi Hendrix's new album... 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbognar Posted November 3, 2023 Share Posted November 3, 2023 My biggest issue is that they excluded the "I don't wanna lose you..." bridge. It is harmonically rich and a great musical transition between the other 2 sections. The arrangement is also a little too dense - it could've remained a little more stark. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bapu Posted November 3, 2023 Share Posted November 3, 2023 From a historical sense it's great. As a song, kinda meh. I found the "B" side "Love Me Do" remix a bit more interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Oakes Posted November 3, 2023 Share Posted November 3, 2023 I think its great, the song and of course Peter Jackson’s accompanying video. J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bapu Posted November 3, 2023 Share Posted November 3, 2023 3 hours ago, pbognar said: it could've remained a little more starkey More cowbell? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notes_Norton Posted November 3, 2023 Share Posted November 3, 2023 OK, I gave it a listen. Not bad, not good. It was a demo, and he wasn't comfortable singing it. Adding the rest was impressive, but it really wasn't worth it on that song. Perhaps if the song was comfortable to sing and it was recorded with George Martin's magic, it could have been something. So my verdict is: Interesting, but nothing I would purchase. Insights and incites by Notes ♫ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo 88 Posted November 4, 2023 Share Posted November 4, 2023 I like the song and the more i listen to it the more i like it. It does have that old Beatles vibe to it. But I feel it's missing the tweaking that came from the back and forth between John and Paul. I think the best Beatle songs where the ones Paul came up with and John threw his sarcasm, cynicism and dry wit into the mix. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rain Posted November 4, 2023 Share Posted November 4, 2023 Saw this short video on Facebook this morning shared by The Beatles' profile admin, Paul, and Ringo - I guess it's a preview of the little documentary - the last part of it was Lennon's voice soloed. Hit me much harder than the song with all the fluff, and to my ear, it was also more interesting. The beauty of the melody seemed more intelligible this way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane_B. Posted November 4, 2023 Share Posted November 4, 2023 I just realized there are 2 versions of this on youtube. The Official Audio version and the Official Music Video version. I've been listening to the Audio version and didn't like the song until I just saw the Video version of it. Now I can't stop listening to it. I don't know if it's my imagination or the fact that the Video version triggers all the nostalgia in me seeing them all together, but the mix seems better in it to me. I forced myself to watch Rick Beato's 'reaction' to it (sorry but I can't stomach the guy), and I do have to agree with him on one thing. He commented on it being overcompressed or something along those lines. I got the impression he didn't care for it but was kissing ***** in hopes of getting an interview with Paul and Ringo. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rain Posted November 4, 2023 Share Posted November 4, 2023 (edited) Anybody remember that guy Ben (?) who used to hang out in the old Coffeehouse and who was a huge fan of Lennon and the Beatles (and somewhat possessive of them, if that makes sense)? Wonder if he's still around and doing well. I seem to remember he was struggling with his emotions a bit at times, and it could sometimes be difficult to stay nice to him, but still... Hope he's ok. Edited November 4, 2023 by Rain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Oakes Posted November 4, 2023 Share Posted November 4, 2023 21 minutes ago, Rain said: Anybody remember that guy Ben (?) who used to hang out in the old Coffeehouse and who was a huge fan of Lennon and the Beatles (and somewhat possessive of them, if that makes sense)? Wonder if he's still around and doing well. I seem to remember he was struggling with his emotions a bit at times, and it could sometimes be difficult to stay nice to him, but still... Hope he's ok. Yep, the self styled Drunken Chef and Beatles expert amongst other things. Didn’t like (constructive) criticism of his “works”. Fun reading. J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rain Posted November 4, 2023 Share Posted November 4, 2023 Precisely! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Wilby Posted November 4, 2023 Author Share Posted November 4, 2023 19 hours ago, pbognar said: My biggest issue is that they excluded the "I don't wanna lose you..." bridge. I think they were right to cut that out. It seems a bit awkward and clanky to me and I think that the solo fits better. I do agree with @Shane_B. that there's too much compression. That said, I like it very much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane_B. Posted November 4, 2023 Share Posted November 4, 2023 5 hours ago, Rain said: Anybody remember that guy Ben (?) who used to hang out in the old Coffeehouse Yep. BenTechMusic or something like that. He was very gifted at mixing and mastering. One of his threads that sticks out in my mind is his argument for paper speaker cones vs. other materials. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelhanson Posted November 4, 2023 Share Posted November 4, 2023 Maybe I’m in the minority, but I like it a lot. The minute I heard John’s voice and his natural ability to make his voice the hook. I smiled from ear to ear upon first listen. John sounds sooooo good. It actually reminded me how awful modern music is. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notes_Norton Posted November 4, 2023 Share Posted November 4, 2023 16 hours ago, Shane_B. said: I just realized there are 2 versions of this on youtube. The Official Audio version and the Official Music Video version. I've been listening to the Audio version and didn't like the song until I just saw the Video version of it. I'm going to look for that, I might change my mind. All I heard was the Audio version. Thanks. Notes ♫ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notes_Norton Posted November 4, 2023 Share Posted November 4, 2023 1 hour ago, michaelhanson said: Maybe I’m in the minority, but I like it a lot. Nothing wrong with that. A piece of music, no matter how good or bad, can affect different people in different ways. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now