The Beatles are getting a little help from AI to salvage what is considered the final original Beatles song intended as a reunion song for a comeback that never materialized.
During an interview on Tuesday with BBC Radio 4’s Today program, Paul McCartney revealed that a new Beatles record will be released later this year, thanks to AI technology. He explained that the technology allowed him to isolate John Lennon’s vocals from an old cassette tape demo, enabling him to complete the song.
The BBC notes that the original demo for “Now and Then” was among several songs on a cassette that Lennon had made for McCartney shortly before his death in 1980. The cassette, labeled “For Paul,” was given to McCartney by Lennon’s widow, Yoko Ono. The songs, recorded in Lennon’s New York apartment, were in a primitive state and featured a lot of noise.
McCartney continued: “So when we came to make what will be the last Beatles record, it was a demo that John had and we were able to take John’s voice and get it pure through this AI. Then we can mix the record, as you would normally do. So it gives you some sort of leeway.”