Is Now and Then really the end? Peter Jackson says it’s “conceivable” to make more Beatles tracks using AI
Jackson, who used a demixing technique to bring to life the “last” Beatles track, has said it is “fanboy stuff”, but it’s not impossible.
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Peter Jackson has said it is “conceivable” for more tracks by The Beatles to be released utilising his MAL audio software.
Jackson and his sound team used a demixing technique on Lennon’s demo of the newly released track Now And Then to preserve the clarity of his vocals by separating it from the piano. The song has been branded as the “last” Beatles song.
Released on 2 November, Now And Then features all four members of The Beatles. Alongside the release, a 12-minute Now And Then – The Last Beatles Song documentary film was released which tells the story behind the track.
But could more songs from The Beatles be revived using a little bit of AI tech? Although Jackson calls it “fanboy stuff”, he hasn’t denied that it is possible and has said that the thought has already “crossed his mind.”
“We can take a performance from Get Back, separate John and George, and then have Paul and Ringo add a chorus or harmonies,” he says. “You might end up with a decent song but I haven’t had conversations with Paul about that. It’s fanboy stuff, but certainly conceivable,” he tells The Sunday Times.
The involvement of AI in a new Beatles track had the internet in a frenzy when Paul McCartney had originally mentioned the tech in an interview earlier this year. AI has been used to emulate the vocals of many legendary artists, but in this case it was purely used to clean up a recording which already existed.
Since the release of Now And Then producer Giles Martin has clarified that AI software was only used to extract and clean up Lennon’s vocals on the demo track.
If you haven’t already, you can check out the song below:
