Now and Then is a love letter to the original Beatles sound and a farewell to fans, old and new, who have loved their work through the years. It is melancholic and nostalgic in a way that only the Beatles have managed to achieve. Obviously it will never rival the experimental precedent set by Sergeant Pepper or the nostalgia associated with their other tracks like Let it be, Come together, Yellow submarine, Hey Jude, and many others.
Starting in Liverpool, John, Paul, George and Ringo became household names at the turn of 1963 with the success of She loves you, Twist and Shout, and Please Please Me as well as their debut royal variety performance. The next year they took the States by storm with their appearance on the Ed Sullivan show, releasing a hard day’s night that same year. 1965 saw the release of help! And Rubber soul with revolver coming in 1966. Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band came in 1967 and catapulted the band to new heights as well as new sounds with their venture into Victoriana (a popular trend at the time). 1968 bought the white album, a cult classic and new look for the band with the minimalist white album cover replacing Sgt pepper’s lonely hearts club band, and Victoriana; Abbey Road came the next year. Let it be was the Beatles last great triumph as the band broke up the same year, 1970, and the song’s production was reminiscent of the issues the band where having, with everyone leaning in new musical directions and 10 years of touring taking toll on their friendship.
Though every member went on to individual success, with John Lennon’s death in 1980 and George Harrisons in 2001, it was clear that Let it be was going to be the bands last hurrah. Now and Then has ended the Beatles run with another number one hit and cemented them as the most popular and, possibly, the most influential band of the 20th century.
