The Beatles Anthology: Unseen Footage Reveals Different “Now and Then” Recording

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As a huge Beatles fan, I’ve been absolutely glued to the newly remastered documentary series that just dropped on Disney+. Everyone’s talking about it, of course, but what’s really exciting isn’t just revisiting the classic footage – there’s actually brand new material in The Beatles Anthology that I can’t wait to dive into!

A new ninth episode has been created for the 1995 TV series as it begins streaming. It includes previously unseen footage of The Beatles recording in the mid-1990s. The episode shows the surviving members of the band working to finish John Lennon’s demo, “Now and Then,” and turn it into a complete song.

Though this demo wasn’t a fully realized song from John Lennon’s solo career, it was written with his former Beatles bandmate Paul McCartney in mind. It remained an unfinished part of the Beatles’ story until McCartney and Ringo Starr finally worked on it in 2023. However, recent revelations from The Beatles Anthology show they didn’t finish it in the way originally intended.

Disney+ has already shown documentaries like Beatles ‘64 and Peter Jackson’s Get Back, but this new episode in the Anthology series is their most captivating Beatles release yet. It offers a fresh look at a part of Beatles history that people have debated for three decades.

The Beatles Anthology’s New Episode Shows Their 1st Attempt At “Now And Then”

The Beatles Anthology is a critically acclaimed documentary series – and for good reason. It offers a creative and surprisingly personal look at the world’s most popular band. The first eight episodes have been updated for modern streaming, presenting a stylish and complete telling of The Beatles’ story.

The latest episode, number nine, is particularly compelling. After building anticipation with memories shared by Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr through interviews and casual conversations, it focuses on the creation of three new songs. These songs were built from demo recordings John Lennon made, and were generously provided by Yoko Ono, for the band’s Anthology project.

Only two songs, “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love,” were fully finished. They started recording a third song, “Now and Then,” but stopped after one long session because the original demo by John Lennon was too challenging to use. However, the Anthology documentary now shows a clear picture of their initial effort to record it.

This Version Of The Song Would Have Included John Lennon’s Original Bridge

After John Lennon was tragically killed in 1980, the song “Now and Then,” which he’d recorded as a demo and labeled “For Paul,” remained unfinished. When the song was finally released as a Beatles single in 2023, it didn’t include the bridge that Lennon had originally written for it.

Many fans loved the song’s emotional build-up in the middle section, particularly its dramatic chord changes. So, when Paul McCartney and Giles Martin removed that section entirely, it felt like a disrespect to John Lennon’s original songwriting.

According to the ninth episode of The Beatles Anthology, Paul McCartney originally didn’t plan to cut John Lennon’s bridge from the song. Footage from a 1995 recording session for “Now and Then” shows McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr together around a piano.

McCartney explained to the band, “Instead of repeating the chorus, we’ll move into the bridge section.” He then played the first chord of that bridge, taken from Lennon’s initial recording. This is the first solid evidence that a version of “Now and Then” featuring all four Beatles could have incorporated that section.

Paul McCartney Predicted The Beatles Would Complete “Now And Then” Eventually

Paul McCartney, known for his relentless work ethic, toured North America again in 2025 and continues to show no intention of retiring. He was especially motivated to perform, wanting to share a brand new Beatles song with fans one last time.

He finally finished “Now and Then” after working on it for nearly 30 years. There’s a clue in The Beatles Anthology suggesting this outcome was likely all along, during McCartney’s discussion of the band’s failed 1995 recording attempt of the song.

For any other band, this situation would be a deal-breaker. But The Beatles are different – they have a knack for pulling off the unexpected. Whatever this issue is, it might not just disappear; they could actually make it work.

He was right: The Beatles finished the song at last in 2023. Although George Harrison had passed away, his recordings from the Anthology sessions were included in the final version. While it wasn’t the way John Lennon might have envisioned the song back in 1977, it was a fitting farewell for the band.

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2025-12-02 23:29