The Beatles and AI: A New Era of Music Production
Paul McCartney has once again turned to artificial intelligence (AI) to help bring new life to the legacy of The Beatles. This time, he’s using a sophisticated tool called ‘MAL’—developed by WingNut Films, a production company led by Peter Jackson, director of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The AI has been used to enhance two previously unreleased songs from John Lennon’s demos, which were originally recorded shortly before his death in 1980.
These songs, “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love,” were initially created as rough recordings by Lennon but were later refined with input from the remaining members of The Beatles. However, the sound quality was limited by the technology of the time, resulting in muffled vocals that struggled to stand out against the background noise of the piano and electrical hum.
Now, thanks to MAL, these tracks have been reimagined with crystal-clear vocals, making it seem as though Lennon had recorded them in a modern studio. The AI works by isolating different sounds within a recording, effectively separating them like “unbaking a cake.” This allows for the removal of unwanted noise, such as the piano or electrical interference, while preserving the clarity of Lennon’s voice.
The enhanced versions of “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love,” known as the “2025 mix,” are set to be released on an upcoming rerelease of the Beatles Anthology compilation this November. The song “Free as a Bird” is already available for streaming, giving fans a taste of what’s to come.
This isn’t the first time that AI has played a role in The Beatles’ legacy. In 2023, McCartney and Jackson used the same technique to complete the “last Beatles song,” “Now and Then,” which reached number one in the UK after 64 years. The track was originally a demo recorded by Lennon in the late 1970s, but it was never finished due to technical limitations. With the help of MAL, the team was able to isolate Lennon’s vocals, remove the background noise, and add fresh instrumentation to complete the track.
Before this, MAL was also used in Peter Jackson’s 2021 Disney+ documentary Get Back, where it helped uncover hidden conversations between the Beatles during their rehearsals. This demonstrated the potential of AI not only in music production but also in historical preservation.
Despite his collaboration with AI, McCartney has expressed concerns about the broader implications of generative AI, which creates new content based on existing data. In May of this year, he joined over 400 other creatives in urging the UK government to require AI companies to disclose the copyrighted works used to train their models. He believes that the use of AI in music should be carefully regulated to protect the rights of artists.
The Origins of “Now and Then”
The story of “Now and Then” begins in the late 1970s when John Lennon recorded a rough demo of the song at his home in New York. The recording was accompanied by a lot of background noise, including the hum of the mains electricity and the sound of his piano. Although the composition was unfinished, it was eventually handed over to Paul McCartney by Yoko Ono after Lennon’s tragic murder in 1980.
With the support of the other Beatles, McCartney began working on the track, along with three other Lennon compositions: “Free as a Bird,” “Real Love,” and “Grow Old With Me.” While “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love” were completed and released in the mid-1990s, work on “Now and Then” was halted after just two days. The song was eventually shelved, and no work was ever started on “Grow Old With Me.”
It wasn’t until the development of MAL that the project could be revived. The AI allowed the team to isolate Lennon’s voice, remove the piano and background noise, and create a clean vocal track. Once this was done, McCartney added new bass lines, slide guitar solos, and piano parts that mimicked Lennon’s original performance. Ringo Starr contributed drums, and both surviving Beatles provided backing vocals. George Harrison’s guitar parts from 1995 were also included, forming an essential part of the final arrangement.
In addition, a string arrangement secretly recorded at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles and snippets of three-part harmony vocals from the 1960s were added to give the track a more authentic feel.
The Future of The Beatles’ Legacy
While “Now and Then” was hailed as the “last Beatles song,” there are still many unreleased tracks in the band’s vaults. One of the most famous is the 13-minute avant-garde piece “Carnival of Light,” recorded by all four Beatles at Abbey Road in 1967. According to Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn, the track is described as “distorted” and “hypnotic,” though he notes that it may not be as groundbreaking as some fans might expect.
As AI continues to play a role in the restoration and enhancement of classic music, it raises important questions about the future of artistic creation. For now, the Beatles’ legacy lives on, thanks to the innovative use of technology and the enduring creativity of its members.
