The Beatles are following up last week's hoopla surrounding the release of their final new song, "Now and Then," with the re-release today of 1973's 1962-1966 (The Red Album) and 1967-1970 (The Blue Album).
Both have been expanded with "Red" containing 12 additional tracks, and "Blue" nine, including "Now and Then."
All the additional tracks, as well as the originals, have been remixed in stereo and Dolby Atmos by Giles Martin, son of their late producer George Martin.
"Red" and "Blue" are available in multiple configurations, including four-CD and six 180-gram vinyl sets.
1962-1966 (2023 EDITION)
- Love Me Do (2023 Mix)
- Please Please Me (2023 Mix)
- I Saw Her Standing There (2023 Mix) *
- Twist and Shout (2023 Mix) *
- From Me to You (2023 Mix)
- She Loves You (2023 Mix)
- I Want to Hold Your Hand (2023 Mix)
- This Boy (2023 Mix) *
- All My Loving (2023 Mix)
- Roll Over Beethoven (2023 Mix) *
- You Really Got a Hold On Me (2023 Mix) *
- Can’t Buy Me Love (2023 Mix)
- You Can’t Do That (2023 Mix) *
- A Hard Day’s Night (2023 Mix)
- And I Love Her (2023 Mix)
- Eight Days a Week (2023 Mix)
- I Feel Fine (2023 Mix)
- Ticket to Ride (2023 Mix)
- Yesterday (2023 Mix)
- Help! (2023 Mix)
- You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away (2023 Mix)
- We Can Work it Out (2023 Mix)
- Day Tripper (2023 Mix)
- Drive My Car (2023 Mix)
- Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) (2023 Mix)
- Nowhere Man (2023 Mix)
- Michelle (2023 Mix)
- In My Life (2023 Mix)
- If I Needed Someone (2023 Mix) *
- Girl (2023 Mix)
- Paperback Writer (2022 Mix)
- Eleanor Rigby (2022 Mix)
- Yellow Submarine (2022 Mix)
- Taxman (2022 Mix) *
- Got to Get You Into My Life (2022 Mix) *
- I’m Only Sleeping (2022 Mix) *
- Here, There and Everywhere (2022 Mix) *
- Tomorrow Never Knows (2022 Mix) *
*Newly added track
1967-1970 (2023 EDITION)
- Strawberry Fields Forever (2015 Stereo Mix / 2023 Dolby Atmos Mix)
- Penny Lane (2017 Mix)
- Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (2017 Mix)
- With a Little Help From My Friends (2017 Mix)
- Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds (2017 Mix)
- Within You Without You (2017 Mix) *
- A Day in the Life (2017 Mix)
- All You Need Is Love (2015 Stereo Mix / 2023 Dolby Atmos Mix)
- I Am the Walrus (2023 Mix)
- Hello, Goodbye (2015 Stereo Mix / 2023 Dolby Atmos Mix)
- The Fool on the Hill (2023 Mix)
- Magical Mystery Tour (2023 Mix)
- Lady Madonna (2015 Stereo Mix / 2023 Dolby Atmos Mix)
- Hey Jude (2015 Stereo Mix / 2023 Dolby Atmos Mix)
- Revolution (2023 Mix)
- Back in the U.S.S.R. (2018 Mix)
- Dear Prudence (2018 Mix) *
- While My Guitar Gently Weeps (2018 Mix)
- Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (2018 Mix)
- Glass Onion (2018 Mix) *
- Blackbird (2018 Mix) *
- Hey Bulldog (2023 Mix) *
- Get Back (2015 Stereo Mix / 2023 Dolby Atmos Mix)
- Don’t Let Me Down (2021 Mix)
- The Ballad of John and Yoko (2015 Stereo Mix / 2023 Dolby Atmos Mix)
- Old Brown Shoe (2023 Mix)
- Here Comes the Sun (2019 Mix)
- Come Together (2019 Mix)
- Something (2019 Mix)
- Octopus’s Garden (2019 Mix)
- Oh! Darling (2019 Mix) *
- I Want You (She’s So Heavy) (2019 Mix) *
- Let it Be (2021 Mix)
- Across the Universe (2021 Mix)
- I Me Mine (2021 Mix) *
- The Long and Winding Road (2021 Mix)
- Now and Then *
* Newly added track
While The Beatles' new song, "Now and Then," is being billed as their "last," director Peter Jackson says they could possibly do more.
It was Jackson and his team, while working on last year's Get Back documentary, that came up with software enabling them to separate audio tracks. That same software was used to extract John Lennon's vocals from his demo of "Now and Then," allowing Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr to add further instrumentation and vocals along with George Harrison's guitar parts from the mid-'90s when they tried to finish it for their Anthology collection.
In an interview with The Sunday Times of London, Jackson was asked if there's footage from the Get Back (Let it Be) sessions that Paul and Ringo could work with to create more songs.
“It did cross my mind!” he says with a laugh. “We can take a performance from Get Back, separate John and George, and then have Paul and Ringo add a chorus or harmonies. 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.”
As for "Now and Then," Jackson, who directed the song's video, says it "sounds like John is writing a message as an apology for however he may have behaved. I found that incredibly moving, that the final Beatles song is the Beatles singing to each other.
“And it’s such a catchy tune! ... It’s not a classic in the sense of 'I Am the Walrus' or 'Penny Lane' — it’s not complex like that. It’s simple, but it’s got a haunting quality. Whenever anyone asks why I like the Beatles, I just say they make me happy. With the world in the state it is, we need the Beatles to appear again, as if a flying saucer has touched down and they’ve got off and are providing us with their one last song to cheer us up.”
"Now and Then" was released last Thursday and will be included on this Friday's re-release of 1967-1970 (‘The Blue Album’). Also out on Friday is that album's companion piece -- 1962-1966 (‘The Red Album’).