This four disc collection of “classic” Beatle songs (and by now, which of their songs isn’t) is noted for the inclusion of the mystical reunion of The Beatles. John Lennon’s dreamy ballad “Now and Then” was originally recorded in 1977 as a home demo, and was considered as a draw for a Beatles reunion, but all was not to be, particularly since Lennon died in 1980. However, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr decided to bring the song back to life with some overdubs by Lennon, some guitar tracks by George Harrison (who died in 2001) and some knob turning to make the sound more up to date
Is it essential? It’s a pleasant ditty, with what seems most to be missing is the give and take of the Fab Four while rehearsing it until it became a finished product. As it stands, anything from Liverpool is worth hearing, but it does seem to pale in comparison to the other songs on this collection, even it’s B side, “Love Me Do”, which started the whole British invasion
There are a handful of tunes that never surfaced on their “official” albums, but which we all know, such as “Lady Madonna”, “The Ballad of John and Yoko” , and I sure would have liked another hear of “You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)”, but who’s going to quibble with the band that essentially changed modern popular music?