Episode 275: Now and Then: String Quartet

The production of the last Beatles single, Now and Then, is lush, to say the least. A heavily compressed piano (McCartney) accompanies Lennon's vocals. The string octet kicks in, we hear backing vocals echoing all the way back to Abbey Road, and then somebody messes up a solo on a slide guitar. Of all these add-ons (that Lennon would have hated) the string octet stands out, because it is not that bad. It is choreographed very much in style of Eleanor Rigby, with short bursts of te violins and cellos. Well worth a listen in isolation.