By Bryanne Salazar
5:14pm PDT, Jun 26, 2023
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In June 2023, Paul McCartney revealed that he's used artificial intelligence to create "the final Beatles record," explaining that AI was used to "extricate" the late John Lennon's voice from an old demo so that the track could be completed. Paul shared the news with BBC Radio 4's "Today" program, announcing, "We just finished it up and it'll be released this year." Though the bass player, vocalist and co-writer for the band didn't reveal the song's title, it's believed to be "Now and Then," which John wrote in 1978 — two years before he was murdered. The BBC reported that Sir Paul received the demo — one of several songs on a cassette labelled "For Paul" that John had made shortly before his death — from John's widow, Yoko Ono, in the '90s.
To mark the news, we're taking a walk down penny, er, memory lane. Join us as we take a look at the best old photos of The Beatles, one of rock 'n' roll's greatest bands… starting with this image…
In this undated photo, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, John Lennon and George Harrison posed in what appears to be a train car. If the shot was taken in 1966, as is believed, The Beatles would have been promoting their seventh studio album, "Revolver," during their world tour. The tour itself would be their last and mark a turning point in their careers that included a noticeable change in their music style from pop rock to more psychedelic and experimental sounds, as well as an overwhelming exhaustion from superstardom.
Keep reading to see more nostalgia-inducing photos of the band that changed the world…
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George Harrison, Paul McCartney, John Lennon and Ringo Starr were photographed at their show at the Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany, in 1962. Five years later on April 8, 1977, the band released the double album "Live! at the Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany" and "1962," which was recorded during their last residency in Hamburg.
MORE: Paul McCartney's life in photos
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On Feb. 9, 1964, The Beatles made history when they performed in America for the first time on "The Ed Sullivan Show." They're seen here during their two-part appearance as an estimated 73 million viewers tuned in to watch the "long-haired" boys from London, making it clear that "Beatlemania" had already taken hold of North America.
MORE: See your favorite rock stars when they were young
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Band members John Lennon, George Harrison, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr posed inside a rail car at London's Paddington Station to film their musical comedy "A Hard Day's Night" in 1964, which is based on their album of the same name.
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In 2021, the Peter Jackson-directed documentary "The Beatles: Get Back" — a three-part series based on footage of the band as they wrote and recorded new material in 1969 that would end up on their album "Let It Be," as well as their last live performance as a group — debuted on Disney+. This photo shows Paul McCartney (whose then-soon-to-be wife, Linda, took the picture), George Harrison, Ringo Starr and John Lennon jamming out during one of their "Get Back" sessions in 1969.
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Following their debut performance in the U.S., Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr let off some steam in Miami Beach, Florida, in February 1964. The boys wouldn't have long to play in the waves as shortly after this photo was taken, they were surrounded by eager young female fans vying for their attention — a phenomena that would mark their entire musical career.
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In this Oct. 17, 1962, photo, The Beatles are seen during their first ever television appearance in their native Britain. Performing on the set of Manchester's "People and Places," the group, which included new member Ringo Starr, played their debut single "Love Me Do" as well as a cover of "Some Other Guy."
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Ringo Starr, George Harrison, John Lennon and Paul McCartney are seen posing for the camera in this undated photo from 1962. One year later, the British rockers would release debut album "Please Please Me" followed by sophomore effort "With the Beatles" within eight months of each other.
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One of the most iconic pictures of The Beatles was taken in early February 1964 as the band waved to photographers and fans at London's Heathrow Airport on their way to their first American tour. Already famous throughout England, their trip across the pond would turn them into international stars.
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In this 1967 photo, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison wore colorful military-inspired costumes for the cover of their groundbreaking album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." Considered by many to be one of the greatest albums The Beatles ever made, their music — which included hit singles like "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" and "With a Little Help From My Friends" — pushed the limits of recording technology at the time, giving fans a powerful new listening experience. The album would be nominated for five Grammys and ultimately win two: album of the year and best contemporary album.
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One of the biggest moments in The Beatles' early career happened on Sept. 16, 1963, when they performed for British royals at the annual Royal Variety Performance in London. Present that night were members of the top tier of British society including the Queen Mother, who arrived with daughter Princess Margaret (Queen Elizabeth II, who was pregnant with Prince Edward at the time, stayed home). While the performance itself was noteworthy, it was really John Lennon's cheeky introduction to their final song that night that made history. Addressing the elite audience, John said, "For our last number, I'd like to ask your help. The people in the cheaper seats, clap your hands. And the rest of you, if you'd just rattle your jewelry." Thankfully, the royal attendees reciprocated with laughter and applause.
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The Beatles are still considered one of the most important bands in music history, even though they were relatively short-lived. The band officially broke up in 1970 after an eight-year run when Paul McCartney announced he was leaving — a move that came less than a year after John Lennon shared that he was also leaving. This picture, taken in 1969, was snapped shortly before their tenure as The Beatles officially came to an end.
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This iconic image of The Beatles is from the cover of their penultimate album, "Abbey Road." Inspiring fans even today to take imitation photos, the photographer, Iain MacMillan, reportedly only had 10 minutes to take the shot, which was based on sketches Paul McCartney had made earlier. Fans often debate whether "Abbey Road" — which was released in 1969 — could be considered the band's actual last album, as many of the songs were written after they'd completed the music for their literal final album, "Let it Be," which was released in 1970.
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This photo taken on May 19, 1967, shows Ringo Starr, George Harrison, John Lennon and Paul McCartney during the press launch for their eighth studio album, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," at manager Brian Epstein's London home. The album included tracks "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," "She's Leaving Home," "Within You Without You" and "Lovely Rita."
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Although the photo is undated, it's likely, based on their hairstyles, that this image of George Harrison, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and John Lennon playing music together is from 1964. At the time, the boys from Liverpool were probably working on their studio album "A Hard Day's Night" or perhaps prepping for their first U.S. tour, which would launch them into the realm of superstardom.
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In this photo taken in 1962, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, John Lennon and British record producer George Martin — also known as the "Fifth Beatle" — are seen posing with their first-ever silver disc. They were given the honor after their single "Please Please Me" sold more than 250,000 copies.
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Long before MTV, The Beatles were mastering the art of the music video. In this 1965 scene still, John Lennon, George Harrison, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr stand solemnly in the snow for their adventure-comedy-musical film "Help!" based on their song and album of the same name.
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In this undated photo from the 1960s, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, George Harrison and Paul McCartney are seen traveling by train while on tour.
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Check out those baby faces! This picture of The Beatles from 1963 shows John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney and George Harrison in full youth, promoting their first album "Please Please Me," which hit British record stores on March 22 that year.
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In this Oct. 26, 1965, picture, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison pose outside of London's Buckingham Palace while displaying their newly awarded Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) medals. Although considered an honor, John reportedly sent back his medal four years later, cheekily writing, "Your Majesty, I am returning my MBE as a protest against Britain's involvement in the Nigeria-Biafra thing, against our support of America in Vietnam and against [the song] 'Cold Turkey' slipping down the charts. With love. John Lennon of Bag."
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Using their fame for good, The Beatles joined forces with British charity Oxfam to raise money to end hunger. Seen here during a promotional photo shoot on Dec. 12, 1963, the group went on to perform a televised benefit concert for the nonprofit.
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In this photograph taken on Aug. 25, 1967, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr are seen on a train to Bangor, the oldest city in Wales, to attend a Transcendental Meditation seminar with instructor Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. The seminar has been credited with providing young people with an alternative to psychedelics in the '60s.
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This photo shows The Beatles members George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney and John Lennon on set of their first feature-length musical-comedy film, "A Hard Day's Night," in 1964. The movie, which focused on two days in the life of The Beatles, was later nominated for two Academy Awards.
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Coming to America! In this photograph taken on Feb. 7, 1964, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison are seen outside John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City after traveling from London's Heathrow Airport — the band's first trip to the United States. The Beatles earned their first No. 1 single in the States, "I Want to Hold Your Hand," just six days before touching down.
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In this February 1964 picture, George Harrison, John Lennon, Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney wait to go on stage during their first U.S. tour, which took them to Washington, D.C., Miami Beach and New York before they returned home to the U.K.
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On June 24, 1967, The Beatles took this picture for their single "All You Need is Love" from their then-upcoming album "The Magical Mystery Tour." John Lennon reportedly wrote the song with help from Paul McCartney to capture the feeling of the Summer of Love era. Fittingly, each of the signs held in this picture said "Love is all you need" in a different language.
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On Nov. 9, 1966, a married John Lennon went to an exhibit in London and met artist Yoko Ono. Yoko would soon become the love of John's life and the woman blamed for The Beatles' eventual breakup in 1970 — an allegation that Paul McCartney later said was untrue. In this December 1968 picture, Yoko and John are seen walking outdoors looking very much in love. Twelve years later on Dec. 8, 1980, John was shot and killed by a crazed gunman in front of Yoko as they were returning home from a recording studio.
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Bravo! In this photo, The Beatles — Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and John Lennon — are seen after their performance at the Prince Wales Theatre in London on Sept. 16, 1963.
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This shot of The Beatles shows them backstage before their famed Royal Variety Show performance in London in 1963. It was here that member John Lennon reportedly shared with his bandmates he was going to tell the audience, which included members of Britain's royal family, to "Rattle your f—ing jewelry." Thankfully, their manager, Brian Epstein, talked John out of dropping the f-bomb.
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A night to remember! Paul McCartney, George Harrison, John Lennon and Ringo Starr performed on the "Val Parnell's Sunday Night at the London Palladium" TV show on Oct. 13, 1963. The Beatles played "I Want To Hold Your Hand," "This Boy," "All My Loving," "Money (That's What I Want)" and "Twist And Shout" to a crowd of 2,000 fans.
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This snapshot taken on March 20, 1964, shows Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harrison of The Beatles during their second performance on the television show "Ready, Steady Go!" They played three tracks: "Can't Buy Me Love," "You Can't Do That" and "It Won't Be Long."
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Striking a playful pose, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, John Lennon and Paul McCartney took a punch from heavyweight champion Cassius Clay — later known as Muhammad Ali — in this February 1964 photo. The band was on the Miami Beach leg of their first U.S. tour and learned that the famed boxer, who was preparing for a fight against Sonny Liston, was eager to meet them.
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This candid shot was taken on Aug. 15, 1965, during The Beatles' most infamous concert, which was held at New York's Shea Stadium. Surrounded by nearly 56,000 screaming fans — the largest crowd to ever pack a concert venue at the time — the band performed songs from their newly release album "Help!" By all accounts, it was one of the worst concerts in the band's history as they reportedly couldn't even hear themselves sing over the overwhelming roar of the crowd, which Paul McCartney later joked was helpful to drown out the sound of any mistakes they might have made on stage.
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In this undated photo, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, John Lennon and Ringo Starr pose playfully on a dock. It's believed it was taken sometime in 1962 — when Ringo joined the band, replacing original drummer Pete Best — when the group looked young and full of optimism.
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This February 1968 photo of Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and John Lennon with the famed yogi Maharishi Mahesh is an important one. The group had journeyed to Rishikesh, India, for spiritual enlightenment following the release of their pivotal album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," and turned to Maharishi — a man they'd originally met in London — for guidance and training in transcendental meditation. Needing to reconnect, to each other and with themselves, the band invested themselves in daily chants, mantras and rituals, along with actress Mia Farrow, to help guide them toward inner peace and musical cohesiveness, which would ultimately become the inspiration for their forthcoming "The White Album," which was released later that year. Unfortunately, the sojourn did little to reconnect The Beatles. In addition to fighting over creative and philosophical differences, the group parted ways with the yogi, claiming they'd been led to believe he was "something other than he was" after he'd been accused of sexual misconduct with his female followers.
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In this historical Jan. 30, 1969, image, The Beatles are seen playing together in what would be their last public performance before they officially broke up. Standing on a rooftop in London, the band belted out songs from their final album, "Let it Be," to unknowing fans below, marking the first time they'd played live in more than two years. Amidst constant tension and infighting, their final performance marked a brief moment of unity and musical camaraderie. When it was all over, John Lennon jokingly said to the crowd, "I would like to say thank you on behalf of the group and ourselves. I hope we passed the audition." Less than three months later, The Beatles announced they were over, ending an era of music that transformed the world.
