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Winnipeg Free Press
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Technology helps resurrect late bandmate's vocals for debut LP
The Beatles were back in the news in November 2023 when a raw demo recorded by John Lennon in the late 1970s finally saw the light of day, thanks to artificial intelligence and a little help from his friends. Using audio technology director Peter Jackson pioneered during production of the acclaimed 2021 Beatles documentary Get Back, surviving members Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr were able to isolate Lennon's vocals for the song Now and Then by eliminating all background noise, including a spotty piano accompaniment. The pair next headed into the studio to add newly recorded instrumentation to their late mate's singing voice, the culmination of which was a fresh-sounding track that turned out to be the first Beatles composition in 53 years to top the Billboard charts. Lloyd Peterson is the owner of Paintbox Recording, a full-service studio at 600 Shaftesbury Blvd. that has hosted the likes of Fred Penner, Begonia and the Dirty Catfish Brass Band. In addition to being intrigued with the Now and Then project from a professional standpoint, Peterson also began to wonder whether he and his longtime collaborator Chris Maxfield could utilize the same creative high jinks, to assist them with a set of amateur recordings they'd been holding onto for 40-plus years. Daniel Crump / Free Press Maxfield (left) and Peterson spool up Go Jetter's original 1979 reel-to-reel recordings. On May 13, following months of trial and error, Peterson and Maxfield unveiled From the Word Go, the debut album from Go Jetter, the band they formed in 1979 in London, Ont., with their pal Rob 'Iggy' Morningstar, who died by suicide in 1983. 'It's really hard to describe how fulfilling it was to bring this record back to life,' Maxfield says, seated next to Peterson in Paintbox Recording's reception area, where the digital release's lead single, the uptempo rocker Tuesday Night in the Morning, is playing in the background. Peterson chimes in, saying there were definitely moments during the last year that were 'just magical,' as they played along — Peterson on guitar, Maxfield on drums — to Iggy's vocals and keyboard/bass lines, which they'd successfully wrested from a grainy reel-to-reel tape, using essentially the same AI app as the ex-Beatles. 'There Chris and I would be, counting a song in, and then Iggy would start singing through our headphones. We'd look at each other and be like wow, this is exactly how it was, 46 years ago.' Peterson and Maxfield became friends while attending Westlane Secondary School in Chippawa, a community in Niagara Falls, Ont. They met Morningstar during their second year of high school, after he moved to Chippawa from Prescott, Ont. 'He could play guitar, he looked like David Bowie… right away we were asking ourselves, 'who the heck is this guy?'' Maxfield says, crediting a Sam the Record Man employee for granting Morningstar the nickname Iggy, for a coif resembling that of Stooges lead singer Iggy Pop. Supplied Rob 'Iggy' Morningstar died by suicide in 1983. Peterson and Maxfield had already belonged to their share of upstart bands when they approached Morningstar to see if he'd be interested in jamming with the two of them. Sure, came his response, and in Grade 12, the trio entered a talent contest at their school, billing themselves as Dallas Cooper, a colourful unit that covered the catalogue of — you guessed it — Alice Cooper. After graduating in 1977, Peterson briefly attended the University of Guelph, before moving to Winnipeg, where his parents had relocated. In early 1979 he received a call from Maxfield, who let him know that he and Morningstar intended to form a new group, with the goal of writing and recording original material. Peterson announced he was in. They settled into a rented house in London, having chosen that burg simply because none of them had ever set foot there before, and they were seeking an entirely new adventure — one fuelled largely by popcorn and roll-your-own cigarettes. 'We had this 'cutting edge' two-track technology, so what we did was record guitar, drums and vocals on one track, then play that back and add flute, bass and synthesizer,' Peterson says, mentioning they adopted the moniker Go Jetter after a dog, Jetter, Morningstar brought home one afternoon as a surprise. 'We were just kind of making it up as we went along; it was basically us putting down ideas — beginnings, middle eights, endings — that would evolve into full-fledged songs,' adds Maxfield, noting because their musical influences were all over the map, from the Clash to Steely Dan to Gordon Lightfoot, the outcome was everything from 'punk blasts' to more folk-tinged arrangements. Daniel Crump / Free Press Lloyd Peterson jams with fellow Go Jetter bandmate Chris Maxfield, in Peterson's Winnipeg Studio, Paintbox Recording. When they weren't writing and recording, Go Jetter performed live here and there around the southern Ontario city. But after neglecting to pay the rent for a prolonged period, they received what Maxfield calls an official-looking letter from their landlord, instructing them to pack their belongings and vamoose — a set of circumstances that sealed the fate of Go Jetter. 'It's really hard to describe how fulfilling it was to bring this record back to life'– Chris Maxfield In the wake of the band's demise, Peterson and Maxfield moved first to Toronto, then later to Winnipeg where they helped form the Cheer, an upbeat foursome that enjoyed a modicum of success during the 1980s. Meanwhile, Morningstar headed to Ohio, where he joined the post-punk outfit the F Models. Peterson remembers getting set to board a van in December 1983 to leave for a Cheer show in Thompson when he received a call from Morningstar's brother Randy, to let him and Maxfield know their chum had been found dead, two days before his 25th birthday. 'If somebody gets taken from you at such a young age, they're always going to be the person you knew when you were 20; you're never going to see them grow old,' Peterson states, running a hand through his hair. 'Like lots of people, Iggy was complicated and had a lot of stuff to overcome in his life, but in his heart he was an entertainer, and he was very talented when it came to music.' Daniel Crump / Free Press Recording pro Lloyd Peterson was inspired to revisit Go Jetter's '70s recordings after AI tech helped resurrect John Lennon's vocals from a rough demo. Peterson and Maxfield remained in touch after the end of the Cheer in 1989. Peterson eventually moved over to the production side of things — he established Paintbox Recording in the mid-2000s — while Maxfield forged a successful career as a travel executive and currently, as the owner of his own communications firm. In January 2024, Peterson and Maxfield were out for breakfast when the topic of the aforementioned Beatles documentary came up. Specifically, they discussed back and forth how the producers had been able to clean up the Fab Four's old recordings by extracting individual vocal, guitar and drum tracks from existing tapes — an action Peterson equated with removing the flour or baking powder from an already-prepared biscuit. 'There Chris and I would be, counting a song in, and then Iggy would start singing through our headphones. We'd look at each other and be like wow, this is exactly how it was, 46 years ago'– Lloyd Peterson 'I did a bit of homework and found the applicable AI app,' Maxfield says. 'I happened to have a Go Jetter song on my phone and after running it through the app, I had this eureka moment… I couldn't believe we'd be able to pull Iggy's vocals out and rebuild the song, if that's what we chose to do.' One song turned into two, two became four, until the pair had successfully recreated 11 Go Jetter tunes from a quarter-inch tape marked 'Go Jetter, Summer of '79.' (Thinking ahead, Peterson also commissioned a local production crew to film the goings-on for what turned out to be a nearly nine-minute-long documentary augmented with grainy snapshots of the three of them, taken with a 'crappy, $15' Instamatic camera.) Prior to the album being released on streaming services, Peterson and Maxfield were in touch with Morningstar's siblings, who joyfully gave the undertaking their blessing. They also heard from Morningstar's adult nephew, who contacted them from his home in Alberta. Supplied The band in 1977, before they were Go Jetter 'He was too young to have known his uncle — he'd only heard stories about him through his mom — and he was really excited to learn more about Iggy, from Lloyd's and my perspective,' Maxfield says. Every Second Friday The latest on food and drink in Winnipeg and beyond from arts writers Ben Sigurdson and Eva Wasney. For obvious reasons, Peterson and Maxfield don't have any plans to play live shows as Go Jetter, though attendees at a June 14 show at Blue Note Park, featuring a resurrected Cheer alongside Monuments Galore and Chocolate Bunnies From Hell, may be fortunate enough to hear one song off the LP From the Word Go. 'There were so many times we wished Iggy could have been a part of this and we're thinking of playing Minor Sins from the new album, a fresh one written years after he died, all about him and our time together,' Peterson says. 'It will be our tribute to him from the surviving Go Jetter members, carried on by the Cheer,' Maxfield adds. Supplied From left, Chris Maxfield, Lloyd Peterson and Rob 'Iggy' Morningstar perform together 40-plus years ago. For more information, go to David Sanderson Dave Sanderson was born in Regina but please, don't hold that against him. Read full biography Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Forbes
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
The Beatles Manage A Rare Chart Feat With More Hit Songs Than Albums
The Beatles land three tracks on the U.K.'s Official Physical Singles chart, with 'From Me to You' ... More returning alongside 'Now and Then' and 'I Want to Hold Your Hand.' The Beatles on stage at the London Palladium during a performance in front of 2, 000 screaming fans. (Photo by) These days, like so many other legacy acts, The Beatles usually perform best on music charts around the world with albums, not singles. This is typically because the millions of people who continue to listen to the group focus on either classic full-lengths or compilations built around some of the band's most famous tunes. The Beatles do occasionally collect a hit or two, especially in the U.K., where the act's fame remains particularly impressive. This frame is a big one for the rockers on song rankings, as British listeners appear to be interested in both albums and singles at the moment. The Beatles fill a trio of spaces on one songs tally in the U.K. this week thanks to a pair of holdovers and one returning smash. "From Me to You" reenters the Official Physical Singles chart at No. 93. It joins both "Now and Then" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand," which dip to Nos. 70 and 84, respectively. Of the three, "Now and Then" is the biggest hit by the band — at least on the Official Physical Singles chart — though the other tracks are much older. "Now and Then," which was released in 2023 as the final track by The Beatles, has reached No. 1 in the past. Both "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "From Me to You" have cracked the top 10, but neither has managed to rule the tally. "Now and Then" has spent more time on the ranking than both of those tracks combined—twice over. Somewhat surprisingly, The Beatles claim more hit songs in the U.K. this week than albums. That's not usually the case – though this isn't the first time the band has managed such a showing. Just two compilations by the group appear on the charts, and both manage to find space on a pair of tallies. 1967–1970 and 1962–1966 — two greatest-hits sets that were released at the same time decades ago — both find space on the Official Albums chart and the Official Albums Streaming ranking. Plays on platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and other competitors of the band's most famous smashes are largely powering these two titles.
Forbes
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
The Beatles Bring Several Beloved Singles Back To The Charts
The Beatles' 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' and "Now and Then" both become bestsellers again in the ... More U.K., as the two singles return to sales charts this week. (Original Caption) The Beatles are shown at a press conference at the Warwick Hotel. Standing left to right are: Ringo Starr, (wearing polka dot shirt), Paul McCartney, John Lennon, and George Harrison. These days, when it comes to sales and streaming charts, The Beatles are more successful with albums. That's common among legacy acts, as fans tend to focus their attention on the full-lengths that originally propelled the musical icons to superstardom, as well as compilations that assemble their most familiar singles. The Fab Four regularly appears on multiple album rankings in the United Kingdom, where the rock legends remain most popular. While the focus is usually on albums, interest in several Beatles cuts grew last week. The band manages to push a number of tunes back onto different lists, scoring multiple bestsellers long after most music fron the rockers was released. The Beatles currently appear inside the top 40 on two separate sales rankings in the U.K. One of the group's oldest tunes, 'I Want to Hold Your Hand,' is a true bestseller once again. The track reenters the Official Vinyl Singles chart at No. 23. It lands just one spot lower, at No. 24, on the Official Physical Singles chart, which includes not only vinyl purchases, but also CDs and cassettes. On that roster, The Beatles don't merely bounce back — they soar from second-to-last place (No. 99) into the top 40. The band fills a pair of spaces on the Official Physical Singles chart this frame. 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' jumps more than 70 positions, while 'Now and Then' returns at No. 56. That comeback tune, marketed as the final release by The Beatles, was completed with the help of artificial intelligence and dropped in late 2023. 'Now and Then' was a quick No. 1 on seemingly every ranking it touched, including the Official Physical Singles chart. 'I Want to Hold Your Hand,' however, has never managed to conquer either of the tallies on which it appears. It has come close, peaking at No. 2 in the several months it has been present on these rosters — which didn't exist when The Beatles first shared the song more than half a century ago.
The Hindu
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Why use my own when artificial intelligence can do the trick?
ABOUT 500 WORDS The Beatles won a Grammy this year. It is 55 years since the group broke up and 45 years since John Lennon was shot dead. George Harrison died in 2001, and here we are celebrating Now and Then, the Grammy winner. This is apparently their final final song (30 years ago they had released their final song), unless someone finds one under inside old Lennon mattress and we get a final final final song. The Beatles continue to get by with a little help from their friends. In this case, AI. Last year a portrait of mathematician Alan Turing fetched 1.8 million dollars. No surprise there except it was the first artwork by a humanoid robot to be sold at an auction. And now we have Agatha Christie coaching aspiring writers. And who better than the author who has sold two billion copies of her books? Christie who died in 1976, was brought alive by AI for BBC's online masterclass. 'The long arm of coincidence must not be too freely employed,' she says in that slightly plummy voice the English sometimes use to indicate superior class. Christie's expert advice is yours for 105 dollars. There are 11 classes in all, in two and a half hours. Isabelle Allende, the Chilean writer happily among us still, gives you 21 lessons over four and a half hours for about 58 dollars. The dead seem to be having more fun. And making more money too. What are the ethical issues in raising the dead, thus? Is it morally acceptable to do so? Or is the question irrelevant since that's where technology is leading us, technology that will get more sophisticated and commonplace? There is obviously the question of privacy and consent. In human experience, ethical disapproval has seldom stood in the way of technological advancement. Perhaps, as AI models get more self-aware and think on their own, they can provide the answers themselves. Last year a radio station in Poland aired an interview with writer and Nobel winner Wislawa Szymborska. The fear of technology replacing real people is valid – and so too, apparently, is the fear of it replacing dead people. At the very least, the radio station's stunt was a breach of journalistic principles. Every major invention has come with its own ethical issues. The arrival of cars, for instance, raised questions about the safety on roads, the destruction of earlier modes of transport and the societal influence on such 'progress'. Likewise with the radio and television and the Internet. Personally, I look on the positive side. It means I need not work hard. Long after I am dead, someone will ensure that I write the book that will win the Nobel Prize. Or finish the painting that will rank alongside the Mona Lisa. Why use my own intelligence when artificial intelligence can do the trick? If only they could find a way of transferring to me right now the millions I will make in future, I can enjoy the money while still alive.
Powys County Times
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Powys County Times
Quilt made in Powys rekindles family memories in Yorkshire
One small quilt made in Powys has set off a chain of events that no one could have predicted. During lockdown, three quilts made by Gill Price, member of a Llanidloes -based group Welsh Heritage Quilters, about her childhood at Rillington in Yorkshire, where her family holidayed during the war. During exhibitions at The Minerva Arts Centre in Llanidloes, home of The Quilt Association, the small A4 quilts were sold as part of an ongoing fundraising project, Cash4Quilts lucky dip. Recently the Quilt Association received an email from Valerie Gilbert, of Rillington Historical Society, after the purchaser of one of the quilts sent the society a copy of one of the resumés and Valerie was interested to find out more. The Quilt Association put Valerie in touch with Gill Price, maker of the three Rillington quilts and both are now working together on Gill's memories of Rillington. Gill said: 'I'm in my eighties now and we left Yorkshire in 1950. They were happy times, remembered with affection. "I think we stopped having six weeks' summer holidays in Rillington when Lake House was sold after the war.' Both ladies are delighted to be able to share memories of their childhoods. An exhibition showcasing the work of well-known quilters and artists Linda and Laura Kemshall is now open from Wednesday to Saturday, until May 24, as well as the work of four of Laura's students. It's called 'Now and Then' and admission is free.
