The Beatles - Free as a Bird (New Clean Vocals Mix 2023)

The Instrumental is taken from the Anthology release.
Johns vocals are taken from the original piano demo which I isolated, cleaned up and edited to fit the Anthology Instrumental.
Johns original demo is almost complete except he never finished the bridge, he had the first part (Whatever happened to, the life that we once knew, da da da da daa..) and he had the rest of the melody. Paul added to it and finished the lyrics for the Anthology release. I thought it would be nice to have John continue what he started so I used AI to help John continue singing the bridge sections with Paul and also George. This took a while as I didnt want to be able to tell where Johns original vocals end and the AI begins.
But as the title says, this is Johns original vocals from the demo Isolated and cleaned. It is only a few seconds of AI for a part in the bridge.
This video was made for Fair Use. No Copyright Infringement intended.

[@ARAMP1]

The Beatles really missed an opportunity when they released the Red and Blue albums without updating Free as a Bird and Real Love.

[@limagris]

They will release eventually, just like their other songs.

[@nowhere_dan]

i bet they will re release anthology 1 2 and 3

[@tankmchavocproductions6907]

It wouldn’t fit onto the CD release if they did that. CD2 of the Blue album has about 1 minute of unused space.

[@citrusmilo]

@@tankmchavocproductions6907 This new 2023 blue album added many tracks that weren't on the original old Blue album. Adding Glass Onion, Oh Darling, I Want You, I Me Mine? (Yes, I'm a hardcore Beatles fan and love them all, but those were odd choices to slap onto a greatest hits package.) Yes, they could have and should have included Free as a Bird and Real Love on this instead. And AI-improved versions pulling John's vocals out a bit better would have been great.

[@tankmchavocproductions6907]

@@citrusmilo Eh, all better songs anyways.

[@kylofoster5560]

George's guitar is amazing and the best.

[@micahcareyfilms]

This guy named Hamburger who worked in a factory and built guitars in his spare time sent George Harrison one of his builds. He didn't hear anything about it until he watched the Anthology series and guess what George was playing?😊

[@puzzud]

I agree but I don't think it works in as many places as George likes to apply it, which was nearly everywhere.

[@crazyantny9161]

​​@@micahcareyfilmsBernie is the man

[@W_L-mb9no]

@@puzzudoh yeah because you know better than one of the most influential guitarists of all time. Thanks for sharing your $hitty opinion nobody asked for

[@puzzud]

@@W_L-mb9no At least it was an opinion, delivered in a polite and inoffensive manner. I bet you really light up a room when you enter it.

[@luispaulobarros]

Double John’s voice please, as he used to do.

[@saml302]

John and co even pioneered a technique to double vocals without having to record another take, seems like it would be useful here

[@alanorange9376]

​@@saml302yes..it's called artificial double tracking or adt

[@TheLadsBandLive]

Sadly, doubling the same vocal track just wouldn’t sound the same as when John sang 2 unique tracks.

[@mcfcxx9849]

@@alanorange9376 do you know how it works??

[@markcarpowich7752]

I was thinking the exact same thing. Ironically, they seem to have double-tracked George on his solo verses. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@arothmanmusic]

You know, I really wanted to hear a cleaned up version of this, but now I kind of prefer the "original." The kind of ghostly lo-fi cassette vocal works as an 'effect,' which I think John might have liked. He was always trying to hide his voice behind fx during his Beatle years.

[@Iktofed]

Would be cool to hear the same effect applied to this clean vocal. Might be a flanger

[@mgonzales56]

Please, please me, and do Real Love next. This is so amazing. I always wanted for John's voice to sound clearer, and you did it. Thank you.

[@awii1754]

Yes, please

[@strangelola]

From all the versions with clean vocals of Free as a bird I heard, this is definitely the best imo. Holy cow... Chills.

[@ToneSherpa]

This is fine. Don't get me wrong. But the wobbly lofi vocals were charming as hell in the other version. To me at least.

[@tomcunniff7694]

100% agree. The brilliance of the original production is that it treated the Lennon vocal as intentional -- "hey that's really different sounding, let's work with that!" -- rather than an error that couldn't be fixed in production. This clean vocal would need a fair bit of pitch correction and volume normalization to work (all possible now), but IMO still wouldn't sound as good as embracing the wobble.

[@ToneSherpa]

@@tomcunniff7694 to me it's like how a voice would sound from a different dimension or from the great beyond . it's a bit distant and in the past. and that's what I like about it.

[@mgonzales56]

To me, the original sounds like a cheap cassette tape recording. But, the good thing is, we now can enjoy both.

[@ToneSherpa]

@@mgonzales56 that's what I like about it. I like the lofi-ness of it. it's part of why I liked the song the first time i heard it. my ears pricked up and I was like "what is THAT effect on his voice?"

[@mgonzales56]

@ToneSherpa I love everything Beatles, so I guess you're right. The Beatles are the greatest.

[@Uglybuttfiend]

Holy crap, I've never heard Paul singing with John tho, and it was really neat to hear, so thanks for that. I always thought Paul and George added those lines to fill the empty space. Man, I wish my dad was around to hear all of these Beatles releases.

[@rsdemarco]

Paul sings with John on many Beatle songs. Good example: Hey Bulldog

[@Uglybuttfiend]

@@rsdemarco but other examples are obvious. This one was not.

[@puzzud]

Surprised you couldn't make out Paul in the previous version. The John vocals are so filtered it's easy to hear Paul's filler.

[@Uglybuttfiend]

@@puzzud I guess you're a superfan, then, cuz I know they said there were parts where the tape was so bad that Paul mimicked John's voice, but I have always thought Paul and George had their own parts that they wrote cuz I couldn't hear John singing it.

[@puzzud]

@@Uglybuttfiend I'd say so. I was definitely a super fan during highschool. I play a game with my wife called which Beatle is singing. I'm surprised with how she still struggles.

[@mrlakuda]

This is so much better in every respect. But more than John vocals, I'm astonished at the background voices until the very end, where there's a capella snippet.

[@CFCMahomet]

Agreed, and I don’t understand why they are buried in the mix… they are magical.

[@christopherruddick3524]

GEORGE HARRISON'S VOCAL @ 2:40. ☆IT'S WONDERWALL TO BE HERE ..... Thanks for uploading x

[@renauddehan9163]

The idea is good. I'd prefer the lead Vox clear as it is but à bit more in the music like in the 1995 mix. And the Macca and George bridges sound better if they're on their own.

[@jaggass]

The vocals sound more complete than it did in 1995 but back then they did well considering what they had to work with

[@deningunapartefilms8257]

this is how its going to sound when they re/release the anthology remastered... cant wait!!!

[@knockedoutloaded279]

2025...?

[@mikexomatosis]

Real Love next!

[@ctmcdonaldmusic6787]

well done, I think this is the best of the final 3 Beatles releases . Sounds 67 ish. Nice chord movements by John. Classy guitar by George

[@nickscubes6169]

I think one of the many charms these two songs have is how John’s voice sounds, that old tape sound of the demo shows us how this is a song built above that old tape recording. It shows that John was no longer there and his friends brought him back for a few minutes to play algon side him

[@abbalite]

Best cleaned and extracted version Ive heard.

[@Nethanel773]

Enjoyed listening to this mix! Thanks for putting this together.

[@Jan-qg1iy]

This *_"Free as a Bird"_* mix is a work of *_"Real Love."_* Thank you so much! 👍👍

[@infraredchris]

Wow, I love that last vocal at the very end

[@cisum1111]

John loved Paul and all the Beatles, and all the people all over the world John was all about LOVE and how we miss him, though he is still with us GOD IS LOVE

[@mariaelenachungacontreras4134]

Desde hace casi 2 años esta canción me hace doler hasta el alma.... :,(

[@danialexav]

por qué? :(

[@abmarcovich2971]

UP REAL LOVE PLEASE!

[@user-wo3wx3ic6l]

あー幸せです。ありがとうございます。

[@rogerharo]

This is a great version!

[@ChipsAplentyBand]

Somehow…it's fitting that the final three Beatles songs-FREE AS A BIRD, REAL LOVE, and NOW AND THEN-should all be Lennon-written songs augmented by the others because he was the 'original' or founding member of the band-to-be. After John, Paul was added, then George, and finally Ringo. As The Beatles, the other three have at the beginning of their four-way collaboration filled out and finished what John originally started and for this trilogy of songs they've done the same. Ever since NOW AND THEN was released I've wished for similar enhancement of the other two Lennon Lead Vocal final songs, and now that I hear what's possible the improvement is really worthwhile and wonderful with just the extra amount of John's 'presence' audible in them. Thanks so much and I hope Giles can one day do as well or perhaps even better.

[@juancarlosromobejar3795]

Excelente escucharla tan clara. Free As a Bird es mi pieza preferida de las cintas que Yoko Ono entregó a Paul McCartney para las antologías

[@ahmedluther1694]

Mi pieza favorita de las cintas que Yoko entregó a Paul para las antologías es Grow Old With Me. Lástima que esta no la terminaron de grabar y producir.

[@CFCMahomet]

The software that was developed for the Get Back documentary was a game changer for music restoration.

[@knockedoutloaded279]

I hope they do early Elvis etc..........

[@anth-ny]

The best version i've heard of this song is from the Original 1995 Vinyl.

[@shallariasunwolf5479]

I bet it sounds warmer on vinyl

[@paulmatthews5470]

@@shallariasunwolf5479 original vinyl sounds a but mushy, the deagostini is better

[@jenshoffmannolsen]

always hated the sound of the original, with its hard fade in and out of Johns piano... this is way better

[@anth-ny]

@@jenshoffmannolsen yeah, that was terrible. at the time, there was not technology to seperate the piano from vocal. This is way better.

[@JohnLennon_1980]

an amazing world. real love plz

[@puterio034]

I loved this version thank you...

[@MassimoToniato]

I understand now what George said: ‘it’s completely out of time. So John!’ 😂 Outstanding job!

[@leonardozolecio7586]

Increibleme súper bien. Saludos desde Argentina.

[@user-xr4iq7kq1k]

Totally beautiful❤

[@user-xr4iq7kq1k]

❤❤❤❤🎉

[@user-xr4iq7kq1k]

Bad bad for will always live always everlasting rest in peace George and John❤❤❤❤

[@WorldsOkayestBassPlayer]

As George Harrison once said, it's been done.

[@Stefandejager01]

BEAUTIFUL!!!!!! YESSSSS

[@Robd07]

Oh wow...i can hear the difference! This needs way more views and listeners to comment!

[@raspberry1440kb]

this is impeccable

[@sallykohorst8803]

Great song as usual.

[@sugicat1]

Superb separation.

[@1963daveo]

Great job! Sounds like you lowered Paul & George's main vocal line just a bit (which I think it needed).

[@TheArmchairPriest]

This is fantastic my man, absolutely awsome. God bless ya

[@LHChristopher]

The sonics and balance is very well done...Thank you for sharing your talents with all of us.... Stay Gold!!

[@danieleleazarlozadasanchez986]

Exelente!!! Has leído la mente de muchos. "Quedó increíble"

[@IsaiahStewartJazz]

THANK YOU !!!!!!!

[@Buc_Stops_Here]

This is better than the original release with John Lennon's vocals improved. What software was used to make this happen in 2023? Thanks for doing this.

[@delvaassante5699]

Love it. Hoping they will redo Real Love and Free as a Bird.

[@user-xr4iq7kq1k]

We listen no matter what they sound like❤❤❤❤🎉

[@juanchong5199]

Congratulations! Very clear sound. I did enjoyed it very much. Thank you

[@peterkierst2744]

That's excellent. Thank you!

[@RobHollanderMusic]

That is fantastic! Thank you!

[@geoffjones6444]

i love this. thanks for sharing.

[@lisag18]

Beautiful!

[@samsmith1999]

This is so much better than the official track. Well done!

[@neilafacci5833]

I like the fan cleaned version of this song

[@stxmseb]

How did you do this?! Its outstanding!!

[@ArkAmps]

ai

[@mikepeligro]

Amazing!

[@mcmusicm]

Excellent !

[@johnnywalker8592]

So amazing ❤🎉

[@cjerloeser]

Nice work ; )

[@paulbayliss6776]

Absolutely amazing

[@PNotching]

Damn, thats nice! Well done!

[@The_Crowman]

Outstanding. Far better than any official release.

[@saulyoh]

Sounds Great!

[@bintangrizkyutama7909]

SUKA BANGET!!!!

[@ok_android9776]

Why can’t this be the official version 😭

[@JohnLennon_1980]

전문가가 작업하는것과 차이가 클것같은데, 노랜 괜찮지만, 엉성한 부분이 많이 있음.

[@user-fi6rj6sv2k]

Ho Lee Fook

[@Guckst_Du_hier]

It now seemed obvious to do that. ThanKs so much.

[@josemariacuellar2712]

Excellent job!

Thank you for this! They really missed the opportunity to release Now and Then along with the other two updated with clean vocals

[@prox1196]

Good job!! :)

[@jasonteale5182]

Thank God at last....awesome

[@thisishere]

Wow, just wow, this is amazing.

[@westfield90]

Fantastic

[@JoseAntonioDuclaud]

Great vocals cleaning job!!!

[@ciruelaalobonzo87]

excelente trabajo, felicitaciones!!

[@fabmusicom436]

Para mi Real Love y Free as a bird necesitan un nuevo remix ...

[@bb1111116]

John’s voice sounds very good. Hopefully Giles Martin will do a new, cleaner version.

[@gusolivers8760]

Genial

[@genoesposito3526]

Terrific

[@manuelfedericocachazasanju5294]

JUST....OMG 😱🙏💖😭✌️💥🔥🎵👍🥳🎸

[@TheJacksonRoykirk]

Nice! Too bad this couldn't have been done back when Anthology came out.

[@Ajaunte_]

Incredible work.

[@kimnesvig254]

Love Me Do was their first #1. Now and Then their last, and sixty years apart. That’s the whole point. It wasn’t to demo AI technology.

[@PaulRubino]

I think this is great!

[@cloviscorrea8065]

ye@h!!🤘🏻

[@petertamburello6776]

The Greatest Band the world has ever known

[@TheBatmansbrother]

Wow. Good job mate.

[@semmcstevenson]

Wow

[@AlizeeDefan]

PERFECT What program did u use?

[@fernandopachasloaiza2878]

Se escucha clara la voz de jhon😢..es un tema.. que inspira muchos sentimientos..buena versión..buenasa😊

[@CFCMahomet]

As much as I like love the track, I don’t think that Jeff Lyne did a spectacular job of recording it.

[@Logan_Irrelevant]

As much as I love the shitty Fidelity of John’s tape, to have this mix which honestly sounds better and well spread than the official, and gives us this buttery smooth version of Lennon’s vocals is more than a gift, good stuff man!

[@user-ej5gx7ph7q]

Nice, better

[@joxercoleturner]

😍😍😍

[@neilafacci5833]

It would be a good thing to do

[@anthonysousajr.2769]

❤️✌🏼

[@Degoo-wf2uc]

Hey friend, could you do the same with real love, please?

[@user-px2jp7um9m]

CD発売して欲しいです。

[@gustavoacosta2877]

#gilesmartin debería escuchar esto!!

[@igorcardoso7722]

Deveriam remasterizado free as a bird, e real love também.