I’ve been a Beatles fan since I was 7, nearly 50 years now. There’s only two Beatles songs I that I actively don’t like* and then the rest of the catalog I love.
Sometimes it takes me a few listens to get into a song, even some of my favorite artists. I love Aimee Mann, but I had to come back to The Forgotten Arm for a few extra listens before it really grabbed me. It’s never been that way with The Beatles. Maybe because I got into them so young, but they’ve always just felt like home.
When they released “Free As A Bird,” and “Real Love” in the 90s, they instantly grabbed me and felt like Beatles songs. I had a frisson of joy the first time I heard them, the same tingles I got the first time I heard “Help!” when I was 7 and was an instant fan.
“Now and Then” … didn’t do that. I was open and hoping, but to my aging ears it just doesn’t sound like The Beatles.
But I’m glad they tried. I’m not cynical about it. Better, IMO, that they tried and if it does give other fans the same joy as other Beatles songs then that’s awesome.
* (“Revolution 9” which IMO doesn’t even count as a song, and “You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)” because it’s just so low-effort and dumb.)