Coming Together--Sort Of : A ‘new’ Beatles single, ‘Free as a Bird,’ grew out of a tape John Lennon recorded in 1977 at home in New York.

Ever since word leaked out that a “new� Beatles song--an unreleased John Lennon home recording completed by the three remaining Beatles--was in the works, fans have been trying to imagine what the song sounds like and whether it might lead to an entire album.

The answer to what the song sounds like has been substantially answered by a source who has heard a version of it.

The question of whether recent recording sessions by Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr (working with original Beatles producer George Martin) will lead to a full album remains open, but it looks doubtful. There are no immediate indications that the three Beatles plan to reconvene for more sessions.

The new song, recorded in February in England, is titled “Free as a Bird,� according to William P. King, publisher of Beatlefan, an Atlanta-based magazine long relied upon by fans of the group for accurate information.

Recorded at McCartney’s and Harrison’s home studios, the song is reportedly a plaintive ballad celebrating the joys of home life. It features dual vocals by Lennon and McCartney, says King, as well as a new verse written and sung by McCartney, a guitar solo by Harrison and elaborate production scored by Martin.

According to information provided by producers of the long-running syndicated Westwood One radio series “The Lost Lennon Tapes,� “Free as a Bird� was recorded by Lennon at home in New York in October, 1977. It was one of several unfinished tunes by the late Beatle apparently earmarked for use in a never-realized Lennon-Ono autobiographical Broadway show titled “The Ballad of John and Yoko.�

The recent McCartney, Harrison and Starr recording sessions were originally meant only to produce incidental music for the upcoming, 10-part “Beatles Anthology� documentary video series being produced by the remaining Beatles and their company, Apple Corps Ltd.

The series will first be aired on television in 60-minute segments beginning in late ’94 or early ‘95, then offered for sale with each part expanded to 90 minutes.

But the surviving Beatles reportedly asked Ono to supply them with tapes of unreleased songs composed and recorded by Lennon, for the purpose of finishing at least one of them.

Ono happily complied. “She knew there is a lot of public interest in a reunion,� said Ono spokesman Michael Phillips. “A lot of people probably thought she’d be first to object. She just felt like well, she shouldn’t be the one to say no . . . and thought it ought to be given a chance. And it was good karma.�

Ono handed tapes of four partially completed songs to McCartney at her home in New York in January, after the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame dinner at which Lennon was posthumously honored. The remaining Beatles are said to have “worked on� all of the songs before settling on the one.

The recent sessions also yielded two instrumental tracks, both of which are expected to be used as incidental music for the video series, which consists largely of never-seen footage from the Beatles’ own collection.

The anthology will be accompanied by the release of four to six CDs of mostly unreleased Beatles music--BBC recordings, alternate versions of released songs, studio outtakes and recordings from the Beatles’ private collection. “Free as a Bird� will be released to coincide with part one of “The Beatles Anthology,� with a video that Harrison reportedly suggested Ono direct.

One home demo of the song, aired on “The Lost Lennon Tapes� several years ago and subsequently bootlegged, provides an idea of what “Free� might sound like. The demo begins with a simple, poignant piano introduction. It has a sweet, arching melody with chords somewhat reminiscent of Lennon’s 1970 song “Love.�

The phrasing and melodic twists of the vocal, however, are rather unlike any other Lennon composition. A sample of Lennon’s incomplete lyrics: “Free as a bird / It’s the next best thing to being / Free as a bird / Home, home and dry / Like a homing bird, I’ll fly / A bird on the wing . . . .�

For the new sessions, Lennon’s voice was reportedly heavily processed and enhanced by producer Martin to bring it up to studio quality, and McCartney added vocal harmonies to it throughout.

How will the song be released? Most likely, King says, on the Beatles’ old Apple label, either as a single or as part of the new CDs. And what name will the electronically reunited group use?

“I would think, seeing that all four of them are on it, that they would use the Beatles,� said King.