John Lennon | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Out of all the Beatles, John Lennon had the most interesting -- and frustrating -- solo career. Lennon was capable of inspired, brutally honest confessional songwriting and melodic songcraft; he also had an undying love of straight-ahead rock & roll. But the extremes, both in his music and his life, were what made him fascinating. Where Paul McCartney was content to be a rock star, Lennon dabbled in everything from revolutionary politics to the television talk show circuit during the early 70s. After releasing a pair of acclaimed albums, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band and Imagine, in the early 70s, Lennon sunk into an infamous "lost weekend" where his musical output was decidedly uneven and his public behavior was often embarrassing. Halfway through the decade, he sobered up and retired from performing to become a house-husband and father. In 1980, he launched a comeback with his wife Yoko Ono, releasing the duet album Double Fantasy that fall. Just as his career was on an upswing, Lennon was tragically assassinated outside his New York apartment building in December of 1980. He left behind an enormous legacy, not only as a musician, but as a writer, actor, and activist. Considering the magnitude of his achievements with the Beatles, Lennons solo career is almost overlooked. Even during the height of Beatlemania, Lennon began exploring outside of the group. In 1964, he published a collection of his writings called In His Own Write, which was followed in 1965 by A Spaniard in the Works, and in 1966, he appeared in Dick Lesters comedy How I Won the War. He didnt pursue a musical career outside of the group until 1968, when he recorded the experimental noise collage Unfinished Music, No. 1: Two Virgins with his new lover, avant-garde artist Yoko Ono. Two Virgins caused considerable controversy, both because of its content and its cover art, which featured a nude photograph of Lennon and Ono. The couple married in Gibraltar in March 20, 1969. For their honeymoon, the pair staged the first of many political demonstrations with their "Bed-In for Peace" at the Amsterdam Hilton. Several months later, the avant-garde records Unfinished Music, No. 2: Life with the Lions and The Wedding Album were released, as was the single "Give Peace a Chance," which was recorded during the Bed-In. During September of 1969, Lennon returned to live performances with a concert at a Toronto rock & roll festival. He was supported by the Plastic Ono Band, which featured Ono, guitarist Eric Clapton, bassist Klaus Voormann, and drummer Alan White. The following month, Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band released "Cold Turkey," which was about his battle with heroin addiction. When the single failed to make the Top Ten in Britain and America, Lennon sent his MBE back to the Queen, protesting Britains involvement in Biafra, Americas involvement in Vietnam and the poor chart performance of "Cold Turkey." Before the release of "Cold Turkey," Lennon had told the Beatles that he planned to leave the group, but he agreed not to publicly announce his intentions until after Allen Kleins negotiations with EMI on behalf of the Beatles were resolved. Lennon and Ono continued with their campaign for peace, spreading billboards with the slogan "War Is Over! (If You Want It)" in 12 separate cities. In February of 1970, he wrote, recorded and released the single "Instant Karma" within the span of the week. The single became a major hit, reaching the Top Ten in both the U.K. and the U.S. Two months after "Instant Karma," Paul McCartney announced that the Beatles were splitting up, provoking the anger of Lennon. Much of this anger was vented on Lennons first full-fledged solo album, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, a scathingly honest confessional work inspired by his and Onos primal scream therapy. Lennon supported the album with an extensive interview with Rolling Stone, where he debunked many of the myths surrounding the Beatles. Early in 1971, he released another protest single, "Power to the People," before moving to New York. That fall, he released Imagine, which featured the Top Ten title track. By the time Imagine became a hit album, Lennon and Ono had returned to political activism, publicly supporting American radicals like Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, and John Sinclair. Their increased political involvement resulted in the double-album Sometime in New York City, which was released in the summer of 1972. Recorded with the New York hippie band Elephants Memory, Sometime in New York City consisted entirely of political songs, many of which were criticized for their simplicity. Consequently, the album sold poorly and tarnished Lennons reputation. Sometime in New York City was the beginning of a three-year downward spiral for Lennon. Shortly before the albums release, he began his long, involved battle with U.S. Immigration, which refused to give him a green card due to a conviction for marijuana possession in 1968. In 1973, he was ordered to leave America by Immigration, and he launched a full-scale battle against the department, frequently attacking them in public. Mind Games was released in late 1973 to mixed reviews; its title track became a moderate hit. The following year, he and Ono separated, and he moved out to Los Angeles, beginning his year-and-a-half long "lost weekend." During 1974 and 1975, Lennon lived a life of debauchery in Los Angeles, partying hard with such celebrities as Elton John, Harry Nilsson, Keith Moon, David Bowie, and Ringo Starr. Walls and Bridges appeared in November of 1974, and it became a hit due to the inclusion of "Whatever Gets You Thru the Night," a song he performed with Elton John. At the end of the year, John helped reunite Lennon and Ono, convincing the ex-Beatle to appear during one of his concerts; it would be Lennons last performance. Rock n Roll, a collection of rock oldies recorded during the lost weekend, was released in the spring of 1975. A few months before its official release, a bootleg of the album called Roots was released by Morris Levy, who Lennon later sued successfully. Lennons immigration battle neared its completion on October 7, 1975, when the U.S. court of appeals overturned his deportation order; in the summer of 1976, he was finally granted his green card. After he appeared on David Bowies Young Americans, co-writing the hit song "Fame," Lennon quietly retired from music, choosing to become a house-husband following the October birth of his son, Sean (he had an elder son, Julian, by his ex-wife Cynthia). During the summer of 1980, Lennon returned to recording, signing a new contract with Geffen Records. Comprised equally of material by Lennon and Ono, Double Fantasy was released in November to positive reviews. As the album and its accompanying single, "(Just Like) Starting Over," were climbing the charts, Lennon was assassinated on December 8 by Mark David Chapman. Lennons death inspired deep grief throughout the entire world; on December 14, millions of fans around the world participated in a ten-minute silent vigil for Lennon at 2 p.m. EST. Double Fantasy and "(Just Like) Starting Over" both became number one hits in the wake of his death. In the years after his death, several albums of unreleased recordings appeared, the first of which was 1984s Milk and Honey; perhaps the most substantial was the 1998 four-disc box set Anthology, issued in conjunction with a single-disc sampler titled Wonsaponatime. Further archival projects arrived throughout the 21st century, including the 2006 documentary The U.S. vs. John Lennon, and a reissue series in 2010 that restored the original mixes of his catalog, while debuting a "Stripped Down" remix of Double Fantasy. Imagine received a lavish box set edition in 2018. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 15 Title: Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins Released: 1968-11-11 Tracks: 1 Duration: 29:16 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Two Virgins (29:16) |
| Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins : Allmusic album Review : At the time of its release, this duo album by John Lennon and Yoko Ono gained its greatest notice for its cover, a photograph that depicted the two standing before the camera naked. The recording, too, can be described as naked, in that it contains no music that would interfere with ones ability to hear the normal sounds of life. The record is not unlike what you might get if you turned on a tape recorder for a random half-hour in your home -- snatches of inaudible conversation far away from the microphone, footsteps, wind, and so on. Conceptual "music" in the Cage-ian sense, yes, but not popular music of the kind with which John Lennon had been previously associated in any sense at all. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 15 Title: Unfinished Music No. 2: Life With the Lions Released: 1969-05-26 Tracks: 7 Duration: 1:01:27 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Cambridge 1969 (26:31) 2 No Bed for Beatle John (04:40) 3 Baby’s Heartbeat (05:09) 4 Two Minutes Silence (02:00) 5 Radio Play (12:39) 6 Song for John (01:31) 7 Mulberry (08:57) |
| Unfinished Music No. 2: Life With the Lions : Allmusic album Review : John Lennon and Yoko Onos second collaborative album consists of five tracks: all of side one is taken up by "Cambridge 1969," a live recording at Lady Mitchell Hall in Cambridge of Lennon playing an electric guitar backup to Onos singing and screaming. Side two includes an a cappella rendering by Ono of "No Bed for Beatle John," which discusses the refusal of a hospital to give Lennon a bed so he could stay during his wifes troubled pregnancy; "Babys Heartbeat," which is what it says it is; "Two Minutes Silence" in commemoration of Onos miscarriage, which is also what it says it is; and "Radio Play," 12 minutes of a radio dial being turned back and forth to pick up random stations. If, as they suggested, their lives were their art, then this is, too. Maybe. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 15 Title: Wedding Album Released: 1969-10-20 Tracks: 2 Duration: 47:42 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 John & Yoko (22:43) 2 Amsterdam (24:59) |
| Wedding Album : Allmusic album Review : The third and last of John Lennon and Yoko Onos experimental albums to be released within a one-year period, Wedding Album, like Unfinished Music, No. 1: Two Virgins, was in some ways more notable for its packaging than for its content. It came in a box containing a facsimile of the Lennons wedding certificate and a photograph of a piece of wedding cake. The record itself contained two selections, one of which consisted of nearly 25 minutes of Yoko Onos wailing, while the other, "John and Yoko," featured the two, one in each stereo speaker, calling out the others name for more than 22 minutes. Employing such limited lyrics, Lennon is the more expressive, Ono the more penetrating. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 15 Title: John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band Released: 1970-12-11 Tracks: 11 Duration: 39:45 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Mother (05:36) 2 Hold On (01:53) 3 I Found Out (03:37) 4 Working Class Hero (03:50) 5 Isolation (02:53) 6 Remember (04:36) 7 Love (03:24) 8 Well Well Well (05:59) 9 Look at Me (02:54) 10 God (04:10) 11 My Mummy’s Dead (00:49) |
| John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band : Allmusic album Review : The cliché about singer/songwriters is that they sing confessionals direct from their heart, but John Lennon exploded the myth behind that cliché, as well as many others, on his first official solo record, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. Inspired by his primal scream therapy with Dr. Arthur Janov, Lennon created a harrowing set of unflinchingly personal songs, laying out all of his fears and angers for everyone to hear. It was a revolutionary record -- never before had a record been so explicitly introspective, and very few records made absolutely no concession to the audiences expectations, daring the listeners to meet all the artists demands. Which isnt to say that the record is unlistenable. Lennons songs range from tough rock & rollers to piano-based ballads and spare folk songs, and his melodies remain strong and memorable, which actually intensifies the pain and rage of the songs. Not much about Plastic Ono Band is hidden. Lennon presents everything on the surface, and the song titles -- "Mother," "I Found Out," "Working Class Hero," "Isolation," "God," "My Mummys Dead" -- illustrate what each song is about, and chart his loss of faith in his parents, country, friends, fans, and idols. Its an unflinching document of bare-bones despair and pain, but for all its nihilism, it is ultimately life-affirming; it is unique not only in Lennons catalog, but in all of popular music. Few albums are ever as harrowing, difficult, and rewarding as John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 15 Title: Imagine Released: 1971-09-09 Tracks: 10 Duration: 39:18 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Imagine (03:04) 2 Crippled Inside (03:49) 3 Jealous Guy (04:15) 4 It’s So Hard (02:27) 5 I Don’t Wanna Be a Soldier Mama I Don’t Wanna Die (06:06) 6 Gimme Some Truth (03:16) 7 Oh My Love (02:46) 8 How Do You Sleep? (05:35) 9 How? (03:43) 10 Oh Yoko! (04:17) |
| Imagine : Allmusic album Review : After the harrowing Plastic Ono Band, John Lennon returned to calmer, more conventional territory with Imagine. While the album had a softer surface, it was only marginally less confessional than its predecessor. Underneath the sweet strings of "Jealous Guy" lies a broken and scared man, the jaunty "Crippled Inside" is a mocking assault at an acquaintance, and "Imagine" is a paean for peace in a world with no gods, possessions, or classes, where everyone is equal. And Lennon doesnt shy away from the hard rockers -- "How Do You Sleep" is a scathing attack on Paul McCartney, "I Dont Want to Be a Soldier" is a hypnotic antiwar song, and "Give Me Some Truth" is bitter hard rock. If Imagine doesnt have the thematic sweep of Plastic Ono Band, it is nevertheless a remarkable collection of songs that Lennon would never be able to better again. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 15 Title: Some Time in New York City Released: 1972-09-15 Tracks: 16 Duration: 1:30:52 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Woman Is the Nigger of the World (05:17) 2 Sisters, O Sisters (03:48) 3 Attica State (02:55) 4 Born in a Prison (04:06) 5 New York City (04:32) 6 Sunday Bloody Sunday (05:02) 7 The Luck of the Irish (02:59) 8 John Sinclair (03:30) 9 Angela (04:08) 10 We’re All Water (07:11) 1 Cold Turkey (08:35) 2 Don’t Worry Kyoko (16:01) 3 Well (Baby Please Don’t Go) (04:40) 4 Jamrag (05:36) 5 Scumbag (06:08) 6 Au (06:23) |
| Some Time in New York City : Allmusic album Review : While Lennon claimed to have always been politically minded, given his working-class upbringing in class-conscious England ("Ive been satirizing the system since my childhood," he once mused), rock-pop sensibilities, clever wordplay, or matters of the heart usually took precedence in his musical output. But here Lennon and Yoko, accompanied by New Yorks Elephants Memory, sing and scream freely against sexism in "Woman Is the Nigger Of The World" and "Sisters, O Sisters." They protest incarceration in "John Sinclair," "Attica State," and "Born In A Prison," colonialism in "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "The Luck Of The Irish," and racism in "Angela." The richness of Phil Spectors production fills out the danceable grooves on nearly every track. Also featured is Lennons paean to his adopted home, "New York City," with allusions to doping clerics and transsexual rockers as well as the highly quotable line, "What a bad-ass city!" On the bonus disc, Lennon and Ono get it on with Zappa and the Mothers in live sets from London and New York. Things heat up considerably with "Cold Turkey," freak out with "Dont Worry Kyoko," and veer into the ridiculous with audience participation on "Scumbag." SOMETIME IN NEW YORK CITY is some of the groovin-est, most tuneful agit-prop ever committed to disc. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 15 Title: Mind Games Released: 1973-11-02 Tracks: 15 Duration: 48:02 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Mind Games (04:14) 2 Tight A$ (03:37) 3 Aisumasen (I’m Sorry) (04:44) 4 One Day (at a Time) (03:09) 5 Bring On the Lucie (Freda Peeple) (04:12) 6 Nutopian International Anthem (00:06) 7 Intuition (03:09) 8 Out the Blue (03:22) 9 Only People (03:23) 10 I Know (I Know) (03:49) 11 You Are Here (04:11) 12 Meat City (02:51) 13 Aisumasen (I’m Sorry) (03:36) 14 Bring on the Lucie (Freda Peeple) (01:03) 15 Meat City (02:36) |
| Mind Games : Allmusic album Review : After the hostile reaction to the politically charged Sometime in New York City, John Lennon moved away from explicit protest songs and returned to introspective songwriting with Mind Games. Lennon didnt leave politics behind -- he just tempered his opinions with humor on songs like "Bring on the Lucie (Freda Peeple)," which happened to undercut the intention of the song. It also indicated the confusion that lies at the heart of the album. Lennon doesnt know which way to go, so he tries everything. There are lovely ballads like "Out of the Blue" and "One Day (At a Time)," forced, ham-fisted rockers like "Meat City" and "Tight A$," sweeping Spectoresque pop on "Mind Games," and many mid-tempo, indistinguishable pop/rockers. While the best numbers are among Lennons finest, theres only a handful of them, and the remainder of the record is simply pleasant. But compared to Sometime in New York City, as well as the subsequent Walls and Bridges, Mind Games sounded like a return to form. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 15 Title: Walls and Bridges Released: 1974-10-04 Tracks: 12 Duration: 46:00 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Going Down on Love (03:56) 2 Whatever Gets You Thru the Night (03:26) 3 Old Dirt Road (04:11) 4 What You Got (03:10) 5 Bless You (04:37) 6 Scared (04:37) 7 #9 Dream (04:47) 8 Surprise, Surprise (Sweet Bird of Paradox) (02:55) 9 Steel and Glass (04:38) 10 Beef Jerky (03:27) 11 Nobody Loves You (When You’re Down and Out) (05:08) 12 Ya Ya (01:05) |
| Walls and Bridges : Allmusic album Review : Walls and Bridges was recorded during John Lennons infamous "lost weekend," as he exiled himself in California during a separation from Yoko Ono. Lennons personal life was scattered, so it isnt surprising that Walls and Bridges is a mess itself, containing equal amounts of brilliance and nonsense. Falling between the two extremes was the bouncy Elton John duet "Whatever Gets You Thru the Night," which was Lennons first solo number one hit. Its bright, sunny surface was replicated throughout the record, particularly on middling rockers like "What You Got" but also on enjoyable pop songs like "Old Dirt Road." However, the best moments on Walls and Bridges come when Lennon is more open with his emotions, like on "Going Down on Love," "Steel and Glass," and the beautiful, soaring "No. 9 Dream." Even with such fine moments, the album is decidedly uneven, containing too much mediocre material like "Beef Jerky" and "Ya Ya," which are weighed down by weak melodies and heavy over-production. It wasnt a particularly graceful way to enter retirement. | ||
 | Album: 9 of 15 Title: Rock ’n’ Roll Released: 1975-02-17 Tracks: 13 Duration: 39:34 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Be‐Bop‐A‐Lula (02:37) 2 Stand by Me (03:28) 3 Medley: Rip It Up / Ready Teddy (01:34) 4 You Can’t Catch Me (04:52) 5 Ain’t That a Shame (02:31) 6 Do You Want to Dance (02:53) 7 Sweet Little Sixteen (03:01) 8 Slippin’ and Slidin’ (02:17) 9 Peggy Sue (02:04) 10 Medley: Bring It On Home to Me / Send Me Some Lovin’ (03:42) 11 Bony Moronie (03:46) 12 Ya Ya (02:18) 13 Just Because (04:25) |
| Rock ’n’ Roll : Allmusic album Review : Although the chaotic sessions that spawned this album have passed into rock & roll legend and the recordings very genesis (as an out-of-court settlement between John Lennon and an aggrieved publisher) has often caused it to be slighted by many of the singers biographers, Rock n Roll, in fact, stands as a peak in his post-Imagine catalog: an album that catches him with nothing to prove and no need to try. Lennon could, after all, sing old rock & roll numbers with his mouth closed; he spent his entire career relaxing with off-the-cuff blasts through the music with which he grew up, and Rock n Roll emerges the sound of him doing precisely that. Four songs survive from the fractious sessions with producer Phil Spector in late 1973 that ignited the album, and listeners to any of the posthumous compilations that also draw from those archives will know that the best tracks were left on the shelf -- "Be My Baby" and "Angel Baby" among them. But a gorgeous run through Lloyd Prices "Just Because" wraps up the album in fine style, while a trip through "You Cant Catch Me" contrarily captures a playful side that Lennon rarely revealed on vinyl. The remainder of the album was cut a year later with Lennon alone at the helm, and the mood remains buoyant. It might not, on first glance, seem essential to hear him running through nuggets like "Be Bop A Lula," "Peggy Sue," and "Bring It on Home to Me," but, again, Lennon has seldom sounded so gleeful as he does on these numbers, while the absence of the Spector trademark Wall-of-Sound production is scarcely noticeable -- as the object of one of Lennons own productions, David Peel once pointed out, "John had the Wall of Sound down perfectly himself." Released in an age when both David Bowie and Bryan Ferry had already tracked back to musical times-gone-by (Pin-Ups and These Foolish Things, respectively), Rock n Roll received short shrift from contemporary critics. As time passed, however, it has grown in stature, whereas those other albums have merely held their own. Today, Rock n Roll sounds fresher than the rock & roll that inspired it in the first place. Imagine that. | ||
 | Album: 10 of 15 Title: Shaved Fish Released: 1975-10-24 Tracks: 11 Duration: 41:51 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Give Peace a Chance (00:58) 2 Cold Turkey (05:02) 3 Instant Karma! (03:21) 4 Power to the People (03:19) 5 Mother (05:04) 6 Woman Is the Nigger of the World (04:38) 7 Imagine (03:04) 8 Whatever Gets You Thru the Night (03:05) 9 Mind Games (04:13) 10 #9 Dream (04:47) 11 Happy Xmas (War Is Over) / Give Peace a Chance: Reprise (04:14) |
| Shaved Fish : Allmusic album Review : At the time of its release, Shaved Fish didnt attract as much attention as any compilation of John Lennons work would have either a few years before or a few years after. Lennon had just issued the somewhat disappointing genre album, Rock n Roll, and was only a year from Walls and Bridges, not one of his strongest albums, and had also grown somewhat stale as a public figure. Drawing on his singles up to that point in his career, it shows a punkier, more defiant vision of Lennons work than subsequent compilations, which would dwell on a broader cross section of his output. "Happy Christmas" and "Imagine" are moments of peace in the company of artifacts from his political/agitprop ("Power to the People") and primal scream ("Mother") periods, and his attempts at topical songwriting ("Woman Is the Nigger of the World"), and "Whatever Gets You Through the Night," which was unique to this LP, was a better piece of mainstream rock & roll than any of the late-50s numbers that he ground out for Rock n Roll. This collection, which was the last LP release to come from Lennon in any form until Double Fantasy five years later, was the only compilation of his work released in Lennons own lifetime, and has since been supplanted by various posthumous assemblies of his music. | ||
 | Album: 11 of 15 Title: Double Fantasy Released: 1980 Tracks: 14 Duration: 45:06 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 (Just Like) Starting Over (03:56) 2 Kiss Kiss Kiss (02:41) 3 Cleanup Time (02:58) 4 Give Me Something (01:34) 5 I’m Losing You (03:58) 6 I’m Moving On (02:21) 7 Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) (04:03) 8 Watching the Wheels (03:32) 9 Yes, I’m Your Angel (03:39) 10 Woman (03:32) 11 Beautiful Boys (02:53) 12 Dear Yoko (02:34) 13 Every Man Has a Woman Who Loves Him (04:02) 14 Hard Times Are Over (03:17) |
| Double Fantasy : Allmusic album Review : The most distinctive thing about Double Fantasy, the last album John Lennon released during his lifetime, is the very thing that keeps it from being a graceful return to form from the singer/songwriter, returning to active duty after five years of self-imposed exile. As legend has it, Lennon spent those years in domestic bliss, being a husband, raising a baby, and, of course, baking bread. Double Fantasy was designed as a window into that bliss and, to that extent, he decided to make it a joint album with Yoko Ono, to illustrate how complete their union was. For her part, Ono decided to take a stab at pop and while these are relatively tuneful for her, they nevertheless disrupt the feel and flow of Lennons material, which has a consistent tone and theme. Hes surprisingly sentimental, not just when hes expressing love for his wife ("Dear Yoko," "Woman") and child ("Beautiful Boy [Darling Boy]"), but when hes coming to terms with his quiet years ("Watching the Wheels," "Cleanup Time") and his return to creative life. These are really nice tunes, and whats special about them is their niceness -- its a sweet acceptance of middle age, which, of course, makes his assassination all the sadder. For that alone, Double Fantasy is noteworthy, yet its hard not to think that its a bit of a missed opportunity -- primarily because its themes would be stronger without the Ono songs, but also because the production is just a little bit too slick and constrained, sounding very much of its time. Ultimately, these complaints fall by the wayside because Lennons best songs here cement the last part of his legend, capturing him at peace and in love. According to some reports, that perception was a bit of a fantasy, but sometimes the fantasy means more than the reality, and thats certainly the case here. | ||
 | Album: 12 of 15 Title: Milk and Honey Released: 1983 Tracks: 16 Duration: 1:06:22 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I’m Stepping Out (04:06) 2 Sleepless Night (02:33) 3 I Don’t Wanna Face It (03:21) 4 Don’t Be Scared (02:44) 5 Nobody Told Me (03:34) 6 O’ Sanity (01:06) 7 Borrowed Time (04:29) 8 Your Hands (03:04) 9 (Forgive Me) My Little Flower Princess (02:28) 10 Let Me Count the Ways (02:16) 11 Grow Old With Me (03:09) 12 You’re the One (03:55) 13 Every Man Has a Woman Who Loves Him (03:19) 14 Stepping Out (home version) (02:57) 15 I’m Moving On (01:20) 16 Interview With J & Y December 8th, 1980 (21:55) |
| Milk and Honey : Allmusic album Review : The sessions for 1980s Double Fantasy were supposed to yield two albums, the second to be released at a future time, but Lennons assassination tragically halted the project in its tracks. A bit over three years later, Yoko Ono issued tapes of many of the songs planned for that album under the title Milk and Honey, laid out in the same John-Yoko-John-Yoko dialogue fashion as its predecessor. Not unexpectedly, its a rougher, less polished product, lacking the finishing touches and additional takes that Lennon most likely would have called for. Nevertheless, Lennons songs at this point in their development were often quite strong, tougher than those on Double Fantasy in general, and the ad libs and studio chatter that might not have made the final cut give us more of a glimpse of Lennons delightfully quirky personality. "Nobody Told Me," the advance single off the album, is a rollicking, quizzical piece of work, maybe the best thing to come out of Johns 1980 sessions, despite the unfinished-sounding transition to the chorus. "Borrowed Time," another single, is a thoughtful, sparely worded meditation on growing older attached to a Caribbean beat. Yokos contributions, while not as strong as Johns, are surprisingly listenable -- the reggae-based "Dont Be Scared," in particular -- and more current in texture, and her lyrics do tend to answer Johns songs. As the album comes toward the close, the tone turns sentimental, culminating with one of Johns loveliest tunes, "Grow Old With Me," as presented on a home-recorded cassette in lieu of a studio recording. The ironies of this song and some of the other Lennon material are obviously poignant in the light of the cruel events of December 8, 1980; that and the fact that these songs havent been as exposed as much as those on Double Fantasy lead some to prefer this sequel. | ||
 | Album: 13 of 15 Title: Menlove Ave. Released: 1986-10-27 Tracks: 10 Duration: 42:19 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Here We Go Again (04:49) 2 Rock and Roll People (04:21) 3 Angel Baby (03:42) 4 Since My Baby Left Me (03:48) 5 To Know Her Is to Love Her (04:37) 6 Steel and Glass (04:10) 7 Scared (04:18) 8 Old Dirt Road (03:54) 9 Nobody Loves You (When You’re Down and Out) (04:30) 10 Bless You (04:06) |
| Menlove Ave. : Allmusic album Review : Following quickly on the heels of Live in New York City, a second posthumous Lennon release emerged from Yoko Onos archives, with one side devoted to outtakes from the wild Rock & Roll sessions and the other to alternate takes from Walls and Bridges. The Rock & Roll side draws mostly from the first Phil Spector-produced sessions in Hollywood, which collapsed amidst storied incidents of 70s excess. There are two hitherto unreleased Lennon songs on board: "Here We Go Again" (co-written with Spector), a fairly uneventful song massively overproduced, and "Rock & Roll People," which has a more Spartan production by Lennon and a nice kick to it. "Angel Baby," originally put out on the unauthorized Roots album, makes a raucous first official appearance here. "Since My Baby Left Me" sounds like a glorified party tape, giving listeners a taste of the madness of those sessions, and a lumbering rendition of Spectors chestnut "To Know Her Is to Love Her" closes the side. The Walls and Bridges alternates ("Steel and Glass," "Scared," "Old Dirt Road," "Nobody Loves You," and "Bless You") lack the orchestrations of the master takes, and they are better off for it; indeed, "Steel and Glass" and "Scared" take on an especially starker power. By todays standards, this would be a pretty meager harvest of unheard Lennon, recommendable only to completists and the really dedicated fan. But in those pre-Lost Lennon Tapes/Lennon Anthology days, it was a tantalizing look into the vault. | ||
 | Album: 14 of 15 Title: The John Lennon Collection Released: 1989-10-26 Tracks: 19 Duration: 1:11:25 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Give Peace a Chance (04:53) 2 Instant Karma! (03:21) 3 Power to the People (03:19) 4 Whatever Gets You Thru the Night (03:26) 5 #9 Dream (04:47) 6 Mind Games (04:13) 7 Love (03:24) 8 Happy Xmas (War Is Over) (03:34) 9 Imagine (03:04) 10 Jealous Guy (04:15) 11 Stand by Me (03:28) 12 (Just Like) Starting Over (03:56) 13 Woman (03:32) 14 I’m Losing You (03:58) 15 Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) (04:03) 16 Watching the Wheels (03:32) 17 Dear Yoko (02:34) 18 Move Over Ms L (02:58) 19 Cold Turkey (05:02) |
| The John Lennon Collection : Allmusic album Review : This 15-song collection (expanded to 19 in 1989 for the CD), released just short of two years after Lennons death, provided a very generous overview of his solo career on a single LP, drawing on most of the major singles and also on songs that were widely covered, and from all periods of his career, from his late-Beatles-era solo political explorations up to the release of Double Fantasy. The producers, obviously working in collaboration with his widow and seeking to put the very best face on his career, and showcase his strongest and most memorable songs, pass right over Sometime in New York and much of the partly successful works that followed, which is sort of a shame -- "Woman Is the Nigger of the World" may not quite rate alongside the stuff that is here, but it was a song that he did care about and played live more than once (significant in a career that included barely any scheduled concerts), and "John Sinclair" showed him playing blues with a ferocious passion. One also misses "Cold Turkey," which is as powerful a song as he wrote in his early solo career, but at the time of its release this was the broadest overview of Lennons career to be found, and even included (on its CD version) the otherwise unanthologized B-side "Move Over Ms. L." | ||
 | Album: 15 of 15 Title: Lennon Released: 1990-10-30 Tracks: 73 Duration: 4:33:13 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Give Peace a Chance (04:53) 2 Blue Suede Shoes (02:38) 3 Money (That’s What I Want) (03:25) 4 Dizzy Miss Lizzy (03:23) 5 Yer Blues (03:42) 6 Cold Turkey (05:02) 7 Instant Karma! (03:21) 8 Mother (05:36) 9 Hold On (01:53) 10 I Found Out (03:37) 11 Working Class Hero (03:50) 12 Isolation (02:53) 13 Remember (04:36) 14 Love (03:24) 15 Well Well Well (05:59) 16 Look at Me (02:54) 17 God (04:10) 18 My Mummy’s Dead (00:49) 19 Power to the People (03:19) 20 Well (Baby Please Don’t Go) (03:56) 1 Imagine (03:04) 2 Crippled Inside (03:49) 3 Jealous Guy (04:15) 4 It’s So Hard (02:27) 5 Gimme Some Truth (03:16) 6 Oh My Love (02:46) 7 How Do You Sleep? (05:35) 8 How? (03:43) 9 Oh Yoko! (04:17) 10 Happy Xmas (War Is Over) (03:34) 11 Woman Is the Nigger of the World (05:17) 12 New York City (04:32) 13 John Sinclair (03:30) 14 Come Together (04:25) 15 Hound Dog (03:02) 16 Mind Games (04:13) 17 Aisumasen (I’m Sorry) (04:44) 18 One Day (at a Time) (03:09) 19 Intuition (03:09) 20 Out the Blue (03:22) 1 Whatever Gets You Thru the Night (03:26) 2 Going Down on Love (03:56) 3 Old Dirt Road (04:11) 4 Bless You (04:37) 5 Scared (04:37) 6 #9 Dream (04:47) 7 Surprise, Surprise (Sweet Bird of Paradox) (02:55) 8 Steel and Glass (04:38) 9 Nobody Loves You (When You’re Down and Out) (05:08) 10 Stand by Me (03:28) 11 Ain’t That a Shame (02:31) 12 Do You Want to Dance (02:53) 13 Sweet Little Sixteen (03:01) 14 Slippin’ and Slidin’ (02:17) 15 Angel Baby (03:42) 16 Just Because (04:25) 17 Whatever Gets You Thru the Night (live) (04:20) 18 Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds (05:59) 19 I Saw Her Standing There (03:28) 1 (Just Like) Starting Over (03:56) 2 Cleanup Time (02:58) 3 I’m Losing You (03:58) 4 Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) (04:03) 5 Watching the Wheels (03:32) 6 Woman (03:32) 7 Dear Yoko (02:34) 8 I’m Stepping Out (04:06) 9 I Don’t Wanna Face It (03:21) 10 Nobody Told Me (03:34) 11 Borrowed Time (04:29) 12 (Forgive Me) My Little Flower Princess (02:28) 13 Every Man Has a Woman Who Loves Him (03:31) 14 Grow Old With Me (03:05) |
| Lennon : Allmusic album Review : Two years after the first great Lennon revival -- arriving in 1988, as an attempt to deflate Albert Goldmans trash-talking biography -- Capitol released Lennon, a four-disc box set summary of his solo career. It does a remarkably good job, providing a thorough overview containing all the hits plus expertly chosen album tracks from his decidedly uneven records. The question is, is Lennon the one collection everybody needs? Not really. This may contain almost every great song Lennon recorded as a solo artist, yet the packaging is a little shoddy, and it could have been sequenced a little bit better. Still, as a summary, its first-rate, rounding up the non-LP singles and condensing the records to their essence and thereby conveying the scope of Lennons solo career very well. If you have the albums, plus a good singles collection, this isnt really necessary since it doesnt have anything too rare, but if you want one simple, albeit exhaustive, collection with everything you need, this fits the bill. | ||