Japanese limited release celebrating the opening of the John Lennon museum in Japan. Includes an ironic bonus two track single: '(Just Like) Starting Over' (Single Version) & Yoko's... read more

Japanese limited release celebrating the opening of the John Lennon museum in Japan. Includes an ironic bonus two track single: '(Just Like) Starting Over' (Single Version) & Yoko's 'Walking on Thin Ice', which was originally recorded the night of Lennon's assassination. (hide)

John Lennon Photos More from John Lennon Imagine (Original Soundtrack) Live in New York City The U.S. vs. John Lennon Mind Games Working Class Hero Walls and Bridges

John Lennon Photos

More from John Lennon

Imagine (Original Soundtrack)	Live in New York City	The U.S. vs. John Lennon
Mind Games	Working Class Hero	Walls and Bridges

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John Lennon Photos More from John Lennon Imagine Lennon Legend The U.S. vs. John Lennon Mind Games Working Class Hero Walls and Bridges

John Lennon Photos

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Imagine	Lennon Legend	The U.S. vs. John Lennon
Mind Games	Working Class Hero	Walls and Bridges

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John Lennon Photos More from John Lennon Imagine John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band The U.S. vs. John Lennon Mind Games Working Class Hero Lennon Legend

John Lennon Photos

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Imagine	John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band	The U.S. vs. John Lennon
Mind Games	Working Class Hero	Lennon Legend

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Released in 1973 after the dismal musical detour that was Sometime in New York City, Mind Games showed John Lennon returning to the emotional pop sounds of Plastic... read more

Released in 1973 after the dismal musical detour that was Sometime in New York City, Mind Games showed John Lennon returning to the emotional pop sounds of Plastic Ono Band and Imagine. But while the glorious title track (the album's only hit) was every inch a worthy successor to "Imagine," the rest of the songs were written off by most critics as half-baked experiments. In retrospect, most of them, while not classic stuff, are still better than the bulk of what passed for rock music in the early 1970s. "You Are Here" and "Out of the Blue" are definitely on par with Lennon's best solo work, while "Bring on the Lucie (Freda Peeple)" couches its political barbs in silly good humor. Even better is "Meat City," a rocker as wild and surreal as the "White Album"'s "Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey." The 2002 remastered reissue is fleshed out with three "home version" takes of album tracks. --Dan Epstein (hide)

Conceived at a time when John Lennon was struggling to regain his footing as a solo artist, Rock `n' Roll afforded the hardly ancient ex-Beatles (he was only... read more

Conceived at a time when John Lennon was struggling to regain his footing as a solo artist, Rock `n' Roll afforded the hardly ancient ex-Beatles (he was only 33 when work began on the LP) a chance to revisit his Liverpool roots. Feeling nostalgic, Lennon enlisted Phil Spector to guide him through rewordings of tunes from early heroes Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Buddy Holly, and Little Richard. Sounds easy enough. Something about the `70s made thirtysomething musicians long for the `50s (around the time Lennon began work on this project, the Band released the all-oldies collection Moondog Matinee) and Lennon certainly had the vocal chops to take on any rocker. The Spector sessions, however, fell apart, producing only four songs that made it to vinyl. Lennon took over production and completed the album the following year, actually helming most of the album's highlights. "Stand by Me" proved to be a perfect dramatic vehicle for Lennon and scored as a single. The likes of "Be-Bop-A-Lula," "Slippin' and Slidin'," and "Just Because" were comfortable fits for "Dr. Winston O'Boogie." And though "Do You Wanna Dance" and "Sweet Little Sixteen" are misbegotten attempts to slow down and reimagine the originals, by any fair gauge, there're are three winners here for every misstep. The remixed and remastered reissue comes with four bonus tracks that rank with the final cuts. Conceived perhaps as something of a stopgap title, Rock `n' Roll has aged well and serves as a tribute not only to the fathers of rock & roll, but to Lennon the vocalist and producer. --Steven Stolder (hide)

John Lennon Photos More from John Lennon Imagine Lennon Legend The U.S. vs. John Lennon Plastic Ono Band Working Class Hero Milk and Honey

John Lennon Photos

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Imagine	Lennon Legend	The U.S. vs. John Lennon
Plastic Ono Band	Working Class Hero	Milk and Honey

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John Lennon Photos More from John Lennon Imagine Lennon Legend The U.S. vs. John Lennon Plastic Ono Band Working Class Hero Sometime in New York City

John Lennon Photos

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Imagine	Lennon Legend	The U.S. vs. John Lennon
Plastic Ono Band	Working Class Hero	Sometime in New York City

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John Lennon Photos More from John Lennon Imagine Lennon Legend The U.S. vs. John Lennon Mind Games Working Class Hero Walls and Bridges

John Lennon Photos

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Imagine	Lennon Legend	The U.S. vs. John Lennon
Mind Games	Working Class Hero	Walls and Bridges

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Roundly pilloried at the time of its 1986 release as a posthumous barrel-scraping, Menlove Avenue is actually a much more complicated proposition. While it's true that the album's... read more

Roundly pilloried at the time of its 1986 release as a posthumous barrel-scraping, Menlove Avenue is actually a much more complicated proposition. While it's true that the album's 10 tracks are merely outtakes from Lennon's troubled 1974-1975 studio sessions, the music here is fairly enlightening and occasionally even excellent. The five songs originally recorded for Rock 'N' Roll are admittedly pretty awful; it's no wonder that these soggy versions of "Angel Baby" and "To Know Her Is to Love Her" didn't make it onto the album, or that John fobbed "Rock and Roll People" off on Johnny Winter instead of releasing it himself. But the second half rescues five great Walls and Bridges cuts from the over-produced murk of their "official" versions, and the results are nothing less than sublime. Recommended to hardcore Lennonists with a soft spot for Walls and Bridges; everyone else should probably avoid it. --Dan Epstein (hide)

John Lennon Photos More from John Lennon Imagine John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band The U.S. vs. John Lennon Mind Games Working Class Hero Walls and Bridges

John Lennon Photos

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Imagine	John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band	The U.S. vs. John Lennon
Mind Games	Working Class Hero	Walls and Bridges

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Not to be confused with the dire Sometime in New York City, this live document was recorded at Madison Square Garden on August 30, 1972--Lennon's last full-length concert... read more

Not to be confused with the dire Sometime in New York City, this live document was recorded at Madison Square Garden on August 30, 1972--Lennon's last full-length concert performance--but remained in the can until 1986. There's nothing definitive here (with and without the Beatles, Lennon did his best work in the studio), but it's still a real treat to hear passionate live renditions of underappreciated solo numbers such as "Woman Is the Nigger of the World," "Well Well Well," and "It's So Hard," along with righteous run-throughs of "Instant Karma" and "Cold Turkey." John and Yoko's tag-team evisceration of "Hound Dog" is admittedly a little hard to take, and the backing band (Elephant's Memory) rarely catches fire, but the man himself is in top form. Kind of makes you sad that he didn't get out more often. --Dan Epstein (hide)

John & Yoko were married in 1969 and spent their honeymoon as a "bed-in" for peace. The world was invited to share in the celebration with this album."John... read more

John & Yoko were married in 1969 and spent their honeymoon as a "bed-in" for peace. The world was invited to share in the celebration with this album.

"John & Yoko" recorded 4/22/69 between 11 p.m. and 4:30 a.m."Amsterdam 1969" recorded Amsterdam, 1969. Produced by John and Yoko (Bag Productions). (hide)