A Place To Appreciate John Lennon!

[Si Hunt]

I've long loved John Lennon's solo work, far more than McCartney or even the Beatles. Any other admirers? Some of my favourite songs are "Watching the Wheels", "Woman" & "Dream #9" (amazingly lovely tracks) and "(Just Like) Starting Over", "Jealous Guy", "Mind Games"... loads of great tracks.

To "mark" his 70th Birthday, Yoko will be having a very "Happy Xmas" this year, as she's re-issuing a whole shedload of stuff for the occasion:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=amb_li...=john%20lennon

Everything except of course the dodgy 'arty' early two albums with the naked cover and the tracks of wailing.







Anyone else a fan of Lennon?

Si.

[SiHart]

Funnily enough Steve and I was talking about John Lennon's solo stuff the other day. While I admire much of what he did, all the stuff where he's screaming out his pain is not really an easy listen and makes me feel very uncomfortable, as if I'm living through it with him. I'm not sure I like that at all- Cold Turkey and Mother being two examples.

However, there's plenty of much nicer stuff to listen to too and I really like #9 Dream too and while some of its impact has been dented by too many plays, Imagine is still an iconic song.

I still prefer George's lovely solo work though!

Si xx

[WhiteCrowNZ]

I still prefer George's lovely solo work though!

I know what you mean about George - the more I hear of his work, and the more I know about him the more I like him. I know he wrote a lot of songs for the Beatles, but they'd often refuse to record a lot of it.

But then he not only funded but also starred in the Ruttles skit of the Beatles.

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Anyway back to John Lennon - certainly when you listen to his stuff and then to Paul McCartney's you get the feeling of who was the more talented of the two song writing wise. I probably know only most of the obvious songs of his, but I really ought to pick up some of his other stuff ...

He's a very odd guy to sum up really - tallented and idealistic, but sometimes a bit of a spoilt child at times.

[SiHart]

He's a very odd guy to sum up really - tallented and idealistic, but sometimes a bit of a spoilt child at times

.

I think he was searching for an answer but wasn't really sure of the question. You see it throughout his life that he's desperate to try and find something out, something to get him peace of mind perhaps but he never quite finds it. And yet it was probably right in front of him in Yoko.

Si xx

[Stephen Morgan]

I was never a big Lennon fan, his snideness and sarcasm often reminded me of an annoying friend's cutting remarks (often under the banner of being quick witted). Therefore I could never get into Lennon or his music, albums anyway. Although one of my favourite Lennon tracks is undoubtedly #9 Dream, the opening line of which brings back many vague and surreal memories of early 1975, and another friend who played me the album Shaved Fish, which was basically a greatest hits album at that time.
When Lennon was shot I remember noting in a diary that it was a pretty senseless act and that his murderer should be locked away forever, and began to take a little more notice of Lennon's music, and soon after his death I bought a budget cassette tape of the Mind Games album, but could not get into it at all no matter how many times I played it. In the end I gave up and decided I only liked his singles, today the only Lennon album in my collection is the Lennon Legend album from 1997, and remains the only album I'll ever want of his recordings.
My feelings of general antipathy toward the man and his music won't stop me thinking of that day in 1980 later this year though.

[Si Hunt]

Imagine album is worth having.

L & M are like Yin and Yang. Lennon is often too shouty, Macca too bland and safe. But they compliment each other perfectly eg on A Day In The Life

Si. :mobile

[WhiteCrowNZ]

Yeah - I was 9 when he was shot, and remember hearing about it around a friends house. Felt terrible at the time - I remember thinking "this means the Beatles will never get back then". Probably seems an odd thing to think.

I remember my reaction to Elvis dying two years earlier was much more profound. I remember thinking how numbers on my parents clock radio cycled around, so time must too cycle around, and I needed to remember to try and meet Elvis before 1977 when time recycled. Probably Doctor Who was to blame for that ...

[MacNimon]

Lennon did some brilliant stuff, but there's some of his work I just can't get into at all. Overall I think his solo output is patchy at best, although I don't mean that to detract from the sheer brilliance of his best songs.

However I personally think that George Harrison has the strongest solo material of all the Beatles, but apart from a few big hits sadly he never had the same level of commercial success as Lennon & McCartney.

[Si Hunt]

I listened to "Woman" this morning - an absolutely lovely song.

Si.

[SiHart]

Someone, somewhere told me recently that it's intended as a sequel to his Beatles song Girl.

Si xx

[Si Hunt]

Hmmm. Not heard that one so I don't know, but that might be reading too much into it - it just sounds like yet another ode to Ono to me. It's got such a dreamy melody though.

Si.

[WhiteCrowNZ]

I know cos of it's "Farewell, now and forever" it was kind of hauntingly used when he was killed.

He's a very wierd person - you can't help wonder, if not for Mark Chapman what would he be like today? Would he have become almost an accepted part of the establisment courted by politicians like Bono. Or just a bit of a bitter but aged anarchist like John Lydon.

[Si Hunt]

He'd have done some very ill-advised mid-eighties albums with Arthur Baker doing production. He'd have sung "Power to the People" at Live Aid. He'd still be with Yoko. And round about now he'd have got Rick Rubin in and made a critically aclaimed comeback 'back to roots' political album with Paul McCartney playing bass and Thom Yorke on drums.

Si.

[SiHart]

Or he might have done none of that. That's the thing that's so intriguing, that we'll never know for sure. We can make educated guesses, but sadly that's all.

I think he might have tried to reform The Beatles in the 90s though!

Si xx

[WhiteCrowNZ]

I think he might have had a bit of a bee in his bonnet about X-Factor, some wry observation.

And of course he'd not be too keen on the Iraq & Afghanistan invasion I'm pretty sure.

[Si Hunt]

Everyone has a bee in their bonnet over "The X-Factor". Except the people allowed to go on it and promote their latest singles, of course.

Si.

[WhiteCrowNZ]

Mind you would we have seen a spin off reality series "At home with the Lennons" ... imagine that.

I think one of the problems with Lennon is he was musically brilliant, but seems his personal life was a shambles. He had nothing really to do with his first son Julian, he infamously ran away for a while with another woman during his Lost Weekend. It's hard to know if he and Yoko would still be together. Though certainly would be prime fodder for reality TV.

[WhiteCrowNZ]

It's the 30th anniversary of his murder. Dunno if it's an appropriate thing to mark - his murder over his life ...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11947118

Still remember it as a shocking day.

I know that evening there was a tribute to him and someone said "his music changed and saved my life" which my mum scoffed at.

But in a way, through music, and through other kinds of arts, it possible for someone to capture a feeling and emotion which is beautiful, or which makes us feel like we're not alone. I think I appreciate that more at 39 than I did at 9.

John Lennon through his music captured a lot of inspiration and struggles of a generation ...

[Larry]

for me the best Beatle, would be a toss up between George Harrison and John Lennon like Elvis, John Lennon, died far to young and just like Elvis, you can only wonder at just how good he would of got had he lived .

[Si Hunt]

Well... I think arguably both Lennon and Elvis had "peaked" by their deaths - the best you can say is that Lennon's comeback stuff he'd just done when he died was interesting, and Live Aid would have been fun if he'd been around.

Si.

[WhiteCrowNZ]

Interesting point Larry. I think George Harrison had a very different kind of genius to John Lennon - he was involved with and nurtured other kind of talent in a much more collaborative way than you'd ever imagine John Lennon doing through things like Handmade films and the Travelling Willburys. Heck he even appeared in The Ruttles - All You Need Is Cash.

I know John and George had a big fall out in the 70s, and they never really patched it up. The death of John worried George he'd be next - and indeed his stabbing shows the lunatic fringe of fandom.