John Lennon

Anthology

The new 4-cd box set which has been released by Capitol Records offers a unique glimpse into the personal and creative life of one of the most significant musical artist of our time. Over the course of nearly 100 previously unreleased solo tracks, beginning with gripping material from the 1969 sessions for the groundbreaking Plastic Ono band  album and ending with songs Lennon was recording at the time of his death in 1980, the Anthology presents a portrait of the artist in the thick of his work -- exploring ideas for songs on home demos; directing sessions in the studio; performing on stage, and simply enjoying himself with his wife, Yoko Ono, and his young son, Sean.

"John was a complicated man", says Yoko Ono, who chose the tracks for the Anthology and co-produced it with Rob Stevens.  "One part of him was a hugely popular artist who loved to sell records and have hits.  That part of him is represented on his catalogue album releases.  Meanwhile, what he was doing in private was fantastic -- much more raw and unpolished.  It was sometimes very painful putting this set together, because, when I listen to these tracks, it's as if John is standing in the room with me".

"John was a complicated man" , says Yoko ,who chose the tracks for the Anthology and co- produced it with Rob Stevens , "One part of him was a hugely popular artist who loved to sell records and have hits. That part of him is represented on his catalogue album releases. Meanwhile , what he was doing in private was fantastic --much more raw and unpolished. It was sometimes very painful putting this set together, because ,when I listen to these tracks , it's as if John is standing in the room with me".

The Anthology's four cd's - Ascot ; New York City; The Lost Weekend, and Dakota- represent the four phases of Lennon's solo career, from his intial post- Beatles days in London to his life in New York, and briefly, Los Angeles.  Some of the many highlights of the Anthology include: 

    --    a riveting, very early alternate studio take of "Working Class Hero"
    --    hilariously chaotic studio exchanges between Lennon and legndary              producer Phil Spector as they work on Lennon's Rock 'n' Roll album
    --    Sean Lennon, as a very young child, singing his favorite Beatles song,              "With a Little Help From My Friends", as his father struggles to              remember the name of the tune
    --    revealing demos for "Mind Games", "Whatever Gets You Through the              Night" and "My Life", which later became "(Just Like) Starting Over"
    --    a harrowing alternate version of "Nobody Loves You (When You're              Down and Out)"
    --    parodies of Bob Dylan ("Serve Yourself", and "Satires 1,2 and 3") and              George Harrison ("The Rishi Kesh Song")
    --    a heart-rending alternate version of "Borrowed Time" from the               sessions for Milk and Honey, the unfinished album Lennon was               working on when he died

"WONSAPONATIME", the single CD digest featuring a selection of tracks from the 4-CD box set, features 21 tracks.  It gives both a musical and personal overview of John Lennon, spanning the years 1969 through his last recordings in 1980. 

Links

Rock Groups - Beatles Page -  http://bradcoweb.com/rockgroups/be-main.shtml

Beatles Webring http://bradcoweb.com/webring/beatles.htm

http://bradcoweb.com/rockgroups/pepper.htm

Rock Groups - Lennon in New York -- http://bradcoweb.com/lennonny.htm

Rock Groups - Main Page- http://bradcoweb.com/rockgroups/

Note: text and pictures on this page have been taken from the Capitol press release kit for the Lennon Anthology cd box set.