Lennon Legend: The Very Best Of John Lennon
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2009-11-18
By William A. Jennings
Pretty much come to the bottom of the Lennon barrel....if have to get one thing to show todays "music' lovers,this is it...
john lennon
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Plastic Ono Band
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2010-06-27
By Bill R. Moore (Oklahoma, USA)
Plastic Ono Band is one of the best and most influential albums ever. One of the few non-commercial work to not only endure and gain acclaim but even earn notable popularity, it is essential for serious listeners.
Few albums have more brazenly defied expectations. The Beatles had just broken up, and the album not only seemed infinitely far from anything they had ever done or stood for but even seemed anti-Beatles. Lennon in fact famously dismisses them in the climactic "God," declaring, "The dream is over." All this was shocking, but Plastic would be of little more than historical interest if it were not excellent in itself. Thankfully it is; Lennon clearly had great confidence in the work, letting it speak for itself rather than relying on the biggest of brand names. Remarkably, it stands up better than even some Beatles music, a good amount of which now indelibly seems part of an era. In strong contrast, this is timeless, relying on universal themes and simple but forceful words, music, and vocals that are just as relevant as ever and surely always will be. It is certainly quite far from Beatles-esque; the guitar/bass/piano/drums arrangements are bare and simple, and the production is almost as basic as possible. The latter - ostensibly by Phil Spector but mostly by Lennon - is very important, letting the songs breathe whereas a typical Spector sound would have buried the strong emotional core that makes them work. All this is not to say Plastic is boring. Lennon's melodies are still very strong, and the playing is excellent; the album is in its way the logical extension of the paring down begun on The White Album. The music is not flashy or complex but suits the songs perfectly, letting us focus on the all-important words and voice. The former are not Lennon's most poetically impressive or quotable but are admirable conciseness and highly evocative; a wealth of suggestion lies behind lines that initially seem simple or even throwaway. Lennon's voice also gives them a significance they could never have on paper. He builds significantly on his Beatles reputation, proving beyond doubt that he is one of the finest singers for anyone alive to emotion and phrasing while also showing noteworthy range and versatility. He screams at points and whispers at others, hitting seemingly every point between and always managing to move us greatly. This indeed is Plastic's key; Lennon's ability to bring tears is near-unequaled, especially considering the sparse words. The skill has rarely been more appropriate or better used; Plastic is thoroughly emotional and intensely personal. Borne out of primal therapy and Lennon's highly charged, often conflicted feelings about The Beatles, fame, an uneasy childhood, love, marriage, his wife, and other heavy issues, Plastic virtually invented and still epitomizes the confessional singer/songwriter genre and is a definite punk precursor. It is certainly not easy listening; the funeral bells that begin it are a perfect introduction. Few albums are more somber or depressing, and many songs are so personal that listening often seems voyeuristic. Plastic overflows with rage, despair, regret, remorse, and other loaded emotions. Yet, in the end, it is hopeful and life-affirming, a paean to individualism, perseverance, and determination - in short, a masterpiece that, like all truly personal work, is at bottom universal and immortal. This may seem paradoxical but makes perfect sense when we see that it deals with fundamental human feelings and thoughts; by bravely looking deep into himself, Lennon speaks to all.
All told, Plastic is one of the very few Beatles solo albums on par with the band's best work, which is probably all that need be said.
John Lennon: The Life
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2010-06-18
By Steve Kent
Excellent, its as if the writer was beside John throughout his life. Many suprising and wonderful stories about his childhood. And through these you can see what influenced him to become the man, musician, and legend he would become. John was witty, clever, torn throughout his life by his own created contradictions. And absolutely brilliant.
Imagine
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2010-01-18
By Herman Sutter (Houston, TX USA)
Possibly the most over rated album of the rock era, this is bad politics married to catchy tunes by a shallow thinking pop-star. If you need proof, listen to the title song: "Imagine there's no heaven, it's easy if you try... not thinking to live or die for... above us only sky..." Perfect description of Pol Pot's reign of terror. Then the cute attack on Paul McCartney, and the pop ditty about Yoko... Lennon's musical value is muddied by all the adulation. He isn't horrible as a pop song writer, actually pretty good; but his gift gets lost in the legend and this album attained legendary status much too quickly to be of any real value; which is part of the problem with all rock music criticism.
Imagine
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2008-03-09
By Amaranth (Northern California)
John Lennon's "Imagine" set the standard for socially conscious artists since he first sang it back in the '70s. It's an idealistic song, about an end to religious strife (is it even more timely now,when people are persecuted and killed for their religious beliefs in Tibet and Darfur?) It's about an end to nationalism... again, what's wrong with that?
Lennon knowingly sings,"I'm a dreamer, I know I'm not the only one." He knew that world peace couldn't be achieved in his lifetime,nor that it would be. He hadn't become jaded. He remained idealistic to the end.
Some condemn this song as a pinko Communist anthem. When Lennon is singing about Heaven and Hell, it's more about how we make this world. As for the "nothingness",he sings of it in a Buddhist sense. In Buddhism, the bliss of nirvana is nothingness,and unity with everything. It's not an abysmal void. Some have claimed this song is terrible at graduations (especially Christian ones) and that it's a bad influence on youth. What's wrong with a little peace,love, and understanding? It's true we can't achieve a perfectly peaceful world and universal harmony,but shouldn't we imagine a better world,and at least TRY? Give peace a chance!
Working Class Hero: The Definitive Lennon
LENNON,JOHN :
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2008-12-16
By J. Jones (Texas)
This is a must have for any John Lennon fan. Almost every song is a great piece of music. I can listen to both discs all the way through... Great Music!
Imagine (Deluxe Edition)
Warner Brothers :
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2010-03-23
By Sheena Carver
Review of the sky-blue coffee table book:
This is a slim coffee table book with photographs of John Lennon, interspersed with song lyrics from "Imagine," and includes a handful of photos of John with Yoko. I love the photos of John when he was younger, looking so handsome and often sporting a witty smirk. Overall, though, I wasn't enthused with the book. With so few pages -only 48- there isn't much room to showcase the artistic beauty of the man who dreamed of "all the people living life in peace." (3 stars)
Review of Imagine, the children's book:
This is a children's book with illustrations to go with the lyrics to John Lennon's song, Imagine. The artwork is sweet and colorful, with pictures showing Central Park and the New York skyline. This is a nice book for open minded peace-loving parents & teachers to share with children. (4 stars)
Walls & Bridges
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2009-12-28
By Mactavish
This is Lennon's lost masterpiece & is definitely up there with Plastic Ono & Imagine as one of his 3 great post-Beatles albums. If there's anything wrong with this CD it's "Whatever Gets you Through the Night", a throwaway song that sounds out of place on this collection. Lennon should have had Nilsson sing it with Elton.
First of all, the singing is phenomenal on Walls & Bridges. Listen to the bluesy phrasing on "Bless You". Can anyone else in pop/rock/blues sing like this? Hell, no! "Going Down on Love", "Scared", "Surprise, Surprise" & "Steel & Glass" are great songs that only Lennon fanatics seem to know about. "#9 Dream" is a cool radio song. You can hear the influence on Wilco, World Party & The Flaming Lips from this era of Lennon, in production, singing & sometimes even blatant stealing of chord changes or melodies.
My only quibble about W&B, is too many songs have horns & strings. It would be nice to hear a few of these with more guitar & less pomp, but this record is so much better/more consistent than Mind Games, Double Fantasy, Live in NYC & Milk & Honey, that any self-respecting Lennon fan MUST own this.
UB John Lennon Style Mirror Lens Sunglass w/ Drawstring Sunglass Pouch
Urban Boundaries :
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2010-07-03
By Cathy
I like the sun glasses very much. I get so tired of seeing everybody in the same style sunglass's-BIG- I wanted something different, these are.
In His Own Write
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2010-05-02
By ricca (Philippines)
I know I'm commenting on this piece of work from a biased perspective (am a Fab Four fan...and proud of it, babe ;-) ), so if that's not gonna help...don't bother reading on...
Am always have been in awe of Lennon - with and post-McCartney, his musical intellect is undeniable. Added to that awe is a smidgen of a feeling of intimidation. Video footage of live interviews as well as chronicles of people who were, in some way, part of the Beatles entourage back then rarely fail to give proof of his acerbic and sarcastic sensibilities.
And then there are his bouts of spastic facial and bodily movements in front of the camera, deliberately garbled half-mutterings, and forays into puns (i.e. "Hi, I'm John, and I, too, play the guitar; sometimes I play the fool...").
In His Own Write is yet another proof of his unique sense of humor - a blending of bits of satire, the macabre, and the eminently whimsical.
But what really makes this little book stand out (besides the iconic drawings), is his twists of phrases and words (and letters within words) which allude to some quite-mad ramblings, but actually make sense... In a way, this could be a sort of evidence on how differently "wired" he may have been compared to most people.
Examples:
(from At the Denis)
"Sir: Sly down in that legchair Madam and open your gorble wide - your mouse is all but toothless [...] Everydobby knows there are foor decisives two canyons and ten grundies, which make thirsty two in all."
(from Nicely Nicely Clive)
"To have and to harm...till death duty part...he knew it all by hertz. Clive Barrow seemed oblivious. Roger could visualize Anne in her flowing weddy drag, being wheeled up the aisle, smiling a blessing. He had butterfield in his stomarce as he fastened his bough tie and brushed his hairs..."
(from Unhappy Frank)
" `Don't like that chair one bit,' he showbedy. `Just look at that garbet all filby and durby. How am I supposed to look affaffter all this garby ruddish. Wart am I but a slave tow look upon with deesekfrebit all the peegle larfing and buzing me in front of all the worled. How can I but garry on?'..."
My favorite bits are I Sat Belonely, Sad Michael, and The Fat Growth on Eric Hearble.
Half of the time, of course (as I've said), I don't have a clue as to what he's saying. His Liverpudlian sense of humor and slang is often lost on me. Which, of course, shouldn't be a problem to those who are familiar with it. In my case, I guess that was just the only thing hampering me from totally enjoying it. Otherwise, it's a nice way to pass the time - you ponder first the words, and *then* what the heck he's saying...
All I can say (belatedly) is that part of the humor here is going to be an acquired taste. And if that means having to read In His Own Write again and again, well, then, is that so bad?
Lemme think... uhmm...no! :)