Hello everyone.
Recently, my motherboard decided to ruin itself so I have to buy a new one. All of my current hardware is incompatible with a new motherboard and, unless I buy a motherboard like I already have, I will have to buy all new hardware. I still have all of my stuff on my hard drives, but without a motherboard on my PC I can't get to it. Lennonology will be back up soon.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
September 1979
This post will cover demos that John recorded in September 1979
John Lennon - September 1979
John Lennon - September 1979
Disc 3 (click to download)
1. Audio Diary 1
1. Audio Diary 1
This is an audio diary that John recorded on September 5th, 1979. It is pretty infamous for its subject matter. John talks about a lot of things such as his childhood, Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, and his mother. Most Lennon fans feel really uncomfortable listening to this, but in a way I find it admirable. True, some of the stuff he says about Julia (his mother) is more than a little weird, but this was never meant for release. John recorded audio diaries with great frequency and he was being completely honest about his true feelings and thoughts. Most people lie to themselves, even in private, but John was being open and honest with himself and that's a lot more than any of us can say.
2. Serve Yourself
This was possibly, although not definitively confirmed, recorded immediately following the audio diary. This song was inspired by, among other things, Bob Dylan and Jerry Lee Lewis and their conversion to Christianity. John had dabbled in Christianity during 1977, but it is unknown if he continued with the faith. Some sources would suggest that he did, but songs like this seem to contradict the idea. John initially planned for this to be a song influenced by gospel music as is evident in these demos. In total, he would record over two hours of Serve Yourself demos from 1979 and until the end of his life. It is obvious that John was planning to eventually release this if and when he resumed his career.
3. That's the Way the World Is
This song was the initial idea for songs such as Real Life/Girls and Boys/Real Love and I'm Stepping Out. A lot of the lyrics would later end up in the demo(s) Real Life, but the middle eight "if it don't feel right..." would later be on the officially released version of I'm Stepping Out.
4. Don't Be Crazy
This song was recorded in the same sitting as That's the Way the World Is and Serve Yourself. It appears like John is going back to the 50's with this take. John's first single upon resuming his career, (Just Like) Starting Over, would borrow heavily from this song.
5. Baby Make Love to You / Girls and Boys
This particular take is fairly important when studying John's demos because these takes (and subsequent takes of the same songs) inspired the song Real Love more than any other demos. Girls and Boys particularly.
6. Real Life
All the takes of Real Life found on this disc were all recorded in the same sitting. The demos from September 1979 always weigh heavily on me because while the official story is one of John retiring to take care of Sean is true, it is also apparent through demos such as Real Life, That's the Way the World Is, and others that John was feeling very wistful and at times completely isolated. That's the Way the World Is particularly makes me empathize with John. It is apparent to me that John is perhaps not exactly content with the current state of his life.
7. Serve Yourself / Girls and Boys
These takes were all recorded in the same sitting.
--
Until next time...
- September 5th, 1979
- John's bedroom at The Dakota
- Unknown take
- September 1979
- Steinway & Sons piano
- The Dakota
- Unknown take
- September 1979
- Steinway & Sons piano
- The Dakota
- Unknown take
- September 1979
- Steinway & Sons piano
- The Dakota
- Take 1
- September 1979
- Steinway & Sons piano
- The Dakota
- Take 2
- September 1979
- Steinway & Sons piano
- The Dakota
- Unknown take
- September 1979
- Steinway & Sons piano
- The Dakota
- Unknown take
- September 1979
- Steinway & Sons piano
- The Dakota
- Unknown take
- September 1979
- Steinway & Sons piano
- The Dakota
- Take 1
- September 1979
- Steinway & Sons piano
- The Dakota
- Take 2
- September 1979
- Steinway & Sons piano
- The Dakota
- Take 3
- September 1979
- Steinway & Sons piano
- The Dakota
- Unknown take
- September 1979
- Steinway & Sons piano
- The Dakota
- Unknown take
- September 1979
- Steinway & Sons piano
- The Dakota
- Unknown take
- September 1979
- Steinway & Sons piano
- The Dakota
- Unknown take
- September 1979
- Steinway & Sons piano
- The Dakota
- Unknown take
- September 1979
- Steinway & Sons piano
- The Dakota
- Unknown take
- September 1979
- Steinway & Sons piano
- The Dakota
- Unknown take
- September 1979
- Steinway & Sons piano
- The Dakota
- Unknown take
- September 1979
- Steinway & Sons piano
- The Dakota
1. Audio Diary 1
This is an audio diary that John recorded on September 5th, 1979. It is pretty infamous for its subject matter. John talks about a lot of things such as his childhood, Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, and his mother. Most Lennon fans feel really uncomfortable listening to this, but in a way I find it admirable. True, some of the stuff he says about Julia (his mother) is more than a little weird, but this was never meant for release. John recorded audio diaries with great frequency and he was being completely honest about his true feelings and thoughts. Most people lie to themselves, even in private, but John was being open and honest with himself and that's a lot more than any of us can say.
2. Serve Yourself
This was possibly, although not definitively confirmed, recorded immediately following the audio diary. This song was inspired by, among other things, Bob Dylan and Jerry Lee Lewis and their conversion to Christianity. John had dabbled in Christianity during 1977, but it is unknown if he continued with the faith. Some sources would suggest that he did, but songs like this seem to contradict the idea. John initially planned for this to be a song influenced by gospel music as is evident in these demos. In total, he would record over two hours of Serve Yourself demos from 1979 and until the end of his life. It is obvious that John was planning to eventually release this if and when he resumed his career.
3. That's the Way the World Is
This song was the initial idea for songs such as Real Life/Girls and Boys/Real Love and I'm Stepping Out. A lot of the lyrics would later end up in the demo(s) Real Life, but the middle eight "if it don't feel right..." would later be on the officially released version of I'm Stepping Out.
4. Don't Be Crazy
This song was recorded in the same sitting as That's the Way the World Is and Serve Yourself. It appears like John is going back to the 50's with this take. John's first single upon resuming his career, (Just Like) Starting Over, would borrow heavily from this song.
5. Baby Make Love to You / Girls and Boys
This particular take is fairly important when studying John's demos because these takes (and subsequent takes of the same songs) inspired the song Real Love more than any other demos. Girls and Boys particularly.
6. Real Life
All the takes of Real Life found on this disc were all recorded in the same sitting. The demos from September 1979 always weigh heavily on me because while the official story is one of John retiring to take care of Sean is true, it is also apparent through demos such as Real Life, That's the Way the World Is, and others that John was feeling very wistful and at times completely isolated. That's the Way the World Is particularly makes me empathize with John. It is apparent to me that John is perhaps not exactly content with the current state of his life.
7. Serve Yourself / Girls and Boys
These takes were all recorded in the same sitting.
--
Until next time...
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Late 1977-1979
This post will cover demos that John recorded between the latter part of 1977 to 1979.
John Lennon - Late 1977-1979
Disc 2 (click to download)
John Lennon - Late 1977-1979
Disc 2 (click to download)
1. One of the Boys
1. One of the Boys
This was recorded after John returned from Japan on October 4th, 1977. It may have been the first demo he recorded upon returning to The Dakota. It's possible that John was influenced by Roger Daltrey's song One of the Boys off the album of the same name which was released in 1977.
2.Mirror, Mirror (On the Wall)
These takes were recorded immediately after One of the Boys. John recorded five total takes of this song which originated on the guitar during John's trip to Japan.
3. Sea Ditties
This is just a collection of old skiffle songs. John was just idling and it was not meant to be a serious recording. The songs included are:
4. Maurice DuPont, Acts I-III
During John's last five years, he spent a lot of time in his bedroom at apartment 72 in The Dakota. A lot of times, the TV would be on, but with the sound off or very low. The radio would also be on, but usually at a higher volume than the TV. John would read books on a variety of subjects, but sometimes he would also record silly things such as Maurice DuPont. He recorded this for sun and it was (obviously) not meant to be a serious work.
5. Too Much Monkey Business, Subterranean Homesick Blues
This comes from a cassette tape full of cover songs. John is just covering Chuck Berry's song Too Much Monkey Business with a little bit of Bob Dylan's song, Subterranean Homesick Blues.
6. Rock Island Line
Rock Island Line was originally written and performed by the American blues musician Leadbelly, but it was Lonnie Donegan's version that started the enormous skiffle craze in England. Here is his version:
7. Brown Eyed Handsome Man, Get Back
Again, John is covering Chuck Berry's song Brown Eyed Handsome Man with a little bit of the song Get Back, released by The Beatles, but written by Paul McCartney. And, as if he knew that we would one day be listening, he tells us, "Don't go away now, I'll be back in just a minute."
8. Beyond the Sea, Blue Moon, Young Love
John is covering more songs from his youth. Beyond the Sea, in addition to being one of my favorite songs of all time, was recorded by Bobby Darin and it was a smash hit. Its origins are actually a traditional French song. Beyond the Sea contains the same melody of the French song, but it just adds lyrics. Here is Bobby Darin's version:
Blue Moon was written in 1934 and it has since become an American standard. This isn't the original version, but this is probably the version that most people would identify with. This is Blue Moon as sung by The Marcels:
Young Love was recorded most famously by Tab Hunter. Here is his version:
9. Satire 1, 2, and 3 / Maggie Mae
The three Satire tracks as well as Maggie Mae were recorded in the same sitting. Satire is just John parodying Bob Dylan among other artists. Maggie Mae was a song released by The Beatles on the album Let It Be, but it was originally a traditional song that was created in or around Liverpool. This is not to be confused with Rod Stewart's hit, Maggie May.
10. Falling In Love Again
This is John parodying German folk songs.
11. I'm A Man
This is similar to Falling In Love Again, except John is parodying the Delta blues. This was originally supposed to be included on John's 2004 release Acoustic but it was taken off at the last minute.
12. Ethel Merman
This was recorded in John's bedroom at The Dakota and it was just a classic example of his wit and humor. Again, John recorded this with the TV on, but with the sound off.
13. TV Dialogue
Similar to the Ethel Merman track, John recorded this with the sound turned off on his television in his bedroom. John was improvising dialogue for the characters on whatever show it was that he was watching.
14. The Great Wok
This, too, was recorded in John's bedroom at The Dakota and it was originally recorded by John so he could include it in the annual Lennon Christmas giftbaskets that they gave out to friends and close associates.
15. I Don't Wanna Face It
It is possible that the origins of this song go back to August of 1979 when John was in Japan visiting Yoko's relatives. This song would later be released on John's posthumous album, Milk and Honey.
16. I Watch Your Face
This song was also possibly written in August of 1979 while John was in Japan.
17. It's Real
This is one of John's most mysterious demos in terms of trying to determine its origins and inspiration. Lots of documentation exists for a lot of John's demos, but this one remains a mystery. It is probable that this was recorded some time in 1979, possibly late 1979, but it is not certain.
--
Enjoy everyone. And until next time...
- Take 1
- Late 1977
- Acoustic guitar
- The Dakota
- Take 2
- Late 1977
- Acoustic guitar
- The Dakota
- Takes 1 and 2
- Late 1977
- Steinway & Sons piano
- The Dakota
- Take 4
- Late 1977
- Steinway & Sons piano
- The Dakota
- Take 5
- Late 1977
- Steinway & Sons piano
- The Dakota
- Late 1977
- Steinway & Sons piano
- The Dakota
- March 22nd, 1978
- John's bedroom at The Dakota
- March 22-27th, 1978
- John's bedroom at The Dakota
- March 27th, 1978
- John's bedroom at The Dakota
- Unknown take
- Late 1978
- Acoustic guitar
- The Dakota
- Unknown take
- Late 1978
- Acoustic guitar
- The Dakota
- Unknown take
- Late 1978
- Acoustic guitar
- The Dakota
- Unknown take
- Late 1978
- Acoustic guitar
- The Dakota
- Unknown take
- Late 1978
- Acoustic guitar
- The Dakota
- Unknown take
- Late 1978
- Acoustic guitar
- The Dakota
- Unknown take
- Late 1978
- Acoustic guitar
- The Dakota
- Unknown take
- Late 1978
- Acoustic guitar
- The Dakota
- Unknown take
- Late 1978
- Acoustic guitar
- The Dakota
- Late 1978
- John's bedroom at The Dakota
- Late 1978
- John's bedroom at The Dakota
- Late December 1978
- John's bedroom at The Dakota
- Take 2
- c. 1979
- Acoustic guitar
- The Dakota
- Unknown Take
- c. 1979
- Acoustic guitar
- The Dakota
- Unknown take
- c. 1979
- Acoustic guitar
- The Dakota
- Unknown take
- c. 1979
- Acoustic guitar
- The Dakota
1. One of the Boys
This was recorded after John returned from Japan on October 4th, 1977. It may have been the first demo he recorded upon returning to The Dakota. It's possible that John was influenced by Roger Daltrey's song One of the Boys off the album of the same name which was released in 1977.
2.Mirror, Mirror (On the Wall)
These takes were recorded immediately after One of the Boys. John recorded five total takes of this song which originated on the guitar during John's trip to Japan.
3. Sea Ditties
This is just a collection of old skiffle songs. John was just idling and it was not meant to be a serious recording. The songs included are:
- When I Was Young and In My Prime
- My Old Man's a Dustman
- I Do Like to Be Beside the Seaside
- Leaning on a Lamppost
- Chinese Laundry Blues
4. Maurice DuPont, Acts I-III
During John's last five years, he spent a lot of time in his bedroom at apartment 72 in The Dakota. A lot of times, the TV would be on, but with the sound off or very low. The radio would also be on, but usually at a higher volume than the TV. John would read books on a variety of subjects, but sometimes he would also record silly things such as Maurice DuPont. He recorded this for sun and it was (obviously) not meant to be a serious work.
5. Too Much Monkey Business, Subterranean Homesick Blues
This comes from a cassette tape full of cover songs. John is just covering Chuck Berry's song Too Much Monkey Business with a little bit of Bob Dylan's song, Subterranean Homesick Blues.
6. Rock Island Line
Rock Island Line was originally written and performed by the American blues musician Leadbelly, but it was Lonnie Donegan's version that started the enormous skiffle craze in England. Here is his version:
7. Brown Eyed Handsome Man, Get Back
Again, John is covering Chuck Berry's song Brown Eyed Handsome Man with a little bit of the song Get Back, released by The Beatles, but written by Paul McCartney. And, as if he knew that we would one day be listening, he tells us, "Don't go away now, I'll be back in just a minute."
8. Beyond the Sea, Blue Moon, Young Love
John is covering more songs from his youth. Beyond the Sea, in addition to being one of my favorite songs of all time, was recorded by Bobby Darin and it was a smash hit. Its origins are actually a traditional French song. Beyond the Sea contains the same melody of the French song, but it just adds lyrics. Here is Bobby Darin's version:
Blue Moon was written in 1934 and it has since become an American standard. This isn't the original version, but this is probably the version that most people would identify with. This is Blue Moon as sung by The Marcels:
Young Love was recorded most famously by Tab Hunter. Here is his version:
9. Satire 1, 2, and 3 / Maggie Mae
The three Satire tracks as well as Maggie Mae were recorded in the same sitting. Satire is just John parodying Bob Dylan among other artists. Maggie Mae was a song released by The Beatles on the album Let It Be, but it was originally a traditional song that was created in or around Liverpool. This is not to be confused with Rod Stewart's hit, Maggie May.
10. Falling In Love Again
This is John parodying German folk songs.
11. I'm A Man
This is similar to Falling In Love Again, except John is parodying the Delta blues. This was originally supposed to be included on John's 2004 release Acoustic but it was taken off at the last minute.
12. Ethel Merman
This was recorded in John's bedroom at The Dakota and it was just a classic example of his wit and humor. Again, John recorded this with the TV on, but with the sound off.
13. TV Dialogue
Similar to the Ethel Merman track, John recorded this with the sound turned off on his television in his bedroom. John was improvising dialogue for the characters on whatever show it was that he was watching.
14. The Great Wok
This, too, was recorded in John's bedroom at The Dakota and it was originally recorded by John so he could include it in the annual Lennon Christmas giftbaskets that they gave out to friends and close associates.
15. I Don't Wanna Face It
It is possible that the origins of this song go back to August of 1979 when John was in Japan visiting Yoko's relatives. This song would later be released on John's posthumous album, Milk and Honey.
16. I Watch Your Face
This song was also possibly written in August of 1979 while John was in Japan.
17. It's Real
This is one of John's most mysterious demos in terms of trying to determine its origins and inspiration. Lots of documentation exists for a lot of John's demos, but this one remains a mystery. It is probable that this was recorded some time in 1979, possibly late 1979, but it is not certain.
--
Enjoy everyone. And until next time...
Saturday, December 12, 2009
1975-1977
I'm picking up like nothing new has happened. Instead of making videos like on YouTube, I will make all of these downloads fully available in .MP3 format and I will still include my commentary. Enjoy everyone.
The next few posts will be regarding John's demos as recorded between 1975 and 1980. This was a time where he voluntarily retired from music in order to raise his newborn son, Sean Taro Ono Lennon. John had been sick of the music business and felt free for one of the first times in his adult life. He was not under contract with any man or any corporation, he was not contractually obligated to record any albums for EMI/Capitol (which he jokingly referred to as "Capitol punishment"). It is probable that one reason John retired is because of his mistakes with Julian. Julian was born on April 8th, 1963, and The Beatles became a worldwide phenomenon just months later. In those years, one had to release a single, at the least, every three months and an album, at the least, every six months. Being the frontman for The Beatles took its toll on John personally, but also his family. John was often either at the studio churning out hit records or he was traveling the world with what was, at that time and probably to this day, the most popular band in the world. Julian and his first wife, Cynthia, would often stay at their home, Kenwood, while John was out riding the wave of his success. As a result of this and later due to his deepening experimentation with drugs, John grew distant from Cynthia and Julian. I believe that John recognized this mistake later on in his life and I believe that he was determined not to make the same failings with Sean as he had made with Julian. I believe that he was so tormented emotionally by his neglectful and often hurtful attitude towards Julian that he overcompensated for these shortcomings in his raising of Sean. This, I believe, was John's reason to retire from music. I am sure there were others, but these were certainly near the top of the list.
In the demos below and in subsequent posts, I will have a format. The format will be the take (if available), the year (or more detailed information if it is availble) the demo was recorded, the instrument(s) used, and the location that the demo was recorded in. After the initial track listing, I will have a more detailed explanation and summary of the song(s) such as inspirations for the song and other miscellaneous facts. And here we go, the start of Lennonology 2.0!
John Lennon - 1975-1977.
This is a collection of John's home demos which were recorded between 1975 and 1977.
Disc 1 (click to download)
1. Tennessee
8. Cookin' (In the Kitchen of Love)
1. Tennessee
This song was one of the first songs that John recorded upon resuming his relationship with Yoko Ono on January 31st, 1975. This was inspired by the playwright Tennessee Williams who wrote such classics as A Streetcar Named Desire, Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, and others. While this is one of the first demos John recorded after his reunion with Yoko, this song actually has its origins during John's 18 month "Lost Weekend" period from 1973-1975 in which he was separated from Yoko and living with May Pang. This song would later inspire the demo Memories which itself would inspire Grow Old With Me, among other songs. This demo was recorded in the same sitting as Everybody and Sally and Billy.
2. Everybody
Everybody is a very very very early version of the song that would eventually be released as Nobody Told Me on John's posthumous album, Milk and Honey. This would later be used as the basis of a double tracked demo for Nobody Told Me that John would record in Bermuda in 1980.
3. Sally and Billy
This song could have its origins go back as far as December 1970, but it is unconfirmed and if the song did date back to December 1970, it is unknown as to why he resumed with the song over 5 years later. The chorus used in this song is also the chorus used in Only People off of the Mind Games album.
4. Mucho Mungo
This was originally written as a demo in 1973 for Jesse Ed Davis. John had toyed with this song briefly with Phil Spector during the sessions for John's album, Rock 'n' Roll, but it was later given to John's friend, Harry Nillson, who later used it in a medley contained within the song Mt. Elga on the 1974 album Pussy Cats which John also produced.
5. Cookin' (In the Kitchen of Love)
John composed this song for former bandmate Ringo Starr. John recorded nine takes of this song in total in the spring of 1976. John would eventually enter the studio on June 12th, 1976, to record piano for Ringo's version. This would be his last appearance in a recording studio until August 1980 when he began recording Double Fantasy.
6. She is a Friend of Dorothy's
This is a bit of an odd demo of John's. It is speculated that it was planned to be included in a biographical play titled The Ballad of John and Yoko, but its true meaning is unclear. Some sources say that "She is a Friend of Dorothy's" is a euphemism for homosexuals, but this is not confirmed.
7. I Don't Want to Lose You
This song, also erroneously titled by many releases as Now and Then, was originally intended to be the third "new" track by The Beatles for the third installment of The Beatles Anthology. Jeff Lynne, the producer, had enormous difficulty in making this suitable for release and after much work the project was ultimately shelved. The title to this song remained unclear until it was used in a Broadway musical titled John Lennon.
8.Free As A Bird
This song was the first "new" song released by The Beatles in 25 years. It was released on December 4th, 1995, in the United Kingdom, and December 12th, 1995, in the United States. It was completed and released by the three remaining Beatles for The Beatles Anthology and the video later premiered at the end of the final part of the TV mini-series which was also titled The Beatles Anthology. The music video was directed by Joe Pytka (who also directed Michael Jordan's folly, Space Jam, among other films and music videos). Free As A Bird also won a Grammy award in 1997 for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. It also won for Best Music Video (short form).
9. Turned Out Nice Again
This small snippet was recorded in John's bedroom at The Dakota. He was referencing the musician George Fornby whose catchphrase was "Turned out nice again!". This recording is added onto the end of the song Free As A Bird as completed by the three remaining Beatles in 1995. It was discovered in the studio that, when played backwards, it sounded alarmingly like "made by John Lennon" even though this was not intended. They added it in at the last minute to give the fanatics "something to do" as Paul put it.
--
Thank you to all my loyal subscribers who followed me from YouTube and to those of you who are just now discovering Lennonology. Lennonology will always be three things:
1. The best Lennon resource on the entire internet.
2. The most informative and welcoming resource.
3. ENTIRELY free. I will never charge anyone for anything on this blog whatsoever. I received all of the files uploaded here for free and I will provide them for free to others.
Until next time...
The next few posts will be regarding John's demos as recorded between 1975 and 1980. This was a time where he voluntarily retired from music in order to raise his newborn son, Sean Taro Ono Lennon. John had been sick of the music business and felt free for one of the first times in his adult life. He was not under contract with any man or any corporation, he was not contractually obligated to record any albums for EMI/Capitol (which he jokingly referred to as "Capitol punishment"). It is probable that one reason John retired is because of his mistakes with Julian. Julian was born on April 8th, 1963, and The Beatles became a worldwide phenomenon just months later. In those years, one had to release a single, at the least, every three months and an album, at the least, every six months. Being the frontman for The Beatles took its toll on John personally, but also his family. John was often either at the studio churning out hit records or he was traveling the world with what was, at that time and probably to this day, the most popular band in the world. Julian and his first wife, Cynthia, would often stay at their home, Kenwood, while John was out riding the wave of his success. As a result of this and later due to his deepening experimentation with drugs, John grew distant from Cynthia and Julian. I believe that John recognized this mistake later on in his life and I believe that he was determined not to make the same failings with Sean as he had made with Julian. I believe that he was so tormented emotionally by his neglectful and often hurtful attitude towards Julian that he overcompensated for these shortcomings in his raising of Sean. This, I believe, was John's reason to retire from music. I am sure there were others, but these were certainly near the top of the list.
In the demos below and in subsequent posts, I will have a format. The format will be the take (if available), the year (or more detailed information if it is availble) the demo was recorded, the instrument(s) used, and the location that the demo was recorded in. After the initial track listing, I will have a more detailed explanation and summary of the song(s) such as inspirations for the song and other miscellaneous facts. And here we go, the start of Lennonology 2.0!
John Lennon - 1975-1977.
This is a collection of John's home demos which were recorded between 1975 and 1977.
Disc 1 (click to download)1. Tennessee
- Take 1
- c. 1975
- Steinway & Sons piano
- The Dakota
- Unknown take
- c. 1975
- Steinway & Sons piano
- The Dakota
- Take 4
- c. 1975
- Steinway & Sons piano
- The Dakota
- Unknown take
- c. 1975
- Steinway & Sons piano
- The Dakota
- Take 2
- c. 1975
- Steinway & Sons piano
- The Dakota
- Take 3
- c. 1975
- Steinway and Sons piano
- The Dakota
- Unknown take
- c. 1976
- Steinway and Sons piano
- The Dakota
- Take 1
- Spring 1976
- Steinway and Sons piano
- The Dakota
- Unknown take
- Spring 1976
- Steinway and Sons piano
- The Dakota
- Take 8
- Spring 1976
- Steinway and Sons piano
- The Dakota
- Take 2
- Spring 1976
- Steinway and Sons piano
- The Dakota
- Take 7
- 1977
- Steinway and Sons piano
- The Dakota
- Unknown take
- 1977
- Steinway and Sons piano
- The Dakota
- Take 1
- 1977
- Steinway and Sons piano
- The Dakota
- Take 3
- 1977
- Steinway and Sons piano
- The Dakota
- 1977
- John's bedroom in The Dakota
- Take 1
- 1977
- Electric guitar
- The Dakota
- Take 2
- 1977
- Electric guitar
- The Dakota
1. Tennessee
This song was one of the first songs that John recorded upon resuming his relationship with Yoko Ono on January 31st, 1975. This was inspired by the playwright Tennessee Williams who wrote such classics as A Streetcar Named Desire, Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, and others. While this is one of the first demos John recorded after his reunion with Yoko, this song actually has its origins during John's 18 month "Lost Weekend" period from 1973-1975 in which he was separated from Yoko and living with May Pang. This song would later inspire the demo Memories which itself would inspire Grow Old With Me, among other songs. This demo was recorded in the same sitting as Everybody and Sally and Billy.
2. Everybody
Everybody is a very very very early version of the song that would eventually be released as Nobody Told Me on John's posthumous album, Milk and Honey. This would later be used as the basis of a double tracked demo for Nobody Told Me that John would record in Bermuda in 1980.
3. Sally and Billy
This song could have its origins go back as far as December 1970, but it is unconfirmed and if the song did date back to December 1970, it is unknown as to why he resumed with the song over 5 years later. The chorus used in this song is also the chorus used in Only People off of the Mind Games album.
4. Mucho Mungo
This was originally written as a demo in 1973 for Jesse Ed Davis. John had toyed with this song briefly with Phil Spector during the sessions for John's album, Rock 'n' Roll, but it was later given to John's friend, Harry Nillson, who later used it in a medley contained within the song Mt. Elga on the 1974 album Pussy Cats which John also produced.
5. Cookin' (In the Kitchen of Love)
John composed this song for former bandmate Ringo Starr. John recorded nine takes of this song in total in the spring of 1976. John would eventually enter the studio on June 12th, 1976, to record piano for Ringo's version. This would be his last appearance in a recording studio until August 1980 when he began recording Double Fantasy.
6. She is a Friend of Dorothy's
This is a bit of an odd demo of John's. It is speculated that it was planned to be included in a biographical play titled The Ballad of John and Yoko, but its true meaning is unclear. Some sources say that "She is a Friend of Dorothy's" is a euphemism for homosexuals, but this is not confirmed.
7. I Don't Want to Lose You
This song, also erroneously titled by many releases as Now and Then, was originally intended to be the third "new" track by The Beatles for the third installment of The Beatles Anthology. Jeff Lynne, the producer, had enormous difficulty in making this suitable for release and after much work the project was ultimately shelved. The title to this song remained unclear until it was used in a Broadway musical titled John Lennon.
8.Free As A Bird
This song was the first "new" song released by The Beatles in 25 years. It was released on December 4th, 1995, in the United Kingdom, and December 12th, 1995, in the United States. It was completed and released by the three remaining Beatles for The Beatles Anthology and the video later premiered at the end of the final part of the TV mini-series which was also titled The Beatles Anthology. The music video was directed by Joe Pytka (who also directed Michael Jordan's folly, Space Jam, among other films and music videos). Free As A Bird also won a Grammy award in 1997 for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. It also won for Best Music Video (short form).
9. Turned Out Nice Again
This small snippet was recorded in John's bedroom at The Dakota. He was referencing the musician George Fornby whose catchphrase was "Turned out nice again!". This recording is added onto the end of the song Free As A Bird as completed by the three remaining Beatles in 1995. It was discovered in the studio that, when played backwards, it sounded alarmingly like "made by John Lennon" even though this was not intended. They added it in at the last minute to give the fanatics "something to do" as Paul put it.
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Thank you to all my loyal subscribers who followed me from YouTube and to those of you who are just now discovering Lennonology. Lennonology will always be three things:
1. The best Lennon resource on the entire internet.
2. The most informative and welcoming resource.
3. ENTIRELY free. I will never charge anyone for anything on this blog whatsoever. I received all of the files uploaded here for free and I will provide them for free to others.
Until next time...
Monday, December 7, 2009
Lennonology
Hey folks.
This is my backup plan. Recently, WMG has notified me that they own 11 videos of mine on YouTube. They are letting me keep them up for now, but who can say how long they will be up for good? WMG is not to be trusted. My greatest fear for a while now has always been that my account will be suspended and I will lose everything on my channel including my subscribers. As a backup, I have created this blog. I will continue to post to YouTube, but please bookmark this somewhere so that if something DOES happen to me and I am no longer on YouTube one day then you can still view Lennon related videos and material from me via this blog.
Thanks everyone. Here's to hoping I won't need this.
This is my backup plan. Recently, WMG has notified me that they own 11 videos of mine on YouTube. They are letting me keep them up for now, but who can say how long they will be up for good? WMG is not to be trusted. My greatest fear for a while now has always been that my account will be suspended and I will lose everything on my channel including my subscribers. As a backup, I have created this blog. I will continue to post to YouTube, but please bookmark this somewhere so that if something DOES happen to me and I am no longer on YouTube one day then you can still view Lennon related videos and material from me via this blog.
Thanks everyone. Here's to hoping I won't need this.
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