Category Archives: John lennon

Beatles, George Harrison, John lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr

The Beatles Seven records of Christmas

8 Comments

beatles

The Beatles Seven records of Christmas

From 1963 to 1969, the Beatles recorded and released seven special Christmas singles through their fan club. These were closer to “Monty Pythonesque”-comedy than their normal releases. The first ones are whimsical, cheery and thankful for their success, but later records are more esoteric. They reflect their development as a unit, the 1969 recording is four separate pieces.

Each recording was pressed onto a 7″ flexi disc and mailed free to the British members of the Fan Club.

beatles yule copy

The results are interesting curiosities for all  Beatles fans. A compilation album (with all the 7 singles) was released in 1971 and available from the fan club between 1970 and 1972. It was never released commercially, and most  copies are bootlegs.

Continue reading The Beatles Seven records of Christmas →

Great albums, John lennon, Music Calendar

December 11: John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (1970)

1 Comment

john-lennon-plastic-ono-band

… Lennon presents everything on the surface, and the song titles — “Mother,” “I Found Out,” “Working Class Hero,” “Isolation,” “God,” “My Mummy’s Dead” — illustrate what each song is about, and charts his loss of faith in his parents, country, friends, fans, and idols. It’s an unflinching document of bare-bones despair and pain, but for all its nihilism, it is ultimately life-affirming; it is unique not only in Lennon’s catalog, but in all of popular music. Few albums are ever as harrowing, difficult, and rewarding as John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band.
~Stephen Thomas Erlewine (allmusic.com)

I don’t believe in Beatles
~John Lennon (“God”)

Mother:

Continue reading December 11: John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (1970) →

Beatles, Great albums, John lennon, Music Calendar, Paul McCartney

December 4: The Beatles released Beatles For Sale 1964

2 Comments

beatles for sale

Beatles for Sale is the fourth studio album by the Beatles, it was released on 4 December 1964 and produced by George Martin. The album marked a minor turning point in the evolution of the Lennon–McCartney partnership, John Lennon particularly now showing interest in composing songs of a more autobiographical nature. I’m a Loser shows Lennon for the first time coming under the influence of Bob Dylan, whom he met in New York while on tour, on 28 August 1964.

John, when you were in New York, what did you like best about it?

 I just like cities, you see, and preferably big ones. That’s why I liked it. And we met some good people like Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, you know, and I enjoy meeting people I admire.

(Sept 13, 1964 via In The Life Of…The Beatles)

Beatles for Sale didn’t  produce a single for the UK – the non-album tracks I Feel Fine and She’s a Woman performed that role. Nevertheless, that coupling was followed up in the United States by Eight Days a Week, which became their seventh number one.

The Beatles – I’m a loser (live Paris, 1965):

Continue reading December 4: The Beatles released Beatles For Sale 1964 →

Beatles, Great albums, John lennon, Music Calendar, Paul McCartney

Dec 3: The Beatles released “Rubber Soul” in 1965

2 Comments

beatles-rubber-soul

There are places I’ll remember
All my life, though some have changed
Some forever, not for better
Some have gone and some remain
All these places had their moments
With lovers and friends, I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life, I’ve loved them all

Rubber Soul documentary included in the remastered Box-set:

All four faces of The Beatles appear stretched on the cover of 1965’s Rubber Soul, but it is not only the picture that is mind bending, the music within stretches the boundaries of popular music, too. In my mind it is he first truly unified album by The Beatles (and their first recorded within a specified session period), it is a quantum leap compared to the band’s past work. The Songwriting is out of this world, and the instrumentation was cutting edge. A milestone in rock history.
Continue reading Dec 3: The Beatles released “Rubber Soul” in 1965 →

Beatles, John lennon, Music Calendar

October 9: John Lennon was born in 1940 74 years ago

john lennon 2

“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”
― John Lennon

“When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.”
― John Lennon

Paul McCartney inducts John Lennon into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in a very touching way:

Continue reading October 9: John Lennon was born in 1940 74 years ago →