Friday Playlist: John Lennon, no singles (part 2)

[Continued from part 1].

I foolishly restricted myself to one CD’s worth of running time, so I guess I got what I deserved, but making this playlist was hard. I wisely decided, right from the beginning, not to delve into alternative takes or demos, but half way through the process I realised I had to omit Rock ‘n’ Roll (1975) entirely if I wanted to keep the playlist under 90 minutes.

Since the album is basically covers, I didn’t really mind that it wouldn’t be represented here. I think it’s a stand-alone piece of work that deserves to be heard, if only because Lennon sounds like he’s really enjoying himself recording this stuff. The complicated history behind the album is also worth researching.

Lennon’s solo material is so dear to me that to get 80 minutes of non-singles I had to exclude many great songs and a few albums’ worth of covers and outtakes. That, I think, speaks volumes about the quality of his music.

God/Hold On/Isolation/Well Well Well [John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band]

John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band is my favourite Lennon solo album and, arguably, his best. Every song in it is indispensable. Sadly, Mother and Love (two of the greatest moments of the album) were released as singles in the US, so they’re out.

God definitely belongs right at the beginning of this playlist. It’s the song that “marked the end of the 60s”, after all, and a monumental moment in Rock history. Then it’s on to Hold On and Isolation, both songs about his relationship with Yoko Ono and, finally, Well Well Well, which I chose because it illustrates the effect of primal therapy on John’s singing in this album.

Give Me Some Truth/How?/Crippled Inside/Oh Yoko [Imagine]

Imagine, the song, is out, because it’s a single. I Don’t Wanna Be a Soldier is, unfortunately, too long and had to be left out. That leaves me with Give Me Some Truth, a powerful political message that fortunately doesn’t get as topical as most similarly political songs in Some Time in New York City (1972).

Crippled Inside and How? belong to the category of deeply personal songs that POB was full of. Oh Yoko I chose because it’s one of the most enjoyable and catchy examples of Lennon’s otherwise somewhat tiring (to me at least) and seeminngly endless series of songs about Yoko.

Bring On The Lucie (Freda People)/One Day (At A Time)/Out The Blue/I Know (I Know) [Mind Games]

Once Mind Games – one of my absolute favourites - and Meat City - which I was never crazy about anyway – were out, I thought I couldn’t get much out of this album. But then I listened to these songs again and, much like it happens with the actual album, what at first seems like a second-rate Lennon song, well… pretty much remains a second-rate Lennon song. Mind Games is an album that took a few plays to grow on me, but when it did, I started enjoying it immensely.

Freda People takes me back to peace songs with strong anthemic value, in particular Instant Karma or Give Peace A Chance. One Day, Out the Blue and I Know are the songs I enjoy the most in this album these days, but they’re really all fine, once you understand that this isn’t so much a personal or political statement like the first two albums, but a more relaxed pop album.

Going Down On Love/Bless You/Scared/Nobody Loves You (When You’re Down And Out) [Walls and Bridges]

Walls and Bridges is often called the second worst of Lennon’s solo albums (after the much-hated STINYC), which, I suppose, could be true if you absolutely have to rank them from best to worst – although some would argue that the Double Fantasy and Mild and Honey material is weaker than that in WaB. To me it seems like another example of laid-back songwriting. It is true that the album lacks focus in comparison to, say, POB, much like Mind Games before it, but #9 Dream (a single) is directly comparable to any of his best songs. Also, Whatever Gets You Through The Night: another single, another great song.

Just like most Lennon songs, these have a story behind them. Going Down On Love (yes, it’s a double entendre) and Bless You relate to his temporary separation from Yoko. Scared could be POB material if you strip away those damn horns and Nobody Loves You is a touching song of self-doubt with some great vocals that effectively capture that feeling.

I’m Losing You/Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) [Double Fantasy]

(Just Like) Starting Over and Watching the Wheels are the best songs in this album, but were both singles.Woman was another single. Being a joint effort with Yoko, Double Fantasy isn’t particularly rich in Lennon material, so I’m Losing You and Beautiful Boy were a small compromise. They’re both good songs, especially Beautiful Boy, which captures John’s love for his song better than any diary of home video would.

I’m Losing You/Grow Old With Me [Milk and Honey]

Again, the best songs from this John/Yoko album were released as singles (I’m Stepping Out, Nobody Told Me, Borrowed Time), so the two picks were mostly chosen for sentimental reasons. Grow Old With Me is also a good last song for this playlist, I think.