John
Lennon
John
Lennon was, with Paul McCartney, the greatest
songwriter in the history of British popular music. But
he was more than that.
Born during an air
raid on Liverpool on October 9th, 1940, it was a portent
to John's extraordinary, but short life, which ended when
a maniac shot him dead in New York City, on December 8th,
1980.
I don't
really buy into the concept of heroes, because we all
have feet of clay. We're all a mass of contradictions,
and John Lennon was no different. On the one hand, a
sensitive, songwriting genius, a man of peace, known for
such on a level with Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther
King. On the other hand, someone who could be cruel and
spiteful, unfaithful to his wives Cynthia and Yoko, and
who could be over-indulgent to a sick degree, namely his
collection of sealskin coats.
But he was
one of the few people I'd class as 'heroes'. Lennon
inspired people, creatively, socially, and personally. As
a songwriter with The Beatles, and as a solo artist, he
wrote 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds', 'Imagine',
'Strawberry Fields Forever', 'Nowhere Man', 'Norwegian
Wood (This Bird Has Flown)', 'In My Life', 'A Day In The
Life', 'Give Peace A Chance', 'Jealous Guy', 'Tomorrow
Never Knows', 'Happy Xmas (War Is Over)', 'Woman',
'Across The Universe', and the list goes on.
At the age
of 21, I remember listening to the radio in the middle of
the night in bed in Luton, Beds, and hearing an
unemotional voice announcing that John Lennon had been
shot in New York. I was relieved, because I supposed he'd
just been wounded, and not killed outright. Then the
really bad news came. I cried all day, and Paul said it
was a drag.
Liverpool is
a city which has produced a disproportionate amount of
talented footballers, comedians, and musicians. I would
venture to suggest that John Lennon is the greatest
talent even that city has ever produced.
- Paul
Rance/booksmusicfilmstv.com.
More
John Lennon Stuff available from
booksmusicfilmstv.com - in association with Amazon
(Amazon.co.uk
text links - non italics; Amazon.com text links -
italics)
John
(Paperback)
Author: Cynthia Lennon
Lennon
(Paperback)
Author: George Martin, Ray Coleman, Pamela Coleman
Imagine
This: Growing Up with My Brother John Lennon (Hardback)
Author: Julia Baird
In
His Own Write (Hardcover)
Author: John Lennon
In
His Own Write & A Spaniard in the Works (Paperback)
Author: John Lennon
Lennon
and McCartney, Together Alone (Paperback)
Lennon
and McCartney - Together Alone (Paperback)
Author: John Blaney, Robert C. DeVries
JOHN
LENNON GUITAR HUGE LAMINATED POSTER
John
Lennon - Imagine DVD
John Lennon in How
I Won The War [1967]
The
U.S. Vs John Lennon [2006] DVD
The
U.S. vs. John Lennon DVD
Retro
"John Lennon" Style Round Sunglasses & Case
John
Lennon Style Sunglasses
John
Lennon Style Mirror Lens Sunglass
Unbox Video Download
The
U.S. vs. John Lennon
Imagine:
John Lennon
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John Lennon - Official Site
booksmusicfilmstv.com
1960s Music Index
booksmusicfilmstv.com
1970s Music Index
John
Lennon CDs available from
booksmusicfilmstv.com - in association with Amazon
(Amazon.co.uk
text links - non italics; Amazon.com text links -
italics)
Imagine
Imagine
Working
Class Hero - The Definitive Lennon
Working
Class Hero
Double
Fantasy
Mind
Games
Rock
'n' Roll
The
John Lennon Collection
Instant
Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur
Instant
Karma
Lennon
Legend
Lennon
Legend
John
Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
John
Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
John
Lennon Solo/Plastic Ono Band Discography
(including
UK & US Chart Positions)
Albums
Studio Albums
Unfinished Music No.1: Two Virgins (with Yoko Ono) (1968)
- US #124
Unfinished Music No.2: Life With The Lions (with Yoko
Ono) (1969) - US #174
Wedding Album (with Yoko Ono) (1969) - US #178
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (1970) - UK #8, US #6; Gold
Imagine (1971) - UK #1, US #1; 2x Platinum
Some Time In New York City (with Yoko Ono) (1972) - UK
#11, US #48
Mind Games (1973) - UK #13, US #9; Gold
Walls And Bridges (1974) - UK #6, US #1; Gold
Rock 'n' Roll (1975) - UK #6, US #6; Gold
Double Fantasy (with Yoko Ono) (1980) - UK #1, US #1; 3x
Platinum
Milk And Honey (with Yoko Ono) (1984) - UK #3, US #11;
Gold
Live Albums
Live Peace In Toronto 1969 (1969) US #10
Live In New York City (1986) UK #55, US #41; Gold
Live Peace In Toronto 1969 (2006) Mobile Fidelity Gold CD
reissue
Compilation
Albums
Shaved Fish (singles compilation) (1975) UK #5, US #12;
Platinum
The John Lennon Collection (best-of and singles
compilation) (1982) UK #1, US #33; 3x Platinum
Menlove Ave. (outtakes compilation from 1973-74
recordings) (1986) US #147
Imagine: John Lennon (1988) UK #64, US #31; Gold
Lennon (4CD box set) (1990)
Lennon Legend: The Very Best Of John Lennon (1997) UK #3,
US #65; Gold
John Lennon Anthology (1998) UK #64, US #99; Gold
Wonsaponatime (selections from the Lennon anthology)
(1998) UK #76
Acoustic (a compilation of acoustic material, mostly
previously released) (2004) UK #133, US #31
Peace, Love & Truth (2005)
Working Class Hero: The Definitive Lennon (2005) UK #11,
US #135
The U.S. vs. John Lennon (2006)
Remember (a special compilation released by Starbucks)
(2006)
Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign To Save
Darfur (Various Artists Benefit Album) (2007)
Singles
1969 Give Peace A
Chance (credited as Plastic Ono Band) #2 UK, #14 US
1969 Cold Turkey (credited as Plastic Ono Band) #12 UK,
#30 US
1970 Instant Karma! (credited as John Ono Lennon) #3 US,
#4 UK (Full song title: Instant Karma! (We All Shine On);
Gold
1971 Mother (US only) #43 US
1971 Power To The People (credited as John Lennon/Plastic
Ono Band) #6 UK, #11 US
1971 Imagine (credited as John Lennon)(US only) #3 US
1971 Happy Xmas (War Is Over) (US only) (credited as John
& Yoko, The Plastic Ono Band with The Harlem
Community Choir)
1972 Happy Xmas (War Is Over) (UK only) (credited as John
& Yoko, The Plastic Ono Band with The Harlem
Community Choir) #4 UK
1972 Woman Is The Nigger Of The World #57 US
1973 Mind Games #26 UK, #18 US
1974 Whatever Gets You Thru The Night #36 UK, #1 US
1975 #9 Dream #23 UK, #9 US
1975 Stand By Me #30 UK, #20 US,
1975 Imagine (UK only) #6 UK
1980 (Just Like) Starting Over #1 UK, #1 US; Gold
1980 Happy Xmas (War Is Over) (with Yoko Ono, The Plastic
Ono Band and The Harlem Community Choir) (UK re-entry) #2
UK
1980 Give Peace A Chance (with The Plastic Ono Band) (UK
re-entry) #33 UK
1980 Imagine (UK re-entry) #1 UK
1981 Woman #1 UK, #2 US; Gold
1981 Watching The Wheels #30 UK, #10 US
1981 Happy Xmas (War Is Over) (with Yoko Ono, The Plastic
Ono Band and The Harlem Community Choir) (UK re-entry)
#28 UK
1982 Love (from 1970 album John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band)
#41 UK
1984 Nobody Told Me #6 UK, #5 US
1984 Borrowed Time #32 UK
1984 I'm Stepping Out #55 US, #88 UK
1984 Every Man Has A Woman Who Loves Him
1985 Jealous Guy #65 UK
1988 Imagine/Jealous Guy #45 UK
1988 Jealous Guy (US only) #80 US
1999 Imagine (UK re-issue) #3 UK
2003 Happy Xmas (War Is Over) (with Yoko Ono, The Plastic
Ono Band and The Harlem Community Choir) (UK re-issue)
#32 UK
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