Albums You Should Own - John Lennon Special

It's been a while since I last visited this series, and today I said to myself, 'it's time to do another one'.

For those who don't know (either through ignorance or a lack of interest in anything historical), today, the 8th December marks 32 years since the murder of John Lennon, possibly the 20th Century's most influential and most loved musician/peacenik/artist/writer.

So, to mark this occasion, instead of a Monday Mix-tape (which I already did to mark what would have been his 72nd birthday), I thought I'd have a look at his solo career and try and guide you to the gems, and steer you away from the duds (even as a devoted Lennonite, I can see that he has had some bad days).

So, to start off, when John and the Beatles went their seperate ways after the recording of Abbey Road, whilst the court case to dissolve the business partnership rumbled on, John did his thing with Yoko, did a bit of Primal Therapy with Mr Janov and brought out the Plastic Ono Band album. It's hard to find a weak link on this album, to be honest. From the opening funereal bells of 'Mother' the bar is set high (no change there) and it is only surpassed, in my view, by 'Working Class Hero' and 'God'. But that's not to say that the delicateness of 'Love' or 'Isolation' do not merit praise. I heartily implore you to go out and get this record!

After that, came the album that may have ensured his place amongst the greatest musicians of the modern era, Imagine. Everyone knows the title track and how good it is, so for me to preach a sermon is unneccessary. The album itself contains some real crackers, 'Crippled Inside', 'Jealous Guy', 'Gimme Some Truth', 'Oh My Love' and so on and so on. To sum up, I have three words for you on Imagine: BUY THIS ALBUM.

On the completion of Imagine, John decided to up-sticks and move to the US. And then, in 1972, he brought us his highly politicised (comparitively speaking) Some Time In New York City. I do have this album, somewhere, but sadly it doesn't really strike a chord with me and it's only really for the complete devotee fan. It does contain the track 'Woman Is The Nigger Of The World', which is well worth a listen.

He returned to more palatable output the next year, with his Mind Games album. There are some great tracks on this album, aside from the title track, 'Tight A$' is a fast paced little rocker, 'Bring On The Lucie (Freda Peeple)' may have a ridiculous title, but it's a nice little sing-a-long once you know the words! This is followed by the silence of the 'Nutopian International Anthem' before heading on to the second side (remember when you had to get up and turn a record over? Something today's kids have no appreciation for). 'Out The Blue' is a sweet little song, and it's one I find has resonance in my life, and no doubt others will feel the same. It's worth investigating.

John's 'Lost Weekend' phase is quite well documented for all the drunken goings-on, but let's not forget he still managed to give us Mind Games and his next offering, Walls And Bridges. The lead single, 'Whatever Gets You Thru The Night'  is bold, brassy and instantly loveable. You've also got songs like 'What You Got', '#9 Dream', and 'Nobody Loves You (When You're Down And Out)' to keep you going, and the album finishes with a throwaway version of 'Ya Ya' which not only got him into a heap of legal trouble, but also inspired his next record. You should give it a try, you might just like it.

Which was the covers album, Rock And Roll. Songs that he liked as a boy, or that he enjoyed performing, or just took his fancy. Like Gene Vincent's 'Be Bop-A-Lula', or my favourite, his version of Ben E King's 'Stand By Me'. This album is a nice way to see what inspired Lennon himself to pick up a guitar, whilst also hearing John's own take on the songs. I've bought it, and I think you should consider it too!

It was at this point that John Lennon's life changed. Yoko finally gave birth to the child they'd been trying for for years, Sean Lennon was born on John's 35th birthday, and John hung up his guitar and decided that he would take responsibility for Sean's immediate upbringing. So, five years later, and John felt the time was right to hit the studio once more, thus giving us the joint effort with Yoko, Double Fantasy. Now, I'm not going to lie and say I can listen to this album all day, because to be honest, Yoko's tracks don't really do it for me. But when you realise that John's offerings include '(Just Like) Starting Over', 'I'm Losing You', 'Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)', 'Watching The Wheels' and 'Woman', there is only one decision to make: Buy the CD, or download an mp3 version.

This however, is where John's living input ended. His death brought to a sudden halt the burst of creativity John was enjoying, with enough rough cuts in the can for another album, and in 1984, four years after he was taken from the world, the release of Milk And Honey gave everyone the chance to hear John's last songs. The stand out tracks for me are 'I Don't Wanna Face It', 'Nobody Told Me', 'Borrowed Time', and the poignant and quite gutwrenching 'Grow Old With Me'. Another one for the completists.

Or, you can say to yourself, 'I can't be arsed spending all that money buying albums for songs I might not like'. In which case, the compilation Lennon Legend is for you! All the hits, along with singles such as 'Cold Turkey', the festive 'Happy Xmas (War Is Over)', 'Give Peace A Chance', and 'Instant Karma!' (the exclamation mark is part of the title, I assure you!)

Well, I can say no more. Other than War Is Over. If you want it.

Albums You Should Own Part 9

And here we are at the latest helping of my tips for the perfect record collection. We're in to the month of February now, you've all managed to survive the post-Christmas cash flow panic and things are looking up. Hopefully. So, what better way to celebrate this feeling than with the latest must-have offering.

The Fleet Foxes by The Fleet Foxes
Now before the purists kick up, I'd like to acknowledge the fact that this first album is not actually their first release, it was merely the first full length studio album. I was non-the-wiser myself until reliably informed and presented with the evidence by my girlfriend. The thing that stands out for me is how an American band managed to produce such quintessentially English sounding music. But, by jove, they pull it off with uncanny perfection.

The album kicks off with the perfect album opener, 'Sun It Rises'. Just listening to it, you want to look out of the window and see the sun actually rising. The vocals and harmonies are heavenly and compliment the melody. This is quickly followed by 'White Winter Hymnal', possibly the best song on the album. Again, conjuring up the essence of English-ness, and lyrics that talk about "scarves of red tied round their throats, to keep their little heads from falling in the snow" and "turn the white snow red as strawberries in the summertime". You will find yourself singing along before too long, this I promise you. And the album continues in this vein. Yet another stand-out track is the beautiful (yes, I've just used the word 'Beautiful' to describe a song. Can't believe it myself) 'Your Protector'. Words can't do the song justice, so I merely implore you to give it a listen. And I defy you not to be filled with emotion by the end. I will even tell you that in the infancy of our relationship, for my girlfriend and me, this was 'Our Song'.

The album's first disc (oh, didn't I mention there was a second disc? Yes, there is, and we will come to this in due course. Have patience) comes to a close with two more brilliant tracks, 'Blue Ridge Mountains' and 'Oliver James'. Both contain the haunting harmonies that flow and persevere throughout the entire record. The latter is nothing but vocals and minimal musical accompaniment.

Right, disc two. This is essentially one of their earlier EPs included because it contains the most successful of their UK singles (reaching the shamefully low peak of 51 in the charts), 'Mykonos'. This is yet another gem of a song.

There it is then. Go and buy the album, listen to it and be amazed. In fact, with the cold weather upon us, this album is the perfect antidote as it will give you a warm feeling by the time you've listened to it all the way through.

Thank you for reading.