John Lennon, The John Lennon Collection (1982)

The first posthumous John Lennon collection, this is the compilation that I turn to rather than his albums. John – out of The Beatles – doesn’t really do it for me. People mock Macca but he delivers. John didn’t. Okay, so Plastic Ono Band is a masterpiece. And he delivered there. But everything else, album-wise, it’s a bit of a mess. You need the compilation to guide you through. Funny really, because with Paul it’s the compilations that always bring out the worst of his best sides, the cheese, the uniformity of his writing but not the ragged contrasts. Lennon’s ragged contrasts were actually too sloppy. So here it’s nice to have just a snapshot. Since this release there’s been a re-release – which was when I first heard it (in 1989) and then another. And another. Then a rebrand, a box-set, a new box-set and so on. I reckon this compilation and the Plastic Ono Band album and his work with The Beatles and I’m happy. But I don’t like John Lennon. Not really. Here’s a poem I wrote about him.

Beatles Memory
got pissed listening to the Beatles the other night it was alright and all good we sung along to their golden songs for nearly three golden hours a mate said afterwards it’s the only band you can listen to four CDs of and not get bored at all and everyone likes it and I thought well done how true McCartney’s beautiful songs of innocence and love Harrison’s mournful guitar and Ringo Starr just happy to be included but old John Lennon was a sullen negative prick thought he was way to cool and the leader of the band I know this is harsh but I’m kinda glad he’s dead

Sample Track: Watching The Wheels

The Vinyl Countdown is a document of every LP I listen to, brand new discoveries and old-old favourites; extremely pre-loved, previously abandoned or with the shrink-wrap having just been removed it’s all here at The Vinyl Countdown