Thanks for the info. I had no idea this was released on SACD. It looks like other albums are available too - Imagine, Mind Games, Rock and Roll, Double Fantasy and POB.
Hmmm, I keep reading about the Menlove Ave alternate takes... Are they the same as my beloved Anthology boxset?
This forum changed my attitude on that album. For years, I had dismissed Mind Games and Walls & Bridges as two half-assed efforts that, had they been combined, could have been a pretty damn good album. For a while, I didn't even have a copy of either album. A few months after joining here, I noticed someone in the marketplace selling A CP32 of Walls & Bridges. I wanted to give the album a fresh listen. It may have been were I was at in my life, but that album really struck a chord with me. Lyrically, I think some of the songs reflect a pensive, mature Lennon. The whole feel of the album is a departure from the philosophical Lennon, the angry Lennon, the political Lennon. To me, it's the reflective Lennon. It's John taking stock of where he was in his life, and what he'd been through. In many respects, I consider it the "prequel" to Double Fantasy. Is it my favourite John Lennon album? Right now, it is.
#9 Dream is the best damn thing solo John ever did. At some point John decided he was ashamed of being a craftsman, but most of his best work with the Beatles was craft. I'll take A Hard Day's Night (which is mostly John) over any Lennon solo album any day.
I don't think "Mind Games" sucks - if nothing else, the title song and "Meat City" would redeem it. Outside of those songs, though, I just think it's eminently, entirely... okay. Perfectly listenable and enjoyable while it's on - and as soon as it ends, I forget about it. For me, Lennon's solo top 3 is easily "POB", "Imagine" and "W&B". I think "STINYC" is awful and don't like "R&R" much. The other 3 are in the same category: likable enough but not memorable for me. Totally middle of the pack Lennon!
I actually find this album to one of his best, if not my favorite. Imagine has too much dross on it (and suffers from Spector's over the top production) and POB, while great, gets more and more overrated as the years go on. This is the ONLY JL solo album where he was truly happy and in a good place (coming out of the Lost Weekend, with May, before going back to Yoko). Some great songs on it and much better production than all of his albums save the first.
selling his soul to pop music? that was his/their goal from the beginning to sell out...they were pop music kings.
I find it the least interesting collection of original material he ever did as an artist. He mailed it in for this.
Different, and we'll worth hearing. I prefer these rehearsal takes to the finished product - more emotionally raw. A fuller set leaked out unofficial lay.
Yeah, well if I want an easy listen I'll listen to Wayne Newton. John without emotion is like whiskey without alcohol.
No, the Menlove Avenue takes are pretty much John running down the songs with his core band (Davis, Keltner, Voorman) for the first time prior to the Walls And Bridges sessions proper. Very stripped down versions...picture the Walls And Bridges songs with the Plastic Ono Band 'minimalistic' feel. I posted the Menlove Avenue version of "Scared" earlier in the thread, but here's "Steel And Glass": During the same session (which was held on a Saturday afternoon in July '74 IIRC) they also cut versions of "Whatever Gets You Thru The Night", "Surprise Surprise", "Move Over Ms L" and "Beef Jerky". All of which circulate unofficially, along with the above Menlove Avenue cuts (the MA versions do contain edits; the unofficial versions are probably superior as a result) (been as you can only have one media attachment per post, I'll add the remaining Menlove Avenue versions below)
I think you missed my point, or misconstrued it. John did plenty of songs with the Beatles that didn't compare to Cold Turkey or POB. You could even say they were easy to listen to.
Absolutely underrated!!! But '73-'74 is in general for Lennon. My fave Lennon is probably the 1980 sessions ("Double Fantasy" and "Milk & Honey") with "Imagine" & then "Plastic Ono Band" right on it's heels, a hair breadth away. "Mind Games" and "Walls & Bridges" didn't as have a high a batting average as those works, but their highest high's were absolutely incredible & the less than top shelf stuff wasn't bad. So, like with "Mind Games" before it, the lesser songs make for a more clunky, sort of start & stop, listening experience that's a bit all over the place, so either re-shuffle them (front loading the best songs), or as someone else suggested...mix the best tracks from "Walls & Bridges"and "Mind Games" (Mind Games; You Are Here; Tight A$; I Know (I Know); Intuition) and just keep going with the still good tracks until the space runs out...front loading your own CD-R's can salvage great works on very good albums into a new perspective... & male sure not to forget Move Over Ms. L & Here We Go Again from this time, I really would have preferred both of those over a lot of the less than top shelf songs on "Walls & Bridges" & I think both of them could have easily fit in sound wise...actually "Move Over Ms. L" was originally slated to be on the album, but was dropped from the running order later on (3 weeks before release the album had a different running order & "Move Over Ms. L" was slated for side two, after "Surprise Surprise (Sweet Bird Of Paradox)", which stayed on side two, & "What You Got", which itself got moved to side one.)... "Goodnight Vienna" is also from this era & would have been a great addition if he'd decided to do his own version of it... A) Highest highlights 1) "#9 Dream"- Not only my fave single of that year, but maybe my fave single of the decade. Lennon at his absolute best. Great interplay with Dr. Dream's acoustic & 2) "Whatever Gets You Thru The Night"- Almost as amazing a single as "#9 Dream", a piece of pop-soul perfection with searing Lennon rhythm guitar!! 3) "Going Down On Love"- Lennon at his absolute funky grittiest, with some amazing rhythm shifts & a melody to die for...love his guitar playing here too!! 4) "Old Dirt Road"- to me it's the stand-out ballad on the album. Gorgeous co-write with Harry Nilssson. 5) "Surprise Surprise (Sweet Bird Of Paradox)"- Totally irresistible & infectious. B) Still pretty fine 1) "Scared"- A great vocal performance, love the wolf "how" at the start too (Howlin' Wolf ) & Jesse Ed Davis & the horns are at their best here too. 2) "Nobody Loves You (When You're Down & Out)"- I wish he'd done the bridge here more than once, it's a total highlight. C) Still good to very good 1) "Beef Jerky"- The best of what's left with this really fun instrumental- great Lennon guitar work here too!! 2) "Steel & Glass"- the lesser version of "How Do You Sleep", this time aimed at Allen Klein... still a good effort, & really interesting in both the finished version & the bare bones demo version from "Menlove Ave." D) As they sang at the end of the early version of the "Gilligan's Island" theme song..."...and the rest..." 1) "What You Got"- It starts off in a flourish, but then descends into something that sounds to me, as kind of generic as "Only People" did in both it's pre-fab melody & while "Only People" was a sort of second rate political rant, this is kind of second rate confessional one. 2) "Bless You"- I know lots of folks adore this, but it just falls flat for me, especially compared to something like "Old Dirt Road", or any of the other slower tempo numbers here. Nice attempt at something jazzy though...interestingly enough he'd revisit this type of thing again in 1980 with "Forgive Me (My Little Flower Princess)", & while again having interesting intentions, it's the only track from the 1980 material that I'd call truly lesser, partly because it's clearly the most unfinished, to the point of sounding half-baked, performance of the lot, but also because I think it's the weakest song in that batch too. My '73-'74 Mix CD-R... Mind Bridges & Wall Games...or if you prefer Wall Games & Mind Bridges...again in no particular order, other than levels... 14 Top Shelf Song on Level I (random order not running order): #9 Dream Mind Games Whatever Get You Thru The Night Tight A$ Old Dirt Road You Are Here Going Down On Love Intuition I Know I Know Surprise Surprise (Sweet Bird Of Paradox) Move Over Ms. L Here We Go Again Goodnight Vienna I'm The Greatest 4 Very Good songs for bonus tracks with Level II: Scared Bring On The Lucie (Freda People) Nobody Loves You (When You're Down & Out) Meat City and if there's room close with Beef Jerky!!!
I agree 100%. Stunning song, one of my all-time faves by any artist. Incredible string arrangement. Ah, böwakawa poussé-poussé...
As some others have mentioned, #9 Dream is also my favorite track off the album and it's still a fantastic song to this day...I never get tired of it. W&B is really a solid album...just a shame he didn't follow it up with all-new material until 1980.
I can't imagine how great it would have been to have had Lennon albums in 1976,77,78,79...maybe a tour too... ah well...
