George's song has the same melody, John's song has similar chords (not the same, nor the same melody). So he didn't 'get away with it' so much as 'not do it'.
Oh not even close. McCartney has him licked wrapped and diced on the schmaltz/silly song score ..and I love Paul. I also love whatever.....
No, not underrated just not very good. Still it's a lot better than his previous 2 albums STINYC and MG which really suck. John's solo career was very disappointing, more so than Paul's.
Bought this the day of release and have NEVER been able to get into it. No explanation other than it just doesn't resonate with me.
Walls and Bridges is - by some measure - my favourite Lennon album. POB is too stark and dark to be an enjoyable listen (although I do admire the art of it), Imagine is over-rated due to the success of its title track (half of it is excellent, the other half very average indeed). Mind Games has some lovely moments but is overall too bland and pedestrian. Walls and Bridges hits a sweet spot between lyrical honesty and interesting production. I've always been baffled as to why it is so unloved.
Due to it's reputation I didn't really listen to 'Walls & Bridges' until about 10 years ago, and came to it via the second side of 'Menlove Ave'. It's a brilliant album, slightly below 'POB' and 'Imagine', but certainly the third greatest of his solo records. The 'Menlove Ave.' versions of the songs need to be heard though, they are preferable in some ways.
Go play one of those songs and sing the other over it. It fits. That's the same melody. Edit: I may have misstepped here. You may be referring to the vocal melody. In that case, you're right.
It's a fine album, one of John's best. It's underrated by some here in this particular thread, but not in general.
I love Donovan's Atlantis but I don't hear any musical stealing at all. In rock or folk, when you write on a guitar in the key of D, there are only so many places to go. The I/II/IV/I chord progression is in a lot of songs. Then Nobody Knows you goes into other chord changes that Donovan's song simply doesn't and the melody's are not very similar. Unfortunately He's so Fine and My Sweet Lord have similar chord progressions and melodys'.
Yes!Move Over Ms L. should've made the track list in place of Beef Jerky. IMHO. Walls and Bridges is the John album that has grown on me the most over the years. I used to think it was just ok, now I really like it a lot.
Well, last time I checked Extra Texture was not a Beatles record. I also happen to love W&B musicians but I definetely prefer the final versions to Menlove Ave outtakes. Great sound, production and performances.
I'm a huge fan of John, but almost everything about this album feels phoned-in to me. Almost any track you can name from Plastic Ono Band runs circles around this album. I even like Sometime in NYC better -- at least on that record John sounds like he cares.
I love Move Over Ms L, but not sure it really fits on Walls and Bridges. It would have fit perfectly on Rock and Roll, except it's not a cover song. I agree that Mind Games doesn't suck. I love it. What sacd? Walls and Bridges is great. #9 Dream is great. Whatever Get You Thru the Night... meh. It was great at the time but I don't really love it now. I'm glad it gave John a #1 hit though. I like the production of this album - it sounds polished. Many of John's solo albums sounded (imho) like they were under produced and needed more polish. Obviously that was the intent for POB and it benefitted for it. But Imagine is all over the map and (imho) doesn't sound cohesive. STINYC is also a hodge-podge. As albums though I think Mind Games, Walls and Bridges and even Rock and Roll hold together quite well. I'm a fan of Mind Games but Walls and Bridges is stronger and sounds like quite a bit more effort was put into it. Side one "Going Down on Love" Great song that (I agree) could have nicely opened a Beatles album. "Whatever Gets You thru the Night" A good single and the album needed an upbeat number, but I'm tired of it. "Old Dirt Road" (Lennon, Harry Nilsson) Awesome song. Beautiful piano and imagery everywhere. "What You Got" Okay song that doesn't do a lot for me. "Bless You" I assume this is a nod to Yoko. Very nice and bluesy and I love it. "Scared" Something a bit dark and would have fit on POB, especially lyrically. Love it. Side two "#9 Dream" Finally, finally a return to psychedelia (what took so long?). Perfectly captures a haunting dream. "Surprise, Surprise (Sweet Bird of Paradox)" A very nice song that captures John's vulnerability (lyrically not to far away from Help!) "Steel and Glass" Another stinging poke at someone who got under his skin (a la How Do You Sleep, but much better). "Beef Jerky" A nod to Paul maybe. Meh. "Nobody Loves You (When You're Down and Out)" Cold and raw, again would have fit on POB but with loftier production. Haunting. "Ya Ya" (Morgan Robinson, Lee Dorsey, Clarence Lewis, Morris Levy) Yeah, I know its Julian... but a terrible way to close the album. I guess if you think of it as a bonus track then it's... well, it's still terrible.
A brief primer on the recent Lennon hi-res issues http://lennonology.com/HiRes.htm Chip Madinger www.lennonology.com
POB is a great album, but for me it's not an album I can listen to frequently. It's emotional and a bit draining if you're listening intently. Walls and Bridges is a breezier album - its not as gut wrenching and is an easy listen.
