What competitive bands or musicians did John Lennon admire

Most people prefer the music that they liked as teenagers. John is no different. He certainly was listening to contemporary sounds in the 70s, even if the 50s stuff was closest to his heart.

 

John's favorite Liverpool band was the Big Three.

 

So why did he appear on records with Ringo and Bowie and EJ in the 70s? Weren’t they the competition? Why would he want to help them have hits?

Your argument is that Lennon was ruthless in doing what it took to make it in the business. That doesn’t necessarily mean he was that way with other musicians.

 

He definitely liked The Wailers. Took the phrase "living on borrowed time" from "Hallelujah Time." (so I have heard)

 

Seems I remember reading somewhere
that he and Yoko liked Disco. I don't
recall any mention by either of them
of any specific artists or songs though.

 

Not so directly competitive but he loved Hendrix.

 

The Zombies.

 

Ticket to Ride was recorded two months before the Byrds released their first single, so Lennon could not have been influenced by them on that song. In that particular case the influence went the other way, as the Byds later copied the Ticket To Ride drum beat on She Don't Care About Time

 

John liked The Rutles!
I've been imagining how great a version of "#9 Dream" with ELO as the backing group with the 10cc members providing backing harmonies and John on lead vocals could have sounded.

 

There's a photo of John in his house from around 1967 and he had Safe As Milk stickers on his fridge door!

 

I’m amazed no-one’s yet mentioned The Searchers.

When The Searchers appeared with The Beatles on Thank Your Lucky Stars in 1963, playing their current hit Sweets For My Sweet, Lennon said “I consider it the best record to come out of Liverpool”.

 

He tore into the Stones in the 1980 Playboy interview, basically for not having grown up and sticking with the idea of being in a "gang" instead of going it on their own. He had also expressed disdain earlier about them "imitating" the Beatles on "every f'king album" and "every f'king single."

 

Also, he liked The Move. I believe he played “Night Of Fear” at a party he was DJ’ing at.

 

His jukebox should give a few clues:

 

Clever of The Byrds to influence a record released before their own debut.

 

He name checked The Move on radio, calling them "The Hollies with b*lls". He phoned someone (Tony King? ? his son Julian?) to watch them on TV when they did Brontosaurus in 1970.

 

I may be wrong but I think I heard somewhere that he was impressed by Steve Hackett's guitar playing on the early Genesis records.

 

He would have loved Oasis. Come on guys Harry Nilsson was his drinking buddy.

 

I remember reading he listened to Springsteen's The River a lot in the couple of months before his death. Supposedly the show Bruce played on the night of his death was quite something, too.

 

Whatever dude.

Lennon wasn’t competitive? You don’t know what you are talking about. You don’t get to the top of the pops by farting out songs and letting them just sit in the air.

Yes, music can be art, but no one hears it unless it is produced through the music business, and there you have competition.

Last, Lennon loved music and he loved and admired certain other artists. We obviously know many of his influencers (ie Everlys, Berry etc) , I want to know who he listened to and liked.

 

Thats interesting. Exactly the little tid bit of info I was looking for. Do you remember where you read this?

 

Sorry, not specifically. Just checked my copy of Point Blank, a Bruce bio by Christopher Sandford, and there's this quote in the midst of general praise about the album: "Even Lennon, in the last days of his life, 'dug the Boss'."
But I do remember someone saying that Lennon had it in heavy rotation. It mainly stuck in my mind because The River is my favourite album.

Here's what Bruce said on the night of the shooting:
"If it wasn't for John, a lot of us would be in some different place tonight. It's a hard world that makes you live with a lot of things that are unlivable. And it's hard to come out here and play tonight, but there's nothing else to do."

 

The Miracles. But I think the other Fabs also loved them.

 

Most of the artists that we've ever heard of treated their music and their careers as a competition at least in part. This is why we have heard of them.

 

I read that he liked the 'Hungry Hearts' single a lot. But it's possible he also enjoyed the whole album.