The Art & Music of John Lennon [Paperback]

John Robertson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

"Relax," says the pseudonymous Robertson at the start, "this isn't another Beatles book." Granted, thankfully. What it is is an exhaustive chronology loaded with curious facts about Lennon's music, art, filmic endeavors, videos, appearances, etc., pre-Beatle, Beatle, and post-Beatle, and it lives up to the general high quality of the Birch Lane line. It does not confirm the old rumor (probably untrue anyhow?) that Lennon was one of those whooping in the chorus of Bob Dylan's "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35," but it does everything else. Nor is it hagiographic (e.g., Phil Ochs's trenchant comment, "ravings of a clown," about Lennon's claim on a Dick Cavett show about government surveillance, is quoted). Vital for Beatles fans and popular music collections, and interesting even to non-Lennon-adoring rockers.
- Robert E. Brown, Onondaga Cty. P.L., Syracuse, N.Y.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: Citadel (September 27, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806514388
• ISBN-13: 978-0806514383
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,728,939 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best Lennon books out there, June 26, 2000

By 

"desolation_angel_1977" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Art & Music of John Lennon (Paperback)

The pseudonymous John Robertson is one of the few writers on John Lennon (or the Beatles) who doesn't subscribe to any of the myths that clog this important artist's legacy. This book and his later chronology "Lennon 1940-1980" are essential reading for any serious fan, both scrupulously researched and entertaining, scholarly yet readable. From Lennon's teenage scribblings to his first recordings with the 'Quarry Men', to the years of Beatlemania and psychedelic experimentation, to Yoko Ono and avant-garde wackiness, to the 'Lost Weekend' and the shut-in Dakota years, to Lennon's final, sudden burst of creativity before the end - every twist and turn of this bizarre, brilliant career is chronicled with a sharp, critical but loving eye. There was a lot more to Lennon than 'Imagine', and a lot of it was truly surreal - whole books of stream-of-consciousness, pun-laden nonsense; 'art' exhibits filled with grapefruit, spoons and sponges; endless avant-noise recordings and live performances that came close to absolute madness; reviews, self-advertisements and letters to the editor; spoken word tapings, erotic lithographs and off-the-wall cartoons (Dali as done by Thurber) - the aesthetic debris cast off by a whirling dervish of creativity, a man who often did nothing but sleep for months on end but somehow could never squelch his burning desire to create and perform, the spark that dragged him from 'Please Please Me' to 'Cold Turkey', and then to 'Double Fantasy'. A definitive study of Lennon would require several volumes; in about 200 pages, Robertson provides a better (and mercifully shorter) analysis than almost anyone else so far.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For Any John Lennon Fan Out There, August 28, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Art & Music of John Lennon (Paperback)

This is a vital book for any fan, every piece of art & music John Lennon has ever done. John Robertson does a good job which other Lennon books miss: Detailed Account to all the art done with Yoko, solo music, and tour information. One of the best highlights is all the lost sessions, including the five year seclusion while John was house husband. Robertson covers so many songs that John has recorded that are not even released to this day. Robertson's book judges the man not for his mistakes, but for the works of art and music John Lennon has left behind for us all.