Customer Reviews

The U.S. vs. John Lennon

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This CD offers a great deal of incredible music by John Lennon during 1969 and the early 1970's when he fought our government in order for him and Yoko to live in the United States. The quality of the music is excellent and after you listen to this CD you want to run to watch the film!

The CD starts off strong with "Power To The People." The song makes its political statement and offers a great beat that sticks in your mind. It is also very upbeat and aggressive in its tone which attracts the listener immediately to make them want more.

The listener won't be disappointed. The tracks that follow provide great insight into John's politics at the same time that he provides us with his singularly beautiful music. Great songs on this CD include the autobiographical "Nobody Told Me" in which John admits that his struggle with our government both to end the Vietnam War and to remain in the USA is harder than he thought it would be. "Working Class Hero" has a folksy, bluesy feel to it but then the CD goes right back to that unique John Lennon rock and roll flavor with the song "I Found Out." "Bed Peace" follows as a type of introduction to the only Beatles song on this CD, "The Ballad Of John & Yoko." Despite the catchy rock and roll beat to "The Ballad Of John & Yoko," the lyrics tell the sad story of how people harass John and Yoko. Another great song is "Give Peace A Chance;" the message here is obvious. "Love," "Imagine," and "Oh My Love" are beautiful ballads with excellent musical arrangements; and we get a new instrumental version of "How Do You Sleep" that is very well done.

In addition, I like the two live tracks from the John Sinclair Freedom Rally in 1971. "Attica State" is a brand new release and "John Sinclair" packs a strong punch! These tracks demonstrate so well John's ability to connect with his audience in a live setting.

One special song on this CD directly challenges each and every listener to personal reflection and insight: "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)." John and Yoko tell people to know the difference between the blessings of peace and the evils of war, to cherish what is morally right and to fight against anything that is morally wrong. The song also expresses hope for a peaceful future beyond the current Christmas season. "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" continues to play on radio stations every Christmas season to this day.

Yes, another Amazon reviewer correctly notes that Yoko talks a little bit over the very beginning of the song "Oh My Love." Thank goodness that she doesn't talk over the lyrics! A few brief dialogue excerpts from the film are peppered throughout the CD but they never overlap with the songs.

The CD ends with the same strength that it started with: "Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)" is an excellent song that most Lennon fans will always love.

The liner notes include some great black and white pictures of John and Yoko, including two from the infamous "bed-in." You get the song credits along with the year that each song was released and there is a brief essay by Yoko Ono herself.

Overall, this CD is more than just a retrospective of John's music during a turbulent period in his life. Oh sure, almost all of this music has been previously released. However, that's not relevant here. The CD celebrates Lennon's ability to communicate his political beliefs through his songs. These songs remind us to avoid genocide, to be true to oneself and to strive for peace--now. I highly recommend this CD for Lennon fans, fans of great 1970s rock music and anyone who wants to experience how John Lennon taught us what was right through his music.

I'm not one of those Beatles/ John Lennon fan that purchases every album that gets released, especially "greatest hits" packages but after watching the movie, I really enjoyed the sound quality of the songs so I purchased the soundtrack and it's awesome! Listening to "Gimme Some Truth" on this CD was an "ear" opener! You can actually hear the seperation of the guitars and the drums don't sound cruddy & muddy like they did on the original mix of the album. All of the songs sound awesome! The only complaint I do have is the talking by Yoko over "Oh My Love" but what she says over the song is beautiful. But I would have loved the album without those interruptions. Go ahead and get this cd after you watch the movie!

Could truth and peace be more relevant today? This is a fantastic single-disc Lennon collection -- why? It includes not only INSTANT KARMA and IMAGINE, his two greatest post-Beatles songs, but also GIMME SOME TRUTH, which is also one of his best songs, and is almost never included on compilations. While neither JOHN SINCLAIR or ATTICA STATE are great songs, hearing John singing protest folk music is an excellent touch to this "political Lennon" compilation.

With the Cheney/Bush administration fighting an open-ended war for oil and world domination, John & Yoko waging peace against Nixon and the Vietnam War no longer sounds like a nostalgia trip. The White House today would make Goebbels blush, so GIMME SOME TRUTH is what the Democrats should be asking in the impeachment hearings before the war is expanded to Iran...

One reason I am so glad to see this collection is that I have no interest whatsoever in the Lennon "comeback" material of 1980, and this disc only includes one of those songs. SHAVED FISH, which came out in 1975, is an excellent single disc set which Lennon himself compiled, but it doesn't include GIMME SOME TRUTH. THE U.S. VS. JOHN LENNON is focused on a brief period in the late 1960s and early 1970s when Lennon was radicalized and produced some of his best music.

"Instant karma's gonna get you -- why on earth are you there when you're everywhere?"

In terms of a documentary, 'The U.S. vs. John Lennon' is an informative look at Lennon's life and career in a historical and political (rather than musical) context. This historical-political focus details Lennon's social influence and the efforts by U.S. officials to stop.

The documentary uncovers declassified F.B.I. documents through use of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

It also tells the story of Lennon's marriage with Ono, their decision to live in New York, and their quest to find Ono's estranged daughter, Kyoko, from Ono's previous marriage.

It also documents Lennon protest concerts in the '70s and the murder of John Lennon in 1980.

Yet the timeline is set by the FBI documents and the agency's increasing encroachment on the Lennon's lives.

At one point, the documentary recalls how Lennon was becoming increasingly concerned that his phone was tapped, and how he would warn callers on the other end of the line.

Because Lennon was a major cultural figure, the large F.B.I. file on him represented the government's growing insecurity with social activism and the nation's larger insecurity about anti-war activisim and activities in the midst of the Cold War.

For Lennon, the need to live freely and creatively ultimately reflects Lennon's destiny as a marginalized social visionary - a man who was ahead of his time, who held true to his convictions, and yet could only change society to a fraction of his potential.

A Great Collection of John's immortal songs - which like all true classics get better with time and more relevant as we come to understand their eminant relevance. But see the movie! An intensely beautiful masterpiece, 15 years in the making.

I was amazed and awe-struck by the quality of this CD and the songs are the absolute greatest collection to have. This is a definite buy for Lennon fans as well as peace 'mongers'...Buy it....You''ll be so happy you did! I can't wait 'till the movie is on sale...if this is a preview and any indication of what the movie may be like then, great CD and a good 'political' listen!! Carol Kelly in Philadelphia

Absolute must for Lennon fans. Has all the classics and is a blast from the past. If only I had been born a little earlier...

This is a must have if you really love the political side of John's life. The dvd is also a must have.

Cheers Rick Glenn

The album is not meant to be a "Best Of" compilation but, a soundtrack to the events featured in the film. as a collector of Beatles & solo material, this is a good soundtrack with a few songs not previously released.I recommend getting this album if your collector but the film is much more what the average fan should get & if need be, get this collection of songs featured in the film. Search Judemac forever on msn.

A number of these songs sound different than the mixes on "The John Lennon Collection"(which is out of print, newer compilations with these songs have been released, I don't know how they compare). While there is no info with the CD, it sounds like they have been remixed. The keyboard hits a wrong chord that really sticks out on "Instant Karma", (at 1:42). You can sort of hear it on the older version, but they covered it up. The vocal is also very distorted. Some elements of the new mixes seem better, revealing more clarity. Some elements of the old mixes seem better. Of the two "unreleased" songs, the instrumental "How Do You Sleep?" actually sounds pretty cool, with George Harrison's edgy slide guitar work. The "Attica State" recording is historically important, although there are several bursts of feedback from the sound system during the song. I would say this collection is mainly for Lennon completists, or those who would like a sample of his post-Beatles political songs.