Customer Reviews

Wonsaponatime

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

On the heels of the success of the Beatles ANTHOLOGY albums in the mid-1990s, Capitol decided to give John Lennon's solo career similar treatment in 1998 by releasing a four disc box set of his previously unreleased, if widely bootlegged, songs and alternate takes. This CD is a single disc distillation of highlights from that box set.

Every phase of Lennon's solo career is here. The best tracks include an unplugged performance of "God" that is every bit as gripping as the version on PLASTIC ONO BAND. Take 1 of "Imagine," featuring a harmonium and lacking Phil Spector's strings, is quite beautiful in its own way. "God Save Oz" brims with Lennon's enthusiasm and wry wit. The alternate take of "I'm Losing You" rocks harder than the version on DOUBLE FANTASY. That song and "I Don't Wanna Face It" demonstrate that Lennon was still capable of making vital music at the age of 40. Both make one wonder about the great music he might have made later in the 1980s, had he not been taken from us so prematurely.

"Real Love" may be the song with the most emotional resonance. The liner notes don't say so, but it's a safe assumption that this is the demo that Yoko Ono gave to the three surviving Beatles, which they then overdubbed and turned into a "new" Beatle song in 1995. As embellished by Paul, George and Ringo, it was an exuberant and slightly speeded up song. But this demo, with John alone at the piano, is a much more somber piece.

There is something else about most of these recordings that is striking: John's voice sounds great. In his days with the Beatles he had a lot of success using studio tricks to distort his vocals on songs like "Tomorrow Never Knows," "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Come Together." Unfortunately, this technique spilled over into his solo career with mixed results. Perhaps it's no coincidence that his best solo albums (PLASTIC ONO BAND, IMAGINE and DOUBLE FANTASY) were also the ones on which he tended to let it all hang out vocally. Since most of the material on this album was recorded live in the studio with minimal production, John's voice shines through like nature intended.

The album contains some dross. The demo of "I Found Out" adds no new insight. "Serve Yourself," John's satirical rebuttal to Bob Dylan's "Gotta Serve Somebody," had the potential to become a good song, but the demo is a little too goofy for its own good. "Baby Please Don't Go," an outtake from the IMAGINE sessions, probably should have stayed on the cutting room floor.

Yet even this album's lesser moments have their charms. WONSAPONATIME certainly offers an opportunity to dig deeper into the Lennon vault than most people would have thought possible. Essential listening for fans and even casual listeners will find much of it rewarding.

This album is amazing. I would reccomend it to anyone who likes real rock and roll. It sounds like an ex-Beatle who is doing his own thing and you can hear how he influenced The Beatles' music. The CD opens with a killer song, "Losing You", and I have to say that "god" is the most nihilistic piece of music I have ever heard. I actually like these versions of "Working Class Hero" and "Imagine" better than the released versions although I may be in the minority. Wonsaponatime may not be for everyone, but it is a true picture of Rock and Roll.

If you are like me and already have every other John Lennon album and a number of bootlegs most of this stuff is not new. On the other hand the quality of much of it is vastly improved. Buy it if only for the first track. CHEAP TRICK with Lennon on I'M LOSING YOU. Why this version wasn't used on the STRATING OVER album is a complete mystery to me (and Rick Neilson). This is Lennon rocking harder than he had in years. It'sworth the price of the CD just for this. Buy it used if you have to.

The other reviewers have adequately described the original Lennon songs on this album and their artistic merit. I just want to point out that the cover songs (e.g., Be Bop A Lula, Rip It Up, Only You) are also dramatically improved over similar material on his "rock and roll" album (and, for that matter, the "menlove avenue" album). Specifically, he's sober (I think), and the songs (both voice and back-up) are VERY clear and punchy without having to resort to a 'wall of sound'.

If you bought this CD and like this version of "down and out" and you would like to hear more songs from that era that capture his passion without the glitzy distractions and muddled production of the original album, but you don't want to shell out $$$ for the anthology, then you should check out the last five tracks on the "menlove avenue" CD (one of which is also "down and out").

Didn't you always think that none of the Beatles came close to achieving the artistic beatitude of their group years on any of their solo disks? Sure, Lennon's first two albums were pretty good, but flawed, and the ones that came later were either marred by too much mediocrity or too much Yoko. He drank too much, used too many drugs, and it showed, unfortunately. If you're like me, you valued Lennon, but held back from fully embracing him because, in part, he didn't really seem like he was trying hard enough. If that's how you felt...Buy this album and begin to reappraise the man's work. Yoko has done a great job in creating a work that shows better than any of his individual solo records or even his best-of collections what he was trying to do. Some of this stuff corrects mistakes that were made in his solo career. The offhand jazz-folk version of "What You Got" turns a dull, overproduced album cut into a great chant. Versions of "Working Class Hero" and "Imagine" may not be better than the released verions, but stripped of production flourishes, they offer a rawer look at the performer at work. Boiling versions of "I'm Losing You" and "I Don't Want to Face It" make clear that the Double Fantasy sessions were hot ones. But most wondrous is the selection of love songs. You start thinking maybe Lennon was the greatest writer of love songs in pop history; "Oh My Love," "Real Love" and "Grow Old With Me" are penetratingly beautiful. I'm saving up for the Anthology, but til then, this record is...like having the Beatles back.

This was a hard album to listen to as a Lennon fan. Real Love is the reason why I purchased it before I invested the $70 in the Anthology. I figured if the other demos and alternates intrigued me, then the Anthology would be worth the money. And it is. The alternate "Nobody Loves You When You're Down and Out" Is a favorite for obvious reasons, as well as the much harsher version of "God". More anger comes through and manages to shock as effectively as Marylin Manson's appearance. There is such a sad and ghostly sound to "Real Love" and "Grow Old With Me", as if John Lennon is there in the room as you listen. It also brings back memories (if you're old enough) of the news in December, 1980. I was an eight year old kid when John Lennon had been killed, my family watched the TV reporters in horror. Later, people were gathering together and singing "Strawberry Fields" and "Imagine" as a tribute. Fortunately, the album turns emotions around after "Grow old With Me" with one of John's greatest parodies, "Serve Yourself", which is a great way to end. Try it, and afterwards, if you find yourself in the store buying the Anthology, give "Wonsaponatime" to a friend.

Twenty-one songs from "The John Lennon Anthology" are showcased here, with alternate tracks and rough demos from "Plastic Ono Band", "Imagine", "Some Time In New York City", "Walls And Bridges", "Rock 'n Roll", "Double Fantasy", and "Milk And Honey". One highlight is "Real Love", which the other three Beatles completed in 1995, as well as some home recordings. Some interesting material, some ho-hum, but definitely worth a look for Lennon fans.

A chance to hear Lennon fairly relaxed here, and some of the alternate takes are better than the masters in my view (I'm Loosing You, Grow Old With Me), some are pretty awful but thats mainly because I have never taken to them in the first place, but the album is worth listening to nontheless, esp.. one fav of mine 'I Don't Wanna Face It', which offers a frustrating glimpse of what Lennon would have been like in the 80s.

This contains the major songs of Anthology in a single CD format. A lot of great songs on this and it often touches the heart. Even if you own the full Anthology, this is a CD you can put on random play and listen to again and again.

Aside from the live "It's So Hard", the alternates of "Bless You" and "Borrowed Time" and some spoken moments, there's nothing I miss from the "Lennon Anthology" box set. This one disc condensation of that box qualifies as the most useful overview of Lennon's post Beatles career. What comes through most is the raw purity of John's voice. The stripped down arrangements of "Nobody Loves You When You're Down And Out" and "What You Got" are way more stirring than those found on "Walls And Bridges". The same goes for the "Rock and Roll" oldies because this time his performances don't get buried in a mushy Spectorized-mix. This version of "Be Bop A Lula" may be in its definitive form. Even his guide vocals to Ringo's (and the Platters) "Only You" makes for a valuable listen. "I'm Losing You" is more tough-minded with Cheap Trick's support and "Real Love" is at its most poignant as a homemade demo. But the crown jewel is "Serve Yourself", a furious reply to Dylan that could have served as a foundation in the making of a "Plastic Ono Band II". The tracking order here is essential to an artist like Lennon. Anger, warmth, longing, soul, fun, humor and sarcasm fit snugly on one disc. A great vocalist and writer was he.