Lennon Legend: The Very Best of John Lennon [EXPLICIT LYRICS] [LIMITED EDITION]

However, this CD is different, and here's why. "Shaved Fish" was the first (or, should I say, Apple) greatest hits package. This was released in 1975. Needless to say, "Shaved Fish" is outdated and terribly incomplete. Next we have the "Imagine" sound track collection which ventures back into John's Beatle days and includes songs like Revolution, Help, The Ballad of John and Yoko, etc. This Imagine sound track collection falls into the same trap that hurt the George Harrison Greatest hits collection back in 1976 -- It included too many Beatle numbers.

Well, the Lennon Legend avoids all the pitfalls of the past. For openers, it is timely. This CD covers John's Apple years as well as the Dakota period. This CD includes the very best John has to offer as a solo artist. No, you are not going to be treated to any of John's Beatle numbers on this CD.

The sound quality on these "remastered" tunes are absolutely outstanding. John's voice and the instrumentation never sounded better. Those of us who still have vinyl immediately notice the difference in sound quality.

I do have one complaint about this CD. The Imagine Sound Track collection included John's version of Real Love. Listening to John's version of Real Love, you would immediately notice that the version the "reunited" Beatles included in Anthology 2 is different then the direction John was going with this tune. The Lennon Legend CD should have included John's version of Real Love to make this collection truly complete.

As it stands, this CD is definitely a plus for any collection.

"Lennon Legend" partly remedies this by adding an abbreviated version of "Mother". It leaves out two tracks from "Double Fantasy," "I'm Losing You" and "Dear Yoko." It also omits the rare B-side "Move Over Ms. L," which was included on the CD version of "Collection" but not on the original LP release. Thus, if you have or can find "Collection," it's worth keeping.

"Legend" also adds two numbers from the now out-of-print "Milk And Honey," the hit "Nobody Told Me" and "Borrowed Time," plus "Working Class Hero" from "Plastic Ono Band."

Basically, "Legend" is a great introduction to John Lennon's solo career, and is the best compilation by far. Any but the most casual Lennon fan should own "Plastic Ono Band" and "Imagine," and of course his work with the Beatles, but only the more hard-core fan would need any of his solo work that's not included in one of those two or "Legend."

One caveat: On my sound sytems, there's some apparent distortion and the treble sounds a little noisy, especially on the older material. I recommend listening to the CD (if you can) before purchasing. On the other hand, it may just be my system, and an equalizer (or higher-quality equipment) might solve the problems on the (mostly older) songs where I heard this. I suppose there's some kind of audiophile debate between preserving the original sound and "cleaning it up," ultimately it depends on personal taste. For me, this was a bit of a problem., but check the other reviewers' comments (at least one of whom complimented the sound quality!)

Liner notes include 11 photos of Lennon in the studio and with Yoko, release date and format. Wish there was information on personnel, I'd like to know the drummer on the 1970 "John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band!"

But let's give due credit: This is simply an outstanding selection of songs from a multitalented genius. It's so good, in fact, that you may be wonder if you should have bought the recently issued 4-CD "John Lennon Anthology." If you're a big fan, and have the budget and the time to listen, I'd recommend this more complete set. But this single CD packs in over 70 minutes of Lennon's best music, from the intensely personal "Jealous Guy" and "Beautiful Boy," to rockers like "Stand by Me" and "(Just Like) Starting Over," to his political pieces ("Working Class Hero," "Power to the People," "Working Class Hero," "Happy Xmas (War is Over)," and "Give Peace A Chance"). Sentimental and tender, yet subversive and revolutionary, small wonder that era's FBI kept a file on him. By the way, I see from the Amazon catalogue that some remastered Lennon CDS are due soon, check these out when they're released!