Born October 9th 1990.
John Lennon's solo career was marked by many ups and downs, he wrote inspiring songs often in the first person which were brutally honest and confessional , unfortunately he also tended to get involved with a lot of political causes and resultingly churned out some very ordinary tunes.
In 1968-9 John released "Two Virgins" which caused considerable controversy because of its content and cover art, and " Life with The Lions" which was also uninspiring . The "Wedding Album", followed, of which one reviewer stated, " faboulous packaging conceals all time bummer album" in which 22 1/2 minutes are spent repeating the names 'John' and 'Yoko' in a variety of emotional contexts. The flip side is a recording of their Amsterdam bed-in. The best solo releases by John at this time were the singles "Give Peace A Chance" and "Cold Turkey".
September 1969 and John puts together a band at the drop of a hat with Eric Clapton, Klaus Voormann ,
Alan White ( later of 'Yes' fame ) and Yoko , gets on plane and heads for Toronto. The band named 'Plastic Ono Band' went on stage at the Varsity Stadium and obliterated 25000 canadians with a set of rock standards, a rough and ready version of "Yer Blues" , and a singalong of "Give Peace a Chance".
This is a great album and leaves no doubt that Lennon was still a rocker under his white suit.
John was now in strong form and followed up with the release of his first solo album of rock songs , "John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band", a scathingly honest confessional work inspired by his primal scream therapy under the guidance of Janov. The album was supported by an extensive interview with Jann Wenner of Rolling Stone magazine wherein John debunked many of the myths surrounding the Beatles ( take a listen to the song "God" ).
Early In 1971 John Lennon moved to New York where in September of that year he released Imagine which became an instant hit and is often regarded as his finest solo work. The album includes excellent guitar playing including slide by George Harrison , drums by Jim Keltner and bass by old Beatle friend Klaus Voormann.
In 1972 John returned to political activism by publically supporting radicals such as Jerry Rubin, John Sinclair and Abbie Hoffman. The increased political involvement culminated in the release of the double album "Sometime In New York City" , recorded with The Elephants Memory Band. The album consisted entirely of political songs which were heavily criticised for their simplicity and content, subsequently the album didn't sell very well.
Around the time of the album's release John began his long involved battle with the U.S. immigration authorities who refused him his green card due to a drug conviction in 1968. In 1973 John was ordered to leave the U.S. and what followed was a very public battle between himself and the U.S. Immigration Authority.
In June 1973 Mind Games was released to critical and some mixed reviews , clearly it wasn't the album to bring him back on top. Its title track became a top ten hit.
in 1974 John and Yoko separated and John moved to Los Angeles and thus started his legendary 'lost weekend' . During the next year and a half John Lennon lived a life of partying and debauchery with friends including Harry Nilsson, Keith Moon, Ringo Starr and Elton John."Walls And Bridges", was released in October and was a hit album. Two great singles were lifted from this album "# 9 Dream" and " Whatever Gets You Through The Night". In return for Elton John participating on the album John Lennon agreed to join Elton in performing at one of his concerts. Unknown to John, Yoko was in the audience and reunited with John after the performance . Sadly this was to become John Lennon's last live appearance ever.
In February 1975 " Rock & Roll", a collection of oldies recorded during the 'lost weekend' period was released. "Stand By Me" from the LP was released as a single backed with "Move Over MS L." a non LP track. The release of this album followed the successful suing of Morris Levy, who a few months earlier had released "Roots", on mail order only via a legal loophole he tried to exploit.
In 1976 the U.S. court of appeals overturned the deportation order and John was finally granted his green card. The only other notable excursion in 1976 was co-writing "Fame" with David Bowie and appearing on Bowie's "Young Americans" album.
Following the birth of Sean in October John chose to become a house husband and retired from recording and performing.
In 1980 John returned to recording and signed a new contract with "Geffen Records" . The new album "Double Fantasy", ( named after a flower ) contained an equal amount of material from John and Yoko and was released in November to critical acclaim. On December 8th the unbelievable happened and John Lennon was assassinated by Mark Chapman. On December 14, 2 PM EST millions of fans around the world participated in a ten minute silent vigil...............
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