Acoustic

This acoustic album features 7 songs available for the first tiem on an official album and the worlds favorite acoustic Lennon tracks together on one CD.

There is something mysterious about songwriting for the non-writing music lover, but once in awhile, an artist gives us a glimpse into that process. Lucky for us, John Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, has opened the door into her husband's world of songwriting, making available for the first time this collection of demo tapes and acoustic home recordings. Needless to say, it's a thrill to hear a great like Lennon's best-known and loved songs in these bare-bones arrangements.

You can literally hear the technology of home recording take a leap from the beginning till the end of this disc, which spans a decade in the life of Lennon's solo career. The set begins with "Working Class Hero," a cult anthem among hardcore Lennon fans; he spits it out with characteristic intensity.

The once-controversial track "God" is stunning even in this wobbly, old taped version. Sounding vaguely like Nashville Skyline-era Dylan on this demo, "God" is far less somber than the version Lennon eventually recorded with the Plastic Ono Band.

"My Mummy's Dead" is like an eerie old nursery rhyme or folk song. "The Luck of the Irish" is also a bitter folk verse; it was recorded live at the rally for John Sinclair in Ann Arbor Michigan in 1971. The slide blues, "John Sinclair," named for the '60s radical, was also recorded that day.

A bluesy take of "Cold Turkey" reveals that its famous guitar riff didn't come till later as this rendition is still a diamond in the rough; it sounds almost like an old 78 RPM blues recording.

"What You Got" is a tribute to the rockabilly music Lennon loved as a kid while "Dear Yoko" is a Buddy Holly and the Crickets-style guitar-rocker. Simple songs like "Love," "Look at Me," and "Well, Well, Well" are even more stripped-down in these incomplete arrangements. Compiled with love and care by Ono, the CD is dedicated to aspiring guitarists and the accompanying booklet even includes the necessary tablature and chord diagrams.

The highlight of the album is Lennon's breezy demo version of "Watching The Wheels." It's a study in contrast to the final take's dreamy, slowed-down rumination on the state of his life. Another stunning piece of tape is the #reverb-drenched version of "Real Love," the track that the living Beatles recorded over to complete a new song for their Anthology 2.

Closing out with a spotless version of his classic, "Imagine" (recorded at the Apollo Theater in 1971 at a benefit for victims families of the riot at Attica State Prison), and signing off with "It's Real," (a whistling melody) even though more than 20 years have passed since his death, it feels as if Lennon is right in the room with the listener. This is an absolute essential recording for anyone interested in getting a look into the singer and songwriter's creative process as well as for fans of all things Lennon.

By Danielle Santiago