Elly Roberts reviews
John Lennon: Walls and Bridges
Distributed by
Parlophone
- Cat.no: 3409712
- Released: November 2005
- Rating: 8/10
Second in the recent Lennon instalment of solo albums.
On the back of the dreadful
Some Time In NYC,
Lennon bounced back with a much needed excellent album - it was a real
return to form.
Pining for Yoko during his 'Lost Weekend' in Los Angeles, Lennon was
drifting from his second wife. Apparently, he took solace with their
assistant May Pang and spent time on a year plus bender on the West Coast of
America. Despite his obvious desperation at their split, Lennon delivered a
stylish, if indigenous WC feel, which was far more accessible than STINYC.
Gone is Yoko's experimentation, which brought him more in - line with the
mainstream of old - there are even 'Imagine' throwbacks. Surprisingly, it's
not obviously angst ridden considering the circumstances. It may well have
been an olive branch to Yoko - a love letter of sorts - "Gotta get down on
my knees", and What You Got. Thankfully, there's a total lack of
self-indulgence too. The album contains possibly my favourite Lennon single
#9 Dream, with its most commercial leaning (the first Lennon solo single I
bought). Melancholy inevitably surfaces on the brassy Nobody Love's You,
reflecting his mindset.
There's also a freshness missing on previous two albums, with lush
production, now remastered and remixed, and produced by Yoko.
Much overlooked Bless You proves to the romantic highlight in what is very
much an eclectic collection. Rasping single Whatever Gets You Through The
Night, surprisingly only peaked at 36 in late '74, followed by #9 Dream in
February '75, yet another disappointing position of 23.
They were the only singles lifted from the album, as it was difficult to see
anything else being released. Beefy Jerky is more in keeping with
McCartney's music.
Bonus tracks alternative takes are superb: one live and the other studio.
Guest stars include Jim Keltner, Klaus Voorman, and Elton John.
Includes a revealing 3 minute 48 second interview with Lennon from 1974.
The full list of tracks included are :
DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TXW32R4 32" widescreen TV
connected to either a Creative Dxr2 DVD-ROM player or Microsoft Xbox and
played through a Sony STR-DB930 amplifier.
Review & concert pics copyright © Elly Roberts, 2004-2008.
