1.
Isolation
(John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, 1970)
Lennon takes stock of his world at a time when the break-up of The Beatles was still raw, and he was routinely being attacked for his relationship with Yoko Ono. A vulnerable man, yearning for belonging and acceptance, although some critics accused him of “lonely-at-the-top” self-pity.
2.
I’m The Greatest
(John Lennon Anthology, 1998)
With a title referencing boxer Muhammad Ali’s signature boast, the first of three self-penned tracks John gifted Ringo Starr in the ‘70s was briefly under consideration for one of his own records, but he felt he’d be accused of arrogance. “It’s very tongue-in-cheek,” Ringo said later. “Only he could have written it, but only I could have sung it.”
3.
Remember
(John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, 1970)
Lennon wrote a piano coda to George Harrison’s “Something”, but it was deemed surplus to requirement. He later adapted it for the pounding riff to this cryptic inventory of difficult memories he found himself facing during primal therapy sessions with psychologist Arthur Janov.
4.
Oh My Love
(Imagine, 1971)
Originally demoed in 1968 for a future Beatles LP, John returned to the melody and rewrote the lyrics with Yoko Ono when he felt his near completed Imagine was still one track short. One of the least complicated but most affecting of his ballads (frequently heard on film soundtracks), it’s essentially a hymn to cosmic contentment.
5.
Baby Please Don’t Go
(John Lennon Anthology, 1998)
Written by Walter Ward of the R&B group The Olympics for the B-side of their 1958 hit “Western Movies”, Lennon’s version dates from sessions for the Imagine album. He slows the tempo of the original, his arrangement echoing the sparse percussiveness of The Beatles’ “Come Together”.
6.
I Don’t Want to Spoil the Party
(Beatles For Sale, 1964)
John was reportedly dismissive of this jaunty, country-flavoured strummer, but it’s noteworthy as a rare instance in the Fabs canon where he provides his own overdubbed harmony in the verses, rather than have Paul or George do it. Roseanne Cash’s 1989 cover gave Lennon & McCartney their only (thus far) US country chart-topper.
7.
Scared
(Walls and Bridges, 1974)
Returning to themes of self-examination and insecurity he first touched upon in The Beatles’ “Help!”, John lays bare his anxieties at the height of his “Lost Weekend” estrangement from Yoko. An atmospheric, bluesy confessional with religious motifs, the second verse changing “scared” to “scarred.”
8.
One Day At A Time
(Elton John: Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds B-side, 1974)
In terms of arrangement and instrumentation, Elton’s own take of the Mind Games track is pretty much a carbon copy of the original. However, it’s of interest to Lennon collectors at the more completist end of the spectrum for John’s guitar and harmony contributions – his vocal is extremely low in the mix, though.
9.
Every Man Has A Woman Who Loves Him
(Every Man Has A Woman, 1984)
Sung by Yoko on the finished copy of Double Fantasy, an alternate version with John’s lead vocal was latterly issued as the opening cut to an all-star album of Ono’s songs marking her 50th birthday. Though released as a single in the US, it failed to chart in the Top 100.
10.
Only You
(John Lennon Anthology, 1998)
John rearranged and demoed vocal group The Platters’ million-selling hit as a guide recording to be followed by Ringo Starr for his 1974 album Goodnight Vienna. Lennon was so pleased with the choppy acoustic guitar “wipe” rhythm that he employed it again when he cut Ben E King’s “Stand By Me” on Rock ‘n’ Roll.
11.
Meat City
(Mind Games, 1973)
Lennon the rocker gets an outing, with a side order of funk, on a gritty ode to New York, written not long after he and Yoko set up permanent home in the city. At one point the riffing guitars are interrupted by a brief segment of backwards recording, among his first uses of the studio trick since the Beatles days.
12.
I Know (I Know)
(Mind Games, 1973)
A seemingly heartfelt apology semi-ballad, ambiguous in its meaning. Some critics say the lyric is addressed to Yoko at the height of their separation; others interpret it as an olive branch to McCartney after the savaging he gave his former band mate on “How Do You Sleep?”. “Today, I love you more than yesterday,” he sings.
13.
Be My Baby
(John Lennon Anthology, 1998)
An out-take from the Phil Spector sessions for Rock ‘n’ Roll, Lennon goes whole hog on a rendition of one of Spector’s biggest production triumphs. The plaintive acoustic guitar intro builds to a crescendo of horns and percussion in the chorus, with largely improvised lyrics.
14.
Look At Me
(John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, 1970)
Lennon in low-key folk troubadour mode, on a stripped-back recording of just voice and guitar. He employs the acoustic picking methods taught him by singer Donovan in the mid-1960s, that he also put to good use on Beatles tracks such as “Dear Prudence”, “Julia” and “Happiness Is A Warm Gun”.
15.
Real Love (Acoustic Guitar Demo)
(Imagine: John Lennon, 1988)
Famously overhauled by McCartney, Harrison and Starr for a “new” band single as part of the Anthology project, Lennon is believed to have made as many as half a dozen demo recordings of the song in the late ‘70s while writing material for a proposed autobiographical stage play.
16.
I’m Losing You
(John Lennon Anthology, 1998)
The first version of the track that would surface on Double Fantasy features backing by Cheap Trick, the American four-piece on a short break from making their All Shook Up album with Beatles producer George Martin. It was ultimately shelved when John felt it was too rocky compared to the other material he was recording.
17.
Attica State
(Some Time in New York City, 1972)
John the political firebrand at the height of his activism, written and recorded in the aftermath of the upstate New York prison riots in which 43 people died. Attica is also where Lennon’s killer Mark Chapman spent the first 30 years of his sentence.
18.
Grow Old With Me
(John Lennon Anthology, 1998)
First heard on the posthumously released Milk And Honey in 1984, Yoko Ono made a personal appeal to George Martin to add an orchestral arrangement for inclusion on the Anthology box set. Recorded at The Beatles’ old Abbey Road stomping ground, Martin’s son and future keeper of the Fabs archival flame Giles plays bass.
19.
The Luck Of The Irish
(Some Time in New York City, 1972)
Touching base with his ancestral roots on what he once described as a “protest waltz”, Lennon rails against British rule in Ireland, the lyrics recalling stories he’d heard in his Liverpool youth. Initially earmarked as a single, the release was shelved when radio programmers intimated that they’d be reluctant to play it.
20.
Just Because
(Rock ‘n’ Roll, 1975)
Lennon is in playful mood on a swaying makeover of Lloyd Price’s 1957 R&B hit, the song’s berth as the LP’s closing track lending it the air of a bon viveur bidding farewell. The witty spoken coda nods to producer Phil Spector’s famed Wall of Sound when John informs listeners “there’s two basses on this, I hope you appreciate it.”