Be-bop-a-lula (John Lennon's version) (LP 2028 - 2029)

John Lennon  Walls And Bridges (Vinyl and CD, Apple Records, 1974) ****  

John Lennon  Rock'n'Roll (Vinyl and CD, Apple Records, 1975) ****  

Genre: Beatle pop/rock 

Places I remember: DJ Records (Otahuhu); Marbecks Records; Chaldon Books and Records (Caterham on the Hill) for the vinyl copies; CDs from a variety of places.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Be-Bop-A-Lula (Rock'n'Roll)

Gear costume: #9 Dream (Walls and Bridges)

Active compensatory factors: Walls and Bridges was the unlikely decent album produced while chaos reigned in those mid seventies years before his reconciliation with Yoko.

It had hit singles, dream pop brilliance, an instrumental, self-pity, vitriol, bravado aplenty, love songs to May and Yoko, and those great Lennon vocals. It even had young Julian featuring on one track. 

He threw it all in with gay abandon and somehow it worked a treat. Yes, I'm a huge Lennon fan, but I still really like this album. And #9 Dream is a superb song.

I also love his Rock'n'Roll album. It's truly heartfelt - yes, I know he was in a bind and had to sort out the Morris Levy situation and the Spector sessions were mad, but nevertheless he doesn't phone these covers in. Again - brilliance will out and out of chaos came a terrific album.

His love for the material shines through time and time again, and it rocks like crazy. There's also a great variety on show. I could go on gushing but you get the idea. He signed off in 1975 for a few house husband years on a true peak.

Where do they all belong? In the ever expanding Lennon catalogue (bonus features, compilations, new remasters and so on). I still need to find a replacement copy of Roots (lost in a house move a few years ago).