John Lennon - 'Acoustic' (Capitol / EMI)
3/5
By: Tim Dellow
Tim: Hello, I'd like to arrange an interview with John.
Capitol PR: John who?
Tim: Lennon.
Capitol PR: HAHAHAHAHAH (an intelligible burst of hysteria).
Tim: What's so funny?
Capitol PR: He's been dead for years mate, haven't you heard of the Beatles?
Imagine my shock. After some research into obscure bands of the 60's it turns out that The Beatles were a popular beat combo, who were essentially a covers band turned good. John, was indeed dead, shot mercilessly by a certain Mark David Chapman. How then has he managed to release about three records in the past year? Gravediggers, that's how.
And now I'll drop the act and get to the root of this album, a collection of, ahem, acoustic tracks - seven of which are NEVER BEFORE RELEASED. And the reason for this release? The included chord sequences and note from Yoko succinctly dedicating the album to future guitarists who, without a doubt, will include in their number those f**king buskers who murder 'Imagine' on the tube. In fact, John himself has a good stab at killing off that song on this record. A trite rendition of the classic track, crassly mixed to include the audience applause at key moments of the song. Equally baneful is the ultimate condescending moment of his career; 'The Luck of the Irish', which includes Yoko performing in a faux Irish accent. I shit you not.
But it's not all bad. Far from it. The man was, after all, a true songwriting genius. And on 'Working Class Hero', he demonstrates his skill at manipulating a simple line to contain multitudes for the masses. Indeed, it's worth downloading these versions of 'God, My Mummy's Dead', 'Watching the Wheels' and the sublime 'Cold Turkey'; the definitive drug ballad which sees a strung-out hipster stretching his vocals under his wife's influence. Equally fantastic is 'Woman is the Nigger of the World', which like a number of other songs on this record, is but a small demo sketch. A brief idea, and the recorded sound of a restless ghost.
Unfortunately, this album is a patchwork mess - live sections bludgeoning the intimacy of the softest mumblings with no warning and little coherence. However, the 45-minute running time hints at who the album's really aimed at; the older generation, who haven't downloaded these bootlegs, don't own a computer, like the length of vinyl albums (not that there's anything wrong with that), and still purchase CDs. In this way, Capitol can clear out the vaults of their collection, exploiting their artist to the end, before the copyrights on them run out in a few odd years. Getting the most out of an already outdated format. All together now... Imagine all the people.
Artists in this article: John Lennon
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