Sunday, October 16, 2011

John Lennon - Imagine


This isn’t just an album. This is one of the highest regarded pop albums of all time and is a frequent contender for ‘Best Beatles Solo Album’ if not among the greatest albums by anyone. And I don’t like it.

The material is fine mostly; the lyrics are good it’s performed superbly and the melodies are among the strongest John ever wrote. So what’s the problem? The production. Phil Spector ruined this album. Let it Be was still okay with Spector’s tinkering but this is horrible. The strings completely dilute any impact the music has. The best tracks are the ones that have barely been screwed with the least. Gimme Some Truth, Oh My Love and Crippled Inside are standouts but hearing How? and knowing that any number of demo versions of the song have substantially more impact.

Have some studio material, skip the album: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GK7CLXHSr1M

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