| The John Lennon Collection | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | 1 November 1982 (UK) 8 November 1982 (US) | |||
| Recorded | June 1969 – October 1980 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 69:29 | |||
| Label | Parlophone (UK) Geffen (US) | |||
| Producer | John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Phil Spector, Jack Douglas | |||
| John Lennon chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The John Lennon Collection | ||||
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The John Lennon Collection is a 1982 posthumous compilation album of music from John Lennon's solo career.
The album was originally scheduled for release in late 1981, but was held back a year due to legalities since half the songs on the album were licensed to EMI and the other half, songs from Double Fantasy , were licensed to Geffen. [1] It was eventually released on 1 November 1982 by Parlophone in the United Kingdom, [nb 1] and on 8 November by Geffen in the United States. [nb 2] [1] It was the first Lennon album to be issued following his death in 1980. The album includes most of Lennon's hit singles and other tracks from his solo albums recorded with EMI from 1970 to 1975, as well as all but one of his compositions (track 3 - "Cleanup Time") from his final album Double Fantasy , which was initially distributed by Geffen Records in America and EMI/Parlophone in the United Kingdom. [1]
The EMI selections on the album are similar to those on Shaved Fish , Lennon's 1975 compilation album, but without the singles "Cold Turkey", "Mother" and "Woman Is the Nigger of the World." The 1975 hit single "Stand by Me" and "Love", a popular track from the John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band album, were added. The other half consisted of many of the tracks from Double Fantasy. In the US, the album was issued with a slightly different track listing, [nb 3] with "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" and "Stand by Me" only released on the cassette edition. [1]
In 1989, after EMI acquired the rights to the Double Fantasy material, The John Lennon Collection was remastered and reissued worldwide with two bonus tracks for its CD release, [nb 4] "Move Over Ms. L" and "Cold Turkey" (the former being the only officially released Lennon track previously unavailable on any UK album, the latter the only UK hit single originally excluded from the compilation). "Move Over Ms. L" was the more notable inclusion: originally intended for Walls and Bridges but cut at the last minute, it was released as the B-side to "Stand by Me". [2] The CD was released in the UK on 23 October 1989. [1] "Less Christmassy than it sounds, ['Cold Turkey'] is now restored on CD," wrote Mat Snow in Q, "and is guaranteed to poop any party of sentimental Lennonism – presumably why it's kept till last; 1970's Plastic Ono Band album apart, it remains his most discomfortingly intense work." [3]
In the US, the 1989 CD re-issue of The John Lennon Collection not only included the two bonus tracks but also the two songs originally excluded from the US vinyl release, "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" and "Stand by Me" (these were 'bonus cassette-only tracks' in the US), thereby making the track-listing now identical in both countries.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| MusicHound |  [5] |
As Lennon's first posthumous release, The John Lennon Collection did extremely well, reaching number 1 in the UK [1] and peaking at number 33 in the US where it would eventually reach triple platinum. The album sold 300,000 copies in the first week, and 1 million by its third week in the UK. [1] In the UK, "Love" was excerpted as a single, [nb 5] (featuring a version of the song without the slow fade-ins) and managed to reach number 41. "Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)" was released as the B-side to "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)", which was released by Geffen, in a new picture sleeve, in the US. [nb 6] [6]
The front and back cover photographs for The John Lennon Collection were taken by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz on 8 December 1980; Lennon was murdered later that evening by Mark David Chapman at Lennon's residence The Dakota. [7] [8]
All tracks are written by John Lennon, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Give Peace a Chance" | Originally credited to Lennon–McCartney, the credit was revised in the 1990s to cite only Lennon as its composer | 4:52 |
| 2. | "Instant Karma!" | 3:20 | |
| 3. | "Power to the People" | 3:16 | |
| 4. | "Whatever Gets You thru the Night" (Featuring Elton John on harmony vocal & piano) | 3:17 | |
| 5. | "#9 Dream" | 4:46 | |
| 6. | "Mind Games" | 4:12 | |
| 7. | "Love" (Released as a single unique to this collection. Originally released in 1970 on John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band) | 3:22 | |
| 8. | "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" (Originally excluded from the US vinyl version, included on cassette and 1989 re-issue) | Lennon/Yoko Ono | 3:33 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9. | "Imagine" | Originally credited to Lennon, the credit was revised in the 2010s to cite Ono as co-composer | 3:02 |
| 10. | "Jealous Guy" | 4:14 | |
| 11. | "Stand by Me" (Originally excluded from the US vinyl version of this compilation, included on cassette and 1989 re-issue) | Jerry Leiber/Mike Stoller/Ben E. King | 3:25 |
| 12. | "(Just Like) Starting Over" | 3:55 | |
| 13. | "Woman" | 3:25 | |
| 14. | "I'm Losing You" | 3:57 | |
| 15. | "Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)" | 4:01 | |
| 16. | "Watching the Wheels" | 3:31 | |
| 17. | "Dear Yoko" | 2:33 | |
| Total length: | 69:29 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 18. | "Move Over Ms. L" (Originally released in 1975 as "Stand by Me"'s B-Side) | 2:56 |
| 19. | "Cold Turkey" | 5:01 |
| Total length: | 77:26 | |
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Argentina (CAPIF) [22] | Gold | 30,000^ |
| Austria (IFPI Austria) [23] | Gold | 25,000* |
| Australia (ARIA) [24] | 4× Platinum | 280,000^ |
| Canada (Music Canada) [25] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
| France (SNEP) [26] | Platinum | 300,000* |
| Japan (Oricon Charts) | — | 205,000 [14] |
| New Zealand (RMNZ) [27] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
| Norway (IFPI Norway) [28] | Gold | 25,000* |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE) [29] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI) [30] | 3× Platinum | 900,000^ |
| United States (RIAA) [31] | 3× Platinum | 3,000,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
Please Please Me is the debut studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. Produced by George Martin, it was released in the UK on EMI's Parlophone label on 22 March 1963. The album is 14 songs in length, and contains a mixture of cover songs and original material written by the partnership of band members John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
Imagine is the second solo studio album by English musician John Lennon, released on 9 September 1971 by Apple Records. Co-produced by Lennon, his wife Yoko Ono and Phil Spector, the album's elaborate sound contrasts the basic, small-group arrangements of his first album, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (1970), while the opening title track is widely considered to be his signature song.
Mind Games is the fourth solo studio album by English musician John Lennon. It was recorded at Record Plant Studios in New York in summer 1973. The album was released in the US on 29 October 1973 and in the UK on 16 November 1973. It was Lennon's first self-produced recording without help from Phil Spector. Like his previous album, the politically topical and somewhat abrasive Some Time in New York City, Mind Games received mixed reviews upon release. It reached number 13 in the UK and number 9 in the US, where it was certified gold in both territories.
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