The Lost Lennon Tapes was an American music documentary series presented by Elliot Mintz, comprising a three-hour premiere episode and 218 one-hour episodes, broadcast on the Westwood One Radio Network between 24 January 1988 and 29 March 1992. [1] The show had about 7 million listeners weekly, and was broadcast in six countries. [2]
John Lennon's wife, Yoko Ono, initiated this project to continue her husband's legacy for the fans and to share unreleased songs and recordings throughout the life of John Lennon. [3] She wanted this series to not only appeal to Lennon fans, but also younger individuals interested in John Lennon or his creative process. [4] Ono originally went to dinner with Elliot Mintz, a family friend of the Lennons, and Norman Pattiz, the founder of Westwood One, where they were able to form the idea. [5] Masters of approximately 500 tapes, mostly cassettes and 1/4-inch tape on 7" reels, were then sent from the Lennons' archive in New York to Westwood One's studios in Culver City, California, where the researching, writing, and production began.
Westwood One staff producer Stephen K. Peeples was the original writer and producer of the series, scripting the first 128 episodes, with David C. Kephart as the original production engineer. [3] Peeples and Kephart received the tapes in December 1987, and worked with a team of Westwood One engineers day and night to skim through and log hundreds of hours of material. Production copies were made and the masters were eventually returned to Ono. Mark Lewisohn, a Beatles historian, also worked on the project as the series' research consultant. [6] Mintz was the primary voice of the series, and Scott Muni of WNEW-FM New York voiced each show's introduction, segment bumpers, and credits. [1] The series began airing shortly after in February 1988, expected to only last a year. [7]
The premiere episode, written by independent producer Bert Kleinman, features an introduction from John Lennon's wife, Yoko Ono, explaining why she chose to give Westwood One Radio access to the tapes on which the series' content is based. [3] The Lost Lennon Tapes aired weekly, broadcasting music and interviews spanning John Lennon's life and career, from his childhood in Liverpool to his years as a member of The Beatles and then as a solo artist. [1] Out of the 814 songs heard throughout the series, 533 had been previously unreleased commercially. [9] Lennon's creative process as a songwriter and recording artist was demonstrated as numerous songs were traced from early home demos to the actual studio productions, such as the solo hits "(Just Like) Starting Over", "Imagine", and "Strawberry Fields Forever" by The Beatles. [10] [11] Other moments shared in the series consisted of interviews with John Lennon about his life, music, and political views, radio and television appearances, conversations with family members, and interviews with many of John's colleagues. [9] The producers also incorporated certain specials, one dedicated to the ceremony of John Lennon's Hollywood star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1988. [1]
Yoko Ono described the selection of Elliot Mintz as the presenter not so much as a choice, but a "karmic destiny," as Mintz had been a close friend of the Lennons for some time. [9] Mintz shared some of these intimate moments on the tapes with the family, such as big moments with John's sons, Julian and Sean. [12]
Mark Lewisohn wrote his own subset of reviews of The Lost Lennon Tapes in The Beatles Monthly magazine each week for Lennon and Beatles fans in the United Kingdom, where the series did not air. He commended the show on their good mix of material, specifically interview and music archives. [6] During the time period of this series, Ono also concurrently was working on developing John Lennon Anthology , issued about six years after The Lost Lennon Tapes in 1998; some of the recordings featured throughout the series also appear on the Beatles Anthology documentary series, which began three years after the final broadcast of this radio series. [13] [14]
"Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" is a song recorded by the English rock band the Beatles for their 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. It was written and composed primarily by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney.
Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins is the first of three experimental albums released by John Lennon and Yoko Ono on Apple Records. It was the result of an all-night session of musical experimentation with Yoko in John's home studio at Kenwood, while his wife, Cynthia Lennon, was on holiday in Greece. Lennon and Ono's 1968 debut recording is known not only for its avant-garde content, but also for its cover, which features the couple naked. This made the album controversial to both the public and the parent record company EMI, which refused to distribute it. In an attempt to avoid controversy, the LP record was sold in a brown paper bag, and distributed by Track and Tetragrammaton in the United Kingdom and the United States respectively. Two Virgins, while failing to chart in the UK, reached number 124 in the US. The album was followed six months later by Unfinished Music No. 2: Life with the Lions.
"Getting Better" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. It was written mainly by Paul McCartney, with some of the lyrics written by John Lennon, and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership.
The Plastic Ono Band was a rock band formed by John Lennon and Yoko Ono in 1969 for their collaborative and solo projects based on their 1968 Fluxus conceptual art project of the same name.
"I've Got a Feeling" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1970 album Let It Be. It was recorded on 30 January 1969 during the Beatles' rooftop concert. It is a combination of two unfinished songs: Paul McCartney's "I've Got a Feeling" and John Lennon's "Everybody Had a Hard Year". The song features Billy Preston on electric piano.
"What Goes On" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, featured as the eighth track on their 1965 album Rubber Soul. The song was later released as the B-side of the US single "Nowhere Man", and then as the tenth track on the North America-only album Yesterday and Today. It is the only song by the band credited to Lennon–McCartney–Starkey and the only song on Rubber Soul that features Ringo Starr on lead vocals. The song reached number 81 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1966.
"Real Love" is a song written by the English musician John Lennon, formerly of the Beatles. He recorded six demos of the song in 1979 and 1980 with "Real Life", a different song that merged with "Real Love". In 1988, the sixth take was posthumously released for the documentary soundtrack Imagine: John Lennon. In 1995, his demo was completed by his former Beatles bandmates as part of the Beatles Anthology project, along with "Free as a Bird".
"Come Together" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The song is the opening track on their 1969 album Abbey Road and was also released as a single coupled with "Something". The song reached the top of the charts in the United States and peaked at No. 4 in the United Kingdom.
"Revolution 9" is a sound collage from the Beatles' 1968 self-titled double album. The composition, credited to Lennon–McCartney, was created primarily by John Lennon with assistance from Yoko Ono and George Harrison. Lennon said he was trying to paint a picture of a revolution using sound. The composition was influenced by the avant-garde style of Ono as well as the musique concrète works of composers such as Edgard Varèse and Karlheinz Stockhausen.
"Across the Universe" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles. It was written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The song first appeared on the 1969 various artists' charity compilation album No One's Gonna Change Our World and later, in a different form, on their 1970 album Let It Be, the group's final released album. The original version featured on two different albums both titled Rarities: a 1978 British release and a 1980 US release. It was also included on their 1988 album Past Masters, Volume Two. The song has been covered by many artists, including David Bowie on his 1975 album Young Americans, which featured contributions from Lennon.
"Happiness Is a Warm Gun" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1968 album The Beatles. It was written by John Lennon and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. The song was composed into three distinct sections, referred by Lennon as "the Dirty Old Man", "the Junkie" and "the Gunman ". He derived the title from an NRA magazine and explained that the lyrics were a double entendre for guns and his sexual desire for Yoko Ono.
"You Know My Name " is a song by the English rock band the Beatles originally released as the B-side of the single "Let It Be" on 6 March 1970. Although first issued with their final single, it was recorded in four separate sessions beginning with three in May and June 1967, with one final recording session conducted in April 1969. The song features a saxophone part played by Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones.
"The Ballad of John and Yoko" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles that was released as a non-album single in May 1969. It was written by John Lennon and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership, and chronicles the events surrounding the wedding of Lennon and Yoko Ono. The song was the Beatles' 17th and final UK number-one single. In the United States, it was banned by some radio stations due to the lyrics' reference to Christ and crucifixion. The single peaked at number 8 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song has subsequently appeared on compilation albums such as Hey Jude, 1967–1970 and 1.
"Carnival of Light" is an unreleased avant-garde recording by the English rock band the Beatles. It was commissioned for the Million Volt Light and Sound Rave, an event held at the Roundhouse in London on 28 January and 4 February 1967. Recorded during a session for the song "Penny Lane", "Carnival of Light" is nearly 14 minutes long and contains distorted, echo-laden sounds of percussion, keyboards, guitar and vocals. Its creation was initiated by Paul McCartney's interest in the London avant-garde scene and through his connection with the design firm Binder, Edwards & Vaughan.
"Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1968 double album The Beatles. It was written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The lyrics contain sayings the Beatles heard from Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, with whom they studied Transcendental Meditation in India in early 1968. In his subsequent comments on the song, Lennon said it addressed his bandmates' initial reaction to his relationship with Yoko Ono. Recorded early in the sessions for the White Album, the track typifies Lennon and the Beatles' return to a rock sound in 1968 after their psychedelic period.
"Don't Let Me Down" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, recorded in 1969 during the Let It Be sessions. It was written by John Lennon and credited to the Lennon–McCartney songwriting partnership. The band recorded the song with keyboardist Billy Preston; the single release with "Get Back" was credited to "the Beatles with Billy Preston". Originally released as a B-side, producer Phil Spector excluded the song from Let It Be. However, it was eventually included on an alternate mix of the album, Let It Be... Naked.
Mark Lewisohn is an English historian and biographer. Since the 1980s, he has written many reference books about the Beatles and has worked for EMI, MPL Communications and Apple Corps. He has been referred to as the world's leading authority on the band due to his meticulous research and integrity. His works include The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions (1988), a history of the group's session dates, and The Beatles: All These Years (2013–present), a three-volume series intended as the group's most comprehensive biography.
Elliot Mintz is an American consultant. In the 1960s and early 1970s Mintz was an underground radio DJ and host. In the 1970s he became a spokesperson for John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and took on other musicians and actors as clients as a publicist, including Bob Dylan. He later became the publicist for Paris Hilton and Canadian drummer Neil Peart from Rush.
"That Means a Lot" is a song written mainly by Paul McCartney, and credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was released in 1965 by P.J. Proby. Proby's version reached #24 on the NME chart. Prior to the release by Proby, the Beatles recorded a version that was intended for the Help! film and soundtrack album. The Beatles were dissatisfied with the song and their version was not released until the Anthology 2 CD in 1996.
The Beatles Tapes from the David Wigg Interviews is an audio album of interviews with each of the four members of the Beatles: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. British journalist David Wigg interviewed the individual Beatles at various points from December 1968 or January 1969 to December 1973, and excerpts from some of these recordings constitute the album's spoken words. Although he was a columnist for the London newspaper The Evening News, most of the interviews were recorded for the BBC Radio 1 series Scene and Heard. Interspersed among the interview excerpts are instrumental performances of Beatles songs played by other musicians. The Beatles tried to prevent the album's publication, but it was released in the United Kingdom on 30 July 1976 under the Polydor label and in the United States in 1978.
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