Acoustic

Performer: John Lennon
Engineer: Rob Stevens; Rob Stevens
Producer: Yoko Ono; Yoko Ono
Distributor: EMI Music Distribution

Notes: Includes seven previously unreleased tracks. Personnel: John Lennon (vocals, guitar); John Lennon; Yoko Ono (vocals). Recording information: Ann Arbor, MI (1971); The Apollo (1971); The Apollo, New York, NY (1971). Author: John Lennon. Photographers: Yoko Ono; Alan Radu; Ian MacMillan; Bob Gruen; David Behl; David Spindel. Released in conjunction with the reissue of John Lennon's 1975 covers album ROCK 'N' ROLL, the ACOUSTIC compilation is a new collection that spotlights the quiet, ballad-oriented side of Lennon's work. Though Lennon is celebrated for songs whose forward-looking production style changed the course of popular music, ACOUSTIC serves to remind listeners that he was, first and foremost, simply a great songwriter, and that his compositions are equally as effective when stripped down to the simplest possible arrangement. Toward that end, this collection culls material from a variety of sources, including demos and concert recordings, some of which are previously unreleased and will be manna to Beatles collectors. ACOUSTIC spans both time and themes, ranging from great early tracks such as the bluesy "Well Well Well" to the later, contemplative "Watching the Wheels," which would appear in finished form on what would sadly become Lennon's swan song, DOUBLE FANTASY.

Rolling Stone (p.112) - 4 stars out of 5 - "[A] gripping, bare-bones portrait of the artist at work....Concert renditions of 'Imagine' and 'John Sinclair' showcase Lennon the visionary and activist." Spin (p.120) - "[T]he performances are mostly riveting." Uncut (p.136) - 3 stars out of 5 - "His gift was his passion, his voice and his songs, and it's those that make ACOUSTIC indispensable to hardcore fans..."

After exiting the Beatles, John Lennon cast off all artistic shackles and explored his muse fervently. Employing everything from primal screams to hard-rock minimalism, 1950s rock & roll, and plaintive balladry, Lennon simultaneously exorcised his personal demons and promoted a vision of utopian possibilities for the world's future. After a five-year retreat from the spotlight, during which he concentrated on raising his son Sean, John re-emerged with the striking comeback album DOUBLE FANTASY, on which he was aided, as ever, by his constant life/art companion Yoko Ono. Lennon's newly re-energized progress was tragically halted shortly after the album's release by the bullets of a crazed assassin's gun.

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