John Lennon's 1968 "Solo" Album

I love the White Album, which means I also love Lennon's contributions to the White Album. But as a standalone, I don't think there'd be a way to make this material as strong of a statement as Plastic Ono Band, Imagine or even Double Fantasy. It's a reminder that this material still works best as a dialogue with the songs of the others. On its own, it seems surprisingly whimsical. Of course, you are not helping matters by removing "Cry Baby Cry" and "Revolution #9."

But it turns out that Harrison and McCartney are actually responsible for a fair portion of the weight, edge, and depth of feeling on the album, too. "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," "Blackbird," "Long Long Long," "I Will" (a superficially silly song that actually has a lot of feeling in it), "Helter Skelter" (a superficially goofy rocker that is actually terrifying), "Piggies" (a superficially goofy satire that is actually nasty), "Mother Nature's Son", the intro to "Honey Pie"...probably everything counterbalances something else.

 

Ugh! Enormous oversight on my part. "CBC" is a must, as is "Child of Nature." "Mary Jane" would likely have been there, and at least one of the "India" themed song.

OK, how about this?:

Single: Revolution b/w Julia

John Lennon's '68 Comeback Special Album

Side 1.
Hey Bulldog
Across the Universe
Dear Prudence
India, India
The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill
Cry Baby Cry
Child of Nature
A Rock N Roll Cover
Happiness Is a Warm Gun

Side 2.
Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey
I'm So Tired
Mean Mr. Mustard/Polythene Pam
Glass Onion
Happy Rishikesh Song
What A Shame Mary Jane Had a Pain at the Party
Sexy Sadie
Yer Blues
Good Night

Too much for one album, really.... Edit as you please. Or a double LP, anyone?

 

I've made playlists/albums like this for all Lennon's official Beatles songs and the 1968 one which I call Revolution is definitely my favourite.

 

I like the idea of The Beatles splitting in 1967. John wanders off to Spain, and realizes he's had enough. He starts tripping and here is his first solo album:

Album: Strawberry Fields Forever

Side One

Good Morning
Strawberry Fields Forever
Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite

Side Two

All You Need Is Love
I Am The Walrus
Baby You're Rich Man
A Day In The Life


Paul McCartney's First Solo Album:

Magical Mystery Tour

Side One

Magical Mystery Tour
The Fool On The Hill
Getting Better
Fixing A Hole
She's Leaving Home

Side Two

Penny Lane
When I'm Sixty Four
Lovely Rita
Your Mother Should Know
Hello Goodbye

Paul's first solo album would be pretty kick azz.

 

Please.

 

Of course, if you did the Paul McCartney 1968 solo album, it would kick bottoms as well.
Even a George solo album would be great (songs from the White, Old Brown Shoe, Inner Light, a couple of instrumental tracks from Wonderwall, Not Guilty, ATMP songs that were lying around in 68, voilà !)
But none of them would match the gloriously incoherent masterpiece that is the White Album.

 

I like the White Album because it's like a grab bag of early solo material.

 

Yes, but do you find any of these songs superficial?

 

Hooks up with Yoko and drops the Beatles what makes you think that it would be anything like what he did put out. I think you would have landed up with something that makes Two Virgins positively radio friendly in comparison.

 

With these songs he should have waited around with them until 1969 and included "Cold Turkey", yes to Child Of Nature and Ooh My Love, no to Bungalow Bill and Mustard and Pam, and released "Hey Buldog" as a single, backed with "Ballad of John and Yoko".

 

ANY Lennon solo single in '68 could've possibly hit #1 I think...or come awful close.

 

Turn me on, dead man . . .

Wasn't he busy being dead at the time?

 

Comeback from what, exactly?

 

Mine

John Lennon

Title: Revolution

Side A

1. Revolution
2. Yer Blues
3. The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill
4. Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey
5. Glass Onion
6. Hey Bulldog
7. Happiness Is A Warm Gun

Side B

1. Dear Prudence
2. I’m So Tired
3. Sexy Sadie
4. Cry Baby Cry
5. Good Night (sung by John)
6. Across The Universe
7. Julia

Rockers on the A-side, acoustic set on the B-side

Paul McCartney

Title: Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

Side A

1. Back In The U.S.S.R.
2. Helter Skelter
3. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
4. Why Don’t We Do It In The Road
5. Birthday
6. Lady Madonna

Side B

1. Hey Jude
2. Blackbird
3. Mother Nature’s Son
4. Rocky Raccoon
5. Honey Pie
6. Martha My Dear
7. I Will

Both are very strong (of course). I prefer Lennon's.

 

Paul's 1968 solo album

Personally, I find much of John's white album output to be uninteresting.

Let us see Paul's 1968 solo album (excluding Hey Jude b/w Lady Madonna, his debut solo single)

Side One

Back In The USSR
Ob La Di, Ob La Da
Martha My Dear
Blackbird
Rocky Raccoon
Wild Honey Pie (Hidden track)

Side Two

Birthday
Honey Pie
Mother Nature's Son
Helter Skelter
I Will
Why Don't We Do It In The Road (hidden track)

 

Psychedelic doldrums and acid haze of late '67. Although, "Walrus" already signaled a reemergence of sorts.

I don't need to explain the "Comeback Special" reference, I assume......

 

How about this alternate universe? Lennon leaves the band during the break after Rubber Soul. Still experimenting with acid, and looking to go Psychadelic, He spends the rest of 1966/67 (a short time for artists today), creating his solo masterpiece:


John Lennon (1966-67)
Tomorrow Never Knows

Side A

1. All You Need Is Love
2. Rain
3. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
4. And Your Bird Can Sing
5. Baby You’re A Rich Man (in a different form than what we have now)
6. Strawberry Fields Forever
7. Tomorrow Never Knows

Side B

1. I Am The Walrus
2. I’m Only Sleeping
3. Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite
4. She Said, She Said
5. Doctor Robert
6. Good Morning, Good Morning
7. A Day In The Life (minus Paul's bridge, and radically different presentation I would assume)

Tracks: 1-14 (written by John Lennon)

 

Which means nothing. Some of the greatest albums ever have had no "number 1 hits". Pleanty of number ones are junk.

 

A lot of Barry Manilow on these tracks.

 

Incorrect.

Anyway, there wouldn't be a solo John Lennon album in late '68 because Yoko would of been there. It would be an oddball LP, that's for sure.

 

Without the other Beatles helping him make a pop product, I think he would have made something more like this:

Side One
Revolution 1 (take yet knickers off)
Everybody's Got Something to Hide
Yer Blues
What's the New Mary Jane

Side Two
Two Virgins 1
Across the Universe
Revolution 9
Blue Suede Shoes

And then we would have mourned John as the first acid casualty, and Across the Universe would have been a deep classic cut.