Attack of the Killer Track! is a series that explores lesser known tracks from artists from a variety of genres. Some of the tracks were singles, some of them were obscure b-sides or long forgotten album tracks. One thing is certain – all of them are killer tracks.
John Lennon’s life is well documented – both in print and on film (usually at the request of Mr. Lennon himself as well as Yoko Ono). His work with The Beatles changed the way musicians record and made the path from The Beatles to the Pet Shop Boys very clear by way of tape manipulation and sampling. When you get to his solo career public opinion seems to be a little more divided – not so with me. The back to basics approach of his solo records really suits what Lennon was trying to do away from the band setting. His works have been reissued, remastered, and he even had some of his “works in progress” released in a box set about 15 years ago. Two of his demos were remade into Beatles songs for the anthology album / video series. One of the finest songs John Lennon ever laid to tape was considered for the Beatles reunion and rejected by producer Jeff Lynn (of Electric Light Orchestra fame) because of an incessant buzzing that is on the tape. It has never been officially released which is a damn shame – it is a haunting portrayal of love and loss. The track appears to have been cut at home (The Dakota) sometime between 1975 and 1979. The emotion in John Lennon’s voice feels very real and there is a sadness lurking beneath the surface. The piano accompaniment provides a melancholy atmosphere and allows the weight of Lennon’s words to sink in with the listener. I picked up a bootleg back in the mid 90’s and have returned to it quite often over the years. The perfect John Lennon song, still officially unreleased as of 2013 and it breaks my heart every time I listen to it. Key lyrics:
I know it’s true
It’s all because of You
And if I make it through
It’s all because of you…
You…
And now and then
If we must start again
And we will know for sure
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qa_QzicmWkA]