| Capitol Records commemorates the 65th anniversary of John Lennon's birth with the release of Working Class Hero - The Definitive Lennon. The double CD set, executively produced by Yoko Ono, will offer the most comprehensive collection of Lennon's hit singles and key album tracks to date - 38 songs in all, with a combined playing time of over two and one-half hours.
Born in Liverpool, England on October 9, 1940 and assassinated in New York City just over forty years later (December 8, 1980), Lennon rendered a vision of life that was simultaneously reflective, utopian and poignantly realistic. Reflecting his social activism ("Give Peace A Chance," "Power To The People," "Gimme Some Truth," "Woman Is The Nigger Of The World"), idealism ("Imagine," "Mind Games," "Instant Karma!"), his hedonistic "lost weekend," as he called the 18 months he spent separated from Yoko Ono in the early 1970's ("Nobody Loves You When You're Down And Out," "Whatever Gets You Thru The Night," the rollicking duet with Elton John that gave him his first #1 single as a solo artist), and the happiness he found in later years as a self-described "househusband," ("(Just Like) Starting Over," "Watching The Wheels," "Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)"), Working Class Hero - The Definitive Lennon captures him in all his complexity.
Mastered from the most up-to-date sources, the collection includes material from John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (1970), Imagine (1971), Sometime In New York City (1972), Mind Games (1973), Walls and Bridges (1974), Rock 'N' Roll (1975), Double Fantasy (1980), Live In New York City (recorded in 1972, but not released until 1986) as well as numerous singles and tracks from Milk and Honey (1984) and Anthology (1998), the posthumous collections of Lennon's unreleased recordings.
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Notes & Personnel Info |  | Personnel: John Lennon. | | Photographers: Ivor Sharp; Ian MacMillan; Spud Murphy ; Bob Gruen; Peter Fordham. | | Arranger: John Lennon. | | Although 2005's WORKING CLASS HERO: THE DEFINITIVE LENNON covers a lot of familiar ground, including all of John Lennon's best-known hits, it's hard to complain when the material is so amazing. In fact, the most striking thing about this two-disc set is how Lennon continued to produce so many consistently strong tunes in the shadow of all the immortal classics he penned with the Beatles. The truth, however, is that Lennon's solo material is nakedly confessional, honest, and emotionally riveting in a way his Beatles' work seldom was. | | WORKING CLASS HERO represents these qualities admirably by showing Lennon at his most anguished ("Cold Turkey") and reflective ("Watching the Wheels"), alongside moments of pure joy ("(Just Like) Starting Over") and aching poignancy ("Love"). Lennon the outraged rebel ("Gimme Some Truth") is balanced by Lennon the wistful idealist ("Imagine," "Give Peace a Chance"), with the collection hitting all points in between. So while it's not full of surprises or essential material for hardcore Lennon fans who already own his solo albums, this 38-song compilation does offer a well-assembled overview of his finest moments. |
Producer: Yoko Ono; Jack Douglas; John Lennon; Phil Spector; Rob Stevens; George Martin; Yoko Ono; Jack Douglas; John Lennon; Phil Spector; Rob Stevens; George Martin |
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