John Lennon - Brandy Alexanders And The Wall Of Sound 1

Label: Vigotone, VT-235

"You Should'a Been There?" With Brandy Alexanders and the Wall Of Sound, you are there! This three-CD set brings into focus for the first time John Lennon's legendary Rock 'N' Roll sessions, both with and without producer Phil Spector. A document of a troubled time in John's life, this collection shows both the peaks and valleys in an extraordinary year and a half of work from October 1973 (when the project began) until February 1975 (when the album was finally issued). Highlights include several tracking sessions, rehearsals and live performances from the era creating a fully rounded audio picture. Also included in its entirety is the Adam VIII Roots LP in its finest quality to date.

Roots
1 Be-Bop-A-Lula
2 Ain't That A Shame
3 Stand By Me
4 Sweet Little Sixteen
5 Rip It Up/Ready Teddy
6 Angel Baby
7 Do You Want To Dance
8 You Can't Catch Me
9 Bony Moronie
10 Peggy Sue
11 Medley: Bring It On Home To Me/Send Me Some Loving
12 Slippin' And Slidin'
13 Be My Baby
14 Ya Ya
15 Just Because
With Elton John
16 I Saw Her Standing There
17 Whatever Gets You Through The Night
18 Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
19 I Saw Her Standing There
20 I Saw Her Standing There

Following in the tradition of Vigotone's earlier Lennon projects focusing on the recording histories of his solo albums, such as The Dream Is Over, Imagine All The Outtakes and Imagine More Session Tapes, Absolute Elsewhere, and Listen To This!, Brandy Alexanders and the Wall Of Sound brings into focus for the first time John Lennon's legendary Rock 'n' Roll sessions. A document of a troubled time in John's life, this collection shows both the peaks and valleys in an extraordinary year and a half of work from October 1973 (when the project began) until February 1975 (when the album was finally issued).

During the months of this period, John was living in Los Angeles, away from his wife and living the "high life". Work was secondary to having a good time during this "Lost Weekend", and even though the L.A. sessions for what was to become Rock 'n' Roll began with the best intentions (Phil Spector as producer, John as vocalist, just like the old days of Philles Records), they soon degenerated into a drink and drug-infested debacle. Then the sessions abruptly discontinued when Spector was involved in a car accident and John was left holding the bag that held no finished tapes. In the interim, John moved back to New York and recorded Pussy Cats with Harry Nilsson and another LP of his own, Walls And Bridges, which utilized the artwork that had been prepared for Rock 'n' Roll.

John finally got the Spector tapes back in late 1974 and was astonished to hear the discordant and sluggish performances and production. Not wanting to leave a project unfinished, however, he quickly booked more studio time at Record Plant New York and whipped up some more oldies to accompany the four usable Spector tracks. The results were initially released as the result of a "misunderstanding" between Adam VIII owner (and well-known rock and roll ripoff artist) Morris Levy and John that was the result of John giving Levy a 7 1/2 ips tape of rough mixes of the material considered for Rock 'n' Roll. Levy believed that there was an "arrangement" to releases the material on Levy's label to get John off the hook for legalities resulting from John's appropriation of lyrics for "Come Together" from Levy-owned Chuck Berry composition "You Can't Catch Me". This of course was not the case, and when Capitol / EMI learned of the existence of Roots - John Lennon Sings The Great Rock & Roll Hits (TV advertisements for which began appearing in early 1975), a rush-release of the original Rock 'n' Roll LP, with two fewer tracks than the Adam VIII package and some different fades on the remaining songs, was scheduled for February 1975. Roots was quickly pulled off the market, Rock 'n' Roll was a moderate chart success, and another round of legal battles began. It was the last music that the public heard from John until 1980.

Which brings us to the package you are holding now. On its three CD's Brandy Alexanders and the Wall Of Sound includes rehearsals and several tracking and mixing dates from all the sessions. Also included in its entirety is the Roots LP in its finest quality to date. To top it off, live performances from this era (including his November 1974 appearance with Elton John from an electrifying audience tape and the 1975 Salute To Sir Lew Grade performance in both unsweetened and sweetened versions), the video session for "Stand By Me" and "Slippin' And Slidin'" and other contemporary odds and ends create a fully rounded audio picture of this hectic era in the professional life of John Lennon.

Brother Julius
February 2001